The place of the seven hills, the Cathedral of San Narlo.

The icy evening breeze poured into this magnificent church from the window, and the invisible hand held up the white curtain slightly, shaking and swaying the cluster of candle flames, as if alive, and breathing.

As the center of power in the Holy Evangelical Papal States, the Cathedral of San Nalo is much grander than most people think, with towering minarets pointing like spears into the sky, and it is lit up with melodious chants day and night.

This is the place with the highest concentration of faith in the world, the most magnificent church in the history of mankind, completely made of huge and neat white bricks, inlaid with gold and silver, under this land buried the popes of the past, the place of pilgrimage that makes all believers fascinated.

Some say that in the depths of this city-like church lies a gate that leads to the holy kingdom of heaven.

Stepping up the steps of history, the long red carpet stretches under the golden icon, it looks up at the dome, and the gods depicted on it also look at the mortal world, even on cold winter nights, it is still warm, the air is filled with sweetness, and the molten wax solidifies on the ground, converging into a white tide that swallows up all faith.

The priest was dressed in black robes, and his firearms and sword were slightly revealing as he walked.

He was so out of place here, and although the priest was the most devout believer, the soul of the devil was hidden under his blood.

It stands to reason that it would take a lot of people to take care of such a large building, but every time the priest comes back here, everything is in order, as if the attendants have just dealt with it, but no matter how much you look for it, you will eventually find that it is you alone, as if it is the unsightly ghost that keeps the church running, warm and chilling.

The rustle of the tip of the pen against the paper sounded, and the man sat behind a mahogany table full of papers in a simple white robe, where there was no trace of steam technology, everything was as old and solemn as the centuries ago depicted in oil paintings.

The candle flame of the sea swelled around the man, rippling slightly with the breeze.

The interior of the Basilica of San Nalo is a maze of maze and is home to many of the functions of the Evangelical Church, including the powerful Papal Room, which is located on the upper floors of the church, and you can look down on the moon over the seven hills from the painted floor-to-ceiling windows.

The priest did not bother the man, he knelt on one knee on the red carpet, bowed his head and was silent.

After a long time, everything was so quiet that only the friction of the tip of the pen and the sound of wax dripping were left, until a tired sigh broke the silence.

"Father Anthony?"

The man didn't look up, just continued to write something on the paper, he was attentive and his pen was sharp.

What had once been written on this table had decided the fate of the entire Western world, and now a new destiny was being drawn up by him, now the Pope, Seni Lothair, revered as the Emperor of All Emperors.

"Your Majesty. ”

The priest responded.

"Well, how's it going?"

The Pope asked casually, the tip of his pen dipped in ink, and continued to write.

"The heretics have been burned to death, their remains have been thrown into the Tiber, and now no one will object to our proposal to build a factory. ”

"What about the old guys?"

"They have realized that the tide is turning, and they are preparing to flee abroad, most of them have been intercepted and secretly executed on the spot for treason, and a small number of fish that have slipped through the net are still being hunted. ”

"What about the subservients? Do they still try to resist?"

"No, we have secretly suppressed them many times, and now their wealth has shrunk dramatically, and those inheritances will return to the church one by one. ”

A short conversation, without any feelings, but such a conversation determines the direction of a kingdom.

When the Pope had finally finished writing, he looked up, and there was no shocking countenance, but a plain iron mask, on which a beautiful pattern was outlined with gold threads, and the true face was hidden underneath.

"Father Anthony, I think it's time for you to step out of the shadows, now that the country is stable, we should look further. ”

During his brief tenure as pope, he managed to hold on to all the power, and now that power will be smashed into the world beyond the territory.

"Crowned ......"

The priest was a little stunned for a while, he was the guard in the shadow, the secret envoy of the pope, but now the things in the shadow were coming out of the darkness.

"It's probably the only job you can do. ”

The Pope stood up, his voice was flat, but with an order that could not be refused, and the priest could only slowly get up and follow the Pope.

"Father Anthony, you must have heard those rumors lately. ”

"What do you mean ......"

"Demon Hunting Order, there's nothing to hide, just say it. ”

Unlike the ruthless Blood Pope at the center of the legend, the Pope actually has no unapproachable majesty, he is very approachable, like an ordinary priest, but the priest can perceive that under that calm is a mystery and violence that no mortal can see.

He was like a giant whale swimming in the ocean, without hideous fangs or a terrifying murderous aura, just like a mascot, but when the giant whale turned its body, it could smash ships at will.

"The Demon Hunting Order has been rebuilt, and most of the logistical maintenance has gradually followed, and even the dusty Static Saint has been reopened...... But Father Anthony, I've only built armor and horses now, and what it lacks now is knights who can go to war. ”

The Pope didn't continue, but looked back at the priest, and there was darkness under the iron mask, and if it weren't for the fact that the priest could see a faint spot of light in the darkness, he even felt that there was a shadowless ghost at work under the iron mask and robe.

"Come with me. ”

He said again.

Walking through this magnificent church in the middle of the night, the priest always feels like he has stepped into an endless labyrinth, with no end in sight.

Some say that there are many secrets hidden in this vast labyrinth, some doors lead to the burial places of the popes, some doors lead to unspeakable secrets, and some say that behind a gate is the holy kingdom of heaven.

He didn't know where the Pope was going to take him, the priest had only a vague idea of what was going to happen, he felt a little in danger, but in front of the mysterious Emperor of All Emperors, the priest didn't even have the courage to hold the iron sword.

Only the Pope in front of him knows the whole picture of this huge labyrinth, because the construction process is too long, the Basilica of San Naro has been in a state of construction and use, and the keys to most of the rooms have long been lost and forgotten, and only the master key in the Pope's hand can open all this.

"Here we are, Father Anthony. ”

The Pope said suddenly, and at some point the two of them had stopped in front of a huge wall, on which angels and demons were depicted, but at this moment they were both grief-stricken, and the look was so true that the priest did not lose his mind slightly.

He once dealt with a case of heresy, and there was a sculptor who was so skilled that his work was so lifelike that some people say that he sealed the soul of a person in stone, so that the sculpture could have the "life" of a living person.

The wall in front of me is like this, as if the angels and demons are imprisoned in it.

"Crowned ......"

The priest never felt uneasy.

"Father Anthony, you are currently the only one of the few people who have received the gift of secret blood, and after the rebellion of Imam Lawrence, we have almost lost our secret blood technology, so I want you to be in charge of the rebuilt Demon Hunting Order, and I hope you will not let me down. ”

"You mean make me a ...... A new imam?"

The priest's voice trembled slightly, how glorious and how fearful.

The iron-faced voice cannot be refused.

"In all these busy days of your work, we have found traces of Imam Lawrence, who has rebelled against God and who has to pay the price. ”

The Pope said, and then took out a hexagonal iron key from under the white robe, and by the light the priest could see that the smooth surface actually had many grooves that were difficult for the eye to distinguish, and it was the almost imperceptible bumps that formed the master key that could open everything.

The familiar crack in the wall didn't even need to be twisted, the key spun on its own, the massive mechanism twisting and turning where the priest couldn't see, and finally slowly pulling the heavy wall apart, and a lift covered in dust and rust appeared.

"I've heard rumors that they call this thing the Gate of Heaven. ”

There was a slight smile in his words, I don't know if it was mockery or what.

The priest froze in place, the rumors were right, that in this labyrinthine church there was a door to heaven, and now it was in front of the priest, and all the secrets were buried in it, and the wind was slowly blowing from the depths.

"You have a lot to learn as the new patriarch, Father Anthony. ”

There was a faint sound under the iron mask.

The two stepped inside, and then the door was sealed, and the dusty elevator began to work, and the sound of metal grinding fell, and in the darkness it seemed that only the priest was breathing, until a faint red light lit up from the gap under his feet.

But then an inexplicable force grabbed his throat, fear and pressure went hand in hand, and as the depth deepened and the erosion continued to strike, the magnificent orchestra turned from vague to clear, as if an orchestra was singing in the red light.

He suddenly laughed hoarsely.

The priest knew where the final destination was, but he thought it was a little ridiculous, what kind of gate to heaven was, and this was clearly the way to the dark depths of the burning hell.

It had been forgotten for six years, and was once the home of the Demon Hunter Order.

Stasis St.