Chapter 314
Apos is dead.
The Archbishop of Ultimate Power couldn’t withstand the combined assault of the heroes.
Of course, Ipos maintained his divine demeanor until the last moment.
He tore Grayden, the top martial artist and 4th ranked hero, into pieces and caused 3,000 casualties.
However, considering Ipos’s previously horrifying image, the significance of this victory for the heroes was monumental.
The great war on the horizon.
Hadn’t they taken down one of the key figures at the center of it?
Additionally, they destroyed the core of Amon’s nest and exterminated a significant number of Altife within, making it seem like humanity was finally experiencing a rising tide in history.
With Grayden’s death, the heroes ranked below him would move up one position.
Alicia ranked 8th among the heroes.
Finn, acknowledged for his significant contribution in defeating Ipos, climbed to 10th place.
Meanwhile, while reforms were happening inside Yggdrasil, an unprecedented upheaval was occurring within the Goddess Church as well.
“Jephar… that bat-like man…”
Amon glared at Jephar as if she were frustrated.
Jephar didn’t give Amon a glance; it was clearly intentional.
“As soon as I heard Ipos was dead, he sided with the hardliners. I knew he was quick-witted, but I didn’t think he’d be this light on his feet.”
Though he had proclaimed neutrality, Cardinal Jephar was actually supporting the moderate faction all along.
To be precise, from the moment Ipos set out, he’d been biding his time, knowing full well that the political landscape within the Goddess Church would completely change upon Ipos’s death; he reached out to the hardliners.
Beled took that hand, and eventually, the moderate faction that had upheld the Goddess Church for thousands of years was pushed out by the hardliners.
“At this rate, the Goddess Church will be completely at the mercy of Beled and Vargan.”
Immediately after the Regular Conference, Beled did not return to her nest but took control of the Great Turtle Arkellon.
To monopolize Arkellon, a region of absolute neutrality, only meant one thing.
She was openly declaring her intent to become the Cardinal of the only left seat.
“Beled has clearly fallen for Vargan’s schemes. Otherwise, there’s no way she would do something so crazy.”
Beled declared her intention to become the Pope.
That’s why all the Cardinals, Archbishops, and major Bishops are gathered here.
The inauguration ceremony is taking place in the sacred neutral ground known as Arkelon.
A throne, meant only for the Absolute Being, sits at the center with a long red carpet leading up to it.
The forces of the Goddess Church fill the sides.
Amon, the leader of the moderate faction, approaches the throne while holding the Scripture.
“Damn.”
“How did we end up like this?”
She and the other moderates quietly simmered in their anger.
Among them, Archbishop Fenex, with flames of fury burning all over him, leaned in to whisper to Amon.
“Amon, are you really going to just sit back and watch?”
“…….”
“If we formally recognize Beled as the new Pope, how will we deal with it when Bael returns?”
“I understand what you’re getting at. But we can’t act rashly.”
Amon was a mastermind with a sharp mind.
She accurately reads the situation and devises action plans.
Currently, the hardliners are rapidly gaining power, while the moderates not only lost the massive force Ipos but also quite a few soldiers.
With Jephar siding with the hardliners, the balance has completely tipped in their favor.
“Beled has finally grasped the leadership of the Goddess Church that she’s longed for. She won’t want to let it go easily, even if it means shedding blood.”
“What you’re saying is… if we disrupt the inauguration, even if we’re Archbishops, they’ll behead us, right?”
“…Not just Archbishops. It’s possible that even Cardinals, including myself, may not be safe.”
“Don’t say such…! That would be a reckless act!”
“Shh. Fenex. That’s why we mustn’t act recklessly.”
Amon was biding her time.
And that time would not be far off.
“When Bael returns and cleans up humanity, Beled will inevitably clash with him.”
“So, we’ll wait for that moment…!”
“Yes, so even if your anger rises, you must endure. As the leader of the moderate faction, I don’t want to see our supporters dying for nothing.”
As the moderates concealed their blades and awaited the future, a trumpet sound resounded.
As the doors at the end of the red carpet swung open, revealing two figures, the hardliners’ Altife showed excitement.
“Oh! You are truly beautiful, Beled!”
“How long we have waited for this moment!”
“At last…! At long last!”
Vargan stepped onto the carpet first.
He is the only Executor of the Goddess Church, leading the way as he guided Beled.
Beled wore a dazzling, elaborately decorated dress.
Her braided hair was intricately woven with a crown.
Sulgye was entwined.
Dressed in formal attire, she radiated authority and grandeur.
Her intelligently shining eyes resembled those of an empress.
“Executor Vargan and Cardinal Beled are entering.”
As soon as Ultreman, who was overseeing the proceedings, spoke, the hardliners bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.
The neutral faction, including Jephar, also lowered their heads, assessing the atmosphere.
The moderates gritted their teeth and forced themselves to look at the ground.
Each person’s thoughts were completely different.
However, the whirlwind of religious reform had already begun, and no one could step forward to stop it.
Click—.
Vargan and Beled advanced, stepping on the carpet.
At the end of the carpet was a throne, meant for just one person.
The orchestra’s instruments resounded, vibrating in their ears and hearts.
Beled had waited far too long for this day.
The glory she had effectively given up. Vargan blatantly fulfilled Beled’s secret desires.
“Congratulations, Lady Beled. You finally get to sit in the Pope’s seat.”
A conversation with Vargan, who had been waiting outside for the coronation, flashed in her mind.
“Child, it was thanks to your efforts that I could come to this position.”
“No, it’s because you trusted me and accepted me as a believer that I could even be here in the first place. Everything is a result of your choices and the outcomes you’ve brought about.”
Vargan humbly downplayed himself.
Beled, who had often called him an arrogant child, couldn’t call him arrogant at this moment.
How could one call grounded behavior arrogance?
Beled smiled slightly and expressed her candid feelings that she had never articulated before.
She had finally broken down the invisible wall that had existed between her and Vargan, caused by their inevitable differences in race.
“The reason I took you in was simple. I liked your greed and ideals, and I thought your boldness would be quite helpful.”
And Vargan delivered results beyond imagination.
He collapsed the Academia and betrayed humanity.
Even without a guarantee that she would definitely come to help, he risked his heart and deceived the humans of the courthouse.
“At that point, I became intrigued, child. I wanted to see the path you were trying to take. Also, I thought that with you, it might actually be possible to make me Pope in that process.”
Elevating Vargan to Archbishop was also a gamble from Beled’s perspective.
The hardliners, already feeling pressured by the regime, would be further suppressed by promoting a human to Archbishop, and doubts about Beled had begun to arise.
However, Vargan’s subsequent actions turned everything upside down.
The hardliners had secured unprecedented numbers of soldiers.
Now, they sought to rise to the top position.
“Though I did not bear you myself, you are my pride.”
The highest praise she could offer.
Beled promised to actively support Vargan’s future endeavors.
He pledged to actively support the movements of Vargan.
Those within the Goddess Church who disregard or belittle him would face severe punishment, and all obstacles would be cleared away.
Vargan lightly smiled and replied.
—”The path that you, Pope Beled, will take will be filled with brilliance.”
Click—.
Finally standing before the throne was Beled. Accompanying her was Amon, holding the Scripture.
Amon, feeling miserable, managed to conceal her emotions.
She proclaimed phrases filled with praise and glory, confident that the future of Beled and the Goddess Church was bright.
『…Beled. I, Amon, formally recognize you as the new Pope on behalf of the moderates, neutrals, and unaffiliated believers. I ask you to lead our church so that the name of the Goddess will rise even higher.』
Amon knelt as a sign of loyalty.
Then, all the other Altifes also knelt in unison.
With both hands cupped respectfully, Amon offered the purple Scripture.
Zzzzk—!
As Beled took the Scripture, a powerful wave of Mana radiated from it.
The Old Testament accepted its new master, and at this moment, Beled became the new Pope of the Goddess Church.
『Congratulations! Pope Beled!』
Everyone spoke in unison.
They hoped the Goddess Church led by Beled would be filled with glory.
The newly appointed Archbishop Cyclamen and the discontented Archbishop Fenex felt the same way, praising Beled as if it was the sentiment of all in the room.
Eventually, having given the Scripture, Amon stepped back, and Beled, with only Vargan by her side, took her seat on the throne.
Her eyes surveyed the key forces of the Goddess Church in one glance.
Figures with diverse features.
Each was a talent possessing immense power.
『It’s taken quite a long time to reach this point. There are many things I want to say and many areas for innovation. However… I must prioritize, so we likely won’t have much time.』
Beled’s gaze swept across everyone.
Just a glance suggested that her support had grown immensely compared to before.
In everything, there is a causal relationship. This position is but a fruit born from numerous causes.
To unify the divided factions and lead them properly, it is effective to redirect all criticisms outward.
And nothing has been as effective as war.
『I, Pope Beled, command that all leaders gather their entire forces at their respective positions!』
Beled declared that she must reaffirm the strength of humanity.
She needed to engrave in their minds who the rulers and the ruled were.
She spoke of administering death as punishment to humanity that seeks to rise, highlighting the reason this structure has persisted until now.
『At this moment, here, I declare the final war against humanity!』
