The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 453: Nearing the Capital

Cardinal Carsius did not mind what Prince Wilmar had done, and he agreed to follow the prince’s plan. However, he still thought it was too excessive to gather an army of this size just to serve as a decoy. In his view, it would be far better to use the minimum resources necessary and strike Aldrian as quickly as possible using the Heaven’s Punishment Spear and the Heavenly Sovereign Sanctuary Staff.

He didn’t believe Aldrian could survive against those two artifacts. And now that he himself had broken through to the peak emperor stage—the highest cultivation level one could achieve on the continent—he was confident the outcome would be swift.

"Anyway, are you sure he’s someone even the Church reveres? The one prophesied by the Saintess herself?" Prince Wilmar suddenly asked.

Cardinal Carsius had already been informed of all major developments while he was in seclusion, and he had seen the sketch of Aldrian’s face. The resemblance was close enough that he recognized Aldrian immediately and revealed the identity of the mysterious swordsman, along with his connection to the Church.

After hearing this, Prince Wilmar finally understood the true relationship Aldrian had with the Church. It was no wonder the mysterious swordsman had gone so far as to help the Church, even involving himself in the civil war—something completely unlike his usual behavior.

The swordsman’s past was filled with battles against devils, and Prince Wilmar had never heard of him interfering in another empire’s internal affairs—unless it involved the threat of devils.

However, even after clearing his doubts about Aldrian’s connection to the Church, Prince Wilmar still felt a wave of fury—both at himself and at Cardinal Carsius. That is because—

Doesn’t this mean that by accepting the cardinal as a refugee, he had inevitably invited that man into the empire? If he did not give the cardinal protection at all, doesn’t that mean the man would have eventually left Atria on his own?

But it no longer mattered. The milk had already been spilled, and there was no use crying over it. All that remained now was damage control—starting with killing the mysterious swordsman.

"Well, if there’s no one else with a face matching that sketch, then I’m pretty sure he’s the one," Cardinal Carsius replied.

"Then from your perspective, do you think that if we kill that man, the Church will bear animosity toward us? Isn’t he the prophesied one the Church has been waiting for? Although he’s not a direct member, I’m quite sure that, with his status as the prophesied one, many in the Church already see him as one of their own and would readily follow him if he asked."

"Well, it will definitely draw the Church’s animosity," Cardinal Carsius replied. "Especially from the Pope and the Saintess. However, even if it does come to that, in the end, it all comes down to strength. I possess the Church’s two most powerful artifacts, and I’ve broken through to the peak emperor stage. I can say with confidence that I will not lose to either the Pope or the Saintess."

"And with your forces backing me, there’s no one on this continent who would dare to stand in our way."

Prince Wilmar sighed. He didn’t have much of a choice either. If he wanted to live another day, he had to walk this path.

If killing the mysterious swordsman meant incurring the Church’s animosity—then so be it. He could think about the next steps after the man was dead.

On the bright side, what Cardinal Carsius had said was true. Their combined strength should be more than enough to endure whatever might threaten them in the future.

He wasn’t sure about the devils, but when it came to the other powers, whether orthodox or unorthodox, he was confident none of them would dare to challenge them recklessly.

Suddenly, he sensed an incoming call from his communication artifact. He activated it and listened as the voice on the other end delivered its message.

"Your Majesty, the mysterious swordsman’s figure appeared for a split second near the B7 guard post."

He was stunned when he heard the report. The mysterious swordsman’s speed was unbelievable!

With this development, he figured that man might arrive in less than two weeks—something truly baffling. Even someone at the high emperor stage would need more than three weeks to reach here from Bermin, even if they flew nonstop.

Did that man not rest even for a moment? This was ridiculous!

However, Prince Wilmar didn’t panic. It was still within the timeframe for his plan to be carried out without issue. His special artifact would be ready for use again next week—so things were still on track.

He looked at the Cardinal.

"It looks like he’ll arrive much sooner than I expected."

Cardinal Carsius simply shrugged, showing little concern.

"Well, the sooner he comes, the better. I can’t wait to test my power against him. I also have my own grudge to settle—he’s the one who ruined my plans within the Church. I need to unleash my fury on him."

"Suit yourself. I only hope you won’t do anything outside of our agreement and ruin the plan. Today’s mess is because of you, so the least you can do is follow through." Prince Wilmar said as he turned and walked toward the door, intent on leaving the room.

Cardinal Carsius scoffed inwardly. If not for the fact that they needed each other, he would have already taught the prince a lesson for that mocking tone.

Once the prince had disappeared from sight, Cardinal Carsius took a slow sip of his wine and stared at the glass in his hand. His eyes flashed, and a smile curled on his lips as he looked at his own reflection on the glass’s surface.

"Once all of this is over, I’ll return to the Church and kill that old fart... and that woman too. Let the Church crumble from within. If I can’t have it, then it’s better to destroy it."

With that thought, he took another sip of wine.

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In the vast stretch of forest, Aldrian moved relentlessly toward the capital, using teleportation without pause. His figure would appear for a split second in one place, only to vanish and reappear in another, repeating this cycle continuously.

Thanks to his fast energy recovery, he didn’t need much time to rest, allowing him to approach the capital at an incredible pace.

Now and then, he sensed distant guard posts stationed along the roads leading to the capital, but he paid them no mind as he passed. He knew some of them would catch a glimpse of his figure and likely report it to the capital, but he didn’t care.

Sometimes, he came across large army movements, and from them, he gathered information that troops from across the empire were already marching toward the capital in preparation for the coming battle against the mysterious swordsman.

Sometimes, he also encountered bandits attempting to rob caravans. They were taking advantage of the chaos, as the noble troops had lowered their guard in certain areas. This was largely due to the fact that many forces had been gathered toward the capital.

Aldrian didn’t waste time. He used illusion laws to eliminate the bandits in an instant and continued on his way without looking back, leaving the caravan owners and their escorts confused, staring at the lifeless bodies of their attackers, unsure of what had just happened.

After a few more days of teleporting, he finally saw long city walls in the distance. He wondered if this was the capital.

He also spotted a massive military camp set up outside the city, and not far from it, a flying fortress had landed.

He activated his stealth technique, turning himself invisible as he moved closer to the city. Soon, he was floating high above it, hovering silently in the sky.

Looking down, he saw the bustling activity of the people below. After witnessing so many cities and towns ravaged by destruction throughout the empire, it was almost strange to see one still intact, still grand and full of life. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

The city was larger and grander than any other he had visited in the empire, even surpassing Caritas and Weilmar.

There were no signs of battle, and the people’s activity was thriving, making him feel as though he had stepped into a different empire altogether. He expanded his senses, aiming to gather as much information as possible about the area.

After a few seconds, he retracted them, now certain of where he was.

This was one of the satellite cities near the capital. The capital itself was still about a week’s travel from here. This place, Padina City, was under the direct authority of the imperial family, which explained the peace and order he saw. It was one of the few places that had fallen into Second Prince’s hands during the initial phase of the civil war—without a single battle.

Despite the city being isolated due to the Second Prince’s order to deactivate the teleportation station, the people’s daily activities didn’t seem to be affected much, at least for now.

Aldrian then deactivated his stealth technique, revealing himself in the sky. A moment later, his voice echoed far and wide, loud enough to be heard not only throughout the city but also across the massive army camp outside its walls.

"Attention, army of the Second Prince’s faction!"