Gospel of Blood

The Prophet of the Harcos Clan knelt before the mass of flesh, chanting the God’s true name.

The large mass of flesh trembled slightly with the rhythm of its “heart.”

In response to the Prophet of the Harcos Clan’s call, the blurry human face kept its eyes closed, showing no reaction.

Time passed slowly, and the dilapidated temple seemed frozen, with only the thumping of the “heart” marking the passage of time.

The Prophet Margo’s expression grew complex as she stared at the indistinct face, which was fused with the mass of flesh and showed no signs of awakening.

She took a deep breath and spoke again.

“Your Majesty, the Holy Court’s envoys have already discovered the reality of the Sanctuary, and the clan’s strength against the fallen bloodborne is weakening. We… may not be able to hold on much longer.”

“We have prepared the necessary sacrifices as per your instructions and can perform the final rebirth ritual at any time.”

“Great Crimson Queen Rowena, your humble and devout servant begs for your response. May we proceed with the final step as planned?”

The Prophet’s voice echoed in the temple, and this time… the mass of flesh finally responded.

A dark red glow flickered, and a deep, ancient, chaotic, and dark aura stirred.

The Prophet Margo prostrated on the ground, feeling a gentle, familiar magical force caress her face, and hearing a soft whisper in her ear.

The whisper was indistinct, like a breeze, but carried an inspiring power, as if affirming her request.

The Prophet Margo’s body trembled slightly.

Feeling the encouragement from an unseen force, her eyes brightened, and she became slightly excited.

She respectfully bowed to the mass of flesh once more and, with a fanatical expression, said,

“Great Queen, your will… your humble servant Margo has heard it.”

“I will proceed with the final sacrificial ritual as planned to help you take the final step and ascend to the throne of a true God!”

“Please wait a moment. It will be soon, very soon!”

The dark red glow flickered, and the whispers continued, seemingly affirming her response.

The Prophet Margo stood up again, and with a flash of light, she summoned various offerings from her storage space.

Incomplete sculptures, eerie statues, mysterious chunks of flesh, crystals with strange glows, and various fragments of armor, weapons, and ancient statues.

These offerings had been collected by the Harcos Clan over centuries from the Northern territories. They were relics of Myria’s Old Gods and the True Ancestor of Blood, remnants containing divine bloodlines and power.

As these items, imbued with the power of the Old Gods, were brought out, an unsettling aura quickly spread through the temple.

The next moment, the “heart” within the mass of flesh began to beat faster.

Whispers floated like a breeze, seeming impatient. Feeling the encouragement and affirmation in the whispers, the Prophet Margo’s confidence grew.

She made another flash of light appear in her hand, summoning a pre-prepared altar, which she placed below the throne, drawing a complex sacrificial array in blood.

Then, she manipulated her magic to place the offerings on the altars.

With the offerings in place, the ritual was ready.

The Prophet Margo exhaled softly, bowed once more to the massive lump of flesh on the throne, and then began channeling magic to activate the array.

However, just as she was about to take the final step, a familiar voice suddenly spoke behind her, accompanied by a soft sigh.

“If I were you, I wouldn’t recklessly perform such an unreliable sacrificial ritual.”

“Who?!”

The Prophet Margo was startled.

She quickly cast a magical barrier and turned around warily.

Behind her stood a familiar figure.

Golden hair, azure eyes, and luxurious attire.

It was Charlotte, who had already left the Harcos Sanctuary. The Prophet Margo’s expression changed drastically.

She snorted coldly, and her magic flared, releasing a Legendary-level pressure instantly.

Dark red magic condensed into a terrifying giant hand, pressing down on Charlotte, but the next moment… it passed right through her.

“A projection?”

The Prophet Margo was momentarily stunned.

The magic gradually subsided. She frowned, looking hostilely at the ethereal figure before her.

“Your Majesty Charlotte, how did you get in?”

“Spying on a God’s secrets is forbidden. Do you intend to declare war on the Harcos Clan with such actions?”

The Prophet’s expression was icy as she warily eyed the young woman before her.

Meanwhile, her peripheral vision quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for the item that the projection was anchored to.

“I am merely concerned about the Harcos Clan.”

Charlotte shook her head.

As she spoke, she stepped towards the throne at the center of the temple.

“Stop!”

The Prophet Margo’s expression changed immediately.

She reached out to stop her, but her hand passed right through Charlotte.

Charlotte approached the throne.

She gazed at the large lump of flesh on the throne and the indistinct human face on it, and sighed softly.

“After arriving at the Harcos Sanctuary, I wondered why the Harcos Clan, in such decline and facing a great crisis, still had Queen Rowena in seclusion. It seemed unreasonable…”

“So, the Crimson Queen herself… has long since fallen.”

“Silence! Charlotte de Castell, I respect you as a God’s favored one, but that doesn’t mean I will tolerate your blasphemy against my Lord!”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, the Prophet Margo’s expression changed dramatically. She glared angrily and rebuked sharply.

“Blasphemy?”

Charlotte paused slightly.

She cast her gaze over the blood-soaked altar and various offerings in front of the mass of flesh and sighed softly.

“Offering the residual power of the Old Gods as a sacrifice, merging the bloodlines of various mythological creatures…”

“Prophet, do you truly understand what you are doing?”

“If we’re talking about blasphemy, the ritual you are preparing… is the real blasphemy against the Gods.”

The Prophet Margo stood in front of Charlotte and said coldly.

“I am merely executing the divine will of my Lord. This is the path chosen by my Lord, the most arduous one. You traitorous cowards will never understand the Lord’s intentions.”

“Blasphemy? Hmph, if anything is blasphemous, it is your intrusion. Is the Holy Court declaring war on my Lord with such actions?”

Charlotte shook her head.

“Prophet, please don’t be angry. I mean no harm to Harcos. I do not represent the Holy Court. I admit my intrusion is impolite, but I don’t want to see you or the Harcos Clan tread the wrong path.”

Then, she looked at the mass of flesh and said,

“So, this is the so-called Crimson Queen? Pardon my frankness, but I can’t sense any divine will from it. If this was truly Crimson Queen Rowena, then it seems… it is no longer so.”

“I can probably guess what you intend to do. If I am not mistaken, you plan to use the ‘laws’ of other Gods to help Queen Rowena complete her laws, or perhaps… ‘resurrect’ her?”

“Whether divine laws can truly complement each other is one thing. To me, mixing divine powers from different sources is just a meaningless amalgamation.”

“Prophet, with all due respect, your plan is useless for ascending to Godhood and impossible for resurrecting a fallen God. At most, it will create a ‘monster’ with power similar to a God.”

“Silence!”

The Prophet Margo was furious.

“Just a lapdog of the Holy Court, spouting nonsense about things you don’t understand!”

“I’ll repeat, my Lord has not fallen. This is just part of the Lord’s plan.”

“My Lord is not fallen. My Lord chose to become like this. It is a process of destruction and rebirth.”

“Destruction and rebirth?”

Charlotte looked surprised.

She glanced at the mass of flesh on the throne, growing curious.

“So, these flesh lumps… are really the Crimson Queen herself?”

The Prophet Margo subconsciously nodded, then frowned and scolded.

“What flesh lumps? Mind your words!”

“This is the sacred body of my Lord! It is a necessary phase for my Lord’s rebirth!”

“The power of the bloodborne comes from the blood, but it also limits the bloodborne.”

“The True Ancestor of Blood created the bloodborne, granting them extraordinary power, but also limiting their potential.”

“No bloodborne can truly reach the rank of a true God, not even the most gifted nobles.”

“The only one who can become a true God is the True Ancestor!”

“That is why my Lord chose this arduous path and became like this.”

“But it is only temporary…”

“Once the ascension ritual is complete, once my Lord ascends to true mythology, my Lord will naturally end this state and return to the original form!”

After speaking, the Prophet looked at Charlotte again and said,

“Lady Charlotte, I don’t know how you entered my Lord’s Sanctuary, but if you truly mean no harm to the Harcos Clan, please end this blasphemous intrusion now!”

Charlotte shook her head.

“Intrusion? Sorry, I am openly watching now.”

“Um… don’t look at me with such angry eyes. I really mean no harm. Otherwise, I would have destroyed your ritual already.”

“You are a Legendary, you should know that ruining something is easier than accomplishing it.”

“Talking to you directly is a show of goodwill.”

“After all… if I had malicious intent, wouldn’t it make more sense to sabotage your ritual at a critical moment instead of exposing myself now?”

“See, you haven’t driven me away yet. Can I assume you can’t do anything about me?”

“If so, why not continue our conversation?”

“After all, even your worshipped God has not driven me away. Isn’t that, in a way, an acknowledgment of me?”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, the Prophet Margo frowned slightly.

Although she didn’t want to admit it, she hadn’t detected the other’s intrusion before.

In fact, even now, she hasn’t figured out how the projection entered the Sanctuary.

She doesn’t even know what power the projection used.

Moreover, although Her Majesty’s state is terrible, a myth is still a myth.

The sanctuary is Her Majesty’s domain, and it has been imbued with a divine-level barrier, far beyond any magic, its strength unmatched by Legendary.

Not even a Demigod could easily break in.

Without Her Majesty’s permission, no other power could penetrate.

From this perspective, the fact that the other can project here likely means it has Her Majesty’s “approval”…

Of course, the other’s blasphemous behavior still infuriates her.

Thinking this, the Prophet Margo calmed down a bit and spoke more steadily.

“Lady Charlotte, what do you want?”

“Just to understand the situation and prevent the Harcos Clan from going astray, and to deal with any potential negative outcomes.”

Charlotte said.

She then looked at the altar and continued.

“Honestly, though I don’t support your ritual, I won’t stop you if you insist on doing it.”

“In my homeland, we say ‘one doesn’t shed tears until seeing the coffin.’ Though I can almost foresee the outcome of your ritual, I know I can’t persuade you now.”

“After all… you’ve been preparing for this for years.”

“So, let me observe the ritual.”

“If everything goes as you wish and the God ascends, we will all be delighted. But if something goes wrong, perhaps I can help.”

“What do you think of my proposal?”