Traveler of the River of Time and Space-Chapter 422 - 36: Pontiff Shalivan (Part 2)

"Here has also withered away..." Sister Frieda sighed softly.

This is a beautiful city that has already died.

Su Ziyu’s senses spread out as he slightly tilted his ear to listen, then said, "It seems like there’s some activity over there."

A series of steps appeared ahead.

Just as the group was preparing to head over, a white shadow suddenly appeared out of thin air in front, like a spectral soul, strolling on the steps by itself.

"A residual shadow of a soul..." Sister Frieda said softly, "It’s an image left from the past."

It’s not an enemy.

Nor is it a soul.

Just some shadows left from the past, the white figure walked a few paces slowly and then gradually faded away. Su Ziyu reached out to touch it without feeling anything, lacking both a physical and a spirit body presence.

"Pollution detected!"

Just as the group watched the white shadow gradually disappear, a fully armored figure came out from a corner directly in front of Su Ziyu. The figure seemed to be covered in a thin veil, the scimitar in its hand exuding a chilling aura. Upon discovering them, its eyes immediately glowed red and charged forward.

— "Pope Knight! [Corruption] [Abyssal Erosion]"

Sigh.

This city also seems to be left with only hollow shells eroded away.

"Enemies are coming."

"Seems like there are quite a few of them!" Su Ziyu sighed, clanging as he drew his Yirushir Straight Sword, and said solemnly, "Be careful! I think there’s a mage!..."

A fireball shot from afar.

The three of them dodged by rolling instantly, and Su Ziyu, having stayed in this world for a long time, was somewhat influenced by them, having become much more proficient in the rolling skill than before.

Boom.

With the sound of the fireball’s explosion, a female living corpse clad in a black robe appeared in sight.

— "Pope’s Witch! [Corruption] [Abyssal Erosion]"

The battle here immediately attracted wandering living corpses nearby; unlike other places, the enemies here were more sensitive and would pursue upon hearing any disturbance.

Thunder Spear.

"This side is yours." Su Ziyu took out the Dragon-Hunting Spear and charged towards the distant witch, always being wary of casters.

Wisps of black flame gradually ignited.

Sister Frieda nodded slightly, then swung her massive scythe towards the approaching Pope Knight. The enemies of Yirushir were far stronger than those in other places, just judging by their weapons, most of which were enveloped in a faint white light, all enchanted gear similar to the Yirushir Straight Sword.

"Gained 1 Source Power Value."

"Gained 2 Source Power Value."

"Gained 1 Source Power Value."

The entire battle did not last very long.

After all, Su Ziyu’s team had grown again this time; the addition of the Onion Knight directly added a top-level tank to the team, his round, heavy armor seeming a bit comical but being one of the top-notch armors in this world.

The current team has a balance of defense, damage output, and control, though lacking a healer, it’s not a big issue thanks to the Elemental Bottle.

"Perhaps I really should consider finding some suitable Space-Time Apostles." Su Ziyu mused to himself.

He was used to fighting alone before, but the power of one person is ultimately limited; since collaborating with Sister Frieda, facing any kind of enemy became much easier, and even dealing with the Lords of Cinder was not difficult. If there was a full team cooperation, facing dangerous worlds in the future would be much easier.

"But the issue is, what about the Divinity Value for contracting Space-Time Apostles?"

"The Hourglass of Time is also quite consuming."

If he chose to contract more Space-Time Apostles, Su Ziyu would have to temporarily slow down his enhancement rhythm; the Divinity Value is still too precious, and choosing a Space-Time Apostle must be done very carefully.

Su Ziyu got momentarily distracted as Qing Ji’s face flashed in his mind.

Hmm.

Qing Ji might be a good candidate, but for some reason, he is somewhat afraid to see her now.

It must be an illusion.

The entire inside of Yirushir is scattered with numerous enemies, all have completely undergone Zombification, and not even a single speaking person is found. In this world, native inhabitants who can speak usually retain some level of sanity.

The team took a small tour around Yirushir.

Eventually, they followed the steps of the plaza, arriving at the front of the city’s largest cathedral.

This is the grandest building in Yirushir City, looking quite striking; the closer they got, the stronger the enemies became, feeling as if some important figure might be inside.

"Should we go over and take a look?" Su Ziyu turned his head to Sister Frieda beside him.

The Onion Knight had an indifferent expression on his face.

Sister Frieda looked at the two statues not far away, one was a woman kneeling on the ground holding something in her hands, and she said softly, "Pope Shalivan might be inside."

"Shall we go in?"

Pope Shalivan?

The one who offered the Divinity to be devoured by the Eldritch, the Deep Saint?

"Let’s go."

"Go in and take a look," Su Ziyu immediately nodded, saying in a deep voice, "Maybe this person can give us some important clues."

This Pope Shalivan seems to be a part of the Fire Extinguishing Faction.

No matter why he wants to have the Divine Spirit devoured, it doesn’t matter to Su Ziyu; the most important thing is whether he can obtain intelligence about the Initial Furnace.

Currently, Su Ziyu has sorted through the clues he has obtained, and he found that if he wanted to extinguish the fire, he seemed only to have two possible allies: Pope Shalivan here and the Twin Princes of Lothric City.

The latter are confirmed members of the Fire Extinguishing Faction, as everything arose because they refused to transmit the fire.

Rumors about Pope Shalivan make him look like an ambitious person, but Su Ziyu doesn’t care if he is ambitious; he only cares if this person can help him extinguish the fire.

He is completely disappointed with this world.

Even if transmission of fire succeeds, it is meaningless, having walked through so many places without seeing a normal living person.

"Let’s go." Sister Frieda gripped the scythe in her hand tightly.

Because many enemies have already been cleared ahead, there are very few wandering Living Corpse Knights nearby.

Buzz.

Su Ziyu directly pushed open the heavy door of the grand cathedral in front, revealing a grand, majestic, and splendid hall ahead. The rows of seats resembling redwood appeared empty, and a special altar lay at the center of the stairs at the front, flanked by four female statues. In the dim, flickering flames, a tall figure was kneeling on one knee, with an approximate height of two meters even without standing upright.

"Alert! Alert!"

"Pollution detected!... "

When the Space-Time Monitor System’s prompt appeared, Su Ziyu knew that the previous plan to gather information and forge alliances was entirely nullified.

Because the figure standing up was left with nothing but a hollow, burned-out shell.

— "Pope Shalivan! [Corruption] [Pollution] [Fire of Sin]"

Pope Shalivan stood about five meters tall, seemingly inhuman, even larger than some members of the Divine Race. He was wearing a torn, luxurious robe, its surface eroded by time into voids, with only a thin layer of dried human skin remaining on the exposed arm, resembling withered bark. In his hands, he held two longswords, one blazing with intense flames and the other exuding a dim radiance, looking far more formidable than the weapons seen before.

"He has been eroded for a long time."

Sister Frieda said softly, "Watch out for the Sinful Greatsword in his hand!"

As the words fell.

Pope Shalivan’s figure lunged forward, the Sinful Greatsword blazing with intense flames slashing down as a dazzling light shadow.

.........