Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 374 - 375: Return 1/2 [3/8]

"As an Archbishop, you represent the face of our Church. Your duty includes maintaining an elegant and dignified image in front of our followers and the general public. However, during the evacuation, you, my old friend, behaved in an unbecoming manner. You abandoned your protective gear and stooped to using crude language, all of which was captured. As a result, not only has the respectable image of the Archbishop evaporated, but the Church’s reputation has also taken a considerable hit."

"No, your Excellency, allow me to explain. The horde of abyssal demons... and with Bai Yanluo and Mengxi absent, I was…"

"There’s no need for excuses, my friend."

With a voice laced with an unstoppable force, Kael made Nick fall silent, even forcing him to his knees.

"Under your leadership, the strategy of Sunlight Squad collapsed in Snow Night Empire, and you placed the Girl of Destiny in peril on two occasions. The Goddess is gravely disappointed in you…"

As he spoke, Kael’s expression slowly shifted, showing traces of regret and sadness:

"However, you don’t need to worry too much, Our Goddess is very kind. Considering you have worked hard for the Church for thirty years; the Goddess has ultimately decided not to punish you."

Nick managed to lift his head, looking at Kael with a glimmer of relief,

"Really?"

"Yes. However, considering your age, the Goddess believes that it is time for you to retire."

"Re...retire?"

"Yes, my old friend. From now on, you don’t need to worry about the affairs of the Church. You can retire and return to the Goddess’s embrace."

’What?!!!’

’Hold on?!’

’What did he just say?!’

’Return… return to the Goddess?!’

’Dose he….!!NONONONO!!!!’

Hearing this, Nick’s eyes widened in shock. His momentary joy instantly evaporated, replaced by an unspeakable fear,

"No!! Wait! Your Holiness!! I... I can still work…"

However,

However, before Nick could finish his plea, the eyes of the Goddess’s statue began to glow, emitting a brilliant golden light.

A light that was pure and gentle,

But in Nick’s eyes, it had become the harbinger of his end…

"Return to the Goddess, Nick Bashurion. Your mission is over."

As Kael’s voiced these words filled with sorrow and reluctance, the statue of the Goddess behind him started to subtly vibrate. A potent aura of Divine Holy magic began to pulse around the statue, and from the eyes of the Goddess’s statue, an intense burst of golden light emerged.

The radiance of the statue was undoubtedly a sign of a miracle.

If an ordinary follower of Asumos Religion were here, they would cheer hysterically at such a sight, then prostrate devoutly, waiting for the Goddess’s blessing. However, this scene, which would undoubtedly excite almost all followers of Asumos Religion, caused an abrupt change in the countenance of Bai Yanluo, and even more so for Nick himself.

Nick wore a mask of agony,

Fear, despair, and anger - a flurry of negative emotions surged from his heart, causing the elderly Archbishop’s face to twist into a grotesque grimace.

Trembling all over, Nick, who seemed to have been fully dragged into a quagmire of fear, struggled to mobilize the holy magic throughout his body, attempting to escape the range of the golden light! While doing this, the dignity of Nick as an Archbishop had been completely thrown out of his mind as he frantically pleaded to the blonde man in front of him,

"No! Holy Father! Wait?! I... I still can!"

"Nick, don’t panic. Returning to the Goddess is a divine gift for you."

Kael opened his arms wide, smiling slightly.

In the following instant,

Amid Nick’s heart-wrenching pleas,

A golden beam of light shot down from the statue of the Goddess! It instantly enveloped Nick, who was trying to flee! In an instant, the holy magic within Nick seemed to have received a call, uncontrollably gushing out of him and flowing into the forehead of the statue along with the golden light.

The magic array Nick had gathered at his feet, prepared for a desperate escape, was shattered instantly,

Not only his holy magic but also Nick’s very life force began to fade rapidly after being enveloped by the golden light.

"Holy... Holy Father!... Goddess... Please forgive... me..."

With his power continuously draining away, Nick’s cries became progressively weaker,

"No... Don’t..."

...

On the other side, Bai Yanluo, watching this scene, was shaken to her core,

’Nick?’

’Archbishop...?!’

’Why... why?!’

Bai Yanluo’s azure eyes were filled with incomprehension and terror. Her petite figure shivered with fear, her limbs went weak, and she stood still, completely at a loss.

It was only when Nick’s increasingly weak screams kept reaching her ears that Bai Yanluo snapped out of it.

The moment she came back to her senses, Bai Yanluo gritted her teeth and a resolute look came over her face.

Though Nick was annoying and often bullied her, always ordering her around, it was undeniable that Nick had been good to her. If it hadn’t been for Nick taking her in and raising her in Asumos Church, how could she have become the Heaven Apostle as she was now?!

Wouldn’t she have died on the streets after being abandoned by her parents?

"Holy Father! Please... please wait!"

Bai Yanluo mustered the courage to shout out,

The robust holy magic energy within her, at the middle Stage eighth level, even erupted from her body at this moment. Under the enhancement of her white holy energy, Bai Yanluo transformed into a white meteor, rushing toward Nick, who was enveloped by the golden light, at an incredibly fast speed. Her intention was to pull Nick out of the golden light.

However,

Bai Yanluo’s actions couldn’t possibly have gone unnoticed by Kael,

Watching Bai Yanluo, who was rushing toward them, Kael shook his head with regret:

"To disrupt the ’Ritual of Return’ is a great disrespect, Bai"

As he spoke,

Kael slowly raised his hand, waves of strong light beginning to ripple from his fingertips. His dark red eyes flashed with an icy intent,

"Soul of Divine Art - Lock."

Along with the chanting of a spell, Kael’s fingertips abruptly burst into a brilliant platinum light! The dense holy magic exploded from his fingertips like a flood breaking through a dam! In an instant, it swept over the vast Cathedral.

The terrifying pressure distorted the surrounding space, and cracks began to appear on the sturdy pillars of the Hall.

The energy wave constructed of platinum light suddenly spread over the sky, attacking Bai Yanluo with a force that seemed unstoppable, directly blasting the holy magic energy field around the young girl with white hair into disarray. The pure pressure of this energy even forced Bai Yanluo to spit out a mouthful of blood.