Chapter 440: In the Name of the Father

Chapter 440: In the Name of the Father

Karen was the individual in this world who most resembled the God of Order.

He resembled him, but he most certainly was not.

When the black halo from Salaina's fingertips entered Karen’s spiritual consciousness, her initial sensation was as if she had "seen" the silhouette of her own father from behind.

That aura, that atmosphere, that presence, that familiarity...

Everything, absolutely everything, caused her to unconsciously overlay this figure with the image of her father, an image forever branded into the deepest recesses of her soul.

For her father was a truly magnificent existence, a powerful master god who had risen from the wars of the Light's Eternal Camp and dominated the end of the previous era after the fall of the Light.

Those who bore even a shred of resemblance to her father were few and far between, because the vast majority of people were simply unworthy of such heights.

Thus, when a succession of similarities accumulated, it was only natural for a sense of cognitive confusion to arise.

At the same time, she finally understood why she had awakened so inexplicably. It was not because this was the Ankara Memorial Hall; perhaps that was merely a triggering ambiance. The true catalyst originated from the paternal resonance emanating from this man, drawing her in.

In truth, if Salaina could have observed a step further, if she could have walked from behind Karen to his front to catch a glimpse of his face, it would have been a very simple matter. As the daughter of the God of Order, she would have discovered that this was not her father.

The one with the greatest right to speak on this would be the golden retriever in Karen’s home.

In fact, it could be clearly discerned from Kevin’s attitude toward Karen.

Lord Dal had once teased Kevin's true form, saying it had found its way back to its most familiar position.

Yet Kevin had never regarded Karen as the true "God of Order," because within its own cognition, it could very clearly separate the position of the God of Order from the person sitting in that seat.

This seemed like a very simple distinction, yet it was incredibly difficult to achieve. It was just like how the vast majority of ordinary people could not distinguish the difference between a king named John and a king named Jack; they only knew they were kings, holding a fixed image of someone seated upon a throne.

Karen’s previous tension had not been feigned, and there were two reasons for it.

One reason was that he knew his spiritual consciousness space was immensely powerful. Existences like Gaitanbert and Funites would be suppressed within his spiritual consciousness space.

But the entity before him was Ankara. Even if she was not the true Ankara, but merely one fragment out of thousands, and even if her own self-awareness was still in a blurred stage, Karen felt that when she truly entered his spiritual consciousness, he really had no certainty of control.

A single word, "Hey," spoken like a frightening prank between friends, had been enough to shake Karen’s mind and cause him to bleed so profusely. If such an existence entered, she would very likely overturn his "home field."

The other reason was that she would not love the house for the sake of the crow just because someone resembled her father, because she undoubtedly knew clearly what such a "resemblance" signified.

This proved that the security captain before her eyes was actually walking the exact same path as her father. This was a desecration of her father, and at the same time, it posed a faint threat to her father.

What she would do next was perfectly clear.

But fortunately,

Karen possessed good fortune.

He had relied on the trump cards on his person to survive danger multiple times, but this time, it was purely a matter of luck.

If Salaina had not turned back with such confidence, if she had delayed just a little longer and failed to plunge herself into slumber while completing the final portion of the seal, Karen would not have enjoyed such good luck.

After the black light entered Karen’s spiritual consciousness, it froze right there, completely failing to make a next move. This was the result of Salaina's mind being thoroughly shaken.

And by the time Salaina wanted to do anything else, it was already too late.

Although her eyes were filled with doubt and shock, her eyelids nevertheless closed. In the next moment, the aura upon her body began to recede, and her entire temperament subsequently shifted back into that image of natural, rhythmic beauty.

The true Salaina opened her eyes.

The moment she opened her eyes, Karen pretended to be groggy and not yet fully awake, just like the current Science and Aisly.

The memories between "Ankara" and the true Salaina were likely not interconnected, because due to Salaina's physical issues, she could not withstand communication with "Ankara."

Therefore, among everyone present, only Karen retained a complete memory.

Salaina probably knew that Ankara had emerged, but she was unaware of what transpired afterward.

Amidst his "grogginess," Karen saw Salaina raise her hand, and three small silver cylindrical rods appeared in her grasp, each as thick as a thumb and as long as the chopsticks used in Karen's home.

Salaina plunged one of the small rods into her own chest.

Pfft.

Karen continued to observe in a "dazed" state, while lamenting in his heart: This woman is truly ruthless.

People who liked to graft all sorts of things into their own bodies were generally very ruthless, such as Neo, who peeled off his own facial skin to fashion a mask.

However, Karen quickly recalled himself, who used the Fire of Light to roast his own soul... Well, it turned out everyone was just the same.

After the first rod came the second, and then the third.

Once the three rods were completely driven into her chest, Salaina grabbed one rod in each of her hands, with the pinky fingers of both hands resting together against the third.

Then, she began to chant an incantation, and bright yellow runes manifested at the site of the three rods on her chest.

As if treating her own body as a safe, she now began to turn the "combination dial."

Screeech...

A piercing sound of friction rang out. It was not just flesh and blood; even bones were being forcibly displaced and contorted.

One turn,

Another turn,

And another turn.

Blood continuously seeped out, yet it did not fall to the ground; instead, it quickly returned into her body from other locations.

When Karen tortured himself, he did not feel much of anything, but watching someone else torture themselves right in front of him—this kind of sensation was truly unpleasant.

Finally, she could turn it no further.

After she awakened, the very first thing she did was to reinforce the seal, completely locking away the entity within her body.

Because she was well aware that her life force could no longer sustain that entity coming out again.

Huuu...

Salaina's arms hung low, dangling at the sides of her body. Though she remained standing, her upper body was too exhausted and was completely bent forward.

At this moment, Science woke from his state of sealed memory. He immediately crawled forward on his knees, gazing at his divine child’s condition with deep concern.

"My Lady, what is wrong with you? What happened to us?"

"She came out," Salaina said. "However, she erased the memories of all of you."

Hearing this explanation, Science immediately looked up at Karen and the others standing in a row nearby, murderous intent surfacing in his eyes once more.

"My Lady, to be safe, I should still kill them all. She must have cherished the people of the Church of Order and could not bear to strike a fatal blow, choosing a memory seal instead. But a memory seal is not entirely foolproof."

"Science, do not do meaningless things. The hotel’s rescue team will be here shortly."

"My Lady, I can handle it."

Science opened his mouth. His limbs were in a state of semi-paralysis, so he could only condense spells with his mouth. At this moment, a ball of yellow flame was coalescing before him, on the verge of erupting outward.

Faced with four individuals who were still dazed and defenseless, a spell fire of this degree was more than enough.

Right at that moment, Karen "snapped awake" and looked at Science.

Seeing this, Science immediately extended his neck forward and swallowed the newly condensed flame whole in a single gulp.

Immediately following that, yellow mist began to billow from his nostrils and ears, and his entire face took on a sallow, waxen hue.

Not only that, but he even offered Karen a smile, revealing teeth that had been stained yellow by the smoke.

Cullen asked in bewilderment, "What is going on here?"

"It was that Lilith's illusion," Salayna replied, "and now the effect is gradually fading."

"Oh, so that is how it is."

"Your injuries?"

"I am fine."

Cullen walked toward Ophilia and the other two women, who were also on the verge of waking, and applied an exceedingly simple mental fortification spell upon them; soon enough, they roused one by one.

Immediately after, Cullen looked toward Science, who was kneeling there, and extended his hand to point at him.

"Captain Cullen, does the outcome of our previous negotiation still stand?"

"Of course it does, but I have always suffered from a curious flaw, and I feel as though something happened just now, though..."

"One hundred thousand vouchers."

Hearing this figure, Cullen asked, "From which house?"

"Order vouchers."

"A bribe?"

"An expression of gratitude for your protection, to buy your subordinates afternoon tea."

"Very well, thank you."

"In truth, I can feel that you do not lack vouchers, Captain Cullen." As Salayna spoke, she deliberately cast a glance at Ophilia.

"You are truly mistaken in that regard; I lack them, very much so."

"Then, for the sake of vouchers, would you betray your own Sacred Church, Captain Cullen?"

"I certainly would not betray my own Sacred Church for a mere pittance of vouchers."

At that moment, a commotion arose from below; the rescue team was about to arrive.

"It was you who led your people to save me, Captain Cullen," Salayna reiterated one last time.

"It was I who saved you and thwarted this assassination plot."

"And anything else?"

"What else could there be?"

Cullen turned back to look at Ophilia and the other two, and all three women shook their heads.

Salayna did not believe that Cullen had escaped having his memory sealed; she was merely worried that her words, "She came out once," might have been overheard by him, for the timing of Cullen "coming to his senses" was simply too coincidental.

Furthermore, tipping a security squad was originally a custom, though she had given rather generously this time.

Salayna spoke, "I swear in the name of the Goddess of the Moon that I shall remain loyal to this agreement."

Cullen immediately responded, "I swear by my devotion to the God of Order that I shall surely remain loyal to this agreement!"

"Bang!"

The barrier at the elevator entrance was breached, and a group of priests of Order rushed inside.

Seeing this, Salayna was just about to straighten herself up, but the motion presumably triggered a sharp pain in her chest, which, combined with her inherent weakness, caused her body to tilt sideways, falling toward Cullen.

Cullen did not reach out to support her; instead, he looked toward Ophilia.

Ophilia dashed forward, catching Salayna just as she was about to tumble onto the floor.

Cullen was not trying to avoid suspicion; rather, he harbored a certain taboo regarding this woman who had Ankara sealed within her.

In the hazy depths of his mind, he felt an intuition that Ankara's sudden awakening might have been related to him, because he had been too close to Salayna.

And if Ankara were to awaken once more, he would absolutely never be able to muddle his way through it so easily again.

The sacred robes worn by the priests of Order who entered first bore many three-dimensional geometric patterns, looking somewhat like the people from old Master Delon's department, which was specifically responsible for the critical formation projects across various church premises in the York City District.

Behind them, squads of armored knights appeared; they were the garrison forces, who could only be mobilized by the order of the Chief Bishop in the event of an emergency.

Their leader was a towering man, unhelmeted and possessing a scarred face; he first swept his gaze over Salayna, then looked at Cullen and asked:

"What happened?"

"As you can see, an assassination targeting the Divine Child of the Luna Cartel occurred."

"Where are the culprits?"

"All dead."

"Just one?"

"The other one's body disintegrated; if you search the floor carefully, you should still be able to piece a bit of it together."

"Your doing?"

"Yes."

Just then, Salayna, lying in Ophilia's embrace, spoke up:

"We ought to attend the banquet."

Even though such a momentous incident had occurred, Salayna still insisted on attending the banquet, and the Sacred Church of Order consented to it as well.

The former wished to use her attempted assassination to forcefully elicit sympathy, laying the groundwork to gain compensation in the upcoming negotiations; a slight concession between two orthodox churches was not something a mere one hundred thousand Order vouchers could compare to, nor was it even something vouchers could decide.

The Sacred Church of Order, meanwhile, did not wish for the matter to be thoroughly publicized, because the assassination had taken place inside the Ankara Hotel.

Upon the stage, Salayna used a voice so weak it trembled incessantly, yet carrying a pale but bright smile, as she spoke eloquently of the beautiful future following the union of the Luna Cartel and the Sacred Church of Order.

Beneath the stage, Cullen held a dining plate, transferring pieces of precious food into his mouth one by one, as though what he consumed was not food, but the future friendship of the two Great Churches.

Ophilia walked to Cullen's side; Cullen turned his head to glance at her, noting that her hands were empty, and could only lament in his heart that she was indeed a Princess, not one accustomed to practical living.

Looking over at Aisli and Blanche, they were not only eating quite happily themselves but were also continuously bringing newly discovered food over to him; many dishes were prepared and served on the spot, and the two had effectively monopolized three rounds of them.

Their family backgrounds were actually very good, but within this squad atmosphere, they thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure of taking advantage of a good deal.

However, it was not that Ophilia did not know how to blend in; she was concerned with another matter: "We will be questioned after the banquet ends. Should we unify our testimonies now?"

Cullen shook his head and asked, "Unify what?"

"After the banquet, they will surely question each of us about the combat situation at the time, and they will also examine the corpses."

"Tell the truth."

"What?"

"Tell the truth."

"But you swore an oath..."

What oath? In the name of the Father?

"It was only I who swore an oath; you people did not," Cullen said, passing a piece of meat—he knew not what it was, yet it was incomparably delicious and juicy—into his mouth, chewing as he spoke. "She is a bit like you."

"In what way?"

"Standing too high for too long, always assuming that any matter can be resolved and covered up by political means, but there are some things that simply cannot be done, unless one treats the heads of the relevant departments of the Sacred Church of Order as fools."

"Then it should be that I am a bit like her."

"Do not lose heart; who knows what the future Dark Moon Island will develop into, isn't that right?"

"Crack!"

The lights in the room flickered on, and Cullen sat on the sofa, with Bishop Bourne seated before him.

He could be considered an old acquaintance.

Kallen had always believed that although this man ranked near the bottom among the bishops of the York City region, he was undoubtedly the most mysterious.

For this man's father currently dominated the present of the Pamireth Religion, and this man's son would dominate its future.

It was precisely because of his family's machinations that Old Saman had become completely disheartened by the current state of the religion and chose suicide.

The nature of this assassination attempt was extremely vile, and its impact would be immense, because anyone with half a brain could deduce that a hidden faction within the Order of Light had orchestrated and pushed it forward from behind the scenes.

Any organization, when dealing with internal enemies, tended to become far more tense and cautious.

"We meet again, Kallen."

"Yes, Lord Bishop."

Kallen stood up from the sofa and bowed to Bishop Byrne.

"Sit."

Kallen sat back down and asked, "I have been sitting here for quite a while. I believe it might be time to begin the interrogation?" After they escorted Miss Salayina back to her room, they were immediately summoned to a room on the floor below for questioning, yet Kallen had been left sitting alone until now, with no one interrogating him, until Bishop Byrne's figure suddenly appeared.

"No rush."

There came a knock at the door, and a black-armored knight handed a stack of transcripts to Bishop Byrne.

After a brief glance, Bishop Byrne handed one of the transcripts to Kallen, "These belong to your three subordinates—well, if Miss Ophelia counts as one—these are their interrogation transcripts. See if there is anything you wish to add."

Kallen took them and looked them over. He did not know whose specific answers they were, but they had indeed answered truthfully, exactly as he had instructed.

"Do you agree with the words written here?"

Kallen replied, "I do."

"But they do not match the answers you gave at the scene."

"That is because I knew there would be another round of questioning, and my subordinates shielded me by not mentioning the agreement I reached with Her Highness the Divine Daughter."

"Oh? An agreement?"

"The Divine Daughter of the Moon God Religion offered me a tea-money fee of one hundred thousand points. Right now it is only a promise, and she has not given it to me yet. When she does, I will hand it over to the higher-ups."

"No need. Since it is tea-money, keep it for yourself. We cannot set such a precedent, otherwise no elite squad would ever be willing to accept security missions, haha."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Bishop."

"What are your thoughts on this assassination?" Bishop Byrne asked.

Kallen replied, "I did not expect the strength of Her Highness the Divine Daughter to be so formidable."

Bishop Byrne nodded,

And said slowly,

"Yes, we did not expect it either."