Chapter 221
Suddenly, the Party Hall darkened, and light converged in the center of the hall.
It seems like there was an announcement from the Central Church happening.
Toylen Troa Finn, moving to grab some food, turned his gaze towards the center of the light.
“Whoa…!”
He collided with a female student.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?!”
Finn, who was clearly at fault, was flustered and placed the plate he was holding on a nearby table while extending his hand.
The woman, who had stumbled in the darkness, quickly got up, waving her hands.
She kept bowing her head, apologizing profusely as if it was her fault.
Finn remembered seeing her before.
‘Isn’t she the one I saw with Vargan in the Round of 32? Erlich, was it?’
Erlich, the Spirit Summoner from Rikeion, wasn’t holding her usual large staff.
She stopped Finn from continuing to apologize, saying it was her own fault.
“I wasn’t paying attention either. What’s there to be sorry about… huh? But….”
In the darkness, her appearance hadn’t been clearly visible.
However, Finn could make out her general features, and Erlich squinted at him.
‘He’s someone I’ve seen before. I definitely saw him hanging out with Vargan… what was his name… Hin? Kim?’
“…Finn?”
“Uh? How do you know my name….”
“Uh? Ah, haha. Isn’t it weird? It feels strange even to me.”
Erlich accidentally blurted out Finn’s name and, flustered, took a few steps back.
“Well then, have a nice time… haha.”
With that, Erlich vanished.
Finn looked at the spot she’d left with a thought of, ‘What a peculiar person…’ and soon turned his eyes to the center of the hall where a voice echoed.
—Are you enjoying the exchange meeting?
It was a voice Finn was quite familiar with.
Haylion, who had been his mentor for a brief moment, was basking in all the spotlight.
Beside him stood Kshanoll, Finn’s own teacher.
‘Now that I think about it, I never properly greeted him.’
He had tried several times to visit Kshanoll to say hello, but strangely, he was never around.
Lies weren’t found.
Because of that, even while at Rikeion, there hadn’t been a single conversation.
Now, the memories of my separated physical self were becoming more unified, filling me with gratitude…
‘Ah, we made eye contact.’
By chance, when Finn’s eyes met Kshanoll’s, he quickly looked down.
Kshanoll didn’t react at all, but since he was currently giving a presentation, Finn didn’t expect a response either.
Finn picked up the plate he had momentarily set down and listened to Helion’s ongoing presentation.
He explained the general relationship between the Central Church, Academia, and Rikeion.
‘I thought it was an important announcement, but is it really that significant?’
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to pay close attention. They might not have revealed the important matters yet.
Finn slowly moved his steps to a spot where he could see Helion well.
When he reached halfway up the stairs between the first and second floors, there were just enough people missing that he could see clearly.
As he listened to Helion’s calm yet steady voice…
—Currently, our Central Church is recruiting extermination squads for the First Danger Zone, Gamigin.
“What…?”
He spaced out for a moment and rubbed his ears.
‘The First Danger Zone… that’s a title calling for the Cardinals of the Goddess Church. Extermination…? What?’
This… seems like it’s not just a major announcement.
* * *
The one who devours memories, Gamigin.
A big shot that forms part of the actual pinnacle of the Goddess Church as a Cardinal.
He stole the memory of Top-level Bishop Han, whom he met in Seiman’s dungeon.
His memories about Gamigin were particularly vivid among other Cardinals because he was the first Cardinal to appear prominently in the novel.
The tragedy of Academia.
The unprecedented event that adorned the climax of the beginning of the original work and marked a turning point in the atmosphere of the story.
This was initiated by Cardinal Gamigin.
Always eager for battles and looking to stir up wars, he began to move when a significant change occurred within Academia.
Taking advantage of the timing, he successfully destroyed the solid protection system of the remaining Formists hiding in Academia, and Gamigin mobilized his entire force to invade.
At this time, the Archbishop Salecius, a bioweapon created by the mad scientist Cardinal Jephar, made his first appearance as an auxiliary force for Gamigin.
The true culprit of Academia’s tragedy was not the Archbishop.
It was, after all, the invasion of a Cardinal.
Naturally, Academia suffered catastrophic damage and was virtually reduced to ruins.
Around half of the first-year students who had just enrolled were massacred.
Among the group of protagonists who were second-years at the time, there were casualties too, including Finn’s childhood friend, heroine Emily.
And after the incident was concluded, Finn, who had only been briefly mentioned, was also caught up in it.
The tragedy of Academia certainly helped foster and awaken Liam’s growth, but…
The benefits don’t even begin to compare to the losses endured by Academia and humanity as a whole.
If the heroes from the Central Church hadn’t arrived late, they would have surely been annihilated.
“At this point, the subjugation of Gamigin is an unprecedented move. The Central Church has never mentioned anything about subjugating Gamigin before.”
I had an idea of the general content from hearing it from Heigel, but for now, let’s listen to the rest of Helion’s announcement.
—One month ago, when bishops began rampaging everywhere, the Central Church and its branches dispatched heroes to wipe out Altife and evolved.
Helion’s announcement was so shocking that I couldn’t hear the murmurs of others.
There was a brief rustle, but it quickly faded away as the announcement continued.
—During this process, Archbishop Orobos began rampaging along with the bishops, and I and several heroes took on the extermination mission to head to the field.
Archbishop Orobos.
One of the archbishops affiliated with Cardinal Gamigin.
He possesses quite troublesome abilities and was particularly active in the second half…
‘Wait…!’
I was shocked. Very shocked.
Not just me; everyone here must have been greatly surprised.
I could think it was possible if it were Helion, that something like this could definitely happen.
However, there’s a significant difference between speculation and the realization that something has actually occurred.
What evidence did they find, and what triggered the claim to subjugate Gamigin? I had long wondered about that after hearing from Heigel, and now the clue has finally unraveled.
The accessory Helion brought up during the announcement.
The sinister power and color radiating from the bracelet were clear in meaning.
—We encountered Archbishop Orobos and successfully completed the extermination, obtaining the Judgment Weapon. This accessory I’m holding is it.
The archbishop is dead.
And without a sound, very quietly.
This is the moment when the public becomes aware of the extermination of the third archbishop, who reached Zagan and Ami.
Everyone who saw Helion’s bracelet gasped or stared wide-eyed in utter shock.
The top-ranked hero Sylvester had captured an archbishop decades ago.
Now, the sixth-ranked hero Helion has taken down Archbishop Orobos.
With this, the Central Church now has two Judgment Weapons.
Moreover, since a month ago they announced they had subjugated top-level Bishop Han, it wouldn’t have been difficult to keep Orobos’s death under wraps for a while.
‘Helion… I thought he was quietly just capturing bishop-level foes, but it seems a lot more happened behind the scenes.’
What a master full of secrets.
Keeping it all tightly hidden from his one and only disciple until now.
Alia and Cardinal Jephar are already enough to shake my plans up.
—Thus, we have obtained the Judgment Weapons of the two archbishops previously affiliated with Cardinal Gamigin and confirmed that the traits of the Judgment Weapons documented in literature actually function.
Judgment Weapons possess unique properties.
They act like radar responding to their corresponding cardinal, reacting as if trying to return to their root.
Although the exact principles haven’t been clearly revealed yet.
I suspected it’s related to how the archbishops effortlessly grasp their cardinal’s position.
I believed it was related to easily identifying the location of my superior, the Cardinal.
“According to records from about 500 years ago, when the Church possessed three Judgment Weapons, the gathering of two or more would trigger a Reaction, revealing a specific location. By tracking this, one could find the nest of the belonging Cardinal—so it was said.”
Of course, this wasn’t an informed movement; it was an inspection of the Reaction, which ultimately led to the Cardinal’s complete annihilation and the loss of all three Judgment Weapons. The records state this clearly…
Now, that historic record, handed down like a legend, has once again shown its Reaction.
In the original, a method to identify the Cardinal’s location using Judgment Weapons was also employed in the latter half, proving its effectiveness.
—Now, knowing the location of Cardinal Gamigin’s nest, Gamigin’s forces have diminished, having lost the two Archbishops who were its pillars.
Thus, the Church viewed this period as an opportunity.
A Golden Time that may not come again.
Only two Archbishops remain for Cardinal Gamigin.
If this chance is missed, Bishops will need to be nurtured again to fill the Archbishop positions.
The tide has turned this way. It’s time to act without delay.
—Throughout thousands of years of history, humanity has always had to adopt a passive stance regarding Altife. We, known as Heroes, were merely shields to block their advances, a means to extinguish flames.
Helion spoke slowly, ensuring everyone could hear each word clearly.
Despite his calm and seemingly gentle voice, there was an unmistakable edge of intensity.
—However, the opportunity has finally arrived, so it’s time to move.
He scanned the faces of all the students looking at him.
They had a variety of eyes, but most seemed to flicker with the qualities of prospective Heroes.
The Church has always lacked talented individuals.
It’s not the time to spare those students who possess the will and skills to make an impact.
—Therefore, the Central Church is recruiting an expeditionary force to hunt Gamigin.
Initially, those who join will work alongside me and the Heroes as search teams, and once the radius narrows, they will also assume the duties of the expeditionary force.
The 64 students who participated in the tournament are required to participate, while others wishing to join should apply within the timeframe to have their skills evaluated.
Of course, if professors wish to join, they may do so as well. Given the circumstances, we hope for proactive cooperation.
Helion stated this firmly.
This episode, where the very existence of humanity is at stake, can’t be taken lightly.
If a failure occurs in such a large-scale project, it would bring about irremediable and tremendous damage akin to the Tragedy of the Academia.
Amidst the focused crowd.
Hero Helion declared once more.
—The era of counterattack has arrived. Let’s lift our rusty swords and staffs and step outside!
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