Chapter 509: Prohibition Zone of Dark Demon (4k)
“Your young master?”
Professor Shylph couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Irina gently tapped her finger, using the “Lingxi Art” to project an image on the table.
Then, the familiar face smiled and appeared before everyone.
Professor Shylph suddenly understood and said, “Didn’t Demon come to watch this rare ceremony?”
She had intended to ask Irina, but unexpectedly, Dark spoke directly, “With Irina taking care of it, I’ll take a little break. Professor, are you just the three of you?”
Professor Shylph replied, “Yes, we mainly came out for some fresh air.”
Dark immediately invited them, “After the ceremony ends, why don’t you stay at my place for a few days?”
Professor Shylph gave a slight smile, “We can stop by your place, but staying for a few days…”
“Of course!” Lily suddenly squeezed into the frame, looking at Dark intently, “Dark, have we finished writing our textbook yet?”
“Not yet. Actually, I only started a couple of days ago,” Dark said, “I need Little Lily to supervise to get things moving.”
“I definitely have to go then!” Lily instantly looked full of energy towards Professor Shylph, as if she was saying, “Did you hear that?”
Professor Shylph frowned and reluctantly agreed, “Then stay for a day or two… no more than that.”
“Okay okay,” Lily readily agreed.
In short, they should just move in first?
Professor Kazel shook his head and said beside him, “Dark, did you slack off during the break?”
Dark instinctively leaned back on the sofa and lazily said, “Still pretty lazy.”
Professor Kazel was momentarily taken aback and couldn’t help but smile, “Have you learned the ‘Transfiguration Spell’?”
“Not yet,” Dark replied.
Professor Kazel nodded and said, “Then let me teach you.”
“Great.” Dark immediately smiled.
Although he originally planned to consult with Claire when she was free, if Professor Kazel came personally, it would naturally be better for him to continue teaching.
Professor Kazel said with a smile, “Professor Pavar Jones actually has a Transfiguration Club. If you learn the ‘Transfiguration Spell’ well, I can recommend you to join.”
Dark shook his head, “But I’ve decided to rebuild the Magical Animal Club.”
Professor Kazel smiled, “Students can generally only join one club, but Professor-led clubs are an exception.”
“Is that so?” Dark pondered, “Then I can consider it.”
Just as they were talking, Pandora squeezed into the frame from beside him.
Shylph was surprised, “Isn’t that Pandora? She’s also with you?”
Pandora said, “Professor, I just arrived last night.”
Shylph nodded, “Looks like you two get along well.”
…
Happy moments are always fleeting.
Dark felt that they had only chatted for a moment, but before he knew it, half an hour had passed.
When the clock struck ten o’clock, St. Louis Square finally showed signs of activity.
“Is it finally going to start?”
Irina immediately turned her gaze toward St. Louis Square, and the three professors stopped their conversation.
It seemed that the internal atmosphere had changed, as people inside the teahouse also walked toward the windows.
The prayer sounds that had been continuously drifting over St. Louis Square finally changed, and a golden carriage slowly approached from the sky.
The resplendent carriage, pulled by a pure white unicorn, tore through the sky, and the light wings on both sides of the carriage fluttered, scattering glittering feathers.
A sacred and solemn aura spread out with the change in the prayer sounds.
Following closely behind the golden carriage were the Golden Armored Holy Knights clad in gold armor.
Each Golden Armored Holy Knight rode their own mount, advancing steadily on the golden path laid out before them.
…
Without any warning, the first high-ranking members of the Holy Church arrived at this St. Louis Square.
The golden carriage pulled by the unicorn stopped outside the silver-armored knights’ formation. A dignified but emaciated elder stepped out from the carriage door.
His name was Archbishop Gail Norris, the chief archbishop of the Holy Church!
The appearance of the archbishop excited the crowd outside the square.
Some believers shouted loudly to the archbishop, causing the atmosphere there to surge.
Inside the duke’s mansion, Dark carefully observed this chief archbishop, who held a position second only to the pope within the Holy Church.
“He seems familiar, as if I’ve seen him somewhere before?”
Perhaps it was a fleeting glance during the duel competition that caught Dark’s attention, leaving him with a lingering impression now.
“This is the chief archbishop of the Holy Church, Gail Norris.”
Iris’s voice informed Dark about the identity of this elder.
But Dark first thought of the previous archbishop and involuntarily shook his head.
Even in a church with concentrated faith, power struggles could not be avoided.
However, this archbishop was so old that he probably couldn’t participate in the next pope election, right?
Speaking of which, what was the pope’s identity before he became the pope?
Dark suddenly had a thought and asked his question.
Iris and Irina clearly had training in this knowledge, knowing the backgrounds of important figures in great detail.
Before anyone else could speak, Iris continued, “The current pope was once the first saint son of the Holy Church, known as the ‘Contemporary Saint,’ the person closest to ‘Sainthood.’”
“The pope is a saint?” Dark was intrigued and asked.
Compared to the relatively low-profile chief archbishop, he was more familiar with the pope, though he only recently learned that he was a “saint.”
The term “saint” referred to a general title for special individuals in humanity who had awakened divine bloodlines.
Alvaraite and Principal Altair were both “saints.”
They gained immense power and long lifespans because of it.
But in Dark’s impression, the pope was an elderly man similar in appearance to the archbishop.
This significant difference suggested there must be some secret.
But Iris didn’t know about these internal secrets.
Instead, Hefestus Dragone spoke up, “Though the pope is also a saint, he wasn’t born a saint; he was made into one by humans. In the Holy Church, this is called ‘Divine Creation.’”
“Human-made, divine creation?” Dark frowned, “What’s the difference between a naturally born saint and a human-made saint?”
Hefestus explained, “Human-made saints are classified into different ranks based on the level of divine lineage and compatibility with the recipient. Only the highest rank of human-made saints can reach the level of a naturally born saint.”
“And it’s limited to power. They do not gain the long lifespan that naturally born saints do. Instead, they suffer a shortened lifespan due to the forced implantation of divine blood in the human body. Therefore, most Holy Church popes don’t live very long.”
“Again, they don’t live long…”
Dark couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
As the saying goes, “There’s always a price to pay for gains.”
Creating a saint through alchemy is considered part of the “alchemy” category.
Alchemy emphasizes the principle of “equivalent exchange.”
But the cost of creating a saint isn’t just a shorter lifespan.
No one cared about it, though.
…
In St. Louis Square.
With the arrival of the chief archbishop, the Holy Church finally began to act.
The accompanying golden armored holy knights formed a formation around the four pillars, becoming the innermost line of defense.
The archbishop slowly ascended the giant stone steps and arrived at the altar.
But when people thought he was about to make a big move, the archbishop knelt down in front of the altar, clasped his hands, and prayed like the priests.
As his prayer grew louder, the jade宝玉 at the corner of the altar lit up, and ripples of mana spread out from the altar.
The mana seeped into the air, subtly changing the surrounding environment.
By the time people realized it, the area within ten miles centered around St. Louis Square was enveloped in a barrier!
Although this barrier only rose a circle of light walls at the ten-mile edge with no obstruction, it still caused a huge commotion.
People near the edge instinctively fled outward when they saw the light wall, only to find out that it was merely an illusion.
People hesitated, some choosing to stay out of it, while others entered, quickly spreading the news.
Not long after, Irina and the others in the teahouse also learned about this.
And since Irina knew, Dark certainly did too.
He couldn’t help asking, “What preparations is Archbishop Gail Norris making?”
Professor Shylph’s expression darkened as she said, “Do you remember the ritual site we set up at the academy?”
Dark’s mind raced, and he hurriedly said, “You mean the star barrier set up by Professor Metia?”
Professor Shylph said solemnly, “The most basic condition for performing a ritual is to create a suitable environment. Gail Norris might be adjusting the overall environment.”
Professor Kazel was shocked, “Shylph, if that’s true, does the Holy Church intend to perform a ritual? Could this be their method of execution?”
Professor Shylph was silent for a moment, “Who knows?”
Professor Kazel couldn’t help closing his mouth and shaking his head. After all, the Holy Church couldn’t execute the Demon King because they only had its discarded corpse shell.
But what the Holy Church was doing now indeed seemed to be preparing for a ritual.
“Maybe they have other purposes?” Kazel said.
“Wait, what other purposes?” Little Lily, who had listened for a long time, was still confused, “Why can’t I understand anything you’re saying? Are you hiding something fun from me?”
“Haha.” Professor Kazel laughed dryly, thinking to himself that he was being left out too.
“So, professor,” Dark worriedly said, “Since the Holy Church might want to initiate a ritual, shouldn’t you leave the barrier now?”
Professor Kazel slightly frowned and said, “That makes sense. There’s no need to take unnecessary risks.”
But Professor Shylph shook her head, “I want to see it through. As for the ritual, there’s no need to worry.”
Then she took out a Mana Card from her deck, placed it face down in the center of the table, and pointed her finger at the Mana Card, chanting a spell.
Three seconds later, the Mana Card was instantly activated.
An invisible circle rapidly expanded, forming a ball about three meters in diameter, completely enveloping the four of them.
The special factors that had permeated the air were pushed away by the ball, making this area completely isolated from the ritual environment.
“This is ‘Area Prohibition,’ which can define a region unaffected by the site or barrier,” Professor Shylph said calmly.
…
Almost simultaneously, Archbishop Gail Norris on the altar twitched his eyebrows and opened his eyes slightly.
But he soon closed them again, continuing to maintain the barrier’s operation.
Many people used similar techniques to avoid the influence of the ritual.
In his “field of vision,” numerous bubbles were rapidly appearing within the giant barrier spanning ten miles.
Those who used secret techniques were inside these bubbles.
There were quite a few of them.
But compared to the crowd attracted by the “Demon King Execution Ritual,” they were just a small group with no significant impact.
However, even this small group could not be ignored.
He merely pursed his lips, and the Holy Church’s operatives mixed in the crowd immediately understood the positions of each bubble, approaching them in groups of three silently.
They maintained a distance, observing and recording without direct contact.
Although the Holy Church appeared to be doing nothing, they had already begun their operations.
The entire ten-mile area was filled with the Holy Church’s surveillance.
At this moment, they were effectively utilizing the side effects of the barrier to mark unidentified dangerous targets, monitoring comprehensively.
However, his actions did not escape the notice of some people.
…
After Professor Shylph activated “Area Prohibition,” she immediately realized that they were being watched—indeed, they had always been under surveillance, but this time with additional personnel.
“So this barrier has this function.”
Professor Shylph understood but took no action.
Let them watch; one couldn’t stop people from watching.
She didn’t care.
But Hefestus in the living room sighed in relief.
“Luckily, I didn’t go.”
She patted her heart, picked up a fruit, and bit into it, savoring the juice.
Such a level of surveillance could expose her in an instant.
At that point, she would face another round of Holy Church’s encirclement.
…
The area around St. Louis Square subtly changed after the barrier was deployed.
Some people hurriedly retreated, others were targeted, but some seamlessly blended into the crowd, showing no trace of their presence.
Similarly, there were people so secretive that even the archbishop couldn’t detect them.
The ceremony progressed rapidly from this starting point.
Those who withdrew were a minority, while the majority chose to continue watching, with a steady stream of new people entering the barrier.
People’s emotions subtly changed under the silent influence of the barrier.
On a small building north of St. Louis Square, Alvaraite and Claire raised their cups and drank together, smiling.
They had gradually realized what the Holy Church intended to do!
