Chapter 184: Internal Strife Within the Four Pillars Cult?
The underground hall was so quiet that only the sound of flames licking the air remained.
The children stopped crying and stared blankly at Igor, who in that moment seemed to shed a decade, looking as bewildered and adorably clueless as the children beside him. Only Harvey maintained a comical expression, wanting to laugh but daring not to, and with his bound right hand, he gave Ashe an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Everyone seemed to hold their breath, silently awaiting the outcome of this sacrificial showdown.
One second passed, then two, then three, and nothing happened.
Disappointment spread across the childrens faces, and Igor let out a quiet sigh.
The Black Robe Men around them, however, began to grow restless.
How is this possible
Have we been abandoned?
Why is this happening? Four Pillars, are you punishing us?!
Even Eternal Calamity, whose face could easily shift from charmingly petulant to delightfully cheerful, now furrowed her brows slightly, like a child who sees her toy being snatched away.
Yes, nothing happened.
But the absence of an event was the greatest issue of all!
The Four Pillars response to Sacrifices had always been swift, never showing aloofness or delay. In terms of accessibility, the Four Pillars truly excelled at the top of their field, adeptly capturing the pain points of their Followers, strategically laying out new tracks for growth, and forming a self-sustaining ecosystem of Sacrifice and Oracle, thereby increasing the peoples awareness, ensuring a streamlined, end-to-end, rapid-processing of Sacrifices to the Four Pillars. The Religion advocated for a flat, decentralized structure, achieving simplicity and speed in the replication and response of Ritualsthe sturdiest moat of the Four Pillars Cult
Yet this time, the Four Pillars had failed to respond to the call of their Followers, to come and claim their Sacrifice. This was akin to netizens discovering a webpage unresponsive, and the panic of the Black Robe Men was understandablethey feared the link to their deity had been severed!
Who wouldnt fear being cut off from their connection?
Thud!
Suddenly, a strange noise came from above, and the Black Robe Men looked up in surprise, only to see a crack forming on the ceiling of the great hall.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the ceiling burst open!
Ashe watched this scene unfold, feeling as though he had seen this plot develop somewhere before.
Finally found you, Selina Bright.
From the settling dust and debris, a Tall Elf with grey hair and long ears descended lightly in front of Ashe and the others. She was cloaked in a red hooded cape, her grey ponytail held high, and in each hand, she wielded a Handgun engraved with runic circuits.
As she landed, the rings of fire around them extinguished instantly, and layers of earthen walls emerged from the fractured ground, perfectly encircling the children for protection!
With the sound of surging electricity, over a dozen rescuers clad in red capes burst through the ceiling, mercilessly firing at the Black Robe Men in the underground hall without any regard for human rights.
These Cultists, however, were far more formidable than Ashes cheerleading squad, unafraid of the surprise attack. They even drew weapons to Cast Miracle in retaliation, attempting to overwhelm the numerically inferior rescuers!
Suddenly, a young rescuer let out a surprised and furious roar, Job, thank goodness youre okaydie, Cult Leader!
The Tall Elfs expression changed dramatically: Kuso, dont
Whoosh!
The young man fired an electromagnetic Shot Bullet at Eternal Calamity, but it collided with another rescuers Shot Bullet. The bullets clinked crisply in the air, their trajectory forcibly twisted, and then
Crack!
Ashe heard a sound like a watermelon splitting from behind him, followed by a warmth on his back as if splashed with some warm liquid, and then the childrens hysterical screams of panic.
He didnt dare look back.
JobJob!? The young man bellowed in a panic, Impossible, this cant be
The Tall Elf, eyes still locked onto Eternal Calamity, shouted, Kuso, you are on the battlefield now!
The Elfs concerns quickly materialized. The young man named Kuso screamed in agony as if he had been counter-killed by a Black Robe Man seizing the opportunity.
Throughout the ordeal, the Tall Elf never once looked back, standing guard in front of Ashe and the other Sacrifices, her gaze firmly on Eternal Calamity, leaving others to deal with the rest of the Black Robe Cultists.
Cleos Baimu.
Despite their lair being raided, Eternal Calamity seemed indifferent, with not a trace of worry on their face. They looked at the Tall Elf with interest and said, The Watcher Crysand Cleos, number one in the Red Cap Azura Sub-Ranking and tenth in the Red Cap Total Ranking, has come personally to arrest me, a cripple. Selina must be flattered.
Youre not just crippled, youre also cruel.
The Elf named Cleos replied coldly, Number one in the Sinners Ranking Azura Sub-Ranking, sixth in the Slaughter Ranking Azura Sub-Ranking, and eighth in the Disaster Messenger Ranking. In recent years, the crime rate in Azura has been climbing annually. Serial killings, kidnappings, drug smuggling, and the resurgence of cult activitiesall are linked to you.
Eternal Calamity, Ive been wronged, suddenly, they began to whimper. Look at me, I cant even move without a wheelchair, Id starve without someone to serve me. Im just a puppet on display, and at times, a plaything for those behind the scenes Cleos, can I trust you? Can you free me from the control of the Four Pillars Cult?
Harvey and Igor turned to look at Ashe, skepticism flaring in their eyes once againBrother, do all you Cult Leaders have the same script for whitewashing yourselves? Did you all attend the same training class before taking office?
Ashe, fully aware of their doubts, whispered in defense, Ive truly been wronged! Replace her subject with me, and its all true!
So, youve also been played with by the powers behind the scenes? Harvey asked.
Cleos remained unmoved by Eternal Calamitys defense, even feeling an urge to laugh, Selina, you cant escape tonight. Whatever you say is futile, the Gospel is never wrong.
Eternal Calamitys demeanor changed rapidly, with a cold huff, Blind faith is a road to nowhere, and the most foolish thing is to be selfish enough to believe that gods are selfless. Cleos, your blindness will eventually bring you despair.
Do you, a Cult Leader, have any right to say such things?
Because I know that God loves all people, Eternal Calamity said with a smile, but God loves Himself more.
Cleos fell silent, seemingly uninterested in further indulging Eternal Calamitys ramblings.
Leaning lazily against the Silver Throne, Eternal Calamity said, So, Cleos, if youre so convinced Im the criminal, why not come and arrest me? You surely dont expect a disabled little girl to walk down and surrender, do you?
Im waiting.
The female Elf said coldly, Waiting for all the Cultists to be dealt with, for all external factors to be eliminated, for your Destiny Miracle to have no exploitable targets. I will personally sound your death knell then.
Destiny Miracle!
On hearing the name of this most mysterious of Magical Factions, the three migrant workers couldnt help but prick up their ears.
Destiny, Truth, Prophecythese three factions are coveted by all Sorcerers, yet no Sorcerer knows how to learn them. Even the most accessible Prophecy Faction has no systematic method of study in the Blood Moon Kingdom. Every Professor at Kaimon Comprehensive College who claims to study the Prophecy Faction is simply embezzling funds.
Although the Prophecy Faction is seen as a Phantasmal Mirage, Sorcerers still consider it a legitimate faction. However, the Truth and Destiny Factions have been denounced by many as feudal superstitionswithout even a shadow of a faction spirit, tales of Truth and Destiny Sorcerers only exist in ancient myths, no different from the settings of fantasy novels!
A Magical Faction deemed a feudal superstition even by those who believe in miracles, manifesting right before their eyes?
Before acting, I exhausted all my Points and the Gospel, and from the Gospel, I found a way to defeat youcannot harm you, said Cleos. If Im not mistaken, your Destiny Miracle works by twisting any attack against you through various accidents, even turning it back on those who harbor Killing Intent towards you.
Just now, Kuso tried to shoot you, but the Shot Bullets coincidentally hit his own brother, and in his distraught state, he was killed by your followers A truly terrifying Destiny Miracle.
So my plan of action is to first eliminate your underlings, clear all the unstable factors that could aid you, and then deal with you slowly. The female Elf sneered. Whats it like to watch yourself walk into a dead end? Is there fear brewing beneath that lovely human skin of yours?
You deserve the respect you command, Crysand of the Red Cap Cleos, but theres one thing you got wrong.
Eternal Calamity smiled and said, The ability you describe is not the Destiny Miracle, and I am not proficient in that legendary Magical Faction.
Its not a miracle, not a spirit, not a Secret Poison, not a blessing.
It is my Tactile sense.
Nonsense! Cleos looked around and realized that the Black Robe Men had mostly been subdued. She waited no longer and aimed her gun at
The ceiling!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Cleos Shot Bullets seemed to carry a miracle of their own, a few shots rapidly dissolving the rock of the ceiling. As the rumbling grew louder, a massive layer of rock was about to fall, aiming to smash Eternal Calamity sitting on the Silver Throne into a pulp!
Ashe immediately understood Cleos ideaif I cannot attack you directly, but I attack the rock and let it fall on you, wouldnt that circumvent your strange Destiny Miracle?
It seemed like a smart move, and Ashe couldnt see any flaws. The Black Robe Cultists were subdued and couldnt save Eternal Calamity, who also had no ability to move. If she wanted to leave the Silver Throne, she would have to rely on a spirit or a miracle.
But for some reason, Ashe had a strong premonitionSelina was not a Sorcerer!
Apart from her so-called Tactile sense, she had not mastered any spirit or miracle!
Just like Heath at the beginning!
Crack.
Amidst the rumbling noise, a strange cracking sound captured everyones attention. They looked up to see a bizarre crack in the middle of the ceiling, with a few drops of water seeping through.
Cleos pupils shrank sharply, and she fired a shot behind her, the ground surging quickly into a fortress to protect the children.
Smash!
The rock completely crumbled, but with it came a torrential flow of water!
Ceilings elsewhere also began to rapidly crumble, and the roar of an underground river gushed into the subterranean hall like a waterfall!
How could there possibly be an underground river right there
Cleos watched, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. The Red Cap had burst through the ceiling to enter, and it was sheer luck they hadnt hit the underground river?
Frustration brought moisture to her eyes, and she bit her lip while rapidly firing at the floor. Layers of Earth Magic walls rose with a rumble in an attempt to hold back the river.
However, it wasnt just the front; the walls to the sides began to crack as well, and the raging river water surged in like an army. It was as if the entire underground hall was built over a subterranean sea, and the slightest breach would result in immediate inundation!
Both the Red Cap and the Black Robe Man were swept away by the river, tumbling in disarray. Cleos could only rely on her Earth Magic Miracle to protect herself for the moment, unable to care for othersthus Ashe was also swept away.
Perhaps Ashe and the others were too close to Cleos, or perhaps she felt adults didnt need special protection, so her Earth Magic Miracle only covered the children, leaving Ashe and two others exposed.
Ashes hands and feet were still bound by Miracle chains; unless he could spin his tongue like a propeller, he had no way to swim, so he could only hold his breath and go with the flow until he bumped into a soft body and stopped.
You bumped into me.
Heh, sorry about that.
Ashe hurriedly took deep breaths and looked down, realizing he was lying on the armrest of the Silver Throne.
The former Cult Leader turned slightly, only to see his small, drenched companion looking like a drowned rat.
He now resembled a perverted adult lying on the lap of a little girlif the latter had legs, that is.
You just said, youre the apocalypse observer? she whispered to Ashe conspiratorially.
Ashe nodded and then shook his head, squirming to get away from the current Cult Leader: Actually, Ive turned over a new leaf
Let me reintroduce myself. I am Eternal Calamity, Eternal Entanglement, Ultimate Everlasting. Eternal Calamity smiled. Pleased to meet you, apocalypse observer. You can call me Everlasting.
Ashe was somewhat stunned: (o) You can call me Observer.
Well then, Observer, please go die.
Selina lifted her head high and then slammed it down
Banging her forehead against Ashes!
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