Episode 1047 Summit (2)
From the omniscient perspective of Verden… … whether chosen or chosen by themselves, the Transcendent inevitably possesses a unique feat. A tower of effort built upon fertile soil of innate talent.Even if fate intervenes, the blood and sweat they shed are genuine.
However, a divine being is different.
Transcendents of the Martial Arts and Magic realms awaken on their own, but transcendents of the Faith realm must require the power of the Four Great Divine Artifacts regardless of their level.
The holy sword for the saint.The holy spear for the saintess.The Bible for the Pope.The holy armor for the holy king.
Even if powerless for the time being, once recognized as qualified by the Goddess’s artifact, one attains a transcendent realm. Truly as a being chosen by the gods.
Therefore, unlike ordinary transcendents who reign naturally through a process of proof, transcendents of light undergo the process of proving their status only after first acquiring the ability to reign.
What about the newcomers of that era?
Ersetia became the first in history to possess two divine artifacts: the Holy Lance and the Holy Armor. Her overwhelming divine power is already acknowledged.
Pope Romanus also refined the status and system of Luas, which had long since risen to the bedrock of world religions, deeply and broadly, achieving accomplishments befitting its reputation.
Saint Leonhardt was the only one who could not prove his qualifications as a transcendent being.Because he had only recently become a saint, because he was nothing more than an ordinary farmer before, because he was even young… the reasons were varied. And every single one of them was understandable.
Still, Leonhardt tried.
Verden knows, too.
His courage deserves praise, as he fought head-on against the Draven who invaded the sanctuary and even swung the holy sword at the ancient king who had just been released from his seal.
However, that is all.
That is the result. Despite his struggle, he achieved nothing decisively.He could not prevent the glory of the dead, nor was he a match for the former king. His current reality was that although he possessed a certain degree of power, he failed to accomplish a great feat.
and.
Being unqualified as a rookie means being distanced from the responsibilities that a rookie must bear.
Why do all countries legally distinguish between minors and adults?It is because minors are highly likely to make wrong choices due to their immature judgment, and in order to fully impose the consequences of those choices, minors must be treated the same as adults in all aspects.
This is a distinction of responsibility.
From Verden’s perspective, Leonhardt was a ward, and naturally, the guardians who should have taught him were Ersetia and Romanus.It is right for parents to bear the burden of a child’s wrongdoings.The Saint and the Pope must rightfully atone for the transgression of Leonhardt, who, swayed by his emotions, brutally murdered the King of Ronia, who had trampled upon the dignity of the human being.
You’re saying you’ll take full responsibility?
So Verden did not hold Leonhardt responsible.
“By what right do you.”“Ugh……!!”
The three Inquisitors of the Order of the Holy Order, each with their left arm severed, groaned. Their severed arms rolled across the floor of the meeting hall. The sound of blood gushing out was distinct.
Click.
Adrian sheathed his light sword, unstained, with a cold gaze.
“……uh?”
Leonhardt blankly fumbled for the warm liquid on his face. The sticky blood on his gauntlet was clearly reflected in his eyes.Emotional chaos overwhelmed his mind, as if he had been struck by mental magic.
A brief gasp of shock spreads through the summit meeting room.
The placenta looked bewildered with a look of disbelief, and the remaining placentas showed their own reactions in addition to their bewilderment.
Robelin, who was attending as the temporary Tower Master of Bohemia, opened his eyes wide.
‘Verden… … what on earth is your intention?’
Emperor Geracle kept a close eye on Verden.
“Even if the justification lies with Eon, to see the blood of the Luas religion shed in an official setting… I was sure you would try to tighten the alliance that had loosened due to the traitors… You are being excessively bold. Almost to the point of being reckless.”
He, who is jokingly treated as a political transcendent among various transcendents, anticipated the situation that would unfold immediately afterward.
The fanatical Saintess would absolutely not sit idly by, so at best, there will be an armed conflict between the Saintess and Verden.At worst, the Luas Church and Eon will completely turn their backs on each other within the United Nations.
In many ways, it doesn’t add up when compared to Verden’s past actions.
At the World Conference, Verden showed that he valued solidarity between forces by mentioning various secrets, such as the First Magic Tower, the Elixir, and a world unknown to the world.
Read the background.
Emperor Geracle traces the information like a characteristic habit to find the roots. Let us consider. What is Verden’s motive?
During his absence, Verden put Adrian at the forefront and organized an Alliance of Transcendents to oppose the Xerion Empire, just as he had 800 years ago.
The largest alliance on the continent.
His political sense caught the key.
“I don’t know the reason, but Verden wants to seize the initiative in this war. That is why he is trying to put a leash on the Theocracy of Luas, which seems the least controllable. It is certainly better to suppress them by using force and justification rather than making empty promises of compromise. Still, it is self-evident that the burden Eon will have to bear if they fail is severely heavy…”
Something isn’t neat.
‘Is there perhaps a separate reason why you have to pressure the Luas religion this much—wait.’
Emperor Zeracl woke up from his thoughts.
Why is it so quiet?
By now, the Saint should have turned this place into a wasteland. No, she should have stopped him before Adrian even got close in the first place.
Emperor Geracle turned his head and directed his gaze toward the opposite side of Verden.
“…….”
Saint Ersetia stared directly at Verden with her golden eyes, without making a sound. With one hand resting on the table trembling slightly…
* * *
My stomach is churning.
I feel dizzy.
His senses, heightened by divine power, seemed to be tossed up like dough. He had lost almost all color. Pope Romanus, with his pale face, could no longer bear it and slowly lowered his gaze.
‘What is this… this, this feeling…’
It was best not to cover the corners of my mouth to stifle the nausea, or to stand up clutching my head and screaming at the top of my lungs.
The cold sweat won’t stop.
My body temperature repeatedly went from hot to cold, as if I were sick.
My perception is out of focus.It is terribly disturbing.
Romanus could not fully regain his composure amidst the chaos he was experiencing for the first time in his life. The reason… what is the reason? The starting point was clear.The moment he observed Verden, an anomaly occurred to Romanus. He gritted his teeth, endured even his groans, and struggled to adapt to the situation.
Romanus was not the only transcendent being in the realm of faith experiencing mysterious phenomena of unknown origin.
Saint Ersetia was immersed in a different mood.
They were ‘mad impulses’.
I have to kill… I have to kill.
I want to summon the Holy Lance right now and kill Verden. I want to sever his limbs, pierce those insolent eyes, and offer them to the Goddess. I want to hear praise for the Goddess from Verden’s lips.I want to kill him, I want to kill him, I want to kill him.An indescribable murderous impulse clashed with her humanity, but her personality was being mercilessly trampled before her cruel murderous intent.
B-but… …
What was truly restraining the murderous impulse was the exact opposite impulse.
Obedience.
Ersetia was confused by the urge to kneel on the floor without realizing it… … The absurd desire to submit to Verden, to yield to him, kept stirring within her.
The stimulation of the mind takes over the body.
I feel like my heart is going to explode if things continue like this.
Crunch… … !
Her fingertips dug into the table made of Prohas’s cryocrystalline rock.
Will you resist?Or will you obey?
Ersetia had to choose one of the two, and suppressing all impulses with pure will, she asked Verden this.
“Verden… do you have the heart to believe in the Goddess’s light?”
… … !!!
All eyes fell upon Ersetia, who did not immediately retaliate even after the Inquisitors were attacked, but instead questioned their faith.It was no different from forcing them to worship the goddess Luas.
This was a reaction completely different from the situation Verden had expected.
“When the saint lost her reason, I tried to find a compromise with the Pope, who was desperately trying to stop her, but instead, he discusses the Luas faith with me?”
The reaction of the Pope and the saint was strange to anyone who saw it.
For now… Verden naturally had no intention of settling things once and for all with the Ruas Church.It was simply a strategic move to forcefully settle the debts the Ruas Theocracy had owed to Eon thus far, thereby preventing the Theocracy from acting arbitrarily in the upcoming Great War.
Seongyul Seongdan.Fanatic.
Verden did not trust the Theocracy itself, even if he trusted the individual clergy. To think that there was not a single follower of fate in the Luas religion.
That can’t be true.
Verden concluded that there was a problem with the Inquisition that uncovers the traitors of humanity, or that there were informants of the Apostles in the upper echelons of the Luas Church.
anyway.
For Verden, excessive friction with the Saint was undesirable. The proper course of action would have been to skillfully change the subject and calm the atmosphere.Of course, that is assuming it was the Verden of the World Conference.
‘… … This must be my essence, too.’
Although Ersetia had no intention of doing so, her sudden question irritated Verden exactly, quite accurately.
That coercive demand to believe in another god.Ersetia’s earnest gaze begging me to please believe in the Goddess Luas.
Verden was so displeased that he could not endure it as a god. He did not shy away from the seething, fundamental conflict.
“Are you afraid, Ersetia?”“About what…”“Are you worried that the goddess won’t be loved as much as you do? Are you so insecure that you would force faith on a stranger who has no such intention? If I were Luas, I would never want that kind of proselytization.”
The summit room was silent, as if only the two of them existed.
The compulsion of faith is no different from doubting God’s majesty.
Verden spoke as religion itself.
“It is a pity that the light Luas cherishes most is so shallow in faith.”
Verden’s sharp remark delivered a strong shock to everyone’s minds.
Not only the Tower Masters, but also the Seven Great Demon Kings, Executors, Masters, Maulers, the King of the North, the Sword of Arnark, the Keepers, the Black Sea, the Control Emperor… and even Antias, the Beast King who had been observing Verden, all gaped in astonishment.The kings of the nations were no exception.Even Necromancer Reindel and Provider Deus flinched for a moment.
“Huh? Lord, the level of your remarks is much higher than we planned…”
It was the moment Isabella instinctively protected Alpha and Beta.
Ersetia chose between resistance and submission.
BANG!!!!
A holy fist slammed vertically down on the ice crystal table. The spot was gouged out, and cracks split wide open.
It is blasphemy.
Ersetia rose from her seat, her eyes bloodshot. Mighty divine power pulsated within her. Hostility had already invaded her mind. It was aticking time bomb. No matterwhat excuses Verden offered, she was determined not to tolerate it any longer…
Kwaaaaaaaaaaang!!
A dark red, extremely ominous magical power exploded like a flash. The table struck by the gray gauntlet was shattered and split in half.
“desecration?”
There was sincerity in the light of Verden’s eyes.
/”so.”
A presence entirely different from that of the World Conference overwhelmed the meeting hall. Even the frail king was forced to watch their confrontation without losing consciousness.
Even several Transcendents were left bewildered by Verden’s completely unexpected and forceful response. Even Ersetia was so flustered that she flinched.
The oath-taker Yurion blinked in shock.
No, why are you getting even angrier…?
Based on the conversation just now, it seems the Saint should be the one getting more angry. Did she perhaps hate hearing the blasphemy that much? Or was it that attitude?
Damn it, what should I do?
Ersetia, being a fanatic, is a problem, but I think I need to restrain Verden even more. Judging by the atmosphere, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the two of them genuinely clashed.
Yurion was in the middle of devising his own mediation plan. Feeling the presence of the Transcendent being, which had been overshadowed by the conflict between Verden and Ersetia, rapidly intensify, he looked to the side.
“Hmm?”“I… I said I’d take responsibility…”
Leonhardt stared at the arms scattered on the floor in the cauldron of chaos of the council hall. His subordinates’ bodies had been severed because he had killed the King of Ronia.Even if they could be reattached, the fact remained that Leonhardt’s guilt had been passed on to others.
“I can take responsibility, so why?”“Hey, he’s going crazy.”
Due to the mental strain he had been under recently, he no longer had the confidence to control his emotions.The stress, which had been constantly building up since the people of Tyr Village were massacred by the plague and quarantine and he was chosen by the Holy Sword, had reached its peak.
───Be patient.
It was as if the Holy Sword was whispering that, but Leonhardt’s mental strength had already reached its limit. Clenching his fist tightly, he shouted as if spitting it out.
“I told you!!! I’ll take responsibility!!!!!!!!!”
The sudden shout of the saint.
Having unleashed his divine power, he lost his reason and was dominated by his nature. Rage. Leonhardt’s gauntlet was aimed at Adrian, who had killed his subordinates.
“Didn’t you hear my lord’s words? You are not qualified to take responsibility.”“What qualifications!!!!”
Cannot be stopped.
Yurion activated the incantation.
“Why is it even more of a mess without Ignacia…!”
Adrian responded by unleashing a strike with invisible speed. The Saint and the Heavenly Sword clashed head-on in the summit hall.
The energy and divine power exploded.
* * *
A banquet was held on Nordwald Street while the summit was in progress. The powerful men of the North, reunited after a long time, drank heavily together.
A burly, scarred female warrior spoke with a flushed face.
“Have you been to your continent? I went there recently, and the women are all sofrail that they make a huge fuss, going ‘Oh my, oh my,’ at the mere sight of a bug this size crawling around.” “That’s what being feminine is, Big Sister.”“Feminine my ass. It was the most unsightly sight. You have to be able to swing a giant axe with one hand to be considered feminine.”“Hahahahaha!”
The man from the North, who had been listening to the female warrior grumbling with a smile, raised his gaze.He looked at the fortress where the transcendents were gathered.
“Anyway, there must be some incredibly important conversation going on over there, right?”“Well, I suppose so. They are normal people, after all.” “But if a verbal argument escalates into a fistfight, aren’t you just screwed? I heard Transcendents can easily wipe out an entire city.”“That’s exactly why they are Transcendents. But they are the highest-ranking people in the world; if they were going to fight, wouldn’t they fight nobly? Wouldn’t they? There is politics, after all.”“Right?”“Ah, of course. Of course…”
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
A loud bang was heard.
The female warrior set down her glass and turned around. Smoke was rising from the fortress. It was exactly where the meeting room was located.
“Oh my god, fuck.”“I think I’m screwed.”
