Chapter 292: Abnormal Changes in the Holy Land (I)
Haggai shook his head.
"I'm not aware of that, my lord… I'm sorry."
Calvis frowned slightly, concern evident in his expression.
"The Holy War Site is extremely dangerous. Given his status, if anything were to happen… the consequences would be severe."
He turned around and spoke solemnly:
"As an archbishop, it is my duty to safeguard the Holy Bloodlines. This oversight is my failure. Record it—I will personally confess my fault to the Church."
Several members of the Saul family immediately nodded.
"As you command."
They actually took out pen and paper on the spot.
Haggai felt his head throb.
If his few words caused a Holy Blood member to be punished, he'd be in serious trouble.
Even if everything was procedurally correct—
It could still be interpreted as Isaac showing dissatisfaction toward Saul.
His father would never let that pass.
"Please—this is not your fault," Haggai quickly raised his hand.
"Lord Hiroger explicitly ordered secrecy before leaving. As for the danger… he was fully prepared."
A flicker passed through Calvis' eyes.
But it vanished just as quickly.
"The orders of that lord must be obeyed," he said evenly.
"But my negligence remains."
This is bad… Haggai's heart sank.
Calvis was known as the Iron-faced Archbishop—a man who enforced rules to the letter.
Then—
"You said… he was prepared?" Calvis asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Does that mean Lord Hiroger found a way to restore holy power?"
"Th-this… he didn't explain," Haggai said, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
This time, Calvis didn't press further.
He simply nodded.
"May the Lord bless you."
A soft female voice cut in.
Haggai turned.
It was the leader of the Zadok family—Rolsi.
"May the Lord bless you as well, Sister Rolsi," Calvis replied, his tone cooling slightly.
"What were you discussing?" she asked with a gentle smile.
"If there's new information, please share it. The sooner we act, the sooner we can rescue the trapped."
Calvis said nothing.
Haggai swallowed and stepped in awkwardly.
"Um… Lord Calvis was asking about Lord Hiroger's whereabouts…"
He repeated what he had said earlier.
"Oh?" Rolsi traced a cross over her chest.
"Such devotion is admirable."
"Lord Calvis, you need not blame yourself. The trapped are our priority—we must work together."
"I'm well aware of that," Calvis replied flatly.
"I don't need reminding."
The air grew tense.
Haggai swallowed again.
Rolsi, however, simply smiled.
"Brother Haggai," she said softly, leaning closer,
"since none of us can use holy power this time… we'll be relying on your knowledge."
"I—I will do my best," Haggai bowed quickly.
Despite sharing a "Holy Bloodline" surname—
His status was clearly far below theirs.
Outside — Courtyard
Caroline kept scanning the inner hall.
"What are you looking for?" Bettice asked.
"My brother… I don't see him," Caroline said, worry in her eyes.
Gideon pointed casually.
"Isn't he right there?"
The two followed his gaze.
Sure enough—
Carl stood nearby, lingering around the three Holy Blood members.
He looked tense.
As soon as their conversation ended, he hurried forward.
"M-my lords, I—"
He was immediately stopped by several Saul guards.
Calvis glanced over.
"In the temple," he said coldly,
"running and raising one's voice are both forbidden."
Rolsi chuckled lightly.
"You're as strict as ever."
"This young man is the heir of the Medici family."
"Status is irrelevant," Calvis replied.
"Rules are rules."
"But he is willing to enter the Holy War Site," Rolsi said calmly.
"That is a contribution to the Church."
"Would you reduce our numbers before the rescue even begins?"
Calvis narrowed his eyes—
But said nothing further.
"Let him pass," Rolsi smiled.
After a brief hesitation, the guards stepped aside.
Carl approached, hands trembling slightly.
"M-my lords… may the Lord bless you."
Only Haggai returned the gesture.
The other two didn't move.
"The Medici heir," Rolsi said gently,
"have you come with information about the Holy War Site?"
Carl froze.
That first sentence filled him with hope—
The second shut his mouth completely.
How could a sidelined heir like him possess such crucial intelligence?
But—
For his mother, his sister, and his future—
He forced himself to speak.
"I… I'm sorry. I don't have such information."
"I came to ask…"
He took a deep breath.
"Would you allow me to join your team? The Medici family also wishes to contribute."
Silence fell.
After a moment, Rolsi spoke first.
"Such determination is admirable."
"But… if I remember correctly…"
"You already have a team."
Carl was slightly surprised.
She even knew that?
His confidence grew a little.
"That's true," he said quickly.
"But my teammates are outsiders. They are unfamiliar with the Holy Land… and may hinder the Church's mission."
"So I—"
Calvis' expression turned openly disdainful.
Haggai pressed his lips together.
So he's looking for a backer…
Rolsi raised an eyebrow.
"How unfortunate…"
"My team already has a Medici member."
She gestured to the side.
Carl turned—
And saw the face he hated most.
Falco.
Perfectly styled hair. Impeccable attire. Every detail carefully curated.
He looked… noble.
Falco bowed politely to Rolsi—
Then smiled at Carl.
No words.
But the mockery in his eyes was unmistakable.
Not long after—
Carl returned to Gideon's group, looking hollow.
"Brother…" Caroline's voice trembled.
He didn't respond.
He simply sat down in silence.
Gideon and Bettice said nothing.
They had seen everything.
Dong—
A bell rang through the temple.
All clergy—including the Holy Blood members—looked up.
The doors of the council hall opened.
Several figures stepped out.
At the front—
A man in finely crafted red robes, wearing a crimson skullcap.
Elegant. Composed.
"May the Lord bless you, Your Eminence…"
"Your Eminence…"
Voices rose one after another as everyone bowed deeply.
"That is Cardinal Parolin Saul," Caroline whispered.
"He's in charge of this session of the Episcopal Council."
Gideon nodded.
He knew the title—Your Eminence—was reserved for cardinals.
"Rise, children," Parolin said warmly, helping Rolsi up.
"You are the true heroes."
"On behalf of those trapped, I thank you."
He bowed deeply.
The crowd panicked slightly, hurriedly bowing in return.
"As for this selection," Parolin continued,
"I believe you are already familiar with the situation…"
Most of what he said matched what Gideon already knew—
But then came something new.
"The greatest danger of the Holy War Site… is that once inside, escape becomes nearly impossible."
"To address this, the Church prayed for divine guidance…"
"And the Lord answered."
He clapped his hands.
A side door opened.
Clergy stepped out, each carrying an ornate wooden box.
They approached the participants one by one.
Click…
The boxes opened.
Inside—
Two pale blue stones.
Their surfaces etched with patterns resembling clock faces.
"This," Parolin announced,
"is a Teleportation Stone."
"When activated, it will transport everything within a one-meter radius… to a designated location."
The hall erupted in murmurs.
Even Gideon stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Teleportation… the Church has reached this level?
"We have already established the destination coordinates."
Parolin lifted a cylindrical, deep-blue stone—
Covered in dense runes.
Even from a distance, Gideon could feel its immense power.
"This is the Sacred Anchor Stone."
"It maintains a connection with the teleportation stones—even within the Holy War Site."
Relief spread through the crowd.
A way out meant survival.
But Gideon frowned.
There's no way it's that simple…
"As for activation…"
Parolin's tone shifted.
"These stones are not newly created."
"They come from those who entered the Holy War Site before you."
His gaze dimmed.
"We engraved their power into them."
"As long as you can find them…"
"You can return safely."
Gideon's eyes narrowed.
He understood the implication immediately.
Soon, the teleportation stones were distributed.
A tall, thin cleric approached Gideon.
Polite. Formal.
"Before using the stone," he began carefully,
"please ensure that you…"
The tall cleric patiently explained how to activate the Teleportation Stones.
Not only that—he carefully answered every one of Gideon's dozens of "potential risk scenarios."
A moment later—
"Your caution is admirable," the cleric said with a faint smile.
"I believe you will return safely."
Gideon shrugged.
"Thank you. But that depends on whether I can actually find those distinguished individuals."
The cleric raised an eyebrow slightly.
Then smiled.
"You're… quite an interesting person."
With that, he turned and left.
Soon after, Cardinal Parolin gave a few final instructions.
Then—
He led the entire group toward the Mount of Olives beside the temple.
The Church would open the passage to the Holy War Site there.
At the Summit of the Mount of Olives
A slender figure stood quietly, overlooking the scene below.
She wore a black hooded robe, a wing-shaped brooch pinned at her collar.
"Xila," Mashal said as he approached,
"Beelzebub is ready. We can begin anytime."
He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the dense crowd below.
"Heh… so many people. If we slaughtered them all, we'd have more than enough materials for the ritual. No need to even enter that cursed place."
Xila turned her head.
Her face was youthful—almost sweet.
"If you try that," she said lightly,
"I'll run first."
"Who knows what terrifying methods the Church has hidden here?"
Mashal's lips twitched.
Compared to what we're about to do… how is that any different? he thought.
As if reading his mind, Xila continued:
"Opening the Holy War Site requires immense holy power."
"That will temporarily weaken the Church."
"Even if they summon a true angel—we'll have enough time to escape."
"The Holy War Site is the only safe zone."
"Attacking the Church's Holy Land directly? No force in the world could pull that off."
A bead of cold sweat formed on Mashal's forehead.
"Y-Yes… you're absolutely right."
Still as meticulous as ever… he thought.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel impressed.
They had actually infiltrated Jerusalem.
The holiest place for clergy across the world—
And today, they would shake it to its core.
After today…
The name "Wings of Vengeance" will echo across the world.
And I… will be remembered.
At the Foot of the Mountain
Participants stood in silence.
Around them, ritual materials had already been arranged.
More than a dozen elite clergy stood at designated points—
Each wearing a golden lion-cross emblem.
Members of the Holy See Clergy Order.
Powerful waves of holy energy filled the air—
So intense that even the clouds above were driven away.
But Gideon wasn't looking at them.
His gaze was fixed forward.
There—
A small grove.
Lush green leaves…
And among them, clusters of small golden fruits.
"…What is that?"
"Sacred olive trees," Caroline whispered.
"They're said to originate from Mount Sinai."
"Even cardinals rarely get to see them. This is my first time too."
She squinted.
"…They look kind of ugly though. Nothing special."
But Gideon saw something entirely different.
Those trees radiated pure holiness.
The patterns on their bark—
They weren't natural.
They were runes.
Runes that resonated with the entire Holy Land itself.
If not for his mastery of Divine Eye Restraint, he wouldn't have noticed at all.
And most importantly—
These trees were mentioned in the Sacred Canon…
As materials used to summon angels.
If I could just cut one down…
No—even a branch would do…
Gideon glanced around.
Then quietly abandoned the thought.
At the Cardinal's command—
The Clergy Order members stepped forward in unison.
Silver crosses in hand—
They began chanting an ancient scripture.
Hummm—
The ground trembled.
Beams of light shot into the sky—
Etching a massive formation across the heavens.
Across the Holy Land—
Countless people stopped and looked up.
As the formation completed—
An overwhelming surge of holy power poured downward.
The olive trees at the base of the mountain glowed with golden light.
Then—
Threads of spiritual energy appeared in the air, illuminated by sunlight.
They wove together—
Forming a long, narrow crack—
Ssssh—
The crack opens—
Revealing…
A vast, endless void beyond.
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