Wizard: I Have a Cultivation System

"Heh heh... Heheheh..." Calvin’s voice was sharp and venomous. "We’ll remember you... Star? Just wait to be devoured by the withering..."

No sound came from Muriyas, perhaps because he no longer had the strength to speak, but the panicked streak of light that had fled desperately into the rift said it all.

The Holy City fell into a deathly silence once more.

However, there was no atmosphere of elation or relief among the Church Court’s faction.

The excitement on Pope Ete I’s face had long since frozen, replaced by a deep, unconcealable dread. The hand he used to grip his Scepter was so tight, his knuckles had turned white.

On the Great Shepherd Leader’s face, which was like a sculpture of ice, the blizzard in his left eye and the polar night sky in his right both began to spin at an astonishing rate, showing that he was nowhere near as calm as he appeared.

Cardinals such as Adrian and Ambrosius exchanged glances, their eyes filled with horror.

They had originally thought that even if this "Thunder Sword" was hiding his true strength, he was at most a powerful Elementalization Wizard they needed to recruit.

But those four swords... With pure power, they had swept through wind, thunder, water, and earth. He had almost single-handedly crushed the offensive launched by three Wizards and forced a fourth to retreat... This was completely beyond their comprehension of individual power!

How was this an ally to be recruited?

This was clearly an uncontrollable and peerless weapon, one capable of shattering the current world order!

The Church Court had spent a millennium accumulating faith, mobilized countless high-tier clergy, and had the Pope and the Great Shepherd Leader join forces just to barely maintain a stalemate. And now, that stalemate had been forcefully overturned—almost shattered—by a single person with just four swords?

Such power was too horrifying, and... too uncontrollable.

It far surpassed the power that Noe VII had wielded on the Continent before he entered the Sanctuary.

In the midst of this deathly, heavy silence, the three-inch sword hovering in the air suddenly pulsed with a soft halo of light once more.

As the light flowed, Murphy’s figure reappeared upon the sword, coalescing like ripples in water.

His gaze swept over the high places of the Holy City.

When William IV met his gaze, he involuntarily leaned back slightly. He forced a stiff, conciliatory smile, but his panicked eyes quickly darted away.

Legendary Knight Otto’s expression was complicated. He met Murphy’s gaze, then lowered his head.

The Ironspine Duke’s gaze met Murphy’s in the air for a brief moment.

The face of this ever-inscrutable Duke was once again devoid of expression.

The Imperial Chancellor of the Rotalia Empire wore a solemn expression and gave a slight bow. Director Ulysses and Charles did likewise, though Charles could hardly conceal his excitement and curiosity, not daring to let it show too obviously.

The Duke of Orleans had completely abandoned any attempt to remain composed, his face a mask of pure awe, while Knight Armand at his side kept his head thoroughly bowed and his eyes lowered.

Ostun and the Gray Robe Wizard did the same, lowering their heads when Murphy’s gaze swept toward them.

Finally, Murphy’s gaze returned to the altar, falling upon Pope Ete I, the Northern Great Shepherd Leader, and the assembled Cardinals.

His eyes were calm, yet they seemed to carry an immense weight, making every high-ranking member of the Church Court he gazed upon feel an intangible pressure.

Then, he spoke.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly across the silent plaza, spoken in standard Ancient Xi’en Language:

"Ete I. Saint Cyril."

"Your coronation today was meant to consolidate faith, restore the prestige of the Church Court, and protect the peace of the Continent."

"And yet, before the coronation was even complete, a profane sigil erupted in the plaza, disrupting the Holy Bell ceremony, triggering planar instability, and causing the seal on the Sanctuary to weaken. This is your first failure—a failure of oversight, a failure of preparedness."

"When the Plane Rift opened and the power of an ancient calamity poured out, you and the College of Cardinals were slow to respond. You failed to contain its spread at the first opportunity, instead allowing the Withering Wind, the annihilating lightning, and the Endless Spring to ravage the Holy City, consume its people, and defile the Holy Land. This is your second failure—a failure of indecisiveness and an incompetent response."

"You claim to uphold justice and defend order, yet you stood idly by as the citizens of the Holy City cried out and perished in the disaster, virtually helpless. Had it not been for outside intervention, the casualties would have been immeasurable, and the Church Court’s authority would have been wiped out. This is your third failure—a failure of incompetence, unworthy of the responsibility of the Holy Throne."

"With these three failures, the Holy City lies in ruins, the faithful have perished, and the people’s faith is shaken. You, Ete I, are no longer qualified to wear this crown, to wield this Scepter, or to sit upon this Holy Throne."

The moment he said this, the entire plaza erupted in an uproar!

Innumerable gazes, all filled with disbelief, focused on Murphy.

He was... He was actually accusing the Pope and directly demanding that he abdicate!

This was no mere questioning; this was a blatant challenge to the supreme authority of the Church Court!

Pope Ete I’s face instantly turned livid, his chest heaving. He was clearly seething with rage.

The Cardinals at his side were both shocked and enraged. Adrian couldn’t stop himself from taking a step forward and shouting, "Thunder Sword! You may have rendered a great service to the Holy City, but this is an internal affair of the Church Court! The Pope’s Throne was determined by the College of Cardinals, crowned by a Saint, and witnessed by Oriane! How dare you stand here and make such reckless accusations, let alone..."

"In that case," Murphy interrupted him, his gaze shifting to the edge of the altar, toward the figure in pure white who had been watching him, a fire rekindling in her eyes. "Let a true Saint take charge of the Church Court, to set things right and walk the true path of protection and salvation."

His voice was clear and resolute, echoing over the silent plaza:

"I propose that Saint Elizabeth temporarily assume the duties of the Pope, until the Church Court elects a new leader with the virtue and ability to shoulder this great responsibility."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across the Church Court’s leaders on the altar, their faces a mixture of expressions, and then across the dumbfounded representatives of the various factions. Finally, his eyes came to rest back on Ete I’s face, which was now twisted with rage and disbelief.

"Now..."

"Who is in favor, and who is opposed?"