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"Do you think you can stop us by saying such words? Your Excellency, are you being too naive to do this at this moment?"
The words, spoken in a flat tone by the girl in the white robe, sounded full of disdain and contempt for the red-haired girl.
Only Annie, who was far away, knew that these words were not directed at anyone else, but only at herself. The red-haired girl was shouting with all her might to restrict Annie's movements and prevent her from being exposed in front of everyone, thus protecting her.
"Senior, as for Annie, listening to the red-haired girl's words, her body trembled even more violently."
At this moment, she desperately wanted to go out, to break free from her hiding place, and to fight alongside the red-haired girl.
Even if she couldn't save the red-haired girl in the distance, she wanted to do her best to accomplish this almost impossible task, even if it meant sacrificing her own life.
However… after hearing the red-haired girl’s earnest and excited words, and the firm look in her eyes, Annie’s heart skipped a beat. In an instant, she realized that she had no way of saving her senior in the distance. Even if she went out now, she wouldn’t be able to get the red-haired girl out of her predicament. Instead, it would make her senior worry about her and put her in an even more disadvantageous position.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Anne mentally processed her senior's impassioned words. Finally, she gritted her teeth, allowing calm to regain control of her turbulent mind. She struggled to suppress the urge to rush out from under the shade of the tree, clutching her chest tightly to calm her panicked and indignant heart. Looking into the distance, she saw that the red-haired girl's excited expression had gradually returned to calm, and she was now looking at Anne with a relieved gaze. Then, turning to look at the approaching nuns, she sighed silently, drew the short sword she had been hiding in her bosom, and before anyone could react, pressed the sharp blade against her throat.
"In that case... this is the last thing I can do. Only suicide can thwart this conspiracy... I hope you are all alright, Annie, and everyone else. Take care. Meeting you all has been the greatest joy of my life... Thank you so much." With these thoughts, the red-haired girl shed a tear, her body slowly going limp. Finally, she made up her mind and plunged the blade into her throat. *Bang!*
The sound that erupted came not from the girl's throat, but from the other side, from an attack that occurred behind the red-haired girl.
"what!"
After a tremor, the red-haired girl's hands, which had been gripping the sword tightly, suddenly loosened, as if she had been struck by some kind of shock. They shuddered violently and then fell limply to her sides.
At the same time, the red-haired girl's body suddenly tightened backward, as if she had been struck by an electric current, leaving her in a state of shock and disbelief.
Feeling her body spiraling out of control, the red-haired girl barely managed to turn her head to look at the attack coming at her from behind. "What you see is that at this moment, from the back of the red-haired girl's brain, a thin silver needle pierced through her skull, penetrating a certain part of her brain."
The needle was inserted at a very clever angle, not putting the red-haired girl in any fatal danger, but simply controlling her. At the same time, streams of magical power, like flowing water, pierced into the red-haired girl's brain through the needle, making her completely out of control.
The culprit behind this attack was holding a silver needle, silently channeling magic power. His expression remained cold and ruthless, and the white robe covering his body was particularly dazzling under the lamplight.
"Stop struggling. I've said before, if I can't capture you, I can put you to the test right now. Now, relax your body and accept this magic we've carefully crafted. Merge your body and mind completely with this magic, and become a deity on our church's path to revival!"
"You're despicable!" The red-haired girl stared at the white-robed girl who had suddenly appeared behind her. A look of sorrow flashed in her eyes. Although her body went limp from the pain, her words still contained waves of hatred.
"What exactly do you want? Creating a god—you should have understood this from the beginning. Furthermore, even if Your Excellency fails the trial this time, we can still create your own offspring by absorbing your magical power. As long as your offspring can pass on that extremely pure magical power within you, she can become our next candidate for sainthood."
“You…you actually wanted to do this, to do such a despicable thing. You…you struggled to open your eyes, the red-haired girl looked around at the nuns, as if trying to memorize their faces, especially the white-robed girl in the very center of the group, she stared at her with clenched teeth, her gaze like a sharp sword piercing straight into the hearts of those around her.
"You... I'll remember you, you despicable people, you despicable members of the Church! Whether it's the Pope! Or the nun! Or even you, Rosalind, the next candidate for Pope! I will remember you all, and as long as I have consciousness, I will never forget you! I will, I will definitely take my revenge on you!"
"Are these your last words, Your Excellency? I have always regarded you as one of the people I admire. Since that is the case, then let us erase this last memory of yours as well. From now on, everything about you will be controlled by the Church. There is no need for you to dwell on those sad memories any longer."
Rosalind spoke coldly, revealing her exquisite face from beneath her white robe. She glanced coldly at the red-haired girl before her, intending to completely destroy her consciousness and merge it into a consciousness controlled by the church.
Ha. You thought... I wouldn't have foreseen this day? No matter what, I will not... stop my resistance!!! "Hmm? What... did you say?"
Hearing the words of the red-haired girl in front of her, Rosalind glanced at her, then suddenly widened her eyes and realized what she wanted to do.
"Wait! You mean you want to... No! Stop! Bishop... Bishop Helen! Stop!"
Before Rosalind could finish speaking, the bishop named Helen tilted her head back and used her last strength to unleash her final magic, instantly engulfing the surrounding garden in a blinding light, making the entire scene as bright as day.
Chapter 281: The Nun's Past (Part 5)
This bright light... Damn it! Could it be that you're accompanied by a blindingly bright light? Rosalind squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as she resisted the surging energy before her. The nuns beside her also wore the same expression, trying to minimize the effects of the light. Meanwhile, in the distance, Anne, hiding in the shade, was also affected by the bright light. She almost lost control of her body and covered her eyes with her hands to barely resist the unsettling light. She struggled to her feet from the shade, trying to get closer to the light in the distance.
"Senior... what happened to her... why did this bright light suddenly appear? Could it be that she used some kind of magic I don't understand?"
Such thoughts lingered in the black-haired girl's mind, intensifying her unease and anxiety. She tried to take steps forward, but perhaps the light was too strong, causing her to deviate slightly from her original path. After taking a few steps, Annie was knocked down under a bush and lay back down on the ground.
Annie struggled to utter anxious and unwilling cries as she tried to move forward.
At that moment, the intense light gradually dissipated, slowly disappearing into the quiet back garden amidst the increasingly rapid breathing of the nuns, eventually returning the surroundings to the darkness of night.
"Cough cough cough eyes cough cough After the light disappeared, many nuns were still affected by the strange phenomenon. Their vision had not recovered for a while, so they could only stand there and keep manipulating their eyes. While closing their eyes to rest, they released healing magic on themselves, hoping to get out of this abnormal state as soon as possible."
While the nuns were healing themselves, the white-robed girl at the front clenched her teeth and forced herself to keep her aching eyes open. Using her wand as a support, she forced herself to walk toward the red-haired girl lying motionless on the ground to check on the bishop named Helen.
“You… you actually did such a thing… you actually broke free of your own consciousness… this kind of magic is forbidden, when exactly did you learn it…” Rosalind squeezed out these words with a tone of utter malice towards Bishop Helen, while slowly lowering her body to the side of the red-haired girl on the ground, gazing at Bishop Helen, who had fallen into a complete slumber and could no longer perform any actions, her eyes showing a look of unwillingness.
"Lady Rosalind, are you alright?"
At this moment, the nuns beside her also began to recover gradually. Some of those with higher healing magic had barely regained their sight and hurried over to Rosalind's side, expressing their concern and urgency.
As for Rosalind, she did not respond to her subordinates' concern. Instead, she frowned and stared at the red-haired girl's face, revealing a complex and thoughtful expression, as if she was considering something in her heart.
"Lady Rosalind, are you alright?"
Seeing Rosalind's serious expression, the nuns glanced at her and asked again. Rosalind finally responded, nodding to her companions and slowly saying:
"What happened tonight...don't tell anyone else. Absolutely no one else can know what happened in the monastery. If any information leaks out, you'll be held accountable, understand?"
Hearing Rosalind's serious and earnest tone, the Zhou nuns were stunned for a moment before nodding vigorously in agreement.
"We understand. Please rest assured, Lady Rosalind, no one but us will know what happened here. We will also make sure to remove any remaining magical traces so that no one will notice anything unusual about this place!"
After saying this, the nuns approached again, looking at Helen who seemed to be in a vegetative state. After a slight hesitation, they continued to ask the girl in white robes beside them:
"Speaking of which... what Bishop Helen just did was quite unexpected. In order to preserve her memories, she actually let her consciousness break free from her body to escape our pursuit... I really didn't expect that."
"However, even if the soul is separated from the body, it is not necessarily safe. Some people have tried this method before. After their consciousness was separated, it never returned to their bodies. Their consciousness slowly dissipated over time."
“For Bishop Helen, even if her consciousness can escape this place now, without a physical body to supply her, it won’t last long. No matter what happened before, for her now, the final outcome will be death.”
Looking at the red-haired girl on the ground, the nuns were discussing amongst themselves, while Rosalind, standing next to her, bit her lip hard, looking extremely unwilling. She had unusually lost her composure and rationality, and clenched her fists, slamming them hard on the ground a few times.
"Bang! Shattered! Bang!"
Seeing Rosalind's sudden outburst, the nuns who were still discussing immediately stopped talking and stared at Rosalind with tense and serious eyes, waiting for the girl in white to vent all the resentment in her heart.
After pounding for nearly a minute, Rosalind slowly exhaled, withdrew her mud-covered fist, and slowly stood up from the ground, looking at the nuns who had been standing behind her.
“You… tidy this place up. Move Bishop Helen’s body to the underground chamber of the church, so that no one will find out.” “Yes, Lady Rosalind. Are you going to hand over Bishop Helen’s body to the Pope for her final rites?” The nuns asked, looking at Helen on the ground and gazing into her completely closed pupils.
If one were to carefully examine Helen's body and touch her skin, one would be astonished to feel a constantly flowing energy within her, a mixture of magic, a power that is both pure and extremely profound.
This power is the same magic that Rosalind used to modify and stimulate Helen's body when she pierced Helen's brain with silver needles, causing Helen to instinctively create magic similar to this magic. It is the power known as the power of purity within the church and is one of the marks of a saint or even a god.
The energy flowing continuously within Helen's body indicates that their actions have yielded positive results, and initial modifications have been made to Helen's body.
Now, all that is needed is to continue further experiments, and a perfect "god" will naturally be created. This is something that everyone is thinking about and confirming at this moment.
However, when faced with the questions the nuns posed to her, Rosalind frowned, shook her head slightly, and slowly said:
"After taking her underground, we will extract the magic power from her body and use it to create her 'offspring.'" "Hmm??? Offspring?" Yes, just like the previous plan. If the transformation of Bishop Helen fails, then we will extract the magic power from her body, mix it, and create an offspring who fully inherits Bishop Helen's talents and has purer magic power. When the offspring reaches the appropriate age, we will begin the creation of a god again.
"But... Bishop Helen already possesses the corresponding magical power. All that's needed is for Her Majesty the Pope to use her secret technique to complete the final step. Why did it suddenly stop at this moment? Could it be... that Bishop Helen's actions just now caused our experiment to fail?"
After glancing at her, the nuns all looked at the red-haired girl lying on the ground. After thinking for a moment, they asked Rosalind, who was standing in front of them, "What do you mean?"
Rosalind, however, still wore an expression of resentment and distress. She clenched her fist, nodded slightly, and explained to the nuns behind her:
"If you want to create a god, then your own consciousness is essential. Without consciousness, even if the body has been modified, it cannot be driven by us. What is in front of us now is not a well-created god, but a walking corpse with divine power..."
"What?! It also requires consciousness?"
Upon hearing Rosalind's words, everyone finally realized what was happening, and each of them showed a troubled expression, with sighs echoing throughout the garden.
"The church was just one step away from achieving its self-determination, and God would have been created. Who in the world would have dared not to show respect to the church then? But because of Bishop Helen's willful behavior, the plans of the past few years have all failed."
"Should we start raising a child again...? If we're extracting magic from Bishop Helen's body, we'll need a very powerful mage to assist us, and the ritual to condense the magic into a living being... will also require the assistance of someone knowledgeable in this area. We might also need to find someone familiar with Bishop Helen to help us ensure everything goes smoothly. In any case, these things must be done as soon as possible, and Bishop Helen's body must not be harmed. She is our largest sample now, and the magic stored within her will be useful in the future. Store her carefully in the basement, making sure she is completely preserved, and absolutely no damage is allowed."
"Yes, Lady Rosalind."
Hearing Rosalind's words, the other girls began to busy themselves. Some repaired the places on Zhou Guo that had been touched by magic and dealt with the residual magic power. Others slowly lifted Helen from the ground and gently laid her on a stretcher. Under the cover of darkness, they took her to the church's basement and sealed her off from the outside world with heavy locks.
"By the way, Lady Rosalind, if Bishop Helen's offspring is indeed created, how should we raise her? How should we explain to her about her mother? And within the church, how should we explain Bishop Helen's sudden disappearance?"
At this moment, another nun approached Rosalind and asked her with a worried tone, "Well, facing this question, Rosalind also fell into thought, her lips slightly pursed, her eyes darting around in the night wind, before finally speaking to the nun beside her:
"As for the explanation to everyone... say that the bishop has become a saint, and now resides in the deepest prayer room of the church, praying for everyone day and night, communicating and connecting with God, in order to ensure that the kingdom and the church are protected by God. As for the future descendants of Bishop Helen, well, regarding this next generation of experimental subjects, Rosalind slowly opened her eyes and spoke her thoughts:
"Regarding her... we must ensure that she maintains the utmost respect for the Church and God, and that she always has absolute trust in our plans and will accept them 100%. Only in this way can we prevent any changes from happening to this next candidate for sainthood and prevent her from becoming like her mother and doing such rebellious things."
"Lady Rosalind, are you saying that we should properly educate them?" the nun beside her asked.
“That’s right. From a young age, she was taught to prioritize the church and regard it as the most important and inviolable entity in order to ensure the implementation of the plan. As for her mother, she was told that her mother was a saint who was very devout to the church and had always protected the safety of the church and the kingdom. She was a beloved messenger of God.”
“What should she do if she wants to meet with her mother in the future?” the nun continued.
"If she wants to meet, then let her meet, but not her real mother, but... me."
As she said this, Rosalind suddenly reached out and cast a spell on herself. In the next moment, her body changed. Her originally long white hair turned fiery red, and in the blink of an eye, she looked exactly like Bishop Helen.
"As you can see, I will play Helen and personally educate her. We will also reduce the number of times we meet by citing our busy work schedules. In this way, no one will suspect the true nature of the situation."
"Is that so... I understand, Lady Rosalind. We will make proper preparations for these matters to ensure that no mistakes occur in any aspect."
As she said this, another group of nuns beside her also returned to the church to carry out the next step of the operation according to Rosalind's orders.
As for Rosalind, only a nun remained by her side. She appeared older than the other girls, leaning more towards a mature woman. She approached Rosalind and asked her her own question:
"Lady Rosalind, what name should we give our child after she is born? Her surname will be Akshay, following the family name of Bishop Helen, but how should we address her by her given name?"
"Name?"
Sensing the nun's question, Rosalind nodded slightly, seemingly pondering the answer as well. When she finally looked up, she had already made up her mind: "Since I'm carrying on the unfinished work of her mother, then I will inherit it in her mother's name."
You mean... the name remains the same, inherited from her mother? "That's right."
Rosalind nodded, looked at the nun with a serious expression, and stated her final answer:
"Helen = Akshay, that is her given name, and it has been passed down in the church ever since..."
Chapter 282: The Nun's Past (Part 6)
"In the darkness of night, as Rosalind and the nun beside her were discussing matters of the future, in the shadows beneath the distant trees, Anne trembled uncontrollably, tears mixed with blood streaming from the corners of her eyes."
At this moment, she desperately wanted to escape from this place, to get rid of the lingering gloom in her heart, and the panic that kept churning in her mind.
However, as she watched the nuns gradually recede into the distance and disappear from sight, a feeling mixed with resentment and grief overwhelmed her, completely suppressing the weakness within her.
"Senior. I...I've come to persuade you!"
Looking at Rosalind, who was the last one remaining, Anne clenched her fists, drew her cane from her waist, and gathered her magic power within her body. She prepared to unleash the greatest power she could muster at that moment to fight desperately against the villains who had committed cruel acts in the distance.
Although Anne, as an ordinary nun, did not yet possess enough magical power to unleash powerful spells, Rosalind and the others had also exhausted most of their power. They were under the light, while she was in the shadows, giving her a significant advantage in terms of position.
Based on the current situation, Anne believed that as long as she released her magic, even if she couldn't eliminate all the nuns, she could at least severely injure Rosalind, who was in the center of the group and was the leader of the nuns. Eliminating this culprit would be a way to avenge her predecessor.
Even if it costs me my life, I have to do it!
Such thoughts lingered in the black-haired girl's mind. She took a deep breath, then pointed the wand she was holding tightly at Rosalind's back. In the shadows, she slowly gathered her energy, causing a heavy magic bullet to appear in front of her, ready to be released at any moment to completely crush the enemy in the distance.
Anne was prepared, just waiting for the final burst of power to be gathered so she could carry out her revenge. "Anne, no!"
However, at that moment, a familiar voice suddenly appeared in Annie's mind, as if a splash of ice water had been poured directly onto the girl's head. Annie, who was concentrating on gathering her power, shivered, and the magic bullet in her hand suddenly retracted, turning back into magic power and scattering around her.
"This...it's senior! Senior's voice!"
The thought suddenly popped into Annie's mind. After glancing at him, she immediately turned her head behind her, trying to find the direction from which the sound came.
Absolutely right... This is the senior's voice, without the slightest mistake. The senior is nearby, I can feel it... With this thought in mind, Annie's searching gaze became even more urgent, and at the same time, the voice in her mind resounded once again.
"There's no need to search anymore. My body has already been transported to the church's underground by those people. And the reason I can talk to you now, Annie... is through the transmission of consciousness, through these remaining traces of consciousness in the world, to have one last conversation with you, Annie..." One last time... Senior, what are you saying? What last time? Where are you? Come out now!
Listening to Helen's words in her mind, Anne grew increasingly anxious, and a sense of unease kept welling up in her mind, making her tone more and more flustered as she repeatedly tried to continue contacting Helen.
"Senior, come out quickly! As long as we unite, no obstacle is insurmountable... And didn't you say you wanted to escape from the church? In that case, come with me! Those people have already left through the exit, so we can escape now." I've already said it. Now my consciousness has completely separated from my body. To prevent those people from achieving their goals, this is what I must do... Right now, I'm only managing to communicate with you, Annie, through these remaining remnants of consciousness, but this consciousness can't last long. Soon, I will completely dissipate from this world.
"Disappeared from this world... How could this be... Senior, don't give up hope. Are you in my mind now? If that's the case, then just stay here and survive with my body! Hurry!"
Her tone grew increasingly impatient; clearly, Anne was completely disregarding everything else and was solely focused on ensuring her predecessor's survival.
Upon hearing Annie's actions, a soft, relieved laugh echoed in her mind, and she continued speaking to her:
“Annie...you have always been a kind person, and it is because of this kindness that you came to the church to try to save me. For me, having a friend like you is the best thing ever.”
"So... senior, please don't give up hope. You can survive in this world through my body. As long as you do your research, we will definitely find a way to ensure your survival in the future. Please, in the name of friendship."
“No. Even if I could take over your body right now, your soul would unconsciously reject me. At that point, not only would I not be able to survive, but you yourself might also be affected, weakening the connection between your body and your spirit. Therefore, I absolutely cannot do that.”
With a resolute tone, Helen spoke these words in Anne's mind, while tears gradually welled up in Anne's eyes, revealing a look of despair and helplessness on the face of the black-haired girl, who trembled and knelt on the spot.
“No… how could this be… even after doing so much, I still couldn’t save you, senior. What kind of friend am I then? Was everything… all beyond my control…? Is the church, this world, or even the fate of my entire life all so malevolent?” Don’t be sad, Annie. I… I’ve already broken free from the church. I stopped their conspiracy at the last moment, and that’s enough. For me, although it was only for a short time, at this moment, perhaps I truly… felt the feeling of freedom. With a tone of relief, Helen’s voice gradually became blurred, and at the same time, her tone was noticeably weakened in Annie’s mind, as if it were being blocked by something, making the connection between her and Annie increasingly weak.
"Senior! Senior, hold on! Senior!"
Anne kept calling out to Helen, a glimmer of hope still shining in her eyes. Helen, on the other hand, seemed to have fully understood her fate. After shaking her head, a phantom-like, transparent figure appeared before Anne, emerging in the dark environment. Despite the dimness, it was so clear and dazzling to Anne at that moment.