Chapter 262
“!!”
“What’s going on? Could it be that you don’t believe in the Blessing of the Constellation?”
The priests of the fanatical cult hesitated for a moment, but then all of them dropped to their knees.
“We pay our respects to the Prophet!!”
“Please forgive our disrespect!”
Though they showed deference, their expressions didn’t convey complete trust.
Understandable.
It’s hard to suddenly put faith in someone who just appeared claiming to be a prophet.
‘Especially since it’s actually a lie.’
Chris tilted his chin up with a faint smirk.
Though it was a habitual gesture of arrogance, his solemn demeanor gave off a weighty presence, making him seem truly prophetic.
“I will deliver the Blessing of the Constellation to you all. Guide me to the Archbishop.”
“…To the Archbishop?”
The priests flinched.
The Archbishop was the supreme leader of the fanatical cult.
For context, the fanatical cult was originally a subordinate order under the Holy Empire—though they often acted on their own accord.
When the priests hesitated, Evan stepped forward again.
“How disappointing. You claim to follow the will of the Constellation more fervently than anyone, yet you hesitate to welcome the one who reveals that will.”
“!!”
Flash!
Once more, Evan’s sword gleamed with the Blessing of the Constellation.
“I swear by the name of the Constellation that blesses me, there is no falsehood in this person’s sanctity.”
Evan knew better than anyone that Chris’s true intentions were, ironically, quite noble—so this oath was sincere.
Ruina swallowed nervously and stepped forward.
“Oh ho ho, I swear as well. In fact, it was thanks to this Prophet here that I was able to assist you all before.”
“…Is that true?”
“Yes. The Prophet revealed to me the predicament you were in, allowing me to provide just the right help.”
Eventually, the priests nodded.
“Very well. We will guide you to the Archbishop. But heed this warning.”
A chilling caution followed.
“The Archbishop possesses insight that pierces through all falsehoods. If even the slightest lie is found among you, harsh judgment will befall you in the name of the Constellation.”
As they pushed through the desert, the fanatical cult’s temple came into view.
‘Imposing.’
True to their extremist doctrine that rejects all greed, the temple’s atmosphere was bleak and forbidding.
Here and there, powerful priests and holy knights radiated intense energy.
‘Definitely a formidable force.’
Unlike the overall decline in strength among the Alliance, the cult’s priests were on par even with the mages of the Mage Empire.
‘And a high proportion of senior priests. If things go wrong, escape won’t be easy.’
What stood out most was the look in the priests’ eyes.
Madness.
‘They’re the only ones in the Alliance who practice human sacrifice.’
Surprisingly, the fanatical cult offered human sacrifices to the Constellation.
But unlike indiscriminate sacrifices to demons, they claimed to offer those who had committed grave sins, cleansing their souls through death.
‘Still, it’s unforgivable.’
Some priests even sacrificed themselves.
Chris glanced toward the plaza in front of the temple.
A blue flame burned in the center.
It was the sacred fire used for sacrifices, where priests would throw themselves into the flames to prove their devotion to the Constellation.
‘To become a senior priest, one must walk through those flames and survive the ritual? Things even the Mage Empire wouldn’t do.’
Before he could dwell further, they arrived at their destination.
“This is the place.”
On the large altar of the chapel stood a figure.
A white-haired boy with glassy, empty eyes.
Archbishop Ashir of the fanatical cult.
‘First time seeing him. I’d only heard his notorious reputation in my past life.’
Despite his youthful appearance, he was a monster nearing a hundred years old.
He had received the Constellation’s blessing, halting his aging.
‘No, more precisely, it wasn’t the Constellation’s blessing. When his true identity was revealed, the Alliance was thrown into chaos.’
Indeed.
Chris’s purpose in visiting the cult today was precisely this Archbishop.
“Show respect to the Archbishop.”
A middle-aged man beside him ordered sharply.
He was also well-known.
Ektar the Butcher, the cult’s strongest holy knight.
A 7-star Upper Rank achiever.
“Oh ho ho, I pay my respects, Archbishop. I am Vivian. Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!!”
Ruina, overwhelmed by the tension, hurriedly bowed, but Evan and Chris remained unmoved.
They simply stood firm, eyes fixed on the Archbishop.
When Ektar raised an eyebrow, Ruina gave him a pale warning glance.
‘What are you doing? You look like you’re about to be pickled in salt.’
Still, they stood their ground.
“How dare you show such disrespect to the Archbishop. Do you want to die?”
“Ridiculous.”
“…What?”
“This is the order that serves the Constellation, isn’t it? Yet your attitude makes it seem like the Archbishop himself is the Constellation. You claim to serve the Constellation with utmost reverence, but all I sense is arrogance.”
“!!”
Ektar’s expression stiffened.
But since Chris’s words were true, he could only grit his teeth in silence.
At that moment, the silent Archbishop Ashir spoke.
[It’s fine. As you said, I am but a mere servant of the Constellation. There’s no need to overthink it. You say you’ve come to deliver the Constellation’s revelation?]
“Yes.”
His glassy eyes fixed on Christian.
For a moment, a transparent radiance flickered in his gaze.
The power he claimed to have received from the Constellation—the ‘Mirror of Judgment.’
[But this is strange.]
The boy tilted his head.
[Why do I sense no trace of the Constellation in you?]
“!!”
The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
[Indeed, I can feel a strong Blessing of the Constellation from the knight beside you, but from you, the self-proclaimed prophet, not even a trace.]
The Archbishop’s voice grew colder.
[Are you so bold as to impersonate the name of the Constellation?]
Clang!
Ektar drew his sword fiercely.
“I will personally interrogate these impostors and make them pay for insulting the name of the Constellation.”
[Please do.]
Step by step.
As Ektar advanced, a chilling aura swept through the hall.
Ruina’s face trembled with fear, the tension thick enough to snap.
Suddenly, Chris spoke.
“I am truly a prophet who received the Constellation’s revelation.”
[You lie.]
“It’s no lie. I will show you proof.”
[Proof?]
“Yes.”
At that moment—
Flash!
Evan suddenly lunged at Ektar with his sword.
“What?!”
Clang!
Evan’s current rank was 6-star Upper Rank.
Though inferior to Ektar, his swordsmanship was unmatched.
With a dazzling flurry of strikes, he quickly bound Ektar’s limbs, causing the knight to cry out in surprise.
“What are you all waiting for?! Attack them!”
As other holy knights surged forward, another unexpected event unfolded.
Chris grabbed Ruina’s hand.
“Quick!”
“Ahhh! I don’t know anything! If I die, I’ll become a banshee and curse you forever!”
Flash!
Using an artifact, they teleported.
Their destination: directly in front of the Archbishop.
Chris drew his sword and swung down.
“Archbishop!!”
“Danger!!”
But the Archbishop showed no sign of alarm.
He was one of the most powerful beings in the entire Holy Empire.
His strength rivaled an 8-star rank.
A radiant white hand, glowing with the Constellation’s power, reached toward Chris’s sword.
Clang!
Chris’s blade shattered instantly.
Yet Chris did something incomprehensible.
Instead of retreating, he reached out toward the Archbishop’s energy.
“Are you crazy?! Run while you still can!!”
Ruina panicked, but Chris didn’t stop.
As their hands were about to meet and crush each other—
Chris smiled coldly.
“Got you.”
At that moment, something unbelievable happened.
Whoosh!!
The Archbishop’s glowing hand suddenly darkened with a black aura.
[W-What?]
The Archbishop tried to withdraw his hand in surprise, but it was too late.
Everyone in the chapel saw the black energy.
Pitch black.
Evil to its core, like a demon’s aura.
“Archbishop, what was that energy just now?”
Ektar asked, voice trembling.
The Archbishop’s face hardened as he shook his head.
[Don’t mind it. It’s the work of that fiend…]
“My work? Don’t spout nonsense while reeking of demonic energy, you spawn of demons.”
[!!]
Chris shouted to the holy knights.
“I will tell you what revelation I received from the Constellation. That very Archbishop is a dreadful servant of demons.”
“!!”
That was the true identity of the Archbishop leading the fanatical cult.
More precisely, a high-ranking priest of the Mystic Maga.
‘He was swapped out midway. A scheme by the Mystic Maga.’
The Archbishop wasn’t originally a demon’s pawn.
The Mystic Maga, an extremist faction, secretly eliminated the original Archbishop and replaced him with a fake to control the fanatical cult as they wished.
“If it’s the devil’s power, then disguising a fake as the real thing is more than possible.”
With the devil’s authority, even mimicking the celestial energy was within reach.
After all, the craftiest demons were said to cloak themselves in light.
Chris had used the dominion of dark magic to expose the archbishop’s true demonic nature.
“Look closely. That instrument is proof.”
The Holy Radiance knights of the fanatic cult murmured among themselves.
They struggled to accept the truth so easily.
[What are you doing?! Seize him immediately!]
But the knights didn’t move.
Though it was hard to accept, the demonic aura they had just witnessed was no illusion.
Frozen, unable to act, they only stared at the archbishop and Chris.
Chris spread his hands wide with an exaggerated, solemn expression.
“The Celestial still reveals itself to me. It commands me to purge that demon. Raise your swords of light!”
[How dare he pull such a stunt…!]
The archbishop’s initial composure vanished as rage surged through him.
A brilliant blaze of light erupted outward.
He unleashed his dominion.
The majestic energy of the Celestial engulfed the surroundings.
It was a moment of dire crisis, but Chris felt nothing but confidence.
‘The wider he spreads his power, the more gaps there’ll be.’
Of course, this dominion wasn’t genuine.
It was merely a sham, a feigned celestial aura.
Had the archbishop truly wielded his real power to establish this dominion, things would be different—but cracks were already visible.
Silently, Chris unleashed the dominion of dark magic.
Crack. Crack.
Fractures appeared within the radiant dominion.
Through the fissures in the world of light, a sickening black energy surged forth.
A horrifying sight.