The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

The image of Augustus's death flashed through everyone's minds.

They dodged past the gaping maw of the abyss that seemed to split the sky.

The chilling sound of chewing flashed by.

And then there's Augustus... that mythical genius who carried the fortunes of Europe for a century and was hailed as the closest to the "Son of God," who was swallowed whole like a fly before he could even scream.

"Clang—"

A crisp metallic clang rang out, sounding particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall.

An elderly cardinal's pure gold scepter slipped from his hand and crashed heavily to the floor.

The sound instantly brought all the stunned bishops of Europe back to their senses.

"Impossible... This is definitely an illusion! It's Eastern sorcery!"

"Lord Augustus possesses absolute justice! How could he possibly die? How could he possibly be...eaten?!"

"God! Have you looked away? Why don't you send down lightning to strike that demon dead?!"

The devastating cries instantly erupted in the hall.

Those clergy members who were usually aloof and considered themselves elegant and composed were now all contorted in pain, their eyes bloodshot, tearing at their hair and robes as if they had gone mad.

Faith has crumbled.

If Augustus had died in battle, from exhaustion, they might have been able to accept it, and might even have packaged it as an epic of martyrdom.

But he was eaten.

They were treated like food and chewed up without any dignity!

This absolute contempt chilled and humiliated the Europeans more than killing him.

"quiet."

An aged yet calm voice, devoid of much anger, came from the deepest part of the church.

Although the voice was very soft, it instantly silenced all the noise in the hall.

All eyes, trembling, were fixed on the figure seated on the highest thorn throne.

Gregory, the supreme ruler of the European Papacy and the Grand Inquisitor.

That is, the old man in red who personally handed the guillotine of the righteous to Augustus before he went to war.

now.

Gregory maintained the position of having his hands folded on his knees.

The thick, dark gold-colored magic book lay beside him.

just.

If a careful person dares to look up and look directly, they will notice.

The old man's face was originally rosy.

But now it has turned very white.

His hands, clasped together, were trembling violently and uncontrollably, his fingernails digging deep into his flesh, drawing out streaks of bright red blood.

"Your Majesty..."

A cardinal stepped forward shakily, his voice trembling with sobs: "Lord Augustus is gone. And the guillotine statue that was kept in the secret chamber... it too has cracked."

"I know."

Gregory slowly closed his eyes.

His chest heaved, as if suppressing some terrifying emotion about to erupt.

"Click—"

The legal code beside him, which symbolized the supreme authority of the Papacy, suddenly developed a fine crack on its cover.

That was the backlash from the rules.

The Guillotine of the Just is a concept item. Its destruction signifies a severe blow to the "rules of judgment" accumulated by the European Papacy over a century.

It was a disaster.

A devastating catastrophe that could completely disqualify the European Federation from competing with Sheikha and the United States within the next decade.

"That child..."

Gregory finally opened his eyes.

His pupils were no longer the kind, deep blue they usually were; instead, they had become a dark, almost black, murky color.

He didn't roar or howl.

Even his lips curled down slightly, revealing a compassionate expression.

"That boy from Shenxia named Gu Xu is such a pitiful child."

Gregory's voice echoed through the hall, carrying a chilling tenderness.

"His soul has been completely corrupted by the abyss."

"He is no longer human, but an indescribable thing in human skin."

"He devoured Augustus, he devoured the seed of light, this is not only a loss for Europe, but also a tragedy for all human civilization."

The people in the hall were stunned.

They looked at the Grand Judge, wondering why, at this moment, His Majesty was not only not angry, but was instead... showing mercy to the murderer?

"Transmit my decree."

Gregory slowly stood up.

With his movement, the red robe symbolizing power moved without wind, and an extremely oppressive and terrifying pressure, like a volcano about to erupt, instantly enveloped the entire church.

"The Divine Xia Empire shelters and condones heretical demons, attempting to bring calamity to the human world."

"Gu Xu has been confirmed to be completely parasitized by the Abyss and no longer enjoys the protection of his [human] identity."

"Activate the Level 1 Contingency Plan for the Holy War immediately."

"Notify all Templar Knights stationed at the Northern Fortress to return to their posts and activate the Forbidden Armory on the third basement level."

At this point, Gregory paused.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the church dome, looking towards the distant east, towards the figure ravaging the Silver Moon Realm.

Two streams of murky tears flowed slowly down his aged face.

Those were tears of sorrow.

But it was definitely not because of Augustus's death.

Rather, it's because... he finally found the perfect excuse.

One who can tear off all pretenses and use every dirty trick in the book.

To use as an excuse to completely obliterate Sherlock's future.

"The Lord said, 'If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away.'"

Gregory stretched out his trembling fingers and drew a blood-red cross in the air.

"For the sake of this world's purity, to prevent more souls from being devoured by that monster..."

"We must send him to hell to repent with the utmost compassion."

"Contact Adam of the United States, and that raging bear of the Northern Federation."

Tears streamed down the old man's face, but his eyes held a sinister glint, like those of a venomous snake flicking its tongue: "Tell them, if they don't strangle that monster while it's still growing..."

"They're the next ones to be served at the dinner table!"

"in addition……"

Gregory lowered his head and glanced at the shattered Augustus tablet at his feet.

"Bring all of Augustus's direct blood relatives under control."

The cardinal beside him was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Your Majesty, why is this? They have just lost their family's pride..."

"Because that monster devoured Augustus's body and soul."

Gregory's voice was cold and devoid of any warmth: "According to ancient records, the devouring of the past is often accompanied by the plundering of cause and effect."

"We need Augustus's blood relatives as a medium to hold a Bloodborne Cult of the highest order."

"Since he's inside the instance, we can't directly interfere..."

"Then use the food he swallowed to plant a malignant tumor in his stomach that can never heal."

"Go, child."

Gregory gently patted the shoulder of the bishop, who was already pale with fright.

"This is for justice."

"This is for...all of humanity."