Daina was very nervous. This was the first time she had ever "deceived" the man she had depended on since childhood, and it was done on an "assignment" from another man.
Yet she did not regret it.
The time Karen had given her to weigh her options had been very short. From the moment Little Kanna handed her that cucumber until now, hardly any time had actually passed, but Karen had been certain she would follow his instructions.
After all, Daina's defection was not born of personal feelings or material gain, but of her own need to grow.
She desperately wanted to transition from an adopted daughter into an independent self. Rather than demonstrating loyalty to Karen, she was severing ties with her former self.
Watching this unfold, the Whip-Wielder merely offered a meaningful smile.
It seemed that fellow had always possessed an extraordinary mastery over the human heart.
When he was weak, he did not need to flatter or fawn to make his superiors feel comfortable around him, winning their appreciation and support. When he grew powerful, he did not need transactions of mutual interest to make those around him adopt his will as their standard of conduct.
In this regard, he truly resembled the High Priest of old. Both were thoroughly self-centered men, and in their presence, everyone else could only willingly become supporting players.
Suddenly, a thought struck the Whip-Wielder, and he frowned slightly.
At times, he could not be bothered to look down at what lay beneath his feet, but once he actually paid attention, few things could be hidden from him.
Wasn't his former secretary now serving under that fellow?
And his dragon—every time it caught wind of news concerning Karen, didn't it instinctively surface to show its concern?
So it turned out... the people and the dragon at his side had long fallen under his influence.
*Heh.*
Including himself.
Just which branch deity's inheritor was he?
Later generations always compiled records of gods from a perspective of looking up in reverent awe, or at most excerpted brief remarks deities exchanged among themselves.
Therefore, when one stood as his superior or his peer, it was exceedingly difficult to map that feeling onto the historical records and find confirmation.
From different perspectives, the descriptions naturally varied by worlds—unless one became his subordinate and looked up at him in awe.
Perhaps only then could one truly locate his precise place among the branch gods.
Standing in the outer circle, the second-in-command of the Whip of Order paid little mind to the drawing of lots. He did not believe any unexpected accident would occur; everything was proceeding step by step.
Purr, perched upon Kevin's back, looked at Daina with a touch of disdain in her eyes.
She believed that if Karen loosened the leash even slightly, that noble adopted daughter of the High Priest would probably become his mistress without a second thought.
Men of the Inmoles family were wonderful in every respect, with perhaps their only flaw being an excess of charm with women.
Little Kanna quietly munched on an apple. She still had a few left in her satchel. Though not enough to hand out another round, they were enough for her to chew on for a long time.
Now that Sister Purr had returned, there was no need for her to stand guard and keep watch on behalf of Purr's great-great-great-niece.
A book materialized in the hands of the Order Temple's oracle. As the pages turned, a brilliant glow spilled forth in an instant, and across the sky, hundreds of Sandies circled back, their radiance echoing one another.
Holy light beamed down, blanketing the entire Sacrificial Square.
"The great God of Order takes all into his gaze. This accords with the will of Order; it is the choice of God."
This was the formal legal affirmation, much like a notary in the secular world exercising their official duty.
The manifestation bodies of the two temple elders rose, adding supreme majesty to the scene.
Across the square, every Order priest except the High Priest bowed in salute.
Eleven knight order commanders stepped forward and collectively dropped to one knee, with their vice-commanders immediately following suit behind them.
They were not kneeling to the High Priest; they were using their actions and status to endorse this drawing of lots.
This act instantly plunged the atmosphere within the Sacrificial Square to freezing point.
Cardinal Kreid had claimed the drawing was meant to choose a religion for deep, friendly cooperation with Order. So what kind of cooperation could possibly require the mobilization of eleven Order Knight Orders?
If the Church of Order in the past had not made people feel so terrified, then now, with the accession of this High Priest, nothing the Church of Order did—no matter how mad—would surprise anyone.
The remaining procedures concluded swiftly, and the ceremony ended.
In the closing segment, the High Priest gave no speech, nor did he offer any elaboration or explanation regarding the drawn bookmark.
The heavyweight figures of Order gathered in the inner circle also departed with impassive expressions, as if they had truly just gone through the motions.
Yet no one standing there was a fool. They all sensed an undercurrent called "restraint." This matter was far from over... it was merely the beginning.
Perhaps only when the final outcome arrived would this opening chapter be endowed with an even more extraordinary and shocking significance.
"Congratulations to the Church of Life."
"Our felicitations to the Church of Life."
The diplomatic ambassadors offered congratulations to the Church of Life's diplomat. They were not trying to kick a man while he was down; rather, the pressure earlier had simply been too intense, and they needed an outlet to vent.
The ambassador of Life, originally dark-skinned and resolute of face, now turned pale, his posture hunching.
He naturally understood how to maintain diplomatic poise, but when the catastrophe truly landed squarely on his shoulders, that towering pressure still crushed the breath from his chest.
It felt as though a madman had looked around the room and singled him out alone.
Without lingering for polite pleasantries, he strode briskly out of the Sacrificial Square, desperate to report what had transpired here to his church immediately.
Once the news spread, every religion would suspect that Order was about to make a move—and likely the most extreme one possible.
Yet Order did not care. Even if given time to prepare, those religions would need to squabble through round after round of bickering before they could ever unite.
The High Priest's original intent was precisely this: to warn the entire circle of churches by saying, *I am plainly telling you that I am going to strike you, and then I will beat you to the ground.* Even if the gods were about to return, this world still had to abide by the *Code of Order*.
Foden glanced at Karen, then turned and followed the High Priest out.
Karen knew he could now set off for the First Knight Order. The Whip-Wielder did not even require his presence for the potential "questioning" that might follow.
"Uncle Daan."
Daina approached Daan. Daan smiled at her, reached out to take the bookmark from her hand, and crushed it to pieces without even looking at it.
In the distance, Kreid walked alongside Foden and asked, "What does this mean?"
Foden cast a sidelong glance at Kreid and countered, "What does what mean?"
"Why the Church of Life?"
"It was drawn from the lots. It is God's choice."
"Bullshit! Every single bookmark in that set was inscribed with 'Night God Church.'"
Unfazed, Foden retorted, "So tell me, then—is this not God's choice?"
"You..." Kreid demanded, "if you had needs in this regard, why didn't you raise them earlier?"
"The answer came a bit late. I barely had time to copy it down."
"What do you mean?"
"You will understand shortly. A very grave situation has arisen. It has to be the Church of Life."
"I hope this explanation will convince me."
"And what if it doesn't?" Foden looked at Kreid. "For the sake of our years of friendship, let me offer you a piece of advice: indulge fewer of your own thoughts. All we need to do is keep pace with the High Priest."
"I must live up to my responsibilities as a cardinal, and to the church."
"The post of cardinal was newly instituted after the High Priest took office; it never existed in our church before. So all you need to do is live up to the High Priest."
"I am not you, Foden."
Those words carried considerable weight.
Yet Foden could understand. In the early days when they built their careers together, everything naturally centered on the High Priest—fighting, climbing, seizing power. But once one reached that high seat, one began thinking about making personal contributions to the church.
Those early struggles had not been solely for the sake of rising in rank. Perhaps in Kreid's eyes, Foden was still trapped in their old mindset.
And the reason Kreid had written "Night God Church" on every bookmark was that, from his perspective as the War Cardinal, he judged it to be the most suitable church to attack.
"Kreid, our High Priest's vision reaches far further than you imagine, and his aspirations are far vaster than you could ever dream."
While they were still fixated on struggles between churches, the High Priest had long since set his sights on confronting the gods.
One could even say that the entire series of early political battles had merely been fought to secure the qualification and standing to wage war against deities.
Kreid said no more. The two walked side by side back to the Administrative Temple, entering the inner barrier alongside the other core figures.
Upon stepping inside, a wave of disarray washed over everyone. Instead of the familiar tea seats encircled by flowing water, they found themselves standing on a seashore. The seawater was gray, smothered beneath a thick shroud of fog.
Deep within the mist, an enormous silhouette loomed faintly.
The High Priest stood at the water's edge with his back turned to them. Once everyone had assembled, he turned around, looked at Foden, and said very calmly:
"Explain."
"Yes, High Priest."
Foden presented the drawing Karen had made.
The High Priest glanced at it, then tossed the paper into the air. Above the beach, across the canopy of the sky, that massive image unfurled, rendering every detail as vivid as if they were standing right in front of it.
Except for Foden and the High Priest, shock surfaced on every face present.
The prophecy of the gods' return was no longer a mere prediction; frequent anomalies and oracles appearing across various lands had already laid it bare.
Yet this painting marked the very first real footstep!
The High Priest spoke:
"Lord Augurev has betrayed Order. He is leading a host of deities on their return. Kreid."
Kreid's mind spun in a daze. Hearing his name called, he took a step forward, slightly disoriented. "High Priest."
"The Night God Church would be an easy fight, but it is no longer the most urgent matter."
Kreid dropped to his knees. "High Priest, this subordinate is guilty."
Foden spoke up at this moment: "High Priest, had it not been for the warning from Augurev Fortress, we would have known nothing of this."
This was both an exoneration for Kreid and a way to skip any formal investigation into Augurev Fortress.
Covering things up was sometimes not that complicated. Just as Foden had only recently realized his secretary and his dragon had both been won over, the dignitaries present were exceedingly busy. Even the High Priest rarely had the energy to look down at what lay beneath his feet.
The High Priest looked at Kreid and asked, "My cardinal, what do you think we should do?"
Kreid immediately responded, "We must first destroy the Tree of Life."
Pausing briefly, Kreid continued, "Under the pretext of the desert campaign, the war preparations for the other knight orders—aside from those garrisoned in the desert—have long been completed. The moment the operational plan is approved, war can be launched at once!
"Since Lord Augurev is guiding the deities' return with the empowerment of the Tree of Life, our Order knights need only flatten the Garden of Life to stop it."
The subtle influence of earlier conditioning showed its effect now. At least within this inner circle, everyone understood the High Priest's will. Although the speech at the First Knight Order's garrison had caused massive waves outside, this group knew very well that it was already a restrained expression on his part.
Thus, no one raised an objection: *Isn't Lord Augurev our branch deity?*
They were all members of the old vanguard. They understood perfectly well that failing to align with the High Priest's path at this juncture would result in the most ruthless purge.
Earlier, Foden had not been the only one tested and evaluated.
The High Priest asked, "Yet during the previous era, even our Lord failed to fell the Tree of Life."
Seizing the initiative, Kreid immediately followed up: "But the Tree of Life today is no longer the one from the previous era!"
The High Priest nodded and said, "I want to see results."
"Please rest assured, the Order Knight Orders will follow your will forever!"
The High Priest turned his back to them and waved a hand.
The group bowed and withdrew.
After leaving the beach, returning to the Administrative Temple, walking outside, and stepping into their respective carriages, every dignitary except Foden performed nearly the same gesture.
Some rubbed their wrists as if their hands were numb; others rubbed their faces as if their cheeks were frozen.
It felt as though they had awakened from a brief, disorienting dream, yet only now did they suddenly realize what kind of deed they were about to undertake.
All of a sudden, they were going to strike at a branch deity of their own church.
In the past, this was something no one would have dared even imagine. Even apostates seldom dared show disrespect toward their own branch gods.
Yet here they were, the very pinnacle of the Church of Order's leadership, about to take the lead in organizing an assault to sever Lord Augurev's opportunity to return.
The numbest of all was Kreid.
He stared blankly at his own hands, waves of intense absurdity and dread crashing over him.
However, when the carriage arrived before the Temple of War—also situated within the Holy See—and he stepped out onto the stairs, he immediately regained his usual composure and calm.
Entering the temple, he found the eleven knight order commanders already seated, their vice-commanders standing behind them.
"Greetings, Cardinal."
"Greetings, Cardinal."
Kreid nodded and took his seat.
Adjutants had already cleared away the sand table for the Night God Church campaign, replacing it with the sand table for the Church of Life.
Simultaneously, various investigative reports on the Church of Life were being ferried into the hall.
Though the objective of the war had been altered at the eleventh hour, Order's efficiency remained exceptionally high.
Kreid set the tone for the operational conference, speaking in a slightly raspy yet entirely steady voice:
"Gentlemen, let 'Life' wither."
***
"They must feel as if they're dreaming."
Inside the carriage, Foden held a glass of wine.
Vigulin laid a blanket over the Whip-Wielder's knees without offering a reply. She knew well enough that those words were not meant for her ears, nor did they require any response from her.
Taking a sip of wine, Foden continued with a faint smile:
"Yet they will recover at once. Because the gods are simply too far removed from us, so we have long since..."
Foden drained the wine in his glass. Once Vigulin took the empty cup from him, he leaned back against the seat, settling into a languid posture as he sighed:
"...treated the High Priest as God."
***
Moving just as swiftly as the news spreading out from the Sacrificial Square was the administrative machinery of the Church of Order.
The Order Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatched an official diplomatic dispatch to the Church of Life, preparing to organize a cooperative consultation conference to pave the way for a summit between the High Priest and the Gardener.
Meanwhile, Karen met with his two traveling companions.
He represented the Whip-Wielder, while the other two represented the High Priest and Kreid respectively.
One was named Temira and the other Saloni. They shared the surname Schorr. They looked remarkably alike—sisters, though not twins.
In truth, both were office directors under Cardinal Kreid's Curia. The one representing the High Priest merely carried a token of his decree.
Both appeared to be in their forties, resembling austere, rigid senior nuns.
Yet one could tell from their subtle body language that they were trying hard to cater to Karen. When he spoke, for instance, they adopted attentive postures, eager to engage in proactive conversation.
Nevertheless, their long-standing working environment and innate temperaments made them ill-suited for socializing.
This made Karen suspect that the Whip-Wielder had planned all along to have him make this trip. After all, if they appeared this nervous before him, wouldn't they scarcely dare breathe in the presence of the Whip-Wielder?
Presently, they handed Karen a roster. Opening it, he found it to be a registry of "commanders."
Though phrasing it this way sounded somewhat disrespectful, from a practical standpoint, those senior commanders slumbering in the First Knight Order were truly like goods displayed on a shelf, ready to be selected according to necessity.
Of course, the venerable seniors would likely endorse this approach as well, since it maximized their contributions.
The roster recorded the deeds and life stories of each commander, highlighting the specific forms of warfare in which they excelled... even lavishly detailing which religion and which divine pantheon they had targeted in life.
Three names previously circled had now been crossed out. Karen noticed that all three had once commanded conflicts against the Night God Church.
Originally, Karen had possessed no power of choice; the selection had been predetermined. But now... with the war's target altered, the roster required a fresh selection.
Karen began turning the pages, focusing on commanders who had experience engaging the Church of Life. As he flipped through, he could not help but marvel inward:
*Today, I've truly witnessed what real ancestral protection means.*
*Not only do they protect,*
*they do it with utter professionalism!*
As he turned a page, a dog paw came down, pressing squarely over a name:
*Dickno Shan Beston.*
Karen read down the entry. His recorded achievements were not particularly extensive—relative, of course, to his predecessors and successors. Anyone permitted to rest in the First Knight Order was unquestionably a truly outstanding commander of his era.
His most illustrious feat was commanding military operations against the Sea God Cult.
After the Sea God fell, the Sea God Cult had not collapsed immediately. Instead, it had weathered a succession of strikes, including military campaigns.
However, because the primary deity had already perished, the halo surrounding such warfare was naturally diminished, and historical evaluations in later eras were not particularly grand.
Since the mutt had picked him, he definitely knew the man.
Sitting opposite them, the pair of nun-like sisters watched Karen and his dog silently communicating. Though they felt it lacked solemnity, they dared not utter a sound.
Seeing Karen still hesitate, Kevin pressed down on Dickno's name with his paw again. He winked at Karen, his expression thoroughly ingratiating, while his tail rubbed ceaselessly against Karen's back.
He wanted to pull strings through the back door.
Chapter 867