Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 612 - 613: Cleanup

3/10

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Meanwhile, at the Heavenly Garden in the capital of Anvika,

Although Yumo had released her power to enclose the garden before her direct confrontation with Kael and others, the intense battle and the near loss of control of her own powers caused strong vibrations that were noticed from outside. Once again, the inner city of Anvika was plunged into unease.

The forces of the Church hurried to the scene. It wasn’t just them; even the Imperial Guard of the Red Leaf Empire, led by Prince Amon, rushed to the vicinity of the Heavenly Garden. Normally, even if the Church suffered a severe blow, the Red Leaf Empire wouldn’t involve itself.

But now, with the two powers having formed an alliance, the empire couldn’t ignore incidents involving the Church.

…

"What’s going on here? How did it turn into this mess?"

Prince Amon, under the protection of the Imperial Guards, stepped into the Heavenly Garden and was immediately struck by the scene.

Amon knew that with the great reduction in the Holy Beast Huiming’s power, the garden had gradually evolved into a primitive forest. But now,

The once lush and vibrant garden had transformed into a desolate wasteland. The dry earth and dust replaced what was once a verdant forest. Foul, nauseating odors emanated from the cracks in the ground.

The moment Amon sensed this aura, he felt a wave of nausea. This strong discomfort made the fifth-level Prince’s legs go weak, forcing him to step back repeatedly.

Even his vision began to blur.

Clearly, for someone of Amon’s strength, the remnants of Yumo’s shadow power were too much to bear.

Fortunately,

A royal mage nearby quickly cast a spell to strengthen Amon’s mental state, bringing him back to normal and preventing him from losing his sanity under the influence of the serene shadow power.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Amon slowly turned his head to look at a beautiful woman dressed in a simple white robe with water-blue long hair.

This woman was Nora, one of the four Holy envoys of the Church and the liaison with red Leaf Empire.

"Nora, what exactly happened here? Why... is there an aura of shadow? Was it an attack? An attack by a abyssal demon?"

"Yes."

Nora nodded neutrally:

"It was the doing of Bloody Butterfly."

"This aura... it’s hers?"

"Yes, now you realize how dangerous she is. Even though she’s been hiding among humans, she’s always been a ticking time bomb."

"I understand that. What I’m curious about is why she would attack the Heavenly Garden?"

"Probably to release a wave of destructive impulses. After all, this place has long been abandoned. Then again, she might have wanted to destroy our arsenal stored here. But honestly, I didn’t expect her to be so brazen. It seems that defeating Higanbana has upset her. Perhaps, she wanted a bit of revenge?"

Hearing this explanation, Amon frowned slightly, a trace of displeasure flashing in his eyes. Clearly, he was not satisfied with this superficial explanation.

However, it seemed Nora wasn’t interested in elaborating further.

"Don’t worry, Prince Amon, Bloody Butterfly has already left. You can inform your father not to worry anymore. Also, it’s getting late, and you have to participate in the reconstruction work tomorrow, so you should rest early today. We’ll take care of things here. I bid you farewell, Prince Amon."

After politely bidding Amon goodbye, Nora turned and walked towards the depths of the garden.

Meanwhile, a team of Holy Knights from the Church, following Nora’s gesture, stood at the entrance of the garden with large shields and spears. Though it wasn’t stated explicitly, it was clear that Amon was not welcome inside.

Realizing this, Prince Amon had no intention of insisting on staying where he wasn’t welcomed.

He understood that while the Red Leaf Empire and the Church were allies for now, each had their own agendas. Caution was necessary, and this attack by Bloody Butterfly was definitely not as simple as Nora had described.

With this thought, Amon turned to his deputy commander:

"Since they don’t welcome us, let’s leave for now... Also, keep a close watch on this area..."

"Understood, Your Highness," the deputy commander replied respectfully, accepting Amon’s command.

--

Meanwhile,

Having temporarily dealt with the Prince of Red Leaf Empire, Nora passed through the line of Holy Knights from the Church and walked towards the deeper part of the sealed garden, where the remnants of the shadow power were most concentrated.

Upon entering this area filled with cold and oppressive energy, Nora first glanced at the Holy Beast Huiming, who lay unconscious on the ground with her fluffy cub in her arms.

"Hmm?"

Nora raised her eyebrows, seemingly surprised that the holy beast and her little doughter were still alive. Especially Huiming, who still contained such strong holy energy within her –’ why hadn’t Bloody Butterfly destroyed her? Why?’

A flicker of doubt crossed Nora’s eyes, but she didn’t dwell on it too much. Instead, she headed straight for the large crater in the center.

There,

Nora’s three colleagues, also Holy envoys draped in simple robes and wearing masks, had already arrived at the crater. With Nora’s arrival, all four Holy envoys were now gathered. In the middle of them lay a grotesquely mutilated corpse.

Its chest was blown open with a gaping hole, and its withered, shriveled body was nauseating to look at. The man’s face, drained of life force, looked terrifyingly hideous.

Now, the once dignified and elegant Pope Kael lay there like a hideous and horrifying corpse that had crawled out of hell.

If Prince Amon had witnessed this scene, he would likely have immediately understood why Nora and the others had ordered the area sealed off. It was to prevent the faithful and outsiders from seeing the repulsive state of the Pop, as it would severely damage the Church’s image and could potentially destabilize the morale of the entire Church due to the Pop’s death.

Indeed,

At a time when the call to Holy War had just been issued, the death of Pope Kael, the leader of the cause, could potentially derail the entire campaign.

However,

The four Holy envoys present didn’t seem concerned about this.

Gazing at the corpse lying on the ground, Nora appeared indifferent, her eyes calm and unfazed, showing no sign of panic over the Pop’s death. The other three envoys exhibited a similar detachment. Even though their faces were hidden behind masks, their demeanor radiated aloofness.

These four, who had been loyal to Kael, showed no reaction to his death. Their expressionless eyes suggested they were accustomed to such events.

Nora even walked forward and kicked the body a few times to ensure he was indeed dead. Then, speaking in a flat tone, she said:

"He’s dead."

Looking at her colleagues, she continued:

"Now that he’s dead, take him away. We can’t let the other disciples see this. As for the division of labor, it’s the usual. Before the arrival of the Goddess, this guy might still be of some use."

Upon hearing this, one of the Holy envoys instantly turned into a dense fog and disappeared from everyone’s sight, another burrowed into the earth. The last one, a nearly three-meter-tall giant, effortlessly picked up Kael’s body and walked with Nora towards the main church, towards the direction of the Goddess statue...