Book 5: Chapter 247: The Slumbering Origin of Light Within the Depths of St Mary’s Cathedral

Within the depths of the St. Mary’s Cathedral of the original St. Mary’s Academy, inside the Sky Cathedral underneath the Scripps Cemetery located in the central region of Vaolette Town. Bella was hiding in an inconspicuous location and secretly observing the Second Generation Radiant Pope Aesop and the Fourth Generation Radiant Pope Douglas, who were currently using their body doubles.

As this place was similar to a Demon King’s lair, Bella’s natural characteristics as a Demon King prevented her from being attacked by those black tentacles that were roaming around everywhere. When Douglas ascertained that Kleina was not here either, he became rather indignant. It seemed as though he was determined not to give up so easily.

“Douglas, my brother, there’s nothing here! Well, if you’re not coming, I’ll begin my experiments without you. What do you think? Would you like to do the honor of being my witness?”

“Forget it, I’m not as sick as you are. I’m going to look around again! Aesop, I’ll go check out the rest of the St. Mary’s Academy.”

“Douglas, since you’re not going to believe me no matter what I say, I’ll take you on one more round of the premises!”

Aesop was afraid that Douglas would damage his collection if he were to roam around alone, which meant that he had no choice but to continue following him. Since Aesop was not in a rush, he might as well “get rid” of this outsider who was ruining his view before moving on with what he wanted to do. 

Bella waited for them to move further away from her before emerging from behind the stone pillar. The Evil Pope Aesop seemed to be planning to use evil forms of sorcery to transfer the First Generation Pope Goldsmith’s soul into Mathilde’s body. Once he succeeded, Goldsmith’s protective entity would not self-destruct. Her soul would be forever imprisoned in Mathilde’s body, and Goldsmith’s original body would be added into Aesop’s collection of puppets.

Mathilde’s soul would then be sacrificed as the price for such an evil ceremony. Fortunately, Aesop had a type—blond hair with voluminous chests. Therefore, when Mathilde was first captured, she was not up to that “old gentleman’s” standards, and Aesop had spent a few days modifying her body. Otherwise, Bella would not have the opportunity to rescue her at all. 

Bella took out the magical communication stone and sent out a message to the Assassin Noreya, who was awaiting orders at the agricultural region just outside Vaolette Town. She told her to prepare to retreat and take cover as Mathilde had been found. 

Bella walked up to Mathilde and caressed her cheek in an attempt to ease her discomfort. Initially, Mathilde trembled in fear with every touch. However, once she realized that the hands belonged to a female and that they were warm, Mathilde began to relax once she knew that it was not one of those puppet Holy Maidens. 

“Mathilde, promise me, no matter what happens later, do not make a sound! Otherwise, I will not be able to save you.”

Bella quietly murmured her instructions into Mathilde’s ear, and she had no other choice but to nod in agreement. Bella took a good look at the cross as she planned to move the entire thing. In the meantime, her hands roamed all over Mathilde’s body. She had to make sure that Aesop’s breast augmentation surgery was not a flop.

With all the tugging and squeezing, Mathilde turned beet red. That Bella was the worst; how could she touch another girl’s chest, just like that? Aesop had been force-feeding her with all sorts of strange concoctions for the past few days. Since then, her chest had been growing non-stop and had become extremely sensitive. Bella had managed to claim first dibs on Aesop’s new creation even before he could enjoy it himself.

An inexplicable sense of excitement bubbled up inside Bella while Mathilde squirmed as she resisted the urge to cry out. The contrast between this innocent captain of the Radiant Church’s Law Enforcement Team and her current state of embarrassment was an absolutely delightful sight to behold. As Bella started to make her next move, she suddenly felt that she was being watched.

It seemed to be coming from that round pillar with the annoying beam of holy light. Bella began to feel uncomfortable from being stared at and stopped trying to continue violating Mathilde.

Bella tapped lightly on the pressure point at the back of Mathilde’s neck, causing her to temporarily fall asleep. After making sure that Mathilde was knocked out, she walked fearlessly towards the round pillar. Then, Bella took out the Terror Curse Scrolls that Evil God Mia had given her and surrounded the area with a soundproof barrier. This would prevent Aesop from running back prematurely if any loud sounds occurred. 

The agricultural region just outside Vaolette Town had already been enveloped by dark energy. The female knight puppet that was sent out as a scout, along with the other farmer puppets, had been bound and held to the ground by transparent puppet strings. Many strangely shaped wooden puppets were currently approaching St. Mary’s Academy.

“Elaine, didn’t you summon those puppets on short notice? Why are they so terrifyingly powerful?”

“Noreya, I modified them using the undead I found inside the Underground Sea, so of course, they would be powerful. Enough about them, shouldn’t you be making your way to meet Bella? I thought she had sent out a signal to retreat and take cover?”

The Assassin Noreya, who had been waiting in the forest, finally met up with the Puppet Master Elaine, who had been leading the invasion of the Sky Cathedral. After collecting enough reinforcements from the Underground Sea, Elaine and her new soldiers charged back into the foray. Out of pure selfishness, Aesop did not order the Sky Demonic Dragon Emperor Omnis, who had been the guardian of the Sky Cathedral, to put a stop to its contest with the Ice Serpent Reynolds, the guardian of the Soul Tower on Soul Island.

The Sky Demonic Dragon Emperor Omnis that was busy engaging in a battle with the Ice Serpent Reynolds was too distracted to even care about the horde of flying puppets that was taking over the cathedral. Because of this, Elaine managed to gain the upper hand, and her puppet army successfully invaded the original birthplace of the Radiant Church, just outside Vaolette Town.

Back inside the central region of the St. Mary’s Cathedral, Bella was about to put her hand on the crystal round pillar as she was curious how the First Generation Radiant Pope Goldsmith looked like. However, the moment her right hand touched the pillar, it was ejected from the surface by the light’s power. It felt as though she had been electrocuted.

“Ouch! My hand! That was ridiculously painful. Luckily, I did not get burnt… What’s the deal with this round crystal pillar…”

“Demoness, I will not allow you to take advantage of the Radiant Church’s descendants. Let that little girl go immediately.”

While Bella was checking her right hand for injuries, a crisp female voice rang out from the round crystal pillar. Based on the tone, Bella guessed that it must have belonged to the First Generation Radiant Pope Goldsmith. Unlike the Fifth Generation Pope Roxanne, Goldsmith’s voice had a childlike undertone to it. Despite the fact that Goldsmith was doing her best to ensure that her voice resonated with authority, her efforts were no match for Bella’s well-trained ears. 

“Taking advantage? What do you mean, Your Holiness? Is it considered taking advantage if we are both girls? In fact, what your teacher, Aesop, is doing…”

“Enough, I forbid you from speaking ill of Aesop… Anyway, what happens in the Church is none of your business…”

“Goldsmith, even you are unable to admit Aesop’s actions. It seems like you weren’t truly asleep for the past ten thousand years!”

As though Bella had gotten hold over her, Goldsmith, who had been hiding inside the holy light, instantly fell silent. After Aesop drugged her, knocked her out, and locked her here, she had not been able to escape after she regained consciousness. Ever since Aesop’s reign was usurped by the Third Generation Radiant Pope McPherson, he had been hiding inside Vaolette Town.

Back then, there was a vast underground palace hidden under St. Mary’s Academy, and its entrance was right beneath the feet of the statue of the Radiant Goddess deep within the academy’s main cathedral. After failing to protect his reign, Aesop had laid here until he had succumbed to his injuries. 

However, Aesop did not truly die. Instead, he roamed around the Underground World as a wandering soul. After the Sixth Generation Radiant Pope Lindberg came into power, St. Mary’s Academy, along with its staff and students, was moved over to the Olsylvia City. To prevent himself from being found out, Aesop activated his evil powers and “transported” the entire Vaolette Town and placed it beneath the Olsylvia City at its current location at the Scripps Cemetery’s underground world. 

Many years later, Douglas and Roxanne found this place once again. The former had discovered it after his physical body had died, while the latter was chasing him in an attempt to kill him before her body was taken over by the curse.

Goldsmith was aware of all the bad things that her teacher, Aesop, had been doing all this time. During her time hidden inside the holy light for the past ten thousand years, she witnessed every single strange and vile thing he had committed to the alternate Holy Maidens he had imprisoned here. After such an extended period, Goldsmith was no longer pure. 

To protect the reputation of the Radiant Church, Goldsmith did not think it was right to reveal the truth. Right now, she decided to remain silent in front of Bella. That Demoness seemed to know something about the various ugly rumors that the Radiant Church had accumulated over the years. Little did she know that the first person to reveal the information to Bella was her adopted younger brother, Third Generation Radiant Pope McPherson. 

“Your Holiness, it seems like you will not be honest with me unless I get you out of there. Just you wait; I will remove you from that beam of holy light.”

“You Demoness, no, I refuse! This is the Blessed Light of the Radiant Goddess. You… you will not emerge victorious…”

“No one can refuse me! We shall see…”

Bella pulled her right fist back and smashed viciously into the round crystal pillar. However, before it neared the surface, her fist glowed with black energy. Clearly, Bella had concentrated all her power as a Demon King in her hand at the moment. Since there was nothing nearby that she could use to break the crystal, she decided to go back to the basics and use brute force instead. 

The strength of the blow completely exceeded Goldsmith’s expectations, and her once-confident tone began to falter. Upon impact, a web of hairline cracks began to form along the pillar. Even though the crystal pillar managed to maintain its structural integrity, the aftershocks left by the blow caused it to shake vigorously.

“Just give up…  Demon, although your ability and strength are similar to the Twelve Demon Kings back then, this Holy Light was a gift from the Creator God, the Goddess of Light, and thus is imbued with her power. You… even if you are a Demon King, You won’t…”

“Thank you, Your Holiness, for the tip! I see. It has the power of a Creator God inside it. This makes things so much easier…”

Goldsmith’s naivety allowed Bella to find a solution to deconstruct the Holy Light. If not for that innocent clue, she would have ended up wasting a full day attempting to extract Goldsmith. In an instant, Bella’s right hand transformed into the infamous Demon God’s Right Hand in all its oddly shaped glory. Upon seeing the transformation, Goldsmith was scared speechless. 

The dark energy that emanated from Bella’s Demon God’s Right Hand had already exceeded the range of a Demon King’s power. She was also despicable enough to put on a bracelet with black jewels. It was a treasure that the Dark Creator Mystica had temporarily loaned to Bella, its effect similar to the “Praise of Light” that the Creator of Light Vianne had given to her. Both were tools that contained high concentrations of power that could enhance the strength of the wearer that shared similar characteristics.

Unless Goldsmith possessed something that contained the Creator of Light Vianne’s blessing, the crystal pillar would not be able to withstand Bella’s next attack. It was clear that Bella would emerge victorious as she stretched out her Demon God’s Right Hand and swiped it in the direction of the heart of the Holy Light.

“This power has already surpassed… Who in the world are you? Wait, don’t do that… I don’t have anything…”

“What are you waiting for, Goldsmith? The power of my darkness has already surpassed the light. Come out! 

Using the Demon God’s Right Hand, Bella reached right into the Holy Light. However, she could not see Goldsmith’s exact position, so Bella could only rely on her instincts to find her and grope around blindly. Probably due to some force of habit, she ended up grabbing a fistful of soft flesh.

Bella did not hesitate before giving a strong tug and ended up pulling a stunning maiden out from within the Holy Light. She did not have time to react before the beautiful maiden crashed right into her, causing Bella to fall to the ground. Goldsmith wanted to escape at the moment. However, as she had not moved for the past ten thousand years, her legs buckled, and she sank to the ground. 

When Bella got up from the ground, the First Generation Pope Goldsmith was already seated seductively with her legs in the W position. Other than the “Origin of Light”, a cross that represented her status as the First Generation Pope, Goldsmith’s body was completely bare as everything else that she had worn previously had already disintegrated over time. 

Under the light, every delicate inch of Goldsmith’s skin seemed to emanate a saintly glow. Her luscious locks were platinum blonde, and there appeared to be subtle streaks of gold within it. Her eyes were unusual, even for someone with heterochromia; one eye was the color of pure molten gold, while the other was metallic silver. This was the second beautiful maiden that Bella had met in this Other World that had the characteristic heterochromia of the World Destructor’s Camp even though she was not a World Destructor. 

Goldsmith’s impressive features were a perfect balance of innocence and sacredness. Even though the expression on her face conveyed an air of authority, the slight tremble in her shoulders was an indication of the panic she felt in her heart. 

The protective entity that was dependent on the Holy Light had been shattered by Bella’s Demon God’s Right Hand. This was an additional blow to Goldsmith’s faith in the Radiant Church. At the moment, Goldsmith had her arms wrapped around her chest and did not dare to make eye contact with Bella. 

Goldsmith’s chest was surprisingly voluptuous and was much larger than Mathilde’s post-augmented chest. Her slender arms were obviously unable to fully cover her ample bosom. Taking a closer look, Bella found a series of deep scratch marks on her chest, which had been caused by her Demon God’s Right Hand. She must have accidentally pawed at her chest earlier on. 

After being groped by Bella, Goldsmith was acting like a young girl who just had her first experience of worldly pleasures. Right now, she did not have the majestic dignity of a Pope. Instead, Goldsmith looked like a beautiful, vulnerable young maiden. However, it was not her fault. Like the Fifth Generation Radiant Pope Roxanne, Goldsmith had existed as an entity where her soul and body had been suspended in a perpetual state for the past ten thousand years. 

Roxanne had managed to survive that long due to the sheer power of the curse on her body. On the other hand, Goldsmith was living on borrowed energy from the Radiant Goddess’s blessing. Both girls were similar in the fact that they had not eaten any food as sustenance for the past ten thousand years and were extremely weak and malnourished. In their vulnerable state, even a young child who was slightly stronger would be able to overpower them, let alone Bella. 

Bella walked up to Goldsmith and gently cupped her round chin with her left hand that was still in its human form, forcing her to look up and meet her eyes. Goldsmith had no choice but to comply as there was no way for her to resist. 

“You… Demon King, no, Demoness… What are you trying to do? I’d rather die than surrender to you. Don’t even think about…”

Goldsmith’s eyes were filled with terror as she looked at Bella’s right hand, and she was so nervous that her voice faltered. She didn’t even know if it was still appropriate to address Bella as a Demon King as her power had far exceeded the Twelve Demon Kings from ten thousand years ago. Any entity of a higher level than a Demon King was beyond Goldsmith’s range of comprehension, and she had no idea what the correct title was anymore. 

“Goldsmith, come with me. I have a favor to ask of you. Before you refuse, though, think about it; would you rather stay here and wait for your teacher, Aesop, to return instead? I’m sure that he would be extremely delighted to see you in your current state!”

“I… I refuse. Aesop, he… he’s just bewitched by the Demon King and is temporarily… confused. Don’t try to sow discord between us…”

Goldsmith’s voice slowly trailed off as she could no longer believe in her own shoddy excuses. There was no way she could deceive an “old timer” like Bella. Furthermore, Goldsmith was beginning to experience some strange sensations all over her body. She had been forced to watch as her teacher, the Second Generation Radiant Pope Aesop, provided her with a front-row seat to a live drama for the past ten thousand years. She had been suppressing many such feelings for a very long time now.

After ten thousand years of watching “live shows” without being able to participate, an average person would have gone insane. As a Pope, Goldsmith had extraordinary self-control. Nonetheless, she was still a naive little beauty. According to the Church’s ancient records, the First Generation Radiant Pope Goldsmith was only a sixteen-year-old girl who was blossoming into a young lady when she mysteriously disappeared. 

Earlier, when Bella groped her chest, Goldsmith nearly lost it. As they both were of the same gender, she was not resistant to the idea of being touched by the other girl. Bella seemed to have noticed the unusual changes in Goldsmith’s demeanor, and her eyes began to wander towards other parts of her body. 

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