Accepting the scroll of 'Night Travel', Lucien tried to keep his smile, only to find that it was impossible to do so. "Master, the situation can't be so bad. Even if Sardes betrays us and the pope appears and unleashes God's Arrival, the best they can do is to kill one top legend directly. They have to be wary of the North Church and the Dark Congress. It will be great if they can spare a dozen legends. The Excellencies of the Congress can't be fewer than them."
"If the situation takes a turn for the worse, you will have to count the five saint cardinals including Sardes, the seven legendary Knights in the Kingdom of Holm, the Kingdom of Colette, the Kingdom of Brianne, the Duchy of Calais, and the northern coastline. That's almost thirty legends. Together with the pope who is a demigod, it's hard to tell how many legendary sorcerers can escape from the head-on confrontation." Fernando would rather prepare for the worst case from the very beginning.
Then, he looked at Lucien with a smile in his crimson eyes. "Don't underestimate the pope. He is one of the demigods even without God's Arrival. Except for the experts who have been at the top of legendary for many years such as Douglas, Dracula, and Brook, who can fight him head-on for a while, the other legendary experts might not be able to take one attack from him."
Fernando, who was either frivolous or serious, sighed. "Also, the power of God's Arrival is too horrifying. Once it locks onto the experts at the peak of legendary, they will be killed instantly, no matter if you are alone or in a group. Douglas has to at least become a demigod in order to make 'Eternal Blaze' similar. That's why the Congress took the risk to cooperate with Sardes before the pope's God's Arrival is recovered.
"Otherwise, who will exhaust God's Arrival in ten years? I think that neither Hathaway, Douglas, nor Brook are virtuous enough to sacrifice themselves for everybody else. If we join hands, we will die together. In addition, the most important thing is that for the seven Epic Knight, the presence of a Pope with or without God's Arrival will strongly influence their final decision. "
"Once they completely join us, it will be the pope's turn to weigh the pros and cons. After all, the South Church will only be able to send out an equal force to us. They will no longer have an overwhelming advantage. They will have to consider the outcome of using God's Arrival and losing half of their saint cardinal and divine Knight. That will be a great advantage for the Dark Congress and the North Church."
Lucien nodded. He understood the Congress' strategy, which was to create an advantageous situation with this plan and make the seven epic Knight change sides. By then, even if the pope recovered God's Arrival, he would have to face a total war. It was very likely that both sides would suffer great losses, and others would benefit from it.
"On Natasha's side, we've already made some plans. Together with Sardes' stimulation, we should be able to make the nobles join us, and the general inclination of the nobles will definitely influence the decision of the Epic Knight. Master, why don't we …" Lucien proposed a suggestion that he had prepared long ago.
Fernando nodded solemnly. "Whatever the effect is, it will be enough as long as we can increase the leverage. Five of the seven Epic Knight have been roped in by us in secret. Until the situation is favorable, even if they choose to wait and see, they probably won't refuse to listen. I'll talk to them. "
The two of them deduced what Sardes would do under different purposes and the corresponding countermeasures.
"If that's really Sardes' purpose, I'll inform you as soon as possible. Hehe. Let's hope that your response can work out well. Also, since you're near the Nekso Palace, you should try to help Natasha control the Nekso Palace's divine power defense circle on the entire city. It's a critical step to prevent any changes. Morris and the other sorcerers of the royal family of Holm will cooperate with you." The Lord of Storm instructed. He arranged for Lucien to go there not only to make it easier for him to escape, but also because of his special relationship with Natasha. He could cooperate with Natasha without any worries.
Although the overall divine power defense circle of Renstadt was not as good as that of the Radiance Church and the Nekso Palace, it was still better than that of Aalto. After it was activated, the controller would have a lot of advantages. The control of the divine power defense circle was divided into two relatively independent parts, one in the Radiance Church and the other in the Nekso Palace. The Congress would take over the former after Sardes left the church, and the latter depended on Natasha.
Lucien did not say anything but nodded solemnly. Then, he asked curiously, "Master, why don't we cooperate with other forces?"
"Such a plan must be kept confidential. If we cooperate with the North Church or the Dark Congress, it's very likely that the information will be leaked in advance, and the Church will notice it. Also, they won't have many choices. They can either wait for us to suffer heavy losses, or they can take the opportunity to attack the inside of the Church. They won't join the battlefield recklessly. What we need to do is to seize the time and force the Church not to wage a total war with us," Fernando explained. "As for the other allies, those who are willing to come will definitely come after they discover the changes, and those who are unwilling won't come even if they seek cooperation in advance."
Even within the Congress of Magic, only the members of the Highest Council, Lucien, and a few sorcerers with high permissions were aware of the details. Those who knew about it were limited to the few members of the Affair Committee. Most of the arcanists and magic apprentices did not know that great changes were about to happen at all. On the other hand, Natasha did not tell anybody except herself. She merely guided the nobles to increase their estrangement from the Church and to find a new balance.
… …
At noon on the fourteenth day of the Month of Fire.
On the thirty-fifth floor of the Allyn magic tower, voices were echoing nonstop:
"It's confirmed that Benedict II is preaching in the Holy City today and has not left."
"It's confirmed that Saint Melmax, Anasta, and Maria are near the Pope and have not left."
"It's confirmed that Saint Odin, the leader of the ascetics, is in the new alternate dimension and has not left."
"It's confirmed that Varantine, the leader of the ascetics, has entered the confession room in the Holy City and has not left."
"It's confirmed that Vaharall, the Inquisitor, is in the headquarter of the Inquisition and has not left."
"It's confirmed that Beliel, the Glory of God, is in the North Fortress and has not left."
… …
Confirmed messages came one after another, allowing the Highest Council and the sorcerers who participated in the operation, including Lucien, to grasp the situation.
"It's impossible to confirm the whereabouts of Saint Anthony, the leader of the Inquisition, the night watcher Brent, and the Original Fire, the number one night watcher."
"It's impossible to confirm …"
Such intelligence was not only about the South Church but also about the experts of the North Church and the Dark Mountain Range. The spies that the Congress of Magic had planted for years all came in handy at this moment.
After reviewing the intelligence and confirming the situation, Douglas rose from his seat and walked to the front of the conference room of the Highest Council, announcing solemnly, "The operation has begun.
"The operation has begun. Everyone, please be careful."
"Arcana above!" Lucien and the rest of them bowed with their right hand on their forehead.
… …
In Cocus, the capital of the Duchy of Calais …
Erica, 'Master of Transformation', walked out of the black magic tower that looked like an astrology platform. She carried a strong sense of history. She was one of the few sorcerers with ancient heritages in the Highest Council. Sometimes, she also considered herself a historian.
She calculated the time and walked to the Grand Church of Cocus with several archmages and senior-rank sorcerers. At this moment, two dragon-scale horses galloped past her. She purposely raised her voice, "His Excellency Yourcenar requests an emergency meeting of nobles."
Yourcenar was' Song of Dusk ', a legendary Knight of the Duchy of Calais.
Erica knew that it was part of the plan. Yourcenar would not do anything more until the situation changed completely.
Several minutes later, Erica and the rest of them, who seemed to be moving slowly, reached the Grand Church of Cocus on the other side of the city. A middle-aged cleric in a white bonnet was looking at her peacefully.
"Terrence, are you ready for the handover?" Erica asked Terrence, the Grand Cardinal of the Duchy of Calais.
Terrence replied with a smile, "The red robes have been sent out to inspect the counties. There are only some bishops and pastors inside. Also, the divine power circles have been turned off."
Erica did not barge in recklessly. Instead, she hinted at an archmage of the school of summoning nearby, asking him to summon two senior-rank devils to control the cores of the divine power circles and the transmission circles respectively.
After everything was settled, the archmages and sorcerers entered one after another and controlled different areas. Erica confronted Terrence in the square, waiting for Renstadt's progress.
… …
In Salivar, the capital of the Kingdom of Brianne …
Brook, the middle-aged gentleman in a white wig and a black double-breasted suit, had his left hand in his pocket and a short black staff in his right hand. Together with Chelsea Holt, the petite silver-haired lady, he climbed the stairs outside of the Grand Church of Priestan and walked straight into the church without any fancy tricks.
He was confident that even if all the divine power circles were activated, he would still be able to kill Biffle in there.
When he was about to enter the church, he looked back at the palace where the king of Brianne was and said in a low voice, "I hope that Bedrenka and Basor will not make an irrational decision."
Bedrenka, the Hammer of the Void, and Basor, the Knight of Calamity, were legendary Knights of Brianne.
"They won't make a decision until the situation is more or less clear." Holt, a scholar of the Silver Moon who had been here for a long time, said with a smile.
Brook nodded and did not say anything. He walked into the church slowly and sat down in the third row before the cross. Then, he lowered his head, deep in thought, waiting for the time to come, like the most devout believer. The red robe preaching on the altar, on the other hand, had no idea that the terrifying evil that ranked eighth on the Cleansing List was right before him.
… …
Hull-Chulia in the north coastal corridor and Vicente in the Kingdom of Colette were in similar situations as Erica. They took over the cathedral and the transmission points without any trouble. The legendary Knight of the few countries and regions all requested an emergency meeting of nobles like Yourcenar did.
Outside of the Radiance Church in Renstadt …
Fernando, who had the help of 'Absolute Defense' Ataman, a legendary sorcerer, was waiting for Sardes with a dozen archmages and senior-rank sorcerers.
They did not wait long before Sardes, who looked like an ordinary old man, left the Radiance Church easily and honestly.