Origin Paradise!

Jiang He reached out and pushed Si Ning to the ground. Si Ning fell into the teleportation array created by the spatial authority, and the old swordsman went back with her.

"Your Majesty," the Prime Minister greeted with utmost reverence.

"Should I take you back to Golden Castle?" Jiang He asked.

The Prime Minister bowed his head and replied, "Your subordinate can wait here. Someone in the palace knows I have come to the Conquer Cathedral, and the King's Sword will probably be deployed soon."

Jiang He glanced at the dead deputy judge. Normally, this guy wouldn't have escaped the fate of being killed to cover his tracks.

"I'll wait until you're safe before I leave."

"Thank you for your favor, Your Excellency." The Prime Minister was so moved that he almost burst into tears.

Kamishiro Mirai felt a chill run down her spine; the witch's methods were truly terrifying.

The next moment, the collar of her dress was lifted up.

"What's wrong with you again?" Jiang He walked out of the garden. The battle between the Legion Commander and the Shield of Conquest had begun to subside.

"Senior, I've been reincarnated in this world." Mirai Kamishiro explained briefly. She was born again, this time as a Gold Elite at the end of the apocalypse. Therefore, her family and church believed that she was a born knight with extraordinary talent.

"Someone has sent you a letter." Jiang He took out Eleanor's letter of introduction and heard the notification sound at the same time.

[Hint: Mission: Rescue the Prime Minister has been completed]

[Hint: You have obtained a Sub-Legendary Skill Enhancement Scroll *1]

Jiang He chose to upgrade Thorn Hand.

[Name: Thorn Hand]

[Category: Ability]

[Quality: Sub-Legendary]

[Effect ①: Sub-Legendary Thorn Mastery, thorns possess the same level of Fortitude, Fire Immunity, and Sharpness]

[Effect 2: Immortality - Thorns can rapidly grow and repair themselves by absorbing energy or flesh and blood]

[Effect 3: Sealing - Thorns possess sub-legendary sealing and anti-magic properties, and can be freely shaped]

[Effect 4: Malevolence - Thorn attacks can inflict sub-legendary level sharpness strikes and overall mental shock]

[Note: Functional supplementary capabilities]

[Hint: Joint Promotion - War Progress +1 (2/9)]

Beside her, Mirai Kamishiro, with her toes off the ground, finished reading the letter.

She had a deep impression of Eleanor; they had been teammates in the training knight order, and Eleanor was a very gentle, kind, and beautiful woman.

"Sister Eleanor actually asked me to take care of my senior."

"But I have to marry into a family to arrange a marriage."

Mirai Kamishiro secretly glanced at someone. Rather than obediently waiting to be married to the third prince, she might as well give herself to her senior first. After all, in the aristocratic circles of the capital, no matter how much an unmarried person misbehaves, it is not considered immoral.

"I'm sorry, Eleanor."

"I'll take your man for now."

"I'll return it to you in six months."

Jiang He was unaware of the extraordinary ideas the tea-haired girl harbored. Once the Saint-level experts of the King's Sword arrived, he threw her back. The Shield of Conquest was severely injured but not dead, and the legion commander escaped. However, in terms of the operational objective, the mission of destroying the Cathedral of Conquest had already been completed.

Late at night, Jiang He returned to the guild hall with his gun.

The building, which was originally brightly lit, is now completely dark.

He activated his All-Seeing Eye and went inside, heading straight for the study. The Grand Scholar lay on his desk, blood gushing from his mouth and nose, his soul shattered; he had clearly perished completely.

"To silence them?"

Jiang He activated the power of destiny, but gained nothing. Just like the old swordsman's sword hilt, the power to destroy all traces did exist. The quasi-alchemy master was not without combat ability. Only the peak of heroes could easily kill the Grand Scholar.

Chapter 647 Freedom of the Soul

The night was as dark as ink.

Dawn seemed so distant, so unreachable.

The fires throughout the capital were extinguished, and the Mithril Knights of the Royal Guard patrolled the streets to maintain order. The church annihilation incident was now officially over.

The First Legion's Grand Knights suffered heavy losses, but their achievements were equally remarkable. Four cathedrals were completely destroyed, and the rest suffered varying degrees of damage. Without cathedrals, the churches could not hold grand masses, and the loss of believers during the repair period was a devastating blow.

Inside the Golden Castle, the nobles of the court began to engage in a battle of wits. According to the imperial law, if a lord loses his territory when facing a foreign enemy, the land he possesses will be taken over by the imperial central government. Therefore, everyone was trying to determine the nature of the attackers based on this point, and even a Grand Knight of the First Legion admitted that he had joined the rebel army.

At the same time, the Church of God believes that church knights are also knights and must assume the duties of their lords. Since they are unable to protect the cathedral, they should be returned to the central authority.

As for the loss of faith caused by the prolonged failure to rebuild the cathedral, everyone knows that the Church of Heaven is targeting this issue, and has already amassed a large amount of funds to intercept the repurchase of land by the Church of Ten Gods.

The Church of Godfathers and the Church of Ten Gods clashed fiercely in the Golden Castle over law and economics, almost to the point of a brawl. However, the Imperial Grand Judge, Duke Wigrid, who was truly capable of adjudicating such matters, was not present. The long wrangling that followed the action did not require the involvement of any truly important figures.

The inner city, the Medici family castle.

Despite it being late at night, the place was still bustling with people. Carriages lined the gardens as the capital's elite and nobles eagerly entered the castle. In fact, the Medici family had sponsored a large number of painters, sculptors, and craftsmen for nearly a century, making their influence on the cultural and artistic fields unparalleled in the empire.

The castle venue.

Accompanied by melodious music, the guests danced gracefully, and the crystal chandelier reflected an ambiguous halo. In a private passage in the corner, the family's chief guard brought Mirai Kamishiro back from the Conquest Cathedral. Since childhood, she had never needed to attend banquets or social events.

I'm so glad to see you're safe and sound.

At the end of the passage, a young noblewoman said sternly, "But to meet with the Prime Minister in the church without permission is, I can only say, extremely reckless. You should be glad that the assassin did not harm the Prime Minister. Moreover, for a young woman like you, reputation is the most important thing. In any case, you should not have appeared in the church tonight."

Mirai Kamishiro clicked her tongue in surprise and lowered her head, saying, "Understood, sister."

The young noblewoman's expression softened slightly as she said, "I've already made arrangements. You were just having a private conversation with the young lady from the Count of Philon family. Go to a banquet with her later and make an appearance. In a few days, she will pass away due to a sudden illness."

Only the dead can keep secrets.

"elder sister……"

The young nobleman rubbed his temples and sighed, "Then send him to the country estate, for your sake."

Mirai Kamishiro immediately beamed with joy.

The two walked together to the top floor of the venue. At this moment, Golden Castle was in complete chaos. Duke Wigrid intended to stay out of it because he had returned to the castle and the Duchess had specially prepared a family dinner.

The two sat down.

Duke Vigrid sat at the head of the table, appearing to be a very elegant and refined middle-aged man. He glanced at his youngest daughter, and after confirming that she was unharmed, he smiled faintly:

"Luckily, this time they should behave themselves for a while."

Mirai Kamishiro revealed a big smile. Perhaps it was the natural pressure of her father's status that made her feel so awe towards Duke Vigrid, even after she had achieved the Saint Realm.

"Humph."

At the right end of the long table, the young nobleman snorted coldly and said without any politeness, "Next time you're looking for death, you might as well let me do it. If the Medici family's heads are cut off by a country marquis..."

Duke Vigrid interrupted, "Assassin."

They were not country nobles, but assassins. Both sides chose not to pursue the church massacre because it involved the most crucial motive—the attack on Fisher Manor. No one's seat was clean, and if the emperor were to watch from his sickbed, even the Pope and the Medici family would be involved.

Seeing her husband scolding their eldest son, the Duchess covered her mouth and laughed, "Little Violet is getting stronger and stronger. Green is just a little helpless. He was worried tonight and secretly followed her out, but he couldn't catch up. He feels guilty now."

The young nobleman said awkwardly, "Whether it's a country marquis or an assassin, their fate is absolutely uncertain. The servants in the guild hall previously reported that the Grand Secretary is dead."

Aside from Mirai Kamishiro, no one present was surprised. One of the seven members of the Council of God was a high-ranking and powerful figure, and also the chief cardinal of the Church of God, second only to the Pope in status. There were countless spies planted by various factions within the guild.

Mirai Kamishiro paused for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

The Medici family learned of the Grand Secretary's death, and theoretically, the Church of God would receive the news no slower than the last.

"I'm going to see my senior!"

“Sit down,” Duke Vigrid said, leaving no room for argument.

……

Inner city, University Scholar's Hall.

Cloaked figures rapidly approached in the darkness, hundreds of great knights galloped through the streets with torches in hand, and three cardinals arrived together. In front of them, an old man in white robes stood like the moon surrounded by stars, his body enveloped in an inexplicable radiance, and wherever he passed, the night seemed to yield.

—The God on Earth, the Father of God.

According to legend, the Pope is the eldest son of the Father, possessing power comparable to that of God, and is a blessing bestowed upon the world by the Father.

"How is it?" the Pope asked.

A cardinal replied, "The Marquis of Rhine has no intention of resisting militarily. He seems to have just returned from conquering the cathedral, but he is indeed the prime suspect in the death of the Grand Secretary."

The Pope remained silent.

The word “appears” is intriguing.

Because the court did not investigate the plan to annihilate the church, the Marquis of Rhine had no proof of alibi, even though everyone knew that the Marquis had an attack mission that night.

“It’s someone else,” the Pope said.

This arrangement is most likely a setup.

Only those at the peak of heroism could easily kill a quasi-alchemy master while the guild hall remained intact and without large-scale damage.

Dragon of Calamity, Emperor, Steel Sword Saint...

No hero at their peak is suitable as an additional opponent for the Heavenly Father Cult at this moment. The Heavenly Father Cult has a clear advantage in a 1v10 situation, and the Pope believes that his top combat power has made great contributions. However, if there is a strong opponent of the same level to fight against, the situation will change dramatically.

A cardinal said cautiously, “Your Holiness, guilt or innocence is not the basis for judgment.”

Another senior cardinal spoke up: "This should end tonight."

The Pope pondered for a moment and said, "Neither release nor kill, send them to the eternal death cell, and treat them according to the standards of a great noble."

"Yes."

"clear."

Inside the guild hall, two bishops invited Jiang He out.

At this moment, news of Marquis Rhine's successive defeats of the Shield of Conquest and the Holy Knights has spread, and it was a crushing defeat with absolute advantage. The Invincible Holy Domain truly deserves its title.

"Your Excellency Marquis, if you try to escape, you will lose your status and become a wanted criminal," the bishop said with some fear. He didn't know if this man could escape, but as long as he started running, the one closest to him would surely die.

“The Pope is just ahead, please be rational, Marquis.” Another bishop advised, “There is no torture in the eternal death cell, at most there will be a few routine interrogations.”

Jiang He remained calm. He was only in prison; he was experienced. If he wasn't a wanted criminal, he would never have been able to reach the end in the Holy Martial Arts Tournament. Even the Pope couldn't stop him because of his spatial authority.

The three of them moved forward slowly, their torches flickering. Hundreds of knights on both sides looked tense, their dense figures surrounding Jiang He. Even the presence of the Pope himself would make people uneasy about a dangerous figure like the Marquis of Rhine.

The three of them approached a woman in a white robe.

Looking at the man before him, the Pope couldn't help but admire his youth and good looks. Just moments before, the Marquis of Rhine had been working for the Church of God.

"Pity."

If it were just an ordinary marquis who had died, he would have managed to save him by force.

"Take them away," the Pope said.

Two bishops helped Jiang He into the carriage, and three cardinals and hundreds of knights escorted him along the way. Countless free citizens peered out of their windows on the streets of the inner city. This spectacle was far more impressive than even the First Prince's procession.

"His Majesty?"

"Nonsense, how long has it been since His Majesty left Golden Castle?"

"Who else could have such grandeur?"

"Three cardinals."

The sky is getting brighter.

The escort team arrived directly below Golden Castle.

Within a royal estate, there are magic steel pillars engraved with alchemical patterns, their unparalleled scale forming a massive alchemical anti-magic matrix.

The prisoners in the Eternal Death Prison could hardly muster any magic power, while the Golden Dragon Nest directly above housed the Dragon of Calamity and more than twenty holy dragons. This was the empire's most secure prison, and it had even once imprisoned an emperor.

Three cardinals escorted Jiang He to the center of the alchemical matrix. The long-sealed portal opened, revealing a seven-story castle embedded in the rock. The warden and dozens of Great Wardens emerged to take charge of the prisoners, the former's imposing presence undoubtedly surpassing that of the Storm Bishop.

"The prime suspect in the murder of the Imperial Grand Secretary."

“He should be locked up on the seventh floor,” the warden said coldly.

The cardinal said, "The papal decree orders that we be treated according to the standards for high nobility."