Dressed in an ordinary set of white clerical robes, with slightly clouded eyes, Saer de would have been hard to distinguish from any common old man sunning himself on the streets of Lentas — were it not for his serene and unfathomable bearing.
He cast a glance across the empty cathedral plaza and chuckled: "I was worried the Storm Lord and the rest of you might not dare show up."
Fernando strode forward with the momentum of a tempest and sneered: "Why wouldn't we dare? Would the Church simply stand by and watch us continue to grow stronger? I'd wager that within ten years, sixty years at most — once the Pope's Divine Descent recovers next year — he'll launch a full-scale war against us. So we might as well seize the initiative."
Over the past century, the Arcane Council's rapid development had repeatedly produced results that overturned the Holy Scripture and the Ecclesiastical Canon. It had become the Church's primary target for containment and suppression, and the days of quietly growing while enjoying the stable standoff between the Northern and Southern Churches were long gone.
When any power grew to a certain stage, war with the established authority became inevitable if it wished to secure space for further development.
Thus, for the past decade, the Arcane Council had been deliberately provoking the Church — hoping to trigger a controlled, localized conflict while the Church was unprepared.
With the Pope pinned down by the Northern Church and the Dark Council, and with no adequate troop mobilization or diplomatic preparations in place, the High Council of the Arcane Council believed it could keep the losses of Legendary Magi within acceptable limits. That, in turn, would lay the groundwork for persuading the seven Epic Knights to defect. But the Pope had remained remarkably rational throughout, suppressing the radical voices within the Church and preparing step by step.
Facing this situation, the Arcane Council bore enormous pressure. Had it not been for the lingering fallout of the Crimson Moon incident, the Council might already have found itself besieged by the Church. It was only through
As for Saer de's claim that the Pope estimated it would take the Council sixty years to reach a point where it could no longer be contained, and that full-scale war would therefore come only in ten or twenty years — Fernando and the other High Council members didn't believe a word of it. The Pope and the Cardinals were not blind; they could not have failed to see the explosive growth in arcane theory over the past few years, nor could they have refrained from updating their assessments. Moreover, and most critically, the Pope had already issued the order for full-scale war in response to the New Alchemy — only to have it deferred by the far more important search for the quasi-divine entity.
Therefore, Douglas and the other great Archanists had every reason to believe that once the New Extradimensional Space situation had stabilized and the Divine Descent recovered, the Pope would turn his full attention to eliminating the Arcane Council. Perhaps by this time next year, they would be facing a full-scale war for which the Church was thoroughly prepared. If so, it was far better to seize the initiative, shape the broader trend of events, and avoid the terrible scenario of sacrificing a peak Legendary mage as cannon fodder to draw out the Divine Descent — no peak Legendary would be willing to walk to their death, and that would split the Council from within.
Saer de's cooperation offered precisely the opportunity they needed, aligning perfectly with the Council's plan to launch its offensive this year or early next.
That was why the Council's most detailed contingency plan for this operation was prepared for the scenario in which the Pope arrived with fifteen or sixteen Cardinals in a sudden descent.
Saer de smiled faintly: "The Arcane Council is indeed brimming with vigor. After nearly a thousand years, the Church has slowly decayed. Only blood and fire can restore its vitality. Go on in. The Divine Arts barrier has already been deactivated. I've taken the opportunity to send even the moderate clergy over to
He had insisted that everything in the Radiant Cathedral except the teleportation array be preserved intact, for his own future use.
This combination of pettiness and ambition seemed to signal his sincerity in cooperating.
Without the Divine Arts barrier, Fernando's spiritual domain enveloped the Radiant Cathedral without obstruction. Still, he didn't let his guard down. He instructed
The Archmages and senior magi quickly brought the Radiant Cathedral under their control. The clergy who watched their actions found their emotions growing increasingly complex.
Though they leaned toward the Arcane Council and, under Saer de's persuasion, had begun to contemplate a transformation similar to the Northern Church — no longer wishing to live under the crushing pressure of the Arcane Council — seeing the Radiant Cathedral, that symbol of the Church of the
Was an era truly ending?
Since the oversized teleportation array was too sturdy to destroy directly, Fernando dragged his crimson mage's robe behind him and strode toward the Radiant Cathedral.
At that moment, Saer de smiled and said: "I'll withdraw from Lentas first to put your minds at ease. Once you've established complete control over this territory, I'll return to be crowned Archbishop of Radiance."
Fernando, his eyes brimming with the aura of the storm, gave him a glance but said nothing, simply walking past him. Artuman, the "Absolute Defense," followed close behind.
Saer de chuckled twice and walked out of the cathedral plaza at a pace that looked casual but was remarkably swift.
"Arlingdale" had at some point already taken to the skies above Lentas. Every section of rail had been retracted, transforming the city into a floating fortress.
Douglas presided from the thirty-fifth floor of the Central Mana Tower and issued his command: "Atlante, keep your eyes on Saer de."
The "Eye of Curse" nodded, and his perpetually closed eyes opened to reveal a kaleidoscopic, intoxicating world within.
The eastern part of the city belonged to the Nobility District. Both Nexor Palace and the Radiant Cathedral stood here, giving the area its elegant scenery and sparse population.
Before Saer de emerged, a knight had already been whipping his dragon-scale horse into a gallop along the broad, deserted boulevard. Under the fierce midday sun, he encountered almost no one before arriving at
"Her Majesty requests an emergency noble assembly." James said, puzzled. The deadline was extremely tight — it would allow only the nobles in Lentas to attend. Those from outlying regions simply couldn't make it in time.
After verifying the authenticity of the coat of arms, Duke James set off for Nexor Palace with a belly full of questions.
Meanwhile, in a remote corner of Nexor Palace's northwestern grounds, Lucian leaned against the trunk of a great tree resembling a sycamore, waiting for orders and hoping fervently that nothing would happen at all.
"Don't be nervous, Lucian." Morris flew over from the direction of the Royal Mana Tower with the Holm Royal Family's magi contingent, calling down to Lucian on the ground, before flying off to station himself at another side of Nexor Palace.
"Lord Morris, I'm not nervous," Lucian watched them recede into the distance, answering with cold, dry humor in his heart. He looked at the spacious noble villas lining both sides of the road and couldn't help thinking of Joel and his family. Under Natasha's "arrangement," they had been sent to guard an estate in the outskirts, safe from any possible spillover of hostilities.