Chapter 495
But his daughter was already at the center of the storm, facing a threat to her safety. In that moment, Charles had no choice but to trust his daughter.
This was the first time in years that Aivina had asked him to do something, and it was just a simple request. He had no reason to refuse.
...
In the private prayer room of the Archdiocese of the Goddess of Salvation.
Eleanor, her face twisted beneath the mask, stared in shock at the white holy insect projected from behind Amy. Even as the potion within her began to boil and roar, she showed no sign of looking away.
"The Dark Insect has chosen you, Lady Eleanor," Tara said, struggling to contain her excitement as she completed her task. "Whether to embrace the Ascension is your choice."
"Did... did that esteemed one really say so?" Eleanor murmured. "The Dark Insect... the Saint truly chose me?"
"As the herald of the Dark Insect, no one is more suited than you to welcome His arrival," Tara recited verbatim from the words left by Charles. She could feel that Eleanor had completely accepted her words.
Of course, she sensed no deceit in Tara, for Tara believed wholeheartedly in everything Charles said. If Lord Charles claimed the Dark Insect could be summoned, then it would undoubtedly be summoned—no question about it.
Eleanor was already anxiously awaiting the Ascension ceremony the next day. As for the few scoundrels blocking the door... they were merely ants that could be crushed underfoot, insignificant obstacles that posed no real threat, just a symbolic nuisance.
At that moment, the entire West District was in chaos, various factions silently speculating on the intentions of the strong voice.
Meanwhile, at the eye of the storm, Charles was in the VIP room of the Order of the God of Order, meditating with his eyes closed, quietly waiting for events to unfold and for the arrival of the next day...
The interdimensional node had been sealed by Erigama's power. As soon as Charles gave the word, she would transport the node to the location he specified.
...
The next day, in the study of the Strong Voice.
He looked at the pile of reports submitted before him, his eyes bloodshot.
Last night, sporadic gunfire echoed through the West District, and letters questioning and condemning the royal family had already piled up on his desk.
He had practically forced a search of the entire Dedton Group and had indeed uncovered quite a bit about Lucy's activities since returning to Ansu.
Aside from frequently visiting Dedton member hotels, Lucy Xilufa had also rented several properties under the Dedton Group for her "friends," but no one had taken residence there. The "friends" staying at the Dedton hotel had also vanished without a trace.
One of the more notable guests was Aivina Russell, but according to intelligence, she had returned to the Russell estate, where she was being closely guarded by Duke Charles. His subordinates had been unable to gather any information, not even managing to get through the door.
He knew well that Duke Charles was cautious and seemed to harbor some grievances against him, leading to suspicions that the duke was behind these events.
But he couldn't fathom how the duke intended to deal with him.
No worries...
When the wound appeared, he was hiding in the underground refuge of Windsor Palace. No one would know where his retreat point was...
Knock, knock, knock—
"Come in," he said slowly, glancing toward the door.
"Your Excellency, the Strong Voice, it's almost time for the luncheon. Should we prepare..." The musician at the door asked, head bowed.
Just last night, Duke Charles's invitation had arrived, approved by the queen, changing the luncheon venue to celebrate the return of the duke's daughter.
The queen had actually held the young lady in high regard. The luncheon was a relatively private, informal gathering, so the queen naturally agreed to the duke's request to change the location.
Strong Voice had no intention of attending this luncheon anyway; all the topics would inevitably revolve around discussions and condemnations of his actions from the previous night. For him, attending held no significance—he only needed to send a musician to listen in.
But this luncheon was set at the Russell estate... which gave him a compelling reason to attend.
He had to apply maximum pressure on Charles, to force him to reveal what secrets he was hiding. If that didn't work...
He would resort to force and directly snatch the person from Charles's hands.
As for offending this or that party, that was no longer a concern for Strong Voice. All he wanted was information and the truth; after all, everything he had done would turn to nothing after the rewind.
This had always been his way of dealing with things.
"Gather all the troops..."
Just as Strong Voice was about to say something, another knight rushed into the study, interrupting him and furrowing his brow.
"Your Excellency, Strong Voice!"
"What is it?"
Strong Voice suppressed his rising anger and looked at the knight who had interrupted him.
"The guards at the Archdiocese of the Goddess of Salvation... they've all lost contact!" the knight gasped, speaking quickly. "When we stormed in, Archbishop Eleanor had vanished! Only a few corpses were left behind!"
The Goddess of Salvation Church?
The information left by the symbols was correct... the Goddess of Salvation Church was indeed in trouble!
Moreover, it seemed they could no longer contain themselves and were preparing to act!
Before Strong Voice could articulate his next plan, another knight, fully clad in armor, knocked on the door.
Bang, bang, bang—!
Before Strong Voice could speak, the wooden door swung open, and a knight rushed in, kneeling before him.
"The Order of the God of Order has sent many people! They've taken all the soldiers guarding the entrance! Pope Erigama is personally involved; they seem to be carrying a large iron block toward Vitalis Palace!"
The Goddess of Salvation Church, the Order of the God of Order, and Vitalis Palace were all located near Westminster Square, quite close to one another. By the time this knight arrived to report, the Order of the God of Order's people had likely already reached Vitalis Palace.
What on earth did they intend to do?!
In that brief moment, it felt as if all organizations were responding to the command of a single person. Those factions that had once followed him, those he had suppressed, suddenly raised their flags and began to defy his orders!
A sense of foreboding surged within Strong Voice. He quickly rose, locking his gaze onto the face of his subordinate.
"Mobilize the troops! All units!"
Strong Voice's eyes widened in fury, his gaze reddening. Something he was unaware of was happening right now, and he had to act decisively.
With his extensive experience in warfare, the troops he commanded, combined with the musicians, could easily overpower any faction within Ansu City.
Moreover, those factions typically would not unite, as his balancing tactics had created irreconcilable conflicts among them. This was why he could act with impunity in Ansu City.
Now, with the Russell family, the Order of the God of Order, and the Goddess of Salvation Church all launching simultaneous attacks, Strong Voice felt for the first time that his power was teetering on the brink of collapse. Not to mention the opportunistic Dedton Group, which was watching closely.
If the Dedton Group chose to gamble on those factions opposing him, he would have to face the combined assault of four extraordinary forces.
Who was it?! When did they manage to gain the support of these four major factions within the territory?! And how had his intelligence network failed to detect this?!
How deeply had they infiltrated? How much preparation had gone into this plan?
"The Keybearer...!"
Strong Voice gritted his teeth.
He climbed onto the war chariot, looking at the elite troops gathering before the Strong Voice estate, and extended his right hand, pressing down on the illusory piano keys before him.
A heavy resonance rapidly spread from Strong Voice, and as the sound echoed back, those who had finally emerged from the specially soundproofed buildings were revealed one by one before him.
In front of the statue of the goddess at Westminster Square, a large area was distorted by a black shadow, completely impervious to the resonance.
In front of Vitalis Palace, a fully equipped squad of elite bishops surrounded a massive sealed iron block, leading the way was Pope Erigama... and standing beside the pope, guiding the way, was none other than the chief guardian of the Russell family, Seraphim.
Table of Contents
