Episode 264

After the fight ended, they cleaned up the aftermath.

Chris continued to play a crucial role even after the battle.

Using the power of the Uiseon clan, he treated the wounded.

“To turn the fanatical cult into puppets who obey my will, I first need to win their favor.”

Taking down the archbishop was just a step in the process.

His real goal was to manipulate the fanatical cult.

“These guys are simple-minded; they’ll be easy to use. Just think of it as a step toward glory and keep pushing forward!”

Meanwhile, Evan watched Chris with a strange look.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“…It’s just… the idea of me being a hero feels ridiculous.”

The priests of the fanatical cult, seeing Evan’s sword, were already proclaiming him the reincarnation of the hero.

“But the real hero isn’t me—it’s Christian.”

Look at him now, tending to the wounded with such dedication.

When Evan used his insight, it seemed Christian didn’t think highly of the cult priests.

Yet, despite that, he was devotedly treating the injured for the sake of the world.

“As expected of Christian.”

…Though Evan’s insight wasn’t perfect and could only roughly read others’ true feelings, he couldn’t help but admire Christian all the same.

Just then, a heavy voice spoke.

“Thank you, Prophet.”

It was Ektar the Butcher!

Bloodied, he bowed his head to Chris.

“Thanks to you, Prophet, we were able to eliminate the demon. Without you, who knows how long we would have been toyed with by that demon’s minions.”

Ektar’s crimson eyes burned fiercely.

“This must be the evil scheme of the Dark Mage Empire. Once we regroup, we will exact bloody revenge immediately.”

Chris flinched.

If they acted on that, it would spark a war between the Holy Empire and the Dark Mage Empire.

The problem was, if left unchecked, they would definitely carry out such reckless acts.

“This is the critical moment.”

Chris lifted his chin, putting on a solemn expression.

“Foolish. Do you really think such actions will please the Celestials?”

“!!”

“Even now, I have received a revelation from the Celestials concerning you.”

Ektar and the priests flinched.

They had already fully accepted Chris as the Prophet.

They dropped to their knees, shouting,

“What is it? We will heed the Celestials’ words!”

Chris scanned the priests for a moment.

“First, from now on, human sacrifices are forbidden. Whether to cleanse the sins of evildoers or to prove your devotion to the Celestials, all such acts are prohibited.”

“!!”

The fanatical priests reacted violently.

“That’s impossible!”

“Our devotion to the Celestials…!”

Chris cut them off coldly.

“Did I not make myself clear? These are the Celestials’ revelations given to me.”

“…It’s hard to accept. The sacred flames were surely meant to prove our hearts through offerings.”

The sacred flames were a mysterious, self-sustaining fire imbued with holy power.

Yet, for some reason, the cult priests had interpreted this as a call for human sacrifices, perpetuating their cruel tradition.

Of course, it was nonsense.

“Who first came up with such an idea? You can’t exactly break the legs of the dead.”

Since it was a long-standing tradition, they were reluctant to accept this.

That was fine.

“I will prove that this revelation is truly the will of the Celestials. Watch closely.”

Chris stepped toward the sacred flames.

As everyone looked on in confusion, something astonishing happened.

A brilliant light burst forth from Chris’s hand.

“W-what is that light? Radiant mana?”

“No, it’s different. Could it be… sacred power?!”

Mana came in many forms, like magic.

The most powerful and exalted among them was the Radiant Mana wielded by heroes.

The priests of the Holy Empire also used mana—pure, noble white mana.

But sacred power was an entirely different kind of force.

“Sacred power is the energy directly bestowed by the Celestials.”

Only two groups could wield sacred power:

Those who awakened their power as descendants of the Celestials’ bloodline—like Chris’s sister, Olivia.

Or those who received a special blessing from the Celestials.

Those granted sacred power were truly considered saints, acting as the Celestials’ representatives.

So how could a demon like Chris wield sacred power?

“Obviously, it’s a trick.”

It was impossible.

Faking sacred power?

But Chris had several tools for deception.

“I combined Radiant Mana with the will of the Living One, then used the Celestials’ emblem.”

Radiant Mana was the closest attribute to sacred power.

By mixing Radiant Mana with the Living One’s will, he could create a sense of nobility comparable to sacred power.

Then, he secretly infused the emblem’s sacred power into the Radiant Mana.

“The Celestials’ emblem is a relic of concealment magic, so it’s possible to imbue sacred power this way. It looks similar at a glance.”

Of course, this alone wouldn’t fool the priests completely.

Though similar, it was still different from true sacred power.

Chris’s final trick was this:

“I cast an illusion dark magic alongside it.”

In other words, a sleight-of-hand magic trick.

If he had openly cast illusion magic, they would have noticed.

But by first creating a sacred power-like effect with Radiant Mana, the Living One’s will, and the emblem, then subtly finishing with illusion magic, he made it indistinguishable from real sacred power.

“Someone skilled in magic might notice, but the mage who fought earlier is dead or badly injured, so no one here can tell.”

The highest-ranking person present was Ektar, a knight, who wouldn’t be able to detect Chris’s intricate trick.

Of course, if examined closely, the deception would be obvious, but Chris had no intention of showing the sacred power for long.

“Watch carefully.”

Chris poured the fake sacred power into the sacred flames.

Then, something incredible happened.

The flames flickered as if soaked by rain, losing their strength, and finally went out completely.

“Th-this can’t be…”

“How could the sacred flames go out?”

The fanatical priests muttered in shock, and Chris spoke sternly.

“This is the will of the Celestials.”

“!!”

Of course, it was a lie.

“In truth, this is another trick.”

Normally, extinguishing the sacred flames required an immense amount of sacred power—something Chris couldn’t manage.

But there was an easier way.

“Just clash opposing forces.”

Magic.

Specifically, dark magic was the ultimate form of magic, and naturally lethal to the sacred flames.

“It was risky.”

Behind the brilliant sacred power, Chris concealed dark magic, precisely destroying the core of the flames.

He had to carefully control the dark magic’s energy and the aftermath of the clash so it wouldn’t leak beyond the sacred power’s protective veil.

It was extremely difficult, but Chris succeeded with his supreme magic control.

“Have you seen it clearly? The will of the Celestials?”

The fanatical priests hesitated, glanced at each other, then dropped to their knees before Chris.

“We accept the will of the Celestials!”

“Great Saint!!”

Their voices were different now.

They had fully accepted Chris as the Celestials’ representative.

“Good. I fooled them well.”

But the only ones deceived weren’t just the priests.

Evan was fooled too.

“As expected of Christian. To go to such lengths to end human sacrifices…”

Evan knew Chris didn’t possess sacred power.

Even for Chris, faking it like that wouldn’t be easy.

Still, he must have done it because he felt sorry for the lives lost to human sacrifices.

Evan had clearly seen Christian’s displeasure when he first saw the sacred flames at the cult.

“He’s not a fake. Christian is the true saint.”

Thus, Evan’s misunderstanding deepened over this seemingly minor incident, and Christian continued.

“Next, I will reveal the Celestials’ next revelation.”

“Please, speak, Great Saint!!”

The priests bowed their heads low, and Chris said something unexpected.

“The next archbishop will be you, Raphael.”

“!!”

The hall stirred.

Raphael, the priest singled out, looked surprised.

“He’s the only one in the cult who still has a sane head.”

He was the leader of the dove faction.

“Me? You mean me?”

Chris spoke firmly.

“This is the Celestials’ revelation. You wouldn’t refuse, would you?”

“Of course not! I will obey!”

“The Celestials want your cult to change. Do you understand?”

Raphael’s eyes shifted.

He had long believed the cult’s actions were wrong and immediately understood Chris’s words.

“I will remember this well. I will do my best to make the cult one that truly carries out the Celestials’ will.”

Chris nodded.

With this, the cult would no longer harm the alliance as before.

“And there is an even more important revelation.”

“What is it?”

“Before I reveal it, I ask you this: Whatever the revelation may be, can you swear to follow it as servants of the Celestials?”

A tense atmosphere fell over the priests, who looked puzzled for a moment.

“Of course. If it is the Celestials’ command, we will obey without question.”

“Good.”

Chris looked at Ektar and the other high-ranking priests.

“From this moment on, Ektar, you and all other senior priests of the altar will be excommunicated from the cult.”

“What?!”

“The charge is that you failed to recognize the demon’s minions even when they stood before you, and willingly served as their thralls.”

Ektar and the others were struck dumb, as if honey had sealed their tongues.

Chris raised his voice even more, driving home their guilt with unshakable certainty.

“Think back. You all had the chance to see that the false archbishop was wrong. Yet you closed your eyes and pretended not to know.”

“…”

“The Holy Seat warned you repeatedly. But you ignored every warning. That is your undeniable sin. By the will of the great Holy Seat, you are all hereby excommunicated.”

A stunned silence fell over the hall.

No one dared to argue—there was no denying the truth in his words.

“…You speak rightly. We have served the devil’s hand; we no longer deserve to live. We offer our lives to the Holy Seat this very moment.”

In the fanatical order, excommunication meant death.

The rule was to take one’s own life.

Clang!

Just as Ektar and the high priests raised their swords—

Suddenly, Chris spoke again.

“However, the Holy Seat has revealed to me a chance for you to atone.”

“!!”

“But first, I ask: Are you prepared to embrace martyrdom to cleanse your sins?”

“Of course! Our lives are already pledged to the Holy Seat! We will do anything to wash away our guilt!”

Ektar and the others collapsed to their knees.

“A great evil is growing within the Mage Empire. Will you sacrifice your lives to root out this evil?”

“Yes! Just tell us what evil we must destroy!”

Chris nodded solemnly.

“The Destructive Magada.”