Borde City, Eastern District, in a secluded villa.

High Priest Leonard stood in a room with closed doors and windows, anxiously observing the altar before him.

It was a hastily arranged sacrificial altar commonly used by cultists to communicate with Evil Gods.

In its design, he drew various runes engraved that resembled those used by the cults to enhance spiritual perception, inspired by the Blood Demon Cult.

In the Holy Court's records, where various evil rituals were on the verge of breaking out, cultists often used these runes to communicate with ancient and mysterious beings. Some crazed individuals even caused a series of disasters because they didn't even know who they were praying to. Evil rituals like these were always severely punished by the Holy Court.

However, the High Priest never imagined that one day he would be constructing such an evil ritual and performing a sinister summoning himself...

Applying the blood of high-ranking extraordinary creatures to the runes above the altar, the High Priest solemnly sketched the thorny rose holy symbol in the center of the altar according to the parchment.

The entity he intended to communicate with... was none other than the mysterious Evil God that had recently appeared in the Borde Duchy!

This idea came to him when the Grand Knight died.

At that time, the Grand High Priest was merely filled with anxiety due to the possibility that the Holy Court's upper echelons would investigate him, which led to the crazy idea of seeking refuge with the Evil God.

He knew this idea was insane, so he suppressed it afterward, wanting only to unassociated himself from the Grand Knight's death as much as possible and find a way to suppress the news of the Evil God's resurrection...

However, the events that followed later forced him to reconsider this possibility.

The Flame Demon's descent last night was witnessed by almost the entire Borde City, and many also saw the mysterious powerful figure who defeated it. Mortals only felt the immense power, but didn't understand its significance. However, as the highest-ranking clergy in Borde, the High Priest knew that it was the Evil God who had intervened.

Not only that, but he also believed that many Second Tier Priests in Borde, and even some knowledgeable First Tier Priests, could guess that it was an Evil God incarnation. In fact... this morning at the cathedral, he heard many priests discussing it in secret, and even the commoners on the streets were discussing the strange events of last night.

The Evil God's resurrection couldn't be concealed. The upper echelons of the Holy Court would undoubtedly intervene strongly, and even Legendary Judgment Knights might be mobilized.

The scandal of the Dreaming Salon had also been exposed, revealing the alliance between the Dreaming Salon and the Blood Demon Cult. Even the Blood Demon Cult's God's Descent Ritual was displayed to the world along with last night's Flame Demon appearance...

With all these events unfolding, as the High Priest of Borde, he had many responsibilities, and many matters couldn't withstand investigation. He had to secure his own future...

With these thoughts in mind, the High Priest took a deep breath and lit all the incense sticks that enhanced his spiritual power and perception.

He took out a small dagger, cut his palm, and let the blood drip into the groove of the altar. Then, with solemnity, he chanted in a deep voice.

"O Mighty being who defeated the Flame Demon Valaroka..."

"The Owner of Thorny Rose..."

"I, Leonard, the High Priest of the Holy Court in Borde... beseech your attention!"

The High Priest didn't know the prayer chants directed towards this mysterious Evil God.

So... he could only substitute it by using their holy symbol and deeds.

Although this decreased his chances of success, as a highly spiritual being himself, coupled with the fact that the other party had just appeared in Borde City, he felt confident in his ability to communicate with the other side.

After praying, the High Priest anxiously watched the altar before him.

However, as time passed, he received no response.

Seeing the silent altar, the High Priest's hopeful and expectant gaze gradually dimmed.

Just when he thought he had failed, the candles in the secret chamber suddenly began to flicker. The candlelight flashed, illuminating the dim room, and the incense smoke curled up without wind.

The High Priest's heart trembled.

He looked up hastily, only to see the altar he arranged suddenly radiating a crimson light, instantly engulfing everything around it.

The High Priest was astonished.

And when he came to his senses again, he found that the surroundings had changed.

He was no longer in the villa's secret chamber but appeared in a towering ancient castle.

Is this... an illusion?

The High Priest's heart skipped a beat.

He looked around nervously and cautiously, only to see boundless crimson mist within the castle. The mist shrouded everything, making it difficult to see clearly. He could vaguely make out a staircase leading straight up ahead.

And at the top of the stairs, there seemed to be a crimson figure sitting on a throne.

The High Priest couldn't see the figure clearly, but he felt it was a twisted silhouette that made his brain ache and his spirit falter at a glance.

He instantly realized what he was experiencing.

Success!

My call was successful!

This mysterious Evil God heard my call and brought me into this illusion!

The High Priest quickly made this judgment.

Taking a deep breath, he knelt down without waiting for the silhouette on the throne to speak, respectfully saying.

"High Priest Leonard from the Holy Court of Borde... I pay my respects to your noble and mighty presence!"

As soon as he said this, the High Priest felt a majestic gaze sweep over him and settle on his body.

He didn't dare to lift his head, fearing to anger this terrifying Evil God, who had torn a legendary demon in half like slaughtering a chicken just yesterday. Instead, he tried to show more respect and submission as much as possible.

Soon, he heard a hoarse, profound, and indistinct chuckle.

"The High Priest of the Holy Court... Why do you pray to me?"

She responded!

The High Priest's heart trembled slightly as he quickly replied.

"Noble and mighty being!"

"Last night, I witnessed your unparalleled greatness, your radiance, and felt your immense power..."

"I... want to make a deal with you!"

Yes, the High Priest wanted to make a deal with this mysterious Evil God.

Throughout history, there have been countless examples of mortals making deals with Gods. Some lucky ones even received blessings or divine favors from the Gods.

Some were mere whims of the Gods, while others were a test of the mortals' faith, and some... were the Gods wanting to use mortals to achieve certain goals.

The High Priest's idea was grand and audacious—to collaborate with this Evil God as the High Priest of the Holy Court!

He believed that the other party could sense the power of the Holy Court, the terror of the Holy Court...

Even for an Evil God who could easily kill a Legendary demon, as long as her true form walked the mortal realm in Saint form, she would inevitably attract the pursuit of the Holy Court, until she fell!

He believed that for an Evil God in urgent need of recovery and departure from the mortal realm, the information within the Holy Court was crucial.

He wanted to exchange the secrets of the Holy Court for the other party's protection and covert support, to help him deal with the upcoming investigations by the church!

As long as he reached an agreement with the Evil God, in the absence of the Grand Knight, he might be able to erase all traces before the church sent someone and push all the blame onto the internal struggles of the Bloodborne dukes...

The High Priest's mind raced.

Meanwhile, hidden on the Blood Throne, Charlotte heard his thoughts loud and clear...