Sigrid's Acting

Amidst the brief lull, a tangled buzz of whispers broke out across the seating areas of the nobles and ministers. In the outer ring of seats situated at the very top of the hall, the nobles frequently cast glances toward Great Sage Isis, then swiftly swept their eyes across the other key figures of the Resurrection Church in the center of the hall, searching for clues to draw conclusions from. Among them, the southern nobles appeared even more solemn, while the northern and eastern nobles seemed slightly curious and wary. The ministers sat on the inner ring closer to the center, their reactions more direct. Many ministers had their brows knitted tightly, their thoughts stirred by this sudden turn of events, and they conversed in hushed tones, trying to analyze the situation. Beneath the shifting gazes and expressions, the several figures holding supreme power were the focal point commanding everyone's attention. Bishop of Domination Sigrid remained calm, a biting intent to pass judgment upon Askesan gleaming in her eyes. Bishop of Extinction Askesan had also reverted in this moment to that most cruel and perilous Cardinal, seemingly ready at any second to unleash his power at the pinnacle of Tier 8 and let everyone witness the soul-daunting majesty of the Original Slate: Seal. Duke Morotian Bernhardt appeared even more profound. Leaning back in the upper left section of the council chamber, his steady eyes seemed to evaluate the repercussions of this abrupt development. Although Great Sage Isis might not trust him—the Empire's second strongest—he would gladly lend a hand if she had any need of his assistance. None of these key figures made a statement, making even the light and shadow in Franklin Hall feel as though it had slowed and dimmed slightly. "Sigrid, perhaps we can completely decide life and death today. There is no need to make things difficult for Her Excellency Isis. If this drags on, I fear this battle you worked so hard to muster the courage to accept will fizzle out again due to various excuses." A cold smirk played at the corner of Askesan's mouth as he shattered the overly long silence of Franklin Hall. "Remaining silent like this, could it be you're waiting for Great Sage Isis to bail you out?" Askesan asked, his gaze fixed on Sigrid. Seeing Sigrid accept the battle just now, Askesan had roughly concluded that she might have another trick up her sleeve—even if her condition was locked by a seal, she might possess a method to temporarily display Tier 8 strength to deceive the Protos Empire. After all, a month ago, the wounds he suffered were no less severe than Sigrid's, and even now, he had not returned to full strength. A small number of summons could be placed on another person to trigger the summoning by proxy. Magic apparatuses and magic scrolls also had no user restrictions; their only drawbacks were that magic apparatuses were cumbersome to carry, while magic scrolls were one-time consumables. God only knew whether that damned wolf could be transferred. It was clearly just a Tier 4 card, yet possessed the terrifying property of growing stronger against stronger foes. Moreover, that wolf carried an aura similar to Sigrid's that disgusted him to no end. Just looking at Sigrid again made Askesan recall the boundless blazing white that had erupted in an instant upon the northern snowfields. Of course, it was also possible that Sigrid wanted to gamble on Isis's present deliberations, waiting for Isis to realize the logistical difficulties of hosting this duel. But Askesan would never give Sigrid that chance. "..." At this moment, everyone in the parliament understood what Extinction Askesan meant by "no need to make things difficult." Between Cardinals of the Resurrection Church, there had always been a method to settle supremacy and life or death. As a barrier deployed from the Proof of Bishop, the Death Arena could not accommodate any outside assistance, nor could it be interfered with or disrupted. Its opening required mutual consent, and its termination likewise required mutual consent. Otherwise, once initiated, the Death Arena would not end until one party died. Furthermore, for such an official internal duel to the death within the Resurrection Church, the Protos Empire bore no responsibility for presiding over the duel or ruling on the outcome. The two Cardinals could simply be left to fight! Bishop of Mourning Yamiles had originally intended to say something, but held her tongue. In principle, the Pope did not permit Cardinals to initiate the Death Arena. Still, she wouldn't be the one taking the punishment. Once the Death Arena opened, the loser would die today, and the victor would one day face reckoning when the Pope returned. "Sigrid, why aren't you speaking? Got cold feet again?" Askesan's gaze locked firmly onto Sigrid, not bothering to hide the mockery in his eyes. "In the Protos Empire, everything should be left to Great Sage Isis to decide," Sigrid replied impassively. "..." Great Sage Isis was still looking at the two Cardinals in contemplation. Although this was the simplest, most direct plan and the one most advantageous to the Protos Empire, human lives were brief and precious. To decide life and death so abruptly—she did not know whether it was a bit too cruel. Watching Sigrid wait for Great Sage Isis's opinion, Askesan could not help but sneer. "Sigrid, in every single battle between you and me, you have always sought to fight to the death. Only this time do you dare not accept a death duel between Bishops?" Askesan turned and bowed toward Isis. "Great Sage Isis, regardless of who wins or loses, this is an internal affair of our Resurrection Church. The Protos Empire bears no responsibility for it. Moreover, you had no need to intervene in matters beyond upholding the rules in the first place. Given your duties, you shouldn't risk presiding over a major clash that could endanger the people of the Protos Empire." Afterward, he simply waited for Sigrid to state her stance. "From my position as Guardian of the Protos Empire, so long as you do not endanger the people of the Protos Empire, I will not intervene," Isis finally spoke after a brief moment of thought. As the upholder of rules, she had no business meddling further in the Resurrection Church's internal affairs. "..." To this, Sigrid did not respond for a long time, her head lowered. Now, she was forced to make a final decision. The faint smile on Askesan's face grew increasingly leisurely and confident. The southern nobles who had originally considered voting for the Bishop of Domination exchanged glances, already beginning to waver. Because Bishop of Domination Sigrid's reaction today was indeed far too abnormal. After Askesan's repeated probes, one could discern from all sorts of details that Sigrid was visibly lacking in confidence! This made Askesan's words seem truer and truer. If Bishop of Domination Sigrid had not lost her martial prowess, then backed into such a corner, losing the bishop election would leave her truly unable to contend against an ascendant Askesan. Given their enmity, a battle to the death was inevitable sooner or later—perhaps having the decisive clash now was even better. And if Sigrid truly had lost her martial prowess and lost the bishop election to Askesan, she would certainly face certain death. Her only way to survive was to accept the battle now and stake everything on one final gamble against Askesan.