Beside the stream flowing through the imperial capital, at the residence in Saint Creti Monastery, the moon occasionally concealed itself behind drifting clouds this night.
Behind the curtains on the residence's second floor, bright light shone steadily.
For a long time in the study, Lanqi and Talia had been examining this mysterious Pink Sacred-grade [Ultra-Long-Range Communication Program - 7].
"I can't craft this card. Its craftsmanship is far too unique," Talia said, analyzing the communication magic card with a puzzled expression.
She felt it might even incorporate principles from ultra-ancient divine relics; its level of encryption didn't seem like the technology of this era at all.
Certain functions on the card Lanqi currently held were clearly unavailable.
He checked the contact directory.
Excluding Landry, there were eight other contacts.
"In other words, the secret organization Landry belongs to has nine members in total?" Lanqi muttered, equally perplexed.
Landry, the original owner, held the relatively low-ranking No. 7 and seemed to have joined fairly late, so there weren't many messages stored in the communication magic card.
Furthermore, except for No. 1 and No. 2, private chats were disabled; only group chats were permitted.
From the look of things, No. 1 was likely the leader of the organization, while No. 2 was the coordinator managing affairs on their behalf.
Before long, a new message popped up, catching Lanqi's and Talia's attention.
It was sent by the contact named "Truth."
[Truth (No. 2): That is good. Aside from No. 4, everyone else is now in Brierda. In principle, we cannot interfere with or investigate one another, which is also for everyone's own safety.]
[Truth (No. 2): Even so, let us try to help each other whenever possible.]
The other party added another line.
"So everyone's in the same city?" Lanqi exclaimed in surprise.
"For people like you who want to stir up trouble inside the Creti Empire, isn't the capital, Brierda, the best place to be?"
Talia felt Lanqi had no need to play the innocent flower in front of her.
Even though Lanqi was merely impersonating Landry, the motives of this secret society gathering in the capital of Brierda couldn't possibly be benign.
"How could you say that? No one wishes well for the Empire more than I do," Lanqi proclaimed with righteous indignation.
"...Whatever you say."
Talia felt there was no point wasting words on him. With him acting like this, what was there left to argue about?
"Then again, this No. 2 Sacred communication card holder named 'Truth' simply accepted that I just arrived in Brierda, rather than having been here for half a day already," Lanqi mused.
And judging by No. 2's phrasing, in principle the members were forbidden from meddling with or investigating each other.
That indicated the other party likely didn't know the real identity of the No. 7 Sacred communication card holder.
"So perhaps only the founder, No. 1, who distributed these cards, knows everyone's true identity?" Talia caught on to Lanqi's drift.
"I think so. Only No. 1 might have met Landry in person. As long as I don't meet No. 1 offline, there shouldn't be any risk of exposure," Lanqi nodded.
Given the organization's style, the most mysterious No. 1 probably hadn't revealed their own identity when handing the cards to the chosen members either.
"Still, I'd better reply to No. 2 first."
As Lanqi spoke to Talia, he typed a message onto the Pink Sacred communication program.
[Justice (No. 7): Understood.]
He sent it out.
Even though there was an opportunity to glean some information through chatting with "Truth," he was an imposter after all. The more he said, the more flaws he would reveal.
The prudent course of action was to observe the group messages on this special communication magic program for a while, understand the organization's rules and quirks, and only then smoothly integrate into their conversations. At least that way, he wouldn't easily blow his cover.
After waiting for quite a while, No. 2 didn't reply again. Both Lanqi and Talia relaxed a bit.
It seemed the exchange was over for now.
"Nobody else is talking in the group chat for now, either," Lanqi noted after watching it for a while.
Evidently, everyone was minding their own business, or perhaps they were all very busy. The ties within this secret society weren't particularly tight.
"Are you going to stay in this organization?"
Talia felt Lanqi's side businesses in the Empire were beginning to multiply again.
Yet the issue was that Lanqi knew nothing about the organization's scale, nature, or objectives—he didn't even know its name.
"Of course. Otherwise, Landry's cover might be blown. In the capital, the ones who know him best might very well be this organization. If I want to make good use of his convenient identity, I have to fulfill his obligations along the way." Lanqi sighed and spread his hands. "Besides, it's not a bad thing. More connections mean more options. Perhaps down the line we can gain some intel or assistance. The organization's security seems fairly decent. We'll cross each bridge as we come to it."
"Fine then. I'll go check on how dinner is coming along." Talia stood up and pushed her chair back.
Things had come to this, so they would just live like this in the Empire. The only thing that mattered right now was filling their bellies.
...
Meanwhile.
Brierda, capital of the Creti Empire, was situated at the foot of towering Mount Ostro, bordering verdant pine forests.
At the undulating center of the city stood a temple-like, beige structure.
Its exterior walls were built of divine-age stone bricks rising a hundred meters high, unyielding to the destruction of passing ages, gleaming faintly beneath the moonlight.
Beyond the defensive barriers surrounding it on all sides were mounted hundreds of auto-targeting Sky-Rift Cannons, their dark muzzles pointing coldly into the distance, ready at any moment to reduce unlawful intruders to ashes.
Beneath the Creti Thundering Concussion Tower, fully armed special patrol officers clad in pitch-black military overcoats held imperial quenched firearms, their stern gazes vigilantly scanning the perimeter.
This was the Imperial Military General Staff and the Imperial Armed Forces General Headquarters.
As the supreme command organ of the Imperial Military, it was responsible for formulating grand strategic policy and directing and coordinating combat across all branches of service.
The Chief of General Staff was held by the Imperial Marshal and recipient of the Diamond Seat, Hyacinthus, who reported directly to Emperor Saint Bardo Hoffman Miaogou.
He oversaw imperial military affairs, assembled imperial military units, and drafted operational plans.
Subordinate to it were several army groups, including the Imperial Army General Headquarters, Imperial Air Force Command, Imperial Navy Command, Imperial Armament Department, National Defense Mobilization Administration, and Wartime Propaganda Department.
As for the independent Capital Garrison Command and Imperial Special Operations Department, though they did not fall under the direct jurisdiction of the Imperial Armed Forces General Headquarters—answering instead directly to the Creti Emperor—their authority did not supersede the military's. When necessary, they were still required to heed headquarters' command, and furthermore, they were barred from unauthorized entry into General Headquarters.
At this moment.
Deep within the innermost core of this building lay a vast expanse known as the "Hall of Divine Descent."
The hall was carved downward in the manner of an amphitheater, encircled by twelve grand archways.
On the vaulted ceiling, a mosaic mural crafted from tens of thousands of luminous, immortal crystals reflected upon the black marble floor below.
This was the exclusive meeting hall of the Empire's Twelve War Gods.
It was also the most impenetrable forbidden zone in the Creti Empire.
In non-wartime conditions, even a ninth-tier entity would be entirely incapable of breaking through the defense of half the War Gods.
Now that most War Gods were deployed on campaign, the Hall of Divine Descent had grown correspondingly desolate.
Often, only the First War God, Hyacinthus, stationed in the capital, and the Sixth War God, Violet, would meet here.
Yet tonight, in the center of the vacant hall, seated upright on a bench beside the round table, was the Third War God, Geyate of the Sardonyx Seat.
He wore an obsidian-black robe embroidered with dark patterns, fitted seamlessly like armor forged from mist.
The mechanical staff composed of countless silver gears lay set aside beside him.
He sat quietly, seemingly waiting for someone.
After quite some time had passed, faint footsteps echoed from the shadows of a distant doorway in the temple.
Geyate slowly raised his eyes and looked in that direction.
From the darkness emerged a doctor strolling at a leisurely pace.
He wore a simple white coat; beneath short, silvery-white hair was a handsome face with squinted eyes curved in a smile.
"You've arrived, Lukayed," Geyate spoke.
"I hope I haven't kept you waiting long. After all, my journey has barely paused," the doctor-attired man replied as he walked over.
Aside from the First War God, Hyacinthus of the Diamond Seat, and the Sixth War God, Violet of the Aquamarine Seat, who permanently guarded the imperial heartland, the remaining War Gods returned whenever they required rest and resupply, their deployments adjusted according to frontline strategy.
Previously, groups of three War Gods generally operated within a given region of the United Council of Kingdoms alliance.
Now, however, a reallocation was taking place.
Specifically, between the Third War God, Geyate of the Sardonyx Seat, and the Fifth War God, Lukayed of the Mica Seat.
Geyate, whose offensive and suppressive capabilities were superior, was being reassigned to the Western Hub Region, while Lukayed, whose support and disruption capabilities were stronger, was being reassigned to the eastern region.
As an apothecary specializing in [Poison] and [Alchemy], the Fifth War God, Lukayed of the Mica Seat, possessed the ability to rapidly heal, stabilize, and bolster other eighth-tier powerhouses.
Since the outbreak of war, the Fifth War God Lukayed had been the most frequently redeployed War God, roaming everywhere.
In contrast to the stationary First War God Hyacinthus and Sixth War God Violet, the Fifth War God Lukayed could appear anywhere.
"I might as well take a look at you while I'm here," Lukayed said, carrying a dark gold medical kit in his left hand as he sat down beside Geyate.
This rotation allowed Geyate, who had returned to the capital of Brierda, to restore himself to peak condition before Lukayed headed to the eastern region to treat the other two War Gods.
"I hope this won't take up too much of your time," the Third War God, Geyate, nodded slightly and spoke in a flat tone.
"Geyate, a physician must remain unhurried. We are both men racing against time; why fret over a mere hour or two?"
The Fifth War God, Lukayed, kept his eyes narrowed in an arc, his voice clear and melodious.
With that, he lightly opened the medical kit and drew out a crystal-clear phial filled with shimmering emerald liquid.
He gently took hold of Geyate's wrist, pulled back the sleeve, and placed his fingertips against Geyate's pulse, closing his eyes to concentrate on the rhythm of his mana circuits.
"You do seem overworked lately. You'll have to give me an hour here," Lukayed said unhurriedly after opening his eyes a moment later.
"Thank you," Geyate replied concisely.
Lukayed picked up the vial and syringe, injected it into Geyate's vein, and began using alchemy magic to balance the venom's potency.
The medicine he used would be a lethal poison if injected directly; only under his handling, continuously decomposing and reconstituting it in real time, could it exert its rapid restorative effects.
It was a rather lengthy process.
"What has Hyacinthus been busy with?" Geyate asked Apothecary Lukayed while undergoing treatment, having nothing else to do.
The Fifth War God Lukayed's movements were directed by the First War God Hyacinthus; prior to coming here, Lukayed had surely met with him.
"I don't know. He hasn't had the time to clean up your mess lately," Apothecary Lukayed replied, shaking his head.
Geyate fell silent for a moment. His gaze turned toward the area directly beneath the round table's transparent glass surface—the restricted subterranean zone of the Hall of Divine Descent.
He knew Lukayed was referring to what he had brought back.
Namely, the black interlocking puzzle cube standing atop an isolated stone platform surrounded by anti-magic steel pillars, bound by chains within the restricted area.
Densely inscribed with curse seals, chains pulsating with a red, breathing glow coiled around the hexahedron like vipers and scorpions, binding it tightly.
"If the fight had dragged on, I wasn't certain whether he would grow even stronger. So I banished him into the [Illusory Realm]," the Third War God, Geyate of the Sardonyx Seat, finally said in a deep voice after a pause.
The battle outside the eastern border of the Kingdom of Aloran that day could neither be called arduous nor smooth.
Once Simonro intervened, constantly healing Philip as Philip traded injuries with Loren, the battle had devolved into a stalemate. Loren was forced into having his life force and mana drained, unable to inflict decisive damage, yet unable to break away.
"Was he truly that strong?" asked the Fifth War God, Lukayed of the Mica Seat.
According to their intelligence, High Priest Loren's strength shouldn't have warranted Geyate playing his trump card.
"When we first engaged, I was certain he wasn't stronger than me. But by the end, he had nearly caught up to me," Geyate shook his head, seemingly recalling the battle.
It was the first time he had ever encountered someone like Loren, born for battle, growing stronger the longer he fought.
Although Loren was still a considerable distance from the Second War God of the Obsidian Seat, his rate of growth made Geyate wary. If Loren managed to open a breach through the Seventh War God Philip or the Eleventh War God Simonro and successfully escape, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
The three of them had not suffered any dangerous wounds, but the longer the battle went on, the higher the variables climbed. To ensure complete mission success, Geyate unleashed his ultimate technique on Loren, sealing him away rather than fighting him to the bitter end.
Inside the [Illusory Realm], there existed only an endless void and an exit that could never reach reality.
"According to imperial spies, Loren also wields an immunity force field that can be used repeatedly. The last time he used it was on the night of the demon incident in Palieu, the City of Flowers in the Kingdom of Posen. Yet even when he appeared on the verge of death at any moment, he never cast that spell, which made the commanders uneasy," Geyate said with a grave expression.
In the end, they never even figured out what affinity Loren truly specialized in.
Reviewing the battle afterward, his decision to seal Loren had been the right call; otherwise, Philip and Simonro might not have returned so unscathed.
"Sooner or later, it was bound to be used. Spending your grand sealing art like this still eliminated a major threat, though it's a bit of a pity you couldn't use it on the President of the Western Hub Region," Lukayed said after a brief pause, smiling faintly.
Of course, executing this forced sealing art was no simple task.
It could only be chained after beating the target into critical condition and forcing them into a state of hard crowd control.
It was originally the supreme spell used by ancient seal masters to seal the immortal Blood Clan, recorded in the Moon Temple of the Sacred Land. It required an item blessed by the Wolf Sage as a medium to cast without cost; otherwise, the caster would suffer a lethal backlash.
Falling victim to this spell was no different from dying—it would not unravel even if the caster perished.
To be safe, Geyate had brought the gate of the [Illusory Realm] back to the capital, Brierda.
While an even safer approach would be gathering overwhelming force to voluntarily undo the [Illusory Realm] and having the War Gods gang up to execute High Priest Loren, carrying that out would ideally require gathering several more War Gods to guarantee a completely flawless kill without giving him any opportunity to escape.
Given the current front-line war situation, the War Gods could hardly afford the time and energy to deal with a captive Loren who was already practically dead.
"Are you certain Loren is completely sealed inside this barrier?" Lukayed asked Geyate, looking down at the black interlocking sealing cube.
It wasn't that he doubted Geyate or suspected a flaw in the sealing technique, but rather that discordant notes had indeed surfaced within the Empire recently. Anyone inside could turn out to be a rebel.
And the less likely someone was to betray the Empire, the more catastrophic the harm if they did.
If word leaked that Loren was sealed in the depths of Brierda, those rebels might stop at nothing to break him out.
Such enemy combat strength would undoubtedly be catastrophic.
If left unchecked, any minor subversive nest could become the ant hole that collapses the dyke. Even burgeoning church groups had begun drawing the attention of His Majesty Saint Bardo Hoffman, who had personally ordered the Imperial Military General Staff and the Imperial Special Operations Department to investigate and purge them.
"Hmph, Loren is unquestionably inside," Geyate snorted coldly, interrupting him with haughty assurance. "Unless I voluntarily undo it, or a seal master stronger than me breaks the curse, this seal will never open."
Chapter 717