A Match for Lanqi

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city. Unlike the bustling vibrancy of the commercial district, the surroundings of the Temple of the Knights of Extinction in the imperial capital, Herrom, remained desolate, a biting cold wind sweeping through the streets. The spire of this edifice pierced into the sky. Weathered by centuries of wind and frost, its austere facade bore ancient legends chiseled by generations of artisans, battles between mythical heroes and demons frozen in every block of stone across time. Yet now, the Protos Empire had designated it for the Resurrection Church. In the main council chamber deep within the temple—the most critical and confidential hall of this Knights of Extinction complex—hazy shafts of light spilled down through high windows, lending the space a solemn, holy aura. A young man sat at one end of the round table. Dressed in a tailored, dark-gray suit, he looked distinctly different from the other clerics. He did not even wear the Holy Sigil of Extinction, appearing almost as though he were merely passing through on official business. Yet his calm, profound gaze and every measured movement carried an unmistakable air of composure and authority. It was clear that he was the one in charge. Of the three Archpriests originally stationed here to oversee logistics and coordination with branch offices in other provinces, Caius had already been stripped of his post. The remaining two sat beside the young man, waiting on pins and needles for him to speak. Upon hearing of the final assessment's outcome, the Bishop of Extinction in the north had not reproached the two. Instead, with a glimmer of intrigue, he had dispatched a direct operative to take over Archpriest Caius's duties. At this moment, an atmosphere of busy yet orderly tension filled the chamber. Before the newly arrived Special Commissioner Sander lay neat stacks of sorted documents, each containing detailed profiles of the candidates from the final assessment two days prior. He examined the documents, occasionally breaking into a smile. "Luoqi McCarthy. Without question, he demonstrated exceptional ability in both the written exam and the final assessment. He is the finest talent we have reaped this time." Special Commissioner Sander remarked with satisfaction, "As long as this young man named Luoqi renders even a little merit, he should soon be promoted to Archpriest or direct operative. When that time comes, he will personally meet the Bishop of Extinction." Hearing Sander's words, the other two Archpriests secretly breathed a sigh of relief. They had narrowly escaped being dragged down with Caius when the trouble erupted. But it seemed their merits offset their faults; the Bishop of Extinction had no intention of punishing them. And given the talent they had unearthed in Luoqi, in a few years, it was not entirely impossible that he might even rival the Holy Son of Extinction. After all, the Holy Son of Extinction had proven his standing through singular talent and blood-drenched hands. If this youth named Luoqi was even younger and possessed still sharper methods, then even though he was far from a match for the Holy Son at present, giving him time to hone himself would pose an immense threat to the Holy Son of Extinction. Correspondingly, the Holy Son of Extinction would hardly let him grow unchecked. Special Commissioner Sander continued reviewing the final assessment ratings provided by the two Archpriests. Over a dozen applicants had passed both the written and secondary exams, but the final assessment had halved that number once more. The vast majority of villains who passed the final assessment had, either alone or in cooperation, stealthily butchered an elite priest of the Extinction Branch within a single day. Hence, their evaluations all started at the elite priest tier. Luoqi McCarthy was rated at Archpriest tier. However, a purple or higher Proof of Resurrection had to be bestowed personally by the Bishop, so this rank could not yet be granted to him in the imperial capital, Herrom. After finishing Luoqi's dossier, Special Commissioner Sander spent far less time on the remaining files, skimming through them like flowing water. He set Luoqi's sheet aside on its own, quickly placing the rest in another pile. Until, picking up the final page, his wrist froze. He read it through from start to finish. "Why was there another talent you didn't tell me about?" Sander looked at the Archpriests on either side and asked. "Our deepest apologies, Lord Sander. It is because we found it difficult to rate her... Moreover, heavy suspicion hangs over her in the first place; Caius only passed her through the secondary exam with that very consideration in mind," the Archpriest beside him stammered in trepidation. Sander's attitude would directly determine their fate. If he put in a good word with the Bishop of Extinction, not only would they be blameless, but they would also receive credit; if not, the opposite would be true. "Is that so?" Having heard this, Sander looked at the document with even greater fascination, before finally placing it together with Luoqi's file from earlier. The clerk taking notes on the opposite side couldn't help but steal a subconscious glance at the contents of the page. It turned out Side had targeted an Archpriest as well— When Archpriest Caius was taken into custody for investigation by imperial police following accusations, Side went and demolished Caius's house. And not covertly, either—she tore it down openly and brazenly. In the eyes of the public, everyone assumed she had been instructed to destroy evidence on Caius's behalf. When questioned by the Imperial Security Department on whether Caius had instructed her to tear it down, she replied, "Indeed he did"—and an ancient lie-detecting relic verified her statement as the truth. Because he could not expose internal intelligence on the Extinction Branch, Caius nearly ground his teeth to dust during the confrontation, yet was utterly unable to refute her. The demolition of the house was deemed a farcical cover-up orchestrated by Caius himself. Side faced no charges, while Caius fell under even deeper suspicion, slapped with a litany of allegations including spreading cult heresy, destroying evidence, and espionage. At that point, the truth was tangled beyond explanation. "…" The clerk's eyelid twitched as he gripped his pen. He quickly lowered his head, redoubling his focus on the task in front of him. Caius wasn't dead, but his duties were suspended, his house was torn down, and he still had to pay off the mortgage. Honestly, dying might have been more merciful. "Could these two have been sent by the Domination branch to mess with us?" Seeing Special Commissioner Sander favor the pair so heavily, the Archpriest beside him wore a look of concern. The greater the talent, the greater the disaster if mishandled. One Luoqi or one Side might have been manageable, but with both at once, they had no idea how to utilize them. In fact, even though they were their superiors, they wouldn't dare raise their voices to either of them. Archpriest Caius stood as a living cautionary tale. The trauma he suffered was beyond words. "To tell the truth, the Bishop of Domination doesn't have talent like this under him. Even if he did, he wouldn't bear to waste them on undercover work." Sander cast a nonchalant glance at them. "Are you aware that the Saintess of Domination was killed by the Holy Son of Extinction some time ago?" Though the Bishop of Domination had always been an enigmatic figure, a direct operative close to the Bishop of Extinction like Sander still knew a thing or two about him. "We have heard rumors." Both of them knew that the Bishop of Domination was known to exchange blows with the Bishop of Extinction at the slightest provocation. Yet on that single occasion, the Bishop of Domination had not sought out the Bishop of Extinction for a fight to the death to settle scores. "So the Bishop of Domination does not care about the lives of his subordinates?" the Archpriest inquired further. "How should I put it... The Bishop of Domination is actually the Cardinal who cares most about his 'property.' That makes his reaction—reining in his fury when driven to the absolute boiling point—all the more terrifying. After that blunder, the Bishop of Domination shouldn't be letting his subordinates engage in such hazardous operations again." Sander raised his index finger slightly, correcting the two Archpriests on a small detail. To Cardinals who bordered on godhood, subordinates weren't considered people—at best, they were merely personal property. Because even if all their subordinates were banded together, their combat prowess couldn't hold a candle to a Cardinal alone. The prestige commanded by any branch rested entirely on the deterrent power its presiding Cardinal held over the whole continent. Hearing this, both Archpriests nodded. Even if the Domination branch were recruiting newcomers, those two probably wouldn't have chosen them anyway. Those two absolute menaces appeared to act completely aboveboard, but in reality, what they pulled was even more vicious than what the Extinction Branch did. "Keep an eye on Side. Suspicion still heavily lingers that she's a priest of the Church of the Goddess of Fate." Sander tapped Side's file and addressed the other two Archpriests. "What about Luoqi?" asked the Archpriest. They were certain Sander wasn't lacking in vigilance; in fact, he saw things quite clearly. "No need to doubt that fellow. He is rotten to the core—a natural-born fit for our side, as distinct from the Church of the Goddess of Fate as night and day." Sander evaluated, then paused in thought, an intrigued smile tugging at his lips. "Conveniently, according to intelligence from our informants in Asethelan, quite a few moles from the Kingdom of Asethelan have infiltrated the Northwestern Province recently. There's even a key figure who has had contact with the Ice Snow Witch this time around. Next month, let's send the two of them along with the other newcomers to the Northwestern Province—to the inspection corps where Lord Holy Son of Extinction is stationed—and let them demonstrate their capabilities as bloodhounds." If there were any uncontrollable elements to the two, they wouldn't stir up trouble here in the imperial capital. Let the Holy Son of Extinction handle such headaches instead. "What if Luoqi and Side... end up fighting each other?" the Archpriest asked with some concern. Both of them were the type to act entirely on their own whim. Neither would yield to the other, making them all the more uncontrollable once dispatched far away. "Hmph, I would actually welcome seeing the two of them fight it out until a victor emerges. Regardless of the outcome, our merits will outweigh our faults, will they not?" Having said his piece, Sander fell silent. This, too, was a process of filtering and screening. If Side was a mole, it would be best if Luoqi could see through her and eliminate her. If he couldn't, she would still expose a weakness, proving that Luoqi's ability amounted to nothing more—so what if he died?