Chapter 14: The Last Mage and the Tower of Condemnation

Having decided to rescue the girl named Liuli, they fully embraced the arduous path of becoming adversaries to the entire Angelic Church.

They departed from the Rothschild estate, heading directly for the Tower of Condemnation, the sacred heart of the Angelic Church.

—A colossal, circular edifice, it loomed over the desolate ruins of the floating city, its name a solemn tribute to Mercury’s fabled descent.

Legend claimed that during the Great Calamity, Mercury had plummeted from the heavens, crashing through the Tower of Condemnation.

They said it had fallen from the ninth floor, piercing all the way down to the ninth sub-level.

To this day, devout followers could still gaze upon the bottomless chasm, a gaping wound that cleaved the tower from its apex to its very foundations.

Tonight, the Tower of Condemnation teemed with thousands of Angelic Church devotees, most of whom were the most destitute members of society.

They knelt before the abyssal pit, prostrating themselves in fervent prayer, hoping Mercury would guide them to paradise.

Ael, however, merely scoffed at their naive devotion.

Yet, it was precisely their overwhelming numbers that provided the perfect cover, allowing Leon, Naya, and Ael to disguise themselves and seamlessly infiltrate the Tower of Condemnation.

***

Meanwhile, deep within the third subterranean level of the Tower of Condemnation, the Heresy Tribunal buzzed with a chilling silence.

An apostle of the Angelic Church, clad in pristine white and donning a bird-headed mask, reached out to remove the hood from the young girl’s head.

She had been chained in place for a day and a night, the duration a testament to her suffering.

Beneath the fabric, a girl with vibrant pink hair was revealed.

She slowly parted her eyelids, the flickering torchlight on the walls an immediate assault on her sensitive eyes.

As her vision gradually adjusted, she discerned the blurry figure of Yagonis, the Archbishop of the Angelic Church, standing directly before her.

He was a man whose features seemed carved from stone.

“Child, what is your name?” the Archbishop inquired, his voice unnervingly calm.

“Liuli—”

The name had barely escaped her lips when the Archbishop raised a thick, hardbound holy scripture and struck her face with brutal force.

“You deliberately withheld your mage surname, child. Before God, you are not honest.”

His demeanor instantly shifted, returning to a composed tranquility as though the recent blow had never occurred, as though his hand had never met her face.

“I will ask you once more. Child, what is your name?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, blood trickling from the corner of her lips. “Liuli Starchaser.”

‘A mage noble’s surname, it seemed…’

“That is correct, child. You may believe you have committed no wrong, that you are innocent? But know this! The sins of your parents are inherently your sins.

The blood of mages courses through your very veins, and for that, you must bear the due punishment.

But however—! Mercury is benevolent! Should you successfully pass the trials bestowed by God, then, and only then, shall you receive absolution!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Liuli was hoisted even higher, her feet dangling agonizingly, utterly unable to touch the cold stone floor.

Her gaze swept across the grim tribunal, revealing an array of horrifying instruments of torture.

There were bloodstained beds of nails, and an Iron Maiden that seemed to weep crimson tears. ‘God… is this truly how He tests humanity?’ she wondered, a shiver running down her spine.

For a day and a night, even with her head veiled, the ceaseless chorus of screams had been enough to shatter her sanity.

“I sincerely hope you will surmount the trials God has set before you, child. I have immense faith in your spirit!”

The bird-headed figure, holding incandescent coals clamped in a pair of iron tongs, slowly advanced towards her.

“Wait,” Liuli said, her chains rattling with the slight movement. “There’s no need to test me. I am the one you seek—the Last Mage.”

Once more, the hardbound scripture slammed against Liuli’s face.

“Child, do you comprehend the true meaning of ‘the Last Mage’? Or do you merely wish to lie before God?”

“I know you will burn me,” Liuli stated, her face devoid of emotion. “I no longer wish to endure this torment. Just kill me directly.”

“Release me, and I will prove it to you.”

The Archbishop subtly gestured to one of his apostles. Liuli was gently lowered, and one of her hands was unbound from its shackles.

She murmured a soft incantation, and in an instant, a book materialized from thin air, hovering just above her outstretched palm, shimmering with an ethereal glow.

A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers, followed by an immediate uproar.

One terrified individual stumbled back several steps, shouting, “It’s magic! Has magic truly returned to life??”

“Do not panic! All of this is the will of God!”

The Archbishop spread his arms wide, adopting the posture of a revered saint.

“God has guided her to our side! Tonight! She shall be purified by the sacred flames before the eyes of all believers! Mercury Himself will then ascend, carrying every soul here to the gates of paradise!”

Liuli remained utterly silent, her gaze fixed calmly upon them.

“Release her,” the Archbishop commanded. “The ultimate moment has finally arrived! Notify the believers on the lowest level—raise the suspended walkway!”

Just then, a sudden clamor of fighting erupted. A believer tumbled down the stone staircase, collapsing in a heap directly before the Archbishop.

“Who dares?”

“Did we interrupt something?” Leon appeared, his Light Roar Sword resting casually on his shoulder. “We’re here to take the girl.”

The Archbishop’s gaze swept over the intruders—a man flanked by two women? Could they be members of the Aio cult? With two thousand believers currently amassed on the ground level, they must have infiltrated the ranks.

Heretics! Despicable heretics! A grotesque snarl twisted the Archbishop’s features.

“You dare impede our sacred mission—”

The Archbishop’s declaration was cut short as one of his apostles, wielding a burning poker, lunged forward. Leon met the charge, his sword flashing down to fell the attacker in an instant.

However, another apostle, small and dwarfish, deliberately bypassed Leon, tackling Ael to the ground! He raised a dagger, aiming for her eyes, but Ael swiftly blocked his hand with a desperate struggle.

“I’ll help her!” Naya cried, bringing her staff down with force to strike the dwarf, sending him sprawling.

“Are you alright, Ael?”

Naya swiftly conjured a Shield of Light, enveloping Ael in its protective aura.

“Leon, and you—”

No sooner had Naya turned than Ael began to scramble to her feet, only for the dwarf to suddenly spring to life, having merely feigned death! With an unexpected burst of brute strength, he seized Ael, dragging her across the floor.

They rolled twice before, shockingly, plummeting into the abyssal pit below…

“Oh, heavens—Ael!?”

Naya peered into the chasm, its depths utterly unfathomable.

“She’s protected by the Shield of Light, so she should be alright, shouldn’t she?” Naya murmured, though a tremor of deep worry still laced her voice.

“We shall show no mercy to the enemies of God!” the Archbishop roared, throwing his arms wide in a fervent declaration. “You foolish beings who defy Mercury! This heinous sin!”

In that very instant, the apostles surrounding the Archbishop underwent a startling transformation, their backs uniformly unfurling magnificent, angelic wings!

“You shall repay this debt with your very lives!”

The Twelve Guardian Angels! Descend!

“Hold on—they’re not actually angels, are they?” Leon muttered, tightening his grip on his sword.

This certainly seemed to have taken a rather troublesome turn.