People believe what they want to believe.
Anyone who dared to question him would only be torn to shreds by even more self-deluded believers.
Therefore, for the Pope, even if he didn't believe, he had to pretend that he did.
The only thing Ren Yi had to be careful about was ensuring his own indispensability, avoiding the fate of being discarded like a used tool once the work was done.
At this thought, Ren Yi allowed a perfectly timed sigh to escape his lips.
"The words of the God are filled with infinite wisdom. I cannot fully grasp them all at once, but I already have some leads."
"Lord Pope, please bring me a few live mutant beasts. I need to conduct a small experiment."
"Of course." The Pope turned and gave a few instructions to a Bishop standing nearby who had remained silent throughout. The Bishop immediately bowed in acknowledgment and strode out of the hall.
A short while later, the Bishop returned with several large men carrying cages.
These men were all bulging with muscle, their arms thicker than an average person's thighs. They were clearly physical-enhancement type Espers.
They carried three sturdy iron cages on their shoulders, each containing a mutant beast.
The three mutant beasts looked identical. They were roughly the size of coyotes but resembled Sphynx cats.
The only place they had fur was a few messy, sparse black strands on their heads; the rest of their skin was a sickly, fleshy pink.
Sharp claws scratched incessantly at the bottom of the cages, while their tails—smooth, fleshy rods—lashed back and forth.
The most bizarre feature was their faces: their muzzles protruded forward, surrounded by a ring of eerie blue lips. When they opened their mouths, they didn't reveal a predator's fangs, but rather square teeth like those of a herbivore.
Altogether, it formed a bucktoothed donkey mouth that was unspeakably strange and disgusting.
There were iron rings at the bottom of the cages that firmly pinned the beasts' limbs to the floor. They could only roar in vain, slamming their heads against the iron bars with dull thuds.
Ren Yi stepped forward without a word, drawing the cleaver from his waist. The blade flashed with a cold light in the dim hall.
Splat. The cleaver plunged straight into the roaring mouth of the mutant beast in front of him. Instantly, bright, piercing red blood sprayed out.
This time, Ren Yi did not look away. He stared directly at the beast in the cage.
He clearly saw the beast transition from the initial frantic struggle of pain to the dazed confusion as its life rapidly drained away.
Finally, with cloudy eyes and in an abnormally quiet, stiff posture, it stared fixedly at Ren Yi, its killer.
Soon, the mutant beast's body stopped moving, its life force completely extinguished.
Its fleshy skin, combined with its small frame, made it look from a distance like the long-dead corpse of a child, exuding a spine-chilling coldness.
A familiar warmth emerged from the void.
Expressionless, Ren Yi carried the dripping cleaver toward the remaining two mutant beasts. With two equally swift and clean strikes, he ended their lives.
Waves of warmth surged one after another, and he absorbed and converted each one.
In the blink of an eye, three faint but distinct points of light appeared on his arm.
It seemed the situation was confirmed.
There was indeed a certain special quality to the mutant beasts that benefited him.
Their deaths provided him with positive emotions.
Although the reason was unclear, the benefits were real.
In that case, what needed to be done next was very clear.
Ren Yi's expression remained unchanged as he turned to the Pope, his voice calm and steady.
"I have grasped the divine omen."
He raised his arm, revealing the floating points of light on the back of his hand to the Pope, and said emphatically, "We need a blood sacrifice."
"Each point of light corresponds to the life of one mutant beast." He slowly rotated his wrist, making the glow of the light points clearer.
"We need many, many mutant beasts, until this entire arm is covered in light."
"Remember, those mutant beasts must be slain by my own hand."
The Pope remained silent for a moment, his aged face unreadable. He slowly spoke, "I understand what must be done, Lord Son of God. However..."
"However what?"
"Large-scale suppression of mutant beast nests will likely require major military operations. Many believers will give their lives," the Pope said in a low voice.
Ren Yi narrowed his eyes slightly. "Lord Pope, you should understand that this is a necessary sacrifice."
"No, what I mean is that a war on such a scale will inevitably cause a great deal of pain."
Oh, so he was worried about the Calamity Rule.
Ren Yi blinked slowly. For a moment, he thought he had misjudged the Pope.
A rather interesting thought occurred to him, and he spoke with a hint of amusement.
"During the meeting earlier, based on what you said, it seemed you haven't personally witnessed the execution of that rule?"
"Indeed," the Pope nodded, admitting it frankly.
"Believers relayed the rule contents from their panels to us immediately, but we only learned the details of the rule's execution through the Instance livestream."
"So, you've tried it, haven't you?" Ren Yi's gaze sharpened.
The Pope paused. "What are you referring to?"
Ren Yi didn't intend to continue playing riddles with this old fox.
"Aside from the 'method of salvation,' that Xin King was quite candid."
"I imagine that before I returned, he must have mentioned that this rule is related to the upcoming apocalypse."
"Therefore, you must have tried to trigger this rule already, haven't you?"
"Since you haven't seen the rule executed with your own eyes, it means the attempt failed."
According to the hints from the Anomaly Web, the spread of the Calamity Rule took time.
It seemed that, for now, it hadn't reached the Holy City.
"Ah, that... naturally, I have tried."
The Pope stopped playing dumb and nodded slowly, his expression as calm as if he were discussing a trivial matter.
Ren Yi didn't ask how he had tested it.
At this point, he realized that the old man hadn't been worried about sacrifice at all; he had clearly been testing him.
"My apologies, Lord Son of God. I have said too much," the Pope said, brushing the topic aside as if nothing had happened and bowing.
"It seems we still have time before the apocalypse arrives."
"You are right. This is a necessary sacrifice."
...
Meanwhile, far on the other side of the world, in Xin City.
Xin City was situated on a coastal cliff, tens of thousands of miles away from the Holy City, located almost on opposite sides of the planet.
At this moment, night had already fallen over Xin City.
However, it was not the darkness one might expect. Warm orange lights illuminated the streets and alleys, reflecting off old concrete walls.
Bullet holes from the early days of the apocalypse still remained on the walls, recording past chaos and slaughter, forming a bizarre contrast with the current atmosphere of daily life in the streets.
Many people could still be seen moving about—patrolling guards, dusty convoys, and even women and children.
The city's facilities were remarkably well-preserved; the basic electrical grid and power stations had all been maintained.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as if there were no apocalypse here.
A... happy city.
Rate on N.U.
