The hall was silent. Everyone in it stared at the intruder, who was shaking in rage and fury. Ah Dai's eyes were terrifying to be looked upon, for his pupils held horrifying agony and pain in it.

"NO! NO! NO!"

His screams echoed repeatedly throughout the hall. Xuan Yue, upon the pedestal, saw Ah Dai, and broke apart.

"A-Ah Dai, you're too late... you're too late..."

All the hidden emotions within Xuan Yue burst out at the moment, as grief and regret turned into tears. Grief in not being able to marry the one she loved, and regret in not stopping the wedding herself. Xuan Yue covered her eyes with her sleeve, turning away her head as she could not bear to see Ah Dai in such agony. The Pope too turned away his head, too in some distant regret and pain for his granddaughter.

"T-this cannot be real r-right? This has to b-be a joke, yes, it must be! Yue Yue c-couldn't have married Ba Bu Yi, she doesn't love him, right?"

Ah Dai looked around the hall, trying to see some sort of agreement upon his shuddering screams, but all was silent in disagreement. The crowd was terrified at the sight of his mad eyes, as the truth cemented onto him. Ah Dai felt all hope and joy leave him, and his heart felt as if it had been utterly crushed by a hammer.

"You dare show such disrespect to God and cause such a scene here, bastard? I should have killed you the moment I found out you were the disciple of The King of Hell."

A stern voice called out below the altar where Xuan Yue and Ba Bu Yi. The figure was cloaked in red, with long, golden hair, looking staunchly at Ah Dai. Ah Dai knew this figure too well, as he turned towards him a dark thought had started to form in his mind.

"You... Xuan Ye..."

Ah Dai's previously painful and empty heart had started to fill up with something he had never felt before. Even when other of his most precious people died in front of him, Ah Dai had only felt extreme anguish and great regret. But now with the absence of every single of his most loved ones, Ah Dai felt his heart be consumed by raw hunger - hunger for destruction and chaos. His rational thought had started to be consumed by raw emotion and power.

"Such a delusional oaf, aren't you? Thinking that you could be with my daughter, of her status as his holiness the Pope's granddaughter. Your position couldn't be fit for shining her shoes yet you think that you had a chance?"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Xuan Ye's belittling words only quickened Ah Dai's descent into madness. His face twisted into a cruel grin, the naive and kind boy now forgotten in some distant corner of his mind.

"Me with Yue Yue? I knew from the start that you would not approve, but I believed her happiness would be the most important thing for you. Ha! What a fool I was, what a fool..."

Xuan Ye sneered.

"If you know that you could never be with her, then why are you here interrupting the most important event of her life? Did you truly think you could have done something? To stop the wedding?"

Ah Dai's grin died into a melancholic expression. It seemed as if the raw rage had passed on, and something else had taken control...

"Why am I here? Tell me then, Xuan Ye, what is the purpose to a man's life? What defines a man's existence? What is it that makes a man, a man?"

Xuan Ye did not answer Ah Dai, but narrowed his eyes. He felt something uncomfortable fill him, like as if he was experiencing the calm before the storm.

"A man's life... a man's life... IS USED TO PROTECT THOSE HE LOVES!"

Xuan Ye flinched from Ah Dai's shout. There seemed to be an immense power behind Ah Dai's voice now, and Xuan Ye could not help but feel smaller in front of him. He looked carefully into Ah Dai's eyes, and when he saw the madness and insanity within, his breath hitched. Ah Dai continued to scream.

"IF A MAN CANNOT PROTECT THOSE WHO HE LOVES..." Ah Dai paused as if gathering more energy.

"WHAT A FAILURE THEY MUST BE!" Ah Dai was trembling now. Xuan Ye should have felt some relief at his trembling, but he knew that it wasn't out of fear, but something much more sinister...

"LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!" All anger, hate, resentment, guilt, and heartbreak built over his life exploded outwards at this moment. Ah Dai clutched his head, like as if he was trying to control something inside him. His voice went much quieter, no longer a scream but a disturbing whisper.

"Uncle Owen... Bing'er... Teacher Gliss... Ya Tou... Mie Feng... all gone, all dead because I couldn't protect them..."

The tension in the hall was extreme, so much so that the drop of a pin could set off a massive reaction. Xuan Ye gestured to the other Red-Robed Bishops. This Ah Dai was but a ticking bomb, ready to set off at any moment, and given his massive cultivation, posed a massive threat.

"And now Yue Yue? Gone, like that? Gone because I couldn't protect her happiness?"

The Red-Robed Bishops, including Xuan Ye prepared to cast spells at any signs of aggression, but the Pope still simply stood there with lament in his eyes. Ah Dai tilted his head.

"But she isn't dead, Yue Yue is still here. I can get her back. Do you think I will let this slip?"

All of the Holy Churches Knights, Ivory-Robed Bishops, and Inquisitors prepared for battle. The conflict was unavoidable - it was just a matter of how many would die.

"No! Ah Dai, don't take that route! Whatever happens, don't fight them!"

A familiar male voice called out. Ah Dai ignored it.

"If I cannot be with Yue Yue..."

The Pope clenched his hands, and sighed.

"...Then what is the point of living?"