Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 539: Saint Hadrian’s Basilica

Chapter 539: Saint Hadrian’s Basilica

/41st Long Night/

A middle-aged man dressed in a pure white cassock walked through the hallowed halls of Saint Hadrian’s Basilica, which was regarded as the largest cathedral in Ra’as and the second largest in Eventide, lagging slightly behind the Radiance Cathedral located in Argent.

The halls were lit up by gas lamps placed at strategic corners revealing the intricate artworks depicting edifying scenes interpreted from the Noxus drawn into the roof as well as the walls and the ground as well.

He seemed to be in haste though he didn’t dare to run, instead moving at a deliberate pace while continuously whispering a prayer to himself.

Greeting those he passed by, he soon arrived at his destination which was the office of the Archbishop.

He approached one of the two armored knights standing guard and remarked. "This humble one wishes to deliver news to his grace."

"Go in." The armored knight replied. "He is expecting you."

"Thank you."

With a bow, the priest stepped away, allowing the knights to push open the great oak doors, revealing the grand officer within.

Perhaps, it would not be wrong if one were to confuse it for a throne room due to its unique design, but it was indeed the office of Archbishop Benedict IV, who took the position roughly ten years ago, succeeding the last archbishop that had passed.

The priest didn’t move further into the office, instead waiting at the door with his head down.

This was because the archbishop was currently offering supplication to the Only One God Marduk, kneeling before a grand statue that depicted Marduk in all his glory.

Minutes passed before the Archbishop finished his prayer after which he rose to his feet and turned, revealing an aged face with pure white hair atop a muscled body wrapped up in a tightly fitted cassock.

"Father Anderson, your presence tells me that there is good news; pray tell," Benedict remarked, his tone laced with strength despite his misleading appearance.

"Greetings, Archbishop, I indeed have good news with a bit of bad news."

"Oh?" Benedict raised a brow as he took his seat behind his desk. "I am listening."

"We have received word from our spies in Zion. The war with the Vampires followed by a dastardly plot by the Abyss has left the Empire significantly weakened."

"It is to be expected. Those heretics have no idea what it takes to maintain an Empire in the face of adversity."

"Also, though it hasn’t been confirmed, the amount of damage Zion has experienced leads us to believe that the Emperor is no longer active. Perhaps, his campaign against Khucia left him significantly weakened."

Benedict shook his head. "I do not think that is the case. I have faced Emperor Enoch, and apart from His Holiness the Pope, no one else would be able to damage that deranged man."

"... I see."

"But it is telling that he allowed his creation to fall to such an extent, this means he is in a peculiar state."

"What do we do, your grace?"

"Has it been confirmed that the Emperor did not appear once during the conflict?"

"It has."

"Then that means we can move forward with our plans."

"Your grace forgive me but is it not right that we receive permission from the Papal Assembly before carrying out this holy crusade against the heretics?"

"It is not right but the time it would take for a message to reach the Papal Assembly and get a response gives those heretics enough time to adjust themselves to the current situation. We cannot afford to let that happen especially since the Emperor is not in a good state."

"I understand."

"Liaise with Father Dominic and reach out to Lothair. That boy has enjoyed our goodwill for so long, and it’s time to pay his debts. Let him amass an army to conquer the entire northeastern region of Zion. The unfaithful will finally be given a chance to see the light of the Only One."

"As you wish, your grace," Anderson remarked with a bow before turning to take his leave.

"Ahem." Benedict coughed causing him to pause. "Didn’t you mention the bad news?"

"Ah, yes your grace, forgive my actions."

"It is fine, for it to skip your mind must mean it is not important."

"Indeed."

"But still, this land is ours to protect so tell me, what is the bad news?"

"There have been recent reports of attacks on our church in Albanum. They claim it to be a devil and have even given it a name."

"Oh, what name?"

Anderson hesitated before replying. "The Dark Cloaked Devil."

"Interesting, either an evil god or perhaps an Undead Wheel Mystic. Might even be a Devil Wheel Mystic." Benedict mused, rather intrigued by the peculiar title. "Call in, Aelenius, on your way out. He passed the trial for Knight not too long ago, this should serve as an avenue to help him test his newfound strength."

"As you wish."

With that, Anderson took his leave and Benedict picked up a voluminous edition of the Noxus, intent on partaking in scriptural study.

***

He awoke to find himself in a strange land, away from anything he was familiar with.

Scratching his head, he tried to parse through his knowledge of the various unique places on Eventide but none of them fit the bill when compared to what he was looking at.

It was a fractured realm where the sea was above and the sky was below, which meant he was walking on clouds.

For fear of falling, he remained in place but then, his eyes soon caught movement within the clouds, barely making out figures that seemed a bit too asymmetrical to be anything native to Eventide.

Gritting his teeth, he took a step forward only to realize that the clouds, despite looking soft, were able to take his weight.

Satisfied with this, he didn’t hesitate to take off as intuition told him that meeting with whatever was dancing in the clouds would be the end of him.

But he hadn’t gotten too far when he was forced to stop as he came upon what he couldn’t quite wrap his head around.

It seemed to be the joining point of several fractured realms that had somehow collided, leading to an unprecedented level of destruction.

Just imagining the destruction left him dizzy with a headache.

But then that was not all as a certain figure revealed itself.

It was a monstrous black-scaled floating sea creature with a humanoid face possessing one large eye and an amorphous body structure with numerous enormous tentacles capable of wrapping around unfathomable things.

Its single eye seemed to register Ulysses’ presence, causing him to stiffen, after which he heard a divine voice in his head.

Welcome.