The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1638 - 464: Strictly Speaking, I Am Its Father

The distant Holy City, Saint Clement Cathedral.

In an unknown secret room beneath this magnificent building, symbolizing the spiritual center of the Empire, Pope Lake Gregory is seated upright on a stone chair, eyes closed and hands clasped, engaging in his daily ritual of prayer.

Unlike ordinary believers, Gregory IX's prayers are not only a confession to God but also a ritual to communicate with Saint Sis.

By connecting with the "Spirit Vein" beneath the Holy City, he can sense the faith contours of the entire Empire, discerning where faith is growing, where it is waning, and where the forces of Chaos are burgeoning...

Of course, this ritual is not always effective, as people's faith often fluctuates with changes in living standards.

Moreover, nowadays people frequently say "Saint Sis above" without much thought, so even Saint Sis himself might feel overwhelmed by the sea of noise.

Even Gods can be confused, let alone mortals.

For this reason, many times Gregory IX is merely going through the motions, playing the role of the Empire's "Guardian of the Spirit," guarding against potential dangers while meditating with the Spirit Vein's powers.

This is one of the benefits of being Pope.

Heroes often need to undergo thrilling adventures to become legends, but the Pope only needs to pray in the underground chamber of Saint Clement Church to achieve the same result.

As Gregory's mind wandered, pondering the origin of those abstract paintings recently popular in the Holy City, an unprecedentedly massive aura of filth suddenly invaded his peaceful Sea of Consciousness.

Gregory IX abruptly opened his eyes.

The always kind eyes of his now were full of shock and panic, beads of cold sweat emerging on his forehead.

What a terrifying aura!

The aura comes from the Empire's far east frontier, seemingly around the Brass Pass area, at the border between the Ryan Kingdom and the Dwarf World.

"What is that..." he whispered softly, then closed his eyes once more, attempting to trace the source of the aura with his Divine Thought.

Regrettably, however.

The power of the Spirit Vein is limited.

He can only feel the tides of faith's ebb and flow but cannot see what kind of blasphemy lurks behind those waves, nor can he discern what kind of entity has stirred up this storm.

He can only vaguely sense that something dreadful has descended upon this land, and its threat might even reach a doomsday level.

If this force is allowed to ferment, this disaster could potentially turn the entire land into a wasteland!

No more sitting idle——

Now is the time for the Judicial Court to act!

Thinking back on the prophecy he saw before, Gregory IX's back was drenched in cold sweat, and his aging body quickly stood up.

He extended his bony fingers, pointing towards a candlestick nearby, causing the silver bell attached to it to waver.

"Ding——"

The clear sound of the bell did not leave the secret room, yet it seemed to transcend spatial boundaries, resonating in the ears of another servant of God.

A moment later, the stone door of the secret chamber silently slid open, and a figure respectfully walked in.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man clad in a dark monk robe; his face was chiseled with sternness, and his eyes carried not a hint of emotion, only absolute devotion to the doctrine.

He was none other than the highest official of the Judicial Court, Grand Referee Ximenes.

Though not the strongest entity of the Empire, the Church's Judicial Court far exceeded ordinary Transcendents when facing Hell and Chaos.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

Ximenes knelt on one knee, performing an impeccable gesture, respectfully awaiting the Pope's words.

He knew something significant had happened.

"I saw the eastern sky turning dark, the filth from the Void pouring like a waterfall onto the barren land... Do you remember the prophecy I mentioned to you earlier? It might truly be manifesting."

Turning back to the Grand Referee, Pope Gregory's voice was a bit hoarse, "Tell me, has the Judicial Court received any reports from the Ryan Kingdom recently?"

Ximenes raised his head to respond with deference.

"Reporting to His Holiness, the Ryan Kingdom has recently erupted in rebellion, with the Green Forest Army bandits sweeping across most parts of the Twilight Province. However, according to the Bishop of the Ryan Kingdom, it still falls within the realm of mortal conflicts, far from causing us concern."

"No, far from it." Gregory IX shook his head, his gaze unprecedentedly solemn, "Mortal rebellion cannot possibly trigger such pure evil; this is unquestionably a Chaos ritual... And it is likely already completed."

Looking at Ximenes, whose expression was gradually changing, Gregory IX decreed in an undeniable tone.

"Ximenes, I need you to do two things."

"Please command," Ximenes replied respectfully.

Gregory IX looked at him, continued to command with a dignified voice.

"The first thing is for you to immediately go to the Judicial Court and initiate the 'Descent of the Great Angel' ceremony in my name. I need the power of a 'Power Angel' to descend upon the Empire's east frontier to deliver sacred retribution to the evil brewing."

Upon hearing the words "Angel Descent," even a man like Ximenes, whose expressions rarely change, could not help but feel his shoulders lightly tremble.

It was not out of fear.