Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 210: Judgement

The heavy door groaned as it swung open, its hinges grinding against the stone, sending a shudder through the narrow corridor.

Ren and Lilith exchanged a glance before standing from the stone bench they'd been on. They'd been in this room for hours, and at this point, any news was good news.

Two senior Chosen stepped into view from both sides of the door, their white cloaks making them stand out against the dark walls. They were both carrying spears, which looked like a personal choice of weapon, as they had been engraved with indistinguishable images.

"Come." One of them said.

Ren and Lilith followed without hesitation, their boots echoing on the cold floor as they were led deeper into the bowels of the wall complex. The air grew more stale the farther they went.

Finally, they were ushered into a large room.

The room looked like it had been carved out of the wall, instead of being built into it, the walls gleaming pale under shafts of muted sunlight filtering through tall, narrow windows.

In the center stood a marble dais, raised high above the floor. Atop it, like a sovereign upon a throne of judgment, sat the Bishop of Summerhold.

His white cloak pooled around him like a tide, embroidered in shimmering gold. His eyes were sharp, his cheekbones high, and his mouth a thin line of perpetual disapproval. freёwebnoѵel.com

His gaze fell on Ren and Lilith with such weight that even the Chosen who escorted them lowered their heads before retreating.

The room fell silent.

Ren straightened his spine, keeping his posture respectful but unwilling to back down. Lilith matched him, keeping her expression composed, her hands clasped before her.

"Step forward." The Bishop commanded, voice low but traveling far in the room.

They did.

The Bishop wasted no time. "You claim to be survivors of Rainhold."

It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.

"Yes, Your Eminence." Ren said.

"Tell me everything." The Bishop ordered. "From the beginning."

Ren launched into the story they had prepared, carefully weaving a tale of truth and omission.

He painted a picture of how the infected breached the walls, how chaos reigned, how the Chosen Florian had gathered the few of the new Chosen, with Ren and Lilith among them, and led them on the orders of Father Francis to secure the walls of Rainhold.

He described Florian's final sacrifice, how the man had unleashed all his stored resonance in a single barrier that saved them when the explosion engulfed Rainhold.

Lilith remained mostly silent, nodding where appropriate. She looked so… innocent and pitiful, Ren almost did a double take when he saw it.

But the Bishop was not easily satisfied.

He interrupted frequently, peppering them with questions designed to trip them up.

"What proof do you have that you were truly in Rainhold?"

"I met Father Francis myself, Your Eminence." He answered. "I don't think an impostor would know the name of the specific member of the Synod that died in Rainhold. It isn't public knowledge, is it?"

The Bishop hummed, staring at Ren with narrowed eyes. "So, you were far from the site of the explosion, and even then, it took a senior Chosen's death to protect you?"

Ren said nothing.

After a long, tense pause, the Bishop leaned back in his throne.

"Your resonance." He said abruptly. "Demonstrate it."

Ren and Lilith exchanged a glance.

Without hesitation, they raised their hands. They hadn't really practiced with their resonances on purpose, as they were newly Chosen without training, but that didn't mean they couldn't activate their resonances.

A soft hum filled the air as Push and Pull vibrated against one another, the two forces intimately tied yet fundamentally opposed. The floor around them cracked faintly, unable to bear the strain of their tightly controlled powers.

The Bishop's frown deepened.

There was something… different about their resonance. It was just too fluid. Too perfect.

Ren felt the moment his Resonance magic went up a level due to Unfettered Enhancement, but kept his expression neutral.

"Very well." The Bishop steepled his fingers. "Swear loyalty to the Creator."

Ren inclined his head. "I swear, by my soul and my blood, to serve the Creator in all things for the rest of my days."

Lilith followed a heartbeat later, her voice sweet and pure, her smile so radiant that even the most cynical cleric might have been convinced.

But for those who looked closely, they'd see that the tiny twitch at the corner of her mouth could mean something else.

Something mocking.

The Bishop's narrowed eyes said he noticed, but as Lilith had intended, he couldn't decide if she'd actually been mocking or it had been a trick of light. But he chose to let it go. For now.

The Bishop sat there for almost a minute, just watching them. The silence in the air was filled with tension, Ren waiting for what the man would decide. He was the gatekeeper for their whole mission into the church.

Finally, the Bishop raised a hand. "We welcome you, Chosens Ren and Lilith, to Summerhold and accept you with open arms." He said grudgingly. "By the will of the Creator. And necessity."

Ren bowed his head slightly, hiding his relief.

"Due to your valor in protecting those refugees," the Bishop continued, voice carefully neutral, "you will be assigned under Chosen Kevin and Jean. They will evaluate your further service."

Lilith inclined her head demurely. Ren offered a clipped, respectful nod.

The Bishop's gaze turned cold. "But you're not off the hook, Chosen. Any sign of betrayal or any doubt about your loyalty, and you will be purged. The Creator's light has no tolerance for darkness within its walls."

Lilith smiled sweetly again, while Ren kept his expression stoic, even as a spark of amusement flickered in his chest. They were in. That was all that mattered.

Just as the Bishop waved a hand to dismiss them, the doors at the far end of the hall burst open.

A Chosen stumbled in, breathless, sweat streaking down his temple.

"Your Eminence!" The young man gasped, bowing deeply. "Messengers from the Capital have arrived bearing urgent news!"

"You might want to see this."