MAEPG: Episode 62
Episode 62 The Cathedral Raid Incident (1)
Things progressed rapidly.
“How are the preparations going? Do we have enough forces that can move right away?”
“Don’t worry. We made some preparations in advance, so we have enough reserve forces. And we were planning to dispatch only the elites this time anyway.”
The place where the energy was detected was at the western end of the continent.
Considering the distance, there was a limit to the number of personnel they could send as quickly as possible.
They couldn’t summon the Immortal King subjugation force from the Talia Kingdom like before because if they showed any signs that the Church was on his trail, he might escape again, who knows when and where.
And since forces below a certain level wouldn’t be of much help anyway, they decided to receive support from the Talia Temple only for holy knight orders and battle priests at the high priest level or higher.
“There are four Paladins participating in the operation, and three Archbishops, including myself. The Heresy Inquisitors will also be participating.”
An operation to gather all the strong individuals who could move immediately in one place.
Three of the Paladins stationed at the Roselia Cathedral and two Archbishops would participate, and one Paladin and one Archbishop who were dispatched to the west would join them at the scene.
And the top talents selected from each holy knight order and battle priests would also be dispatched.
“And… Cardinal Pirei from Jeron Cathedral in the Empire has also expressed his intention to participate.”
Even a Cardinal, the highest authority of the few cathedrals on the continent, had declared his participation in the battle.
“Well… he was always quite belligerent. And he was a holy knight before becoming a Cardinal. I heard he was quite disappointed that he couldn’t participate in the first subjugation.”
“It seems like he has time this time. It’s a good thing since we need a small elite force.”
There were also two Cardinals at the Roselia Cathedral, but they were leaving all matters related to the Immortal King to the Saintess and focusing only on managing the cathedral and the entire Church.
“Ahem… In that case, I should also…”
“You can’t, Saintess.”
Archbishop Latiaus cut her off firmly before she could even finish speaking.
“With the Pope bedridden due to old age, you are the symbol of the Main God Church. You must stay here, especially in times like this.”
“But, there are also Cardinals…”
“The cathedral’s forces are already being significantly depleted, so please protect this place, Saintess. No matter how secretly the operation is carried out, there’s always a possibility of unforeseen circumstances.”
“Sigh… I understand.”
And the aftermath of that conversation also affected Heinrich.
“Hmm… Sir Heinrich Landguard, it would be better for you to stay and protect the cathedral with the Saintess this time.”
“Me too?”
Heinrich, who had been deeply involved in this matter so far, naturally thought he would also be participating and widened his eyes.
Archbishop Latiaus took him to a quiet place and opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“It seems like the Saintess is quite heartbroken, so I would like you to stay by her side and comfort her. And…”
The Archbishop paused for a moment and then sighed.
“This will be a very dangerous operation. With even a Cardinal participating, he won’t be able to escape easily like last time. There will probably be a fierce battle.”
They had failed to capture Hans even after setting up a barrier last time, so this time, they would be even more thoroughly prepared with a Cardinal participating.
“Many will die or be injured in the process. There’s no guarantee that I won’t be one of them.”
And Heinrich was too valuable a talent to be sacrificed on such a battlefield.
He was already skilled enough to participate in the operation, but he was only at a similar level to the holy knights selected this time.
The Archbishop judged that his true value lay in his complete growth.
A seed of a hero with a steep growth rate and the attention of the Main God and the Saintess.
They needed to prepare for any contingency.
“We also need to consider the possibility of the operation failing. The possibility of all of us being wiped out.”
They were already preparing excessive forces, but no one knew what would happen in the future.
And if that time came, the Saintess and Heinrich could become the Church’s hope.
“…I understand. I will follow your will, Archbishop.”
Heinrich could only make an awkward expression at Archbishop Latiaus’s resolute expression.
‘Well… It’s nice to see you so passionate.’
The transfer through the gate was carried out sequentially with the full participation of the priests, including the Saintess, who weren’t directly involved in the operation.
Even though only a select few elites were dispatched, there were dozens of them, so it inevitably took another day to send them all to the Talia Temple.
“There’s no need to rush, as it’s not a distance we can reach in a day or two anyway. He won’t move from the place he’s been hiding all this time in a hurry.”
Archbishop Latiaus calmly proceeded with the task, leading the dispatched personnel from the Roselia Cathedral.
Wooong—
While the last transfer personnel were waiting, the gate vibrated and started operating again.
And the Archbishop, who was among them, looked at those who had come to see them off.
He stared at the group, including the Saintess and Heinrich, and then nodded with a determined expression, turning towards the gate.
His resolute back seemed to say, ‘If something happens, I’ll leave the rest to you.’
‘…Have a nice time getting some fresh air.’
Heinrich watched with a subtle smile as he disappeared beyond the gate.
Wooong—
The blue vortex of the vibrating gate.
Thus, all personnel were transferred to the Talia Temple in the western part of the continent.
Things progressed rapidly.
“How are the preparations going? Do we have enough forces that can move right away?”
“Don’t worry. We made some preparations in advance, so we have enough reserve forces. And we were planning to dispatch only the elites this time anyway.”
The place where the energy was detected was at the western end of the continent.
Considering the distance, there was a limit to the number of personnel they could send as quickly as possible.
They couldn’t summon the Immortal King subjugation force from the Talia Kingdom like before because if they showed any signs that the Church was on his trail, he might escape again, who knows when and where.
And since forces below a certain level wouldn’t be of much help anyway, they decided to receive support from the Talia Temple only for holy knight orders and battle priests at the high priest level or higher.
“There are four Paladins participating in the operation, and three Archbishops, including myself. The Heresy Inquisitors will also be participating.”
An operation to gather all the strong individuals who could move immediately in one place.
Three of the Paladins stationed at the Roselia Cathedral and two Archbishops would participate, and one Paladin and one Archbishop who were dispatched to the west would join them at the scene.
And the top talents selected from each holy knight order and battle priests would also be dispatched.
“And… Cardinal Pirei from Jeron Cathedral in the Empire has also expressed his intention to participate.”
Even a Cardinal, the highest authority of the few cathedrals on the continent, had declared his participation in the battle.
“Well… he was always quite belligerent. And he was a holy knight before becoming a Cardinal. I heard he was quite disappointed that he couldn’t participate in the first subjugation.”
“It seems like he has time this time. It’s a good thing since we need a small elite force.”
There were also two Cardinals at the Roselia Cathedral, but they were leaving all matters related to the Immortal King to the Saintess and focusing only on managing the cathedral and the entire Church.
“Ahem… In that case, I should also…”
“You can’t, Saintess.”
Archbishop Latiaus cut her off firmly before she could even finish speaking.
“With the Pope bedridden due to old age, you are the symbol of the Main God Church. You must stay here, especially in times like this.”
“But, there are also Cardinals…”
“The cathedral’s forces are already being significantly depleted, so please protect this place, Saintess. No matter how secretly the operation is carried out, there’s always a possibility of unforeseen circumstances.”
“Sigh… I understand.”
And the aftermath of that conversation also affected Heinrich.
“Hmm… Sir Heinrich Landguard, it would be better for you to stay and protect the cathedral with the Saintess this time.”
“Me too?”
Heinrich, who had been deeply involved in this matter so far, naturally thought he would also be participating and widened his eyes.
Archbishop Latiaus took him to a quiet place and opened his mouth with a serious expression.
“It seems like the Saintess is quite heartbroken, so I would like you to stay by her side and comfort her. And…”
The Archbishop paused for a moment and then sighed.
“This will be a very dangerous operation. With even a Cardinal participating, he won’t be able to escape easily like last time. There will probably be a fierce battle.”
They had failed to capture Hans even after setting up a barrier last time, so this time, they would be even more thoroughly prepared with a Cardinal participating.
“Many will die or be injured in the process. There’s no guarantee that I won’t be one of them.”
And Heinrich was too valuable a talent to be sacrificed on such a battlefield.
He was already skilled enough to participate in the operation, but he was only at a similar level to the holy knights selected this time.
The Archbishop judged that his true value lay in his complete growth.
A seed of a hero with a steep growth rate and the attention of the Main God and the Saintess.
They needed to prepare for any contingency.
“We also need to consider the possibility of the operation failing. The possibility of all of us being wiped out.”
They were already preparing excessive forces, but no one knew what would happen in the future.
And if that time came, the Saintess and Heinrich could become the Church’s hope.
“…I understand. I will follow your will, Archbishop.”
Heinrich could only make an awkward expression at Archbishop Latiaus’s resolute expression.
‘Well… It’s nice to see you so passionate.’
The transfer through the gate was carried out sequentially with the full participation of the priests, including the Saintess, who weren’t directly involved in the operation.
Even though only a select few elites were dispatched, there were dozens of them, so it inevitably took another day to send them all to the Talia Temple.
“There’s no need to rush, as it’s not a distance we can reach in a day or two anyway. He won’t move from the place he’s been hiding all this time in a hurry.”
Archbishop Latiaus calmly proceeded with the task, leading the dispatched personnel from the Roselia Cathedral.
Wooong—
While the last transfer personnel were waiting, the gate vibrated and started operating again.
And the Archbishop, who was among them, looked at those who had come to see them off.
He stared at the group, including the Saintess and Heinrich, and then nodded with a determined expression, turning towards the gate.
His resolute back seemed to say, ‘If something happens, I’ll leave the rest to you.’
‘…Have a nice time getting some fresh air.’
Heinrich watched with a subtle smile as he disappeared beyond the gate.
Wooong—
The blue vortex of the vibrating gate.
Thus, all personnel were transferred to the Talia Temple in the western part of the continent.
_____________________
[Hmm… How long will it take for those gathered at the Talia Temple to arrive here? It won’t take long since they’re all elites.]
From the capital of the Talia Kingdom to the depths of the monster forest.
Normally, it would take over a month even if they came as quickly as possible, but it was too early to jump to conclusions because he didn’t know what blessings they might have.
Heinrich had “Blessing: Leap”, after all.
They would want to minimize the travel time as much as possible.
They would probably depart immediately using all available means as soon as they gathered at the Talia Temple.
[It’s time to get ready.]
Hans slowly left the cave.
Whoosh—
Hellfire erupted with every step he took, melting everything left in the cave.
From the waste generated during the experiment to all traces of the barriers inside.
[There’s no need to leave any other information. Heh…]
The barriers collapsed, but he was already enveloped in layers of concealment fields that hid the fragment’s presence.
‘When would be the best time to start?’
Now was the time when the Roselia Cathedral’s defenses were the weakest.
It was the place where the most forces were dispatched to capture Hans.
‘And the priests are exhausted from operating the gate recklessly.’
Judging by the level of the seal around the fragment, it wouldn’t be easy to unseal it.
It would probably take considerable time to obtain the fragment.
He needed to lure as many forces as possible away from the cathedral to prepare for that time.
The timing was perfect because the High Elf’s search had begun.
He could deliberately reveal his presence and lure them out, but that could make the Church suspicious.
So he didn’t do anything, preparing to be naturally discovered.
‘I’ve also adjusted the interdimensional transfer formation’s cooldown in advance.’
He could start at any time, but Hans waited until nightfall.
So that those dispatched to capture him wouldn’t be able to do anything even if they received the news late.
[Hehehe… It begins.]
Midnight, with the moon high in the sky.
Everything cast shadows under the moonlight illuminating the forest…
But Hans’s shadow was no longer there.
[Hmm… How long will it take for those gathered at the Talia Temple to arrive here? It won’t take long since they’re all elites.]
From the capital of the Talia Kingdom to the depths of the monster forest.
Normally, it would take over a month even if they came as quickly as possible, but it was too early to jump to conclusions because he didn’t know what blessings they might have.
Heinrich had “Blessing: Leap”, after all.
They would want to minimize the travel time as much as possible.
They would probably depart immediately using all available means as soon as they gathered at the Talia Temple.
[It’s time to get ready.]
Hans slowly left the cave.
Whoosh—
Hellfire erupted with every step he took, melting everything left in the cave.
From the waste generated during the experiment to all traces of the barriers inside.
[There’s no need to leave any other information. Heh…]
The barriers collapsed, but he was already enveloped in layers of concealment fields that hid the fragment’s presence.
‘When would be the best time to start?’
Now was the time when the Roselia Cathedral’s defenses were the weakest.
It was the place where the most forces were dispatched to capture Hans.
‘And the priests are exhausted from operating the gate recklessly.’
Judging by the level of the seal around the fragment, it wouldn’t be easy to unseal it.
It would probably take considerable time to obtain the fragment.
He needed to lure as many forces as possible away from the cathedral to prepare for that time.
The timing was perfect because the High Elf’s search had begun.
He could deliberately reveal his presence and lure them out, but that could make the Church suspicious.
So he didn’t do anything, preparing to be naturally discovered.
‘I’ve also adjusted the interdimensional transfer formation’s cooldown in advance.’
He could start at any time, but Hans waited until nightfall.
So that those dispatched to capture him wouldn’t be able to do anything even if they received the news late.
[Hehehe… It begins.]
Midnight, with the moon high in the sky.
Everything cast shadows under the moonlight illuminating the forest…
But Hans’s shadow was no longer there.
____________________
《Transfer to the Auterica Dimension complete.》
The first thing he saw was light.
An overwhelming amount of light emanating from all directions as if to blind him.
[Heh, I expected it, but it’s more intense than I thought.]
The concealment field he was wearing burned away in an instant, and the dark magic power lingering around him started to clash with the holy power.
‘This isn’t good.’
The entire space was hostile to Hans.
He couldn’t retrieve the fragment intact in this state.
He had intended to finish things peacefully and leave, but it couldn’t be helped.
Hans raised his staff.
[Hahaha! Be destroyed!]
The dark magic power emanating from him concentrated in one place…
And the black flames rising from the tip of his skull staff grew in size in an instant.
Holy power was still eating away at the dark magic, but Hans was no longer at a level where he would be shaken by such interference.
Whoosh— Boom!
The enlarged hellfire split into several strands and exploded towards the walls where golden patterns were shining.
Thud, thud—
The patterns on the walls fell off and melted, and the energy suppressing the dark magic power weakened.
‘That’s better.’
It was a sealed location created to suppress the unholy energy inside.
It couldn’t help but be less prepared for direct attacks.
‘One more time!’
Swoosh— Crackle!
The ground around Hans turned black and spread, and shadowy blades emerged from it, slashing in all directions.
The light from the damaged patterns gradually faded, and the holy power suppressing him weakened.
[Heh, I finally feel better.]
Of course, only the power directly attacking him had decreased, he wasn’t in his usual condition.
‘I don’t know how many holy barriers are layered and activated.’
All sorts of barriers installed throughout the cathedral activated simultaneously as soon as Hans intruded.
‘I need to hurry. But it’s a good thing that it’ll take time for the Church to get here because the path is complicated.’
He chuckled with satisfaction and headed towards the altar in the center.
‘But this is still intact.’
The altar and the pillars sealing it were unscathed, even though Hans’s dark magic had wreaked havoc on the surroundings.
Crackle—!
White sparks and flames erupted as his hand touched the chains binding the fragment, covering his arm.
[Hmm, right. It wouldn’t be that easy.]
Hans calmly muttered, shaking off the flames clinging to his hand with dark magic power.
[It’s a race against time now.]
He had to unseal the fragment and retrieve it before any outside interference arrived.
He reached out to the fragment again.
《Transfer to the Auterica Dimension complete.》
The first thing he saw was light.
An overwhelming amount of light emanating from all directions as if to blind him.
[Heh, I expected it, but it’s more intense than I thought.]
The concealment field he was wearing burned away in an instant, and the dark magic power lingering around him started to clash with the holy power.
‘This isn’t good.’
The entire space was hostile to Hans.
He couldn’t retrieve the fragment intact in this state.
He had intended to finish things peacefully and leave, but it couldn’t be helped.
Hans raised his staff.
[Hahaha! Be destroyed!]
The dark magic power emanating from him concentrated in one place…
And the black flames rising from the tip of his skull staff grew in size in an instant.
Holy power was still eating away at the dark magic, but Hans was no longer at a level where he would be shaken by such interference.
Whoosh— Boom!
The enlarged hellfire split into several strands and exploded towards the walls where golden patterns were shining.
Thud, thud—
The patterns on the walls fell off and melted, and the energy suppressing the dark magic power weakened.
‘That’s better.’
It was a sealed location created to suppress the unholy energy inside.
It couldn’t help but be less prepared for direct attacks.
‘One more time!’
Swoosh— Crackle!
The ground around Hans turned black and spread, and shadowy blades emerged from it, slashing in all directions.
The light from the damaged patterns gradually faded, and the holy power suppressing him weakened.
[Heh, I finally feel better.]
Of course, only the power directly attacking him had decreased, he wasn’t in his usual condition.
‘I don’t know how many holy barriers are layered and activated.’
All sorts of barriers installed throughout the cathedral activated simultaneously as soon as Hans intruded.
‘I need to hurry. But it’s a good thing that it’ll take time for the Church to get here because the path is complicated.’
He chuckled with satisfaction and headed towards the altar in the center.
‘But this is still intact.’
The altar and the pillars sealing it were unscathed, even though Hans’s dark magic had wreaked havoc on the surroundings.
Crackle—!
White sparks and flames erupted as his hand touched the chains binding the fragment, covering his arm.
[Hmm, right. It wouldn’t be that easy.]
Hans calmly muttered, shaking off the flames clinging to his hand with dark magic power.
[It’s a race against time now.]
He had to unseal the fragment and retrieve it before any outside interference arrived.
He reached out to the fragment again.
____________________
The incident happened in the middle of the night.
Whoosh—
The patterns engraved throughout the cathedral, which they had thought were decorations, all emitted light at once…
“What?!”
“What’s going on?!”
The holy knights guarding the place exclaimed in shock.
Patterns containing holy power appeared on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Holy barriers that severed space, suppressed unholy energy inside, and strengthened those with holy power.
At this moment, the Roselia Cathedral was practically an impenetrable fortress.
‘But it’s already been breached.’
The holy knight guarding the passage with him seemed flustered, but Heinrich calmly observed the surroundings and thought to himself.
He was currently on night duty, guarding the passage leading to the sealed location.
Since he was assigned to protect the cathedral, he naturally returned to his duties in the Radiance Guardian Holy Knight Order.
It was intentional that he volunteered for this passage guard duty, saying he wanted to be helpful in other ways since he couldn’t participate in the subjugation force.
And since he had been away from work, he used the excuse of making up for it and volunteered for the night duty that everyone avoided, which led him to be here now.
‘I should be able to grasp the general situation if I’m here. While Hans is unsealing the fragment…’
At that moment,
[Emergency—!]
Holy power that shook his mind erupted from inside the cathedral.
[Emergency! All forces, battle stations! Gather at your designated positions as soon as you’re ready!]
[Holy knight orders, move according to your captain’s command!]
A booming voice echoing in his head.
It was the Cardinal’s voice, which he had rarely heard.
The situation was unfolding rapidly.
Whoosh—!
At that moment, a group of about twenty people in black attire rushed towards them.
Leading them at the front was the Heresy Inquisitor General he had seen once before.
‘I’ve never seen his face directly, though.’
He was covering his face like the others, but he could tell from the badge that symbolized the General.
And that was practically a pass to this area.
As Heinrich and his fellow holy knight guarding the passage hurriedly moved aside, they disappeared inside like the wind.
“…This doesn’t seem like an ordinary situation.”
The holy knight next to him muttered in a serious voice.
He was right.
The first intrusion by an external enemy in the history of the Roselia Cathedral had just begun.
The incident happened in the middle of the night.
Whoosh—
The patterns engraved throughout the cathedral, which they had thought were decorations, all emitted light at once…
“What?!”
“What’s going on?!”
The holy knights guarding the place exclaimed in shock.
Patterns containing holy power appeared on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Holy barriers that severed space, suppressed unholy energy inside, and strengthened those with holy power.
At this moment, the Roselia Cathedral was practically an impenetrable fortress.
‘But it’s already been breached.’
The holy knight guarding the passage with him seemed flustered, but Heinrich calmly observed the surroundings and thought to himself.
He was currently on night duty, guarding the passage leading to the sealed location.
Since he was assigned to protect the cathedral, he naturally returned to his duties in the Radiance Guardian Holy Knight Order.
It was intentional that he volunteered for this passage guard duty, saying he wanted to be helpful in other ways since he couldn’t participate in the subjugation force.
And since he had been away from work, he used the excuse of making up for it and volunteered for the night duty that everyone avoided, which led him to be here now.
‘I should be able to grasp the general situation if I’m here. While Hans is unsealing the fragment…’
At that moment,
[Emergency—!]
Holy power that shook his mind erupted from inside the cathedral.
[Emergency! All forces, battle stations! Gather at your designated positions as soon as you’re ready!]
[Holy knight orders, move according to your captain’s command!]
A booming voice echoing in his head.
It was the Cardinal’s voice, which he had rarely heard.
The situation was unfolding rapidly.
Whoosh—!
At that moment, a group of about twenty people in black attire rushed towards them.
Leading them at the front was the Heresy Inquisitor General he had seen once before.
‘I’ve never seen his face directly, though.’
He was covering his face like the others, but he could tell from the badge that symbolized the General.
And that was practically a pass to this area.
As Heinrich and his fellow holy knight guarding the passage hurriedly moved aside, they disappeared inside like the wind.
“…This doesn’t seem like an ordinary situation.”
The holy knight next to him muttered in a serious voice.
He was right.
The first intrusion by an external enemy in the history of the Roselia Cathedral had just begun.
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