Chapter 79
Kidi's vision began to blur, her thoughts slowing down. She couldn't voice the turmoil in her heart; all she could do was watch helplessly as the silver-haired girl, who had previously tormented her, thrust a blood-stained silver hook, oxidized and darkened, toward her throat.
Sizzle—
Meanwhile, in the cell, Yulisi's mind was a fog. She turned, somewhat dazed, toward the direction of the girl speaking and asked, "You... who exactly are you?"
What on earth is happening?
A cult infighting?
"You might not believe me if I tell you."
Xia'er holstered her pistol, looking at the high priestess before her, and said, "I'm here to help you."
"You know whether I'm lying or not, High Priestess Yulisi."
~~~~~
Chapter Seventy-One: The True Bishop Has Arrived.
Who is this bishop... really?
Why did she suddenly turn against us at such a critical moment?
And why is she asking me about the promotion of the "Judger"?
She seems so familiar, as if we've met many times before.
Have I encountered her somewhere?
Yulisi's brain raced, pondering the questions swirling in her mind.
But she also understood that her thoughts would not change the outcome; no matter how much she contemplated, it wouldn't alter the fact that she was utterly powerless before this bishop.
"You... really didn't lie."
After a moment of hesitation, Yulisi spoke, "Have we met before?"
"Yes, in my dreams," Xia'er replied. "You've helped me quite a bit."
In dreams?
Helped her quite a bit?
At this point, Yulisi completely abandoned her thoughts.
She realized she couldn't discern the other person's emotions, as, in her perception, the girl had never lied.
So what is the situation now?
The other party claims to want to help her... can she trust her?
"High Priestess Yulisi, did I just complete the 'Judger' ritual? The instructions you provided were a bit abstract; how exactly is the 'heretic' determined?"
With only a little over two hours left, Xia'er directly inquired, eager to gather more information in the limited time available.
When Xia'er had previously interacted with Yulisi, Yulisi had always maintained a position of power, forcing Xia'er to use every means to gain her trust or disguise herself as a "Saint" to win their support.
Now, the tables had turned; Xia'er had become the one they needed, holding their lives in her hands.
In this situation, Xia'er hoped to extract more information, whether it pertained to the Goddess of Salvation or the Holy Assembly.
At this moment, Xia'er's words also provided Yulisi with some hints.
Our provided ritual?
Generally speaking, the Goddess of Salvation would not share potions and rituals, especially not within the court of judgment. It was unlikely they would leak the potion rituals of the "Avenger" pathway.
This was a path that contradicted most of the teachings of the Goddess of Salvation, a road that sought to end violence with violence.
So when the bishop of the Holy Assembly mentioned that the pathway was provided by the Goddess of Salvation, a figure immediately surfaced in Yulisi's mind.
Aivina.
Recently, she had exchanged a set of potions and rituals from the Goddess of Salvation using information about an extremely dangerous sealed object.
That sealed object was buried beneath the Bell Tower Church; if detonated, it would severely damage the overall image and trust in the Goddess of Salvation, potentially destroying years of their efforts in Boren City.
These followers were not fanatics; the Goddess of Salvation did not impose any restrictions on them. Once a crisis of trust arose, they might not hesitate to switch their faith to another "safer" orthodox belief.
Aivina had obtained the potions and rituals with this crucial information, but now, it was clear that this set of rituals had fallen into the hands of the cult bishop before her.
"You should be quite familiar with how the court of judgment operates," Yulisi cautiously began. "For those in the court, as long as they are out hunting you, whether to kill or to judge, it counts as part of the ritual's reenactment."
The court of judgment?
I don't know about that!
Xia'er felt exhausted but couldn't show it; she could only nod as if she understood.
"The court of judgment is a double-edged sword for the church," Yulisi continued, looking up at Xia'er. "Because the definition of 'judgment' is not limited to 'heretics,' the 'Judgers' can easily become extreme."
"Especially since the 'Judgers' are promoted from the already extreme 'Avengers,' each one becomes an uncontrollable individual. This situation is nearly unsolvable before they reach the third tier."
"Concrete examples like sinners, traitors, and killers may become targets of judgment."
Upon hearing this, Xia'er began to grasp a bit more.
The "Avenger" pathway was not unique to the church; the term "judgment" on this pathway was not exclusive to the church either; it didn't only apply to heretics.
"To put it concretely," Xia'er asked, "what about abstractly?"
As she asked, Xia'er had a vague idea of the answer; she just hoped to get Yulisi's confirmation.
"My understanding is 'belief,'" Yulisi paused briefly before continuing. "Whether it's the 'Ascetic' or the opposing 'Avenger,' the internal drive for reenacting the ritual is 'belief.'"
Xia'er nodded slightly.
It was indeed abstract.
But Xia'er could understand it to some extent.
Having been an 'Avenger' herself, she knew the whispers in the minds of 'Avengers' and the rage in their hearts, as well as the confusion that followed the completion of their revenge.
She could use a simple analogy.
For instance, a person who has suffered hardship or witnessed the brutal murder of their family, after completing their revenge and becoming an "Avenger," has finished the ritual, and the revenge is over, but the belief in hatred still lingers.
If this person joins the church, they might integrate their revenge and hatred into the doctrine, recklessly slaughtering heretics and purging any blasphemers within the church.
But if this person does not join the church, they are likely to see all those who resemble the criminals—those who killed their family—as targets for revenge, fueling the fire of hatred within them and transforming revenge into belief.
For example, if the DC superhero "Rorschach," whom Xia'er had seen in her past life, were to drink the "Avenger" and "Judger" potions, he would likely dissolve instantly.
Xia'er understood why the Goddess of Salvation strictly regulated the "Avenger" pathway potions.
They could create an angel who despises evil, or under the influence of the potions, they could become a demon with extreme ideologies.
Belief...
Xia'er thought of the "Glowing Bishop" named Xiu.
In her role at the third tier, she had strived to embody a symbol of the church, acting without joy or sorrow, solely guided by doctrine; this was the personification of belief under the church's regulations.
Xia'er felt she had gained some new understanding of the third tier of these two pathways, and she could sense some of her own beliefs as well.
Initially, her desire for revenge stemmed from wanting a peaceful life, with her sister included in that vision of tranquility.
Thomas and Solari's plans shattered that peace, summoning revenge, and anyone else who sought to disrupt Xia'er's peaceful life could be seen as heretics in the eyes of "Avenger" Xia'er.
And the second-tier Kidi, who was preparing to disrupt Xia'er's peaceful life, was clearly the target she needed to judge.
To be safe, as long as she could use the "Avenger" save file to judge Kidi and kill her again in the next simulation, Xia'er would likely complete all the reenactment rituals of the "Judger"—since she had already eliminated the other cultists once.
Yulisi had remained silent, allowing Xia'er to think, when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
Xia'er turned to see Adele standing at the door. Her hood had come loose from the vigorous movement, revealing her silver hair cascading down her back and her face marred by a torn mouth.
"Find a place to sit, Adele," Xia'er said, looking at her.
At this moment, Xia'er had already removed her mask, so Adele would not be affected.
"Yes, Your Excellency," Adele obediently nodded and walked over to sit beside Yulisi, leaning against her sister.
She had merely been brainwashed into a cultist, but she had not lost her memories; her every action was simply prioritized for the Holy Assembly.
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