CHAPTER 135
While Anastasia, the Lieutenant General, clashed once again with the Apostle-transformed Ganibal, the Deadly Sin of Envy.

The distance between us and Bloody Crown was steadily shrinking.
Thanks to the efforts of the Regular Army and the Paladins, the number of cultists was also dwindling.
No matter how hard Bloody Crown tried to flee, his limits were clear.
Realizing this himself, Bloody Crown began to slow his pace.
Finally, he came to a halt in a place surrounded by pillars, panting for breath.
Was the overwhelming power I once felt from him a thing of the past?
Now that my own power had grown, the man before me no longer seemed so dangerous.
This must be what it feels like to watch a cornered rat.

Clang—
Aigis drew her sword, unleashing a torrent of divine power.
The immense energy enveloping her entire body was enough to send a chill down my spine just by watching from the side.
“Bloody Crown. It is a pity to see one who serves a higher being fall so far into depravity.”
“I wonder who is calling whom depraved. A bootlicker of the Holy Church.”
At that moment, Bloody Crown’s body began to bulge and contort beneath his clothes.
His physique was becoming massive.
Accordingly, the red crown on his head began to spew a violent light.
Intense red sparks flew.
The sparks were so fierce it was difficult to approach.
In response, Aigis also emitted a torrent of white light.
Her light clashed with Bloody Crown’s divine power, creating a balance.
“Looks like you’ve given up on running away so pathetically, huh?”
As I posed the question from within the glow, Bloody Crown let out a sickening laugh.
“How could you possibly comprehend the will of that lofty One.”
Apostle Transformation.
With only his face remaining human, his body now the form of a crimson demon, Bloody Crown offered a prayer.
“Oh, Creator. I shall bear this trial upon my back and come to your side.”
With those final words, Bloody Crown charged at us.
It was a complete battle stance, the polar opposite of the disgraceful retreat he had just been making.
The cornered rat was baring its fangs.
Aigis and Lululio moved simultaneously.
Aigis’s sword and Lululio’s spear shot out toward Bloody Crown.
Light erupted in all directions.
The clash of light was so intense that not even a night of neon signs could be this bright.
Normally, I would have joined the fight.
Just moments ago, I was preparing my own Apostle Transformation, gathering power in my arms.
I’d come this far.
I was dead set on landing at least one punch on that bastard Bloody Crown’s face.
But for some reason, I felt a strange sensation.
A sense of unease.
A gut feeling, born from human instinct, that something was flowing in the wrong direction.
From the moment I stepped in here, I had been feeling an unexplainable sense of wrongness.
If you were to ask me why, I wouldn't know.
It was just… a feeling.
A sense that even though things were going well, something was bizarrely out of place.
I slowly lifted my head and looked around.
This was a hideout for the Radiance Faith to conceal themselves.
Recently, the Radiance Faith had been setting up camp centered around the Holy Land.
They seemed to have some kind of intention.
It almost felt as if they were targeting the Holy Land itself.
That’s why, when we attacked this place, the Regular Army and the Holy Church simultaneously attacked other Radiance Faith branches.
But what about this hideout?
‘It’s far.’
This place was a considerable distance from the other Radiance Faith positions near the Holy Land.
Of course, it was possible that Bloody Crown had sent his forces to carry out the operation while he stayed far away for his own safety.
That was understandable.
So why was I feeling this unease here?
‘…A bait?’
A bait to draw a large number of our forces to a very distant location.
It wasn't close to the Holy Land, but it wasn't closer to the capital either. It was a distance that would naturally require the Holy Church's forces from the Holy Land to be expended.
My head slowly turned.
We had considered that possibility, which is why we deliberately struck all the Radiance Faith branches in the vicinity of the Holy Land.
And since they were near the Holy Land, its forces were naturally deployed there as well.
But the Holy Land was still the Holy Land.
No matter how many forces were used to strike the Radiance Faith, its key assets would remain.
The possibility that the Radiance Faith had prepared something, but we had unexpectedly struck first.
That was also entirely plausible.
But the feeling of unease persisted.
To begin with, what did the Radiance Faith learn from turning Ganibal into an Apostle?
What they learned through Ganibal was likely the Artificial Transcendent project.

And within that project, there was something recently related to the Holy Land.
Namely, that creating an Artificial Transcendent required a Grade 1 Light or Dark Attribute.
It was something I had heard directly from the Saintess Lua just a short while ago.
Bloody Crown must have learned this fact as well.
The bastard would have known that he himself would be targeted by Black Dawn.
But would Bloody Crown have been afraid of that?
No.
Bloody Crown would have thought the opposite.
If he could get his hands on the Saintess, he could make a very beneficial deal with Black Dawn.
So, the Radiance Faith positioned themselves near the Holy Land.
It was to draw the Saintess out.
If you think of it that way, the timing of everything fits perfectly.
In that case, we can conclude that Bloody Crown's plan was to kidnap the Saintess. Or, beyond just a deal, there's the possibility of a personal scheme.
I didn't think he would make such a big move for a simple kidnapping.
Furthermore, with us having invaded like this, it was safe to say the plan had failed.
But what if the Radiance Faith had a different plan from the start?
Right now, at this very moment.
A time when not only the Holy Church but even the Regular Army had their attention turned outward.
All eyes were directed outside.
Now that I had reached that conclusion.
My gaze slowly fell upon Bloody Crown.
He was fighting back, but he couldn't overcome the combined assault of Aigis and Lululio.
He was strong, but not strong enough to be evaluated as a top-tier powerhouse.
This was the part that felt most off to me.
Back then, the overwhelming presence I felt from Bloody Crown, like I was facing the Sword Lord, was only at that level?
If Bloody Crown was only this strong, the Radiance Faith would have been devoured by Black Dawn or some other group long ago.
The reason they had survived until now was partly due to the dangerous figure that was Bloody Crown.
The unease soon turned into conviction.
A single drop of cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
“Bloody Crown.”
I spoke, clenching both fists.
“Where is the real Bloody Crown?”
My voice echoed amidst the fierce battle.
For a moment, Aigis and Lululio looked back at me, unable to comprehend my words.
Bloody Crown, on the other hand, just stared at me blankly.
His eyes were filled with a question, as if asking what nonsense I was spouting.
But it was because of that expression that I knew.
Bloody Crown.
That bastard was not the type to show such a human-like reaction.
“Lady Aigis, that thing is not Bloody Crown.”
“What do you mean…”
A look of bewilderment crossed Aigis’s face.
Well, of course.
This was purely a deduction based on the instincts and information I had accumulated through various major incidents.
There was no certainty here.
But sometimes, there are moments when that gut feeling hits the mark with stunning accuracy.
That thing is absolutely not Bloody Crown.
“The real one is at the Holy Land.”
The place Bloody Crown went.
It was the Holy Land.
The situation changed in an instant.
If Bloody Crown had truly gone to the Holy Land, there was no telling what might happen.
The Saintess Lua boasted absolute power within the Holy Land.
She was under the direct protection of the Transcendent, the Embrace of Holy Light.
However, Bloody Crown was also granted power by a Transcendent.
Just as I, with my Grade 1 Light Attribute, was able to enter the Golden Garden.
Bloody Crown could also likely enter the Golden Garden without being affected.
“We have to go to the Holy Land now!”
“Wait, Lord Harua, what in the world is going on?”
There was no time to explain.
If this was true, Lua was in danger.
“Lululio!”
“Aack, ye-yessir!”
Lululio dodged and weaved around Bloody Crown's renewed attacks as she answered.
“Take care of that fake somehow!”
“Uh, b-by myself-ssumda? Is this for real-ssumda? Are you kidding-ssumda?”
“You can do it!”
Lululio’s face crumpled into a pout.
But right now, Lululio was the only one who could stop the fake Bloody Crown.
Even if he was a fake, he was still undeniably strong.
If we left him alone, he would join the Apostle-transformed cultists and make the situation even more complicated.
We could take him down quickly if Aigis and I ganged up on him, but the situation was urgent.
Lululio had to handle this alone.
If Bloody Crown really went to the Holy Land, I had no one to rely on but Aigis.
“Hnghhh, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m gonna get paid back double for this later-ssumda.”
“I’ll make sure you’re compensated, even if I have to talk to Sir Rapha Hastel himself.”
“I’m feelin’ a bit more motivated now-ssumda!”

Gripping her spear, Lululio clashed fiercely with the fake Bloody Crown.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The fake Bloody Crown, seeming to grasp the flow of the situation, tried to block us.
But Lululio stuck to him tenaciously, holding him back.
She was a reliable one, just as expected of Rapha Hastel’s disciple.
You’d better win.
With that thought, I stood next to Aigis, who had joined me, and tore the parchment I held in my arms.
Shimmer.
In that instant, the light before us wavered, and a single fairy appeared.
The master of space magic, Ririran.
Answering my call, she saw the situation and let out a dry laugh.
“Well, this is quite a mess.”
Ririran had been on standby after engraving space magic onto Bulldog’s organs and teleporting us here.
As such, she responded immediately.
“Lady Ririran, the situation is urgent. We must go to the Holy Land at once.”
“Hmm? The Holy Land, all of a sudden?”
Though puzzled by the unexpected request, she immediately prepared the space magic.

“The power of the Embrace of Holy Light interferes too strongly at the center of the Holy Land. I cannot send you there directly.”
“Anywhere nearby is fine.”
“Alright, let’s move.”
My vision flashed for a moment.
In the distance, the fake Bloody Crown was shouting something, but he couldn't stop space magic.
My vision shifted, and after a brief moment of dizziness, I landed on the ground.
Beside me, Aigis landed as well.
The moment I landed, I sensed something and snapped my head up. Cold sweat slowly beaded on my forehead, and my mouth fell open.
The Grand Cathedral of the Holy Land.
Above it…
A crimson light was falling as the sky tore open.
“Lord Harua?”

Aigis looked at me quizzically.
Her face asked what I was so shocked about.
The moment I saw her reaction, I realized.
I was the only one here who could see it.
And that told me this was Bloody Crown’s doing.