Chapter 174 : The S+ Heretic

Hall followed Ah Suo’s blood trail, searching deeper into the western part of the Ice Imperial Tomb.

Searching.

But he wasn’t overly eager, merely maintaining his distance.

Because since the Ah Suo of this world had been modified by Samigina, he would surely possess the inherent [Decisive Death] ability of the undead and some elite lord monsters.

The Executor’s previous bone transformation was similar to [Decisive Death].

He knew Ah Suo’s level was higher than his, and since Ah Suo was still alive, [Decisive Death] had not yet been triggered.

If [Decisive Death] was triggered, the opponent would experience a final burst of strength for a short period, becoming even stronger than before.

Hall needed to wait for his three skills—[Flash Shadow], [Shadow Sword], and the special active effect of his fencing sword—to cool down before he could confront an Ah Suo in [Decisive Death] state.

For now, maintaining a certain distance, preventing the opponent from achieving his goal, and keeping him from harming Christine and Sophia was enough.

Incidentally, on the way, he suddenly remembered Mandosahwa contacting him earlier.

Normally, a magic communication device shouldn’t be able to penetrate the barrier of the Ice Imperial Tomb.

This place was isolated from the world.

“Are you in the Ice Imperial Tomb?”

He picked up another magic communication document he had previously received from Theresa and asked the other end.

– “Oh my, my dear Young Master Hall guessed it? I am, how could I talk to you otherwise?”

“How did you get here?”

– “I followed right behind Yerona, hehe.”

“You weren’t discovered?”

– “Ah… of course I was discovered, but Yerona didn’t discover me…”

Outside the entrance of the Ice Imperial Tomb was an icy platform, not particularly wide, with a black abyss at its back. Looking up from the platform’s edge, the entire Ice Imperial Tomb seemed to be located within a massive iceberg of indeterminable size and shape.

Mandosahwa was currently at the edge of the platform. At the other end was the cave entrance that led to the main passage of the Ice Imperial Tomb.

But at this moment, five men in white cloaks with blood-red crosses stood there, blocking her path.

The one in the center was none other than Vice-Chief Eaton.

He was putting on a pair of dark-looking gloves, then scrutinizing Mandosahwa, who had suddenly appeared on this platform.

“You came after all, Hela. At this point, do you plan to cooperate with us? If you cooperate with us…”

“…and kill both Elizabeth and the people from the Cult of the Living and Dead, then for today’s reunion, we of Judgment Division Five can turn a blind eye. Your name will not be mentioned in the direct report to the Cardinal Council.”

Marquis Eaton said slowly.

As a Vice-Chief of the Judgment Division, his identity was usually kept secret.

But for the file on Hela, who was classified as an [S]-level heretic in the Judgment Division…

He had, of course, reviewed it countless times. In the Judgment Division, heretics classified as [S]-level were exceptionally powerful. Even among the five Vampire Princes, only one could be considered an [S]-level heretic.

And anyone who could eliminate or capture an [S]-level or higher heretic would be able to receive a [God’s Gift] from the Saintess in the Demon God’s capital.

As for [S+]-level heretics, in a thousand years of history, only the Heroes of each generation and certain directors of the Judgment Division had succeeded.

Hela’s age made her almost the youngest [S]-level heretic today.

If it were a typical elite agent of the Judgment Division, they might think of taking a gamble to hit the jackpot.

But Eaton had read the few files available on Hela.

Her strength was immense.

She was already extremely powerful when she escaped from the Black Knights more than three years ago.

Now… she would only be stronger.

Vice-Chief Eaton’s level was close to ninety-four, with swordsmanship talent [S-], constitution [A-], and a not-so-low holiness of [A-]. His stats were balanced with some outstanding aspects, a high-spec version of Ah Suo.

The four elites who followed him into the Ice Imperial Tomb were all around level ninety, and two other subordinates had already entered the tomb to gather intelligence.

Six powerhouses around level ninety, plus one nearing level ninety-four.

This lineup, in a player’s party in the game, would be considered mid-game graduation.

More importantly, Vice-Chief Eaton held a special holy forbidden item unique to Judgment Division Five.

It was an absolute counter to the people of the Cult of the Living and Dead.

One could say that Judgment Division Five had been deployed in full force.

As for Hall, Sophia, and the others, their lineup could completely suppress them as well.

And no one could escape.

Because Eaton knew that the Division Chief was waiting at another exit of the Ice Imperial Tomb.

No one designated to be un-escapable would escape.

But Hela had arrived too quickly. He was hesitating on how to deal with her.

If it was seven against one, even if Hela had a super-high strength exceeding level ninety-five, she couldn’t possibly fight against them, who were used to coordinating with each other.

But Eaton subconsciously felt it wasn’t that simple. This young woman had led the still-developing Black Knights to annihilate the Frost Elf tribe more than four years ago. Her arrival here today…

She had also come prepared.

The best method was to reconcile. Killing Elizabeth and the people from the Cult of the Living and Dead was the most important mission.

“I find it untrustworthy. Besides… I can’t let Elizabeth die either. Your mission cannot be completed.”

Mandosahwa said faintly.

She was indeed Hela.

Hela was her former codename; Mandosahwa was her current one.

As for her real name, she had long stopped using it.

From failing to complete Hall’s plan and follow him to the Empire, to being noticed by the Child family and recommended to the Black Knights, reuniting with Hall, to gradually becoming Hela, and then when Hall gained a voice in the Salvation Church no less than the third Sage and Christine’s position as the [Angel] was solidified…

She became [Mandosahwa]. During that time, she was both Mandosahwa and Hela, until the incident three years ago.

Both Hall and Christine lost their memories.

She thought that might also be part of Hall’s plan, or perhaps part of Christine’s plan.

She wasn’t sure exactly how, but when the amnesiac Christine became a Saintess Candidate and the amnesiac Hall became the debauched young master of the Faxtius family, she had to shoulder the power vacuum left by the disappearance and death of the [Holy Son] and the [Angel] and stabilize her own position within the Salvation Church.

Therefore, she chose to leave the Black Knights and focus on the affairs of the Salvation Church.

The Cardinals and the great nobles of the Papal State did not let her leave easily, so there was a great deal of friction at that time.

It was also because of that incident that the Black Knights’ branches in the Papal State were weaker than those in other countries.

The members who came from noble families did not participate in the encirclement of Hela that year.

“It seems there’s nothing to discuss.”

“Nothing to discuss. Don’t try to stop me. I don’t want to kill anyone.”

Mandosahwa raised the simple, unadorned sword amidst the raging blizzard on the platform outside the Ice Imperial Tomb.

Then, an astonishing scene occurred.

That power was actually being utilized by Mandosahwa, adhering to her sword.

The entire simple sword instantly transformed into a blade containing the pure power of ice and snow.

In terms of grade, it could probably approach the legendary level.

A sword created so quickly in her hand, and it wasn’t like the blood sword Parousia summoned from her own source of magic.

Even if this sword was destroyed, it wouldn’t have much effect on Mandosahwa herself.

But it seemed that the blade Mandosahwa temporarily created in her hand couldn’t be used by others, otherwise the members of the Salvation Church would likely all have legendary-grade weapons.

“How exaggerated…”

Marquis Eaton, who witnessed this scene firsthand, also found it difficult to understand Mandosahwa’s strange power.

What was even more ridiculous was that Mandosahwa could also use that mythic weapon from the deepest part of the Judgment Division.

Her talent was definitely the greatest in a hundred years. What a pity, such a great talent…

…could not serve the Papal State, and had committed so many murders when she left.

So, that’s why she was classified as an [S]-level heretic. If Hela were allowed to grow for another ten years, what a terrifying existence she would be.

—A power that cannot be used for oneself must be suppressed before it threatens the Papal State itself.

This had been the Papal State’s code of conduct for a thousand years.

“Make your move, Hela. If you resist too strongly, we may not consider leaving you alive.”

“It doesn’t matter. Has the Judgment Division’s hands not shed enough blood? Vice-Chief Eaton, you’ve killed no less than a hundred people in your life, right? I’ve also killed no less than a hundred. It doesn’t matter who dies today.”

Mandosahwa said very calmly, “But even so, I don’t want to kill anyone. But I have no choice…”

Her fate was such.

Her fate told her not to kill, but if she was decisive, she could not reach the end of her destiny.

She still had many things to do. Before she achieved the goal that her destiny first presented, it might be a sea of corpses, just like a thousand years ago.

“It seems you think you will definitely kill us?”

“In his words, it’s that I must win.”

Mandosahwa suddenly smiled. Because the wind and snow on the platform of the Ice Imperial Tomb were so strong, a corner of her veil was slightly lifted, revealing the curve of her lips, and her bell-like laughter could be heard.

Watching the five people led by Eaton attacking her from five directions at the same time.

She just stood where she was and swung the blade in her hand.

The entire blade instantly reverted to its simple, unadorned color, and the pure ice element from the Ice Imperial Tomb that had been attached to the sword was scattered out in that one swing.

If Hall were here, he would definitely exclaim at what kind of elemental control this was, ‘Are you f*cking cheating?’

Eaton’s own expression sank. He had not anticipated this at all.

It was one thing for Mandosahwa to be able to absorb the elements of the Ice Imperial Tomb to temporarily forge a blade, but she could also release these elements as an attack.

This was almost equivalent to Mandosahwa being a Saintess of Eternal Winter in the Ice Imperial Tomb.

But how could that be possible?

Hela couldn’t possibly be Elizabeth and Sophia’s sister.

Could it be…

Eaton thought of that name, but he just felt it was impossible.

How could it be a woman?

Moreover, Hela herself probably wouldn’t have noticed this fact. Her power was innate, and without deliberate guidance…

“Hela, stop. We can talk more.”

“Nothing to talk about. If you want to probe my secrets, then you should die even more. Otherwise, the one who dies will be me…”

Mandosahwa leaped high into the air against the strong wind in this blizzard.

She once again raised the simple blade in her hand, which, after a moment, was once again covered with ice and snow, turning a cold white.

Eaton and the four elite agents wanted to follow, but the wind and snow high above the small platform of the Ice Imperial Tomb were too strong, and加上 the pure cold that could ignore their defenses, they did not follow.

Instead, Hela stood in the air, riding the wind. This should be a drain on her own power.

“Could it be, you already know?”

“Of course I know. In your Judgment Division’s files, there’s a heretic who was wanted twenty years ago. In his first heretic level classification, he was marked as [S+].”

Mandosahwa said slowly, luring Eaton into a thoughtful expression.

She needed time.

“Karone… that guy… is still alive?”

Twenty years ago, Eaton was just an ordinary agent in the Judgment Division.

But when he was promoted to Vice-Chief and gained access to some key files, he could review the files of those marked as [S+] heretics.

But even so, he had no authority to view Karone’s file.

He only knew that the man who had helped the Emperor of the Bal Empire fight against the vampires in the war twenty-one years ago and won the championship of the Four Swordsmanship Tournament twenty-one years ago was judged a heretic because…

—He killed the previous Pope.

“Could it be, he is your teacher?!”

Eaton showed an expression of disbelief.

Even as a Vice-Chief of the Judgment Division, he couldn’t remain calm.

Karone was the most prominent swordsman of his time twenty years ago, with too many halos above his head.

The young Eaton himself was once a fan of Karone, aspiring to become a powerful swordsman like him, able to single-handedly fight against the armies of other races and save the surrounded army from dire straits.

But in the past twenty years, his mentality had changed a lot. Moreover, as the murderer who caused the death of the previous Pope, Karone should be judged.

And Mandosahwa’s terrifying strength… she might really be that guy’s apprentice.

“More or less, but his apprentices are not just me…”

Mandosahwa said this intentionally.

Theoretically, it really wasn’t just her.

There were also Hall and Christine.

It was just that some special limited techniques could only be learned by those with her bloodline.

“What?!”

Eaton looked even more surprised.

In the Judgment Division’s information, Karone was still the most dangerous heretic, but according to the division chiefs, that guy no longer posed a real threat.

“So, one of us must die today. But I can’t die yet.”

Mandosahwa threw the sword, now covered in frost, from high above towards the ground below.

The ultimate impact exploded on the small platform, raising a terrifying blizzard tornado.

Eaton and the four Judgment Division agents initially intended to resist together, but they soon realized that on this small platform, once they were blown away, they would most likely fall into the dark abyss on the other side.

Mandosahwa remained very calm. She just raised her empty right hand, from which she had thrown the blade, and soon another pure ice blade formed in her hand.

Then, before the tornado had dissipated, she threw the new ice sword downwards again.

The tornado that rose this time was not as large as the previous one, but it was filled with small, sharp frost fragments like blades.

Those ice blades, containing the pure ice element from the Ice Imperial Tomb, would cut through Eaton’s and his men’s cloaks, their inner armor, and their own flesh and blood.

The battle was almost a one-sided steamroll.

Eaton and his men had never expected it.

But Mandosahwa had expected it long ago. Before entering the Ice Imperial Tomb, she knew this would be the result.

This was what Hall had taught her.

‘No matter what harsh environment you’re in, you don’t seem to be affected and can turn those natural forces that others can’t use into weapons. If you’re that amazing, you should use it well… Now I’m protecting you, but in the future, maybe you’ll be the one protecting me.’

When he said this to her, his mouth was full of blood.

And from that moment on, holding his equally bloody hand, she swore in her heart that she would never let him bleed in front of her again.

But three years ago, she failed.

This time, she would definitely succeed.

Soon, the icy storm subsided. Eaton’s body was covered in ice fragments, standing there like a statue.

As for his four subordinates, they seemed to have been blown into the dark abyss.

Mandosahwa descended from above. She had also consumed some stamina.

But her self-recovery ability was very fast, so she only took two slow steps. Just as she was about to step into the entrance of the Ice Imperial Tomb’s main passage…

Another person appeared on this small platform.

That person wore a long, ice-blue robe, and a chilling mist surrounded him.

It was clearly one of the thirteen cadres of the Salvation Church.

“Lord Sage?”

“It is I, Frostcrack. You’re a bit late… what are you here for?”

“I have some things I want to confirm with Lord Holy Son and Lord Angel.”

“Oh…”

Mandosahwa wasn’t sure if he was friend or foe.

But for now, he was a subordinate of the new Sage who was in charge of the Cateline Kingdom region on behalf of Hall.

And that person had not shown up in this operation so far.

“Then go and confirm with the Holy Son. I have other matters to attend to. But if you let him get hurt, I will make you and your Sage pay a hundredfold.”

Christine and Sophia had originally intended to follow the blood trail left by Ah Suo.

They guessed that Hall had gone after him.

But Sophia also knew that Ah Suo was not the only one in the Ice Imperial Tomb at the moment; there were others.

Those people might be a threat to her sister, so they had to guard this necessary path.

And soon, her guess was confirmed.

They encountered one of the two agents that the Judgment Division had sent in to investigate.

Although Sophia couldn’t summon Fenrir, with Christine’s blessing and the environmental advantage of the Ice Imperial Tomb, the opponent was no match for the two of them.

After a brief exchange, the opponent retreated.

Fearing it was a diversionary tactic, Sophia and Christine did not pursue deeply.

They continued to guard the main passage here.

“By the way, Your Majesty, are you still unable to summon the Holy Sword of Eternal Winter, Fenrir?”

“No, I’ve tried a few more times, but I can’t summon it. It must have really been summoned by someone else…”

Her expression was a little dejected.

In her view, it must have been Yerona who took the sword first.

Originally, she should have foreseen this.

When she brought Hall and Christine here, she should have summoned Fenrir directly.

She must be an unqualified monarch again.

She couldn’t even consider such a simple matter, let alone the far-reaching impact of certain major national affairs.

‘It might not be…’

Christine was used to living here.

She had another guess.

And even if Yerona had summoned the Holy Sword of Eternal Winter, it was actually fine.

Yerona hadn’t come over yet, so she was clearly not on the same side as the Cult of the Living and Dead.

Just as the two were lost in their own thoughts, the Judgment Division agent who had been repelled by Sophia returned, with another agent by his side.

Now there were two of them. Because Christine had no combat power.

They thought that with the three of them joining forces, they had a chance to subdue Sophia.

Or, one person could tie down Sophia while the other controlled Christine, which would have the same effect.

They didn’t hesitate and were about to make a move.

Sophia gestured for Christine to retreat.

Christine wasn’t too scared. The people from the Judgment Division couldn’t possibly kill her too.

Unless her identity as the [Angel]…

But before the two Judgment Division agents’ plan could succeed…

Two extremely exaggeratedly precise gusts of cold wind blew the two of them back. Then, two ice-blue sword flowers flew over, hitting their bodies, which had been stiffened by the rapid drop in temperature.

Before they were completely frozen, the only thing in their eyes as they looked at Christine and Sophia was disbelief.

One of them even tried to open his mouth to make a sound.

“Impossi… ble, Eliza…”

He never finished the name.

Their surprised gazes were not directed at Christine and Sophia.

But at the person walking up from behind them.

Christine and Sophia both turned their heads sharply, their faces also showing surprise. As for Sophia, she just felt the world spin for a moment, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

“Sis… ter…”

“Elizabeth?”

Facing the white-haired girl who looked so much like Sophia, holding the Holy Sword of Eternal Winter wrapped in wind and snow in her right hand, Christine’s surprise only lasted for a few seconds.

Because when Sophia couldn’t summon the Holy Sword of Eternal Winter, she had anticipated this situation.

“Sister, I heard everything you said these past three years…”

The awakened Elizabeth first cast a somewhat gentle gaze at Sophia and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Then her expression suddenly turned cold, and she pointed the blade of Fenrir, whose center was a deep blue and was now wrapped in wind and snow, at Christine.

“Christine, should I now repay you for the sword blow from back then?”

“I don’t care. Do as you please.”

The blonde girl did not put up any resistance. She knew that resistance was useless.

Elizabeth’s strength in the Ice Imperial Tomb was an entire order of magnitude greater than Sophia’s.

If the other party was determined to kill her, even Hall couldn’t stop her.

“You’re not going to use Hall as a shield? I know he’s here today too.”

She had sensed his presence. She wanted to see him.

But she didn’t want Hall to see this scene.

“So what if he is? In the past, it was just the two of us to solve it. Now, it should also be just the two of us to solve it.”

“Hehe… just the two of us?”

As if hearing a joke, a slight smile appeared on Elizabeth’s elegant and noble face.

She slowly increased the storm surrounding Fenrir, as if to pressure the weaker Christine.

Christine’s cheeks stung from the wind, but her pride did not allow her to take a step back or make a gesture of defense.

But soon, the wind stopped.

A new force had appeared here.

From around the corner of the ice corridor, a purple-haired girl swung her right hand at Elizabeth’s Fenrir from thin air.

The girl said,

“Spare her life.”

To this, Elizabeth did not respond. She just looked at the girl.

Because she knew her identity before she fell into the coma.

It was the two words that the human race had lost for seven hundred years.

—Hero.

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