Chapter 290: Holy Clergy Members from All Over (Part 4)
Caroline looked towards the stairs, and after a moment, she could only sigh.
"Father William, Sister Bettis, you two should know that there have been frequent personnel changes in the Church recently, right?"
The two looked at each other, then nodded.
This matter had been ongoing for a long time, resulting in a shortage of manpower in the Church. For this reason, William had been used as free labor several times.
"This is because... most people have been sent to the Land of the Holy War," Caroline said. William raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
"A thousand years ago, the Church fought a war against the evil descending upon the world. It's said the scale of that war was massive, and even the true bodies of multiple Demon Gods appeared. And on the Church's side, angels also descended..."
"Ultimately, powerful Source Power fluctuations destroyed the surrounding space, splitting that battlefield from the human world and causing it to plunge into the infinite void."
"Along with that land, many powerful Holy Clergy Members also disappeared. In the thousand years since, they never returned, leaving only scattered words written in ancient texts."
William narrowed his eyes: "From what you're saying... these people have returned?"
Caroline nodded, then shook her head again.
"They have indeed returned, but only their bones remain. To be precise... that lost land has been found."
"Roughly not long ago, the Exorcism Department, one of the two factions of the Church, handed in an item. It was an arm covered in runes, named the Hand of the Apostle."
Bettis raised an eyebrow: "I've heard of this."
"It's said this holy relic originated from the Pioneer Spirit Barnabas, who was a disciple of the Son of God! But later, this holy relic was lost."
Caroline nodded: "Archbishop Jose Megos of Los Angeles recovered this holy relic and used it to find the location of the Land of the Holy War."
William looked thoughtful: "So it was this item..."
This Hand of the Apostle was exactly the item he had recovered in the "Answer Me" commission.
At that time, he was acting on Archbishop Jose's invitation, working alongside Faya, a teacher from the Dei Seminary.
Caroline continued: "After opening that space, Archbishop Jolan was immediately sent there."
"According to that lord's report, he found many holy artifacts and remains inside. Judging by the residual traces, that place is undoubtedly the Land of the Holy War."
"Afterward, the higher-ups mobilized many Holy Clergy Members to go there. After all, the Church paid a heavy price in that war, and many precious holy relics were lost as a result, including quite a few hundred-year vintage holy artifacts."
As soon as her voice fell, William's eyes lit up.
Previously, he had been troubled by his inability to find holy artifacts of this caliber.
The only one he managed to get his hands on was because he helped that female manager at the Exorcism Guild.
"So this Priest Order selection is actually to find those holy relics?" he inquired.
"At first, Lord Jolan did intend to arrange it that way." Caroline shook her head.
"But as a large number of Holy Clergy Members were sent to the Land of the Holy War, we also discovered an anomaly."
She revealed a look of recollection.
"Archbishop Jolan said in his letter that there seems to be an evil spirit with an extremely powerful evil intent entrenched there. It has already mastered part of the spatial rules of that land."
"All Holy Clergy Members who enter there will lose their Holy Power."
Bettis frowned: "What does that mean?"
"It means they cannot use Holy Power. Whether it's branding manifestation, holy artifacts, or Holy Arts, they all become ineffective there," Caroline said.
William and Bettis looked at each other, both seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.
"Even Jolan is the same?"
Caroline nodded.
"However, Archbishop Jolan figured out part of the rules, which is why he was able to bring this intelligence back. But the other Holy Clergy Members weren't so lucky..."
"The Archbishop's last letter stated that most of the Holy Clergy Members who entered previously have already died."
Her eyes grew dim.
"And those still alive are trapped there."
"The Holy Society, the Exorcism Department, and those ancient families in the Vatican... some individuals of noble status among them also entered inside."
"Therefore, during this period, various factions within the Church have been pressuring the Pope."
William rubbed his chin. He didn't expect a single holy relic to cause such a huge ripple.
"So the Church gathering us foreigner Holy Clergy Members is planning to send us to the Land of the Holy War to rescue the trapped?"
Caroline nodded: "In two days, the Church will hold a participant assembly in the Holy Land, and this news will be announced then."
Subsequently, she changed the topic.
"But this task is only the objective for ordinary participants. For those with ancient family backgrounds, we need to accomplish another thing."
William and Bettis both waited for her to continue.
"Find the second 'Ten Commandments' stele in the Land of the Holy War," Caroline said.
"Ten Commandments stele?" Bettis was somewhat puzzled.
"The covenant carved by God with His finger on Mount Sinai, which is also the core content of the Old Testament, practically the source of the entire Church's faith."
"Such a legendary item... actually exists?"
Caroline nodded: "I only found out recently too."
"There are a total of two Ten Commandments steles. Originally, they should have been jointly preserved by God and the Pioneer Spirits. But God ultimately gave that one to the Pioneer Spirit Moses as well."
"After thousands of years, one of them is currently preserved in the 'Ark of the Covenant' in the Vatican."
"And the whereabouts of the other one have long been unknown."
William rubbed his chin.
He had also read this story in ancient texts. These two Ten Commandments steles were not a "Volume 1 and Volume 2" relationship.
Each stele recorded the complete content of the "Ten Commandments."
The reason two were made was more like a kind of witness, just like... keeping a copy each after signing a contract.
Thinking of this, William spoke again: "I wonder what use this Ten Commandments stele has?"
"Uh... I don't know about that." Caroline smiled awkwardly.
"I'm guessing those old men were afraid we would leak it, so they didn't tell us!"
She crossed her arms as she spoke, looking annoyed.
William wasn't surprised by this.
But for this legendary holy relic to make the entire Church willing to pay any price, its use must definitely not be underestimated.
For example... summoning an angel, or even calling down God?
William shook his head slightly, tossing these thoughts aside. Now was not the time to focus on such things.
He asked one last question.
"You keep saying the Land of the Holy War is very dangerous. Are there other monsters there? If we go in, how do we get out?"
"Archbishop Jolan only said in his letter to figure out the rules. As for the rest... hmm..." Caroline pouted.
"I remember now! He said to be careful of the Sweepers there."
"Sweepers... what are those?" Bettis asked.
"I really don't know this one; it wasn't mentioned in the letter either."
William frowned: "There is still too little information about the dangers of the Land of the Holy War. This means we have to be even more careful."
"Oh! Right." Caroline suddenly clapped her hands.
"Regarding how to get out of there, the higher-ups will only announce it after the participant assembly begins. So don't go running around aimlessly these next few days!"
William and Bettis both nodded upon hearing this.
"Business is done! Let's go back." Caroline finished the coffee William had ordered.
"You guys can stay at my place these two days. My place is very close to the center of the Holy Land, just a few minutes' walk."
The corner of William's mouth twitched: "Is this the treatment of the local natives? Damn it!"
After leaving a few bills, the three quickly departed.
The Holy Land.
Mount of Olives, on the east side of the Old City.
The hillside was covered with dense graves; stone sarcophagi stretched from the middle of the mountain all the way to the foot.
Legend has it that after the Son of God resurrected, He ultimately "ascended to Heaven" on this mountain.
And God had also handed down a prophecy—He will descend upon this mountain, leading His believers to find ultimate salvation.
Therefore, this was also the most important burial area in the Holy Land.
Every devout subject hoped to be buried here after death.
At this moment, at the bottom of a low slope on the Mount of Olives.
There was a cave here, pitch black inside.
Rustle... Rustle...
Before long, a rhythmic sound came from the entrance of the cave.
A muscular man was dragging "two handfuls" of remains and walking over from afar.
The reason "handfuls" is used is because this man's hands were very large; he could grab the feet of six remains simultaneously with just one hand.
As the man stepped into the cave, a dark ripple was stirred up. It seemed some kind of magic array was arranged here.
He went all the way down, and before long, the space in front of him suddenly became spacious.
Thud!
The man threw the remains on the ground.
"I dug up over a hundred graves, and only these bones still had some muscle tissue left on the surface," his voice was somewhat muffled.
Fwish— a torch suddenly lit up, and the darkness nearby was dispelled.
Besides the man, there were three other people here.
"Is it really necessary to light a torch just to inspect corpses, Samael?" One of them, a scrawny man, pushed up his glasses.
Samael was still wearing a black robe, and the stubble on his chin was also somewhat messy.
Hearing this, he shrugged: "A day ago, I thought the same."
"But ever since Abaddon moved in twenty fake remains made of stone statues, I had to do this."
He approached the corpses as he spoke: "Regarding this point, I believe Beelzebub definitely has a deep understanding."
At this time, a figure sitting deepest inside nodded.
He was also wearing a black robe, but he wore a deep purple mask, which was also painted with dense runes.
"Although my teeth are very hard, after continuously biting through twelve stone statues, there was still some wear and tear." Beelzebub's voice was somewhat thin.
"Please be sure to pay attention. I didn't bring my personal dentist this time."
Abraham listened calmly and continued: "If I remember correctly, seven doctors have already been killed because they couldn't pull out your tooth."
Beelzebub nodded: "This shows their medical skills were too poor. Continuing to live would only waste medical resources."
The corner of Samael's mouth twitched.
Subsequently, the scene of Beelzebub ruining a heavy-duty tow truck while trying to pull a tooth surfaced in his mind.
"Fine." Abraham seemed to accept this explanation very easily.
"In that case, why not let Samael go? Was Abaddon's failure in the 'Child Abduction' mission not enough to prove his simple-mindedness?"
"Hey, I'm right here, you know." Abaddon said in a muffled voice.
"That time was just a mistake. Besides, I also had to deal with that Vatican Archbishop. That person is not easy to deal with. During the Anniversary operation, didn't Sariel also suffer a loss at his hands?"
Subsequently, he smashed his fist into the ground, causing even the cave to shake slightly.
"Moreover, who would have thought that these 'devout' believers would actually use stone statues to replace their own remains!"
"Hey, be careful! This is the Holy Land. Do you want to be discovered by the Church?" Samael steadied his stance.
Abraham pushed up his glasses: "I heard that some Holy Clergy Members, in order to seize a grave, will bury a stone statue in advance, and then swap their real body in after they die."
"What's there to fight over for a broken grave? Truly a bunch of fools." Samael stood up.
"Alright, the remains are fine, it's your turn."
Hearing this, Beelzebub came beside the corpses.
He took off his mask, and then actually grabbed a foot and started gnawing directly.
A sound of chewing echoed in the cave.
Samael frowned: "Although I've seen this many times, I still want to say, please do not come looking for me during any mealtime."
Beelzebub turned his head upon hearing this, some meat chunks still remaining at the corner of his mouth.
"Your food is no different from excrement to me. I would never serve that kind of thing on a dining table."
Hearing this, Abaddon grinned widely.
"Heh~ heh~ heh~ heh~" His laughter had a very strong cadence.
"You f*cking..." Samael clenched his fists.
"Alright, alright." Abraham blocked between the two. "Hurry up, the Priest Order selection begins in two days."
Samael took a deep breath: "Why haven't I seen the Boss and Sister Sariel?"
"Lucifer has infiltrated the Church and is investigating the hidden high-end combat power." Abraham pushed up his glasses.
"As for Sariel... she should be undergoing casting somewhere. She said her power last time wasn't strong enough."
Hearing this, Samael narrowed his eyes, and a figure in a black robe with short hair appeared in his mind.
"I hope you came this time too, otherwise I will be very disappointed," he thought inwardly.
"I'm full." At this time, Beelzebub stood up.
Abraham nodded: "Then let's begin."
After speaking, he instantly retreated backward, and Samael and Abaddon quickly followed.
Beelzebub stood in place.
His throat surged, and immediately after, a yellowish-brown liquid spewed from his mouth.
Sizzle... Sizzle...
After the liquid came into contact with the ground, a massive amount of white smoke instantly rose, and a foul smell appeared in the cave.
Beelzebub opened his arms.
Subsequently, many deep purple blood vessels surfaced on his body.
"Ugh... Ugh..."
He growled lowly, the blood vessels on his body flickering erratically.
In the next moment, the yellowish-brown liquid seeped into the ground.
These things quickly dispersed into countless "thin streams," spreading towards the entire Mount of Olives.
If one could see through the ground from mid-air at this moment, they would discover that those liquids were connecting with the stone sarcophagi on the mountain one by one.
After a period of time, the liquid completely submerged into the stone sarcophagi.
Inside the cave.
Beelzebub's eyes emitted an eerie purple light.
He twitched his fingers, and subsequently, the remains in the graves on the entire mountain also twitched their fingers.
In the next moment, a lot of yellowish-brown liquid seeped from the surface of these remains, beginning to dissolve the surrounding stone sarcophagi.
"The Sin of Plague has been planted. Now we just need to wait patiently." Beelzebub said, standing up.
The three people in the distance remained motionless.
Beelzebub frowned: "What's wrong with you guys?"
"Put your mask on first." Samael covered his nose with his robe.
Two days later, early morning.
Outside the golden Dome Temple in the Holy Land, many Holy Clergy Members wearing black robes were converging towards here.
Everyone remained silent, walking orderly through the alleys.
William was also in the crowd, with Sisters Bettis and Caroline accompanying him.
"It's finally starting."
He checked his backpack again to ensure there were no omissions.
Subsequently, William looked at the temple not far away.
At this time, the early morning sun had just peaked out.
A ray of sunlight happened to shine on the temple, and the golden dome instantly bloomed with dazzling light.
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