Throne of the North.

Chapter 768 Killing the Crimson-Clad Woman Before the Holy Mountain: The Pope's Cold-Hearted Plan
A few months ago, Ryan was extremely busy.

The orc threat was imminent, the lands covered by the Northern Military Council were fraught with hidden dangers, the Empire's war in the south could escalate into a global war at any moment, and the Empire's northern provinces were also consuming much of his time and energy.

In just a few months, Ryan and several other provinces in the North had developed many tacit understandings and became overt or covert allies with many of the nobles there.

The Northern Military Council has thoroughly proven its value to this land, and Ryan has forcefully united the various thoughts and intentions within this land into one, ensuring that no matter what happens internally, there will be no surprises when it comes to external affairs.

The orcs are threatening us; those werewolves are now approaching human lands, and we need to report to them.

As for the conflict between the southern empire and the Papacy, it had little to do with him from the beginning; the geographical distance was simply too great, isolating him from all such thoughts.

However, as news of victory continued to arrive from the south, Ryan could sense that the Papacy would likely find it difficult to completely break with the Empire.

Because of morale.

The continuous defeats in war have dealt a severe blow to morale, even for the powerful and influential Dawn Church.

Without morale, there is no war.

Ryan, having anticipated this outcome, knew he could finally relax.

"What kind of world will it be?"

Ryan looked at his spiritual panel.

……

……

Birds circled in the sky.

The sacred mountain of dawn is not just a mountain. Surrounding this mountain lies a vast expanse of land spanning tens of thousands of square kilometers, belonging to no nobles, representing humanity's devout faith in the great Lord of Dawn.

It is worth mentioning that, in addition to churches of all sizes, there are also endless fields of golden wheat on this land. Regardless of natural disasters or man-made calamities, this land always produces the most abundant food on the continent of Norris. Under the divine grace of the Lord of Dawn, the believers on this land will never be threatened by hunger.

A full stomach brings devout faith; therefore, when Chrysus led his army into this land, the calm gazes around them concealed a deep sense of rejection.

The ordinary believers gripped their weapons tightly. In the wheat fields on both sides of the road, if even one of the clergymen were to step forward and shout, these believers would charge fearlessly and disregard the disparity in strength between the two sides, launching an attack on the army bearing the flower of heaven.

But no, even though the priest standing on a hillside inside the church, his eyes bloodshot and his hands almost crushing the scepter in his grasp, still did not utter that roar for the glory of the dawn.

He suppressed his anger and watched the imperial army march past. The entire process was eerily quiet, with neither side interfering with the other.

The Pope from the Holy Mountain issued an order that prevented the priests from taking any further action; His Highness had permitted the imperial noble army to travel to the Holy Mountain for an audience.

"It is said that at the foot of the holy mountain, there live millions of common people who are responsible for supporting the holy mountain."

Many noble young men in the army were very curious. Their status was so high that the army was not so solemn. Moreover, this was the first time the empire had been so close to the center of the Dawn Faith.

"Not only that, the million civilians are only those on this land. Don't forget there are other world planes. Dawn Holy Mountain controls many other world planes, and those are the places that truly support the Holy Mountain."

The topic of "an entire world" is familiar to nobles, after all, behind the noble territories of many of them are portals to other worlds, and they are also beneficiaries of other world planes.

“Unlike the Empire, before the interdimensional war of the gods, the Dawn Church already controlled some other worlds. The faith of the Lord of Dawn was not only spread on the continent of Norris.”

At the very front, Aatrox looked up at the white pigeons, which were about the size of crows, overhead.

"Peace doves, it is said that each peace dove is blessed by the divine power of the Lord of Dawn, no wonder they keep circling above your head."

Freud also knew about Aatrox, the heir of the Clayton family, who was favored by the abyss and granted great power. This abyssal aura was faint, but it was obviously not hidden from the birds in the sky.

"Can they bring peace?"

Aatrox sneered, and Chrysus beside him responded.

"Of course not, this is what can bring peace."

He patted the ornate noble longsword at his waist, a sword unsuitable for the battlefield, but clearly the battlefield was also unsuitable for him, the future Grand Duke.

Upon entering the area of ​​the Holy Mountain, the nobles of the empire discovered a surprising sight: a network of roads leading in all directions.

The pristine white roads, paved entirely with gray-white hard stone slabs, stretch like a spider web across tens of thousands of ordinary kilometers centered on the holy mountain. These roads connect every church in this land, making these tens of thousands of ordinary kilometers seem out of place with the outside world.

The empire's army marched on the main thoroughfare, the only road that could accommodate them. Its deep color stood out starkly against the surrounding pristine white and gold.

Here, the sky and the earth are either white or golden, representing the glory of the Lord of Dawn.

"What a generous move."

Even Freud had to admit that the current empire probably couldn't do such environmental transformation.

So, the world outside the sacred mountain is sparse and unkempt, while the interior of the sacred mountain is so noble and tidy?

"For thousands of years, the world has supplied this place; otherwise, this land alone could not have built such a road."

Traveling on such roads, the army's marching speed increased considerably. They arrived at the foot of the holy mountain the next morning. The imperial army, fully prepared, was certainly not there for a picnic. Carrying the bodies of the two cardinals, they appeared at the foot of that majestic mountain where even the sand was snow-white, filled with intense desire for war.

At dawn, Mount Kailash welcomed its first-ever non-papal army.

On the holy mountain, amidst the densely packed church buildings, monks, nuns, priests, bishops, and elders all glared with intense anger at the dark, imposing imperial army below.

At the highest point of the Holy Mountain, in the supreme cathedral beneath the dome, Saint Solarion, with his papal scepter in hand, wearing a crown and a hundred-meter-long platinum papal robe, sat on the supreme papal throne. From the summit of the Holy Mountain, he could see the army from the Empire below him at a glance.

Majestic, sacred, and inviolable, all the imperial knights raised their heads and saw His Holiness the Pope beneath the starry dome. For a moment, the terrifying pressure of faith made all the noble knights hold their breath.

This is the absolute authority of the Pope, surpassing even the emperor who shares power with the nobles in this world. This is why His Majesty Columbus III was crowned the Grand Pope of Light. Divine power? Royal power?
At the foot of this sacred mountain, the difference in status is immediately apparent.

"Children of the Dawn, welcome friends from the Empire."

The Pope's voice emanated from the Supreme Cathedral, clearly audible to all the knights. In that instant, the power of faith accumulated over countless years by the entire Holy Mountain surged forth, causing some noble knights to even lose their grip on their weapons.

"Humph!"

Freud snorted coldly. He was wearing a crown on his head, and at this moment, he didn't care whether this person was qualified to wear the crown of a prince.

A solemn aura spread out, and Freud stood in front of this wave of faith. He waved his hand, and the aura behind him drove out two carriages containing the corpses of two cardinals.

"Charlie, go and bring back Nils Redcoat and Creed Redcoat."

The Pope spoke, and a young man dressed in pure white stepped out from beside him. The holy mountain was very high, but after only a few dozen steps, the young man appeared in front of the imperial army.

Saint Charles, the Son of Dawn.

Perhaps his name should be Saint Charles Solarion?

Looking at the young man so close to him, darkness filled Aatrox's eyes, and a terrifying abyssal shadow roared deep within his pupils. His hand silently landed on the knight's longsword at his waist... and a blood-red dagger beside it.

Remembering the reminder in his father Earl Clayton's letter, Aatrox slowly released his arms, his gaze returning to its clear state as he calmly looked at the Dawn Saint before him.

"You're Solalien's son?"

It can only be said that as the successor to Grand Duke Meyers and one of the most powerful nobles in the future of the empire, Chrysus is quite politically astute, attacking the Dawn Church's weakest point right from the start.

As soon as he finished speaking, sure enough, everyone could feel the overwhelming pressure of faith emanating from the pristine, morning-dawn sacred mountain before them. The original colossal wave turned into countless noisy sprays, lapping against each other like a sponge.

Freud's pressure was greatly reduced, and he finally had the extra energy to speak out in this wave.

"Pope Saint Solarion of the Dawn, shamelessly colluded with the alien gods to assassinate His Majesty Columbus III of the Flor Empire. This grudge must be avenged in blood. We have been ordered to bring back the Pope's head!"

"Furthermore, for Her Highness Hilder Enrique, let the flames of absolute vengeance burn against the Dawn Church!"

Freud raised his gaze and it fell on the Pope inside the High Cathedral.

Solarion gripped his scepter and planted it on the ground, his gaze solemn and sacred.

"Unfounded slander and accusations are not the virtues of a nobleman. The servants of the Dawn will never reach harmony with the alien gods."

"As for Hilde, the assassin who killed him did not belong to the Dawn Church. The Dawn only has judgment, not assassination. You came from afar and killed two of my lord's servants without cause, and you still dare to speak such arrogant words."

"The Dawn Church brings the glory of the Lord and will never accept the empire's slander."

“I should have burned you at the foot of this holy mountain as a judgment on your behalf, but my lord is merciful.”

"William."

The Pope spoke, and a cardinal in a robe below looked up in surprise at the Pope.

"The Papacy and the Empire have a treaty that forbids the initiation of military war. Even if the Empire breaks the agreement, as devout servants of our Lord, we must never abandon the dignity of the Dawn."

"To the enemies of Holy Mountain Cotton Thread who dare to slander the glory of the Holy See, I need you, in the name of the Dawn, to grant them a desperate judgment."

"Go, in the name of the Lord, kill the royal family of that empire."

"Let the Empire see that this is the price for slandering the Dawn Faith."

Cardinal William... his hands clenched into tight fists beneath his robes, his eyes fixed on the Pope above him. He wanted to speak, but couldn't utter a word.

At this moment, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he was held up and brought before the entire world by the Pope.

He has noble blood and a noble status, but the more noble a person is, the more he is placed on a pedestal.

William gave the Pope a deep look, stood up, and walked out of the High Cathedral.

"The glory of our Lord shall not be profaned, and all the deeds of the empire will be judged by the Lord."

The moment the words fell, a snow-white holy light descended from the heavens. Cardinal William, bathed in the holy light, became even more sacred and majestic, floating in the sky. The surging divine power stirred the majesty of the gods, and the divine spell "Heavenly Kingdom Cover" descended in a real and substantial way.

“I will kill him.”

Freud stopped the others, walked out alone, and drew the longsword that the empire had bestowed upon him to command the war and kill the pope.

The entire Holy Mountain witnessed a battle that transcended legend. Neither Cardinal William nor Freud possessed powers that truly belonged to them, and the final outcome was unexpected.

In the vast holy light of the sky, Freud tore through Cardinal William's divine magic with an unparalleled crimson streak, and then pierced the other's chest with his sword.

His beating heart shattered and stopped beating in a short time, and golden blood splattered. At the last moment, he almost let the power of the gods descend upon his body, but Cardinal William, who was afraid of becoming a vessel for the gods, was ultimately a step too slow for that imperial madman.

On the other side, Freud was covered in blood, riddled with wounds, and his magnificent marquis's robes were torn to shreds by divine power. Throughout the entire battle, he had only managed to inflict one injury on Cardinal William.

Only this time did he kill the red-clad figure draped in divine power and faith.

Cardinal William's eyes were filled with resentment; he did not want to die like this. However, his resentful gaze was not directed at Freud, but rather at the height of the holy mountain, where Pope Solarion resided.

The latter looked at him calmly, while the red-clad figure, on the verge of death, had eyes filled with boundless anger and resentment.

He shouldn't have died so easily. How could a cardinal only possess the depth shown in this battle? It was him, that damned blasphemer, that pope who had betrayed the oath of dawn!
Cardinal William, whose anger was far greater than when he faced Freud, could not utter a sound. Under the watchful eyes of countless people, he fell gracefully to the ground and crashed at the foot of the holy mountain, where he died.

(End of this chapter)