Chapter Sixty-Six: The Formidable Head Maid

Those forces numbered at least three hundred, far surpassing the scale of the last joint assault by the Temple of the Mad God and the Church of the War God. Furthermore, Bailing had informed him that among those people, she sensed presences not weaker than his own—some even slightly stronger—and not just one.

Faced with such a formidable enemy, Link could not help but draw in a sharp breath. He had anticipated that the High Priest of the Star God might act recklessly, but he had not imagined such utter madness. Those three hundred must surely represent the Star God Church’s elite, emptied from their ranks with the clear intent to annihilate the Father God Church in a single strike.

If the Heavenly Spirit Church’s people were present, Link would still have confidence in repelling these three hundred. But with the Heavenly Spirit Church still in Bath City, and with only the current strength of the Father God Church, unless every reserve Holy Fighter suddenly ascended to the level of Saga or Aeolus, their chances of victory were nearly nonexistent.

In the span of a few breaths, Link’s expression shifted repeatedly. At last, gritting his teeth with resolve, he made his decision: to abandon the monastery and the Great Cathedral of Holy Light, and to lead his followers in a breakout. Headquarters and faith could always be regained; the most important thing was to save the people. As long as they survived, the Father God Church could rise again.

However, just as Link was about to ask Bailing to take him down, his gaze fell upon an unexpected figure atop the Great Cathedral—a person he recognized: the chief maid Xingye of the Scarlet household.

That night, Xingye wore her distinctive yet dashing maid’s attire as always. Standing atop the bell tower, she appeared aloof and unapproachable in the moonlight, her cold eyes fixed on the Star God Church’s forces. Only when they were less than a mile from the monastery and cathedral did she flick her right hand with effortless grace.

In that instant, Link witnessed a sight that would remain with him for the rest of his life. Centered on Xingye, a wave of gray energy spread outward. As it neared the Star God Church’s followers, it condensed into a dense gray mist that enveloped them all.

Immediately, countless blades flickered within the fog. Bailing told Link that with every flash of those blades, life within the mist was vanishing at a rapid pace.

After little more than ten seconds, the flashes ceased and the mist dissipated. Every last member of the Star God Church’s force—over three hundred—lay dead, each slain instantly. Silver daggers were embedded in their vital points, and many had perished without even realizing it, their dying expressions still frozen on their faces.

Even more terrifying, as the daggers slipped from the corpses and vanished, the bodies themselves began to erode to gray-white dust, dissolving into nothingness on the night breeze. If not for the clothing left behind, it would have been impossible to imagine that more than three hundred people had stood there moments before.

Witnessing all this, Link could not help but inhale sharply. A chill named fear coursed through him, making the night feel especially cold—even to him, with the formidable resistance to cold granted by his mastery of the Nine Yang Divine Art.

At that moment, Xingye suddenly glanced in his direction, causing a pang of dread in Link’s heart. Though they were far apart and the night’s light was poor, Link had no doubt she could see him.

Strangely, Xingye only looked for a few seconds before averting her gaze. With a graceful motion, she floated away toward the villa where she and Remilia resided.

Link was stunned for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he had Bailing take him to where the Star God Church’s followers had fallen. He examined their remaining possessions, drawing a deep breath to steady himself.

Such terrifying power, such unfathomable methods—Xingye’s display sent a chill through Link’s heart. She far surpassed the strength he had seen from the dark demon or even Lingmeng’s unleashed power days before. At the very least, she was at the late eighth tier, perhaps the ninth—and that was without her using her full strength.

Thus, Link was almost certain Xingye’s true power was at least ninth tier.

Ninth tier—the realm of the world’s mightiest, as ordinary people saw it! And Xingye—how young was she? How could she possess such strength already? Was she, like Flandre, maintaining her youthful appearance for some unknown reason?

After much thought, Link concluded this was the only possibility. He now realized how laughable his previous precautions against Remilia and her maid had been. Not to mention Remilia’s own mysterious depths—even Xingye alone could annihilate a dozen Father God Churches with ease.

He also became certain that it was Xingye who had secretly helped him kill Sunny a few days prior. Although he did not understand her motive, he felt relieved; the fact that the mysterious master and servant had twice aided him and the Father God Church showed they bore no hostility toward them.

After some thought, Link decided to set aside the Star God Church affair for now and asked Bailing to carry him to the Scarlet household.

Upon reaching the villa, Link saw Xingye standing at the door. As soon as she saw him, she bowed in the manner of a maid and greeted, “Welcome back, Archbishop Neil.”

Glancing at the polite yet cold-faced Xingye, Link offered a sage’s smile. “In the name of the Father God, Miss Xingye, thank you for helping the Father God Church twice. We will never forget your kindness.”

“Archbishop Neil flatters me. I merely follow the young lady’s will. If you wish to thank someone, it should be her,” she replied, thus admitting she was the one who intervened in the battle with the dark demon.

Link nodded. “Then I suppose Miss Remilia is inside?”

Xingye inclined her head. “The young lady is at home, but she has already retired for the night. If you wish to thank her, perhaps you can return tomorrow morning—she will be waiting to receive you.”

Seeing the unlit villa, Link said nothing more. After expressing his gratitude again, he returned to the Father God Church, lost in thought; Xingye, too, went back inside.

As soon as Link returned, he ran into Altair and a group of fully armed defenders. They had detected the Star God Church’s assault and, under Altair’s command, prepared for battle. Unexpectedly, the sudden mist had wiped out all the enemies. Not knowing what had happened, Altair had kept everyone inside to observe before investigating, only for Link to return first.

Link was very pleased with Altair’s readiness, even if Xingye’s intervention had rendered it unnecessary. He did not withhold praise, and even the usually grim Altair could not help but smile.

However, when Link recounted Xingye’s actions, Altair’s smile vanished, replaced by shock. He had not noticed Xingye atop the cathedral, nor had he any idea what that gray mist had been.

Learning of Xingye’s supernatural methods, Altair drew in a cold breath. In all his years, he had never seen nor heard of such a way of killing. He, too, guessed Xingye’s strength must be at least ninth tier.

Confronted by such a foe, Altair felt that their previous precautions were nothing more than a child’s tricks before a master. No doubt, she regarded their efforts as little more than a farce.

With a heavy heart, Altair asked, “Archbishop, what do you intend to do? That pair is far too dangerous. Though they’ve helped us twice, their true intentions remain unclear. If one day they turn against us, then we…”

Link shook his head. “With such a gulf in strength, there’s no point in worrying. Tomorrow I’ll speak with Remilia Scarlet myself. Since they’ve chosen to reveal their power, I doubt they’ll continue pretending.”

“Shall we accompany you?”

“No need. Against those two, no number of companions would make a difference if they intended me harm. I’ll go alone. Carry on with your duties as usual,” Link said, then added, “You and Jack take some people to gather the belongings left by the Star God Church. They brought many valuables; since the Scarlets have no interest in them, we might as well accept them.”

Altair accepted the order and, with Jack and a group of followers, spent most of the night collecting the spoils.

The next morning, Link went alone to the Scarlet villa. Xingye seemed to have anticipated his arrival, opening the door for him before he could knock.

Seeing her step aside to let him in, Link thanked her in a low voice and entered, where he found Remilia seated with elegance in the main hall, sipping tea.

Upon seeing Link, Remilia set her cup down and smiled. “Archbishop Neil, welcome. Please, have a seat. Xingye, why don’t you serve our guest some tea?”

“Yes, young lady.” With poise, Xingye moved to the tea table and asked, “Archbishop Neil, would you prefer green tea or black tea?”

“Green tea,” Link replied absently, his mind elsewhere, as he settled onto the sofa. Xingye immediately poured him a cup.

Taking a sip, Link nodded. “Excellent—this is the finest tea I’ve tasted in all of Bath City.”

Remilia smiled. “Naturally. Xingye blends that herself; you won’t find it for sale anywhere. If you like, I can have Xingye prepare a bag for you to take.”

Link smiled politely. “Thank you, but as the Father God’s emissary, I must not indulge too much in worldly pleasures.”

Remilia arched a brow. “Archbishop Neil, human life is brief enough. If you don’t even know how to enjoy material comforts, don’t you find such a life dull?”

“For the glory of the Father God, it is all worthwhile,” Link replied, keeping up his pious facade.

“Is that so? How very dull.” Remilia sipped her tea again, then smiled with a deeper meaning. “By the way, I must congratulate you, Archbishop. Your church has gained another congregation, and holds great treasures of power. With a year or two of careful development, I imagine no other church in this little Red Moon Province could rival you.”

“So, we’ve come to the main subject…” Link thought to himself, but outwardly his smile did not waver. “You are too kind. If not for Miss Remilia sending Miss Xingye to help us twice, we would never have had such opportunities. I am deeply grateful for your aid. If Miss Remilia ever needs my help, or that of the Father God Church, please ask. As long as it is within our power and does not violate our doctrine, we shall do our utmost.”