The "King of Angels" Melkentron spread his arms wide, his entire body forming the shape of a cross, and spoke in a solemn and dignified tone: "Pope Vicente took advantage of the Lord's slumber to steal His authority. That is why I have sought out devout Saints to judge this greatest of blasphemers!"
Holy light swirled around him. After unfolding his eighteen pairs of radiant, feathered wings, he completely filled the entire prayer chamber, creating an image that was both ethereal and sacred.
"Vicente?" Clement retreated half a step, as though embraced within the wings of thirty-six angels. Had the "King of Angels" finally come to believe that the Church was under the "Disaster Lord" Vicente?
Back when Saints Ivan, Felix, Gorno, and the others had been hunting down the "Pale Lord" Wilfred, they had stumbled upon a rift leading to the Netherworld. From the mouths of the Lich King and other Legendary undead, they learned partial secrets about the God of Truth and the Pope, and gained considerable spoils from the Necromantic Temple—among them, the method to steal a deity's power.
They then conspired in secret and rebelled against the Pope during the Supreme Theological Congress, accusing him of being an incarnation of the Lord of Hell. Afterward, they successfully split the Church in two. Vicente had been certain that Wilfred, who had not participated in the Netherworld expedition, only possessed early pseudo-deity research and could not possibly know his secrets. That was why he had boldly sent Ivan and the others to hunt him down. Otherwise, for something of this nature, he would certainly have handled it secretly himself.
As it turned out, at some unknown point, this Legendary Necromancer known as the "Pale Lord" had allied with the Legendary undead of the Netherworld. And so, Vicente's otherwise perfect plan developed a flaw: the Church was split, and conditions were created for Douglas and the others to establish the Arcane Council.
During this process, Ivan, Felix, and the others could not possibly have failed to attempt contact with the "King of Angels." On the contrary, they had devoted enormous effort to the cause, trying to win the "King of Angels" over to their side. Had they succeeded, the Pope's authority would have been thoroughly undermined. But the "King of Angels" Melkentron had refused to believe that the Pope was the "Disaster Lord," and had firmly supported the Southern Church.
As a result, although the Northern Church was not significantly inferior to the Southern Church in the Divine Arts bestowed by the God of Truth, it could not summon Seraph-rank Beloved of God to descend, nor borrow their power!
"Yes—I was once deceived. But the Arcane Council's exploration of the Netherworld exposed the secrets he had been hiding. I must defend the Lord's glory while He sleeps, and welcome His awakening in the most perfect manner possible." The "King of Angels" Melkentron spoke with a tone of compassionate gravity.
"The Arcane Council's exploration of the Netherworld..." Hearing the "King of Angels's" words, Clement felt a jolt of alarm. He had long since learned through various channels about the story the Arcane Council had crafted—"The God of Truth Thanos and Pope Vicente."
Although much of the story was wildly exaggerated—something people might dismiss as a joke—there were also parts that aligned perfectly. Others might not have caught the resonance, but as someone who had inherited the power and knowledge of Saint Gorno and who had secretly cooperated with the Lord of Hell, Clement had been shocked to the core upon first hearing it, because it was essentially consistent with what he knew—only more complete and detailed, with many compelling additional details. He had been forced to conclude that the Arcane Council had indeed made considerable gains!
And now, the "King of Angels" residing at Heavenly Mountain was also admitting that the Arcane Council's exploration had touched upon core secrets?
More importantly, in the Arcane Council's story, the "King of Angels" Melkentron was an incarnation of the God of Truth Thanos—the vessel for His resurrection—which meant he was the genuine Vice-Lord of Heaven, the true "Lesser God of Truth"!
Was that the real reason he was willing to believe that the Pope was the "Disaster Lord" Vicente?
A torrent of thoughts flashed through Clement's mind before greed ultimately surged to the surface. He probed cautiously: "Honorable 'King of Angels,' does your descent before me signify that you acknowledge my devotion and recognize my qualifications to sacrifice and serve the Lord?"
"Yes. Compared to Berkovski, you are the truly qualified devout believer." Melkentron's expression of compassionate benevolence carried a hidden note of approval. "I have here a copy of the Book of Virtues, which records the mysteries of the Quasi-Gods. I see that your character is noble, your soul pure, and that every word and action you take accords with the Lord's teachings. Moreover, your will is resolute, and you dare to sacrifice yourself for the Lord—you are a rare and true Saint. I wish to entrust this to you, so that you will have sufficient strength to defend the Lord's glory and pass judgment on the sinner Vicente!"
After a brief pause, a golden book appeared in his hand. "Clement—do you want it? Are you willing to accept this exceedingly difficult trial and task?"
The mysteries of the Quasi-Gods? A step beyond their own methods of inherited power—the mysteries of Quasi-Godhood? Clement felt his very breathing grow heavy. His collaboration with the Lord of Hell had been for no other purpose than to steal divinity and obtain the secrets of Quasi-Godhood from that source. Yet the Lord of Hell was a born Quasi-God—born that way without even knowing why. In contrast, Thanos and Vicente were genuine, traceable examples of non-born Quasi-Gods who had grown from ordinary people into Quasi-Gods!
If that was the case, did the Book of Virtues truly contain the mysteries of Quasi-Godhood?
Suppressing his excitement and greed, Clement chose his words carefully. "I am willing to defend the Lord's glory, but Vicente has stolen the Lord's power and become a Quasi-God. He is truly beyond what I can contend with in my current state. Sacrifice is important, but a pointless sacrifice is meaningless. I can swear upon the heart of faith that once I possess power no less than Vicente's, I will absolutely defend the Lord's glory with my life and pass judgment on the sinner Vicente."
If you want me to cooperate, at the very least your Book of Virtues had better be able to make me into a Quasi-God!
An old fox like him never moved until he had confirmed the prize.
The "King of Angels" Melkentron sent the golden book flying toward Clement. "Your answer satisfies me very well."
After receiving the Book of Virtues, Clement could not be bothered with the fact that Melkentron was still present. He hurriedly began leafing through it, and the more he read, the more excited and exhilarated his expression became. The methods they had previously used to steal the power of faith and inherit power had always contained certain difficulties, with abysmally low conversion rates. The Northern Church's Saints had long been seeking improvements, but with little success. However, upon seeing the Book of Virtues, those difficulties seemed to vanish in an instant—for it pointed out the root of the problem from its very foundation!
The more he read, the more alarmed he became. The more he read, the more excited he grew. Clement began to suspect that this Book of Virtues truly contained the mysteries of Quasi-Godhood!
"Before we deal with Vicente, I have a task for you." Melkentron's voice dropped to a low tone. "On the five hundred and fifty-fifth level of the Abyss, at the core of the 'Chaotic Starfield,' there exists a Legendary material called the 'Tablet of Space-Time.' Go and retrieve it for me. In return, I will grant you compensation of equivalent value."
"The Chaotic Starfield?" Clement was puzzled. He had originally feared that the "King of Angels" would assign him a dangerous task, but this actually sounded like an opportunity? A trip to the Abyss to obtain a Legendary-grade material?