75
Chapter 75
"So... you're telling me no one has been able to reach Cardinal Karon since yesterday?"
Dominic asked in a flustered manner.
While everyone was heading to the Great Temple together.
He had been a little concerned that Cardinal Karon kept ignoring his messages, so he had asked the question.
But the answer he received was quite strange.
Not a single person here had been in contact with Cardinal Karon.
'Does that even make sense?'
Dominic could understand why Cardinal Karon wasn't responding to him, to some extent.
For some reason, Cardinal Karon had been keeping his distance. Besides, he must have had a lot to deal with regarding the Black Fang incident anyway.
But he ignored everyone's calls here?
There were over twenty people here. No matter how he looked at it, that was strange.
"Come to think of it, I haven't been able to reach an acquaintance working here either. I assumed they were just busy with work......."
But to make matters worse, even this came up.
An Archbishop shared that not only Cardinal Karon, but his acquaintance wasn't responding either.
The murmur grew louder.
Those who sensed something was off were all trying to contact people at the Great Temple.
But no answers came back.
Even when they used emergency signals, everyone remained silent.
The atmosphere grew increasingly unsettled.
Everyone had sensed to some degree that something strange had happened.
And before long... someone finally spoke up.
"Could it be the Black Fang......."
It was the thought probably everyone in this room shared, but couldn't bring themselves to say out loud.
The topic everyone had been reluctant to bring up was now on the table. Naturally, everyone's faces grew serious, including Dominic's.
'Has something truly happened to Cardinal Karon?'
Such a thought naturally crossed Dominic's mind. But that didn't quite make sense.
Cardinal Karon was a genius among geniuses.
If asked to name the person most beloved by God, Dominic would mention his name without hesitation.
Wasn't that clear just from looking at Cardinal Karon's Stigma?
An extraordinary grace, known to save anyone as long as they hadn't died.
Even His Holiness the Pope, who had disappeared for unknown reasons, did not possess such a powerful Stigma.
And his Divine Power... was at a level no one could approach. A power so immense that it was hard to believe it belonged to a single person.
It might sound foolish, but whenever Dominic saw Cardinal Karon, he felt as if hundreds of believers were gathered together.
Just how deep must his faith be to achieve such results? It was beyond his imagination.
And someone like that was killed overnight?
Everyone at the Great Temple was massacred and unable to respond?
That was far too absurd a speculation.
But... no one uttered such words. Even Dominic himself just walked in silence.
Black Fang.
Because of the weight that name carried.
Something like that could never have happened.
The power held by the name Black Fang was simply too overwhelming to make such a bold claim.
Like that, a heavy silence lingered for a long time.
And what broke that silence was.......
"......Th-This is!"
A single exclamation from someone.
The man's face instantly turned pale. Cold sweat could be seen running down his neck.
But Cardinal Dominic didn't ask him why he was reacting that way.
There was no need to ask.
He was a formidable expert ranked as the fifth strongest in the Holy See.
There was no way someone like him hadn't noticed it.
The Great Temple visible in the distance.
The massive energy radiating from it.
An immense Divine Power so vast that its limits couldn't be fathomed.
Did some kind of experiment fail?
Did something go wrong with the Holy Relic, causing the communications to be cut off?
All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind, making him dizzy.
What in the world was happening there? He had absolutely no way of knowing.
But what they needed to do right now was clear.
In this current situation.
They only had one choice.
As if they had made a pact, they quickly dashed toward the Great Temple.
And what unfolded before their eyes was.......
The sight of a white-haired man affectionately cradling a blood-stained girl in his arms.
*****
A headache naturally washed over me. It was so ridiculous that I felt like I would lose my mind at any moment.
'Why in the world are these people coming out from here?'
There should be a limit to how rigged things can be.
If what appeared before my eyes had been a citizen taking a walk here, I would have at least understood.
But the clothes those people were wearing were priest robes.
Moreover, they all exuded an extraordinary aura, suggesting their ranks were quite high.
But why on earth did those people have to appear in front of me, of all times, at this exact moment?
'Didn't that bastard Lucy kill all the people from the Holy See?'
Were there stragglers I failed to finish off? Or maybe reinforcements called by the dead had finally arrived.
[The change will occur in 10 seconds. To alleviate the pain during the change, the user's senses will be temporarily blocked.]
My head was already complicated enough as it was, but the Status Window chose this exact moment to assault my eyeballs.
Just like always, a flashing blue message window abruptly appeared, ruined my eye health, grated on my nerves, and then vanished.
Curses naturally rose to the tip of my tongue, but...
'......That's not what's important right now.'
I forced them down with superhuman patience.
Why this damn notification had gone off again wasn't something I needed to worry about right now.
If I had time to waste on such trivial things, I needed to spend it figuring out a solution.
'If I call for reinforcements right now.......'
The first thing that came to mind was summoning Ciel or Rien. I hadn't used the amulet Ciel gave me yet.
If I tore it, I could call those two over at any time.
But the real issue was....
The power those guys were using was a direct counter to our kids.
One was a kid who had nearly become the Demon King, and the other had a contract with a Demon.
Considering that disadvantage in compatibility, not to mention their sheer numbers, I couldn't completely guarantee a victory.
Even if we won, we'd have to suffer some casualties. That was by no means the best solution.
Therefore, the best plan for me to choose right now was... to win without fighting.
To leave this place without engaging in battle.
If it were an option, that would be the best possible outcome.
'...But how in the world am I supposed to do that!'
My head was spinning.
It wasn't like I was some brilliant Strategist.
How could I be expected to suddenly conjure up a flawless plan while facing down the enemy?
The only ideas popping into my head right now were pathetic, to say the least.
A ridiculous notion of using Bloodlust or something to paralyze them, just like they do in novels and comics.
But of course, there was no way I could pull something like that off in this situation.......
'...Wait a minute.'
Was that really impossible?
Of course, subduing these people with Bloodlust alone was out of the question.
But simply intimidating them was somewhat feasible.
I would bluff as a powerhouse so formidable that they wouldn't even dare to attack.
Even those guys surely valued their own lives.
If I could convince them they'd be utterly slaughtered the moment a fight broke out, the conflict could definitely be avoided.
And a method to do exactly that was slowly forming in my mind.
Let's review the current situation one more time.
Those people were, nine times out of ten, affiliated with the Holy See.
And right now, a massive slaughter was unfolding behind me.
If so, what would those people think I was?
I knew the answer without even needing to think about it.
The Leader of Black Fang.
The Leader of Black Fang, who had declared he would destroy the Holy See, had committed this massacre.
They most definitely had to be interpreting the situation that way.
If so.......
There was only one thing for me to do right now.
It wasn't a particularly difficult task.
Because it was no exaggeration to say I was practically an expert at impersonating the Leader of Black Fang.
The countless Clergy members gathered before my eyes.
Meeting their gazes, I slowly walked down the stairs.
Now at a distance where I could reach them if I just stretched out my hand.
Yet, my expression showed no signs of agitation.
I faced them expressionlessly, with the face of someone who had mastered all the world's truths.
And... before long, a man asked me.
"J-Just who in the world are you?"
Why exactly was that?
The gaze of the man asking the question was a little strange.
Rather than looking into my eyes, it seemed as though he was staring at something behind my back.
But... what could possibly be behind me?
I erased such trivial thoughts from my mind and opened my mouth to answer his question.
"That is something you should know better than I do."
Perhaps my plan was working, as the people's faces turned pale. A very good sign.
"I have always been watching you. Watching your hideous figures."
I rode the momentum and continued speaking.
A serious expression.
With a sunken, low voice, I made my declaration.
"I have come to pass judgment on you."
That I had come to deliver punishment in the name of the Leader of Black Fang.
And.......
Before long, my mind was filled with questions.
Looking back, it was bound to happen.
The scene unfolding before my eyes right now.
Their reaction was of a category I hadn't expected at all.
'...Why the hell are those bastards crying?'
And why are they suddenly praying to me out of nowhere?