Chapter 1622: 978: The Oldest and Strongest Demon King

The screams of the followers and Anleisi vanished in an instant, like an abruptly halted symphony. Inside the Holy Light Church, bathed in the pillar of light, everything appeared unchanged from before the cries echoed, with no visible difference.

The only change, if any, was Anleisi lying unconscious on the ground, along with the scattered Bright God Series Weapons.

The mythical creatures brought forth by the Holy Light Underground City had already vanished without a trace, seemingly taken down all at once.

The Pope, or rather Viskasa, raised a hand, and the scattered weapons flew into his grip. The brilliance flowing on their surface was about to be absorbed by him, but at that moment, these former divine artifacts lost their sheen, turning into pure scrap metal.

[Indeed, fakes]

"You... who are you really... why do you know my name..."

The follower’s voice emerged weakly from the discarded weapons, full of doubt.

According to dungeon rules, the City Lord is not supposed to converse with any character from outside the dungeon, which would expose the existence of the City Lord.

However, despite being unclear on how Viskasa learned of the Dungeon Lord’s presence, the follower’s direct dialogue with him was not against the rules since he was already aware of this matter.

[I am the Pope, don’t you remember]

"I’m not asking about your current identity. The Pope I knew was long dead a century ago—"

Halfway through, the follower paused abruptly. Suddenly realizing something, he instinctively uttered an out-of-character expletive.

"Wait, it’s you!"

[Back then, it was I who appointed you to join the Judicial Court. The honor of judging heretics delighted you for a long time, don’t you remember]

"...How long have you been in the church?" The follower’s voice turned low and weak, as if the faith in his heart had been shattered.

[Much longer than you think]

Viskasa crushed the weapons in his hands one by one.

[I have always been here since the times when history was not yet lost]

"..."

Hearing these words, the follower fell into silence.

And Viskasa seemed to thoroughly enjoy the emotions behind this silence, halting his action of crushing weapons.

The follower always believed it was Viskasa’s arrival that led to the Holy Light Church’s corruption. But if the other party had existed within the church from the very start, then how could the church now be called "corrupt"? This should be considered its normal developmental state instead.

And having thought of this, the filter through which he viewed the Holy Light Church was shattered — shattered cleanly and completely.

[Your batch was the one I had the highest hopes for, the one I cultivated with the most care]

[Because I knew that someone among you would end up ruling the dungeon, just as I foresaw, you became the City Lord]

[You and your peers were exactly as I predicted: devout, fanatical, foolishly loyal, and idiotic. Regardless of who became the City Lord, they would all be like you, diligently and selflessly dedicating themselves to the church. You all were immensely helpful to me]

"Impossible! How could you know such things!?"

[If you live long enough, the knowledge you gain will be as vast as mine. With some manipulation of time, the dungeon can easily change hands]

By usual progression, this moment was exactly when Viskasa, the Black Hand behind the scenes, would reveal and answer for his deeds.

However, after inciting the follower’s shock, he abruptly ended the conversation, refusing to reveal how he knew the follower would become the City Lord. This only made the already uncomfortable follower choke even more.

After a brief silence, the follower spoke again.

His every reaction was tasteful enough to make Viskasa smile; the unconscious Anleisi had been suspended from the ceiling, the energy extracted from him invigorating Viskasa even more.

"Give up. To try to counter the original with a mere fragment of the Light God, even with a whole nation’s faith as support, is impossible."

[Oh, you even know this]

Viskasa couldn’t help but applaud.

[During your lifetime, I let you read many ancient texts from which you could infer my existence, but only now have you figured it out. What should I say to you, Zank]

"Haha, you can’t anger me anymore," the follower sneered, "why should I be angry at you, who’s destined to fail? I’ll only watch your end and scoff."

[Indeed, the path to becoming a god is blocked. My other pupil proved this with his life; this path is severed. When the gods returned to the heavens, I knew this world could no longer produce new higher beings]

[That’s why I remain, to detach from the decaying shell of the Light God]

Viskasa suddenly lifted his head, as if sensing something.

"Why, if you can’t become a god, what’s the point of all your schemes?"

The follower performed "surprise" to the best of his ability, just to keep Viskasa indulged in his monologue.

Thus prolonging the time further.

[God?]

[I’ve already experienced that, such a mundane thing, how is it comparable to becoming...]

"Boom!"

At that moment, the ceiling of the Holy Light Church was violently torn open by external force. The Fire Dragon, its body swollen to half the size of Gui Ao’er, charged at Viskasa. It swung its massively muscled arm forcefully at him, with countless Fiery Chilies and Destruction Mushrooms clutched between its claws.