"That... again... hmph!"
Cardinal Adam's voice had gone hoarse. He cleared his throat, steadied his emotions, then continued: "Then who could possibly seal God? Ku... was it him?"
The two-meter-tall corpse hanging high on the cross in the distant cave hung silently, motionless, yet Adam couldn't shake the feeling that He was still alive.
Or rather, that He was listening to their conversation at this very moment. Just without moving.
This sent chills down Cardinal Adam's spine. He didn't even dare mention Kuba's full name anymore, fearing the vampire progenitor might sense it.
If God couldn't truly die, then clearly Kuba the vampire progenitor, who had inherited everything from Him, couldn't truly die either.
"No, it was Divine Cause."
His Holiness the Pope's eyes were filled with nostalgia, as if he had personally lived through that era.
But his body was growing increasingly weak, and he had even slightly closed his eyes.
"What?" Cardinal Adam was shocked, finding it hard to believe.According to Church records, Divine Cause was clearly God's most favored one, even creating the Ascension Ceremony to resurrect God.
To this day, the Ascension Ceremony remained one of the Church's most important rituals.
Little Norton could certainly attest to that.
"You claim to study Church scriptures daily, so what is your perspective on God, Adam?"
After a moment's thought, Cardinal Adam glanced at the divine corpse hanging high on the cross in the distance and hesitantly replied: "God is holy, possessing great power, but... whether in the records of The Holy Covenant or Ascension, God seems to have His own desires, His own preferences. Or rather, His humanity outweighs His divinity."
"Exactly. God clearly has His own desires, His own thoughts, His own preferences.
But for all living creatures, this represents the greatest fear.
God—He could be a cold, emotionless, desireless deity high above! He could be a loving, holy Father full of compassion. Or He could be a supreme will.
The one thing He cannot be is a living being with personal desires and independent thoughts!
Divinity, it was divinity again.
Kuba was the lesser God, so only his divinity-tainted body could suppress God's resurrection!
He never imagined ancient history would unfold this way.
Yet Cardinal Adam completely understood His Holiness's perspective.
If he were Divine Cause, he would certainly have done the same.
No one would tolerate a god possessing the power to create and destroy everything existing in the world—otherwise, peaceful sleep would become impossible.
Just as Cardinal Adam immersed himself in the shock of receiving this revelation, His Holiness's faint coughing brought him back to reality.
"Cough... cough... I... have no time left, Adam. I can already feel God's call."
"Your Holiness!"
Cardinal Adam grew anxious.
Previously, he had desperately wanted His Holiness to die quickly so he could assume the papal position.
But now he felt the papal throne wasn't that desirable anymore, especially with this divine corpse constantly weighing on his mind.
Thinking this way, he felt he might be better off not becoming pope—at least he wouldn't know about this matter and could avoid perpetual worry!
"Adam!" His Holiness's body had begun trembling.
His previously closed eyes opened again, but compared to before, they now lacked all brilliance, shrouded in twilight haze, already full of decay.
His Holiness extended his long-dried right hand from the bedding—more terrifying than any dried corpse.
Cardinal Adam immediately received it with both hands, cradling it in his palms.
"Your Holiness!"
His Holiness gasped heavily, as if entering his final convulsive stage.
"Huff... huff... huff... Divine blood... can nurture Holy Knights. I've already given instructions—you will succeed me as pope.
Manage the Church as you wish... but, but regarding the divine corpse, you must transcend Church boundaries!
God's resurrection would spell extinction for all things... so even if the Church falls, even if you hang from the gallows, you must reveal the divine corpse's existence to the next king or pope.
Adam... the Church may perish... but the divine corpse must not..."
His Holiness's body arched backward in his wheelchair, as if resisting death's approach.
But as his words gradually faded, his corpse-like body suddenly lost all strength, collapsing back into the wheelchair.
The old pope's emaciated body lay with eyes slightly open, devoid of any breath.
"Your Holiness, Your Holiness!!!"
Cardinal Adam shouted the old pope's honorific, but received no response.
No!!!
Wait—I'm the fucking pope now!
His Holiness Adam felt conflicting emotions—not just because he had ascended to the papal throne, but more because of the newly revealed divine corpse and the old pope's final words.
"Even if the Church falls and I get hanged, I can't let anything happen to the divine corpse? Your Holiness, you overestimate me!"
His Holiness Adam gazed at the divine corpse hanging high in the cave and sighed deeply.
"You left far too hastily, Your Holiness. Kuba, Divine Cause, Jonah—what became of them in the end?"
His Holiness Adam felt his decision to assume the papacy was absolutely terrible.