Mass

Lu Li had a very strange dream.

In the dream, the world was engulfed in raging flames. He sat alone on a high throne, watching the dome collapse and the temple crumble.

Just as he thought the fire would consume everything, a figure came into view.

Her bright red robe billowed amidst the blazing fire. Her silhouette drew closer and closer, finally coming to a halt before him.

Lu Li could not make out her face, but he found it amusing.

He asked, “They are all gone. Why are you still here?”

The woman replied, “Because Your Holiness is here.”

“Then if I don't leave, will you die here as well?” Lu Li followed up.

The woman did not hesitate, immediately dropping to one knee. “I am willing to die for Your Holiness.”

The dream ended there. The soaring flames engulfed everything, ultimately burning it all to a pile of ashes.

Lu Li was awakened from his deep sleep. The moment he opened his eyes, he was met with Anthelia's pretty little face.

“What time is it now?” The youth's voice was slightly raspy, carrying the grogginess of someone who had just woken up.

“It is already past noon. The Cardinal sent someone over to say that the ceremony is ready. Your Highness, would you like to eat something first?” Anthelia answered his question before asking her own.

Upon her mentioning it, Lu Li indeed felt a bit hungry.

“Just bring me something simple to tide me over. It is best not to keep Julia waiting too long,” Lu Li replied casually.

For some reason, he inexplicably associated Julia with the Cardinal in his dream who had remained by his side until the very last moment.

But how could that be? They said that dreams were the opposite of reality. The Cardinal in his dream had been burned to ashes along with him, whereas in reality, she might very well be the one to drive him to a dead end.

Lu Li ate quickly, stuffing all the pastries prepared by the attendant into his stomach within a few short minutes.

The road to the temple was in full bloom with white roses. A sacred and solemn melody echoed in the air, with the faint chanting of young children sounding in the distance. No matter how one looked at it, this journey did not seem like a coronation, but rather like heading to a grand funeral.

And calling it a funeral was not entirely wrong either. The coronation of a new emperor and the curtain falling on the old—this cycle was the very law of this world.

The atmosphere inside the temple, however, was starkly different from the outside. It was dead silent, and a faint scent of blood even wafted to his nose. Both the attendants and Anthelia remained outside. Lu Li pursed his lips, lifting his gaze to look at the solitary figure in the distance.

Julia stood in the center of the temple, draped in a loose white liturgical robe. Aside from her, not another soul could be seen in the vast temple. Even the crystal sarcophagus that had originally been placed there had disappeared without a trace.

This was not right, was it?

Even in a different world, even if the final coronation ceremony of the Pope was not as grand as he had imagined, there should not be only a single man and woman present!

“Your Highness.”

Julia's voice was gentle, yet Lu Li keenly detected a trace of weakness in it. His eyes fell upon Julia's face, and indeed, he spotted something amiss. Although the woman maintained her usual expressionless facade, her complexion was excessively pale.

Did she just go through a major battle?

Recalling the angel he had seen at the Sacred Spring and the legend of the angel descending after the Pope's passing, a bold guess suddenly popped into Lu Li's mind.

This woman, Julia... could she have committed blasphemy against the gods?

The youth sized up the woman curiously as he drew near. Julia stood in place, meeting his gaze calmly. Not a shred of emotion could be seen in her eyes, as if she were not looking at a living, breathing human being, but rather a cold object.

Lu Li came to a halt in front of her. Not only was he not intimidated by her indifferent gaze, but he also fell into deep thought.

Just then, the woman's voice rang out once more:

“Bow your head.”

Lu Li subconsciously looked down, only to see the tips of their shoes. Immediately afterward, he felt something heavy being placed on his head.

He raised his head in some astonishment, looking at Julia as he reached up to steady the crown atop his head:

“Is it really this hasty?”

Julia shook her head, her voice remaining calm:

“The process of putting it on does not matter. What matters is whose head it rests upon.”

Lu Li understood what she meant. It did not matter how he became the Pope; what mattered was that she needed him to wear the Triple Tiara.

So, had he become a tool in her hands?

For some reason, Lu Li thought of that dream again. He recalled the blazing flames in his dream, as well as the figure that stepped out from those fires.

“Julia,” he spoke up as if guided by some unseen force, acting on a strange impulse, “would you die for me?”

Julia's pupils trembled slightly, her fingers quietly tightening within the wide sleeves of her liturgical robe. Suppressing her surging emotions and fighting down the urge to answer, she spoke in a raspy voice, “Your Holiness, it is time for Mass.”

Lu Li smiled, pressing no further.

In fact, on his way back from the Sacred Spring, he had already faintly sensed that he possessed a certain ability—the ability to perceive malice from others.

The ugly angel's blatant malice toward him had been almost overwhelmingly suffocating, and he could even sense the thoughts that some of the attendants of the Holy Court harbored toward him. Yet, when facing Julia, it was like looking at a blank sheet of paper—pristine and clean, without the slightest hint of malice.

That was why he had asked her that question just now. And the lack of an answer was, in fact, an answer in itself.

The venue for the Mass was the Holy Court's plaza. At this moment, the plaza was packed with devout believers.

Only when Lu Li arrived here did he finally understand where everyone had gone.

He slowly ascended the high platform, his gaze sweeping over the bishops, priests, knights... and finally resting on the cheering sea of people.

Being surrounded by so many people for the first time, it would be a lie to say he was not nervous.

Lu Li cleared his throat, opening his mouth to chant in the cadence he had learned in his memories:

“Glória in excélsis Deo et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis.”

The youth's clear, resonant voice echoed over the plaza, and the clamor of the crowd gradually subsided. Immediately after, the voices of the choir rose in song...

Immersed in reciting the scriptures, Lu Li failed to notice that his body had begun to emit a faint, gentle glow. The soft radiance washed over the platform and spread in all directions, enveloping everyone in the plaza. Bathed in the holy light, everyone's expressions grew increasingly devout, and the atmosphere became solemn and sacred.

Yet, in a lone corner of the plaza, the spot where Julia and the knights who followed her stood was cast in shadow. The spreading holy light, as if terrified of touching something unclean, avoided them completely, turning away before it could even reach them.

Julia's expression remained tranquil, seemingly indifferent to whether the light fell upon her. Instead, her gaze pierced through the crowd, resting on the brilliantly radiant youth.

Right at that moment—

A sharp arrow shot out from the crowd.