Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 472 Who dares to judge me?
Attention all visitors, an urgent notice is now being issued:

"Attention all personnel currently located within the church area: regardless of your current location or whether you are alive or not, please proceed to the church hall immediately."

"Please maintain order and do not run in the corridors to avoid stampedes."

"We have noticed a three-headed spider monster wandering in the church corridor. For your safety, please do not feed, pet, or play with it. You will be responsible for any damage that may occur, and the Church of Life will not compensate you for any losses."

"Repeated: Attention all visitors, an urgent notice is now being issued:"

……

"Are you seriously ill?"

Veronica endured until the broadcast ended before finally speaking up and questioning Ethan.

She just couldn't understand who would play around with that three-headed spider monster, which had absolutely nothing cute about it.

Thinking about this, Veronica suddenly recalled how Ethan had distracted the monster.

Sure enough, only someone with such a peculiar thought process would do something as unusual as feeding a monster.

“They’re too serious, I’m just trying to relieve their stress.”

Ethan argued vehemently, "Of course, there were also well-intentioned reminders."

He had to point out that people's hobbies and interests were wide-ranging these days, and that those recruited by Carlo were leaders of different sects from the far west. Since there were environmentalists like the Forest Whisperers among them, there might also be insect enthusiasts or sects of multi-headed enthusiasts.

Who knows?

"You're really kind-hearted."

After spending less than an hour with Ethan, Veronica felt that her ability to be sarcastic and unpredictable had reached a new level, and she felt that perhaps this was the best way to get along with Ethan.

Is it possible that these people were scared away by your "special effects"?
Veronica didn't ask that question because she realized that arguing with Ethan would only result in getting nowhere and leaving her feeling resentful. However... being sarcastic or sarcastic wasn't a good habit either.

Veronica, you are an adjudicator of the Holy See and a role model for believers. You must not pick up bad habits from random people!
She warned herself in her heart.

"Thank you, that's what people who know me say."

Those two short words once again made Veronica's eyes widen in surprise.

Look, he even said thank you!

Does this person have no sense of the difference between genuine flattery and sarcastic remarks?
However, after all this back and forth, Veronica didn't know if the pressure on those sect leaders had been relieved, but her inner turmoil had improved a lot, and she felt much more relaxed.

Unfortunately, the reputation of the Church of Life has completely plummeted.

The hunted sect leaders scattered throughout the sanctuary, spreading word of Carlo's actions. Now everyone knew that the Pope of the Church of Life had betrayed his faith and was ruthlessly killing those who opposed him.

Doomsday, the Seventh Age, and that damned path to salvation are all lies. That son of a bitch Carlo tricked them into the Cathedral of Dawn's Crown to kill them!

Along the way, Veronica heard far too many curses.

"Carlo, has he gone mad?"

Even Veronica couldn't understand Carlo's insane behavior. In the past, Carlo's targeting of the Empire could be explained by hatred and ambition, but now, his indiscriminate killing in the Temple of Praise seemed like he had gone mad after his secret was exposed.

"You can think so."

Ethan shrugged. "But I think he's quite rational right now."

"A rational person would not kill their own allies."

Veronica said.

Even she could foresee the outcome: either Carlo would slaughter all the sect leaders in the Temple of Praise, or they would expose Carlo's crimes after they escaped, causing the alliance Carlo had built to collapse. Either way, the Empire would easily win this war.

She thought this was probably why Ethan had always been able to remain calm and composed.

"Remember Yayuma? Before the meeting started, she and her attendants blocked the entrance to the Vatican, looking like they were there to interrogate us."

“Carlo healed her eyes, which may have changed Yayuma’s perspective.”

"Perhaps it's not just her eyes that have changed."

"What do you mean?"

“A few days ago, Carlo murdered Yayuma’s servants in a secret chamber of the church, but at that time he was not yet proficient in controlling his powers, so the two servants turned into two fleshy cocoons. A few days later, Carlo assembled the people he had killed into a three-headed spider monster.”

Upon hearing this, Veronica fell silent.

"His proficiency has improved."

Ethan paused briefly, "So for Carlo now, he has a third option—to kill all the rebels, modify their brains, and turn them into puppets he can control."

With such convenient abilities, Carlo would even kill those who submitted to him, because under his absolute rule, he no longer needed any additional thoughts or voices.

Nothing is more reliable than the puppets he manipulates.

"In any case, this power brings Carlo one step closer to his ideal world... So, do you want to stop him before His Holiness the Pope eliminates the last bit of noise?"

Ethan spoke casually, showing no sign of tension, "If that's the case, you'd better get moving as soon as possible. Carlo should have heard my heartwarming announcement and is probably on his way to the Great Hall right now."

"I still can't get along with you."

Veronica gritted her teeth, but she also realized the seriousness of the situation. She had no intention of arguing with Ethan anymore, and instead turned and ran towards the sanctuary hall.

Ethan waved behind her.

From the moment the three-headed spider monster appeared, he guessed Carlo's purpose and the trump card he relied on. He had to admit that he had underestimated Carlo before and categorized him as a clown. But now it seemed that Carlo was an old horse still eager to run.

This person wants to create a major news story that will shock the world.

"Moriko, I've finally found you."

Shortly after Veronica left, Mary, having finished examining Bazatos's body, entered the makeshift broadcast room. She naturally heard the announcement: "It's time to depart."

"Ah."

..............................

At the same time, in the main hall of the sanctuary.

More and more sect leaders returned here, spontaneously gathering together and doing their utmost to set up magic arrays before Carlo and the monsters he created arrived. They no longer suspected each other and faced their common enemy with a shared hatred.

They must fight for their lives.

They all heard the broadcast. Although it might have been a trap set by Carlo, it gave them a glimmer of hope. The result of their scattered escape was that they were picked off one by one by Carlo and his monsters. Many of them witnessed Carlo's strange power. The more people died, the smaller their living space became.

Rather than hiding in a dark corner and waiting to die, they should join forces to take down Carlo.

However, despite their belief, the current situation remained unfavorable to them.

They hadn't slept all night, and the previous day had been spent in fear, making it difficult for them to concentrate. This reduced the efficiency and effectiveness of their spellcasting. To make matters worse, they had assumed that the Cathedral of the Dawn was the safest place in the world and hadn't brought any spellcasting materials with them to the meeting, so they were unable to unleash the truly powerful spells of their respective sects.

Can the makeshift barrier really stop Carlo's advance?
There were also the papal judges who claimed to be helping them, but they all knew that Veronica was promoted by Carlo and could not fully trust her.

The smell of blood was getting closer.

The sounds coming from afar in the corridor were not human footsteps, but rather a heavier, crawling sound on all fours.

"Boom——!"

The crash shattered the brief silence. The magical barrier blocking the sanctuary entrance cracked from the impact alone. The three-headed spider monster's tentacles scraped against the barrier, producing a teeth-grinding sound. Even more terrifying, the three heads occasionally uttered their familiar whispers. "Let me in... let me in..."

"help me……"

"Let me be free..."

The three split mouths twitched slightly, while the three heads, unable to control their orientation, swayed constantly with the spider's movements.

When one of the tentacles broke through the magic barrier and entered the hall, the sect leaders, who had previously been fearless in the face of death, immediately panicked. Those who had boasted that they would not hesitate to perish together with Carlo were so frightened by this scene that they scrambled down the steps and hid in the crowd.

Only Veronica stepped forward, overcoming her fear of spiders, and took out the simple magic scroll that Ethan had given her earlier.

All eyes were on her; this magic scroll had become people's last hope.

The moment Veronica tore open the scroll, her expression changed immediately.

"Ouch—! It's so hot!"

It was so hot it felt like I was grabbing a freshly baked pizza with my bare hands!

Veronica cried out in pain and hurled the pizza, which had appeared out of thin air from the magic scroll, at the three-headed spider monster. Just like before, the spider monster, like a starving dog, chased after the pizza and disappeared into the darkness.

"What kind of magic is this!?"

The still-shaken people asked the same question she had just asked.

They couldn't understand which brilliant mind could have sealed the pizza inside a magic scroll.
They were even more baffled as to why a slice of pizza could drive away the spider monsters that had left them helpless.

"Now is not the time to talk about these things—"

“Veronica, you’ve done a great job. Now I don’t have to go through all that trouble to find them.”

Before Veronica could finish speaking, an extremely sinister voice came from above. When they looked in the direction of the voice, a tall, thin figure holding a papal scepter appeared outside the magic barrier. Dark red mist surrounded him, and his exposed skin was sickly pale.

The moment they locked eyes with Carlo, some of the more timid people gasped in surprise.

Aside from his excessively pale skin, Carlo looked no different from usual, yet at this moment he exuded a sense of oppression far exceeding that of the three-headed spider monster.

Carlo raised his scepter and gently tapped the magical barrier blocking the entrance to the sanctuary hall a few times.

"Knock knock, knock knock."

The sound of knocking echoed in everyone's heart.

"Veronica, I'm a little tired. Come to my side and open the door for me."

Carlo's colorless eyes looked down at everyone gathered in the hall. "I have some disagreements with them, but don't worry about it. It will be resolved soon."

……

"...Veronica?"

Carlo frowned. "What are you standing there for? Why aren't you coming over?"

"Carlo!"

Veronica took a deep breath, suppressing her inner turmoil, and said, "You have seriously violated the precepts of the Holy See. I will represent the Holy See's enforcement team and, with the goddess as my witness, put you on trial!"

"I see."

Carlo said, "Even you have betrayed us... But I don't understand, where is the goddess of life you spoke of now?"

He glanced disdainfully at the statue that had recently been broken and destroyed. "You mean that statue? Veronica, you're just like them, you can't see a grander future!"

He spread his arms and looked up at the dome of the auditorium. “The goddess of life, and other rightful gods, have long since fallen. They will never save the world again, nor will they hear your prayers, nor will they witness the so-called judgment.”

Carlo's voice echoed through the sanctuary for a long time, but it also made people's faces grow increasingly grim.

Those words were undoubtedly the greatest blasphemy against the goddess of life, and this is the sanctuary of praise—the dwelling place of the goddess of life.

The goddess of life should have punished such a blasphemer by burning Carlo to ashes in an instant, but now, Carlo continues to blaspheme this sacred place with impunity.

What drove the sect leaders to despair even more than the fear brought by sheer power was that this confirmed one thing.

The rightful God has long since fallen.

Tell me, Veronica!

Carlo's eyes narrowed. "Since even the Goddess of Life cannot judge me, how can you, a mere judge of the Holy See, be qualified to judge me?"

"Perhaps that's true... but I know there's one more person who can!"

"Who?"

Carlo raised his voice with a cold laugh, "Who else can judge me? Who dares to judge me?"

The arrogant voice echoed in the hall for a long time. The sect leaders looked at each other, then lowered their heads in defeat. The spirit mother Yayuma responded by walking out of the crowd and, as if possessed, walking up the stairs towards Carlo.

She is about to open the last barrier blocking Carlo.

“Come, Yayuma, tell them that only those with enough vision can be saved.”

Carlo gazed intently at Yayuma as she approached him.

Although everything happening at this moment is not in line with his plan, he has unexpectedly benefited from the misfortune, and the pressure and despair have made him even stronger.

Now he is so powerful that he no longer needs schemes and tricks; he uses force to subdue those who are unwilling to submit to him.

However, the next moment, Yayuma suddenly stopped.

Suddenly, someone among the dejected sect leaders at the bottom of the steps let out a gasp, and everyone looked behind him in shock.

A hand was placed on Carlo's shoulder.

"You're Carlo?"

It was a female voice that was both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.

Carlo turned his head to the side, and a name slipped out, "Ivy Margaret!?"

No, how could Ivy possibly be here?
Although the two look exactly alike, their manner of speaking and aura are fundamentally different.

Therefore, only one answer remains.

"I just listened to your speech."

“Mary, Mary—!”

Carlo responded with a powerful punch.

His body spun several times in the air like a kite with a broken string before crashing into the auditorium. The force of his punch alone shattered the barrier that contained the combined power of many sect leaders.

The legendary figure stepped over the shattered barrier and walked towards the crowd, looking down at Carlo, who had fallen to the ground, as if he were trash.

"If you think the Vatican's judges are unqualified, then I will preside over this trial!"

Mary's voice echoed in the hall for a long time.

With each step she took forward, the dilapidated sanctuary transformed under her power. As she descended the steps, the entire sanctuary hall had become a courtroom, with vines bursting from the ground binding Carlo's body and pinning him to the dock.

(End of this chapter)