Halto was a cautious person. Now that he had become an appendage of the extra-dimensional, one couldn’t quite call him human in a biological sense.
In his judgment, the best course of action he could take was to mobilize immediately upon detecting the enemy in Algoth City.
To destroy the enemy, he had to create a decisive situation where unexpected force could be injected at an unforeseen moment, where no schemes could intervene.
Halto recalled that the Golden Desert Operation was the scenario that induced such decisive moments. Indeed, during the Golden Desert Operation, the two enemies had been cornered like never before. They had to fight as the monsters, not even shadows, appeared directly before them.
The operation had not been fully completed. An unexpected natural disaster had intervened. That storm had made him realize the divine.
Halto felt no regret for being swept up by the storm. He had relinquished the glory of the earth to grasp the true treasure of heaven—the true divine. However, if he had to pinpoint one lingering regret, it was the possibility of “what if” had the storm arrived just a bit later—a brief opening to finish off the enemies.
However, in the Golden Desert Operation and even in Algoth City, the fight against the enemy had not concluded. Instead, the enemy was brazenly revealing his involvement.
It was like a matador. A provocation, fluttering a red flag and urging a wild charge.
Halto had no intention of playing along with that provocation.
A sure strike was needed.
A very sure strike.
As expected, Argyrion had taken measures with several factions of the Amimone Tower beforehand. Some among them had followed the true cause with genuine hearts upon hearing the truth, while others did not even realize that Argyrion was their supporter.
The boundary that divided the two lay in dignity. Those with a base nature could not accept the divine. It was like giving the corrupted a chance to atone for their sins by becoming a scapegoat.
Halto had divided those he had recruited like this solely to watch for the enemy. He suspected that the enemy could see into the hearts of men as easily as flipping through a book.
The trap prepared to eliminate the enemy was a method utilizing both. This trap was aimed at the final test, which would intensify as the contest for the Tower Master began. According to Argyrion’s diligent research, the final test would take place within the barrier specially established by the Ten Towers.
Mages who knew that they were collaborators with Argyrion and were responsible for setting the trap would actively showcase their skills in the Tower Master contest.
The enemy would undoubtedly take a keen interest in the Tower Master contest. He would closely observe the candidates who stand out.
Ultimately, he would peek into their minds and notice the “trap-laden spot.” Naturally, he would try to exploit areas devoid of traps to toy with them.
The place the enemy headed to mock Argyrion would have people lined up, unaware that they had become bombs themselves.
If, by any chance, the enemy were to walk into the trap, it would be fine. At that time, they could simply activate the trap.
However, the news that reached Argyrion was the series of sabotage explosions that occurred from the eve of the Tower Master contest.
Fearing eavesdropping, the last paragraph of the report sent via space magic instead of using Ether Space was a peculiar sentence.
“‘We have a common enemy’….”
The letters that were slowly solidifying into a brown hue were undoubtedly written in blood. The investigation results matched the blood of the Argyrion members dispatched, but the magical traces that leaked out were somewhat different.
Halto glanced back. A black shape bubbling in the shadows. It was Nastion.
“Anyone have an idea who it might be?”
“……”
It was Nastion, who had been covertly working for a long time to bring the divine back to this land, but even he found something inexplicable. First, the irrational and fanatic obsession of the Argyrion executives towards the “enemy.”
However, this mystery was simpler than being on the same level as that obsession.
Nastion had experience passed down since ancient times, and the technique used by the being that suggested collaborating against the “great enemy” was also quite familiar.
The distinctive magical essence of those who had not been transformed was also familiar to Nastion.
“The biological components of the blood are the same, but the traces of magic have changed, indicating a transformation or a similar state affecting the mental structure.”
“They’re not weak enough to fall prey to a ghost.”
“Compared to a ghost, they’re far superior. Those who wrote this are like me.”
“Like you?”
Halto took a quick look at Nastion. This ancient being, claiming the role of servant to the entire Argyrion, held a peculiar history that was hard to distinguish from a mage or a monster.
Among the Argyrion members, he was respected for his deep belief in the cause, but many of Nastion’s own secrets remained hidden even from Argyrion.
“One of the servants the divine scattered to fulfill His will in this world. I didn’t expect one to still remain in this era.”
“Oh?”
“I will go personally. Though my abilities are limited, I believe I am the most qualified to handle them.”
Thus, Nastion headed towards Algoth City.
*
As expected, the representative of the mental biological entity quarantine team dispatched by the Divine Cult was Demus.
They likely calculated that sending the person I was most familiar with would be the most convenient.
“It’s nice to see your face in person, but there’s no time for idle chatter. Is the requested information ready?”
Demus pulled a heavy envelope from his pocket. It was quite weighty, but the important information was organized succinctly for easy swift reading.
“Once you’re done reading it, dispose of it appropriately. It’s confidential.”
“Of course.”
What I had requested was the extermination records about those the Divine Cult called traitorous sects. Especially methods for dealing with mental biological entities.
I would do my best to eliminate them before they became transformed, but if they happened to succeed, the Divine Cult’s experience dealing with the ‘false deities’ would serve as an excellent teaching material.
“After binding them with the oath of Aegio’s sacred deity through cunning persuasion, then breaking the oath to kill them… This wouldn’t work for me.”
Deceiving a monster that has lived for centuries? I lacked such capability.
“If they were to transform into artifacts, a core would form, which could then be destroyed to eliminate them… Damn. Most methods focus on dealing with them after they transform.”
The successful mental biological entity would condense its immense mind into a single point, creating a “center.” The methods the Divine Cult used to eliminate the false deities mainly involved destroying that center.
In contrast, during the mental biological entity phase, there wasn’t a main body to destroy. The most foolproof solution was to destroy all bodies possessed by the entity.
While practical possibilities were extremely low.
Like the method of assassination that relied on the oath of Aegio, something functioning on a direct level with the soul or mind was needed.
“Oh.”
I suddenly had an exact match for the conditions I mentioned—a deity. Pluton, the god of souls.
Speaking of which, I had previously met a priest of Pluton at the Pluton Great Temple.
“Have the priests of Pluton arrived by any chance?”
Demus shook his head solemnly.
“There aren’t multiple priests.”
That was an immediately perplexing statement. Understanding my confusion, Demus slowly added an explanation.
“There is only one priest currently active for Pluton. Due to circumstances, he cannot leave the temple.”
“Oh.”
That was disappointing. If I could just send them off like spirits using Pluton’s divine power, things would go quite smoothly. I looked around aimlessly.
I hoped that the priest who had silently followed me from the Great Temple was hiding somewhere nearby again. But it seemed those hopes were in vain, as the shadows cast in the alley were only dark.
“If I can’t use Pluton’s divine power…”
I quickly skimmed through the documents. I focused on processing methods for the situation when the traitorous cult would just begin to stir.
Suddenly, Demus interjected.
“Methods to awaken the very minds of those captivated by the traitorous faith will be difficult to employ. Originally, the Estia Cult, which was responsible for mental recovery, has weakened and has not been seen among the Twelve Cults for a long time, and according to the Bacchus Cult that has taken over, well… You know better than I do.”
“Excuse me?”
“If the traitorous faith is in its initial stages, one could awaken confused minds and prevent further fall. Were you not looking for that passage?”
Demus shook his head as if expressing regret.
“You were protecting the last survivor of the Bacchus Cult.”
“Yes, Kine. You saw her in Elysion, right?”
“If I remember correctly, given her age, while she may wield divine power, she wouldn’t have been granted clear divine authority. A priest capable of handling the mind would require at least the position of a bishop.”
I recalled Kine’s grumbling from the previous night. She had cursed and massaged the brains of the mages before leaving them dazed with divine power, hadn’t she?
