Pope Saint Delores once again entered the forbidden area. When she arrived, her mentor, the former pope---one of the most legendary popes in history---was still sitting before the Heart of Holy Light.
"Teacher!" Saint Delores respectfully bowed.
Lucas Crest opened his eyes and asked, "What is it? More news about the Demon King?"
Pope Saint Delores responded, "Yes, we just received the latest intelligence. The Demon King from Thunder Empire's Darkness City appeared in the Savage Beast Empire two days ago."
Lucas was slightly taken aback. "He appeared in the Savage Beast Empire? What did he suddenly go there for? The Savage Beast Empire is too far from the Demon King's territory. It's unlikely he plans to conquer it."
Delores replied, "The specific motive is unclear, but he, along with several of his subordinates, appeared in the Behemoth Highlands of the Savage Beast Empire. They killed six tribal Behemoth Kings and the renowned Behemoth Great Chieftain!"
Upon hearing this, Lucas's expression changed slightly. "Amit? Him?" He immediately opened the player interface and scanned through the Hero Leaderboard.
Lucas's expression turned grim as he confirmed that the Primeval Behemoth, Amit, had indeed disappeared. This indicated that the number one Demon King, Zhang Nu, had targeted Amit, and Amit had already been killed by Zhang Nu.
Delores said in a serious tone, "As far as I know, this Behemoth Great Chieftain possessed the legendary qualities of a Primeval Behemoth, akin to a demigod, making him an exceptionally powerful being.
"Moreover, the six Behemoth Kings of the Behemoth Highlands, each of them has the strength of a top-tier Level 6 monarch. They could even rival an imperial-level powerhouse."
"From what the followers have gathered, the Great Chieftain and the Behemoth Kings were killed together. This indicates that the Behemoth Great Chieftain was not careless, he had anticipated that the Demon King would come."
The Pope's words undoubtedly revealed a terrifying truth. An entity with strength close to that of a demigod, along with a host of powerful subordinates and ample preparation and defenses, was still killed on his own turf.
Who would believe such a thing if it were told? The strength of this behemoth was greater than that of most emperors in this world. Even if he couldn't be called invincible, he was rarely matched. Even as the Pope, Delores had no absolute confidence in defeating this behemoth one-on-one. But such an incredible event had indeed occurred, filling everyone with a profound sense of horror.
"Is that how it is...?" Lucas said calmly. "This is a big problem. After killing the Behemoth Great Chieftain, the Demon King's power will likely increase even further. Now, even I am not confident I can handle him!"
Hearing this, Delores was shocked. "What? Even you, teacher...?"
It seemed unbelievable! This man was one of the most legendary and powerful popes in the history of the Radiant Church. Delores found it hard to believe that there could be an opponent her teacher couldn't confidently face.
Lucas said, "The growth rate of the Demon King is terrifying. This Demon King has now completely lost control. If we don't eliminate him quickly, I'm afraid he will destroy this world."
Delores did not realize the gravity of the situation! She quickly asked, "What are you planning to do, teacher?"
Lucas said, "We can't delay any longer. I'm preparing to take action immediately. Although my strength alone may not be enough to eliminate him, if I borrow the power of the Heart of Holy Light, I think it will be plausible!"
Upon hearing this, Delores's face changed again. She looked at the object in front of Lucas. It was a brilliant light orb, surrounded by hundreds of dragon stone statues... This was the Heart of Holy Light that Lucas mentioned!
This was the core artifact of the Radiant Church! It could even be said that the entire Radiant Church and the faith of all its followers were concentrated here. It was also the source of all divine magic for the clergy. If anything were to happen to this artifact, the Church would be finished.
"I know what you're worried about," Lucas said. "But we have no choice. Don't worry, no one can withstand this power. For the sake of saving this world, some risks are worth taking!"
Delores understood well. Although she was the current pope, her prestige and influence were far inferior to her teacher's. Since her teacher had already made this decision, no matter how inappropriate she felt it was, she couldn't change it and could only carry it out.
The next day, two hundred Cardinals and thirty-six Holy Robed Bishops gathered in the Church's forbidden grounds. Delores personally presided over the ceremony to extract the Heart of Holy Light from the forbidden area. As the ceremony concluded, the hundreds of dragon stone carvings around the Heart of Holy Light seemed to come alive, circling the light orb rapidly and shrinking until they formed a head-sized, portable object.
This was the Heart of Holy Light. In essence, it was a piece of divine-grade equipment!
Throughout the countless civilizations and empires in this continent's millions of years of history, no more than ten pieces of divine-grade equipment had ever appeared. Now, fewer than five were known to exist. It was exceedingly rare but divine-grade equipment wielded terrifying power. Each piece could allow its user to dominate a region, and with such an item, one could unleash god-like power.
It could be said that bringing out the Heart of Holy Light indicated the church was truly serious this time. Holding the Heart of Holy Light, Lucas felt a surge of excitement. With this item, he felt nearly omnipotent. Having spent so much time in the forbidden grounds, he had been researching the use of this item. Now, he finally had it in his possession, and his goal was achieved.
For Lucas, who already possessed the strength of a Level 7 legendary being, comparable to a demigod, having the Heart of Holy Light meant he had nothing to fear from any opponent. However, Lucas remained very cautious. He knew that the Great Demon King Zhang Nu was no simple adversary. Zhang Nu's rise to power suggested that his strength and abilities were far beyond those of a typical Level 6 legend. This guy undoubtedly had some powerful trump cards.
To ensure success, Lucas decided to invite several top-tier Heroes to assist him. If he could enlist the help of at least two more Heroes from the top thirty rankings, then defeating this Demon King would be certain. If he could bring in someone ranked in the top ten like himself, annihilating the Darkness City would be a breeze.