Chapter 269

Chapter 269

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

Chapter 269: Sacred Body (2)

The Sacred body (Holy Sanctum) of the saint is often symbolized by the meaning of ‘white bread and grape wine.’

Therefore, the priests of the Rune Religion would always have a meal of white bread and grape wine every weekend. A long time ago, a custom originated from the myth that Prophet Rune made white bread from his own flesh and grape wine from his blood, sharing it with the followers. Those who imitated or cunningly twisted the teachings of the Rune generally shared a similar culture. This was evident in various religions such as the rapidly growing ‘New World Religion,’ Om Religion,’ and ‘Manson Religion,’ scattered throughout the empire. They would adopt the ancient teachings of Rune almost as they were, inserting their unique interpretations in the gaps, ultimately creating entirely new religions.

Leaders of these large heretical and cult-like religions, including ‘Elmani,’ ‘Om,’ and ‘Charles,’ gathered in one place.

It was in front of a temple of the New Testament faction temple, on the outskirts of the imperial city.

Numerous people gathered there, engaging in conversations.

“Oh, long time no see, priest. Your face has improved a lot, hasn’t it?”

“Well, you know. Recently, a merchant guild donated my entire fortune, so my living conditions have improved.”

“Ah, indeed. Your skills are truly exceptional. How did you manage to get a donation?”

“It’s nothing special. The daughter of the guild leader has been sick for a few years, and I gently persuaded her by offering to treat her. It’s just a matter of a few doses of narcotic painkillers for her pain.”

“Hahaha, impressive. I keep worrying that my facial fat is disappearing, making me look too gaunt.”

“Is it because you recently took a young concubine?”

“Hahaha, that’s right. She originally had a husband, but I gently persuaded her with our teachings and made her fall for me.”

“Well done. Frankly, to be a true believer, one must dedicate not only their entire fortune but also their body and soul, don’t you agree?”

“Absolutely. Otherwise, salvation is out of reach.”

Although the heretics and cult priests had different principles and doctrines, they shared a common point – extracting the spine of the weary and exhausted to inflate their own lives.

At that moment, the crowd split, and three figures walked out from different directions. Elmani, Om, and Charles.

Elmani, though aged, still emitted a greedy gleam from his eyes as he spoke, “By the way, let me get straight to the point. Receiving an invitation to a feast from the New Testament Faction of Quovadis means they finally intend to officially recognize our ‘New World Religion’ as a legitimate Religion, doesn’t it?”

The obese man, Om, who almost looked like a ball, added, “Yes. The act of consuming the Holy Sacrament involves sharing the blood and flesh of the saint. Inviting us here indicates their desire to form an official alliance with our Religion.”

Charles, with a lanky frame and sharp eyes, nodded in agreement, “Indeed. Gathering secretly like this today is also to restrain the Old Testament Faction! They found out that we’ve been secretly supporting the Old Testament Faction for a long time, and now they also want to grab a piece of the pie.”

The leaders of the gathered heretics and cults, each addressed as a pope, had recently received discreetly transmitted invitations to a feast in Quovadis under the name of the New testament Faction. Each had their reasons for gathering at this place.

Having already established a strong alliance with the Old Testament Faction, the leaders now planned to extend their influence to the New Testament Faction.

“Currently, the intense rivalry between the Old and New testament Factions within Quovadis presents us with an opportunity. If we provide financial support to both sides, regardless of who wins, we can ensure our survival.”

“Exactly. A clever rabbit digs multiple burrows. Whether one side prevails or they perpetually remain in conflict, as long as we enjoy the indirect benefits, it works for us. Perhaps an eternal rivalry without a clear winner would be more advantageous for us.”

“To achieve that, our gathering here today must remain a well-guarded secret from the outside world. We mustn’t let the Old Testament Faction hear about it. Have you all kept the secret well?”

Influential heretics and cults from various parts of the empire had gathered, each led by trustworthy high-ranking officials.

“How fortunate it is that the New Testament Faction has finally come to its senses and reached out to us.”

“They have their reasons too. Without our financial support, they can never defeat the Old Testament Faction.”

“Hahaha, those New testament Faction folks. Always pretending to be noble and clean, but not when they’re alone.”

Taking advantage of the whispers, they discreetly entered the temple in haste—or at least, attempted to.

Crash!

If only the unexpected sound of a distant explosion hadn’t occurred.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Debris from collapsed buildings and trees rained down, covering carriages and people.

Screams erupted from all directions.

“What, what’s happening?”

The heretics and cult leaders encircled themselves, bewildered as they observed the wreckage of soil and debris.

Then, amid the dusty haze, the sound of footsteps became audible.

Tap-tap-tap.

Black tights, heels exceeding 30 centimeters.

Ms. Ouroboros.

She had suddenly appeared at the scene!

“Hoho, what’s this? Why is there so much trash gathered here?”

Surveying the priests, she shrugged her shoulders.

“Heard there was Night Hound around. Came to check it out. Just a bunch of stinking trash, though.”

Enraged, the priests shouted back.

“You arrogant criminal! Who do you think you are? Kill her!”

Soon, soldiers armed with spears and shields rushed towards Ms. Ouroboros.

However.

Slish- Slick-

The whip, coiling like a snake, sliced through the soldiers’ arms, legs, and torsos, chopping them up as if carving pumpkins.

A terrifying aura left trails of violet and black, floating in the air.

Zap! Thud! Crash!

With each strike of the whip, adorned with thorns like a rosebush, hitting the solid rock floor, a faint earthquake occurred.

As heavily armored knights neared the brink of annihilation, the faces of the heretics and cult leaders turned pale with terror.

“This, this can’t be! What kind of monster is she!?”

“Huff! What are the Imperial Guards doing?”

“Save me! I’m someone who shouldn’t die in a place like this!”

Elmani, Om, and Charles tried to escape in panic, but it was impossible. Miss Ouroboros had already gracefully descended in front of them.

The faces of the other cult leaders turned pale as they witnessed Elmani, dying in excruciating pain.

“I-I’m not the reincarnation of Rune!”

“Save me! I just wanted people to admire me...”

“Uwaaah! I’m just a married man who created a religion to have affairs with married women!”

“Uheuk! I just made it for business! To earn some money!”

The shocking confessions of the cult leaders continued. And the shock of the followers mirrored it.

Crash! Bang! Thud!

Throughout, the sound of shattered beliefs echoed loudly, causing a collapse of faith.

* * *

“Um... Things seem to be going a bit differently than planned, huh?”

On the roof of the New Testament Faction’s temple, Vikir, in his Night Hunter mode, stood alongside Dolores, observing the gruesome scene below.

Vikir’s original plan was to gather the leaders of the heretics and cults in one place and exterminate them. In fact, it was originally Sinclaire’s plan. In the university league’s second round, Sinclaire had received a mission:

Quovadis Clan / Difficulty [★★★☆]

The Empire is suffering from the increasing influence of heretics and cults. At this moment, from the perspective of the Inquisition’s Quovadis, suggest a way to eliminate heretics and elevate the status of the Rune Religion.

Back then, Sinclaire proposed a somewhat radical solution: gather all heretics and cultists in one place and burn them alive. Vikir, with his memories from his past life, was already aware of this plan Sinclaire would later reveal to Dolores.

“...Heretics and cultists are like weeds; you can’t catch them all unless you pull out the roots. But you can’t handle the scattered seedlings everywhere. So, the only solution is to gather them in one place and set them ablaze.”

Of course, this excluded indigenous beliefs, and traditional religions of local people, which wouldn’t cause harm to the surroundings. Only the scum exploiting the tired hearts of the poor and stealing wealth under the guise of faith would be targeted—those who committed heinous acts against children, spouses, and others.

Vikir had sent baby madam to steal the handwriting of the New Testament Faction’s Cardinal, Martin Luther. By replicating the characters in the documents using a special ink that would solidify when sprayed and then peeling it off, they could steal not only the content but also Luther’s handwriting.

Meanwhile, Dolores, disturbed by the plan, expressed her concern. “Isn’t that too extreme?”

However, this was the plan the “Steel Maiden” Dolores would execute in about ten years. So, Vikir responded without much enthusiasm, “Look at what the dying heretics are spewing out.”

Upon hearing this, Dolores widened her eyes.

Splat!

The color of the blood oozing out from the dying cultists was a distinctive dark black.

“Exactly. Those high-ranking officials and fervent followers were all in a contract with demons. Whether they knew it or not.”

‘Of course. Those involved with the sixth corpse were undoubtedly here.’

Vikir thought to himself while watching the dying individuals. To be honest, he wasn’t entirely sure if Miss Ouroboros would show up here.

*50-50. It was a 50% chance.*

This confirmed a few things:

1. Ouroboros had a desire to meet the Night Hound.

2. Ouroboros had a hostile relationship with the Demon Followers (for an unknown reason).

So far, wherever the Night Hound appeared, Miss Ouroboros inevitably followed.

Therefore, Vikir had planned to imitate Miss Ouroboros this time. \

‘Disguising as a woman and performing some whip tricks shouldn’t be too difficult.’

However, things escalated faster because Miss Ouroboros had actually arrived.

Just then,

“It’s here! I can hear screams!”

“All troops, charge!”

“This time, we’ll catch her!”

The sound of the Imperial Guards, mobilized in response to a report, approaching could be heard.

“Ho ho ho, did someone try to use me for something? I received a tip that the Night Hound would appeared, but I wasted my efforts for nothing.”

Miss Ouroboros tilted her head as if amused.

“Night Hound-Nim... Are you trying to use me like this? Ho ho ho, this sly and charming person seems to be getting better. I like it more and more.”

Suddenly, Miss Ouroboros propelled herself into the air and disappeared, leaving behind only dense dust and darkness, swallowing everything.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Vikir swiftly entered the scene and brought in a captive—a person who seemed to be holding his breath.

It was Om, the leader of the Om Religion.

“Ugh...”

He, whose lower body had been horrifically mutilated by Miss Ouroboros, was in a state of semi-consciousness. Given his compromised mental state, Vikir had to employ Decarabia’s abilities.

Amid the crimson glow emanating from the outer eyes of the inverted pentagram, the nearly lifeless man, driven to the brink of death, spilled out everything he knew.

“Ledgers... beneath the destroyed carriage’s floor... concealed in triple layers... funding sources... top-secret documents....”

Just before Miss Ouroboros left and the Imperial Guards arrived, Vikir urgently took action.

“Hurry with the ledgers!”

Responding to Vikir’s gesture, Dolores, who was already searching beneath the carriage, urgently shouted, “Here! I found it, under the floor!”

Holding the ledgers, Vikir and Dolores leaped into the dust-filled air.

“Now, with the tail in hand, all that’s left is the torso—the real puppeteer.”

Carrying Dolores, Vikir soared through the air on the thread of the puppet master. While doing so, he quickly examined the ledgers.

The answer Vikir had been searching for.

Even a brief perusal of the ledgers revealed a dominating presence among the numerous trade partners—a name overwhelmingly weighted in significance. The financial lifeline of the Old Testament faction, serving as a money laundering network for heretics and cults.

And currently, it was the hiding place of the sixth corpse.

This was the revelation he sought, easily discernible within a few seconds of skimming through the ledgers.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Lucky]