I was a knight in the Middle Ages

Chapter 531 The Fall (Page 12)

In theory, Alpha already possesses the qualifications to become Pope and the potential to control the Holy Ring and command divine authority.

However, Paul's memory also ruthlessly points out his greatest weakness—the Holy Blood within him is not complete.

Without complete holy blood as a vessel, Alpha is unable to perfectly control this weak divine power. Forcing its use will only lead to a backlash, causing him to explode and die.

However, for Alpha at this moment, the amount of divine power is not important; it is merely an entry credential.

Excess power would be a burden for Alpha, and might even attract unwanted attention.

Next, Alpha began to sort through Paul's memories of the "divine power".

If divine power is the "key," then holy power is the "fuel."

It is a collection of faith power, capable of directly breaking through the bottlenecks of human cultivation and mass-producing powerful Templar Knights.

This is the foundation upon which the Papacy has been able to maintain its transcendent status for so long.

But the harsh reality is that, with the changing times, true and sincere faith has long since become as thin as smoke.

The source of holy power has dried up.

In order to maintain the operation of the massive Papacy and the fighting power of the Knights, the two Papacies...

Whether it is light or holiness—it has long since deviated from its original intention and begun a terrifying experiment called "false faith."

Through drugs, brainwashing, and extreme control from a young age, they created batches of "reformed people" who were absolutely loyal to the Vatican.

These people have a faith intensity ten or a hundred times that of ordinary people, making them a stable source of holy power.

However, the holy power produced by this method is ultimately just a drop in the ocean.

Paul recalled a scene of extreme darkness: soul extraction.

In their quest to obtain massive amounts of holy power, the Vatican's leadership has long since lost all conscience.

They discovered that by directly stripping a human's soul and body and refining them through secret techniques, the purest holy power could be created.

This was the theoretical basis for Pope Leo's plan to sacrifice millions of lives.

In the Pope's eyes, those mortals are not just believers, but also "energy blocks" he has stored up.

Once this secret is made public, the sacred image that the Vatican has built up over thousands of years will collapse in an instant, and the faith of the entire continent will be destroyed.

In addition, Alpha also discovered a fatal flaw.

Those who enhance their strength by infusing holy power through this external force.

Although their combat power surged in the short term, their souls and bodies were locked up by this powerful force.

They lost the possibility of cultivating independently and comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, their future path to advancement was completely cut off, and they could only ever be puppets of the Holy See.

However, Alpha doesn't care about this.

Alpha looked down at his hands, where a soul power that did not belong to this world flowed.

He was unable to improve his strength through conventional battle qi cultivation, so the Vatican's "dead end" actually did not restrict him.

At that moment, Alpha slowly opened his eyes, a divine gleam flashing in them.

Not only did he survive, but he also unexpectedly became the only "winner" in this battle for divine power.

The conspiracy of the two popes, the secret of the Holy Ring, the bloody source of holy power...

Alpha focused his mind, his consciousness precisely sinking into the vast fragments of memory, heading straight for the secret he cared about most—the Eleventh Holy Ring.

As Paul's memories are peeled back layer by layer, the truth about this "forbidden ring" finally comes to light.

The darkness and irony behind it sent a chill down Alpha's spine.

In order to prevent the betrayal of the ten holy knights who possessed world-destroying power, the God of Light created the Eleventh Ring.

Initially, its code name was "Annihilation," and it was a "executioner" specifically used to suppress and eliminate all the abilities of the Ten Commandments.

However, the God-King later discovered that as long as he remained alive, the Ten Commandments could never truly betray him.

The ring, meant to protect against betrayal, now seems superfluous.

So God transformed it.

The eleventh commandment grants an even more terrifying power—"sharing and enhancement".

It can not only share the capabilities of everyone in the field, but also amplify and elevate these capabilities to the extreme.

This ability is so overpowered; it's practically a desecration of the rules.

That is why it has become a thorn in the side of all forces.

The Dark Council spared no expense in capturing its current owner in order to obtain it.

But they dared not kill, because once the holder of the Holy Ring died, the Holy Ring would instantly return to the wielder of divine power.

Therefore, the dark forces resorted to even more vicious methods.

Instead of killing the wielder, they used a forbidden ritual to forcibly modify the holy ring, completely transforming the wielder's attributes into darkness.

The sacred ring, which originally represented divine authority, was forcibly twisted into a container of darkness.

This is the origin of the name "Taboo Rings," and also the reason why it disappeared from history.

Having learned all this, Alpha fell into deep thought.

This ring is both a treasure and a source of misfortune.

At this moment, his strength is still shallow. Once activated, it will likely attract the encirclement and suppression of various forces.

After careful consideration, Alpha decided to temporarily shelve this hot potato, as leaving this troublesome place was the top priority right now.

Alpha suddenly opened his eyes, a blinding holy light flashing in his pupils.

As Alpha rose from the altar, a powerful aura erupted.

With the "gifts" from various forces, Alpha's strength jumped directly from the peak of Silver Knight to Gold Knight, reaching the peak of Platinum Knight, just one step away from the legendary Holy Knight.

The main reason why the Holy Knight could not break through was that Orlando and Dos had diverted some of the Holy Power, and even more so because of the enormous energy transformed by the "Praise of Light" formation behind them.

However, Alpha at this moment was no longer a simple knight; his fighting spirit and divine magic were perfectly integrated.

This made Alpha an unrestricted knight of light, capable of summoning the power of light with every gesture.

Looking at the Duke of Orlando and Doss, who were teetering on the brink of collapse and had just awakened, Alpha didn't waste any words.

Two spears of holy light, refined to their utmost, appeared out of thin air and instantly pierced through the chests of the two men.

As the holy power was forcibly stripped away, the two corpses collapsed to the ground, their empty eyes still filled with resentment.

Alpha stepped over the corpse expressionlessly, then turned and walked away.

However, just as Alpha's heel left the vicinity of the corpse, Duke Orlando's body suddenly began to writhe strangely.

A thick, inky black liquid gushed from his seven orifices, quickly enveloping his entire body, as if brewing something even more terrifying.

At this moment, the Holy See was in complete chaos. Without the Pope's suppression, the Knights Templar were like headless flies.

Alpha ignored this; he had already accomplished his mission, even exceeded it.

This chaotic battlefield is no longer his concern.

"Lord Lei! Over here!"

A thin figure darted out from the shadow of the collapsed stone pillar; it was the elf Tiksin.

His pointed ears were now covered in dust, and he gripped a short dagger tightly in his hand, watching the chaotic crowd around him warily.

Alpha nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the chaotic scene before him like lightning.

The once sacred and solemn St. Peter's Basilica has now been reduced to a bloody slaughterhouse.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and burnt flesh, and various energies flickered and intertwined in the chaos.

“I’ve taken care of that troublesome fat guy,” Alpha’s voice was cold and hard, cutting through the noisy fighting. “Now, we only have one task—to fight our way out.”

However, the scene before him made even Alpha, a seasoned imperial knight, feel a sense of absurdity.

The world seemed to have fallen into complete chaos overnight.

Dark creatures that usually only dare to roam in the shadows—werewolfs and dark knights.

At this moment, they brazenly stormed into the core area of ​​the Holy See, wielding their claws and demonic swords to slaughter the Holy See's guards.

Even more shockingly, the Templar Knights clad in silver armor were also frantically attacking the "Holy Knights" wearing the same standard armor.

Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, two Holy Knights of the Holy Light Church were locked in a fierce battle with Holy Knights of the Holy See.

However, the cardinals of the Holy See in their robes actually unleashed a massive barrier, suppressing the Holy See's originally prized power of light.

This allowed the light-fearing, dark creatures to thrive and wreak havoc without restraint.

"What a crazy marriage alliance..." Alpha's lips curled into a mocking smile.

When faced with shared interests, even sworn enemies can instantly become allies.

Compared to the council members who lived in darkness their entire lives, Pope Leo of Light clearly hated the Holy See, which had split off and represented "betrayal," even more.

Alpha doesn't care what kind of dirty deal they made.

All he knew was that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to him.

Compared to Alpha's unremarkable Imperial standard knight heavy armor, the Holy See personnel around him, dressed in pure white robes or silver armor, were clearly more hated.

In the chaos, all sorts of spells and attacks rained down on them like moths to a flame.

Alpha, accompanied by two elves and Athena and other knights of light, used this "human shield" to move laboriously toward the gate through the chaos.

"Trying to escape? Where do you think you're going!"

A clear, cold shout rang out like a thunderclap.

A dazzling holy light flashed, and a holy knight who was trying to break through was instantly cut in half at the waist.

As the smoke cleared, a woman clad in golden Templar armor stood proudly, her longsword pointing directly at Alpha—it was none other than the Paladin Silverblade Ilya.

"Paladin Ilya?" Alpha frowned.

Alpha's gaze fell on Ilya's armor, which originally belonged to the Holy See's highest combat force, and he instantly understood.

"I never imagined even a paladin would betray the Holy See. Or perhaps you were never loyal at all, and were merely a pawn planted by the Empire?"

“Foolish.” Ilya’s eyes were indifferent, as if she were looking at a group of dead people.

“Any organization that does not obey the will of the empire and hinders the course of history should be eliminated without exception. As for you ants who are struggling to survive in the cracks, you are nothing but garbage that should be swept away.”

Before the words were even finished, the fighting spirit of both sides had already ignited.

The battle is imminent!

However, the gap in social hierarchy became unmistakably apparent at this moment.

Although Ilya did not acquire her power through her own arduous training, the immense power she possessed, granted by a special artifact, was terrifyingly real.

In just a moment of clash, Athena, the strongest member of the Alpha team, was violently blasted away by a shockwave of holy light, crashing heavily into the wall and spitting out blood.

"The Holy Pope is dead! All Holy Knights, lay down your weapons and submit to the Empire's rule!"

A thunderous roar shook the dome of the main hall, causing dust to fall in a flurry.

The two tightly closed temple doors suddenly burst open, and in the blinding light, a figure that should have been dead appeared.

It was the Duke of Orlando!

The fat man was not only alive, but he was also swaggering in the light.