Chapter 290: Clergy from Across the World (IV)
Caroline glanced toward the stairway where her brother had left. After a moment, she could only sigh.
"Father Gideon, Sister Bettice—you've probably noticed that the Church has been undergoing frequent personnel changes lately, right?"
The two exchanged a look, then nodded.
This had been going on for quite some time. Because of it, manpower had grown scarce—Gideon himself had even been dragged into extra duties more than once.
"That's because… most of them have been dispatched to the Holy War Site," Caroline said.
Gideon's brows lifted slightly.
"A thousand years ago, the Church fought a war against evil forces descending into the world. The scale was immense—multiple Demon Lords manifested in their true forms."
"And on the Church's side… angels descended as well."
"In the end, the overwhelming surge of power shattered the surrounding space. That battlefield was torn away from the mortal world… and cast into the endless void."
"And along with that land… many powerful clergy disappeared."
"For a thousand years, they never returned. Only fragments of their story remain in ancient records."
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
"From what you're saying… they've come back?"
Caroline nodded—then shook her head.
"They've 'returned'… but only as remains."
"More precisely—the lost land itself has been found."
"Not long ago, the Exorcism Institute submitted an artifact—a rune-covered arm known as the Hand of the Apostle."
Bettice raised a brow.
"I've heard of that. It's said to belong to Saint Barnabas, one of the Holy Son's disciples. But it was lost long ago."
Caroline nodded.
"Archbishop José of Los Angeles recovered it… and used it to locate the Holy War Site."
Gideon's gaze flickered.
So that's what it led to…
That very artifact had been retrieved by him during a previous commission.
"After opening the space, Archbishop Jolan was immediately dispatched there," Caroline continued.
"His report confirmed it—there are countless sacred relics and remains. All signs indicate it truly is the Holy War Site."
"After that, large numbers of clergy were sent in. The Church suffered immense losses back then, and many precious relics were lost—including relics over a hundred years old."
Gideon's eyes lit up briefly.
He had been struggling to find artifacts of that level.
The only one he had obtained so far came from assisting that exorcism guild manager.
"So… this selection is actually about retrieving those relics?" he asked.
"At first, that was Jolan's plan," Caroline said, shaking her head.
"But as more people were sent in… something went wrong."
Her expression turned serious.
"He wrote that a powerful malicious entity resides there—one that has partially mastered the spatial laws of that land."
"Anyone who enters… loses their holy power."
Bettice frowned.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means exactly that," Caroline said.
"No sacred techniques. No sacred artifacts. No manifestations of divine power—everything becomes unusable."
Gideon and Bettice exchanged a glance.
Even they were taken aback.
"Even Jolan himself?"
Caroline nodded.
"He managed to understand part of the rules, which is how he sent back this information. But the others…"
Her gaze dimmed.
"Most of those who entered earlier… are already dead."
"And the rest are trapped inside."
"The Theological Council, the Exorcism Institute, and even members of the Vatican's ancient families… many important figures are among them."
"That's why all factions have been pressuring the Pope recently."
Gideon rubbed his chin.
He hadn't expected a single artifact to trigger such a chain reaction.
"So the Church is gathering outsiders like us… to send us in as rescue forces?"
Caroline nodded.
"In two days, there will be a gathering of all participants here in the Holy Land. The announcement will be made then."
Then she lowered her voice slightly.
"But for those of us with ties to ancient families… there's another mission."
Gideon and Bettice both focused.
"To locate the second Tablet of the Ten Commandments within the Holy War Site."
"The Ten Commandments… tablet?" Bettice looked puzzled.
"It's the covenant God inscribed on Mount Sinai—the core of the Old Testament. The foundation of the Church's faith."
"…That kind of legendary artifact actually exists?"
Caroline nodded.
"I only found out recently too."
"There are two tablets. Originally, one was held by God, the other by the saints—but eventually both were entrusted to Moses."
"After thousands of years… one remains in the Vatican's Ark of the Covenant."
"The other… has long been lost."
Gideon thought for a moment.
He had read about this before.
The two tablets weren't "halves"—
Each contained the full Ten Commandments.
More like two copies of the same covenant.
"What does the tablet actually do?" he asked.
"Ah… that, I don't know," Caroline admitted awkwardly.
"I think the old men are keeping it secret on purpose!"
She crossed her arms, clearly annoyed.
Gideon wasn't surprised.
Whatever its function was—
If it could mobilize the entire Church at this scale…
It had to be extraordinary.
Summoning an angel? Calling down God himself?
He shook off the thought.
Not the time to dwell on that.
"One last thing," he said.
"If the Holy War Site is that dangerous… are there other threats? And how do we get out once we enter?"
Caroline pouted slightly.
"Jolan only said we need to understand the rules… oh! Wait!"
She clapped her hands.
"He mentioned something called Scavengers. We need to be careful of them."
"Scavengers?" Bettice asked.
"I have no idea what they are. He didn't explain."
Gideon frowned.
"There's still too little information. We'll have to be extremely cautious."
"Oh! And about getting out—those details will only be revealed at the gathering," Caroline added.
"So don't wander off these next couple of days!"
Both Gideon and Bettice nodded.
"Alright! Business is done—let's go!" Caroline finished Gideon's coffee in one gulp.
"You can stay at my place. It's just a few minutes' walk from the center."
Gideon's lips twitched.
The perks of being a local… how unfair.
After leaving some money behind, the three quickly departed.
The Holy Land — Mount of Olives
On the eastern side of the old city—
The hillside was covered in dense graves.
Stone coffins stretched from the mountaintop all the way down.
It was said that after the Holy Son's resurrection, he ascended to heaven from this very place.
And prophecy declared—
That he would one day return here, leading his followers to salvation.
Thus, it became the most sacred burial ground.
Every devout believer hoped to rest here after death.
At the base of a slope—
A dark cave lay hidden.
"Shh… shh…"
Soon, a rhythmic dragging sound echoed from the entrance.
A burly man approached, dragging what looked like two bundles of remains.
In truth—
Each of his massive hands held six corpses by the legs.
As he stepped into the cave, a ripple of dark energy spread outward.
Some kind of formation was clearly in place.
He descended deeper—
Until the space suddenly opened up.
Thud!
The remains were tossed onto the ground.
"I dug up over a hundred graves. Only these still have traces of muscle left," he said in a low voice.
A torch flared to life, pushing back the darkness.
Three other figures were already inside.
"Was lighting a torch really necessary just to inspect corpses, Mashal?" a thin man adjusted his glasses.
Mashal, clad in black robes, shrugged.
"I thought the same—until Abaddon brought in twenty fake remains made of stone."
He leaned closer to the bodies.
"I'm sure Beelzebub can relate."
A figure seated deeper within nodded.
He wore a dark robe and a deep violet mask etched with dense runes.
"My teeth are quite durable," Beelzebub said in a thin voice,
"but after biting through twelve stone statues… they've suffered some wear."
"Please keep that in mind. I didn't bring my personal dentist this time."
Another man, Abraham, listened calmly.
"If I recall correctly," he said,
"seven dentists have already been killed for failing to extract your teeth."
Beelzebub nodded matter-of-factly.
"That only proves their incompetence. Letting them live would've been a waste of medical resources."
Mashal's lips twitched.
For a moment, an image flashed through his mind—Beelzebub snapping a heavy-duty truck in half just from a botched tooth extraction.
"…Alright," Abraham said, accepting the explanation with surprising ease.
"In that case, why not send Mashal instead? Abaddon's failure in the 'child abduction' mission should be proof enough that he lacks brains."
"Hey. I'm standing right here," Abaddon rumbled.
"That was just a mistake. Besides, I had to deal with that Vatican Archbishop. Not an easy opponent—didn't even Xila suffer losses against him during the Memorial Day operation?"
As he spoke, he slammed a fist into the ground.
The entire cave trembled.
"And who would've thought these 'devout' believers would use stone statues to replace their own corpses?!"
"Watch it!" Mashal steadied himself. "This is the Holy Land—you want the Church to notice us?"
Abraham adjusted his glasses.
"I've heard that some clergy pre-bury stone statues to reserve burial spots… then swap in their real bodies after death."
"What's so great about a grave anyway? Bunch of idiots," Mashal muttered, rising to his feet.
"Enough. The remains are fine. Your turn."
Beelzebub stepped forward.
He removed his mask—
And immediately grabbed a corpse by the leg, tearing into it with his teeth.
The sound of chewing echoed through the cave.
Mashal frowned.
"I've seen this many times, but I still have to say… please don't visit me during mealtime."
Beelzebub turned his head slightly, bits of flesh still clinging to his lips.
"The food you eat is no different from waste to me," he said calmly.
"I wouldn't put something like that on my table."
Abaddon let out a strange, rhythmic laugh.
"Heh… heh… heh…"
"You—!" Mashal clenched his fists.
"Enough," Abraham stepped between them.
"Hurry up. The Clergy Order selection begins in two days."
Mashal took a deep breath.
"Where are the boss and Xila?"
"Lucifer has already infiltrated the Church," Abraham replied.
"He's investigating their hidden high-level forces."
"As for Xila… she's likely undergoing reinforcement somewhere. She said her previous power wasn't enough."
Mashal narrowed his eyes.
A figure in black robes with short hair surfaced in his thoughts.
You'd better show up this time…
Or I'll be very disappointed.
"I'm done eating," Beelzebub said, standing up.
Abraham nodded.
"Then let's begin."
He stepped back instantly.
Mashal and Abaddon followed.
Beelzebub remained where he stood.
His throat shifted—
And suddenly, a stream of yellow-brown liquid burst from his mouth.
Ssss—
The moment it touched the ground, thick white vapor rose, filling the cave with a foul stench.
Beelzebub spread his arms.
Dark purple veins surfaced across his body, pulsing.
"Ah… ah…"
He let out a low growl as the veins flickered.
The next moment—
The liquid seeped into the ground.
It split into countless thin streams…
Spreading outward across the entire Mount of Olives.
From above, one would see—
Each stream connecting to the stone coffins scattered across the mountain.
Soon, the liquid fully sank into the graves.
Back inside the cave—
Beelzebub's eyes glowed with an eerie violet light.
He twitched his fingers.
And across the entire mountain—
The remains within the graves twitched in response.
Then—
Yellow-brown fluid began to seep from the bones.
It spread outward, dissolving the surrounding stone coffins.
"The seed of plague has been planted," Beelzebub said calmly.
"Now… we wait."
The three in the distance stood frozen.
Beelzebub frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"…Put your mask back on first," Mashal said, covering his nose with his robe.
Two Days Later — Morning
Outside the golden-domed temple in the Holy Land—
A large number of black-robed clergy gathered, moving in silence through the narrow streets.
Orderly. Quiet. Tense.
Gideon stood among them.
At his side were Bettice and Caroline.
"Finally… it begins."
He checked his bag once more, ensuring nothing was missing.
Then he looked toward the temple in the distance.
The morning sun had just risen—
And a single beam of light fell upon the golden dome,
Setting it ablaze with radiant brilliance.