Chapter 136: The Salvation Cult Takes Action
Just as Sis Territory was actively preparing for the decisive battle against the cultists, the members of the Salvation Cult gathered once more within the Wizard Ruins to the south. However, disagreements arose among them regarding the arrangements for their next course of action.
“My Lord Bishop, how much longer are you going to wait here?” Fidi asked, a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice.
Over the past few days, he and Athanasi had been continuously harassing northern Sis Territory. Even though both of them were Senior Knights, facing the opponent’s overwhelming numerical superiority meant their relentless operations hadn’t gained them much of an advantage. Instead, they were being pushed into increasingly tight corners, narrowly avoiding being trapped on several occasions.
Now, he couldn’t help but suspect whether the Bishop had some other plan in mind, using them merely to stall for time. If that were the case, they were nothing more than cannon fodder.
Even though he had always harbored a reverent awe for the Bishop, with the supporting forces around His Lordship dwindling by the day, Fidi ultimately couldn’t help but consider his own interests.
Faced with Fidi’s questioning, a flash of irritation crossed Bishop Ioneel’s eyes. However, Fidi was a Senior Knight after all, and even in the Oz Empire, a Senior Knight was not someone easily dealt with.
Furthermore, at a time like this, he still had many matters that relied on the man. Under these circumstances, Ioneel could only try to persuade him with gentle words:
“I have already taken control of the Aberrant Beasts within these ruins. One of them has even completed its metamorphosis. But this is ultimately a one-time measure. If we cannot thoroughly crush Sis Territory, then we will have no choice but to slink back in defeat.
“I am a Bishop. As long as Divine Favor remains, the Church cannot do much to me. At worst, I will be distanced from the center of power. But what about you? If you fail this mission, do you think you can ever go back to how things were?
“Think about it. We went through countless hardships to travel from the Oz Empire to this place. We are just one step away from finding the Morning Star, and yet, at this crucial juncture, you hesitate!”
“My Lord Bishop, are you truly certain the Morning Star is in Sis Territory?” Fidi asked in a deep voice.
He had absolutely no interest in Ioneel’s promises. As long as he remained a Senior Knight, the worst-case scenario was simply defecting to another Bishop. It wouldn’t cost him his life.
His primary concern right now was when they could leave. Without Bishop Ioneel’s permission, if he were to leave without authorization, the warrant for his arrest might reach Helios before he even made it back to the Oz Empire.
Even a Bishop who had fallen out of favor wasn’t someone a single Senior Knight could resist. His greatest fear right now was that Ioneel would stubbornly insist on fighting Sis Territory to the bitter end, resulting in them losing their lives for nothing and failing the mission to boot.
If that happened, it would be a tragedy for everyone involved.
In response to Fidi’s repeated questioning, Ioneel spoke with absolute certainty. “I can confirm that the Morning Star is in Sis Territory!”
In reality, Ioneel wasn’t nearly as certain as he portrayed himself to be. The power of the Divine Oracle had been completely exhausted. Its final guidance had only pointed to the eastern border of Helios, not a specific location.
But he also believed that the God must have had a purpose for making him stop near Sis Territory.
If they could breach Sis Territory, finding the Morning Star would naturally be the best outcome. Even if they couldn’t find it, the worst-case scenario was that they could at least replenish the forces around him, preventing a subordinate who usually wouldn’t even dare to raise his head in his presence from questioning him.
“Then when will My Lord Bishop take action?” Fidi pressed.
Upon hearing this topic brought up, the other two also gathered around, their eyes staring intently at Ioneel. Even though Athanasi and Nasar hadn’t voiced any objections to the Bishop’s recent arrangements,
they weren’t blind. Could they really not see the current situation for what it was?
They had been continuously harassing the vicinity of Sis Territory over the past few days to buy time for the Bishop’s operations here in the ruins. They had witnessed firsthand how Sis Territory had mobilized step by step.
Honestly speaking, they truly lacked the confidence to defeat their opponents.
Fidi’s question backed Ioneel into a corner once again. Facing three pairs of intensely oppressive gazes, he didn’t want to reveal his trump card so quickly. After pondering for a moment, he gave a somewhat vague answer:
“I have already contacted an expert. As long as he takes action, Sis Territory can be easily breached!”
“An expert?!”
Fidi and the other two were deeply shocked. They never expected that Bishop Ioneel could actually find an expert even within the borders of the Kingdom of Helios, so far away from the core sphere of influence of the Church.
At this thought, their attitudes toward Ioneel couldn’t help but become more reverent. However, Fidi still wanted to verify this piece of information:
“Is that expert a Grand Knight?”
“What are you thinking, Fidi! Would a Grand Knight of Helios cooperate with us? The expert I speak of is a friend from the Holy Spirit Cult. As for more specifics, you will find out soon enough.”
Ioneel acted as if the subject was strictly taboo, and Fidi didn’t press the matter any further. In truth, after hearing the name of the Holy Spirit Cult, he honestly already felt a twinge of regret for asking.
Among the six nations of the continent, three major religious organizations were universally regarded as evil cults, which included:
The Knights of Supreme Good, the Salvation Cult, and the Holy Spirit Cult.
However, the Knights of Supreme Good and the Salvation Cult were permitted to exist in certain nations.
For instance, the Salvation Cult upheld the ideology of salvation. It was only due to a single failed redemption that they were viewed as enemies by the Kingdom of Helios and branded as an evil cult.
But in other countries, such as the Oz Empire, although they couldn’t preach publicly, no one considered them an evil cult. At most, people simply rejected their ideology.
Only the Holy Spirit Cult was universally recognized as an evil cult by all six nations of the continent.
Even within the Salvation Cult itself, there was considerable debate over whether the Holy Spirit Cult should be considered an enemy. This was primarily due to the lack of a clear Divine Oracle on the matter, coupled with the fact that the Church might need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Cult in certain areas.
However, for the majority of the grassroots members of the Salvation Cult, their impression of the Holy Spirit Cult was undeniably that of ultimate evil. It was just that the Church had not explicitly defined the Holy Spirit Cult as an enemy. At most, they simply chose not to associate with them, but they couldn’t stop the Bishop from having ties with those people.
After the name of the Holy Spirit Cult was brought up, Fidi and the others lost their desire to inquire further. As they headed north once again to launch their harassment, Fidi couldn’t help but ask Athanasi along the way:
“Do you think the friend My Lord Bishop mentioned is reliable?”
“Don’t ask me that. I’m still reeling from the shock myself! I never expected My Lord Bishop to actually know someone from the Holy Spirit Cult!”
Athanasi’s answer wasn’t a lie. He had followed Ioneel since their time in the Oz Empire, yet he had never heard of the man knowing anyone from the Holy Spirit Cult. For such a person to suddenly pop up out of nowhere, he found it somewhat hard to accept.
“Could it be someone we encountered on our way here?” Fidi proposed a possibility.
This caused a stir in Athanasi’s mind. Their group had traveled from the Oz Empire to the eastern border of Helios, witnessing the ritual sacrifice sites of the Holy Spirit Cult several times along the way. The most recent one had even been right on the eastern border of Helios, just not quite as far east as Sis Territory.
However, Athanasi wasn’t too willing to comment on Ioneel’s affairs. He just let out a couple of noncommittal grunts, which counted as tacit agreement.