Witch Troupe and the Undead

"That's exactly what you mean. They're planning to have a fight in the arena, an ancient divine judgment and a duel judgment, old, traditional, and in accordance with doctrine."

"But doesn't this make it seem like the empire's power is superseding the authority of the church?"

"How could that be? It's just an arena. That's just the official statement. After all, it's illegal to have arenas and gladiators in the Empire."

Like slaves, they were abolished and illegal. Of course, although slavery was still illegal in the empire, there were many slaves who were not slaves. They just had all sorts of new names, just like this so-called "Imperial Council".

“Well, why are they so happy? Do they have something to say about the church?” Roach pointed to the newsboys, while the clerk shrugged. “No, sir. These little guys also sell tickets on the side, they get a commission. This kind of fight should be very attractive.”

"..." That's a really practical reason. Wait, the tickets? Roach looked at the little witch, his emerald eyes revealing a determined look: "We're going!"

A few minutes later.

"That's expensive! A single ticket costs three silver coins!"

"The price has gone up, but sales seem to be good." Roach looked at the ticket in his hand, made of a special artificial parchment material, with markings etched on it using simple magical techniques.

Inside the newsboy's bag, only a few tickets remained, whereas when they first saw him, the bag was full.

“Of course, I’ve never seen a real battle between clergy in my entire life!” Leslie seemed quite excited. “I’m talking about high-ranking clergy. You know, those bishop-level clergy, you’d normally have to pay several silver coins just to meet them and chat for a bit. Asking them to heal you or exorcise curses would cost even more. But now, you can enjoy the effects of high-ranking holy magic without paying extra…”

“I’m curious too~” Alessina gripped the ticket in her hand. She was also curious about the combat power of a high-level paladin, and what kind of powerful force would be unleashed when there was no way to back down.

"..." Luo Qi could understand them, after all, arena events were very popular in ancient times on Earth, and blood and battles are always the most stimulating way for humans to get their nerves, but...aren't you people in the capital a little too bloodthirsty?

The Imperial Diet meeting hall.

Looking at the circular building in the style of the ancient Roman Colosseum and the long queue at the entrance, Roach understood why the shop assistant said, "That's just an arena." Indeed, even if you call this place the emperor's toilet, it won't change the fact that everyone who comes here and sees this building understands what it was used for the moment they see it.

"They even offer upgrades?" Roach glanced at the little witch whose legs were trembling from the crowd. Because she had come of her own volition, she held her staff tightly and gritted her teeth to keep going, even though she was shaking badly.

Then I looked at the counter near the entrance that had a sign that said "Extra Services," where you could pay extra to upgrade your regular ticket to a deluxe ticket, which would grant you access to single or group suites in the arena.

Livia felt fear and discomfort in an environment with too many people, so she ultimately paid an extra gold coin to exchange for a group room.

"Bang!" A black horse emerged from the shadows. "Oh, so this is the arena~ I never thought those charlatans would have a day like this!" For Old Ma, this kind of spectacle was something even demons from hell would have to pay a donation and buy a ticket to see.

"Are there any extra tickets? Although I'm not very popular in Hell, that light sphere is even less popular. I think quite a few guys would be willing to sacrifice an avatar slot just to come and see it." The black horse looked overjoyed, completely unaware that its joy would soon be over.

"There are still regular tickets available, but I don't think those great demons will be able to get here so easily."

“That makes sense. It seems I’ll have to relay this to them later.” Black Horse stood by the observation deck. No one seemed surprised that a horse’s head was sticking out from the luxury VIP observation deck, but this surprised Roach greatly.

Then he saw that some people in the commoners' stands below had also seen the black horse's head peeking out. Suddenly, several more horse heads appeared in the stands, some carved in wood, some in stone, and some sewn from cloth.

"Are these kinds of dolls popular in the capital lately?" Black Horse turned his head in confusion to look at the little witch who was already sitting upright, ready to watch the excitement. Her main purpose in coming here was to see the effects of high-level holy magic. She had never seen such a thing before, and her mentor had also told her to stay away from these charlatans.

"Followers, followers, are these people also believers of the goddess?" Lulua sniffed at a certain scent in the air, which seemed to be the scent of the goddess's "Abyss of Purification." This institution, which is equivalent to the Inquisition, gazes into the abyss year after year, and is naturally gazed into the abyss. Not to mention that one of the core tenets of the Night Goddess's doctrines is secrecy and tolerance. Therefore, this force often has to deal with various great sins, mysteries, and evils, and is bound to be tainted by the scent of sinful magic.

“I don’t think so…” Roach looked towards the audience, “You detected the aura of the Goddess of the Night?”

"It's not very strong, very weak, just a little bit, and something's not quite right, like it's a form of protection obtained through some kind of means." Lulua gestured.

"That's probably some kind of magical item or potion. The two factions of the Holy Lord of Light will be competing here today..."

"Oh~" Lulua solemnly drew the symbol representing the goddess on a piece of black wood. "Please bear witness~"

"Ok?"

"Yes, in this kind of doctrinal conflict, if other believers of the true God are present, they need to show in this way that they are just there to observe and witness, otherwise it can easily lead to a wider conflict."

It would be really hard to bear if you ended up getting caught in the crossfire while you were just watching the drama unfold. The significance of this ritual and action is to show that you are just a bystander, not someone who is there to cause trouble, but simply to witness the outcome.

For the conflicting religious sects, having followers of other sects and deities as witnesses is beneficial; in other words, the more deities who witness, the more solid the implicit, de facto covenant becomes. A faint silver glow shone along the wooden planks, outlining a slender, feather-like pupil.

“The goddess is already watching us. She cast a glance at us. Hmm, the chosen ones are indeed chosen ones!” Lulua said happily. In the past, such rituals could not even get the goddess's attention, let alone a glance from a god. Most of the time, it was just a response like “read.” This means that Roach and Livia, the two chosen ones, are exceptionally important in the goddess's heart.

After most of the audience had taken their seats, the priestess arrived at the venue earlier, along with the combatants who had participated in the battle. A huge horse-head statue stood at the challengers' entrance, and the entire venue immediately erupted in cheers of "Horse-Headed Saint Lord! Horse-Headed Saint Lord!"

"..." Old Ma trembled and curled up in a ball, because a green gaze and a silver-white gaze were simultaneously pouring onto him from both the real and the virtual dimensions.

"Who, who did this?! Who did this?!" Old Ma looked like he could barely stand. "Someone is definitely trying to frame me!!!"

"..." Roach felt that this passage sounded familiar.

"..." Her emerald green eyes remained fixed on him, while her silvery gaze had already shifted away.

"I didn't dare use a single bit of that faith power!!!! Believe me! This really has nothing to do with me!!"

Chapter 230 Croak, that's powerful!

In the middle tier of the audience, several men and women dressed in the latest fashions of the capital sat together, intently watching the scene unfold and beginning to preach their doctrines. One of the short-haired men suddenly turned to look at the flaxen-haired girl sitting in the middle, "We don't have much time, why waste it here? I think the investigation is more important."

"We can get the potions anytime. If all else fails, we'll get through it without them. But if we miss this kind of battle, we won't have another chance!" the short, plump woman in the corner retorted excitedly.

"A group of demon worshippers disguised as believers and priests openly challenged the clergy of the cathedral in the arena. To see such a thrilling scene, even death would be worth it!" Another thin man exclaimed, "Wow, that's awesome!"

Most professionals would find it difficult to see through the illusion provided by the witch's necklace. The power of the demon is essentially otherworldly magic. In other words, apart from priests, other professionals simply cannot distinguish it. They can only know that the essence of the other party's power has been interfered with and disguised in some way.

For these great sin mages, there was no need to see through the illusion, because the "blasphemous" magic power on each of these priests and members who called themselves the "Redemption of All Things" was almost solidified.

There is no more blasphemous sin than the actual, genuine sin of blasphemy. In the "Sinful Vision" class, a unique ability of sin mages, these people are surrounded by terrifying dark purple and a little bit of oily green magical flames, like human-shaped candles, pure and singular sin: "blasphemy" or "blasphemy".

They don't need to see through the true nature of each other's power to clearly distinguish which side on the field is a heretic who worships demons.

"Indeed, it's really powerful!" Even the short-haired man who started had to admit his companion's words. The blasphemous fire was practically floating towards his face, "roasting" his senses and making them tremble, as if he were standing next to a molten iron furnace in the dead of winter.

"It's about to begin, quack! Even if I miss the chance to get the potion, I'm going to watch it to the very end!" the skinny man said, rubbing his hands together. A group of blasphemers, their bodies wreathed in the power of great sins, yet wielding the magic of hell, were facing off against the loyal warriors and servants of the Holy Lord of Light in the arena. This battle of the century had to be watched until the very end.

"Not long," the flaxen-haired girl in the middle said coldly, "whether it's blasphemous magic or hellish magic, it will be restrained by the blessed holy art, unless..." unless the level is high enough, after all, just as water can extinguish fire, fire can also completely evaporate water.

The church sent a high-ranking clergyman and several devout ascetics. The main reason was that Old Ma's Nightmare Flame could easily cause some lower-ranking clergymen to fall into a trance, and under deliberate inducement, they might say something they shouldn't in public.

Moreover, the debate in the cathedral had made the archbishop realize that the piety of some people was really questionable. If they were not only spending their time studying the classics on little boys, but also wasting their time on training and spiritual practice on little boys and girls, then they would really be doomed.

Therefore, the official gatekeepers and ascetics with firm and pure faith were sent out. The former had just completed a mission to hunt down demons and returned to the church covered in blood and dust. Before they could even wash off the dust, they heard an unbelievable mission—to go to the arena and duel a group of heretics who used demonic power.

The judge even wanted to ask if the bishop was possessed, why he was wasting his breath talking to these demons and heretics, and why he was even having a duel before God. The best solution would be to simply bury them on the spot, instead of acknowledging their power and ability to contend with the Lord's glory.

However, when the archbishop stated that the priests and ministers in the church were not as proficient in scripture as the other side, and that things might go wrong, the official magistrate almost lost his temper. He had never heard of such a thing in his life: a group of clergy who had graduated from seminaries and spent years studying in monastic colleges, yet were not as familiar with the scriptures as a group of demonic heretics?

However, no matter how absurd it sounded, the request was ultimately granted.

"A high-ranking official gatekeeper, probably already holding the title of gatekeeper." A gatekeeper sounds like a security guard who watches over the gate. Of course, the description of a gatekeeper in the clergy does indeed mean watching over the gate. But in a world with truly mysterious powers, guarding the gates of churches and sanctuaries is not a job that ordinary people can do.

That means you not only need to be able to deal with demons and various blasphemous and corrupt forces that invade from the outside, but also with worldly robbers and bandits, and even more importantly, you need to be able to defeat the various ancient evil things sealed and suppressed beneath the church, ensuring that no sealed object escapes.

"Indeed, given the power imbalance, this battle, though rare, is hardly suspenseful. However, I suspect the Spirit Response Church won't pass up this opportunity to come and watch, will they?"

"Of course, even if they might believe in evil gods, such a spectacle is something even evil gods would want to see!" the short-haired man shouted.

"Crackling!" In a corner of the arena, a flame quietly turned a strange purple. Soon, a spectator got up and left, looking dazed, as if he just needed to go to the toilet before the match to relieve his bladder pressure.

Then a tall, thin man wearing a dark purple domed hat sat down, his hands folded in front of him, and looked intently at the priestess who was angrily rebuking her for various sins such as "extravagance," "debauchery," "disobedience to the precepts," and "ignorance of the scriptures."

This made the judge opposite her even more uneasy. What could be worse than facing a demonic heretic in this ghostly setting and not being able to immediately draw his greatsword and kill him? It's when the other party accuses you of not being devout enough and lists a number of reasons.

If there's anything even more difficult to handle than this, it would be if the other party subsequently presented evidence, with both witnesses and physical evidence, proving that the clergy were indeed a group of people who had long since fallen from their faith.

This made the judge feel as if he might be under some kind of illusion, currently in a confusing dream—being accused by a group of demon worshippers of not being devout or steadfast in his faith—why would I have such a dream!?

"Shut up, heretic! No matter how eloquent you are, you can't change the stench of evil emanating from you! Holy flames will burn you and your lies to ashes." The judge drew his greatsword and pointed it at them. No matter how reasonable their words were, the stench of evil emanating from them remained strong.

This means that they worship the demons of hell, and through their past training and experience, they have only learned one thing—no matter how kind and benevolent the demons pretend to be, no matter what the demons say, they only want one thing: the souls and lives of mortals.

Therefore, no matter how reasonable or irrefutable the evidence may seem, it is all just part of a conspiracy. Lies made up of falsehoods are easy to see through, while lies made up of truths are the real lies.

In a sense, that is indeed true, because demons need souls and lives to build their own "demon realm" and gradually improve it, causing themselves to sink deeper and deeper into the core of the abyss of hell, becoming the foundation of the world.

Old Ma was no exception, though he was also an exception, because most of the time he chose the option of "Why should I deal with the soul myself? Aren't there plenty of other demons?" The only time he dealt with the soul himself was when he crashed and burned, trapped in the little witch's dream and twisted into a horse.

From then on, he stopped doing it altogether—it was more to him to beat up other demons, beat them relentlessly until they handed over the souls and life essence he had collected.

"Demons have no sympathy, demons are not moved. They only covet everything you have. So, no matter what demons and their worshippers say or do, if they are found in the toilet, drown them in the toilet bowl; if they are found in the restaurant, burn them in the fireplace; if they are found in the wild, bury them in the ground; if they are found in the city, kill them on the spot. In short, don't waste your breath on them!" The judge raised his sword, recalling what his master had once said, and calmly replied, "Alright, you should shut up now."

A holy light ignited on the blade, outlining a pattern like the sun. "Clang!" The moment the bell rang, the judge slashed his blade at the opponent.

In a divine judgment, both sides are supposed to state their doubts, positions, and doctrines. However, the judge is too lazy to waste words. As a gatekeeper, he is really not good at reciting scriptures. He can memorize thick encyclopedias of demons and evil spirits and the weaknesses of various evil creatures, but he just can't remember those tongue-twisting scriptures.

The sword, burning with holy flames, easily shattered the mere appearance of demonic fire. Nightmare demonic fire was not a powerful demonic force. Even though Old Ma didn't take any kickbacks, he didn't give kickbacks to the priestly class among his worshippers like other demons.

In other words, the power they received from the "Horse-Headed Holy Lord" was only a tiny fraction of what they had accumulated through their own faith. The Nightmare Demon Fire, after being dyed, instantly burst and dissipated when faced with the Holy Flame, which had been tempered and refined over time.

"Clang!" The sword and scepter clashed together, and the holy flames traveled along the steel. The judge had already revealed a smile, because next, the holy flames would burn this blasphemous woman to ashes.

However, when the holy flame reached its end, it was blocked. The silvery-gray light, like moonlight, flowed over the woman's body like armor. "Our faith is unbreakable!" the priestess shouted, taking a half step back and forcefully deflecting the sword's power, which had involuntarily relaxed due to the judge's surprise.

"How could this be... What kind of demonic power is this?" The judge quickly scanned the characteristics of thousands of demonic, evil spirits, and various evil gods in his mind, but none of them matched the current situation.

The feeling transmitted back by the Holy Flame was not like the power of burning Hell. No, it should be said that at the beginning it was indeed burning the tentacles of Hell that had reached into this world, but later it felt more like... a feeling of steel colliding with each other, with a clear sense of backlash.

"Whoosh!" The archbishop on the throne suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the silver-gray light that was wrapped around the priestess's weapons and limbs.

Just as clergy can easily sense the essence of a demon worshipper's power, "divine power...gift" can also easily discover the essence of power that shares the same characteristics as their own.

“Divine power…you are not heretics…” The Inquisitor lowered his sword. “You are heretics!” His breath tasted of rust. Heretics were the responsibility of the Gatekeeper and the Inquisition, but heretics were not.

Moreover, the empire allows for the existence of multiple religions. Apart from a few that are rejected, most religions can survive here as long as they don't cause trouble. Of course, they won't receive any support.

Holy Flame is useless against heretics, because there is a real god standing behind them. This is no longer a normal issue of internal heretical factions and demonic infiltration, but a heretical conspiracy disguised as demonic infiltration and internal factions.

The judge's gaze fell upon the demonic fire swirling around the silvery-gray light. "A perfect conspiracy, a prelude to a religious invasion..." Heretics disguised as cultists used the power of hell to conceal their true strength, and all of this was for the sake of this scene.

In the arena, the sacred fire failed to burn away evil; instead, a clash of divine power occurred. This indicated that the opponent also had the endorsement of a deity. Ordinary believers and extraordinary individuals from other professions could not distinguish the subtle differences between divine powers. Moreover, deities themselves have many faces, and the divine power under different faces is different.

All of this will cause the church to split or at least fall into chaos, because this time it is happening in public, under the watchful eyes of everyone, and the church will be in a completely passive position, unable to deal with the fact that pagan beliefs are invading under the guise of tribal doctrines.

"Heretics?" The priestess frowned. What were her opponents talking about? They were serious believers in the Horse-Headed Lord. Even now, these arrogant clergy refused to admit that the Horse-Headed Lord could be the face of the Lord, and even brought up the term "heretics."

"What a lame excuse! Accept the Lord's punishment, you traitor!"

"..." The judge was stunned for half a second. Who the hell are you calling a traitor?! Explain the divine power of the alien god on your body before you speak!

"May your kingdom appear on earth..." Fingers brushed across the blade, and golden light gradually flowed out. This was a holy spell used against heretics, showcasing the destructive and exclusive aspects of divine power. Only paladins in religious wars would use this kind of blessed holy spell; most clergy would rarely have the opportunity to use it.

"Die, you fiend who worships heretical gods!" Golden lightsabers slashed at the priestess from all directions, each light sword separating from the blade and, with the inquisitor's swing, forming golden waterfalls of swords together with the physical blade.

The silver-gray light protected the priestess like a steadfast shield, but it gradually weakened as the light blades clashed.

"In the name of the Holy Lord of Horse Head!" the priestess shouted, and the silver-gray light suddenly expanded again, transforming into a giant hammer that smashed down on the light blade. In an instant, the entire arena was filled with flying fluorescent dust.

"Brilliant!" The flaxen-haired girl clapped. It was truly brilliant. She didn't know what kind of power that silver-gray was, but it was clearly converted from the magical flames of the blasphemous sin. In other words, could these guys have really blasphemed and stolen divine power? Shouldn't they release the Light Butterfly spell next to set up the sinful ritual field?

"Wow, that's awesome!!!! It's really awesome!!!!" Cheers erupted from the audience. It has to be said that the priests' spells and martial arts were indeed full of sound and light effects, with golden and silver radiance constantly blooming.

Swords and scepters, light and light, clashed repeatedly. Clerics were mostly heavily armored units, serving as tanks among spellcasters, and their battles were unlikely to end quickly.

"Holy Healing!" Sun-like radiance shimmered on the shattered bones, and muscles visibly twitched, putting the bones back in place. The other person also reached out and covered their shoulder. "In the name of light," silver light flowed through the skin and muscles, and the torn wound quickly stopped bleeding and closed up.

"Goddess?" Lulua looked at the rising silver-gray flames, then at the ritual altar in front of her, and said with some uncertainty.

"Yes, that power."

"That lonely old woman? Why would she help Old Ma cover for him?"

“No, it’s not concealment, it’s expulsion…” Old Ma said, “My power has been converted and absorbed, and it will all disappear soon.” After the demonic fire was dispelled, what remained was the distorted faith power that Old Ma had returned, which was directly distorted back into this silver-gray power, along with the rising evil fire.

The power of great sin belongs to the realm of the Goddess of Night, since sin is often inseparable from darkness. Although her church and faith have degenerated into something strange like the Twin Goddesses of Desire over the long years, she does indeed possess the power of this realm. Now, the lonely old god who has returned to his throne is obviously preparing to rebuild his church and faith system, so a group of devout and steadfast believers is essential.

“That shouldn’t be her goal, it’s more likely that…” Old Ma didn’t continue, because it would be impolite to say some things to her face. Livia, on the other hand, was still glaring at him, her fingers gripping the staff tightly, her knuckles turning white. The staff with small flowers on it made a faint creaking sound, as if it were pleading for help or mocking him.

"You're just trying to annoy the Holy Lord, aren't you..." Luo Qi guessed it. Although there are usually no conflicts or disputes between gods, the Goddess of Night is a special case. And even if she has no conflict with the Holy Lord of Light, it doesn't mean she won't cause trouble for his church and believers.

To the gods, this is like playing chess or cards. While they might not summon their left hand for a powerful attack, they are certainly capable of laying out forbidden cards like "Tears of the Gods" on the field! And the chessboard is only so big; how can they arrange their pieces without clearing away a portion of it?

"This is truly spectacular!" Gregorian felt that he had lived for so long and only now had he witnessed such an earth-shattering battle; all his previous years had been a complete waste! The sheer audacity of mortals was truly astounding!

Chapter 231 Explosive News (Non-Physical)

The two-handed sword and the steel scepter clashed repeatedly, golden and silver-gray light intertwining and swirling. The battles between priests were far more tedious and boring than those between mages and mere warriors. They could hardly create the dazzling magical effects of mages, at least not in terms of offensive spells.

At the same time, most inquisitors and paladins do not learn too many fancy martial arts techniques. On the one hand, their enemies are often difficult to deal with using skills and techniques, whether they are ethereal evil spirits, physical demons, or all kinds of strange otherworldly creatures that are called "demons". On the other hand, because they are blessed with power, they do not need too many skills. A powerful vertical slash filled with holy flames is more effective than anything else.

Both sides were equipped with heavy armor, with divine power patterns spreading across the metal, transforming ordinary armor into an impregnable fortress. The swords and scepters striking the armor could only produce uninteresting sparks.

Even if they were injured, they could quickly heal under the effect of their respective healing spells. This made the audience in the stands feel extremely bored. There were no desperate battle shouts, no bloodshed and the desperate fighting as they gradually weakened. There was only the dull sound of hammering and the gradually fading divine power.

The judge swung his sword, which was burning with golden holy flames, with all his might. The depleted power was instantly filled with a warm aura like the sun, allowing him to quickly recover the strength for the next attack or defense even while swinging it with such full force. The Holy Lord was watching him, he was so sure of it.

The holy flame swirled in the silvery-gray light, like a helpless flame flowing across a metal plate, trying to soften and melt the cold, hard metal, but only getting the same cold hardness, and finally turning into boring sparks flowing down.

The priestess also felt the mysterious, blessed power within her steadily waning, the divine gaze slowly withdrawing from her body, and an overwhelming sense of weakness washing over her. Moreover, she felt that many of the holy spells she could usually cast were now unusable. She gradually began to lose ground, and her heavy scepter, now deprived of divine protection, bore numerous slash marks.

“It’s going to fail.” In the middle tier of the audience, a woman named Lilith flicked her flaxen hair. “The great sin magic on her body is almost burned off. It seems that the strange god didn’t really intend to watch over her.” It was more like making use of waste, burning away such a huge sin of blasphemy in this way.