Chapter 378

St. George's Cathedral, after repelling the steam parliamentarians' assault, now briefly basked in peace.

The church's clergy had all gathered before the statue of the Holy Starter, devoutly praying for the deity's protection.

Though Randy was the one who truly saved them, they believed his appearance was the Lord's will, and thus they still owed thanks to the Lord.

Zhu Li did not know the situation on Bai She Street; from the Phantom's report, she learned that a modified human so powerful it could easily defeat him was rampaging along Bai She Street, attacking Stilan's high officials.

Though Zhu Li trusted Randy's strength, she had to prepare for the worst.

She was currently directing her transcendents and players to construct defensive mystical rituals within St. George's Cathedral.

Due to the presence of the Holy Starter, St. George's Cathedral was bathed in divine light, just as it had been on the Night of the Great Stench, where steam rules could not enter the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, transcendents could wield their full original power, unimpeded by steam rules.

If the Executioner breached the cathedral, the transcendents, aided by large-scale defensive mystical rituals, might still have a chance to fight back.

While Zhu Li and others constructed the mystical rituals, the Phantom—still severely wounded and freshly treated—was secretly meeting Olivia in the underground chambers of St. George's Cathedral.

Just as their first meeting had been, after the transcendents' gathering ended that day.

Olivia asked: "What is the true situation on Bai She Street?"

The Phantom told Olivia everything he had seen, including that the Executioner might have come because of Leng Shan and Jian Xing, and that after fleeing, he had not gone far—while hastily bandaging himself, he had witnessed the Executioner kill Acting Prime Minister Grath.

He said, puzzled:

"Whether in previous cases or during the battle on Bai She Street, the Executioner only targeted transcendents. I don't understand why he killed Acting Prime Minister Grath."

Olivia said coolly: "I have some ideas, though I cannot confirm them yet."

"Since Grath is dead, remaining with the Liberal Party is pointless. Xiao En acted too recklessly—seeking personal vengeance, he executed all senior Conservative Party members, causing me considerable trouble."

"With the Conservative Party and the old nobility leaderless, you must find a way to contact them, gain their trust. They are desperate for manpower—secure a place within their inner circle before the Universal Industrial Exposition."

The Phantom asked, confused: "I don't understand—if the Conservative Party is no longer a threat, why waste effort on them?"

Olivia turned away and sighed:

"Your infiltration of the Conservative Party is not to investigate them—it is to investigate the Quiet Church."

"According to my intelligence, the Industrialists' Association is deeply entangled with the Quiet Church. Those short-sighted Conservatives, eager to grab a share of the industrial pie, failed to see the trap laid for them and leapt right in."

"I planned to use the Chief Justice as bait to draw out the Hidden Quiet Church followers—but Xiao En ruined my plan."

The Phantom asked, puzzled: "Your Majesty, from the beginning, did you know the Conservative Party was linked to the Quiet Church?"

Olivia said naturally: "This is not highly secret intelligence—if Xiao En and Raventon wanted to investigate, they could have uncovered it quickly."

"Unfortunately, they were too eager."

The Phantom looked at Olivia's back and said admiringly:

"I just realized—though you appear indifferent to power, from the very beginning, you foresaw the fates of many."

Olivia frowned slightly; she disliked the Phantom's tone—it lacked reverence, lacked respect, and carried instead the air of a superior looking down.

"Phantom, what are you trying to say?"

The Phantom slowly placed his right hand on the hilt of his saber and said:

"I simply find you fascinating. You see far ahead, predicting so much. In contrast, others—like Acting Prime Minister Grath, Chief Justice Gasco, Minister Evans, even Xavier—were too arrogant, too dismissive of you."

"Their dismissal of you will bring them retribution."

"I have one final question: you foresaw so many outcomes—have you foreseen what is about to happen now?"

As he spoke, a gust of wind howled from the underground ventilation shaft.

The Phantom smiled: "Your Majesty Olivia, listen—the wind has risen."

Meanwhile, high above Bai She Street, Xavier had just caught the dueling glove Wu Chang had thrown—with his face.

The heavy plate glove smashed into Xavier's face, snapping his nasal bone and nearly knocking him unconscious.

He didn't understand why—the dueling glove had seemed to fly slowly, yet he could not defend himself at all.

He could not fathom how a mere glove could injure him, a being who had become a god.

He removed the glove from his face, and just as he prepared to speak, he froze in place.

Without the glove blocking his vision, he realized he had been transported—he no longer stood on the mist-shrouded Grimland, but on soft grass.

Looking around, he found himself on a small island, its aesthetic unlike the real world: colors saturated, everything dreamlike, unreal—as if not of this world, but from some absurd, bizarre dream.

In Wu Chang's world, this island was cartoon-style.

The island was small; not far from him lay water. He sniffed—the air held no saltiness; it must be a vast freshwater lake.

The lake's surface was mirror-smooth, clearly reflecting his own image.

As he studied the water, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

He turned—and saw Wu Chang, wielding the Lake Light Holy Sword, pushing through shrubs and emerging from the forest.

Seeing his enemy appear, Xavier immediately entered combat stance—he tried to summon steam rules to attack Wu Chang, but when he reached out, his body was empty, not a trace of power remained.

He frantically tore off his robe—and found not only his abilities gone, but all traces of his transcendental modifications vanished too.

He groped at his body, now restored to flesh, his face filled with terror.

Where is my transcendental power? Where is my vast pile of transcendental power?!

He had raced along the transcendental path, struggled to reach its end, stepped into the realm of gods—only for it all to vanish in an instant, like a dream, like foam. No one could bear it.

Wu Chang cleared his throat, becoming an emotionless script-reader, speaking in crisp, broadcast-quality diction to Xavier:

"Don't bother searching. This is Stilan's sacred ground. In the name of the Empire's Guardian, I have issued you a Duel of Honor."

"Within this sacred ground, all your transcendental abilities—and mine—are forbidden. The only tools you may use are your body, your skill, and your conviction."

"You may shape your conviction into a weapon, and engage me in a perfectly fair duel."

If possible, he would not have explained this to Xavier—but bound by the sacred ground's rules, to demonstrate fairness, he was compelled to reveal all the duel's terms.

Even though Xavier was well-traveled, he could not immediately grasp what had happened. He asked:

"What method did you use to bring me here?"

Because this matter relates to the duel, Wu Chang could only tell the truth.

He raised the Lake Light Sacred Sword in his hand and signaled:

"This Lake Light Sacred Sword is a symbol of purity, honor, and perfection, and a sacred relic that safeguards the Empire's order."

"Whenever a villain seeks to destroy the Empire, as its guardian, I may challenge that villain to a duel. To help you understand, let me remind you—the villain mentioned here is you."

"Special Skill: Sword of Order" (Unlocked by Royal Seal)

"Skill Description: The holder of the Lake Light Sacred Sword bears the duty to uphold cosmic order. When a target severely disrupts the dimensional order, they shall ignore all abilities and states of the opponent and engage them in a knightly duel of honor. Cooldown: 365 days."

"Honor Duel: Both combatants shall disable all talents, active skills, cultivation techniques, and items, wielding belief as their weapon in a fair confrontation."

"Note: This effect applies only to the 'Wasteland—46957 Dimension.'"

Under Wu Chang's explanation, Xavier gained some understanding of the situation, but one thing puzzled him, so he asked:

"You claimed this is a fair duel—why am I unarmed while you hold the Sacred Sword? Is this your idea of fairness?"

Wu Chang scratched his head and said apologetically: "Sorry, I'm a rule-breaker—I don't have to be fair."

Xavier:?

Wu Chang was not lying, because the Honor Duel only bans talents, active skills, cultivation techniques, and items—it does not ban titles.

His "Rule-Breaker" title, though it cannot remove all restrictions, allowed him to bring the Lake Light Sacred Sword into the Sacred Ground.

To be honest, Wu Chang didn't understand what Xavier was upset about. As a rule-breaker, he only randomly brought in the Lake Light Sacred Sword—Xavier should be secretly delighted.

If he had brought in his personal space's "Peacekeeper," Xavier would've been in real trouble.

Wu Chang said: "Since this is a fair duel, it must officially begin only after both parties agree, or ten minutes after meeting."

"Mr. Xavier, you have ample time to prepare. Please go." Xavier's eyelid twitched slightly—he was now slightly allergic to the word "fair."

But the rules of the Sacred Ground told him Wu Chang spoke the truth—he could prepare without fear of being ambushed during preparation.

He pondered Wu Chang's earlier rules: wield belief as a weapon, engage in a Honor Duel.

As for belief, he was confident he matched anyone.

Since birth, he had felt a sense of mission, and for it he had fought his entire life—even after countless failures, even as companions around him died or were wounded, he had never once abandoned it.

To touch the transcendent as a human, he had willingly modified his own body—even if completing his mission meant someone else stood atop the peak, he was willing to let it be them.

Unfortunately, after all that had passed, only he remained at the end.

This unyielding, relentless belief, he believed he would not lose to anyone—especially not to this man before him, who had no belief and had sunk to the level of an ordinary transcendent.

As his belief coalesced, Xavier's body began to change—he grew muscular, his flesh glowing with metallic luster.

He transformed from a plain-looking, frail old man into a mighty warrior of twenty, with a body literally forged of steel and iron.

The cane he always carried was condensed from his belief; he gripped its handle and drew out the Ravenston-model cane-sword within.

The blade of the cane-sword was no ordinary sword—it was a rapidly spinning miniature chainsaw, its teeth whirring as they steamed out thick vapor.

The steel body and chainsaw cane-sword were the weapons Xavier had condensed for himself—he had wished to recreate his divine form from reality, but his belief was insufficient, so he settled for this duel-optimized form instead.

The steam rising from the chainsaw cane-sword was not a cosmetic effect—it was the divinity he had condensed.

The Honor Duel did not ban titles, and it did not forbid divinity either.

Had the force forming the Honor Duel not involved order accessible only to the peak of lower deities, Xavier's inner divinity would never have forcibly pulled him into the Sacred Ground.

In his view, the divinity still within him was his trump card to defeat Wu Chang, the rule-breaker.

In Wu Chang's view, Xavier retained his divinity, and Wu Chang retained his title "Blasphemer"—it was fair.

Although Xavier founded the Steam Council to overthrow everything, he was also born into an aristocratic family and was no stranger to swordsmanship—in fact, his skill was profound.

He assumed a one-handed sword stance, facing Wu Chang sideways, his right hand pointing the chainsaw cane-sword like a rapier at Wu Chang, his left hand holding a crimson cloak resembling a matador's.

He said: "I am ready."

Wu Chang shrugged and said: "I'm ready anytime."

As both declared themselves prepared, a flag appeared between them and swung downward.

The duel began.

Wu Chang remained relaxed—the Honor Duel did not ban passive skills; he possessed Master-level Cold Weapon Mastery and had no reason to lose to Xavier, so he did not rush to attack, instead taking the chance to ask questions.

After all, once he killed the man, he wouldn't be able to ask anymore.

"Mr. Xavier, my deputy Peacekeeper and I share a special communication magic that allows us to exchange information at any time."

"He had a brief exchange with your friend Executioner, and mentioned some intelligence—I'm very curious. Could you answer me?"

Xavier's expression turned solemn—he had watched Peacekeeper and Executioner's battle from afar; the scene had resembled this one, with both vanishing simultaneously, then reappearing shortly after.

Was their battle also conducted in this space? And during it, had Executioner revealed information to the other?

He cautiously approached Wu Chang and asked: "What do you want to know?"

Wu Chang said: "Three and a half years ago, you and your companions jointly established the Steam Council, which showed great promise."

"Unfortunately, your traces were quickly detected by Ravenston. He sensed your threat and, before you could grow, allied with the Secret Police to eliminate you all."

"Of the original Steam Council, only you and Executioner survived. You told Executioner you had found a powerful benefactor—I want to know who that benefactor is."

Xavier's face remained expressionless, but his eyes looked ready to devour— he had not expected Wu Chang to know so much.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Wu Chang shrugged and said: "I only need a name. Saying it won't affect you."

"Your benefactor must be a major figure—at least a Minister-level one. There aren't many such people. Even if you don't speak, it's easy to guess."

"Is it Foreign Minister Evans, Judge Gasco, Acting Prime Minister Glad, or Your Majesty?"

He paused, speaking with exaggerated tone: "Surely not the late Prime Minister Ron?"

Xavier said nothing—he merely quickened his pace toward Wu Chang.

Wu Chang sighed. He realized he must make Xavier recognize the gap between them, make him feel despair, shatter his heart's resolve—only then would the man cooperate.

Holding the Lake Light Sacred Sword, he assumed a casual sword stance and spoke in the tone of a master instructing a disciple:

"Make your move."

Xavier leveraged the speed advantage of his rapier, lunging forward rapidly; his steel-like physical constitution was strong, but without supernatural power, his raw physical attributes could not match Wu Chang's, enhanced by the "Breakthrough Master" title.

Wu Chang effortlessly flicked his wrist and deflected Xavier's chain-saw cane-sword.

The destructive chain-saw on the cane-sword inflicted no damage on the Lake Light Sacred Sword, which possessed the "Perfect Blade" property.

After deflecting Xavier's attacks three times in succession and using Xavier's loss of balance to trip him into the air, Wu Chang shook his head and said:

"Too slow, too slow—if I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even get your sword out."

"You don't want to talk about your sponsor? Then let's change the subject—why did you cooperate with the Quietist Sect?"

"Did they promise you that providing the supernatural steam engine would help you perfect your technology? You wouldn't dare use what Lehmann gave you, would you?"

…

His physical attributes were inferior, his sword technique inferior, his equipment inferior—in his fight against Wu Chang, Xavier seemed to have no winning point at all.

Facing Wu Chang's cat-and-mouse teasing, Xavier did not give up; he endured silently, waiting for an opportunity.

Seconds ticked by. He lost count of how many questions Wu Chang had asked him. When Wu Chang lowered his guard enough to casually open his mouth and ask another question, Xavier struck.

He swung his left cloak, wrapping it around the Lake Light Sacred Sword, then spun and thrust his cane-sword with full force toward Wu Chang's neck.

He had used this move many times before. Wu Chang's wrist trembled slightly, easily shaking off the wrapped cloak, then raised his hand to block Xavier's cane-sword.

But this time, Xavier changed tactics—he discarded his cloak and drew from it a black dagger embedded with gears.

With all his strength, he hurled the dagger at Wu Chang's chest; steam erupted from its rear, turning the dagger into a phantom blur that drove straight into Wu Chang's chest.

This was the opportunity he had waited for—only by driving this dagger, infused with all his divine power, deep into Wu Chang's body could he hope to win.

"Silence is golden. You talk too much."

Wu Chang clutched his chest, staggering back two steps, his voice filled with fury: "Cunning villain, you—"

Before he finished speaking, he yanked the dagger from his chest and tossed it aside.

Removing the dagger, Xavier saw that what had appeared to be fully embedded had left only a white mark on Wu Chang's skin.

"Did you think this little trinket could hurt me?"

The dagger forged from divine power was indeed sharp enough, but sharpness alone meant nothing without penetration depth—his title, "Titan," rendered even his epidermis impervious.

Watching Xavier's disbelief, Wu Chang felt the shadow he had cast over Xavier was sufficient to breed resentment.

From the start, he never expected Xavier to confess truthfully; even if he had, Wu Chang wouldn't have believed him.

He trusted information drawn from the resentment of the dead more than the words of the living.

Since Xavier had already transformed into a World-Selected One and even condensed divine essence, Wu Chang was unsure whether Xavier's obsession was still strong enough to form a resentment—so he decided to manufacture one artificially.

That was why he hadn't simply killed Xavier outright, but instead persistently used mental assaults to torment him, trying to make him feel helplessness and despair.

Now, it was time to end this.

"I'm getting bored. If you don't tell me something useful soon, I'll show you a real treasure."

(End of Chapter)