The King of Black Fog

"Do not misunderstand."

Before the monk could curse, Li Changzhou spoke again.

"The 'Lord' I am, is not the same 'Lord' as yours. I am a person who believes in religious freedom. I have no preference or discrimination against any religion. It's just... choosing a name is difficult, so you should understand my dilemma, right?"

Li Changzhou was very candid about it.

He didn't need to establish the image of a 'Lord' in front of Yafeiluna, Herd, and others.

What 'Lord' rewarded them, he could give too; how 'Lord' punished them, he could give them the same punishment.

Without the identity and prestige of 'Lord', he could be their lord.

"Are you the 'Unmatched' mentioned in the game notification?" The Red Archbishop was a thin middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance and a demeanor devoid of frivolity.

"That's me," Li Changzhou nodded. "So, I hope you will leave Sicily and Naples. Those places are under my control."

"The 'Unmatched' of the First Stage." The Red Archbishop stepped down from the Main Altar and stood under the massive Heaven's Gate.

The gigantic almighty Lord's statue loomed behind him, watching Li Changzhou together with him.

"Sinner, who has desecrated the Lord's name, you should not come to the church."

The church bells rang, initially gentle, then gradually becoming more intense.

The church's gold leaf, paintings, and marble were all faintly glowing, like a giant treasure chest filled with jewels.

In pairs, the opposing pillars, inlaid paintings, and carvings, all those flowers, birds, fish, insects and religious figures, came to life; blossoming, swimming, chirping, and heeding the teachings of the Lord.

The golden light grew more dazzling, and with the bell's toll, the church appeared as Heaven itself, solemn and majestic, with an imposing aura.

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart," the Red Archbishop sang solemnly, "I will recount all of your wonderful deeds."

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?"

"And the son of man that you care for him?"

"You have made him a little lower than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor."

The glories and radiance that belonged to the Lord entered his body, enveloping him in a layer of white light.

In everyone's eyes, he was like a messenger of God standing at the lowest rung of the Heavenly Ladder, about to step into the mortal world.

Yafeiluna, Herd and others felt waves of numbness throughout their bodies and their faces were very unsightly. As Italians who believed in the church, their hearts were trembling.

If it were not for Li Changzhou, they would have already knelt down and confessed their sins to the Lord.

Before this, the Red Archbishop was strong, but not to the extent of being worshipped as divine, it was the church's blessing!

The monks also chanted in unison:

"I will enter your house with great thankfulness; I will bow toward your holy temple with the fear of you."

Only six people, yet their voices were like a tidal wave, and together with the bell's toll, it was as if thousands were shouting.

Their bodies shone with white light, slightly dimmer than that of the Red Archbishop.

"Giving you one last chance," the Red Archbishop said calmly, "hand over the Identity Card, kneel before the Lord, and kiss my right boot; I may let you remain 'Unmatched.'"

Li Changzhou looked at Yang Qinglan and Li Qianxia: "Do you still want to have a practice round? The situation seems a bit off."

"Let's give it a try, we can always run if it doesn't work out," Yang Qinglan said with nonchalance.

Li Qianxia spread her hands, and the Blood-colored Steel Spear appeared in her palm.

She twirled the spear: "Qing Lan, I'll take the lead, cover me."

As soon as the words were spoken, she lightly tapped her toes and shot out like an arrow.

The Horned Robe spread quickly over her slender and graceful body, turning into Blood-colored Armor.

In the hundred-meter-long church, shrouded in white light, she was like a streak of blood piercing through.

The steel spear emitted a sharp whistle, its tip aimed directly at the Red Archbishop standing on the lowest step of the Heavenly Ladder.

"Judgement!" A monk stepped forward, spreading his arms.

The bell of the church rang out like thunder, and all the frescoes within the church, those religious figures, those flowers, birds, fish, and insects, turned their gaze to Li Qianxia and spoke in unison.

"Judgement."

The wooden pews in the nave took flight, wrapping in a circle of white light and combining into a massive cross.

The cross impaled into the ground like a huge sword; white light formed chains, and the chains made a large net, capturing Li Qianxia as she charged forward, pinning her to the cross.

The Blood-colored Steel Spear fell to the ground, resembling a small cross, slanted into the earth.

Fifteen trails of mist wielding scythes, like evil ghosts leaving their nests, leaped towards the monks.

Two monks stepped forward, holding the "Bible·Red Archbishop": "He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."

The Evangelical Book flew out and became a seed of light.

The seed grew into a sapling, and the sapling swiftly turned into a lush fig tree with sprawling branches. The massive tree scattered its white light, blocking all the gray mist from outside.

"Interrogation!" The fourth monk stepped forward.

"Interrogation." Spoke the religious figures, the flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

The fifth monk stepped forward with a book in hand.

"A mosquito, at age nine, indulged in food purchased with stolen goods. The Lord says, 'Guilty!'"

"Guilty."

The last monk spoke: "Execution by fire!"

"Execution by fire!" The voices of the religious figures, flowers, birds, fish, and insects rose in pitch.

The previously silent church bell chimed with a "dong," resounding once more.

Whoosh!

Flames ascended from the base of the cross, engulfing it like the tongues of demons, instantly swallowing the silhouette on the cross.

Dong!

Li Qianxia landed like a meteorite, accompanied by a circle of flames that parted for her.

She pulled out the Blood-colored Steel Spear and stood up.

Amidst the disbelief and panic of the monks, she raised the spear. Its tip glinted coldly in the firelight, pointing at them.

"Guilty," she said.

Huh!

Flames roared and surged like tidal waves, crashing down upon the six monks.

The Red Archbishop raised his hand and wiped it across; the fig tree scattered white dew, causing the endless flames to sleep like lions, disappearing without a trace.

"Ahh!!!" the monks let out a fierce howl.

They rolled on the ground, they slapped their bodies, they struggled to tear off their Daoist robes.

The Red Archbishop's brows furrowed slightly as he turned his gaze to Yang Qinglan, who was enveloped in a strange light.

At that moment, Yang Qinglan also looked towards him.

As their gazes met, the ground lost its gravity beneath the Red Archbishop, and a pulling force appeared out of nowhere behind him.

"God says, we must break their bonds and cast away their shackles!" the Red Archbishop chanted quickly.

The ground returned to "ground," and he steadied himself, feeling a retrospective fear of retrieving chestnuts from a fire.

"Little Qing, don't kill him; there is no one left to test my skills on!"

Turning his head, the Red Archbishop saw a woman in blood-colored armor pulling a steel spear from the neck of the last monk, with blood spraying out like a geyser.

The eyes of the Red Archbishop suddenly reddened.

"Lucas, watch your head," the nun suddenly spoke.

The Red Archbishop looked up to see a huge white spiderweb, like a tiger stalking a herd of deer, quietly closing in.

Noticing his gaze, the web descended rapidly.

Busy with the grey mist, the fig tree freed a green branch and cast a flicker of white light.

Like salt in water, the spiderweb rapidly dissolved.

Having cleared the trash, the Red Archbishop swept his gaze over Li Qianxia again.

The 'Judgement Procedure' was nearly invincible, binding everyone, and once strung up on a cross, no one could resist or use any skills.

But the flames had gone out of control.

His gaze focused on the opposite side of the fig tree; surely someone was manipulating the Holy Fire within.

"You don't seem as strong as I'd imagined," 'God' rubbed his chin, sizing him up.

"No," said the woman emitting the strange light, "Auditory hallucinations, visual illusions, gravity, none of them affect him anymore."

"Yafeiluna and the others are no use, should I make a move?" Li Changzhou lowered his hand, "Although, I'm not sure if I can break through this tree either."

"There's no need," Yang Qinglan took a few steps forward.

Her hand, white as jade, opened, and five seconds later, in the gradually enlarging pupils of the Red Archbishop·Lucas, the "Bible·Knight" appeared in her hand.

The white light of the church descended, enveloping her, setting her off as if she were the Holy Daughter.

She took another step forward, and in the collective Perception of those present, she seemed to have left the mortal world, ascending the first step of the Heavenly Ladder, standing on the same plane as the Red Archbishop.

"Larena!" Lucas turned his shoulder, his lean, peaceful face now glaring like an evil ghost at the nun.

"It was you guys!" Larena was equally shocked.

She looked at Yang Qinglan in the white light and then cast her gaze towards the blurred figure of Li Changzhou.

"How dare you give the Evangelical Book to someone who blasphemes against 'God'!"

Larena withdrew her gaze and faced the roaring Lucas, "Don't be agitated, Lucas, the keepers of the Evangelical Book cannot harm each other. No matter how angry you are, you can't punish me; and no matter how scared, she can't hurt you."

"Shut up! I will report this to the Court!"

"You'd better focus on what's in front of you right now," Larena said indifferently.

The Red Archbishop squared his shoulders and focused on the approaching Li Qianxia, with blood dripping drop by drop from the tip of her spear.

"Holy Tree—" he took a deep breath and prayed loudly.

Li Qianxia shot forward like a projectile; the fig tree's branches swung out a swath of white light, sweeping her aside.

"—follow the Lord's instruction, the wicked must be destroyed from the earth, and the deceitful must be uprooted from the world! Eradicate these faithless sinners!"

Endless white light congregated on the fig tree, and the massive church gradually turned into a white space.

Looking beneath his feet, it was hard to distinguish up from down, left from right, feeling the panic of stepping into the void.

Li Changzhou's heart felt a series of chills, as if a great disaster was imminent, a foreboding chill blowing in his ears.

Li Qianxia quickly retreated, rushing towards him.

The 'Honey Pot World' was about to open.

Yang Qinglan did not retreat, chanting just as well: "Holy Tree, follow the Lord's instruction, the wicked must be destroyed from the earth, and the deceitful must be uprooted from the world, eradicate Lucas!"

...

The church turned into a white space, quiet except for the sound of blood flowing from the six monks.

Yafeiluna, Herd, Smoky Man, Water Woman, Dart Man, and Billiard Girl, swallowed nervously in unison.

The fig tree, glorious and radiant, remained motionless.

Li Qianxia breathed a sigh of relief.

"How, how is this possible!" The Red Archbishop looked incredulously at the fig tree.

The Holy Tree was summoned by his Evangelical Book!

He had served 'God' for forty years!

The Holy Tree actually hesitated between himself and the woman who hadn't even had the Evangelical Book for half a month!

"Larena!" Lucas shouted.

With the nun added, the Holy Tree would still stand on their side!

"Help me!"

"But Lucas," said the nun, "you were going to report me to the Court."

"Do you think you can survive on your own?! You've already lost to them once! Only by joining forces can we survive!" Lucas roared.

Larena's gaze fell on Yang Qinglan, bathed in sacred light.

"Me and her, we are also us."