Inside the Theocracy's council meeting,
an incredulous voice rang out:
"Just one person? Just one person wiped out the unit led by Nigun Gride Ruin? Nigun had a demon-sealing crystal capable of summoning a Dominion Authority! Could that Magic Caster be an existence comparable to our Gods?!"
"I didn't expect this summoning to bring forth an existence of this level. It seems we need to redefine our strategy. Now is not the time to have a dispute with this person; our great enemies remain the non-human races."
"Will he affect our plans?!"
As the crowd discussed these important matters at the meeting, the sound of a twisting Rubik's Cube came from a corner.
The one playing with the cube was a woman with heterochromatic black and white eyes. Outwardly she looked like a young girl, but she was actually older than everyone present. Because she had broken the limits of humanity, possessing strength and a lifespan far exceeding humans, she was a true monster, regarded as the one who truly inherited the bloodline of the six great gods.
"Ainz Ooal Gown... what a terrifying person."
"I heard the Imperial Sword Saint was also present. How should we deal with this girl?"
"This generation's Sword Saint possesses the strength of a Dragon Lord. Unless we deploy The Black Scripture and a true divine artifact, we likely won't be a match. This matter requires long-term planning."
"Seconded."
"Seconded."
"Seconded."
Ultimately,
the meeting ended with the decision to stick to the original plan.
Both Ainz Ooal Gown and Tsukasa Astrea had exceeded their range of control, not to mention they were currently planning to control a Dragon Lord and make the Dragon
Lords slaughter each other to conquer the non-human nations they ruled. In the face of such a grand undertaking, the summoned Ainz Ooal Gown and the Imperial Sword Saint were not enough to make them abandon their previous preparations.
The woman with heterochromatic eyes walked out of the meeting room, looking as if she didn't care about anything, but in truth, she had quietly memorized those two names. She craved facing the strong, and even more, she craved the appearance of a strong person who could conquer her. The reason was simple: she wanted to fulfill her duty as a mother and give birth to an even stronger next generation, just as her grandmother and mother had done before her. As for the other party's gender or race, it didn't matter; there would always be items or abilities to solve such minor issues. The key was whether the other party was stronger than her.
This woman was the Guardian of the Theocracy, the Extra Seat of The Black Scripture, Number—[Zesshi Zetsumei]. Because her existence was so powerful that it would surely cause a massive upheaval if neighboring countries found out, the Theocracy had always hidden her away as a weapon.
After all, if the things the Theocracy had done were exposed, it would surely draw condemnation from all nations.
They had always used various methods to obtain powerful bloodlines, including not only political marriages but also kidnapping and other vile means. Even a certain generation's Sword Saint of the Astrea Family had once been captured by them to serve as a breeding stud. And Zesshi Zetsumei's mother had committed an absolute Taboo! Because her bloodline was so strong that no suitable match could be found among humans, Zesshi Zetsumei's mother planned her own defeat and willingly fell to become the broodmother for the Elf King. In the end, she used the Theocracy's power to successfully escape from the Elf King's hands while still pregnant with Zesshi Zetsumei, eventually giving birth to this monster.
Although Zesshi Zetsumei was the Theocracy's strongest Guardian, her existence was a Taboo that the Theocracy could never expose. This was because her half-elf mixed-blood features were a mockery of the Theocracy's years of persistence. While they fought against non-human races, their strongest Guardian was half non-human herself; such a thing was a total humiliation for the Theocracy! Therefore, while Zesshi Zetsumei held a supreme status in the Theocracy, the high-ranking officials viewed her as a 'monster that should never have been born.' If not for the power she displayed, which the Theocracy was unwilling to give up, they would likely have tried to kill this heretic long ago.
Because of her special identity, she had been confined within the Theocracy's barrier since birth. However, it wasn't as if no one knew of her existence; at least the Dragon Lord who ruled the country knew of her, and they had a tacit understanding. If Zesshi Zetsumei were to act, most non-human races could not stop the human invasion, and the existence of the Dragon Lord was the same for humans, so both sides agreed not to intervene. However, the Theocracy predicted the news of the impending resurrection of the Catastrophe Dragon Lord. Originally, the Theocracy should have prepared to eliminate this Dragon Lord, but this time, they made a different decision.
They decided to use one of the true divine artifacts, [Downfall of Castle and Country], to control this Dragon Lord. What they intended by doing this was self-evident: the Theocracy's heart for conquering foreign races had not yet died.
Precisely because of the importance of this matter, even though the summoned Ainz Ooal Gown had destroyed one of the Theocracy's six units and the Sword Saint displayed power that threatened them, they temporarily ignored the two. Perhaps they were thinking that once they controlled the Catastrophe Dragon Lord, then the Platinum Dragon Lord, Ainz Ooal Gown, and the Imperial Sword Saint would all be mere dishes on a plate, to be cooked however they pleased.
But the Theocracy did not yet know that their former Sun Gods Scripture captain was currently establishing a new sect, calculating how to sabotage their plans and offer the true divine artifact to his Master.
Within the Kingdom's borders, inside a certain mountain stronghold, Nigun Gride Ruin, dressed in black priest robes and radiating madness, opened a cage holding slaves.
As he walked, all the bandits and mercenaries who approached him were suddenly vaporized into pillars of fire; his body carried a scorching magical power.
He opened the cage, ignoring the gratitude of the surrounding slaves, and went straight to the deepest part.
There were a few walking corpses who had been so devastated they had lost the will to live. There was no light left in their eyes; their hollow gazes looked as if they were already dead. But Nigun looked at them and let out a wild laugh. The slaves outside looked on in confusion at their savior's crazed behavior, and some even moved away in fear from the demonic priest.
"Rise, disciples of Dusk. You have welcomed the Gospel of the end. Be grateful, for from now on you are like me—believers of the Goddess of Dusk, existences who will judge the end of this world."
Nigun muttered a chaotic prayer and then secretly used brainwashing techniques to pour all his loyalty toward his Master into the hearts of these slaves. Since these slaves' hearts were already dead, the brainwashing was incredibly smooth; moreover, the so-called 'Gospel' was not a lie.
That was their master's Blessing, a power opposite to the world's Blessing, and their master indeed possessed the authority of Dusk in this world.
Light rekindled in the eyes of the slaves, and their spirits instantly returned to their peak.
No, it could even be said that they were much stronger than before; now they all possessed the Blessing of the Gospel. It was a Blessing from the Goddess of Dusk, and although what they received was merely a flicker of flame, that power already surpassed many.
low-level Adventurers.
"Greetings, Archbishop of Dusk!"
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