Chapter 328: Chapter 16: Heart of Iron_2
"The chaos caused by the Night of the Holy Arrival was immense; many of the Church’s records were lost in that betrayal... Many secrets are unknown even to us."
Samuel felt the weight of the event, realizing that those secrets were recorded on paper and now lost to the flames. All that remains is locked within the minds of those involved.
"Are we to hunt those Cardinals?" Samuel speculated.
As long as those escaped Cardinals remain at large, the Pope’s rule is not absolutely secure. Judging by his ruthless methods, he will certainly not spare these people.
"No, there’s no rush on that front. We have other things to do."
Anthony said as he opened a file folder, taking out its contents.
"Nations have already begun the race. Without an industrial base, we’ll eventually get left behind... This is the Pope’s directive: on the surface, the Church will exchange knowledge of demons with Ingwig for support in steam technology, but secretly, this is where we come in."
Anthony flipped through the papers, seemingly already familiar with them, simply reviewing once more.
"What task?" Samuel asked.
"To track down the Revelation."
Anthony said gravely, it’s the key to Secret Blood technology. Before the Holy Evangelical Pope Kingdom is completely left behind, they must retrieve it so Secret Blood can continue to be produced.
"It can be confirmed that Lawrence betrayed the Church, stealing the Revelation on the Night of the Holy Arrival. A few days ago, the Static Holy Temple detected Lawrence’s Silver Binding Bolt, located in Ingwig."
"Silver Binding Bolt?"
Samuel, not long into his role, wasn’t familiar with the matters of the Demon Hunting Order.
"A special device, used to restrict Demon Hunters. When the Secret Blood within them awakens beyond the threshold, the Static Holy Temple will detect them. However, due to the loss of the Revelation, this device has been discontinued."
"Very... fascinating."
Samuel marveled; every day since joining, something new would challenge his worldview. The mysterious Silver Binding Bolt wasn’t too surprising for him.
The entire Evangelical Church is a conglomerate of eerie secrets, and no one really knows what lies hidden in its depths.
Anthony picked up a photo stuck between the papers.
"Of course, it’s not just Lawrence. We also detected another Demon Hunter in the same location."
With two Demon Hunters breaking the threshold at the same location, it was unclear if they were facing off against something or fighting each other.
Upon receiving this intelligence, the Evangelical Church’s forces in Ingwig began covert maneuvers. Though not as formidable as they once were, they were still useful today, efficiently operating to gather intelligence and report back.
"According to feedback from the Static Holy Temple, we verified the code of the Silver Binding Bolt, and it originally belonged to a Demon Hunter on the roster... According to the list, he should be dead."
Anthony looked at the man in the black-and-white photo. Due to the angle of the candid shot, only part of the man’s face was visible in the crowd, but it was enough to identify him.
"Who is he?" Samuel asked.
"Lorenzo Holmes," Anthony said.
"A name? I thought Demon Hunters didn’t have names."
"He chose it himself. His profession is a detective, currently suspected to be connected with the Purification Mechanism... which complicates matters further."
Anthony wasn’t sure if Lorenzo was allied with the Purification Mechanism. If they were, it would make their operations much more difficult. With Lorenzo’s presence, the Purification Mechanism likely already knew some things about demons, forcing the Evangelical Church to pay a greater price.
"So, are we going to hunt him next?"
Anthony shook his head.
"The Purification Mechanism will not allow us to act recklessly on their territory, especially if they already know about the Revelation. Should the situation worsen, it could lead to war. We will proceed as a mission."
"That’s what we must do," Anthony continued.
"The first batch of Demon Hunters has already headed to Ingwig days ago. Among them is the best of you all, who will be one of the hopes for this mission."
They will secretly investigate everything in Old Dunling, while we make transactions with the Purification Mechanism openly, to lull them."
"This plan doesn’t seem very reliable."
Samuel didn’t like the best of them; he had met that unsettling guy before.
"You don’t need to know the full picture," Anthony said somewhat coldly. "Moreover, we’re clueless about the situation in Old Dunling; many plans will be drafted only upon arrival."
This is an extremely critical mission, a slight mistake could trigger the Purification Mechanism’s siege, and given the Evangelical Church’s current influence, it’s hard to escape Ingwig alive.
"That’s about it, go make preparations, we will depart soon."
Anthony thought for a moment, then added.
"It’s best to bid farewell to your family."
Journeys always involve parting, but from Anthony’s mouth, it took on an entirely different meaning.
"Will I die there?" Samuel couldn’t help but become serious.
"It’s very likely," Anthony said with some weight in his tone.
"This concerns the future world order; the Purification Mechanism won’t let down their guard, and neither will those two Demon Hunters. They experienced the Night of the Holy Arrival; they know what new Demon Hunters represent."
He looked Samuel over from head to toe.
"You... and those newly-minted Demon Hunters, flow with twice-recycled Secret Blood, without the Silver Binding Bolt’s restraint. If you want, you can directly demonize, unleashing your full combat power, but this also means certain death."
"Perhaps I won’t be forced to that extent," Samuel said, having endured great pain upon implanting Secret Blood and gained strength far surpassing ordinary people.
"No, you don’t understand, Samuel. You haven’t seen a real Demon Hunter; in the end, you guys are just inferior substitutes... we all are. Compared to those still agile under restraint, we are much more fragile, akin to the difference between newborn infants and veteran hunters."
Anthony said, Demon Hunters are trained from a young age, born to fight demons, nameless and pastless, maintaining absolute reason.
These new Demon Hunters were selected from among the Holy Hall Knights, gentler compared to those cold and ruthless Demon Hunters.
Though flowing with Secret Blood, they possess completely different hearts, hearts of iron and stone devoid of emotion.
"Have you ever seen a Demon Hunter, Fr. Anthony?"
Samuel asked. He knew the history of the Demon Hunting Order and knew that apart from the escaped Demon Hunters, all had perished. He didn’t understand why Anthony, who hadn’t seen a real Demon Hunter, held such... fear toward them.
Anthony was silent for a long time before he sighed softly.
"I have seen them, Samuel."
In his mind, the image of a steel mask appeared, with burning eyes rising from the darkness beneath it. Even after all this time, Anthony still couldn’t recall how he left the Static Holy Temple, but it was then he understood why the Pope survived so many assassination attempts unscathed.
Sainy Loter, he was the deadliest predator, known to none.
The aura at that moment was fearsome and desperate, as if gazed upon by the world’s most terrifying entity.
"When you see him, you will understand the differences between you."
Anthony said meaningfully.
It’s like playing with fire, verbal warnings can never instill reverence; only painful burns can awaken one. But this time, a mistake wouldn’t just cost burning pain—death would be the price.
Samuel will understand; when he faces that burning white flame, he will feel emotions identical to his own.
A fear that originates from the depths of the soul.