Via and Sophie walked together up the staircase leading to the peak of the Holy Mountain, heading toward the Holy Land. The clerics cleared a path for them.
Quite a few clerics followed behind the two sisters, eagerly wanting to know the final outcome.
“Mia, do you know where Altes is?” Via asked.
“Ever since chaos appeared in the capital, His Holiness the Pope has not appeared for some time. We do not know his exact location.” Mia replied truthfully.
“The only thing that can be confirmed is that His Holiness the Pope has not left the Holy Mountain. He is still here.”
“Elder Sister, where do you think Altes would be?” Via looked toward Sophie again.
“There is probably only that one place left.”
Sophie gave an inference that was not unexpected.
Via had previously learned from Sophie that there existed a forbidden area inside the Holy Mountain. Within that forbidden area was a temple that housed a dormant angel.
If Altes had learned that Sophie, who had been controlled by the incomplete angel’s will, had been defeated, he would definitely take action. There was a high probability that he would enter the temple.
“I also feel he would be there.” Via expressed agreement.
“Via, what is the secret that His Holiness the Pope wants to hide? And where is that ‘place’ the two of you were just talking about?” Mia was quite puzzled.
“About that, it would be a bit complicated to explain. However, I can tell you that inside the Holy Mountain—”
Just as Via was about to explain to Mia, Mia’s expression suddenly changed and she stopped in her tracks.
“This is… the voice of God?”
Mia revealed a terrified expression. Her pupils trembled, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she clutched her chest as she knelt on the ground. Her expression gradually grew painful, and she began to utter strange words.
“…Cannot… why… the feeling of mercy… has disappeared… I feel…”
“Mia, what’s wrong with you?” Via hurriedly asked.
“Not… just… incomprehensible…!”
Mia let out a wail. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, she collapsed onto the ground. Immediately afterward, the holy power on her body seemed to be drawn out, forming a highly condensed golden sphere that flew toward the upper reaches of the Holy Mountain.
“This isn’t right.”
Via turned her head and looked at the other clerics.
All the clerics exhibited abnormal changes. Some, like Mia, collapsed onto the ground in confusion. Others displayed fanatical attitudes, actively offering up their own holy power while loudly chanting sacred praises to the god.
Regardless of the individuals’ own will, every cleric present lost consciousness. Holy power converged toward the same place. In an extremely short time, there were no longer any clerics who could remain standing.
Sophie also experienced a sense of discomfort. Although she did not have her consciousness collapse like the other clerics, she still felt quite unwell.
“Damn it… this is Altes.”
“Elder Sister, what exactly is going on?” Via supported Sophie’s shoulders.
“Altes has disguised himself as the god and used the Divine Voice to issue commands to all the clerics, harvesting their holy power.”
“With his strength, can he do something like this?”
“Previously, it would definitely have been impossible. Without divine power, how could one use the Divine Voice? Right now he has likely taken control of divine power, which is why he is able to perform a forced harvest… I speculate that he must have already tampered with all the clerics who entered the Holy Land long ago, just waiting for this moment.”
“Can you still hold on?”
Via had now awakened the Demon King bloodline and had no connection whatsoever with holy power. Therefore, Altes’s actions would not affect her.
“For me, there is no problem. After all, I still have residual divine power that can resist Altes. However, for the others…”
Sophie glanced at the clerics collapsed on the ground and revealed a complicated look.
After thinking rapidly, she stood up, raised both hands, and released holy power mixed with divine power to interfere with the Divine Voice that Altes had cast upon everyone, greatly delaying the harvesting process.
“Elder Sister, are you protecting the clerics?” Via could tell.
“If we allow Altes to continue harvesting so recklessly, all the clerics will die. He will absolutely not care about the lives of the people here. I… cannot just watch people I know die like this.”
“Using divine power without reaching the Mythical tier is too forced.”
“Via, if we can save the clerics here, after this matter is over we will be able to change the future of the Holy Land,” Sophie said seriously. “Besides, we cannot just watch Altes continue to grow stronger, can we?”
“You won’t be able to hold on for long.”
“That is why the rest is left to you,” Sophie said with a smile. “Although I really want to take action myself, things have reached this point. Via, the task of defeating Altes is left to you.”
“Mm, Elder Sister. Leave what follows to me.”
After learning the method to enter the temple, Via set out alone toward the Holy Mountain.
“This should be the main gate of the temple, right?”
Via stood in front of the temple’s main gate and raised her head. She carefully observed the gate and discovered that the blockade Sophie had spoken of was not present. The entrance of the temple stood wide open with no restrictions on entry, as if welcoming her arrival.
“I had thought some violent methods would be needed to force my way in. Looking at it now, it is rather convenient.”
Via passed through the main gate and entered the temple.
Just as Sophie had described, this was a rather magnificent ancient structure. Although it had existed for many years, upon first sight it was still enough to shock the heart.
On the path leading to the center of the temple, she saw a human figure ahead.
“I never expected that one day you would return to the Holy Land and even come to the temple, Via.”
This voice that sounded gentle and kindly made Via feel extreme repulsion.
She narrowed her eyes and focused her gaze on that amicable-looking old man.
This was precisely the Altes she had been searching for.
“Altes, you did not hide. That saves me the trouble of searching everywhere for you.”
“Via, I do not recall that our Holy Land ever taught you to address the Pope directly by name. That is rather discourteous behavior.”
“Courtesy is given to those who deserve respect. At the very least, you do not qualify.”
Via did not wish to give Altes even the slightest face.
“Hehe. Not only did you fail to inherit your mother’s talent, you did not even inherit her character. Therefore, you truly are a defective product.”
Altes’s kindly smile gradually grew cold.
“As expected, allowing you to live in this world was the greatest mistake.”