Bluffs, Banishments, and Bounties

However, Freid was muttering in a state of sheer panic.

"This is insane... This can't be happening... To think I've joined hands with the Avatar of Archisus... I'm going to die! I'm dead meat!"

"Excuse me..."

"Maybe it's better if I just head back to the Demon Realm... I can't go to Mosrak's territory, but surely there's another Demon Duke who would accept my surrender... Argh! But I don't even have any treasures left! What am I supposed to do?!"

"Take this! Archisus Beam!"

"Aaaah! It's the Archisus Beam! Save meeee!"

Freid threw himself onto the ground and rolled around frantically. Tae-hyun looked down at him with a thoroughly bewildered expression.

'Now this is an interesting skill.'

Anyone else would have scoffed and called it a useless, trash-tier skill, but Tae-hyun took an immediate liking to it. It was the perfect tool for creating unexpected variables! A skill like this was bound to find a use sooner or later.

'I'm glad I invested in Supreme Eloquence. It's really paying off with skills like this...'

Freid finally regained his composure and stood up, dusting himself off.

"Avatar of Archisus... What on earth do you have against me to torture me like this?!"

"What do you mean, 'what do I have against you'? My proposal to join forces against Mosrak was completely genuine."

"Ah... I suppose that makes sense. Since Archisus deceived and humiliated Mosrak so thoroughly, it's only natural that the two of you would be mortal enemies!"

Freid nodded in understanding. Since Archisus had tricked Mosrak and subjected him to such disgrace, their hostile relationship was a given.

"Thank goodness... For a second, I thought I was just a helpless pawn dancing in the palm of Archisus's hand. Whew."

In truth, that was exactly what he was. Tae-hyun decided to keep that to himself for the sake of the demon's mental health.

"So... is our alliance still on?"

"Didn't I just tell you no?"

"?!"

"You don't have a single penny to your name, man! You have to offer something of value for this to be an alliance!"

"How typical of the Avatar of Archisus...! How can anyone be so utterly wicked?!"

"Could you please not call common sense 'wicked'?"

Freid fell into deep thought at Tae-hyun's words. Having lost his secret sanctuary, Tae-hyun was the only one who could protect him from Mosrak's wrath. The other demons on the continent? The chances of them helping him were even lower than Tae-hyun's. If anything, they were more likely to sell him out to Mosrak. Demons, by nature, were far from a cooperative race.

In contrast, Tae-hyun was actually somewhat trustworthy in that regard. As the Avatar of Archisus, he was Mosrak's sworn enemy, so there was no way he would hand Freid over to him.

-Hey. Didn't we already defeat Mosrak, though?

-Shh. Keep your mouth shut.

Tae-hyun quickly hushed Cain's whispered question. Now was the perfect time to exploit the situation, while Freid was still completely in the dark about Mosrak's defeat! Information was power, and Tae-hyun had no intention of letting this golden opportunity slip away.

'Time to squeeze him dry of whatever he has left!'

"I... I may not have any material possessions right now, but I have skills. If I assist you, it will be of immense help."

"Oh? And what skills would those be?"

"First of all, I am a gourmet and a master chef."

Tae-hyun's face instantly soured. He rarely had good memories of dealing with NPCs associated with food or gourmet cooking. Just thinking about Stau, the legendary goblin chef of "weird food," made his stomach churn. But Freid, completely oblivious to Tae-hyun's expression, continued enthusiastically.

"This means I have tasted all the delicacies of both the continent and the Demon Realm, and I can recreate them perfectly. Given your high status, surely you desire the finest pleasures in life? I shall introduce you to the absolute pinnacle of culinary art—"

"Yeah, I've heard enough. Rejected."

"Why on earth?!" Freid gasped in shock.

He was utterly baffled. Countless nobles and royals would have practically drooled at such an offer!

"You need to bring something actually useful to the table, not some luxury nonsense. You're disqualified, pal."

"N-No! Wait! I have other talents!"

"Sure. Better luck next time. We're a bit busy, so—"

"I am also highly versed in alchemy! Are you not interested in the forbidden alchemy of demons?!"

"Oh? Do go on."

Freid desperately pitched his abilities.

"I may have focused solely on cooking for a while, but I was originally an alchemist. Do you understand? Demonic alchemy can produce potions far more potent than anything made by humans, elves, or dwarves!"

"I assume there are side effects?"

Freid flinched. It was a direct hit. While demonic alchemy indeed boasted superior efficacy, it always carried a penalty in the form of various bizarre side effects. That was precisely why it was called demonic alchemy.

"W-Well, yes... but they are manageable! And with my level of skill, the side effects are minimal... Besides, they can be overcome with a bit of luck. Honestly, if someone can't even handle that much, isn't it just a lack of effort on their part? They should put in the effort to overcome it with luck—"

"Now that is music to my ears. Excellent. I'll give you a chance! Head over to Mora City. I'll have a place set up for you there."

Though there were some side effects, players wouldn't care about that in the slightest. The only thing that mattered to them was the raw performance! Freid initially rejoiced at Tae-hyun's words, but then he suddenly froze.

"Wait a minute... Mora City? That name sounds familiar."

"It's the headquarters of the Archisus Cult."

"!!!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Freid nearly jumped out of his skin. He had suspected the name sounded ominous, but this was beyond his worst nightmares!

"A-Are you insane?! Sending a demon like me to a place like that! Are you trying to get me killed?!"

"Of course not. There's actually another demon living there, so you two can be buddies. Oh, and there's also an angel."

"?!?!?!"

Freid was utterly speechless, his mind unable to process the sheer absurdity of the situation. 'What on earth has happened to the continent while I was cooped up in my forest?!'

"Are we really going to see an actual angel?"

"I'm telling you, yes! I'm so glad we grinded those church quests!"

A party of players was chatting excitedly. They were currently traveling toward Mora City, the capital of the Atali Kingdom. Leading their march was a delegation of high-ranking paladins and high priests from the Phytos Church.

A divine oracle had been handed down in the name of their order: to locate the angel of Phytos who had manifested on the continent and deliver the deity's sacred message.

Angels and demons were incredibly rare races in Pandemonium Online. The mere prospect of meeting one face-to-face made the players' hearts race with anticipation. If they recorded this and uploaded it to the community forums, it would easily rake in hundreds of thousands of views for days.

"You've got the stream ready, right? Make sure you capture everything perfectly."

"Of course!"

"But honestly, for a quest with such a high rating, it doesn't seem all that difficult, does it?"

This quest was highly exclusive, only available to those who had accumulated a massive amount of contribution points within the church. Yet, the journey itself felt surprisingly peaceful.

"Maybe it's because our destination is the Atali Kingdom? I heard all the church buildings there were completely leveled, though."

"Ah, I heard about that. We won't get ambushed or anything, right?"

"Nah, no way..."

Since these players didn't usually play within the Atali Kingdom, they weren't very familiar with the local atmosphere, only knowing what they had seen in viral video clips.

"It's Kim ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Tae-hyun's territory. What could possibly go wrong?"

"True. Out of all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the high-ranking players, Kim Tae-hyun is practically a saint."

"But I heard he doesn't even manage the capital alone. Apparently, he shared governing authority with the players who participated in the defense."

"Seriously? Wow, I'm so jealous. The Espa Kingdom doesn't do crap for us, and their quest rewards are stingy as hell. Maybe I should migrate to a player-governed territory too."

While they chatted, the group arrived before the gates of Mora City. Despite their nervousness, the guards let them pass without any trouble. Once they reached the central square, the leading High Priest spoke in a cold, commanding voice.

"The angel of Phytos is near. Locate him."

"Yes, Your Eminence!"

"Angel Tracking Spell!"

One of the players immediately tore a magic scroll. It was an expensive item they had purchased at a premium, but there was no better time to use it than now. Such scrolls rarely had a practical application anyway.

Flash!

"Huh?"

Yohas tilted his head in confusion as the church delegation suddenly materialized before him. Tae-hyun had left Yohas behind to guard the capital before he set off to meet Esla.

'Yohas. The capital is currently in a state of chaos due to the demon attacks. A reliable, trustworthy ho... I mean, a noble angel like you must stay behind to protect it!'

'Your Majesty! Leave it to me!'

Tae-hyun had been on his way to negotiate with a demon duke by saying, "Hehe, I broke your seal, let's talk," so bringing an angel along would have been a disaster. Unfortunately ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for Yohas, staying behind brought a different kind of catastrophe right to his doorstep.

"There he is! That's the angel!"

"Indeed. Are you Yohas, the angel who serves the great Phytos?"

"I am. And who might you be?"

"Insolent! I am Huzelban, High Priest of the great Phytos!"

"Even if you are a High Priest of Lord Phytos, you have no right to address me so rudely. How dare a mere mortal speak to me in such a tone!"

Yohas frowned. Even though they served the same deity, an angel and a mortal priest were by no means on equal footing. Angels possessed an innate pride, viewing themselves as beings far closer to the divine than any other race. However, Huzelban merely sneered coldly at Yohas's indignation.

"Hmph. That pride is only justified when one is actually recognized by Lord Phytos."

"What?"

"Hear the words of the heavens, Yohas!"

As Huzelban unfurled the sacred scroll, a blinding light erupted, and the majestic phantom of a giant hammer materialized in the air.

"!!"

Yohas gasped in horror. What could he possibly have done wrong for Phytos to hand down such a harsh oracle?

"I... I only did as I was commanded!"

"Do not make excuses! You have utterly failed to accomplish the task I set before you."

As the oracle spoke, one of the high paladins searched a corner of the square and pulled out a small object. It was a tiny, neglected statue of Phytos.

"Here it is, Your Eminence! To think he dared to hide the sacred image of Lord Phytos in a place like this. This is a blatant act of mockery!"

"Excellent work! It is clear why Lord Phytos has handed down his divine punishment!"

"N-No! There's a perfectly good explanation for this!"

Yohas stammered in panic. His desperate excuses only made him look far more guilty to the paladins and priests.

As the oracle faded, the high priests and paladins drew their weapons.

"Yohas, the fallen angel who dared to ignore and mock the commands of Lord Phytos. In the name of the church, you shall be executed!"

"This is a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding?! Then what is the meaning of this statue?! You even hid it right in front of the Archisus statue! If this isn't a deliberate insult to Lord Phytos, then what is?!"

"......"

Yohas fell silent. Frankly, he had absolutely no excuse.

"Adventurers! Draw your weapons and strike down this traitor!" the High Priest commanded with immense authority.

Though taken aback by the sudden turn of events, the players reluctantly drew their weapons. But just as they were about to move, someone tapped the High Priest on the shoulder from behind.

"?"

It was Galakpad, clutching his staff, his entire body trembling with rage.

"You... you wretched, rotten, sacrilegious heretics...!! How dare you recite another god's oracle right in front of the sacred statue of Lord Archisus?!"

Galakpad's eyes were completely bloodshot with fury. He looked ready to tear someone apart as he roared at the top of his lungs.

"All adventurers present, heed my call! I place a bounty of one thousand contribution points on the head of each and every one of these wicked heretics!"

"!!!!!"

In an instant, the eyes of every player spectating in the square turned completely wild.

"W-Wait a minute...!"

Schwing—! Clack! Clack!

The chilling sound of hundreds of weapons being unsheathed echoed from every corner of the square.