Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Alderan
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“Plenty of empty seats.”
The one who strolled in leisurely from the pitch-black darkness looked around the gray round table and spoke.
There were barely ten chairs encircling a round table large enough to comfortably seat dozens up top.
Compared to the table's size, the number of chairs was few, leaving wide gaps between them, but the 'distance' between their owners was far greater than what met the eye.
That was how it was with the Saints. Some had been born and raised in this world, others were Possessors. Though they belonged to the same cult, worshiped the same god, and shared the goal of sowing chaos in the world, they were not close to one another.
“If you'd called us saying attendance was mandatory, half the seats would be filled, Sau.”
The one lounging back in his chair with his legs stretched out sneered.
Here, everyone was addressed by the baptismal names bestowed directly by the Pope. Even if you had a rough idea of who the other was, speaking their true name was taboo. Likewise, their appearances were not fully visible, and their voices were distorted from reality.
“It's just a regular meeting today. If it were something we absolutely had to attend, the Pope would have convened it himself.”
Haewol, seated at a distant chair, spoke up.
“With how chaotic the current state of affairs is, I honestly thought the Pope might call a meeting. But it doesn't seem that serious.”
“The Pope himself might intervene in the Bernok conflict.”
Agwi, with his feet propped on the chair, cackled.
“They say it's a complete hell over there. People dying every day, overflowing.”
“Seeing you laugh, it looks better than I thought.”
Gwijeon, from a distant chair, spoke.
Kiiiek... Agwi dragged his suddenly upright chair with a screech, glaring at Gwijeon. Amid the hazy mist shrouding his face, only his eyes gleamed with a chilling light.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Are you asking because you don't know?”
A suppressed laugh seeped through the altered voice.
“Panteleon. Agwi, wasn't that the place you put so much effort into? How many years did you watch it?”
“...”
“In a lawless zone like that, it's hard to take a bite. Lawless folk keep each other in check. Plus, that city's overlords seemed to ignore it on the surface, but they were always watching the outer districts.”
Crunch.
Agwi didn't reply, just glared at Gwijeon. A gaze laden with blatant killing intent. Within the mist swirling around Gwijeon's face, his eyes curved slyly.
“You invested minimal manpower to avoid drawing attention, but haha, the result was utterly pathetic. We warned you from the start—cities ruled by pride are hard to conquer.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Agwi suppressed the urge to leap from his seat and spat the words.
“The mess in Akhyang happened because you didn't do your job, Gwijeon.”
“Hah, blaming me here?”
“Subduing Demon Hall was in your territory, wasn't it? What the hell were you doing that you didn't even notice the Demonic Cult's Young Lord leaving?”
“There was hardly any info on the Young Lord before this blew up. No matter how hard I watched, how could I find someone whose face I didn't even know?”
Gwijeon shrugged and shook his head.
“You couldn't infiltrate the Subduing Demon Hall with cultists when death was guaranteed, nor attack everyone coming and going.”
“Because you were cowering in fear, the Young Lord ran wild!”
“I don't get why you're blaming me. You're the one who poked at something you couldn't even eat, without the skill for it, Agwi.”
“Enough.”
Sau, who had been sitting with arms crossed listening, spoke up. Haewol, who had been enjoying the bickering between Agwi and Gwijeon, smacked her lips in disappointment.
“What use is it dredging up the past and pointing fingers? Still, I thought Agwi's challenge was splendid.”
“Even though it failed.”
Gwijeon threw in one more jab, and Agwi's shoulders trembled.
“Hm, looks like no one else is coming.”
Sau, having calmed the situation appropriately, glanced around the surrounding darkness. In the end, only four had shown for this regular meeting. The Pope and the other Saints were absent.
“I thought we'd bring in candidates to fill the empty seats by now.”
“We don't even know how many empty seats there are.”
“You never know—maybe one's opening up in real time.”
“Oh? You mean the Bernok situation?”
Haewol's eyes sparkled as she asked.
“I've heard Bernok's turned into a living hell, too.”
Tuseong, Geukjeom, Hyeonya, Gwangryun Fawang, Chicheon, Geomgwi, Dosal Gwangdo, Gwangmyeong Geukcheon, Manyul Yuhee.
Just the famous powerhouses involved in the Bernok conflict numbered nine. And there were others whose fame wasn't as high but whose tiers weren't far behind.
Perhaps one of those renowned powerhouses was a Saint of the cult.
“No matter how brutal the place, I doubt our brothers and sisters are dropping like flies.”
Haewol said in a laughing voice.
“With the current seats not even filled, I hope no more open up. Doesn't seem like we have anyone worthy of elevation to Saint anyway.”
“Hmph, I just need one seat empty.”
Agwi, still glaring at Gwijeon, spoke.
“The one for Him. That seat must never be filled.”
“Has He descended yet?”
Haewol tilted her head curiously.
“You never know? He might have already come over but not joined the cult.”
“No way.”
Agwi declared firmly.
“If He had crossed into this world, He would have joined the cult without question.”
“What if He's not an Apostle?”
“You think that's possible? No one's guided more Possessors than Him—who else would be the Apostle if not Him?”
“Hm, I don't know much about this Him you speak of... but what if He's already among us?”
Haewol giggled at the immediate response and spoke.
“As a suspected Apostle, doesn't he have a shot at being the Pope? Or Yulho? Sau, what about you?”
Suddenly singled out, Sau burst into laughter. He casually raised a hand to stroke his lower face beyond the mist, as if tugging an invisible beard.
“Me, an Apostle? It's an honor just to imagine. But I'm no Apostle.”
“He hasn't crossed into this world yet.”
Agwi spoke again. Even Gwijeon, who had been sniping nonstop, didn't mock Him. He nodded in agreement.
“I think the same. He... isn't the type to hide Himself.”
“Why?”
“He... enjoys having followers.”
This time Agwi answered. Haewol alternated glances between Agwi and Gwijeon, seated far apart, and giggled.
“Heh, Agwi, Gwijeon—you two bicker like enemies every meeting, but you're always in sync about Him. Well, Possessors do get obsessive about Him.”
“Speaking like you're not a Possessor yourself.”
At Gwijeon's jab, Haewol covered her mouth beyond the mist and laughed.
“Enough with the obvious probing? Consider how I feel after ten years of suspicion.”
“Now, now. You'll start fighting again. With so few here, why not make it pleasant?”
Sau, in the center, stepped in to mediate once more.
“First off, Gwijeon—this topic isn't meant to mock you. It's essential for this meeting, so bear with it.”
“It's about the Demonic Cult, I take it.”
Unlike with Agwi, Gwijeon's attitude was indifferent. Sau was a longtime Saint with the Pope's trust—not someone you treated like Agwi. And regardless, Demonic Cult matters were grave.
“What do you all think of the Demonic Cult's declaration of war?”
“Isn't that too heavy a topic for a meeting without the Pope?”
“Hoho, true, but personal opinions matter too, don't they?”
“To go to full war with the Demonic Cult, all Saints would need to assemble.”
Gwijeon coughed dryly and continued.
“I doubt the Pope will issue a full muster... So like always, we just do as we please?”
“Even if the Demonic Cult declared war, finding us won't be easy. They have as many enemies as we do.”
“If we clash head-on, it could spark massive chaos, but we'd both be all-in. Then the others profit—other cults, Cartel, Righteous Heavenly Alliance. Plenty would laugh if we and the Demonic Cult collided.”
The common view was clear: no one wanted full war with the Demonic Cult, and it was sound reasoning. In a regular meeting without the Pope, radical proposals were impossible anyway.
“Hm, agreement on the Demonic Cult. Glad to hear it.”
Sau nodded with a smile.
“Gwijeon, I know your efforts well, but from now on, keep a closer eye on the Demonic Cult. Especially any large-scale forces or troops leaving the Subduing Demon Hall.”
“Recently, most large groups or forces leaving the Demonic Cult are heading to Seonryeong.”
“Ah, Seonryeong—the place with the newly completed training ground?”
“Not just Demonic Cult elites, but kids bought from the Subduing Demon Hall or elsewhere... or kidnapped, all funneled into Seonryeong's training grounds. Ages vary wildly—from early teens to past thirty.”
“Overseeing dioceses near Seonryeong was Hwajo's job. Shame he's not here.”
Sau let out a quiet sigh before continuing.
“Then next: any leads on the Order Church's movements?”
“Isn't tracking the Order Church Yulho's job?”
“Hoho, yes, but our brothers here might have brushed some small clue.”
“The Order Church hid in the Sanctuary and hasn't emerged in twenty years.”
“The War Church's hounds, with their keen noses, haven't sniffed them out in decades either.”
Agwi snorted and leaned back in his chair.
“Who knows if they even tried hard? All cults except us were together in the Union until twenty years ago—maybe they're all in cahoots?”
“Hmph, or maybe they fear Tuseong's ferocity. When the Order Church's banishment from the Union was decided twenty years back, that mad bitch Hyungseong went berserk trying to kill Tuseong, right?”
“Hyungseong hasn't surfaced in years lately. That bothers me. Up to five years ago, she'd pop up now and then. Especially if some bigwig badmouthed the Order Church openly—she'd appear like a ghost and cause 'divine punishment' violence. Not anymore.”
“Hope she entered qi deviation and croaked.”
Gwijeon muttered curses openly, and Agwi nodded. Their hatred for Hyungseong wasn't just wariness—it included real fear. Not just them, but most Possessor Saints felt it.
-Someday Hyungseong will come to punish you.
All Possessor Saints had killed their assigned Order priests. This was before the Order Church secluded itself in the Sanctuary twenty years ago. Not every Possessor who killed their priest became a Saint, but all Saints who acknowledged themselves as Possessors had slain theirs.
“Then next: how's diocese management?”
“Hahaha.”
Gwijeon burst out laughing the moment Sau asked. He stared pointedly at Agwi and sneered.
“I'm curious too. Isn't the one who botched years of effort on a diocese right here?”
Crunch.
The grinding sound came with the mist over Agwi's face shaking violently.
“I hear you've been gathering holy power for years to terrorize Panteleon—haha, what now?”
“You bastard.”
Agwi couldn't hold back and shot to his feet.
“I'm already prepping the next one. I'll blow it sky-high in days—shut up.”
“Oh yeah? What, how, where? Akhyang's bishop's dead, most cultists hunted down, as I hear?”
“Agwi, not to mock you, but best not stir up pointless trouble.”
Haewol, who had been spectating from a safe distance, spoke up more directly this time.
“Panteleon's outer diocese was already purged, wasn't it? I know you've gathered holy power for years, but blowing it in a purged diocese won't topple Panteleon.”
“Hmph, who said Panteleon?”
Gwijeon's eyes blazed.
“Got a big event brewing right by me.”
“My god, no way.”
Haewol's eyes widened in the mist.
“You're planning terror at Alderan's magic expo? Agwi, you don't seem rational.”
“Uhaha!”
Gwijeon clutched his stomach laughing.
“Scared shitless for real? Gonna cover failure with reckless bullshit?”
“Hmph, is wiping out one expo hall— not even a whole city—reckless?”
“Agwi, what are you saying? That expo's smack in the city center!”
Haewol raised her voice in frustration. Terror was terror, but the aftermath was the issue. Even for a Saint like Agwi, pulling off terror in Alderan's heart and escaping unscathed was no small feat.
“Alderan's got Cartel pride there! You aren't dismissing the Maybeld Family as nobodies, right? Their private guards and retainers alone could sweep mid-tier sects! And—and Alderan has Haberth Magic Tower and the Earth Church's temple!”
“I'll turn the expo hall into a pseudo-Sanctuary.”
Agwi wouldn't budge. He glared at Haewol with bulging eyes.
“I've secured enough holy power, and with me at the center, I can build a pseudo-Sanctuary over the expo hall. Earth Church? Idiot! The archbishop's at the Union bishops' conference—only bishop-level priests left in the Earth temple now! Even with Maybeld, Haberth Tower, and Earth bishops, breaking a built pseudo-Sanctuary from outside is impossible!”
“What about inside? Thousands of mages at the expo...!”
For a Saint like Agwi, massacring expo attendees was easy. Even so, Haewol pointed it out. In her view, terror in central Alderan was insane.
“Hmph, so what? Do I have reason to fear those small fries? In a pseudo-Sanctuary, mana is suppressed—anyone below 7th Tier Tower Lord level loses mana control drastically. Most mages won't cast!”
“Oh, not just venting emotionally, then?”
Clap clap. Gwijeon clapped and laughed.
“Even so...! There's a chance of 7th Tier+ mages at the expo? And non-mages like martial artists are less affected by mana suppression...”
“Enough.”
Sau intervened.
“Splendid plan.”
Haewol assumed Sau would rein in Agwi, but he genuinely exclaimed in admiration.
“I haven't heard of Tower Lords attending Alderan's expo. Geukjeom might've been invited otherwise, but he's in Bernok now. Other bigshots will show on the final day—so avoid that, and Agwi's plan has high odds. True, martial artists suffer less from mana suppression, but why would Agwi fear them?”
“Exactly my point!”
Agwi's voice rose higher with the support he craved.
Panteleon's failure had narrowed Agwi's standing among Saints. The diocese purged, many followers lost. That alone wasn't dire, but the problem was the 'tail' exposed.
The Demonic Cult Young Lord's visit to Panteleon's diocese was no coincidence. The Heavenly Demon picked it for his declaration of war, sending the Young Lord.
The bishop there, Gomuk Nopa, was a Ludelra Magic Tower escapee. That's how the tail got stepped on, but regardless, Agwi dispatched her. Escaped cultists traced meant even her hideout raided. That rotten old hag's mismanagement caused it, but she was already dead.
So Agwi bore the blame. No use protesting—Yulho wouldn't listen and would punish him. Surely not stripping Saint status... but divine grace would diminish.
Fellow Saints weren't unconditional allies. They bit at openings, especially Gwijeon, whom Agwi wary of.
“No prep needed! I'll go blow it myself. Could do it tomorrow!”
“Hoho, naturally. Agwi, you've gathered holy power for Panteleon far longer—no sweat for one expo hall into a pseudo-Sanctuary.”
Sau chuckled softly, stroking his misty beard.
“Not crude slaughter, but using pseudo-Sanctuary—brilliant. That'll scar Alderan deep. Plus, infuse your authority into it, make it 'wood'—harvest thousands of souls trapped in the hall. Devouring that many might even shatter your wall—who knows, maybe congratulate you early?”
“Hmph... Stuffing souls won't shatter the wall willy-nilly.”
Gwijeon grumbled, displeased at Sau's unexpected agreement.
“Haha, true. Need caution too. 7th Tier+ mages are variables. So Agwi, scout the hall's mages before building the pseudo-Sanctuary.”
“Of course.”
“And from what I know, those brats who ruined your Panteleon work are in Alderan now.”
Agwi's body twitched.
“Sword Dragon and Thunder Cloud... haha, no—Cloud Dragon, Dark Flame. Don't know about Sword Dragon, but Cloud Dragon and Dark Flame seem expo-sightseeing. Drag them into the pseudo-Sanctuary—punish and save face.”
Agwi stared at Sau without replying. Sau stroked his misty beard and continued leisurely.
“Well, even if they dodge the pseudo-Sanctuary, just two 5th Tier brats... you can kill them anywhere?”
Agwi shrugged with laughter.
“Those little shits are here?”
Agwi's eyes gleamed murderously.