The Record of Unusual Creatures
chapter-1318

Chapter 1318: The Pope?

“We found this while investigating the camp.” Verrol produced a large black book and handed it to Hao Ren as he noticed his audience’s surprise and bafflement. “It was the key to solving the mystery behind the troops.”

Hao Ren took the thick dilapidated book from him. “This is…”

“It’s an old log book. It was once a sacred item, belonging to some powerful religious leader or friar. I think it’s a prayer book. The Scripture of Origins written inside protected the book from the ravages of time in the Nightmare Realm. The owner of the book must have understood the power of these scriptures and decided to use the book to record highly important information… Don’t bother. Most of the scripture inside is already unrecognizable… You can maybe make out a third of what’s written inside towards the end of the book.”

Hao Ren carefully flipped through the prayer book until he found something readable.

“…’s power is leaving. The storm in the evening… cut off… connection. The situation is worsening. Bishop Aaron tried to contact… but received no response. We may have… I worry that people’s supplies will soon be contaminated by the power of… Everything of importance that happened after today will be recorded in this prayer book…

“The 76th day. We have been stuck here for over two months. Only two members of the scouting troops came back. They said… confirmed that the Warden’s Army has been defeated. The powerful war statues and magic weapons seemed to have lost control. Looking at where they were destroyed, there were signs of… All was dark in Eventide Fortress and Mithril Bastion. They have lost the blessing of God’s light. So far, everything suggests that something happened to the Warden’s Army. Perhaps…

“… Supplies are almost gone, but there is still no sign of our luck turning… The path to the real world is barred to us. Spirit Braves soldiers do not need food and water, but we have no way of replenishing Holy Water and incense. Even Spirit Braves… corrupt and twisted. During our meeting, we discussed the possibility of substitutes, but here in the Nightmare Realm, there may not be anything that can defend against Lockmarton’s…

“The passage of time has become odd. We never notice when it is nighttime or daytime. Perhaps time really has stopped in this world. When the wardens left… Nevertheless, we should be able to defend this place with our soldiers. How long will this last, though? The demigod has left, and his soldiers have already been beaten. The only ones left are we, the Spirit Braves Army, metamorphosed from human beings. Continuing our defensive position here in the empty Nightmare Realm seems pointless now…

“…survived a ghastly battle. Many died, but we managed to beat Lockmarton’s minions. Our base is still secure under the force of the knights. Perhaps Lockmarton found our stubbornness pointless, but what’s wrong with that? At least this fight is meaningful to us. On a side note, I was injured from battle. However, healing magic seems to be working very slowly. This is unusual and requires…

“… two months, my wound has finally healed. It looks odd. There seems to be some growth around the scar… found other soldiers who were wounded before to have similar growths around their scars. The bishops have started an investigation and found… more oddities. Some soldiers show signs of deformity or shriveling in their bodies. The effects are slight, but not a good sign…

“… more and more oddities. It’s strange. Ever since the last battle, all healing magic has stopped working, but our self-healing power has become stronger to the point of replacing the healing magic itself. However, the wounds that heal in this way often show unusual growths that cannot be explained. Removing them cause even more growths…

“I feel down, and a little lost. I’m always trying to remember if I’ve forgotten something, but my busy life continues as usual. It is… prayer day already?

“… saw a reflection of myself in a shield, and noticed a new tentacle that I didn’t know I had… Bishop Aaron is already completely unrecognizable, but he still has the same aura… My two attendants have also changed tremendously in their looks. I can’t even tell them apart because they look so similar. I had to ask them to wear different colored…

“Writing is becoming difficult… I don’t even know what to write. I feel like mind is slipping away. It has become too hard to remember things… The bishops seem to have forgotten a very important ceremony. I can still recall bits and pieces of it, but what is the ceremony about…

“…battle ended. Many were wounded and waiting to recuperate. I remember there is a way to accelerate the healing process, but… what is it?

“Writing is… Recording… Don’t understand… I’m a… a…”

The contents of the book after that were mostly nonsensical symbols and abstract scribblings.

“He was probably;y the last one standing,” Verrol said slowly. “His diary is very precious intel to us, allowing us to figure out what happened after the Warden’s Army left this place. Lockmarton’s power will continue to corrupt lives in the Nightmare Realm, be it human, god or spirit. As long as they lose the support of sacred replicas, they will slowly become a part of the Nightmare.”

Hao Ren returned the precious diary to Verrol. “They look like they have not completely transformed yet.”

“Nevertheless, they have lost human reason.” The old bishop sighed. “Their instinct tells them to kill the corrupted magical beings, and it may look like they are still fighting against Lockmarton’s power, but it is beyond them to communicate or even think. We have tried many times to communicate with them in various ways but to no avail. The only outcome we have so far is that… they are not attacking us anymore.”

Lord of the Mountains lowered his head in thought.

“We can think about that later.” Hao Ren still remembered his mission. The Armageddon Army’s presence was unexpected, but first, they must deal with the cause of all this—Lockmarton. “I’m curious about why you moved the entire Fidelinopolis here. Why did you do it? And what happened at Fidelinopolis? The Pope…”

“We have many questions as well.” Verrol looked at Hao Ren and the rocky giants behind him. “I think we need to have a more thorough discussion together. Let’s return to Fidelinopolis. The Pope will tell you all about it.”

“The Pope?!” Hao Ren was shocked. “You mean Pope Auguste VII? Isn’t he…”

“Remember this — the people of the Sanctum will never give in, not even to Lockmarton.” The old bishop said plainly. “I know you are confused. Come to Fidelinopolis with me, and all your questions will be answered.”

Despite being trapped in Lockmarton’s territory, the Nightmare Realm, Fidelinopolis still stood proudly against all odds. The charred city walls and burnt towers told the story of countless horrible encounters with the enemy and the unyielding spirits of its inhabitants. Upon entering the city, they were greeted with badly damaged buildings and barely recognizable walkways. Many of the towering cathedrals and spires were already near collapse, their existence purely supported by magic. A thin veil of light flowed between the cracks in the bricks and metal structures, keeping them together.

Many workers busied themselves at the buildings, doing their best to fix structures that were less heavily damaged and dismantling buildings which were entirely dependent on magic to stand. In the rubble of dismantled buildings, iron gargoyles with magic symbols etched all over their skin did their thing—salvaging useless material from the rubble.

The city looked like it had taken a heavy blow, but everything seemed to be in order. Hao Ren began to realize that the transportation of Fidelinopolis to this place was all part of the plan!

The only person who had the power to do this was the master of the city—Pope Auguste VII.

If that was the case, then who was the guy out there in the real world, corrupted by the Worldbreaker and stopping the people?!

Hao Ren kept these questions to himself as he walked the streets of Fidelinopolis, following Bishop Verrol through the outer ring of the city where the normal people lived, and then along the sacred paths to the heart of the city—a circular neighborhood called God’s Side Precinct.

This was once the center of the Church of the Goddess. All the most important churches and privy council archives were found in this tiny circular area. The largest building was the Basilica Icon — the mortal symbols of all 21 Wardens were also here. However, the damage sustained by God’s Side Precinct was far worse than the two circular zones surrounding it. Only less than a fifth of its buildings were still standing. Only an empty field was left where the Basilica Icon once was—the palace must have been left behind in the real world.

Calaxus watched the city where he had spent almost his entire life in quiet contemplation. He had never imagined that the invincible Holy City would be washed in flames. In just a few months’ time, Asurmen was dying, the Sanctum had fallen, and the Holy City itself was attacked. These glorious cities had now been reduced to such a sorry state. He remembered how magnificent the city looked like when he left the place, but now…

This was the surviving remnant of the Holy City, tucked away in the Nightmare Realm.

Since the Basilica Icon was left in the real world, the temporary headquarters for the city was now in a large church in God’s Side Precinct—probably the only building untouched by destruction in this side of the city. In this massive church, bathed in a gentle glow of holy light, Hao Ren saw the Pope that Verrol spoke of.

It was an old man, sitting in a chair, with no shoes on his feet. He wore a weathered shirt of an indescribable color and held a simple walking stick made of curved wood. The old man looked so impossibly emaciated. He sat there on the chair like a mulish thorn with a head of disheveled white hair.