Chapter 1297: The Corrupted Promise (1)

WHOOOOOM!!!!

Deep within the inner jungle of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors lay a vast plain. On the plain, cleared of corrupted vegetation and vines tangled with human flesh, over a thousand superhumans had gathered, forming a massive force.

The banners of the Conjunction Spell Masters, leading each spellcraft unit of the Order Alliance, fluttered, while the emblems of the gods worshipped by the Cult stood in symmetrical alignment.

This was the heart of the encampment where the two most powerful and formidable factions in the entire Central Front had gathered for the Demonic Realm conquest.

FWOOSH…!!!

Centered around a pure white, ivory-colored altar, hundreds of Cult priests knelt, deep in prayer.

Light surged from the altar’s core, spreading out to envelop the encampment in a hazy veil, shielding it from the Demonic Realm’s environment.

An immeasurably distant radiance of spell formations surged skyward. Blessings and protections rounded to cover the Demonic Realm’s skies.

The Order Alliance and Cult’s airships docked above the gathering point, casting colossal shadows on the ground, as powerful superhumans emerged one after another.

High-ranking Conjunction Spell Masters, renowned in the Central Front for their unique spellcraft. Elite Knights and Bishops of the Cult, operating directly under the Grand Headquarters.

Their forces included thousands of Order Alliance spellcasters and thousands of Cult priests.

“What an immense scale… You don’t often see something like this even on the Central Front.”

Arthur’s expression shifted, strangely awed by the overwhelming and even magnificent military force.

“Did they gather all the scattered forces from across the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors? They must be pouring all their resources into this conquest.”

“……”

“I thought this alliance was a waste of time, but at this scale, it might actually be helpful.”

The sheer power gathered was enough to subtly change the mind of even Arthur, who had been skeptical of the alliance.

As they walked between the pure white tents, intense gazes shot out from all directions, piercing them.

Priests and Elite Knights, some holding scripture, others still in their prayer stances, turned their heads to look.

Yet, not a shred of emotion could be discerned on the faces of the Cultists as they stared at Lennok.

Instead, they merely stared intently at Lennok with expressionless faces, as if memorizing the features of the Apostle-Slayer who had killed the Tenth Apostle.

“Ugh, this is why I didn’t want to get involved with the Cult…”

Aileen, walking beside him, frowned at their strangely inhuman reactions and shielded her eyes with sunglasses.

The Cult’s silence, despite thousands of worshippers, and the prayers echoing from all directions, didn’t sit well with her.

The fact that they had stepped into this after killing the former Ninth Apostle at the seabed terminal a few days ago also left a bad taste.

“Don’t worry, we haven’t officially confirmed our cooperation yet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? If we’re here, we’re doing it.”

Arthur asked, picking his nose with an indifferent expression.

“In this line of work, once you give an inch, you can’t back out. You’ll get a knife in the back later.”

“That’s an absurd answer… Are you saying you’d work with the Cult if they paid you enough?”

“Of course. My noble lord. Do you think mercenary work is easy enough to pick and choose based on good and evil?”

Arthur scoffed.

“If the money’s good enough, you go to hell even if a demon calls. It’s only proper to worry about whether it’s a shitty job after you’ve received the advance payment.”

“……”

“I don’t particularly agree with that, but it’s certainly clear that the Cult, in a way, has standards as firm as mercenaries.”

Lennok said, walking past Aileen who was shaking her head.

“They are a fanatic group that would never, under any circumstances, act against their doctrine and faith. For such people to join hands with an Apostle-Slayer like me, just to enter the Mausoleum, is unequivocally an extremely unusual occurrence.”

“…That’s.”

“There’s something so important inside the Mausoleum that the Cult is willing to put their faith aside for a moment and cooperate with me.”

Lennok shifted his gaze.

“If that’s the case, shouldn’t we at least use this uncomfortable alliance as an excuse to find out its true nature for ourselves?”

“……”

If Yaksha’s proposal had only meant cooperation with the Order Alliance, Lennok would have refused on the spot.

But because the deal offered by the alien demon encompassed both the Order Alliance and the Cult, Lennok accepted this meeting.

What kind of being was the Grand General sleeping within the Mausoleum, that the Order Alliance and the Cult continued to clash even within the Demonic Realm?

What power lay dormant within, that they would halt their war and reach out to Lennok to acquire it?

At the very least, he wouldn’t be able to grasp the full extent of the situation without coming to this negotiation table himself.

“Yaksha… given that he set up this negotiation table, he’s clearly not an ordinary Conjunction Spell Master within the Order Alliance.”

Aileen’s expression hardened, her fingers idly toying with her gunblade.

“I’m from the Central City, but I had no idea about the true nature of the Sun Ship Megiddo. To think that ship was a mythical armament hidden deep within the Demonic Realm…”

“From experience, being a noble doesn’t mean you know all the Imperial Palace Cabinet’s secrets. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t know, does it?”

“True. When Ars Nova fell, we weren’t in a position to care about such things.”

Aileen said in a subdued voice.

“The only ones who survived the fall were a very small number who operated in and out of the city… and those were the incredibly lucky few. We couldn’t confirm what was inside the Demonic Realm that was created when the Imperial Palace Cabinet’s core institutions became corrupted.”

“……”

“Whether he truly intends to help you as the Navigator of the Sun Ship Megiddo, or if he’s merely following the Order Alliance Leader as a Transcendent… I still don’t know.”

Aileen murmured, turning her gaze towards the distant center of the gathered thousands.

“At the very least, by participating in this alliance, we should be able to confirm his motivations.”

“We’ve arrived. Over there.”

Arthur said gruffly, habitually toying with his shotgun.

“Looks like the brass are already gathered.”

WHOOSH!!!

A large marble round table stood in the center of the vast encampment.

There, the Yeonri Spell Master, exuding an empty Will-thought, sat at the table, waiting for Lennok.

A gray-haired man with a mechanical expression held a pipe, staring in their direction. Behind him, the highest-ranking Conjunction Spell Masters of the Order Alliance stood in a neat line, hands clasped behind their backs.

Each of these high-ranking spellcasters radiated terrifying Will-thought and Magic Power, crushing the air around the table and unreservedly flaunting their presence.

In the center, the Yeonri Spell Master sat with his eyes closed, silently gripping an inhalation device and slowly exhaling.

Beside the Spell Master sat Yaksha, who had guided Lennok to the negotiation table, and an old man who appeared to be a Cult Cardinal.

“……”

HISS—WHOOSH!!

He forcibly shoved several long insertion tubes deep into his throat, injecting dark blue smoke into his body.

Each time, complex Will-thought and Magic Power swirled around the Spell Master, repeatedly seeping into his inner being.

He seemed to be forcibly stabilizing his condition by inhaling smoke from something burning. Was he perhaps using some means to recover from the backlash of his broken hierarchy?

Given his spellcraft’s characteristic manipulation of clouds and mist, it wouldn’t be strange if he possessed an ability to sublimate certain damage into gas, thereby reducing its impact.

Lennok already knew the Yeonri Spell Master was no ordinary spellcaster, especially after he endured Lennok’s attack without going mad or becoming a wreck.

“You’re quite a sight, Yeonri Spell Master.”

Lennok, stopping before the round table, sneered coldly.

“You don’t look like you should be at a gathering like this. Are you feeling alright?”

“……”

At his words, the highest-ranking Conjunction Spell Masters behind the Yeonri Spell Master glared coldly at Lennok.

Perhaps the sight of the very person who had harmed their Grand Spell Master speaking with feigned concern was utterly detestable to them.

But Lennok ignored their piercing gazes and walked towards the chair opposite the Spell Master, saying,

“If you can’t recover before we start, it would be best not to participate at all. This alliance would be meaningless if you only hold us back.”

“Evan, Martinez…”

The Yeonri Spell Master, seated at the head of the table with the insertion tubes in his throat, replied in a voice utterly hoarse.

Exhaling a cloud of dense smoke that momentarily obscured his face, the Spell Master spoke slowly.

“You look perfectly fine… despite having entered and exited the Mausoleum yourself… Was Yaksha’s report true?”

“You speak as if you were certain I would be gravely injured, Yeonri Spell Master.”

Lennok retorted, pulling out the chair opposite him while puffing on a cigar.

“Does my healthy appearance bother you so much?”

“The Grand General’s Mausoleum is a uniquely dangerous and unstable spacetime, even within the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors…”

The Yeonri Spell Master spoke in his characteristic monotone.

With each inhalation of smoke from the insertion tubes, his severely hoarse voice gradually began to stabilize.

“As the core of a violently fluctuating Demonic Realm, its spacetime coordinates are warped and distorted. No Transcendent can resist that change… unless they possess spacetime aptitude themselves.”

“……”

The Yeonri Spell Master’s eyes gleamed coldly as he stared at the silent Lennok.

“You possess abilities of the time or space system among your spellcraft aptitudes or lineage traits… don’t you?”

“Hmm, I don’t particularly care.”

Lennok replied nonchalantly, taking his seat.

“Since I learned Barrier Spellcraft, I haven’t really been constrained by such things anyway.”

“……”

Using Jindun’s Barrier Spellcraft as an excuse, Lennok immediately deflected the Spell Master’s probing and shifted his gaze.

“So, where’s the Seventh Apostle, and why is the Cult Cardinal here? Is he here to discuss this alliance?”

“You are not very patient, Lord Martinez, as befits an apostate who does not believe in God.”

The old Cardinal, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, asked.

“Were you so impatient when you committed the great sin of murdering Lady Amrita in the Far Eastern Branch?”

“The Tenth Apostle wasn’t a difficult opponent who required a long time to kill, you see.”

Lennok offered a dry smile.

“From the Cult’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange if she died so quickly it seemed hasty.”

“……”

The moment he said that, an eerie Killing Intent erupted from the Elite Knights standing behind the Cardinal.

Lennok’s response, a provocation several times greater than the Cardinal’s words, made even the well-disciplined Cultists momentarily lose their composure.

“Honestly…”

The Cardinal chuckled, stroking his chin, as Aileen shook her head behind Lennok. Their expressions crossed.

Yaksha, who had been sitting opposite with his arms crossed, finally raised his gaze.

“I won’t tell you to harbor good feelings towards each other at this point, but if you don’t want unnecessary conflict, it’s best to restrain yourselves for now.”

Yaksha’s peculiar demeanor made him seem calmer than anyone else at the table, despite claiming to be an alien entity.

“The Seventh Apostle will arrive soon. We will conclude the discussions as soon as she gets here, so please wait a moment.”

“I don’t understand why the alliance preparations weren’t already finished in the first place.”

Arthur said gruffly.

“Didn’t the Cult and the Order Alliance agree to draw in Cheonbeon? I don’t know why the Apostle is the latest to arrive, even after we’ve been to the Mausoleum.”

“The Seventh Apostle is a being who has transcended her hierarchy in a different way than our Grand Spell Master.”

Yaksha said calmly.

“Since her original hierarchy no longer exists, the way she recovers from its backlash must also be different from other spellcasters. After all, isn’t that just what a vampire is like?”

“What’s wrong with a vampire’s way?”

“Who knows?”

Yaksha smiled faintly and shifted his gaze.

“From now on, it would be best to ask her directly.”

WHOOSH!!

Instead of Yaksha’s answer, a thick scent of blood wafted from beyond the dark forest.

Along with a grotesque sound like flesh tearing, sticky blood flowed beneath the encampment.

Stepping on the pool of blood, a hybrid with bat wings suddenly appeared within the encampment.

SPLATTER, SPLATTER…!!!

Lariata Armush, with disheveled hair and drooping wings, stumbled forward with hazy eyes.

Inside her limp bat wings, two half-eaten corpses dangled upside down, swaying.

The Seventh Apostle presented a grotesque sight, as if she had just finished a cannibalistic feast and belatedly crawled to the meeting.

Lariata, dripping blood from head to toe, stopped before the round table and stared down at Lennok with a blank expression.

“……”

Lennok, too, met her gaze unflinchingly, and an instant tension filled the table.

The Yeonri Spell Master impassively watched the standoff between Lennok and the Apostle. The Cardinal prayed, hands clasped.

As Aileen crouched low and Yaksha watched intently, the Seventh Apostle moved.

CRUNCH!!

With a light flick of her bat wing, she pierced the helmet of an Elite Knight standing behind the Cardinal, shattering his head.

The knight, his skull burst, died instantly. The vampire seized the limp corpse and brought her mouth to it.

GULP, GULP—

Towards Lariata, who was unhesitatingly drinking blood, the Cult’s followers knelt and offered prayers in a reverent posture.

Even though she had just killed an Elite Knight, the fanatics seemed to offer their faith with even greater devotion.

As the Order Alliance’s highest-ranking Conjunction Spell Masters, who had accompanied the Yeonri Spell Master, made no effort to hide their contempt, Lariata pulled her mouth away from the corpse.

“Phew—I feel alive again…”

“……”

THUD!!

Lariata, who had tossed the shriveled corpse, now had clear focus in her eyes.

Dabbing the blood from her hands around her eyes like makeup, she swiftly composed herself and beamed at Lennok.

“Can’t show a shameful appearance before an important meeting, right? So I was going to get ready before the appointed time, but I was a little short on blood.”

“……”

“Originally, I’d just suck out the marrow of those spellcasters over there, but because of some ridiculous alliance or whatever, I couldn’t, so I ended up being late. Or is it the other way around?”

As Lariata tilted her head and moved, the Cardinal rose from his seat.

Lariata casually took the Cardinal’s seat, crossed her legs, and surveyed her surroundings with crimson eyes.

“Thinking is hard, so let’s talk fast and finish this. I absolutely despise sitting in a place like this for even a moment longer than I have to.”

“It must be torment for a monster, only recently freed from madness, to conform to human ways.”

The Yeonri Spell Master said with an impassive face.

“You don’t need to pretend to be human; everyone understands your repulsive nature, so don’t worry.”

“I’m not human, I’m a vampire. Is it hard to see because your head’s full of nothing but soot instead of brains?”

“Not a vampire, an Apostle. A disgusting mongrel.”

“As the True Ancestor said, all necessary personnel are gathered, so let’s begin immediately.”

With the Yeonri Spell Master and the Seventh Apostle glaring coldly at each other, Yaksha tapped the table.

“This gathering was created with the goal of three factions cooperating to enter the Grand General’s Mausoleum. This is because a large number of superhumans are needed to break through the Mausoleum’s spacetime distortions and gain entry.”

“……”

“We will retrieve all the Parasitic Flowers wandering in the deepest part of the Demonic Realm to manipulate the Mausoleum’s Distortion Field. A small number of personnel will then be deployed into the Mausoleum to recover the Empire’s legacy hidden within.”

Both the Order Alliance and the Cult seemed to be fully aware of the plan, as no one objected to Yaksha’s brief explanation.

This was likely because both factions, who had been engrossed in killing each other for a long time, so strongly desired the contents of the Mausoleum that they agreed cooperation was necessary.

“During the operation, Evan Martinez’s Sun Ship Megiddo will be floated above the Mausoleum, fixing the Demonic Realm’s time to ‘day.’ This is, in fact, the most crucial element of this operation.”

Yaksha nodded, looking at Lennok.

“All Dead Flowers in the Demonic Realm bloom at night. By summoning the Sun Ship Megiddo to fix the surrounding environment to day, the Dead Flowers will not awaken. At that time, the main forces of the Cult and Order Alliance will enter to retrieve the Parasitic Flowers and adjust the spacetime distortion points.”

“……”

“Once the Distortion Field is adjusted to open a path, at least ten people will be able to enter the Mausoleum. The Order Alliance, the Cult, and Cheonbeon will each select three individuals to send inside. At minimum, the Grand Spell Master, the Seventh Apostle, and Cheonbeon will definitely be able to enter the Mausoleum.”

“Keheheh, listening to this, I really don’t like it.”

Lariata chuckled, arms crossed.

“Not only do we have to join hands with the Order Alliance, but this is a structure where our Cult, with its large numbers, is at a huge disadvantage. Isn’t this a plan where hundreds have to fight to the death just to open a path for a few to enter the Mausoleum?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, after just killing an Elite Knight and drinking his blood. Is that the action of a Transcendent concerned about the Cult’s losses?”

The Yeonri Spell Master stared at Lariata with mechanical eyes.

“If you don’t like the alliance, then leave. I’m sure that half-wit Priestess holding your leash will be thrilled when you return to the Grand Headquarters empty-handed.”

“…Hahahaha.”

Lariata, wearing a strange smile, tilted her head, and a double-edged greatsword fell inverted from within the shadow of her wings.

THUD!!

“You must be absolutely desperate to die, huh?”

“Do you think I can’t do it if you want to try?”

The Seventh Apostle gripped the greatsword’s hilt, and the Yeonri Spell Master rose, pulling the insertion tubes from his neck.

Simultaneously, the highest-ranking Conjunction Spell Masters and Elite Knights standing behind the two Transcendent beings unleashed Killing Intent.

A reaction so murderous, it seemed they would settle matters right then and there, even before the alliance was forged.

But what halted the clash between the two was none other than the Cardinal, standing behind Lariata.

“Great Transcendent beings.”

The old Cardinal spoke calmly.

“If even one side withdraws from this, the Apostle-Slayer will not cooperate. Therefore, both of you should exercise restraint here.”

“What do you mean, Cardinal?”

“Cheonbeon is one of the very few Transcendent beings currently hostile to both the Order Alliance and the Cult. Even if he were to form a sole alliance with either the Order Alliance or the Cult, a normal relationship of trust could never be established.”

The old man’s gaze turned towards Lennok, who was silently smoking his cigar.

“He accepted this meeting precisely because he considers us enemies, not allies. As long as the three factions remain hostile to each other, the balance of the alliance will not break.”

“……”

“As you all witnessed in the previous engagement… we absolutely need the power of the Sun Ship Megiddo that he possesses. At the very least, if it cannot play the role of the ‘sun’ within this hell, no mortal, except Cheonbeon and Yaksha, will be able to approach the Mausoleum.”

The Cardinal said, quietly observing Lennok’s expressionless face.

“We do not know by what means he grasped the sun, but for the sake of that miracle, the Cult is prepared to accept an alliance that has never once materialized before. What do you, the Order Alliance Leader’s advisor, think?”

“I fully agree, Cardinal Morton.”

Yaksha replied in an emotionless voice.

“The war between the Order Alliance and the Cult can be resumed even after we’ve recovered all the Imperial Palace Cabinet’s legacy from within the Mausoleum. There is a purpose here that must take precedence over the Central Front’s war.”

“……”

“Just as our Alliance does, the Cult also has something it desperately desires within the Mausoleum, which is why you are sitting at this table, aren’t you?”

Of course, everyone at this table knew that things wouldn’t proceed so easily.

But because everyone agreed that the method agreed upon by Yaksha and the Cardinal was the safest way to penetrate the Mausoleum.

And even Lennok was interested in the Demonic Realm’s mythical armament and quasi-authority guarded by the Grand General.

They were all merely gathered here, implicitly agreeing to this promise full of lies.

“…Heheh.”

“……”

Lariata, smiling, removed her hand from the greatsword, and the Yeonri Spell Master slowly sat down.

Feeling the surrounding air settle instantly, Yaksha shifted his gaze.

“The necessary discussions before forging the alliance seem to be mostly concluded. Martinez. What are your thoughts?”

“Terrible.”

Lennok, who had been silently smoking his cigar, sent a cold gaze.

“You’re all dying to kill each other, and it wouldn’t be strange for anyone to backstab another at any moment. Even though you’ve gathered for a necessary task, you can’t even pretend to cooperate?”

“……”

“A hollow promise. A relationship bound by contract. A cooperation that wouldn’t be strange to break at any moment…”

Lennok laughed coldly.

“But that’s precisely why I like it. I’ll participate.”

Because the alliance between the Order Alliance and the Cult was as precarious as walking on thin ice, Lennok could accept this cooperation.

It was a strange structure where if two out of the three were to clash, the remaining one would inevitably profit in some way.

If that utterly unpleasant sense of deprivation could temporarily bind the three factions, who had been killing each other just two days ago.

Lennok, too, would be able to ride on the immense power of the Cult and the Order Alliance, entering the Mausoleum far more comfortably than before.

The Cardinal offered a prayer, and Yaksha nodded.

“It’s decided.”

SLAM!!

A covenant containing the terms of the alliance was placed on the round table, and the Transcendent beings sequentially engraved their Will-thought and Magic Power onto it.

Smoke, blood, and flames were imbued into the blue-shimmering covenant, followed by the other attendees.

A joint cooperation operation between the Order Alliance and the Guido Cult, unprecedented in continental history.

At this moment, the two giants dominating the Central Front joined hands for the first time in the hell that was the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors.

[…CRACKLE.]

“Heh heh.”

The Grand Spell Master gnawing on his insertion tube, spitting out static. The Seventh Apostle, propping her chin and smacking her lips while watching Lennok.

The Cardinal signaling to his priests with a nod, and Lennok observing impassively.

In an atmosphere of endless ominousness and peril, Yaksha completed his final signature and stood up.

“We will depart in half a day. Before departure, we will assess the environment and situation deep within the Demonic Realm and finalize the details.”

Yaksha said calmly, his black-stained inverted eyes sweeping over the superhumans around him.

“Until then, take your final rest and personal preparation time.”