Chapter 946: The Prohibition (1)
The sky brightened radiantly, and warm sunlight streamed down upon the ground.
Anathema’s corpse, head driven into the ground as if by the gravestone of Myriad Sands Divine Thunder.
Right beside it, embedded at an angle, was the Compassion of the Archangel, emitting dazzling holy light.
The relic-grade artifact, containing the spirit of Kashuin, the Archangel of the Old World, pulsed wildly.
It was obvious how agitated the Archangel must be, having met the Pontiff yet letting his presence slip away before its very eyes.
But instead of immediately picking up the staff embedded in the ground, Lennok drew upon his magic, rapidly scanning the surroundings.
Lennok nodded, having detected the faint traces of a familiar presence.
“As expected… I was a step too late.”
The cult’s priestess, who had already vanished when Lennok escaped the sanctuary.
It was now clear that Ureka Naydree had revisited this place and then departed.
Anathema, exiled from Ars Nova, possessed a rare power unaffected by The Prohibition.
The cult, too, would not have willingly handed over Anathema’s corpse to Lennok.
Though they couldn’t recover the body due to the Myriad Sands Divine Thunder, they must have tried something.
‘If she took hair or blood, it would be hard to notice. But that woman wouldn’t be satisfied with just that.’
Ureka Naydree was a fanatic who personally ventured onto the scene in her priestess body to ensure definitive results.
Given that she took the time to covet Anathema’s power, she wouldn’t have been satisfied with mediocre gains.
It was highly likely she targeted a body part with spiritual efficacy, without being too conspicuous.
‘She couldn’t have touched major organs like the heart. Yet, if there was a part worth risking backlash for—’
Lennok turned Anathema’s face over and peered at his eyes, a bitter smile gracing his lips.
The Apostle’s eye, which should have been beneath his left eyelid, was empty, as if scooped out.
“It was the eye.”
In spiritual concepts, the eye is a window reflecting the soul.
The maximum harvest the priestess could glean from the deceased Anathema would be just that.
Though a portion of his spoils had been taken, Lennok didn’t express anger there.
Strictly speaking, Lennok had killed the Apostle and claimed the body, and if the priestess hadn’t cast her sanctuary, meeting the Pontiff would have been impossible.
More importantly, the priestess couldn’t have taken the eye without a price.
Regardless, it was Anathema’s corpse, imbued with Lennok’s lightning.
Even the brief act of touching the body and scooping out the eye must have caused the priestess injury.
Furthermore, Ureka Naydree never perceived the authority of the Priestess residing within Lennok’s body until the very end.
This was likely because the authority Seina had left to Lennok was entirely disconnected from the cult’s internal succession.
In that case, this lack of knowledge could definitely be exploited to his advantage when dealing with the cult in the future.
Thinking so, Lennok reached out a hand towards the wildly glowing Compassion of the Archangel.
[Pontiff—!!!!]
Whoosh!
The Compassion of the Archangel vibrated, emitting intense holy light.
The rainbow-hued gem at the tip of the staff spun violently, unleashing a fierce, resonant cry.
[Where are you!!! Where is he, where is he?!!!]
“The Pontiff has departed.”
Lennok replied calmly.
“He is an existence that resides within the memories of others. Without a time like this, there would have been no chance to meet him.”
[Why!! Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?!!]
Kashuin expelled a rough breath.
[Did you not promise me!! Believing I would meet him again, again—!!!]
“Kashuin. Don’t be mistaken.”
CRACK!
Lennok coldly said, driving the Compassion of the Archangel back into the ground beneath his foot.
“I told you I would give you the chance, but anything beyond that depended on your own capabilities. Didn’t we clearly agree on that?”
[Damn it, but—!!!!!]
Unable to contain its rage, Kashuin loudly unleashed its will-thought.
[Not a single word reached him. Not a single word touched him!!!!]
“……”
[If it was going to be like this, what was I even for—!!!!!]
The Compassion of the Archangel responded to its will, unleashing a storm of holy light.
Dust scattered, and lush vegetation sprouted across the ruins, as if new life was blossoming.
“……”
Kashuin’s emotions and will, which had been fading until its encounter with the Pontiff, were now undeniably vivid.
Like a wilting flower losing all responsiveness, it seemed to have intensely revived through its confrontation with the Pontiff.
Having finished his observation, Lennok picked up the Compassion of the Archangel and spoke.
“Not a single word reached him, but you certainly met him. Didn’t you?”
[…Yes. That’s why my insides are boiling over even more.]
Kashuin shrieked.
[If only, if only I hadn’t met him at all from the start—!!! I could have forgotten everything and vanished, why—!!!!]
“Kashuin. I kept my promise.”
Despite the Archangel’s ear-splitting cries, Lennok spoke calmly.
“Even before facing the Pontiff, I didn’t forget the promise I made with you and gave you a chance. Was I wrong?”
[….]
Kashuin’s resonant cry suddenly ceased.
Sensing that it was listening intently, Lennok whispered softly.
“Only I can fulfill your wish. And in the future, it will still only be me.”
[Yes… only you. I know.]
Hesitantly, Kashuin reluctantly assented.
[I ask of you. Make me meet him again. What must I do?]
“I’m not asking for anything difficult.”
Lennok smiled.
“I merely desire more active cooperation than before.”
[…Active cooperation?]
“The Archangel’s Authority and knowledge of the Old World. Those things you neglected while idling away inside the artifact.”
The more he delved into the cult, the more Lennok felt the strong necessity of Kashuin’s knowledge.
It was clear that the Guido Cult’s existence originated from the Pontiff’s arrangements starting in the Second World.
If so, the knowledge Kashuin possessed, having ascended to the Archangel’s Seat, was highly likely to be similarly applicable to the cult.
“You wouldn’t deny that you doubted and questioned the promise you made with me, would you?”
[….]
“But I kept my promise, and I proved that I have the ability to do so.”
Lennok said, gripping the Compassion of the Archangel tightly.
“Now, shouldn’t you show that you are equally valuable?”
[…Very well. If he is pleased with you, then a chance will surely come for me again someday.]
Kashuin assented.
[In anxiety and distress, I wished to simply vanish as I was… but from now on, I will cooperate with your stance to the best of my ability.]
“The agreement is complete. Now, go back inside.”
[What? Wait, why, after making me say all that—]
Ignoring the loudly chattering Kashuin, Lennok shoved the Compassion of the Archangel directly into his coat.
He had pressured Kashuin as soon as they left the sanctuary because he knew there would be no moment when Kashuin felt as desperate as now.
Since Lennok had used Kashuin’s existence to avoid the Pontiff’s interference, it was necessary to address this matter.
However, there were still things Lennok needed to confirm immediately, more pressing than Kashuin and the Compassion of the Archangel.
Collecting Anathema’s body. Concluding the summit. Just as he was mentally organizing other tasks that needed handling.
“Armas…!!”
Behind Lennok, a faint, almost broken voice echoed.
With pale green hair and elongated ears, a bewildered Rage stared at Anathema with a drawn face.
Anathema’s wretched form lay collapsed, his body grotesquely mixed with a goat’s head, reverse joints, and hooves.
“This, you foolish idiot…!!”
Rage bowed her head deeply before the lifeless body, which had died without even regaining its human form.
Forcibly suppressing her surging emotions, she instinctively reached out a hand towards the Apostle’s lightning-struck corpse.
“To die like this, just like that…!!”
“That’s enough.”
Whoosh!
A figure, accelerating at incredible speed from behind Lennok, powerfully kicked Rage’s shoulder, sending her flying.
Rage’s body, unable to offer any resistance, slammed into the ground and skidded.
“Ugh…!!”
“Rage Mistra. Even for you, a member of Systema Aurum, any further action is unacceptable.”
Someone, pressing a foot onto Rage’s arm, spoke in a chilling voice.
A black suit. Dark hair that seemed to melt into the shadows, and subtly glowing green eyes beneath it.
Click!
When a hand touched the visor covering her lower face, a face familiar even to Lennok was revealed.
“Evelyn Marcia…!!”
Rage’s expression crumpled upon seeing Evelyn’s face.
“I wondered why you didn’t show up at the summit; so you were still observing the situation!”
“You knew that the higher-ups were keeping a close eye on this summit.”
Evelyn replied in an indifferent voice, nodding.
“The Elder Council moved simultaneously with Anathema’s manifestation, and I, who wasn’t attending the summit, was dispatched.”
“…!!!”
Evelyn looked down at Rage with a cold gaze and spoke.
“Anathema’s rebellion, which took place in the satellite city of Etanoc. As key figures in this incident, you and Slain Onyx will be taken into custody.”
[Oh, we were a step too late.]
The moment Evelyn pressed her foot onto Rage’s back and drew upon her magic, a colossal metallic sphere fell from the air, blocking Evelyn’s path.
CRASH!
The Jeonryun Geumgu, having crashed to the ground, rotated, scattering shockwaves in all directions, and the earth violently trembled.
[After night turned to day, and after bidding farewell to an old friend, there’s still too much left to do.]
Olinic, standing on the colossal metallic sphere with his hands behind his back, spoke to Evelyn in a voice tinged with amusement.
[Hyun-gung. I understand you’ve quit the Agents. May I ask where you intend to take her?]
“I don’t think there’s any reason to repeat the same explanation, Cheoknoe.”
Evelyn looked at him with a cold gaze and spoke.
“You’ve already been watching us for a while now, haven’t you?”
[….]
“Or do you want an immediate explanation of what kind of deal I made with the Elder Council?”
[There seems to be a misunderstanding. I, too, have no intention of defying the Elder Council’s will.]
Olinic replied softly.
Olinic, gazing at Anathema’s fallen corpse and the lightning gravestone struck upon it, spoke.
[However, the other summit participants who were fighting on the outskirts of Etanoc are now returning.]
“……”
[I’d like to share a moment to mourn the death of a foolish comrade.]
“I never knew the head of Gisusingung was such a sentimental person.”
Evelyn chuckled.
“Alright. I’ll wait until Slain Onyx arrives.”
“You’re taking a long way around to say you’ve sided with the Elder Council.”
Rage glared at Evelyn.
“Your kind always sided with those in power. I know that.”
“Talking about ‘kind’ or ‘race’ now doesn’t stir any emotion in me.”
Evelyn replied without batting an eye.
“If you wish, I’ll allow you to finish your conversation with Adamant Thunder. You had something you wanted to say, didn’t you?”
“…No.”
Rage flinched at her words, then deeply lowered her gaze.
Unable to meet Lennok’s eyes, she muttered in a voice that seemed about to vanish.
“It’s fine. I know I was foolish.”
“……”
Did she truly think she owed Lennok a debt, given how things turned out?
Pulling the despairing Rage, Evelyn turned her steps towards Lennok.
“Van.”
“So you were here.”
“A bit late, yes.”
Evelyn let out a small sigh.
“I’m sorry, but can I explain later?”
“As you wish.”
“……”
The reason Evelyn didn’t attend the summit between the 8-levels. The reason she appeared late to arrest Rage and Slain.
And the reason she had sided with the Elder Council, as Rage had sarcastically implied.
Lennok wasn’t uninterested, but if she didn’t wish to explain, he wouldn’t press her.
“Shouldn’t you at least pretend to be curious for courtesy’s sake?”
“Weren’t you hoping I wouldn’t?”
Lennok said with a smile.
“If you want, I could lend a hand in arresting Slain.”
“…It’s fine. I know neither Rage nor Slain are involved with the cult.”
Evelyn lowered her voice so Rage wouldn’t hear.
“However, the Elder Council wants to hear about this summit directly. Anathema’s change of allegiance is also an important reason.”
If a major figure like Olinic said he had no intention of defying the Elder Council’s will, then something problematic must have occurred.
It certainly seemed that the Elder Council, which rarely intervened in Vulcan, was concerned about Anathema’s change of allegiance.
“Has the Elder Council decided to act in full force?”
“…Perhaps.”
Evelyn, who had been wearing a serious expression, then formed a mischievous smile and changed the subject.
“By the way, wasn’t this your first time meeting Slain? Seeing how eager you are to ‘help,’ it seems you really don’t like him.”
“You’ve developed a habit of interpreting others’ goodwill askew.”
“The escort of Slain and Rage is merely a matter of justification.”
Evelyn smiled with an awkward expression.
“They aren’t beings you can forcibly detain. Especially if they’re from the Arbitrator Clan, like Onyx.”
“Arbitrator Clan, you say?”
“Slain isn’t human. You knew that, right?”
Lennok nodded at Evelyn’s question.
“He felt more like a demonic beast’s will-thought than a human’s. But he didn’t seem to be a Long-lived Being…”
“Onyx isn’t a Long-lived Being; he’s from the Phantom Beast species. To be precise, he’s of the Three-legged Crow [삼족오] bloodline.”
“…Three-legged Crow?”
So the black-haired, red-eyed man who hosted the summit was actually a three-legged crow?
“They’re called the Arbitrator Clan because their three legs symbolize balance, and they’re known to nest and reside in the Spirit World.”
Evelyn explained.
“Slain also spearheaded Anathema’s manifestation at the summit because he could contact Anathema, who had been exiled from reality, through the Spirit World.”
“I see.”
Understanding the reason for Slain’s intended apprehension, Lennok nodded.
“Do you think Slain might also have been influenced by the cult, just as Anathema was?”
“If a noble from Ars Nova could become an Apostle, then it wouldn’t be impossible for a Phantom Beast species. More importantly, non-human species’ innate emotions—”
“Wait.”
At that moment, Lennok raised a hand, stopping Evelyn’s words.
The moment Evelyn, noticing the anomaly, immediately drew upon her magic and turned around.
“If you’re going to speak ill of me, I’d prefer you do it to my face.”
Whoosh!
Slain, who had appeared behind Evelyn, spoke with an expressionless face.
“I don’t get angry or refute every sentiment of the human species. Ignorance is not something to be persuaded, but to be understood and respected.”
“……”
His presence was so faint that even Lennok only registered it after he had already appeared.
There was a strange sense of incongruity, as if he hadn’t brought his full being to this place.
If it was a Phantom Beast species that nested in the Spirit World, its origin would be closer to a spirit than a Long-lived Being.
It must be a case where their main body’s power is too strong to rely on a contract to remain in the current world.
“You said you came to take me into custody?”
Slain walked up to Lennok and raised both his hands.
“If formal restraint is necessary, do as you wish. I had things to discuss with the Elder Council anyway.”
“……”
Evelyn, meeting his gaze, took out handcuffs and placed them on Slain’s wrists, then spoke.
“You’ll be escorted to the central district with Mistra. Do you have anything to say?”
“There were far too many words to conclude in a single morning.”
Slain said that, then lifted his gaze.
Near the ruins where Anathema’s body lay, other participants were returning.
Olinic, standing on his colossal metallic sphere. Habaek, mounted on a horned beast.
Krod, returned with Kiriya, and the unconscious Peshia. The head of Mirror Diver, Marcus Tranquiller.
There were those who hadn’t returned to the summit, and those who had left without regret.
“Time is short, so let’s deal with the most important matter first. It concerns the disposition of Armas von Anathema.”
But instead of checking on each of them, Slain looked at Adamant Thunder and spoke.
“Anathema, as a hero of the civil war, had even his funeral procedures decided after his death, but the moment he became an Apostle, it became meaningless.”
“……”
“Therefore, Anathema’s body itself will be treated as an asset, not a deceased person, and fully transferred to Adamant Thunder himself.”
Slain’s reply, as he averted his gaze in the silent ruins.
But Lennok was pondering Slain’s intention in mentioning that fact at this particular moment.
The ownership was decided the moment Lennok killed Anathema and impaled the body with lightning.
This implied that, based on an already established fact, there was something else that needed to be declared here.
“Furthermore, the Forbidden Armament of the Central City, which Anathema himself sealed in his residence during his lifetime, has also lost its right of succession.”
As if reading Lennok’s thoughts, Slain spoke again.
“According to the Sacred War’s Covenant, ownership will be transferred to Adamant Thunder, the party who subjugated the Apostle. Does anyone here disagree with this?”
“…What?”