Chapter 312
The last day of the council meeting.
Amon lurked in the bushes like a snake, quietly eyeing for an opportunity.
The long council meeting was about to come to an end.
The negotiations and discussions had reached their conclusion, and those who faced each other would soon scatter according to their ideologies.
“Vargan, I bear you no ill will. But Beled relies on you more than necessary.”
Vargan was a man whose true feelings were hard to discern.
The power he wielded within the Goddess Church was no joke either. Leaving him be was like keeping a bomb ticking.
Whether late or early, measures needed to be taken.
If he was to be removed, now was the last chance before the great war started, to reorganize all the strengths and forces.
Ipos, who locked eyes with Amon, subtly closed his eyes, indicating he understood the plan.
At the moment the closing announcement echoed through the hall.
Amon withdrew all her powers, and Ipos unleashed his strength to the final stage.
What he aimed for was Vargan’s neck.
He was bent on snuffing out his life before Vargan even had a chance to react.
“The fact that Vargan’s power hasn’t been accurately assessed is a concern, but no matter how strong he’s become, he can’t possibly face Ipos.”
Amon had no worries about killing Vargan.
If anything, she believed that neutralizing the hardliners who would rampage after his death wouldn’t be an easy task.
“About 20 seconds left.”
Amon shifted her gaze to Ultreman.
The presiding Ultreman wanted to wrap up the long meeting.
“Then, I would like to conclude the council meeting today. I extend my gratitude to all the Cardinals and Archbishops who have gathered here for the eternity of the Goddess Church and the destruction of mankind.”
Ultreman took off his top hat and bowed deeply.
One more word.
If he raised his head and uttered one more word, the meeting would end and the plan would begin.
“…….”
Amon, whose life was deeply entwined in political maneuvering to maintain power and the Goddess Church’s regime.
She was fully prepared for the hunt.
Feeling relaxed, Amon leisurely sipped her tea and gave Vargan one last look.
She wanted to confirm the moment when the unsuspecting target’s head would drop.
But then.
“…Is he smiling?”
She clearly etched the subtle smile on Vargan’s lips into her memory.
Although just for a moment, it was a smile that felt ominous, too unsettling to dismiss.
And just as the last sentence of the closing was about to finish.
The door to the meeting room burst open urgently.
It opened.
“Ah, Archbishop Amon! Archbishop Amon! We have an emergency!”
A bishop barged into the regular meeting, oblivious to the panic.
His face looked familiar, belonging to the moderate faction. I think his name was… Gram, known for his speed in soaring through the sky.
“Are you out of your mind? What are you thinking barging in during a meeting?”
Archbishop Crosel from the moderate faction shouted angrily.
The regular meeting was reserved for archbishops only. Bishops and priests from all factions were completely banned from entering the area to promote peace and unity.
To interrupt such a place was tantamount to committing a grave sin.
“I-I’m s-sorry…! B-but I have urgent news that I couldn’t wait to convey, so I took the liberty to intrude…”
“Gram. We get it, so just say what you need to say. What’s going on?”
Amon calmly helped Bishop Gram to continue.
Right above the Great Turtle Arkellon, where the regular meeting was being held, there was a situation where no mana flowed, meaning they were physically isolated in the middle of the ocean, without communication.
Gram was also running low on mana and stamina.
Even if he was in the closest area, he must have flown hundreds of kilometers over the sea to deliver the news, so it couldn’t have been a joke.
Breathless and seemingly terrified, Gram spoke.
“The Heroes… The Heroes have invaded your nest, Archbishop Amon! A-and that’s not all! Archbishop Foras, Archbishop Fenex, and even Archbishop Allocas’ nests are under simultaneous attack!”
“What kind of nonsense is that!!”
Bang—!!
Archbishop Fenex of the moderate faction couldn’t contain himself and slammed his fist down.
The table split in half.
He had a reason to be so agitated.
“Our nests are under siege? It’s so absurd, even the dead would rise from their graves! There’s no way multiple nests, which have been hidden so well until now, could all be discovered at once!”
Fenex’s entire body was engulfed in fiery red flames, growing even larger.
As the heat filled the room, Gram trembled but continued his duty to deliver the message.
“I-I can’t be sure about the facts! B-but I suspect that the Heroes might have figured out the day of the regular meeting and acted on that information!”
“So, someone leaked information!”
Fenex clenched his fists.
His piercing gaze landed on Vargan.
The simultaneous invasion by the Heroes was a remarkable timing that wouldn’t make sense unless someone among them was aware of the Goddess Church’s internal matters.
Moreover, for some reason, all the nests under attack belonged to the moderate faction.
The most likely traitor had to be none other than Vargan.
“Everyone, please calm down and wait.”
Amon poured mana into her words to focus everyone’s attention in the room.
The resonance of mana indicated that Amon had lifted the divine power surrounding the meeting.
The connection of mana established with the nests started to awaken.
With her eyes closed, Amon began to read the strands of mana and then spoke.
“…It seems that it’s true we’ve been attacked. The strands of mana still left in my nest and Foras’ nest are filled with the chaos of war.”
The remaining nests were in such a state that the mana strands were cut, making it impossible to assess the situation.
Crack—
Amon quietly ground her teeth.
A crease formed between her beautiful brows.
It was the so-called empty house burglar.
While all the archbishops and cardinals were away due to the regular meeting, the Heroes were slaughtering the bishops and priests left in the nests.
The heroes are slaughtering the bishops and priests in the nest while Liri is away.
“Vargan…! You…!!”
Fenex is about to unleash flames, ready to burn the room down in his fury.
But just as he lunges to grab Vargan by the collar, a man appears out of nowhere, snatching Vargan’s collar at a speed that’s almost impossible to follow.
“Do you understand what you’re doing, Vargan?”
The executor Ipos grips Vargan’s collar with such force that it nearly snaps his neck. His eyes, appearing harder than any mineral, glare at Vargan like he’s ready to kill him.
His brown skin darkens to a shade akin to black crystal, so thick with mana that those around feel a headache just trying to comprehend it.
As Ipos tightens his grip to the point where Vargan can hardly breathe, Vargan finally speaks up.
“Well… there’s one thing I can say for sure…”
Vargan, not losing his smirk even in such life-and-death moments, flames back to life instead of quivering in fear.
“Those moderate factions are out to frame me…!”
Boom—!
Vargan unleashes a thick wave of mana.
The mana from both him and Ipos colliding creates a shockwave.
Vargan pushes Ipos’s hand away and continues speaking.
“Did I leak information? That’s a laugh!”
He points toward a hologram crackling in the center of the table—a world map showing the locations of each force’s nests to be mobilized for war.
“This is the first time I’ve shared the locations of any nests besides the hardliners! Are the moderates trying to paint me as the sinner? The very hardliners know full well that all communications using mana, not to mention familiars, are blocked in this sacred Arkellon!”
Throughout the meeting, Vargan had maintained a calm demeanor, but now he’s fuming like an angry tiger.
“For thousands of years, no Altife has ever succeeded in demolishing Academia, and I’ve inherited the powers of Cardinal Gamigin! And not just that! In the last four years, the Goddess Church has grown significantly!”
Vargan’s words were directed not only at Ipos but at every Altife present.
The weight of the mana in each of his declarations sent a jolt as it represented his extreme agitation.
“Yet, the hardliners still doubt me! Even if it’s just in name, are you really trying to throw me, an executor, into a filthy dumpster to die?!”
Vargan, still fuming, naturally shifts the topic.
While it’s important to find out who leaked the information and how, the more pressing matter is dealing with the heroes rampaging in the nest.
“Right now, protecting the nest is our top priority! Isn’t that right, Archbishop Amon?!”
Vargan turns everyone’s attention to Amon.
She is the real power holding the Goddess Church together.
With just one word from her, the Altifes will spring into action like dogs at her command.
“…He’s right. Rather than determining where the leak came from, we need to first deal with the heroes causing chaos in the nest.”
“…….”
Amon and Ipos manage to suppress the rage filling their eyes.
It’s clear that Vargan is the source of the leaks.
But there’s suspicion without evidence.
And with a fire that needs extinguishing burning ferociously, it’s time to alter plans for eliminating Vargan slightly.
If all the nests and powers crumble to nothing, the moderates will weaken, giving the hardliners the upper hand.
If the power returns to nothing, the moderate faction’s strength will weaken, and the hardliners will seize the initiative.
That must be prevented at all costs.
『… First, it’s confirmed that the new force of heroes, centered around Grayden, Trisena, and Saint Diphelia, is in my nest. In the nest of Poras… it’s Tauro and Henez, right? The rest can’t be confirmed because the lines of mana have died.』
The number of usable heroes is limited.
Even if the nests are vacant, to strike four simultaneously, they would have to split the main figures, the top ten ranked heroes.
If only we know their problematic locations, we can position the Archbishop and Ipos to suppress them.
『Gram mentioned they were simultaneously attacked at the nests of Fenex and Alokes, so they probably communicated while they still had their lines. Reveal all the information you know. Where are the other heroes in the top ten?』
Gram spilled all the information he had.
Amon recognized the locations of Helion and recently ranked third, Ferangis, as well as Alicia, referred to as a quasi-hero, and turned her head.
『Beled, I need your power.』
『You’re quite bold, Amon. You tried to throw my child into death and now you’re shamelessly asking for my strength?』
『… This isn’t just a matter for the moderate faction. If the moderate faction suffers irreversible damage from this incident, the defeat in the great war will leave the Goddess Church in an irretrievable state…』
“If you want help, you must set conditions.”
Vargan interjected into the conversation of the cardinals.
He smoothly continued as if he had previously agreed with Beled.
“The front line, the furthest from here… Even if we traveled at superhuman speed to Amon’s nest, it would take half a day. By then, the nests will be hollow structures, and the bishops will turn into a pile of corpses.”
Vargan pointed out how great the current value of Beled’s power was.
Especially Amon’s nest, being a cardinal, held even greater importance.
Vargan claimed that it was unacceptable to use such strength for free.
Hearing this, Amon grimaced.
Vargan, knowing Amon was significantly displeased, added that since it was a critical situation within the Goddess Church, he would offer special terms.
“Transfer the ownership of the nests that receive support troops to Beled, in exchange for helping move reinforcements to Amon’s nest and other archbishops’ nests.”
There was a moment of silence in the hall.
Soon, the archbishops of the moderate faction were in an uproar.
They shouted that it was outrageous extortion and cursed Vargan.
Amon shared the same thoughts. It was truly absurd conditions. It felt like trying to buy a house only to be forced into a ransom situation.
『Amon, you don’t need to listen to that guy’s words.』
Meanwhile, Ipos, Amon’s loyal follower who couldn’t just sit there and listen, stepped forward towards Vargan.
Ipos seemed quite heated. The black crystalline structure of his body was sprouting more crystals, and prominent veins bulged on his neck.
The density of the extremely compressed mana was tremendous, like a source of energy.
『I will charge at the fearless heroes stepping into Amon’s nest and cleanse them all in one step.』
Executor Ipos glared at Vargan with his bloodshot eyes.
