Yama Rising

Edward looked on at the giant golden palm closing around him with a cold expression. This was the power of a mid Yama-King level cardinal, and the entire surrounding space was collapsing around him, displaying to him the unrivaled power of the lord.

Pillars of holy light emerged to form a cage that converged from all directions, and the only way out was directly upward, but that path was being blocked by a humanoid figure who had just appeared.

The figure seemed to have emerged out of thin air, and he was wearing a black robe with golden edges while holding a bible in his hands. He was a very short man, only around 150 to 160 centimeters tall, and it was clear that he was at a very advanced age, even older than the two bishops.

His beard was hovering in front of his chest like a cloud and he was wearing a piece of cardinal headwear shaped like a crown with a cross hanging in front of his chest. Despite his diminutive stature, he was like an insurmountable fortress.

The light was becoming hotter and hotter, even igniting Edward's hair, causing it to burst into golden flames, but he didn't panic and he remained calm as he quickly assessed the situation.

It had been a week since Matthew's death, and during the peaceful period since then, he had already devised a sound plan. Of course, this plan included what he was going to do if he were to encounter powerful beings from the church. According to his estimations, it would take no more than seven minutes to convince Cardinal Fernando to leave!

Right as the cage was about to close around him, Edward suddenly asked, "Do you want access to proselytization rights in Cathay?"

The cage of light immediately faltered before disintegrating into countless specks of light.

The cardinal and the two bishops were stunned by what they had heard, and they were at a slight loss for how to react.

As expected, the information that I gathered earlier is correct... Qin Ye clasped his hands behind his back as he feigned a nonchalant demeanor before taking a step forward. Yin energy rippled beneath his feet as he slowly made his way to the top of the Masonic Temple.

Specks of white light appeared beside him before forming Cardinal Fernando, and it was as if nothing had ever happened as the cardinal raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

It was as if an imaginary countdown timer were ticking down and in the distance, holy light and Yin energy were clashing and intertwining violently, illuminating the four of them as if it were daytime. However, none of them paid any heed to that.

This is it!

Even though Edward's heartbeat was already beginning to accelerate slightly, his thoughts were extremely clear as he replied in a calm manner, "I mean that in the most literal sense."

"Who are you?" Cardinal Fernando asked, continuing to ignore the carnage unfolding in the city.

This wasn't a question about Qin Ye's exact identity. Instead, the underlying question was: "Do you have the right to make such decisions in the Cathayan Underworld?"

In response to his question, a streak of golden light flashed through the air before instantly forming Fate!

This was the pen that was vastly renowned across all three realms, and Fernando's pupils instantly contracted drastically upon seeing this. He was well aware of the fact that this pen could represent the Cathayan Underworld's King Yanluo!

He immediately joined his palms together before extending a respectful bow, and as he stood up straight again, a serious look had appeared on his face as he said, "I believe we can continue our negotiation now."

There are still six minutes left... The battle between the church and the werewolf army had already reached white-hot intensity, and every passing second could have significant ramifications. Brando was almost a mid Yama-King, and in order to withstand his assault, the church was going to have to pull out their trump cards.

The instant that both sides unveiled their trump cards would be the opportunity that Qin Ye had been waiting for to strike.

I have to hurry... Edward pursed his lips before cutting straight to the chase. "I don't have much time, so I hope you have the determination to make a decision right here, right now."

Fernando's eyes narrowed slightly, and he didn't immediately reply.

Edward paid no heed to this as he continued, "The catholic church has never secured proselytization rights in Cathay, and no dominant religion has ever appeared in Cathay, either. Part of this is due to resistance from the government, and you're also bound by your own limitations. However, I can guarantee you that if you agree to what I'm about to propose, you'll be granted proselytization rights in Cathay in the mortal realm, although it may only be a part of Cathay."

Even though Fernando hadn't replied earlier, his thoughts were just as clear as Qin Ye's, and he was now speaking extremely quickly as he replied, "Proselytization rights in just a part of Cathay isn't sufficient for us to invest so many paladins and witch hunters. I presume you were the one who instigated this conflict in the first place, is that correct?"

Edward immediately replied, "The conflict has already begun and there's no going back, even if the three of you intervene. In that case, why don't you focus on what you can get out of this as compensation? On top of that, when I say only a part of Cathay, think about the population of Cathay in the mortal realm."

His voice was full of allure as he continued, "This is a market with a population of over a billion, I think it's worthy of your consideration."

Dead silence.

Boom... Another explosion erupted from Saint Peter's Church and on this occasion, the shockwaves had even reached the Masonic Temple, causing the clothing of Qin Ye and the others to flap violently, but they still paid no heed to the battlefield at all.

Four and a half minutes left... Edward felt as if he could physically hear the countdown timer ticking down toward zero, and he couldn't help but clench his own fists as he repressed the waves of urgency in his heart over and over again.

Half a minute later, Fernando asked, "What do you want?"

"I want Brando's head!" Edward replied in an implacable voice with a steely look in his eyes.

Fernando's expression changed ever so slightly upon hearing this, and he wanted to say something in reply, but refrained from doing so in the end.

Deathly silence descended upon them, and the three elderly men exchanged a series of glances. After a full minute, Fernando heaved a faint sigh. "It's a pity that we'll have to sacrifice so many devout followers."

Edward's eyes immediately lit up slightly upon hearing this, and his heartbeat began to accelerate rapidly. Before he had a chance to say anything, the two bishops hurriedly interjected, "But Cardinal Fernando..."

"My decision is final!" Fernando cut them off as his body slowly faded, then vanished as a flurry of radiance golden feathers. "This is my decision and I'll handle the consequences. Sebastian, Mitchell, you two will be responsible for the cleanup in the aftermath of the battle and for setting up a contact method with this esteemed emissary of the Cathayan Underworld."

"Cardinal Fernando..." Sebastian's voice was trembling as he urged, "You're sacrificing over 1,000 lives!"

"But in exchange, we'll have hundreds of millions more followers!!" Fernando countered in a rumbling voice that shook the surrounding space. "We've given our everything to the lord! Only with more followers will we have more witch hunters! Do I really have to explain this to you? We can lose this battle, and we can even afford to lose the entire holy war, but we can't pass up the opportunity to access such a massive market, perhaps the biggest market in the world! Even if the pope himself were present, he would make the same decision as me!"

After that, his voice completely faded, and the two cardinals turned to Edward with a cold expression before asking through gritted teeth, "What do you need us to do?"

"I don't need you to do anything. Just don't get in my way. Otherwise, I'll be capturing your souls myself!" Edward replied before tossing them a piece of paper, upon which was written his phone number in the mortal realm. Immediately thereafter, he spread his fingers, and around a dozen blue Yin energy threads were already extending from his fingertips as he focused his entire attention on the movement of the Dusk Legionnaire.

Once he found out that both the church and the werewolves were present, he had hatched this plan.

These were two powers who were sworn enemies, and even though Brando had offered the church compensation in exchange for their non-participation, but that didn't mean that a battle couldn't be instigated. He would only have an opportunity to strike once a battle ensued near Saint Peter's Church, and this was going to be his only opportunity.

He knew that a battle culminating from so much bad blood would quickly escalate into an all-out war without timely intervention and mediation.

Amid the sea of holy light and Yin energy, who would notice Dusk 12, who had heightened his stealth to the very max through his Moonlight ability?

Once Dusk 12 entered the restricted area of Saint Peter's Church, Qin Ye would be able to use his new mutual teleportation ability to instantly land himself in the underground church!

His only concern was Brando.

In the face of such a powerful being, his chances of succeeding in this place were extremely slim. Thus, he had to do everything in his power to smooth out all potential volatile factors. His attention was entirely focused on the battlefield, waiting for the perfect opportunity to arise.

As he extended his consciousness through his Yin energy threads, the scene of the battle was transmitted to him through the eyes of Dusk 12.

It was truly a slaughterhouse.

Hundreds of werewolves were pouncing toward the witch hunters and catholic church followers from all directions. Even the impenetrable barricade formed by the paladins couldn't stop these agile monsters from climbing onto the walls and nearby buildings before jumping down and tearing one witch hunter after another into shreds.

Golden light was radiating from beneath the feet of all of the paladins, and lines of ancient runes were pulsing within the light, indicating that this was clearly a military formation of an extremely high caliber, but it was completely unable to stop Brando's murderous rampage.

The ground was already stained by the blood of both humans and werewolves, but the blood didn't extend any further than Brando. He was a one-man defensive line and no one could get around him.

"I have to wait..." Qin Ye murmured to himself in an inaudible voice. "I have to wait until he lets his guard down or the paladins reveal their ultimate trump card, forcing him to focus his entire attention on them... That will be when I strike!"

………………………………………………

"Howl!!" Brando raised his head and howled to the heavens as he stood in front of the entrance of Saint Peter's Church. All of the werewolves around him immediately also began to howl at the moon, presenting a hellish scene to behold.

Before the howls had completely died down, Brando had already rushed into the crowd like a whirlwind. Blood instantly began to splatter in all directions, and no one was able to survive against his sharp claws and fangs.

His eyes were bright red, and there were already hundreds of fallen werewolves behind him. At this point, a truce was no longer possible. The mutual hatred the two sides had for one another had been brewing for several centuries, and the battle had already progressed to the point that it couldn't be stopped no matter who intervened to mediate.

Following along behind him was a wave of werewolves, and they were slaughtering and roaring to their hearts' content. With Brando leading the way, they were able to slice through the crowd and wreak havoc among their ranks. With each passing second, countless witch hunters were falling to the ground amid agonized cries.

At the top of Saint Peter's Church, there was a very faint speck of light moving through the air. That was the vampire, Dusk 12. Even though the battle had already reached white-hot intensity and both sides were completely absorbed in bloodlust and their hatred for one another, Dusk 12 still remained completely unmoved.

This was because he could sense that Brando's enormous consciousness had never left the church for even an instant.

If anyone were to take this as an opportunity and rush toward the church, they would immediately be met by a full-force attack from this werewolf patriarch who was close to the mid Yama-King level.

Thus, he had to continue waiting.

There was only one opportunity, and he had to wait for the perfect chance.

Brando was like a demonic deity personified as he stood at the forefront of the werewolf army, right in the path of a small group of witch hunters. The captain of the group gritted his teeth as he yelled, "Retreat! Get back!!"

However, it was too late.

A sinister smile appeared on Brando's face as he swiped a claw through the air, creating a sharp screeching sound with his sharp claws alone. It was truly an attack that was as fast as lightning, yet in the next instant, he suddenly withdrew his hand before turning toward another direction.

There, the leader of the paladins, Udyr, was standing with his giant sword in his hand. HIs armor had become extremely dim, and his face was stained with blood as he panted heavily from exertion.

In the face of Brando, who was over five meters tall, Udyr was made to appear like a small child. Brando turned around in an elegant manner as a derisive sneer appeared on his face. "Well, well, well, look who it is!"

The head on his left chuckled, "If it isn't the leader of the paladins who was talking about making me regret my existence just a moment ago."

Meanwhile, the head on his right put on a sorrowful expression as it said, "How did he become like this, and what should I do with him?"

Immediately thereafter, a ruthless look appeared on all three of his heads as he roared, "I'm going to kill you and ensure that you never get a chance at reincarnation!"

Boom! The entire surrounding sky seemed to have collapsed. Udyr was the one who had instigated the battle, and Brando wanted nothing more than to tear him apart with his bare hands! However, before he had a chance to sink his fangs into Udyr, a burst of true energy that wasn't inferior to Brando's Yin energy emerged from Udyr's body, and he was completely enveloped in radiant holy light!

At the same time, Udyr plunged his sword into the earth as he spread his arms open and roared with all his might, "Angelina, what are you waiting for?!"