Today is Wang Xiaole's first time using the Black Sword, and the outcome is unknown. For caution's sake, Cai quietly arrived at the venue to assess the situation without being noticed by the other party. If Wang Xiaole wields the sword smoothly without any unexpected twists and turns; if the archbishop doesn't appear today and the organizers of the Crusade don't take revenge after noticing, then Cai originally intended to be an inconspicuous person, quietly watching the challenge and then leaving...
Standing among the arrayed army, Cai held the token as proof of being the Holy Maiden and walked around the group. Along the way, there were voices of doubt that arose:
"Holy Maiden? She says she is, but why should we believe her?"
"Could the token be fake? After all, we've never seen anything like it before."
While voices of doubt existed, the Crusade officers' reprimands followed:
"Outrageous!"
After saying that, the officers kneeled down, forcefully pressing down on those subordinates who refused to bow, making them knock their heads on the ground.
"You people are audacious! The token was personally bestowed by His Holiness the Pope. That kind of material has long disappeared from the continent; contemporary people can't replicate it!"
The officers' testimony represented a portion of the voices. There were also some Crusaders who acted as escorts for Cai to Dibiles.
Unlike some of their ignorant companions, they immediately testified:
"We personally escorted Lady Holy Maiden here and we know that the girl who has appeared is without a doubt the Holy Maiden herself!"
The affirmative remarks gradually guided public opinion, forcing the few Crusaders who were closer to the archbishop to reluctantly acknowledge the person's identity before them.
The situation prevails; even if those who were closer to the archbishop were not entirely pleased with the sudden appearance of the Holy Maiden, the strict hierarchy system must not be violated, and compliance is the instinctive reaction of every Crusader.
Thus, the path Cai walked around the army became a route where the Crusaders kneeled in large numbers.
In the eyes of the onlookers, the scene that unfolded before them was extremely eye-catching. Every soldier in the Crusade was a tall and strong man, and compared to them, the girl Cai was slender in stature. Yet, even intimidating soldiers still showed deference to the slender Cai, and their numbers were not just ten or a hundred but measured in the tens of thousands.
Observing the changes under the arena, Wang Xiaole narrowed his eyes and kept observing Cai's reaction. Because of his concentration, he was able to hear the conversation that came from that direction:
"The local church has been searching for you for many days, but there have been no leads. Who would have thought that Lady Holy Maiden would appear today? Where have you been before?"
Cai retracted the token and pointed her finger at the officer's head, lifting the corner of her lips:
"Pretending to be dumb helps with longevity. I can tell that you want to live a few more decades."
The officer realized he asked the wrong question and decided not to delve deeper into this matter. Instead, he shifted to a more pressing topic:
"Why did Lady ask us to stop just now? We were only following the archbishop's orders and had no intention of acting on our own."
Caichen looked up and saw the bishop standing on the stage;
Now, the bishop held his head high and looked confident, as if saying, "I have given the order."
Under the guise of righteousness, the bishop, with a reasonable command, ordered the Crusaders to surround Wang Xiaolei.
From the rules within the church:
This practice does not involve any violations, and even if other bishops were here, they couldn't find any faults.
After considering all of this, what else does the bishop have to worry about?
Of course, absolutely nothing!
Just as he said to Caichen:
"Please, Holy Maiden, do not hinder me from exercising my power of judgment! Everything I do is to protect this country from the invasion of the Demon Clan."
"When the Demon Clan in the Senate was acting recklessly, where were you?"
Sister Glasses mercilessly exposed the bishop's hypocrisy.
But the bishop did not argue with Sister Glasses; he only signaled with his eyes for Caichen to be accommodating.
Both of them belonged to the higher echelons within the Holy See, and although they held different positions as second and third in command, they were ultimately part of the same faction.
The bishop believed that the Holy Maiden in front of him would not refuse to give face to her colleague;
However, today was not the first time the bishop had been disappointed;
Even if someone were to disappoint him again, what would it matter?
Now, even Caichen's smile seemed fake.
From her, Wang Xiaolei couldn't see the submissive behavior that Caichen used to have, and even the aura exuding from her carried a chilling atmosphere.
"Do not act, the entire army will go where it came from. This is an order!"
The Crusaders felt very aggrieved.
They had just received the bishop's command, and now the Holy Maiden had added a new command;
Not only that, the two orders were issued in succession and had decisive conflicts in content.
There was a disagreement among the different high-ranking members of the Holy See.
Such an event had never happened before.
So, the Crusaders couldn't find any "previous experience and wisdom" to learn from, they could only be the "previous generation" themselves.
It goes without saying:
From soldiers to generals, there was no one among the Crusaders who was willing to disobey their superiors;
Their representatives could only try to mediate the conflict between the two sides.
The two highest-ranked leaders, simultaneously stepped forward, placing themselves at the forefront and rear of the army, each persuading the people in front of them.
The leader at the back cautiously asked the bishop:
"Your Excellency, Holy Maiden cannot stay in this country for a long time; did you ask her to do this?"
The leader in front humbly asked Holy Maiden for permission:
"You are the core figure second only to His Holiness the Pope, don't argue with people of lower status, and give the bishop some face?"
The two leaders tried their best, but unfortunately, they did not achieve any results.
The bishop did not feel the need to listen to the advice of his subordinates.
Caichen became even more impatient and stepped forward, ready to take action.
She stood one foot away from the leader, and when their eyes met, a flicker of purple flashed in her pupils.
After this brief eye contact, the leader's mind felt a trance, and his right hand instinctively moved down from his knee.
clang!
The sound of a sword being unsheathed echoed here.
In one sentence:
Currently, the behavior of the general has become completely uncontrollable!
Through the influence of the forbidden curse, Color's eyes have gained the ability to hypnotize others.
Not everyone, but at least the vast majority of people, once affected by the forbidden curse, will inevitably lose control of their actions.
The general is considered lucky.
At least Color did not take control of his brain and make him unconscious; he made the following actions consciously.
Under the astonished gazes of many soldiers, this high-ranking Crusader suddenly drew his sword;
The general placed the sharp edge of the sword against his neck, assuming a posture ready to commit suicide at any moment.
But dear heaven and earth, the general has no intention of giving up;
Regarding his act of suicide, it was completely "voluntary" or "self-inflicted"!
Because he has no ability to break free from the control of the curse, the general's fate depends entirely on the will of the controller.
With lips slightly parted, Color asked the other person one last time:
"Whose orders do you want your subordinates to follow?"
The bishop's plan completely failed, and Color had no intention of arguing with him or bringing up any reasoning;
What Color is doing now is purely using power to pressure and life to blackmail.
Disobey orders and die!
What a easily understood will.
There is not much time left for the general to choose. The person who attempted "self-inflicted" is not ready to die;
There is only one path left in front of the Crusaders, and they have not yet thought of "switching leaders".
The bishop standing high up could clearly see the changing expressions of the Crusaders, so before they truly made up their minds, he repeated the command:
"Get moving!"
"Who dares to move?"
"Start moving..."
"Do not move!"
Four conflicting commands were relayed one after another.
So far, the Crusaders caught between the two bigwigs were forced to make a choice in their hearts.
The content of their choice is related to a popular saying that has been passed down for years:
"The bishop is often there, but the Holy Maiden is not often there."
At any given time, the Church of the Supreme God is never short of bishops, not even archbishops, who can be appointed by the Pope at any time.
But the Holy Maiden is different. If we trace the history of the church, we can know that:
That lofty position, second only to the Pope, often remains vacant for decades.
Based solely on this, the Crusaders should know that:
In terms of preciousness and weight, the mere bishop cannot compare to the Holy Maiden.
Therefore:
They would rather offend the red-clothed bishop behind them than confront Color;
Moreover, strictly speaking, the Holy Maiden possesses the ability to make the entire Crusaders commit suicide on the spot;
Even if the Crusaders don't consider their future, can't they think about their own lives, which are so rare?
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
Even if the bishop's face turns red and pale alternately, the Crusaders have made an irreversible decision, which is to change the direction of the entire army.
"We will leave first, and we sincerely ask the Holy Maiden to return as soon as possible so as not to continue worrying the people of the local church."
A gentle reminder is considered fulfilling one's obligation.
Immediately, tens of thousands of Crusaders did not hesitate and left the venue in the posture of turning their backs to the Bishop, who had no face.
Witnessing the soldiers' departing figures, Cai looked at Wang Xiaole, who was on the stage, and quietly muttered words that nobody could hear,
(softly) "Back then, I couldn't help you, but this time... I won't let you fight alone again!"
To watch someone die before one's eyes and then realize that one actually deeply loves that person...
For Cai, that kind of painful experience was enough to taste once.
Because she was no longer the person she used to be.
