The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic

Chapter 533 533: 533

Inside the grand cathedral complex at the heart of the Holy Dominion, chaos had completely taken over.

The massive stained-glass windows trembled violently as crimson light from the distant sky poured through them. The holy images of angels and divine figures were stained red by that unnatural glow. Priests, bishops, and high-ranking clergy rushed through the marble corridors in panic, their robes dragging behind them while their prayers turned into frantic whispers.

In the central hall, representatives from every major church had gathered in an emergency assembly.

The Cult of the Goddess of Light stood in rigid formation, their golden robes shimmering faintly. The priests of the Goddess of Nature and Creation murmured anxiously among themselves. The followers of the God of Destruction radiated unstable killing intent, and the disciples of the God of Storms crackled faintly with restless lightning. Even the militant followers of the God of War and several minor gods had come, their armor clanking as they shifted uneasily.

Above them, the crimson sky continued to pulse like a beating heart.

"He said it himself…" one high priest whispered, his face drained of color. "Kael Veydrin… also known as Leonard…"

"That name should not exist anymore," a bishop snapped, his voice shaking despite his attempt at authority. "We killed him and we even purged his soul."

"We erased his history," another added with trembling lips. "Even the gods confirmed it."

"Then how is he alive?" someone shouted.

"How is he breaking into the Demi-God realm in front of the entire world?"

The hall exploded into accusations.

"You handled the soul purification ritual!"

"No, it was the Light Cathedral who oversaw the final sealing!"

"The Goddess of Creation approved the erasure. Do not shift the blame!"

"You fools, you must have left something behind!"

"Now we are done…"

A priest stumbled backward and grabbed his head tightly. "We are fucking done…"

"We are done for," another muttered weakly as his knees trembled.

Memories surfaced in every mind.

That figure.

That monster.

The way he moved through battlefields like death itself.

He had not shown mercy to demons, angels, or even God themselves. He had cut everything down without hesitation.

Even Outer Gods had been cut into pieces by him. The only reasons he was defeated were the intervention of the God of Time and betrayal by his own people and a Goddess he once trusted.

A heavy silence fell.

"The blessing of the gods…" an old cardinal whispered bitterly. "We call them blessings, but they are traps."

Leonard had been given two blessings.

Swordsmanship.

Devour.

"The mark of divinity was placed on him through those blessings," someone said quietly.

"But something went wrong."

"That something was Devour," another replied grimly.

Generally, there was a limit to what one could devour. When a person devoured another's life, they also devoured their pain, their hatred, their despair. Too much would shatter the soul. Most would go insane before exploding from within.

"But he survived," the cardinal said in a low voice. "Not only did he survive… he became stronger."

"He slaughtered entire divine legions," another whispered. "He cut gods' projections apart like paper."

"And then he would devour them without leaving scraps," a priest added, wiping sweat from his neck.

"And he laughed while doing it…"

The atmosphere grew suffocating.

"We cannot fight him again!"

"Do you want to die like before?"

"He will butcher us all!"

Suddenly—

"ENOUGHHHHHH!"

The roar shook the cathedral.

Everyone fell silent and turned.

At the center stood a beautiful woman in an elegant white nun's habit. Her long silver-blonde hair framed her sharp features, and her eyes held calm authority despite the chaos.

Saintess Edwina.

"Stop losing your minds," she said coldly, though her fingers were clenched tightly at her sides.

A bishop from the Destruction sect sneered.

"Saintess Edwina… do not think you will be safe."

His gaze was sharp and accusing.

"After all, it was you who backstabbed him."

The hall grew completely still.

"As a brother, he would hate you the most. His retaliation will be fiercely aimed at you."

Edwina's expression flickered for a brief moment. A shadow crossed her eyes, but she suppressed it quickly.

"Shut up," she replied sharply.

Her chin lifted slightly.

"He could not defeat us in his prime. Do you think he can do it now when he is just weak?"

A war priest slammed his fist into a stone pillar, cracking it.

"Yes! We will crush that bastard!" he shouted loudly, trying to gather courage.

"We defeated him once!"

"We can do it again!"

But even as they yelled, their voices lacked conviction.

Thunder rolled outside, and the crimson glow intensified.

Then—

The massive cathedral doors burst open.

Guards stumbled backward as a battered figure crawled across the polished marble floor.

Gasps echoed through the hall.

Blue hair soaked in blood.

Torn armor hanging loosely.

A broken monocle dangling from one ear.

It was Eric.

He dragged himself forward on one knee, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

"Edwina…" he rasped weakly.

The entire hall fell silent.

The so-called Hero of Forsaken, the champion who had faced Leonard directly, looked shattered.

Eric slowly lifted his head. Hatred burned in his eyes.

"He's back…"

His voice trembled, not from weakness but from rage and disbelief.

"Leonard is back."

No one spoke.

The weight of those words pressed down like a death sentence.

For the first time in centuries, the churches truly understood.

The legend they had erased.

The enemy they believed buried.

Had returned in the worst possible way.

Silence lingered in the cathedral hall after Eric's words.

No one dared to breathe too loudly.

The crimson light from the sky filtered through the stained glass and painted the marble floor in red patterns that looked disturbingly like blood. The holy symbols on the walls looked twisted under that glow. The air felt unbearably heavy, as if even the gods were watching in tense anticipation.

Eric struggled to his feet with visible effort. His hands trembled slightly as he pushed himself up using a cracked pillar for support. Blood dripped from his fingers onto the polished marble, forming small dark stains beneath him.

Edwina stepped forward instinctively. "What happened?" she asked, her voice controlled but tight. Her eyes searched his battered figure.

Eric let out a harsh laugh that held no humor. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What happened?" he repeated.

"What more could have happened."

"Despite the passing of several centuries,he still beat me to dust and pummeled me to death and even devoured all the power of divinity given to me by Goddess."