"Ede doesn''t mean anythingpared to the rest of the bay. Once the Pope finds out, he will send his men toe for you. You''re in luck, for I''m a man who appreciates talent. You''re powerful enough, and I can let you control the military forces in Ede if you join us. Aside from me, you''ll be the most powerful person in Ede starting from now," Aiden offered.


    "Did you think I''d say yes to that?" Wilbur question.


    Aiden blinked at Wilbur, looking calm as ever. "The way I see it, you don''t really have a choice."


    "Oh, that''s where you''re wrong. I do have a choice, and that''s to kill you, and then sit on that throne of yours while I wait for the Pope to show up."


    Wilbur summoned the Magic Dragon de to appear in his grasp. Kino, who had been lying on the ground, sensed an overwhelming murderous aura and stared at Aiden in terror. "Help me, Bishop Aiden! Please save me!"


    Wilbur swung his de, and Kino copsed onto the ground lifelessly. However, Wilbur did not stop there and continued to make his way to Aiden.


    "You have two choices now, Aiden. Either you tell me where the Pope is or meet your demise."


    Aiden took a deep breath. "I think there''s still room for negotiations. Maybe there''s another way of doing this."


    "I''m going to count to three. You better give me an answer by then," Wilbur threatened.


    "One, two..."


    Aiden was stunned by the aura surging out from Wilbur. He leaped off his throne at once and begged, "Please, sir! I surrender! I''ll tell you where the Pope is! The thing is, the Pope has already nned to turn all of Burd Bay into a raging sea of mes, and no one can change his mind."


    "God, you sure talk a lot."


    Wilbur grabbed Aiden by the throat, lifting him into the air. "Tell me where the Pope is, or I''ll have your head this very second."


    Aiden struggled with all his might until Wilbur eventually dropped him onto the ground. He gasped loudly, chest heaving as he sputtered, "I''ll talk, I''ll talk! The Pope is now in Tasha, the capital of Brunda. It''s at the heart of Burd Bay. The Pope is controlling the wars from there, and attacking Skermann was also his orders."


    "Why did he choose to attack Skermann?"


    "The Pope spent a year gathering enough resources, and now Skermann has lost its usefulness. Most of the refugees across Burd Bay had fled to Skermann as well. Attacking Skermann is the only way to drag them into the wars. No nation is safe from this, and those are the Pope''s orders given to him right from God himself."


    Realization struck Wilbur at once. There was no doubt that the Pope of the Church of Holy Illuminati had sacrificed his spirit to the evil gods and chose Burd Bay as a target of contribution.