After Brislin stated his position, several other Cardinals voiced their agreement.
"The situation hasn't deteriorated to that point yet. We must remain steady."
"Rather than giving the opportunity for 'pouring' to those below, it's better left for the Son of God candidates. With their talent, it's enough to support the divine descent..."
Hearing these words, a flash of disappointment crossed Parolin's eyes. He turned his head: "Does Your Excellency Sandri think the same?"
"I agree with closing the Place of Suffering."
Sandri's answer was unexpected.
"Sandri!" Brislin frowned.
"Doing so will shake the fundamental interests of the Holy Clans. Have you thought this through!"
Sandri's tone remained calm: "If the Church ceases to exist, the interests of the Holy Clans will naturally be unable to survive."
"Although the current situation can still be stabilized, who knows what tomorrow will bring?"
He swept his gaze across the Cardinals present.
"The failure of the Crusades in the past, and the rebellion of the heretic Martin... who could have foreseen those events at the time?"
"The situation then also seemed stable, but circumstances can change in the blink of an eye. I'm sure everyone here is well aware of the ultimate consequences."
Sandri stood up: "Now, with the legendary items of various factions vanishing one after another and evil incidents occurring frequently, the signs of a shifting situation have long been apparent."
"If the Church still chooses to be passive at this time, burying our heads in the sand like ostriches, then everyone here might as well prepare their graves early."
"What kind of talk is that!" Several Cardinals were momentarily enraged but couldn't think of a reason to refute him.
Parolin stood up at the right moment: "Although Your Excellency Sandri's words were somewhat harsh, he is not wrong. What do the rest of you think?"
This time, even Brislin felt a hint of hesitation.
Seeing this, Parolin knew the time was right. He immediately raised his hand: "Those who agree with closing the Place of Suffering, please raise your hand."
The two Cardinals on rotation with him quickly followed suit.
Beside him, Sandri and the Cardinal from the Zadok family raised their hands simultaneously.
Excluding a few who abstained, the number of votes in favor was clearly the majority.
"Since that's the case, then it is decided," Parolin smiled faintly.
"The closure of the Place of Suffering will commence in three days, using Jolan's prison break as a cover. The Divine Descent Ritual is set for one month from now. I will go notify the other exorcism factions."
"Leave the selection of the ritual sacrifices to the North American officials," Sandri suddenly added.
"Use the excuse that the Church cannot interfere. This should put their minds at ease."
Brislin frowned: "If we do that, they are highly likely to deliberately appoint their own people. I'm afraid it will affect the progression of the ritual..."
Since the matter was already decided, he no longer hesitated and immediately began planning the subsequent steps.
"There's no need to worry about that." The masked Cardinal from the Zadok family suddenly stood up.
The cleanup mission for the ruins this time was overseen by the Zadok family.
"Before the Divine Descent Ritual can take place, the residual evil intent of the Old Gods there must be cleared. This requires special sacrifices to bear that power."
He tapped the air lightly with his finger, and several humanoid figures condensed from pitch-black energy suddenly appeared.
"The Whore, the Scholar, the Athlete, the Virgin, and the Fool."
He introduced them sequentially: "Only the blood sacrificed from candidates fulfilling these identities will be effective. Of course, the sacrifices must remain ignorant of the ritual's contents."
"We only need to inform them of the conditions. If North America doesn't want to be destroyed, they will obediently comply."
Parolin nodded upon hearing this: "Even if these five sacrifices are their people, with those conditions in place, it will be very difficult for the sacrifices to do anything once they enter the ritual's perimeter. It is indeed a good method."
"Even if North America attempts to sabotage it, it will be meaningless," Sandri said.
"The power of a Divine Descent is not that easily obstructed."
"Since that's the case, we will proceed according to the plan from here on out," Parolin concluded.
"We have waited for this day for far too long. The Church will ultimately stand at the apex of the human realm once more."
He drew a cross on his chest: "May the Lord bless us."
"May the Lord bless us," the assembled Cardinals echoed.
Shortly after, in a certain secret chamber.
Parolin and the Cardinal from the Zadok family arrived quietly.
"There is someone from the Church backing the North American officials. They will definitely make a move this time," Parolin said in a low voice. "I ask that you pay close attention to this matter when the time comes. We absolutely must ferret out this traitor."
"Understood."
Yorkshire.
On the ocean's surface, five kilometers off the Scarborough coastline.
Dark clouds obscured the sky, and the ambient light was somewhat dim.
At this moment, a fishing boat bobbed amidst the crashing waves.
Hum—
Accompanied by a clear hum, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted in mid-air.
Within the halo was an ancient longsword in the shape of a crucifix, a special energy swirling around its blade.
At the same time, the spirit particle runes comprising this energy were being dragged downwards, where a black leather book hovered.
The two energies clashed violently, instantly whipping up wind and waves on the surrounding sea surface.
But merely a moment later, the energy on the crucifix longsword weakened and was entirely absorbed into the black leather book.
And the longsword in mid-air slowly dissipated.
Tap~
The black leather book fell from the sky, and a hand caught it steadily.
"With this, only one Source Power passage belonging to the Lord Knights remains," William thought to himself.
Several months had passed since he emerged from the Place of Suffering.
After handing over the collected Source Power to the Light of Humanity, William began gathering Legendary Items.
The esteemed Archbishop did not accompany him. He stated that he had some personal matters to handle and would find him once they were resolved.
William was naturally glad for this. Otherwise, with Jolan's vigilance, he might discover the existence of the Book of the World.
Even though Jolan had also been abandoned by the Church.
But given that it concerned the entirety of supernatural powers, William had no intention of telling anyone about it.
And through his travels during this period, he had already acquired the authority to close most of the exorcism factions' Source Power passages.
However, the remaining ones were proving difficult.
After all, these factions wouldn't just sit and wait for death. Upon realizing someone was stealing their Legendary Items, they immediately placed the remaining ones under strict guard.
William waited for a long time but couldn't find a suitable opportunity.
Therefore, to avoid exposure, he decided to temporarily halt his operations.
"Next, I should focus on finding items belonging to evil existences. I'll start from here..."
He looked at a location on the page. It was situated in West Virginia, North America. It just so happened he hadn't been back in a long time, and he also needed to check on the progress of the Source Power weapons.
Thinking of this, a block of text surfaced before William's eyes.
During this period, he hadn't slacked off on his theological cultivation.
After the Holy Heart was reshaped, the [Holy Body] section was marked as complete.
William also discovered that the powers of the Skin, Bone, and Blood stages he had cultivated had merged together.
For example, he could now extend the Holy Light shield to a much further distance and control any remains within its range.
At the same time, his ability to craft holy artifacts had also advanced. Currently, William could craft holy artifacts with a fifty-year vintage quality.
To continue increasing the vintage of the holy artifacts, simple crafting was no longer enough.
He had to melt down and reforge multiple fifty-year vintage holy artifacts, and then, through the deconstruction of spirit particle runes, fuse them together.
This not only required a massive amount of Holy Power but also demanded extremely high mental focus, resulting in a very high failure rate.
Fortunately, through William's efforts, he managed to accumulate several dozen of them. Although the quantity wasn't large, it was enough for self-defense when necessary.
Beep... Beep...
At this time, a vibration came from his pocket.
William took out his communication device. It displayed Gail's name, and a message subsequently popped up—
The ritual is about to begin. Please return as soon as possible.
"It's finally starting." He narrowed his eyes.
The next moment, his entire being vanished from the spot, leaving only the fishing boat rocking gently in the sea.
A few hours later.
The ocean surface in the distance suddenly churned with waves, as if a behemoth lurked beneath the water.
These waves didn't stop until they reached the fishing boat. Subsequently, a man wearing a crucifix longsword emerged.
He raised his nose and sniffed the air, then narrowed his eyes.
A moment later, the man pulled out a communication device: "The person has already left."
"Damn it!" a voice cursed from the other end. "Then come back. Word came from the Church that the ritual will begin shortly."
The man frowned: "Do we have to go? The Church's people are best at playing with conspiracies."
The voice on the other end continued: "I understand your concerns, but this time, the Grand Master obtained a sliver of Pioneer spirit. It contained a revelation demanding our participation."
Hearing this, the man widened his eyes: "To think such a thing happened!"
"Indeed. I used to hear about the Church receiving Holy Words and always thought it was just a trick. I didn't expect the legendary Pioneer spirit to have similar prophecies."
The man rested his hand on his sword hilt, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Anyway, come back for now."
"Understood."
One day later.
Washington D.C., 7th Street NW, Paranormal Special Operations Bureau Building.
William walked into the lobby. Just like last time, many people were waiting in line to be received.
He went to the reception desk and picked up a visitor registration form.
Just as he was about to fill it out, a female employee at the desk proactively stood up.
"Are you..." She thought for a moment, then wrote the name "William" on a blank piece of paper.
William nodded.
"I was so worried I might miss you." The female employee breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ms. Claire instructed us long ago that you don't need to register in the future and can enter and exit the building freely. This is your pass."
She presented a high-quality black card.
"Let me take you up. Several directors are already waiting for you."
William naturally wouldn't refuse and pocketed the card.
Thus, he once again bypassed the long waiting line and passed through the turnstiles amidst the resentful glares of the bystanders.
Twelfth floor of the building.
William made his way to a conference room.
Upon opening the door, a considerable number of people had already gathered inside.
He had inquired with the female employee on his way up. Most of the people here today were new recruits of the Paranormal Special Operations Bureau.
They came from various official agencies in North America and had the backing of many senators.
It could be said that the Special Operations Bureau was currently the hottest department in North America.
"William!" Gail's eyes lit up, and she proactively walked over.
Claire, the director of the Paranormal Special Operations Group, also nodded in acknowledgment.
Hearing his name, the others curiously examined the handsome young man.
To be recommended here, they were naturally the elite of the elite.
Yet seeing this man, who was around their age, commanding such respect that even Director Claire and Secretary Underwood were willing to listen to his advice...
This sparked a subtle sense of competitiveness among the elites, amidst their surprise.
"We are currently discussing matters regarding the sacrificial ritual." Claire proactively handed him a file.
"The Church's demands remain the same. We need to provide five ordinary volunteers..." She briefly explained the situation.
William wore a thoughtful expression upon hearing this.
"Director Claire, I still believe we should assign our own people to go in, as long as we don't inform them of the inside story beforehand," a young man in a gray suit spoke up.
"When facing a crisis, the performance of a trained professional is completely different from an ordinary person," a brunette woman added. "If the ritual is ruined because of this, we won't be able to take responsibility."
"But allowing ordinary people to participate... we'd have an even harder time explaining that to the public," the young man in the gray suit argued.
At this point, other voices chimed in.
"Didn't the Church say they would protect the safety of the volunteers?"
"How can we entrust the safety of North American citizens to others!"
"..."
"..."
Seeing a new round of arguments about to begin, Claire immediately rapped her knuckles on the table.
"We don't need to rehash matters we've already discussed."
She turned her head: "Mr. William, I'd like to hear your opinion."
The others shifted their gazes toward him.
"The volunteers cannot know their mission, and they can't even know they are being guided to the ritual site..." William rubbed his chin.
"Can we deploy police forces then?"
"No," Claire shook her head. "Not only that, even the Light of Humanity's Source Power weapons are not permitted inside."
"Then what exactly do the volunteers need to do?"
"Cardinal Parolin said that when the time comes, guidance will be arranged for them to initiate the ritual."
William frowned. With his understanding of magic array Holy Arts, he had never seen such a summoning ritual.
"Where is the exact location?" he asked again.
"In the mountainous forests of West Virginia. It's said the Church has already completed their preparations there. I sent people to investigate, but they were discovered the moment they entered a certain perimeter."
Gail also added: "The Light of Humanity detected a powerful energy barrier over there, capable of blocking external perception."
"It's actually here..." William was slightly surprised.
Not long ago, he had selected the next location to gather Legendary Items, and it was precisely West Virginia.
There was an Old God's Source Power passage there, and the likelihood of evil existences residing nearby was extremely high.
Combining this with the restrictions given by the Church...
William narrowed his eyes slightly.
Rather than calling this a summoning ritual, it seemed more like a meticulously designed scenario of "ordinary people stumbling upon a paranormal event."
"Mr. William, did something come to mind?" Claire asked.
"A few things, but they need to be verified." William looked up. "Candidates for the volunteers that meet the Church's criteria... how soon can you find them?"
"We already have them," the brunette woman from earlier said.
"We investigated the perimeter of the forest. There is an old cabin there. And within a ten-kilometer radius, there just so happens to be a group of exactly five people who recently set that cabin as their destination."
"They are students from a local university, planning to spend the weekend vacationing in the dense forest. Therefore, without any guidance needed, these students will go there on their own initiative."
Old Gods, a cabin, a meticulous design, encountering evil...
William was almost certain that the location the Church had chosen was that Cabin in the Woods.
"Aren't Old Gods supposed to be incredibly powerful... how could their territory be occupied by the Church..."
He inwardly criticized the other party's lack of professionalism.
But outwardly, he still said: "Submit the list to the Church right now."
Claire was somewhat surprised, but after a moment's hesitation, she decided to trust William.
"Isn't this... a bit too rushed?" the young man in the gray suit hurriedly interjected.
William shrugged: "You all can certainly continue discussing."
"However, the Church holds the initiative in this matter. Therefore, after you all argue to the bitter end, the result will be nothing more than 'having to compromise.' So let's not waste our time."
Disagreements, knowing clearly that the best choice wasn't very honorable, and "forced" to reach a consensus...
This was basically a classic trope in American film and television culture.
Therefore, after William finished speaking, the others in the room immediately fell silent.
Before long, a message arrived from the Church's side.
"They approved the selection of the volunteers." Claire handed a document to William.
He reached out and took it, and sure enough, those words were written on it.
At the same time, the Church also attached the start date of the ritual.
The North American officials were required to ensure that the volunteers arrived at the scene on time on the day of the ritual.
"No other verbal instructions?" William had a peculiar expression.
Claire shook her head in confusion: "Is there a problem?"
"Of course. But I'll explain that problem later," William said.
"Please quickly gather detailed backgrounds on these five individuals. When the day of the ritual arrives, I will take the place of one of them and enter that dense forest with the other four volunteers."
As soon as his voice fell, the elite agents of the Paranormal Special Operations Bureau all revealed looks of incomprehension.