In a flash, Reiner appeared in front of Caine, roaring as he swung his sword down with untad fury. Yet, just as swiftly, a shield of qi materialized between them, halting the strike.
His blade rebounded off the shield, sending a jarring shock through his arm that nearly tore it from its socket. Before Reiner could recover,
Caine's palm was already upon his chest, a chaotic mass of Blood Qi swirling violently in his hand.
The energy erupted in an instant, sending Reiner crashing into the cave wall.
BANG!
The cavern trembled from the impact, but Reiner was undeterred. He surged forward once more, his qi burning with even greater ferocity. His blade descended in a powerful arc, yet none of it seed to matter.
Caine swatted the blade aside as though it were a re twig, his other hand sweeping his spear through the air. The strike cleaved effortlessly, sundering all in its path. Blood spattered, and bones cracked audibly.
Reiner staggered back, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his lung torn. His widened eyes betrayed equal parts shock and rage.
"BASTARD!" he bellowed, his voice raw with fury.
Caine paid no heed. In a single step, he closed the gap, driving his spear deep into Reiner's chest.
As the life faded from Reiner's eyes, Caine showed no surprise. Long before reaching this point in his cultivation, he had faced seasoned half-step sages of considerable talent. Why would this lowly soldier be any different?
Judging by the strength Reiner displayed, Caine estimated his power to be that of a peak Blood Realm cultivator with a mortal-grade innate circle—in other words, weak.
As Caine dismissed his qi spear, Reiner's lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
'Hm, this Pope is sothing.'
While Caine had predicted much of the Pope's strategy, he now realized he had underestimated him. Now that he stood near Reiner's body, the talisman affixed to the man's forehead was within reach of his analysis.
The talisman had indeed granted Reiner a fragnt of the Pope's power. However, it had also served another purpose: as a sensory bridge. Everything Reiner saw, heard, and felt had been transmitted directly to the Pope.
Even though Caine had deliberately revealed little of his true strength, he knew that soone as cunning as the Pope could infer a great deal from even the smallest display.
In one calculated move, the Pope had stripped Caine of the elent of surprise and rendered the weeks he'd spent toying with the soldiers a waste.
'Ingenuity often lies in simplicity. I should've considered that he'd use his n to gather intel on .'
Despite the setback, Caine shook his head, his expression indifferent as he strode toward the cave's exit.
'Unfortunately, it does not matter.'
***
[In the Holy Capital]
Monts after Caine left the cave, the earth beneath the Holy Capital began to rumble.
WHOOOSH!
The city's inhabitants froze in fear, their gazes drawn upward. High above the skyline, a colossal formation materialized, its complexity so overwhelming that it induced splitting headaches in the non-cultivators below.
Qi surged madly toward the formation, whipping the air into furious tempests. The ground fissured, buildings crumbled, and panic spread like wildfire.
DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!
Thunderous stomps echoed across the capital, drawing the citizens' attention to the horizon. There, at the distant edges of the city, a terrifying sight unfolded: waves of enraged beasts pouring in from every direction.
This wasn't a single beast tide—it was a convergence of tides, a deluge so vast it seed endless.
As the people's despair reached its peak, the formation in the skies trembled. The raging qi that had been feeding into it suddenly reversed its flow, tearing through nature's laws.
The consequences were imdiate.
BANG!
The skies split open, revealing countless eyes—unfeeling and apathetic—staring down at the chaos. Within their depths, storms of crimson lightning churned ominously.
The heavens had been fractured.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Chaos erupted across the city.
***
[Within the Church]
Inside the holy sanctuary of the church, Pope Francis sat motionless upon his throne, his expression unreadable as the city outside descended into ruin.
The radiance that usually surrounded him was conspicuously absent, revealing the man beneath the light.
Seated there was a young man with long, golden hair as smooth and radiant as sunlight, perfectly complenting his rosy, life-filled complexion. His eyes, brilliant blue and filled with swirling silver stars, contrasted sharply with his unnervingly serene face.
Clad in flowing white priest robes, his fingers adorned with golden rings encrusted with multicolored jewels, he exuded an otherworldly aura.
He looked entirely human, and yet his presence betrayed sothing far more sinister—a beauty so unnatural it evoked the dread of gazing upon an abomination encased in perfection.
As though so entity beyond comprehension had tried to mimic humanity but had fallen just short, leaving behind an air of alien apathy.
The Pope shook his head, unfazed by the screams of horror echoing from the crumbling capital. The chaos outside seed incapable of touching the church, its pristine interior a stark contrast to the devastation beyond.
"For this to happen now, of all tis, when we are so close to the awakening of the divinities…" He sighed, shaking his head again.
With a groan of frustration, he rose to his feet. The sound of clinking tal followed, revealing golden chains binding his body beneath his robes.
The chains tightened as he moved, eliciting another annoyed grunt. Yet, he didn't linger. With a single step, he vanished.
***
[Behind the Throne]
From the shadows behind Pope Francis's throne, a point of warped space ford. Erging from it was Caine, unscathed and composed.
"Truly, what a terrifying man," he remarked quietly, his tone betraying no fear.
Of course, after retrieving Reiner's talisman, Caine hadn't discarded it. Instead, he had reverse-engineered its functionality, altering it to create a bridge that allowed him to peer into the Pope's hall.
Using this link, he had devised two simultaneous distractions: one to plunge the city into chaos and another to mimic his presence, forcing the Pope to leave the church.
Once the Pope was gone, all Caine had to do was wait. Then, with the aid of his Gifts, he teleported directly into the heart of the Pope's sanctuary.
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