< Pantheon (4) >
As I have repeatedly mentioned, the Pantheon, where each member holds different doctrines and beliefs, was not a tightly-knit organization. The only bond among them was the commonality of being clergy who worshiped deities.
It was more like a group formed by mutual respect in the same field, deciding to solve problems amicably without raising tension unless absolutely necessary.
However, not every religion could accept such moderate appeasement, and some were outright strict.
There were sects that rejected all idol worship, considering it heresy, based on single deity faith. There were those who preferred inhumane rituals like human sacrifices, making integration into modern society impossible. And then there were those who leaned towards evil gods and conspired for the end of the world.
For various reasons, quite a number of clergy did not belong to the Pantheon and operated separately.
Of course, if that was all there was to it, they could have simply kept an eye on them. But…
The problem was that a significant number of these ‘evil god followers’ hid their identities and infiltrated the Pantheon.
Naturally, those who sneak in with such intentions did not have good purposes in mind.
For instance—
Like the Secretary of the North American branch of the Buncheon Society.
“Hmm, so what the Brother Heinrich is saying is…”
Jason, with a heavy expression, stroked his beard.
“You are saying that there are evil god followers associated with the Buncheon Society working behind the scenes in the Pantheon, correct? And that they are quite high up.”
He nodded with a serious face, as if he had never pressured anyone for information before.
There was no sign of the skepticism he had just shown towards Heinrich’s claims.
“Indeed. They are the very embodiment of evil that has led numerous dimensions to destruction. I can’t even imagine how deep their roots go… They are probably involved beyond just the Pantheon.”
Heinrich’s voice, filled with certainty, echoed through the room, causing the faces of those present to harden with seriousness.
All of this…
Hmm…
Was thanks to that arrogant little blonde brat, crossing his arms with a serious expression that seemed out of place.
At first glance, he appeared no older than seven years.
However, most of those present were not naive enough to judge others merely by appearance.
No matter how I look at it, it’s unbelievable. But this immense magical power…
A dragon, huh… In the world I visited, they were mere legends, yet here I am seeing one on Earth. I guess life is full of surprises.
Immense energy. To accumulate such strength, it’s definitely not a young dragon. Is that appearance a ruse to induce carelessness? Or just personal preference?
There was undeniable proof that beings from other dimensions had crossed over to Earth.
Not only had they witnessed that unparalleled moment, but the individual who accomplished that miracle was now standing right before them, which meant the weight of their words had to be substantial.
Moreover, Heinrich was a wielder of holy power celebrated as a saint, wasn’t he?
In other words, what I’m saying isn’t just a personal opinion. It’s as if I’m delivering divine words backed by the glory of God.
Heinrich, slowly nodding while glancing around at those whispering among themselves, had succeeded in engraining the topic into their minds as planned.
Let’s proceed with the orthodox approach. This really is the best plan right now.
It was the perfect opportunity while the Buncheon Society hadn’t made any bold moves yet.
The reason their handling of Heinrich was so passive was probably that they couldn’t grasp how much he truly knew.
But that state of affairs wouldn’t last long.
They won’t just sit idle. But this should at least hold them back a bit.
No matter how long the Buncheon Society had entrenched itself here, it was still an overwhelmingly large, multiversal organization.
No matter how much influence Heinrich had, fighting solely in the shadows was nearly impossible.
Therefore, he initially aimed to bring the existence of the Buncheon Society into the light, didn’t he?
And dragging the attention of the revealed ones while tanking is Heinrich’s role!
It perfectly suited his position as a knight!
Of course, that didn’t mean he planned on only engaging them directly in a fair fight.
After all, he already had plenty of avatars prepared to operate from the shadows.
Buncheon Society Leader. I don’t know whether you’re here on Earth or in some other world, but…
Fortunately for him, those who had already attained significant divinity couldn’t move recklessly on this Earth.
If he was here, he was likely isolated somewhere, receiving occasional external updates through his subordinates.
…I will shatter everything you have built up, one by one. No more worrying about other worlds.
With clenched fists, Heinrich’s eyes sparkled with bright determination.
Beside him, Horus nodded firmly, filled with resolve.
After the unexpected turmoil, the meeting between the various attendees and Saint Heinrich proceeded smoothly without further delays.
*
< SHOCK! Dragon Appears in the Middle of Seoul! >
< Fantastic Magic? Transformation Ability? Returnee Association says, “No, this is real!” >
< Sudden dragon appearance leads to traffic chaos in the surrounding area. Property damages and injuries confirmed. The White Knights have agreed to compensate for the damages... >
Naturally, the aftermath of the dragon incident in the heart of the city did not dissipate easily.
Horus, who had nonchalantly enjoyed himself in human form before returning to the Ganghwan Realm, had already become a global topic of controversy. This was only the beginning.
– Wow;; I’ve seen a real dragon for the first time in my lifeㅋㅋㅋ
└Who wouldn’t feel that way? There are plenty of powerful returnees who have never seen one.
└Yeah, I’m a returnee but I haven’t seen one either. It’s not just that I’m weak; they just didn’t exist in our world.
└I’ve seen one, but it was so different from my memory that I can’t say much. The one I saw was only about 5 meters long; it looked more like a pterosaur.
└Isn’t that more of a wyvern than a dragon?
└Still, the system’s auto-translation said the locals called it a dragon.
Whether they were ordinary people or awakened ones, everything related to that dragon became a hot topic.
It was inevitable considering that a dragon, reaching dozens of meters in size, had truly appeared, gliding through the skies over Seoul.
The attention it attracted was only natural.
– But I’m curious, do dragons usually carry something that looks like a Yeouiju? Or is that just him being unique?
└Ah, I was also wondering about that.
└But is that really a Yeouiju? Isn’t it just a similar-looking object?
– (Info) While similarly-looking species might exist, their characteristics vary subtly from world to world; I can’t give a definite answer. It’s probably just how dragons from that dimension appear.
– But it’s funnyㅋㅋㅋ A dragon carrying a Yeouiju? What a bizarre hybridㅋㅋ
Amidst all this, the Yeouiju that Horus carried became a topic of interest, but that fascination didn’t last long.
After all, the dragons from Auterica had been nearly extinct and hidden for ages, and there were almost no people on Earth who knew detailed information about them.
The real issue was that the nature of this incident quickly spread from Korea to the rest of the world.
It was something he had hoped would happen from the beginning…
– Oh! What in the world is that? A dragon? Is that for real?
– Which country filmed that? China? Please don’t tell me that’s another fabrication. I can’t trust news from there.
└They say it’s from Korea, the base of that dark hero Korean Smile Face and Phantom. And that’s a video recorded in real-time from a platform.
– In my lifetime, I’ve even seen a real dragon in a video! Surely God has granted my wish. If only I could see that dragon with my own two eyes, I would have no further wishes.
Countless people’s attention and admiration.
Of course, not all reactions were positive.
< Carlos the Superhuman from Mexico declares, “I will be the first dragon slayer on Earth!” >
< How much is the astronomical value of the dragon’s byproducts? Let’s learn about Korea's gold dragon that foreigners are after. >
< Claiming it’s just “tourism,” overseas powers start entering Korea. Meanwhile, the government worries about worsening security as illegal entry attempts begin. >
…It seemed that not only the background of Horus but the dragon itself became a huge point of interest, which was a bit of a headache.
Well, after all, the giant gold dragon’s body was like a top-notch resource available on Earth, so it was hard to blame them.
Of course, I have no intention of letting this slide.
This land of Korea belonged entirely to him.
He couldn’t allow greedy outsiders to run amok.
He had to take special measures to maintain order on this land.
Crack—
“Gurk!”
A strong grip tightened around the neck.
An American man was lifted off the ground, thrashing his legs in desperation, but the hand gripping his neck felt immovable, as if it were a vice.
“…Tsk, I thought you might have something up your sleeve since you were acting so cocky.”
After the struggling man finally went limp with a pale face, a cold voice echoed from the alley.
The owner of that voice casually threw the man’s corpse to a corner, where several bodies lay stacked, and turned away nonchalantly.
“I am Jin So-Ran.”
“Yes, my Lord!”
“Send those who will clean up this place. I’ll let you know the location.”
“Understood! I’ve been worried as the number of awakened ones attempting to enter secretly has increased, so I’m relieved you’re here, my Lord. It seems that foreign individuals tend to underestimate us. Like frogs stuck in a well.”
“How amusing. Do they think they are any different?”
“Well, if rumors start to spread that those who tried to mess with us suddenly vanish without a trace, then others might think twice before making a move. It should make things a bit easier, right?”
“Well…”
Heinrich II, the pureblood vampire who was busy managing his underlings across two worlds, clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Such individuals weren’t the ones who acted on rational thinking.
Many of them would likely come to pester them with unfounded confidence.
“So then, I will continue to observe the situation. Report any anomalies.”
“Yes, my Lord! Then I shall check on Heterosys and the blood pact again. We should avoid unnecessary friction on our side.”
“Good, I appreciate it.”
Once the communication with Jin So-Ran ended, Heinrich took a single step forward, only to find himself on the rooftop of a nearby high-rise building.
From the rooftop, he quietly surveyed the bustling scene below: people scurrying about and vehicles traveling on the roads amidst the chaos.
But what caught his eye was something entirely different from that ordinary scenery.
“…The heat isn’t normal. This doesn’t seem like a natural phenomenon.”
Heinrich muttered in a low voice.
With blood-red eyes, he scanned the intricate web of causation that twisted chaotically upon this land.
The sudden appearance of a dragon and the influx of external powers were part of a natural sequence, but…
There was certainly someone, or something, else involved.
So obscure that he couldn’t be entirely sure yet of the identity he sensed.
Is it the Buncheon Society?
He had no need to wrack his brain over such an obvious fact any longer.
From their perspective, the current situation was a perfect opportunity to reach into Korea, riding the wave surrounding these events.
…Hmm, I had expected something like this.
For instance, the current scenario meant that all eyes in the world, including all organizations… yes, even the Buncheon Society, were now focused on Korea.
Shall we begin then?
And out of the blue, at that very moment…
A being stepped onto American soil on the opposite side of the Earth.
*
In San Francisco, California.
“…Hmm, is this the place…?”
Wearing a suspicious robe and hood as if he were a participant in a secret meeting, the figure slowly lifted his head from the darkness.
In his view, a vast building shaped like a shrine came into sight.
The headquarters of the interdimensional religious union, the Pantheon.
The starlight gleaming in the eyes of the mysterious figure reflected his intent as he faced his target.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.