"Are you giving me time to prepare?"
"Yes," Karen nodded. "Because I know this will be rather boring, but I'd prefer it not to be entirely devoid of interest."
"Heh, kid, you're arrogant."
"Those close to me all think I'm very prudent."
"Prudent? Perhaps. But I find I've come to somewhat admire your arrogance now. It can't help reminding me of my own youth."
"I don't take that as a compliment."
"Then do you believe that one day, you will end up in the exact same position as me?
Right now, they want to push you forward as a poster boy, molding you into the current face of the regional Whip of Order—its mask. But once the wind shifts and they need to change course, the simplest and easiest thing to do will be peeling off the used mask from their face and tossing it into the trash can.
Perhaps in a few years, you'll be the one sitting here.
They have plenty of ways to make you afraid to resist—just like me right now. I clearly have the power to kill you, yet I cannot actually lift a finger. I can only sit here and watch you plunge that spearhead into my chest."
Karen looked at Dolph, nodded, and said, "I believe people speak with a touch more sincerity right before they die, and I did sense some of that in what you just said.
However, you're wrong on one point.
Perhaps one day I might end up in a similar situation, but I will never end up in the same plight as you."
Hearing this, Dolph's eyes narrowed slightly. "What would you do?"
"I would resist."
"And what about your family?"
"My family would want me to resist. I would do everything in my power to protect them, because in my eyes, family comes first. But I know even better that the family I protect will always stand behind me and support me. They wouldn't want me to suffer injustice."
Bishop Dolph's lips twitched as he said,
"Do you have any idea how much danger you put yourself in by saying this to me? Even though Bern placed a seal on me, there is still a chance I could try to kill you before he comes down."
Karen shook his head. "You won't. Because you know very well that not only the people outside, but even your own family want you to die right now in exchange for their chance to live on. Families aren't all the same. And as the head of the family, you haven't managed yours very well either."
"You..."
Karen raised the Spear of Punishment in his hand and thrust it down into Dolph's chest.
*Pfft!*
The spear tip sank into Dolph's body. The power of punishment began spreading throughout his flesh, furiously ravaging his body and soul.
However, because it was a weapon formed purely from condensed energy after all, its texture fell far short of a real weapon. To make a slightly exaggerated comparison, it was like the difference between eating with two chopsticks and trying to scoop up rice with two strips of cloth.
After the Sword of Arius snapped against the hunchbacked young man, Karen had not had time to find a replacement weapon. Now, a new concept occurred to him.
When re-equipping himself this time, he could prepare a set. A "set" here didn't mean complementary tactical attributes, but purely considerations of portability.
At home, he had the refrigerator left to him by Old Saman, modified by Kevin. Inside, he could store the best—or perhaps most expensive—weapon, something like a greatsword that was inconvenient to carry around on most occasions.
Besides that, he should also equip himself with a weapon that was easy to carry on his person.
Daggers and the like were favorites of Neo and Philomena, but Karen's fighting style didn't favor getting straight into melee clashes from the outset to gamble on openings.
On the other hand, the weapon used by Anita of the Gravekeeper clan—a bracelet-like device that could unravel threads into a longsword—appealed quite a bit to Karen. It would be very suitable for emergency use.
He would let Alfred arrange it; whether to buy or scour for it, Alfred could take charge.
The main issue was that weapons that felt just right in hand were expensive, carrying high markups. Up to now, the only weapon Karen had received as a gift had come from Ophelia. Her Royal Highness was truly generous.
Technically speaking, forged weapons from Dark Moon Island suited Karen's combat habits very well, but Karen was genuinely too embarrassed to thicken his face and beg for a second one.
He couldn't very well tell her, "The quality of the first one wasn't great and it broke; how about swapping it for something better and pricier?"
Without realizing it, Karen had zoned out.
By the time his mind returned to the present, he noticed a ferocious beast covered in black scales crouching before him, its head lowered, staring right at him.
What's more, it had probably been staring for quite a while; Karen just hadn't reacted at all.
In the eyes of Bishop Dolph, who had transformed into this ferocious beast, Karen had been using some special method to sever his mental connection with the outside world for self-defense. Now that Karen's gaze met his, it meant his defensive measures had finally broken down.
"Sorry,"
Karen said to the beast before him.
Regardless, drifting off was his own fault. He ought to respect the other man's effort.
A low growl rumbled in the beast's throat. Beneath their feet, pitch-black darkness gradually transformed into infernal magma.
Karen stared at the ground with some curiosity. He hadn't noticed before, but this bishop—who seemed like the foolish head of a clan—actually possessed some artistic flair.
A searing heat began washing over him wave after wave, bringing a suffocating and scorching heaviness.
Between countless fissures, wounded arms reached out one after another, clawing helplessly and frantically in an attempt to grasp onto anything.
The grotesque beast's body was steadily disintegrating, splattering torrent after torrent of blood mingled with minced flesh onto Karen. One could even feel the momentary warmth of it.
Karen took a deep breath. Even in a mental space, he had no desire to experience such a filthy, gruesome process.
Yet Bishop Dolph had succeeded to some extent, because Karen disliked getting dirty even more than being intimidated.
Lowering his head, Karen still held his right hand in a loose grip. Though he couldn't physically feel it here, he knew the Spear of Punishment remained in his grasp, sustained by his steady supply of energy, while Bishop Dolph's life force was continuously draining away.
"I have had countless nightmares."
The voice sounded ethereal, drifting faintly.
"I was originally pondering what kind of nightmare to torment you with, because I figured that a nightmare terrifying even to me should be more than enough for you."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Karen rubbed his face with his other hand, wiping away the thick, sticky blood.
"But then I thought it would be somewhat meaningless. I'm not adept in the mental domain. If you truly are outstanding and steadfast enough, then I might really end up as your stepping stone.
If that happens, I would die with far too little dignity. Even I would despise myself."
"For someone like you, it must be quite difficult to find redeeming qualities in yourself, even if you try. If I had to force a compliment, I could only say that your family does hold a place in your heart, and not a light one at that."
"Thank you. So, I changed my mind. Honestly, if you hadn't stayed at the Pavaro residence, might all of this never have happened?"
"Behind coincidence lies inevitability. You used the mask analogy yourself: even without me, once a wind like this blew in, an uncomfortable mask like you would have been the first to be peeled off."
"Heh, I think you're right. That's why I changed my mind."
*Snap!*
A sound like something shattering rang out.
Immediately after, dense cracks webbed across Karen's vision, and Bishop Dolph, sitting in his chair, appeared right in front of him, along with the Spear of Punishment in Karen's hand.
From his chair, Bishop Dolph looked up. "I won't intimidate you anymore, nor will I curse you. I will... bless you."
Karen watched Bishop Dolph's body wither away at a visible rate, knowing the Spear of Punishment's effects were expanding. He simply nodded and said,
"Suit yourself."
"I'd like to take a different angle. I acknowledge your brilliance, and I believe that in the future, both your realm and rank will surpass mine. Therefore, I bless you."
As soon as he spoke, chains of Order spread out from Bishop Dolph, slowly wrapping around Karen.
This feeling was somewhat novel to Karen. Previously, he had always been the one binding others with chains of Order; rarely had anyone ever used them on him.
Pure power of Order flowed across the chains, yet they did not make Karen feel restrained.
The scene looked as if Bishop Dolph were offering up his own power, draping it entirely over Karen.
"Perhaps for an exceptional youth like you, most difficulties can be overcome, and the road ahead will be smooth. In that case, let me make it go even smoother for you."
A black vine emerged from between Bishop Dolph's brows, resembling a newly sprouted shoot. The moment it appeared, the aura of Order in the surroundings grew noticeably richer.
Above Inquisitor was Adjudicator, and above Adjudicator was Jurist. Above Jurist lay a vast realm difficult to divide into concrete tiers of strength.
Broadly speaking, it consisted of rooting, sprouting, branching and leafing, blooming, and bearing fruit.
The thing before him was likely Bishop Dolph's rootstem of faith.
"As your elder, as a predecessor, and as your Bishop, it is only right that I do something for a junior. I will... fertilize you."
The young shoot drifted upward and finally settled over Karen's chest.
In an instant, Karen felt as though a colossal weight had pressed down upon his chest, wrenching his very soul into a twist.
Promptly, the sprout began taking root inside him, dense tendrils digging deep into his flesh and soul.
At this moment, mental consciousness and reality overlapped in an intense clash.
Bishop Dolph was bestowing his own shoot upon Karen.
It was indeed a selfless gift, yet the same plot of soil could nurture only this single shoot—and it might not even survive.
This was Bishop Dolph's revenge. His thinking had taken a turn in a short span of time; he felt that relying merely on intimidation to cast a shadow over faith wouldn't truly halt this remarkable youth's progress.
Thus, he adopted the exact opposite method: an active bestowal, like pulling up seedlings to help them grow far too ahead of time.
This could rapidly grant Karen a clear boost in strength and realm in the short term, but the ceiling of his future growth would forever remain beneath Dolph's.
The difficulty of condensing his own sprout would multiply, and even if he succeeded, it would never grow better than this one—it would only be lower and weaker.
For crops, over-fertilization would burn them out.
Bishop Dolph was using himself as a puddle of excess fertilizer, wanting to smother Karen's future to death.
Even Karen had to admit that this old man's vengeful mindset and scheme were genuinely novel; he was truly surprised.
Along the crevices of the basement hall, the pendant began to chime softly.
From his chair, Bishop Dolph spoke, "Let me tell you one more thing. Bern isn't a good person. You must have heard things about him, haven't you?
So how could you believe he was doing you a favor?
Heh, I even suspect he anticipated I would make a move like this long ago. He is smart—far smarter than me."
"You mean Bishop Bern is trying to harm me?" Karen asked.
"No, he isn't trying to harm you. In his eyes, gaining an immediate boost to your strength and realm from me is a tangible benefit. A man like him loves the feeling of clutching immediate gains in his hands.
As for your future—the heights your talent could have reached—that isn't within his consideration, because it cannot be concretely measured.
Of course, if you want someone to hate in the future, you can hate him.
Remember:
He is the one who let me strangle your future."
Karen nodded. "I understand."
***
Above, inside the study.
Bishop Bern sat behind the desk with his eyes closed, cultivating. His fingertips tapped lightly against the desktop. The crisp chiming of the pendant rang in his ears, and a faint smile touched the corner of his lips.
"Wringing anything out of you, old fellow, really isn't easy."
He slowly opened his eyes.
"I've seen far too many geniuses. Most of them perish before they ever grow to maturity. That is why I never like getting carried away indulging in fantasies of the future; I prefer to keep my eyes on the road beneath my feet.
There are already enough Elders in the Temple.
Karen, when you realize your future has been shackled and your realm can no longer advance, you can come work wholeheartedly under me.
My ambition isn't merely the Church of Pamires; I intend to tether even more churches to the chariot of Order.
I hope you will come assist me.
Mm, don't hate me. Heh."
After his musings,
Bishop Bern closed his eyes once more.
***
The shoot continued to grow on Karen, its roots plunging downward rapidly.
Gradually, Karen began to recede—or more precisely, the surrounding environment was shifting forward, making it seem relatively as if he were stepping back.
Yet Bishop Dolph, along with the chair beneath him, followed in close pursuit.
"Are you running away?" Bishop Dolph chuckled. "I sense it. You're escaping, you're afraid, you're trying to break free. It seems your confidence in yourself was quite high."
Karen said nothing, merely staring at Dolph on the chair before him, whose form continued to wither.
"Do you feel panicked? Angry? Desperate? Having your future strangled in this manner doesn't feel good, does it?"
Karen still remained silent.
Gradually, webs of roots appeared in every direction within the mental space.
"Your soul is remarkably resilient, and your foundation is truly abundant. Talent like yours makes even me envious; in my youth, I was far inferior to you—far inferior.
Heh, but the more that's the case, the more thrilled I become!
Because it proves my method is right! What I give you is a blessing, yet I reap the thrill of genuine vengeance! Hahaha!"
Those rootstems had already blanketed nearly eighty percent of Karen's mental space. Emitting the power of Order, they treated this place as their new soil for growth.
Karen tilted his head back, inhaling sharp breaths continuously.
"Are you restraining yourself? Restraining what? It's useless, truly useless. You might as well let go of everything and accept my gift. At least right now, you're... very... happy... aren't... you..."
The features of Bishop Dolph on the chair were withering with extreme age. The relentless destruction by the Spear of Punishment, combined with his voluntary infusion of power into Karen, accelerated his demise.
Finally, when Dolph's body and soul had declined to a state of languor that Karen felt was fully within his control, Karen let out a long breath. Previously, he had looked as though he were undergoing breath-holding training.
"Heh."
Karen smiled.
"What... are you laughing at...?"
"At you."
"Laughing at me... are you?"
"Mm. You said I was restraining myself earlier, that I was running away. But that wasn't it. I was merely hiding."
"Hiding... what?"
"There are things I was afraid you would see too early. In the beginning, you still had a way to transmit messages outside, including to Bishop Bern. Now, you are too weak to transmit anything at all, to the point where even I have complete control over you.
So, I really had to endure quite painfully just now, hiding things away so you wouldn't notice.
Didn't you say you wanted to use your blessing to strangle my future?
Very well.
The prerequisite, however, is that your blessing must be big enough. Otherwise, you might not be able to strangle anything. Even if I were to agree, it wouldn't matter—it depends on whether they agree."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the roots that had just spread across the surroundings withered and sloughed away at blinding speed. The blessing Bishop Dolph had bestowed upon Karen was completely cast out by a domineering force in this instant—just like an intruder breaking into someone's home, only to be forcefully expelled by the true master.
"I've been standing for so long, I'm tired. Now, it's my turn to sit."
Karen leaned back, and a chair appeared right in time to catch him.
At the same time, the figure of Diss, cloaked in the divine robes of a Temple Elder, appeared behind Karen.
Bishop Dolph's eyes bulged instantly. "T-Temple... Elder..."
And Karen's next words dealt Dolph an even heavier, more despairing blow:
"So obedient. Told you to write a suicide note, and you actually wrote it."
Chapter 530