Chapter 261: The Unholy Alliance
The atmosphere in the Abyssal, already heavy with the stench of death and demonic energy, curdled as the newcomers approached. Dracula, her pale features sharpened by the ghastly light of the summoning circle, watched the figures emerge from the gloom of the crystallized ruins.
"Pope? How come you could enter the Abyssal? And with your light and darkness saints." Dracula narrowed her eyes at the three, her voice dripping with suspicion.
The Pope looked entirely out of place in this graveyard of souls. He was an elderly man who radiated an aura of oppressive sanctity, holding a massive, ornate god-class staff that pulsed with a rhythmic, golden light. Beside him stood the two Saints—silent, enigmatic figures. One was draped in flowing white robes that seemed to repel the Abyssal mist, while the other wore robes of absolute black, their hoods pulled low to completely obscure their faces.
"Hahaha! The demon emperor and I go way back... I was actually here to meet up with him, didn’t expect to encounter an evil sacrificial summoning." He said, his huge god-class staff lightly touching the ground with a dull thud that sent a ripple of holy energy through the dirt.
Dracula stared at the artifact, her crimson eyes flickering with greed and wariness. The Pope’s presence here was a massive variable she hadn’t accounted for.
’I plan to keep this a secret, which was why I find my way into the Abyssal, now this old man knows about it too.’ She thought, gritting her teeth inwardly. The fallout of the Holy Palace discovering her ritual could be disastrous, but she forced a diplomatic smile:
"It’s nothing special, and you don’t have to trouble yourself about it."
"Oh, but I want to." The Pope grinned at her, his eyes twinkling with a hidden, dangerous agenda.
"What do you mean by that?" Dracula asked, her tone turning ice-cold as Sagittarius and the Third Lord shifted into combat stances behind her.
"Calm down, Dracula... We have one enemy here--"
"--Wrong... I want to rule this world, why you want to brainwash the people to believe in some gods I don’t even know existed." She stated their different goals without hesitation, drawing a hard line between the Devil Cult’s nihilism and the Holy Palace’s theocracy.
"We can still coexist." The Pope offered smoothly.
"Hahahahaha!!! Do you think I am that stupid?! How can I rule over the people who are already brainwashed by you?! Anyway, I don’t like arguing, so just get going." Dracula said, waving her hand dismissively at him, the jagged crystals around them catching the red light of the ritual. She added:
"If by the common enemy we have, it’s either the Master teachers, or the new threat, Mirabella... I don’t need your help taking care of any."
"You are so arrogant... Seems the devil cult learned this from their leader." The Pope slowly nodded his head, looking over at his two saints. They remained as still as statues, their presence masking the power of Lv500 peak-tier combatants.
"You are summoning a powerful spirit, do you think those creatures respect anyone who is weaker than them?" The Pope asked, turning around as if to depart.
"I wanted to help you with a sealing Technique, at least you should have a leverage on your summons, anyway... I will get going." He said, his white beard catching the dim light as he began to walk away.
"Wait!" Dracula stopped him. The logic was sound—spirit creatures from the Third World were notoriously difficult to bind. If the creature broke free, it would raze the Abyss before ever touching the Empires.
"Oh? Changed your mind already?" The Pope looked at her over his shoulder, a knowing glint in his eye.
"Your sealing Technique, what class is it?" Dracula asked, her pragmatic side winning over her pride.
"Of course, it’s in the god class!! It might not be a true god-class technique, but it can still hold down a spirit creature." He said, his voice brimming with the confidence of a man who held the keys to the heavens.
"You?! How do you have so many god class things?! And also know about the spirit creatures! Have you been to the Third World?!" Dracula yelled, pointing her finger at him in genuine shock. God-class items were myths in the lower realms, yet this old man carried them like common tools.
"I haven’t been to the Third World, But the Great Holy Goddess, both I and the holy Palace serve is from the Third World. She is responsible for the blessings."
Dracula raised an eyebrow, her mind racing to verify his claim against the ancient texts she had studied.
’You aren’t from the Third World, then how did you know of any Holy Goddess? Is this guy bluffing? But truthfully, how did he have two god class things?’ she thought. She couldn’t afford to pass up a God-class sealing technique. She nodded her head:
"Ok, What is in for you?" She gave up, placing her arms on her hips.
The Pope turned fully around to face her again, the golden light of his staff intensifying. "It’s simple. Once the Spirit Creature is summoned, I want you to attack the dragon empire first and kill that Mirabella... Can you do that?" He asked.
"Kill Mirabella?" Dracula frowned.
’Mirabella is Genevieve’s daughter and the last heir of the Sun family, she can’t be easily killed by anyone... I also don’t know how many treasures and life graces are with her. Even the stupid Fifth Pillar of the demons I sent got killed in an instant... Anyway...’ She weighed the risks. Having the Pope’s support—even secret support—was worth the gamble. She nodded her head:
"Alright. I will attack the dragon empire, but about killing Mirabella, I am not so sure about that... Meaning, I don’t know if the spirit will be able to kill her or not. If you accept this, I will agree." She said.
’This old fool doesn’t even know Mirabella’s true origin.’ She added inwardly, a cold smirk forming. The Sun family’s bloodline was a legacy of fire that even "gods" feared.
"Okay, as long you can injure or even kill her, it’s good." The Pope nodded his head.
And so, in the heart of the Abyss, surrounded by the horrific remains of a blood sacrifice, two peak Lv500 Leaders joined together with one goal in mind: the total neutralization of Mirabella.