The magic cards I made are absolutely flawless!

She weighed the pros and cons in her mind for a while and then made a decision.

Having endured so much, there's no need to risk exposing yourself and greedily cling to this small advantage just as you're about to achieve success.

As long as we continue to follow the plan, the overall situation is set in stone.

I wonder which great demon is protecting Atalia.

She didn't find the ninth-tier demon race scary, but it would be bad if she attracted that guy from the demon realm at this crucial moment.

The dark figure vanished without hesitation, as if it had never been there.

******

Author's Note:

You didn't expect that, did you? Xi Zhi is back to life! Xi Zhi is recovering! I'm going to start updating extra chapters to pay off my debt!

Actually, some rather dangerous thoughts crossed my mind when I was writing the latter half of this chapter. For example, if Dekan and Talomatti hadn't left this barrier, then this chapter in Volume Six would have a completely different ending. I'll describe the bloodstains on the wall, Morpes's choice and farewell to Atalia, and the broken medicine bottle left by Dekan on the ground, and then… I guess I'm not far from posting an apology chapter and then revising the text…

Abandon all dangerous ideas and ensure a smooth landing in your later years! Otherwise, why should the next hero of the Cat Guest be a Honkai-themed fanfic?

372 The Duke of Decan's Mission

Even though it's autumn, the further south you go, the thicker the sky becomes.

The sunlight was blocked and could not reach the ground.

The wind blowing through the streets of the holy city was icy cold and had begun to mix with a few raindrops.

In the central area of ​​the Holy City, many people come to the Holy City Law Temple.

Because it is not only devout believers who have to pray to the gods.

Even under normal circumstances, many people from the Holy Kingdom would come to this place where, according to legend, judgments would be conducted in the name of the Goddess. In their eyes, this was truly a sacred place of judgment.

Some priests also use spells that can see through lies to help those who are arguing.

From minor frictions in daily life to life-or-death matters.

Of course, detection magic can be bypassed by pre-prepared disguise magic, and some statements, even if they are seen through, require wisdom to deduce the truth.

Therefore, truth does not necessarily represent absolute fairness.

Ultimately, the outcome depends on human effort.

However, no matter the era, there will always be those who hope to make judgments through the majesty of God.

There weren't many people on the streets of the city today.

As if they knew something in advance, many residents chose to stay home.

Because they know that there are some things to join in the fun, and some things to avoid, since they're not necessarily good things.

On the contrary, the area around the Temple of Law was teeming with nobles.

But those who come to the Temple of Law today are all important figures in the Holy Kingdom.

Most of them were princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials who held great power in the Holy Kingdom. Even the great nobles who were far away on the border rushed back to the Holy Capital at this time. Of course, important and powerful figures such as the cardinals of the Sun God Church and the Holy Knights also came.

All of this is because today is the day of the trial of Duke Ray of the Holy Kingdom.

More than a month ago, Lei, a duke of the Holy Kingdom and one of the strongest ninth-tier beings, suddenly launched a sneak attack on the Holy Emperor Lunen after disappearing for a long time and reappearing, intending to kill him!

No one knows where Duke Ray has been all these years, why he suddenly returned and turned against Lenn, or what his purpose is.

However, perhaps everything will be answered today.

The Holy Trial, the highest-level trial in the Holy Kingdom, is presided over by the Emperor himself. He will personally use the Holy Kingdom's most precious treasure, the ninth-tier magical artifact, the "Eye of Truth," to judge the truthfulness of every word spoken by the criminal.

The Saintess of Light also possesses unique magic to detect lies, while the Saintess of Darkness has a potion that can make criminals tell the truth.

Ray's trial results will undergo triple cross-verification, cross-checking the veracity of the other two parties' trial results to prevent misjudgments or perjury by any party based on their own intentions.

Once such a trial takes place.

Regardless of the outcome, it proves that the Holy Kingdom is already in great turmoil.

Even if today's trial still cannot solve the mystery of Ray, at least the nobles of the Holy Kingdom will know the most important information for anyone, regardless of their stance—Len's condition.

Len will make his first public appearance today since the attack!

Regardless of what signal Ray's actions represent, as long as Lunn stands, the current stability of the Holy Kingdom will continue.

Holy Emperor Lunn is not only the faith of the people of the Holy Kingdom, but also the strongest being who can make all the nobles and powerful people restrain their ambitions and temporarily unite.

Even though he is getting older year by year.

No one dares to question his abilities.

We don't even know if he can live another ten or even twenty years.

But now, even if the two saintesses pull Lunn back from the brink of death after he has suffered a severe injury, he will surely be greatly weakened!

Ray almost ripped out Len's heart from the very beginning!

Many people couldn't understand how Lenn, who trusted Ray so completely, survived Ray's sudden and unexpected attack.

Regardless, everyone who came to the Temple of Law was prepared for the changes that might come to the Holy Kingdom in the next few years.

Of course, it was quite sudden and hasty for them to gather in the holy city.

As a result, some faces that were not familiar to everyone appeared in the Temple of Law.

For example, the nobles of remote border regions who have not returned to the Holy Capital for a long time have been replaced.

There were also important figures who should have been there but were absent, such as powerful figures who had been sent to high-level shadow worlds and had not yet returned, or bishops who were to remain in the Holy Kingdom at key moments to keep an eye on the Church of Resurrection.

The only two factors that have caused instability in the Holy Kingdom in recent years are the Shadow World and the Resurrected Church.

However, under the surveillance of the Holy Maiden of Light, the interrogation of the Holy Maiden of Darkness, and the intimidation of the Holy Emperor, the Church of Resurrection dared to cause trouble almost exclusively in the Shadow World.

The Church of Resurrection would never have dared to even consider attacking the Holy City amidst the chaos.

No one would be foolish enough to impersonate someone and sneak into the temple today.

To commit a crime under the noses of three ninth-tier powerhouses—Lun En and the Saintess of Light and Darkness—who are capable of discerning truth from falsehood, is tantamount to an old man eating poison.

Before fully understanding Lunn's condition, no major force of the Church of Resurrection dared to approach the Holy City rashly.

Otherwise, even an eighth-rank cardinal would be slapped by Lenn.

but.

At this very moment, in the Temple of Law.

A figure strolled leisurely across the carpet, attracting glances from almost everyone every second, followed by hushed conversations after he had taken a few steps away.

He was dressed in plain clothes, but very neatly.

His silver-white hair was neatly combed, and he looked to be in his sixties or seventies, but his back was very straight, and it was easy to tell that he must have been handsome and dashing when he was young.

He leaned on a black cane, his icy blue eyes reflecting a serene indifference to everything.

Although everyone has realized that he is only at the first level and is not a strong person, he should be a nobleman.

But his aura was definitely not that of an unknown person.

Logically speaking, even if one has never seen a great person in person, one should have heard of them to some extent.

The nobles present, after confirming with each other, concluded that none of them had ever seen such a person!

That can only mean one thing—he must be "that person".

In the legends of the Holy Kingdom, there truly exists a mysterious Grand Duke. He is like a shadow of Lunen, the key to Lunen's victory over the demons more than twenty years ago!

Nowadays, apart from some older people, many young people even regard this honorary duke as a story whose authenticity is difficult to discern.

Seeing the duke, who appeared to be the legendary figure, in person caused many ambitious nobles to start racking their brains.

With even this Grand Duke appearing, the situation within the Holy Kingdom has become even more complicated.

"The Holy Kingdom era was truly powerful. I've never seen such a cowardly Church of Resurrection in the mortal world... And these nobles are just like the many scheming kings and nobles in the Kingdom Federation..."

Dekan sighed silently to himself.

Even without much observation or careful attention to the cautious discussions among the powerful and wealthy, one can still roughly guess the complex and foolish thoughts in the minds of many nobles.

Unlike Dekan, the challenger from the Shadow World, they did not truly realize what the real threat to the Holy Kingdom was, and were still making plans for their own interests.

[Mission Objective 2: Travel to the Holy Kingdom to investigate the identity of the enemy who hid in the Holy Capital twenty-four years ago, and find them.]

—This is the new target that Dekan saw upon arriving in the Holy City.

Eve did not disappoint him, and successfully completed the renovation of the Demon King's Tomb by working overtime for him.

Back then, the holy city had become a horrific ghost town.

When Len and his group arrived in the Holy City, they could no longer find any trace of the terrifying enemy that Clay had mentioned.

Instead of confronting them head-on, the other party fled and disappeared without a trace.

Now, looking back on the past of the Holy Kingdom.

Without a doubt, this enemy is the very culprit that caused the Holy Church to wither, the Holy Capital to be corrupted, and the people of the Holy Kingdom to suffer endless pain!

Even the initial cause of the holy war between the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom might have been due to countless schemes orchestrated by this guy behind the scenes.

At this moment, however, Dekan still has no clues to track down this cunning fox who has been hiding for many years.

However, the mission objective, as indicated here, also sends a powerful signal—

That means this guy must be in the Holy Kingdom right now!!

It will definitely appear at least once before this movie world ends!

Delois's mission is to find it and finally end the entanglement of cause and effect between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm over the years.

Even in a barren period, one must dare to commit sins and bear the consequences.

If God cannot bring down judgment and punishment, then He shall personally kill the man who is threatening Deloitte's friends and his own friends.

Dekan remained resolute, passing through the crowded waiting room and heading deeper into the temple.

Walk through the courtroom where the trial was held, through the corridor lined with bookshelves, and continue walking inside.

Walk to the deepest part of a space filled with rows of chalky columns, a space that exudes a sense of desolation.