Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: The Night God's Cult
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Penrad, whose mind had flown off to Havel, finally encountered his father in a dream after a long time.
His father was as scatterbrained as ever.
Today, too, he'd caused a massive ruckus and turned to look at Penrad.
"Penrad, if you don't wake up soon, won't it be dangerous?"
"Yes?"
The moment Penrad showed confusion—
Crack!
A sound came from the side, and Penrad's eyes snapped wide open.
There, along with a deeply cratered patch of ground, was a hand.
Sweat beaded on Penrad's forehead and trickled down.
It was the price for receiving that killing intent with his entire body just moments ago.
If that hand had been aimed at his face...
His head would surely have been split in half.
"See? You've come to your senses."
Following the voice, he hurriedly lifted his head.
His heart pounded at the thought that he'd nearly died moments ago.
There stood a man with silver hair nearing white.
And beside him was his dazed youngest brother.
"No, I mean, you woke up, but..."
Penbola scratched his forehead with a bewildered expression.
When he couldn't wake Penrad, Havel had stood up himself, saying he'd handle it.
And then, out of nowhere, he'd unleashed killing intent straight at Penrad.
For a moment, Penbola had truly thought Havel was going to kill him.
The intent carried such genuine menace.
And when he brought his hand down like that, even someone of his build let out a scream unbecomingly.
But fortunately, Havel's strike hadn't landed.
Because he'd smashed down right next to his head amid that killing intent.
"Penrad."
Havel, now sitting with his legs crossed, called out to him.
"Y-yes, sir!"
Penrad straightened his back and responded in a rigid posture.
He'd been utterly overwhelmed by Havel's aura.
As a result, his entire demeanor toward Havel had changed.
His eyes even held a flicker of respect.
To Penrad, who'd spent his life honing only his aura, Havel had shown him the pinnacle.
It was only natural for such feelings to arise.
Penbola watched his brother with a hint of curiosity.
His massive brother—small only in age—looking up to someone.
It was quite the novel sight.
"The Five Great Families, including August, intended to destroy the 7th hierarchy. Tell me how."
"Ah."
Penrad belatedly snapped out of it.
His mind had still been sluggish from just waking up.
Come to think of it, that's why he'd ended up clashing with Havel.
Havel wanted to clear the 7th hierarchy, while Penrad wanted to stop it.
So his words caught in his throat.
After all, he was trying to destroy the 7th hierarchy to protect August.
"Big brother."
At that moment, Penbola spoke up.
"To you, August is surely a place that must never change."
Penrad turned to Penbola.
The youngest who always caused trouble.
Penrad had hoped even he wouldn't be bound to August.
"But this world itself is constantly changing."
Yet here was that youngest trying to persuade him.
"The wall of the Five Great Families will eventually crumble."
Penrad had faced the one who would tear down that wall right before his eyes.
Havel would change this world.
The Tower was merely the beginning.
In truth, it wasn't just him.
Even without Havel, someone would eventually change the world someday.
It was like a law of the world itself.
Penrad's actions were mere futile struggles against that law.
"We just need to walk alongside the changing world as it deserves."
"...Penbola, August has grown too big now."
The footsteps of the massive were indeed grand strides.
But those steps were agonizingly slow compared to others.
Because the bigger the body, the harder it was to adapt quickly to change.
Especially since any change demanded massive shifts.
Shifts that could shake August from within.
Thus, those leading the new era were the light-footed ones.
August couldn't confidently claim it could keep up.
"Moreover, Father—the family head—has left his post empty."
The position of family head wasn't there for show.
It was the central pillar leading the entire family.
"Doesn't big brother hold that position?"
"I'm just acting head."
"No. Everyone in August knows. After Father vanished, who led the family for the past ten years?"
No one in August defied Penrad's words.
...Except Penbola himself.
Everyone knew his efforts, how much he cherished the family.
...Though Penbola had left to build his own forces.
"It'll be fine even without Father."
Shaking off his thoughts, Penbola gripped Penrad's small shoulder firmly.
"Because you're the one Father himself acknowledged."
Penrad bit his lip.
Penbola's words were sincere.
That's what Penrad was in August.
Pendragon August, who had elevated August to this position.
And the other family head of August, who'd always guarded his back as his son.
That was Penrad August.
Penrad turned to Havel.
"...Even before we prepared to destroy the 7th hierarchy, there was already a faction in Tendr seeking its downfall."
And so the true mastermind within Tendr was revealed. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The central building in Tendr's heart.
Atop a massive round table.
Dozens of crows sat encircling it.
They sought Tendr's destruction—
Or more precisely, its purification.
Their identity: the pure-blooded descendants of Tendr who worshipped the Night God.
The Church of the Night God.
"Tendr has become utterly corrupted, far from what it once was."
A world where only crows existed at first.
Countless intelligent races emerged in that world.
They ceaselessly disrupted it.
Innumerable wars between races, rivers of blood spilled.
And in that process, bloodlines began to mix.
Beast-like intermingling gave rise to floods of half-breeds.
Halves birthed more halves, plunging the world deeper into chaos.
"This world is no longer Tendr's alone!"
All nodded in agreement to one crow's shout.
They were Tendr's top brass scattered throughout.
Each held key positions, wielding supreme power.
But then, the previous generation's princess Valiana began changing the world.
She declared that all Tendr's citizens had rights.
"What nonsense is this? Tendr alone should rule the world and guide the fools—that's our role!"
Thanks to her, numerous alien races gained rights and ran for office.
Their power, backed by their own regimes, swelled in an instant.
As a result, even Tendr's ancient royal tradition lost meaning.
Tendr's power and voice dwindled.
And the Tendr race itself faded from the world.
Their blood mixed equally with other alien races.
"And Princess Valea, born after, takes after her filthy mother!"
After previous princess Valiana died of old age.
Princess Valea who succeeded her was the same.
She truly loved all Tendr's citizens.
And declared them all equal.
Her approval in Tendr soared to the heavens.
Regardless, pure-blood Tendr couldn't accept her.
The throne had only recently become hereditary.
This was their chance.
"The defiled world must be erased, and a pure one begun anew!"
That was the doctrine they embraced.
"Just in time, the Night God, knowing our will, stirs to descend upon this world directly!"
In that situation.
The Night God himself reached out toward Tendr.
The Night God, unable to bear this filthy world, had raised his hand.
"Surely the Night God intends to fully purify this world!"
The Night God shared the church's very will.
"Then, as faithful servants of the Night God, we must fulfill that will!"
So they decided to offer the purest sacrifice.
"Recently, ignorant warlocks dared call the Night God a mere mass of energy—blasphemy."
Fury blazed in the crow's eyes.
"Fools. The Night God exists solely for Tendr."
When the Night God descends, he will surely choose only pure-blood Tendr.
And soon the world will be one of pure-blood Tendr alone.
They called that paradise.
The Night God Church's ideal utopia.
"Today, we offer Tendr to the Night God."
Atop their round table.
An ancient ritual circle began glowing fiercely.
This ritual from the distant past.
Before Tendr, split into five, unified.
A forbidden art used by a high priest.
"This noble ritual directly summons the Night God's power."
One crow placed his hand on the ritual circle.
"Watch closely, all."
The circle's light intensified.
The crows stirred in anticipation before the fierce glow.
The light warped, soon shrouded in darkness.
"Ah, aah!"
One crow exclaimed in awe.
It was purest night.
That night climbed up the arm of the crow whose hand rested on the circle.
All watched, entranced.
Soon the ascending night enveloped the crow.
At that instant—
The one wrapped in night convulsed as if struck by lightning.
Rumble!
The building shook, the table quaking.
Night poured endlessly from the table, engulfing the crows.
As first-timers collapsed in shock—
The crows were fully buried in night.
When the vibrations finally ceased—
The night was absorbed into the crows' bodies all at once.
All stood dumbfounded by the spectacle.
In the now-silent building.
The crow who'd absorbed the night slowly opened his eyes.
A power on another level emanated from him.
Those who felt it fully exclaimed in admiration.
The crow addressed them.
"This is one chosen by the Night God."
Hearing those words, all knelt on the floor.
For he'd truly brought the Night God's power into his body.
"Do you all wish to be chosen by the Night God?"
"Yes!"
The Night God followers replied in unison.
They were utterly intoxicated by the Night God's power.
"Then receive it."
They rushed madly toward the ritual-etched table.
Without hesitation, they placed hands on the circle.
Within the building, the Night God's power descended, unleashing a tremendous spectacle.
Watching it, the first crow to touch the circle—
The Pope of the Night God Church smiled chillingly.
"The world shall be fully purified."
"What a damn nuisance."
At the sudden voice, he startled and looked up.
Atop the cleanly severed glass depicting the Night God—who knew when it was cut.
A man stood motionless, gazing down at them.
Whoooosh—
Wind from the high floor whipped the Pope's hair.
And the near-white hair of the man with the moon at his back fluttered.
"You."
The Pope's eyes narrowed.
He knew him too.
Havel, the Night Lion discovered by Valea recently.
Information he'd gathered from various ears.
He'd dismissed it as false, but seeing him now, he understood.
Indeed worthy of the title Night Lion.
But having summoned the Night God's power directly, he could tell.
"A fake dares impersonate the Night God's lion?"
He was a fake.
No trace of the Night God's power emanated from him.
But Havel merely snorted at the Pope's words.
"Whether it's impersonation or not—"
Moonlight gleamed on his hair like starlight.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Today was the day the Night God Church would vanish.