It felt so good to be close to the witch!

"Don't you know the price of breaking the world's shackles?"

“I know, of course I know.” Gustav VII’s smile remained unchanged: “It’s nothing more than the death of a few ants.”

"They should feel honored to be stepping stones for us to reach the highest realm."

"Even if corrupted by the Abyss of Sin, becoming something neither human nor ghost?" Roy asked coldly.

"You know about the Abyss? Lord Roy, it seems you do know a lot." King Gustav VII on the throne was somewhat surprised, but that was all: "Perhaps you have learned about the various negative aspects of the Abyss from other sources, but if you can delve deeper into the Abyss, you will find that hidden beneath those ugly and sinful acts is the true path to godhood."

"Many people know about the Blood Moon War that took place more than 500 years ago."

"But the real reason for this battle is still known to very few people."

"That was an invasion."

"The invasion of the Seven Realms of Original Sin against our continent of Letel."

"The Seven Realms of Original Sin are seven great worlds born from the soil of the Abyss of Sin."

"You can think of the Abyss of Sin as fertile soil, while the Seven Realms of Original Sin are the seven largest and most abundant fruits hanging on a towering tree that has grown under such soil."

"They are the bright side, while the deepest abyss is the dark side."

"There is darkness before there is light; this is an eternal truth."

"That's how it should have been."

"But the dark side of human nature, after countless years of silence by billions of living beings, has even become unbearable for the abyss of evil, which is the dark side."

"Therefore, in order to save itself, the Abyss began to devour the seven realms of original sin in reverse, attempting to neutralize the evil of human nature with the spirits of all living beings."

"In order to protect themselves, the Seven Realms of Original Sin had no choice but to launch wars against other realms, attempting to use the beings from other realms as resources to neutralize the Abyss of Sin."

"And our continent of Leitel is one of the 'reserve supplies'."

"However, the World Mother Tree of the Lightel World is far more powerful than the witches who invaded this world imagined."

"He is hiding it far too well."

"You know the final result."

"Our continent of Leitel has sealed itself off, severing the path to divinity. No being in any divine realm or above can set foot in this world."

"I admit that the actions of the Mother Tree at that time did indeed protect the world."

"But more than 500 years later, everything is very different."

"The turmoil in the Abyss has entered a period of peace. The wars waged by the Seven Realms of Original Sin against external forces have long since ceased. We cannot forever rely on the protection of the World Mother Tree."

"We must become strong enough that even if there are external invaders, we can rely on our own strength to defend the world."

"Therefore, resuming the path of the gods is something that must be done."

"And the blood and sacrifices that occur in this process are necessary."

"The sins are committed in this generation, but the merits will last for generations."

"This is what I am doing now."

“Luo Yiqing, I admire your talent. Although there were some misunderstandings between us at the beginning, they are so insignificant in the face of the path to divinity.”

"If you want compensation, I can give you anything you desire."

"With your strength, you will surely have a place among the gods of the continent of Letel in the future."

"So join us and become a glorious part of embracing evolution!"

Gustav VII's impassioned voice echoed in the royal palace. He looked at Roy expectantly, but the reply he received was a cold "I refuse."

Roy's eyes were cold.

"Indeed, the approach of committing crimes in the present but achieving lasting merit is one path."

"But that's not what I want to pursue."

"If this is truly the only way, then I think I won't stop you."

"However, I have personally experienced the horrors of the Abyss of Sin."

"I never expect mercy from the abyss of evil."

"Therefore, I must stop your actions."

“You, the ants you discard like trash, are the cornerstone of a world’s complete inheritance in my eyes.”

"And in this world, there are people and things that I cherish."

"Chong-"

The sound of the longsword gradually rang out. After being reforged with refined gold, the Starfire Blade, with its dark silver body, had an additional thin golden line in the middle.

On the throne, Gustav VII looked regretful and clapped his hands lightly.

“Your Holiness, according to the contract, Lord Roy and these enemies are now in your hands.”

The Pope smiled slightly on his aged face: "Of course."

He took a step forward, and an overwhelming sense of oppression, as heavy as a mountain and as vast as the sea, instantly expanded throughout the entire area.

However, just as this oppressive feeling was about to descend upon Roy and the others, an invisible and immense force blocked it from entering.

Roy took a step forward, and his entire body, along with the Starfire Blade in his hand, exuded a terrifying power that caused the surrounding space to distort continuously.

"Pope of the Temple, your opponent is me."

This scene caused the Pope's pupils to shrink slightly.

In the next instant, a crimson-gold blade of light had already reached his neck.

Golden light burst forth, and the Pope of the Temple dodged the blade's strike in a flash, suddenly appearing in front of Roy. With a palm strike, he carried Roy through the palace wall.

In the blink of an eye, the two disappeared without a trace.

Inside the royal palace, Latie, Ais, Shanika, and Tonine all attacked simultaneously, targeting Gustav VII on the throne.

……

"Boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another.

A massive, crimson-gold fireball exploded, blasting the Pope of the temple away.

Roy remained expressionless, his Starfire Blade pointing diagonally at the ground.

Opposite Roy, the Pope's expression was extremely solemn.

He looked down at his left hand, which had just pressed down on Roy's protective shield. At this moment, the muscles and bones of his left hand had been twisted into a pretzel shape.

His armor of rules was not broken, but it was still damaged.

His damaged left hand healed at a visible speed amidst the golden light, and the Pope's voice was filled with shock: "True power of rules? How is that possible!"

In this sealed world, he searched for over a hundred years for a way to reach the path of the gods, but in the end, he still gained nothing.

But this young man, not even twenty years old, possessed the ability that he had been desperately seeking but still couldn't obtain. How could this not make him feel jealous and twisted into resentment?

Roy's response was to raise his hand and strike with a knife.

To this day, the last conversation between the two sides was that one.

Differences in beliefs mean there is no room for compromise between the two sides.

A crimson-gold blade of light crisscrossed the heavens and earth, trapping the Pope of the temple within.

Roy had no intention of holding back at all, and at the very beginning of the battle, he entered his strongest form, which consisted of "Destruction State", "Starlight State" and "Eternal Paradise Lost".

The Pope of the temple, hidden within countless flashes of sword light, was in so much pain that he felt like vomiting blood.

The irregular disturbances of gravity and repulsion penetrated the protection of the garment of rules, affecting his body, internal organs, and even soul.

This chaotic influence caused his movements to falter, even as he tried to mobilize his fighting spirit.

How could Roy possibly miss such a valuable opportunity?

In a flash of light, he was already standing before the Pope of the Temple.

The longsword, forged from refined gold, greatly reduced the effect of the broken rules. Roy slashed horizontally, drawing a graceful semicircle in mid-air, and aimed at the Pope's neck.

In the face of a life-or-death crisis, the Pope's pupils shrank to almost the size of pinpoints.

He couldn't understand why Roy, who had been so weak under his command not long ago, had suddenly become so powerful, putting his life in danger in just the initial exchange.

But in any case, the Pope of the Temple would not simply sit idly by and await execution.

Colorless, transparent flames rose up, a strange phenomenon brought about by the burning of the Pope's soul.

The Pope of the Temple, now advanced in years, was no longer the same. Every time his soul burned, even with a secret method to cool it down, it would still deprive him of a large amount of life force, further shortening his already limited lifespan.

In his daily life, in order to live as long as possible, the Pope of the Temple would try to avoid taking action himself and instead leave the work to his subordinates.

The burning of the soul, the thrill of life and death, caused the Pope's eyes to become bloodshot.

He roared furiously, and a blinding golden light burst forth as he tried to forcefully push Roy away.

But at that moment, a bright yellow halo suddenly appeared on Roy's body.

It blocked the golden light from pushing outwards.

Roy's expression remained unchanged as he resolutely slashed out with his long sword.

"Thorn..."

Blood was scattered across the sky.

Hundreds of meters away, the Pope of the temple clutched his neck with one hand. At the last moment, he desperately leaned back, which prevented his neck from being severed directly. Even so, his throat was still cut by the Starfire Blade.

Demigods possess extremely strong vitality; although this injury is not minor, it is not enough to kill him.

The Pope of the Temple was afraid.

He hid his true self his entire life, meticulously planning his every move, all for the sake of embarking on the path to divinity.

With the path to godhood about to continue, he was unwilling to fight to the death against an invincible enemy.

Without hesitation, the Pope of the Temple turned around, intending to return to the royal palace.

In the past, everyone thought that he, the Pope of the Temple, was the strongest, but the Pope of the Temple knew very well that this was not the case.