Chapter 1 The Nighttime Meeting

Beside the stream flowing through the capital, within the Sankt Kritias Monastery's estate, on a night when even the moonlight occasionally hid its face.

Bright light shone from behind the curtains on the second floor of the estate.

Lanchi and Talia had been studying the mysterious pink divine-grade super long-range communication program #7 in this study for a long time.

"I can't create this card. Its craftsmanship is so unique."

Talia puzzled over the analysis of the communication magic card.

She felt it might even be using principles from super-ancient divine artifacts, its encryption level completely unlike the technology of this era.

The one Lanchi had in his hand clearly had some functions that couldn't be used.

He checked the communication directory.

Besides Landri, there were eight other contacts.

"So, Landri's secret organization has a total of nine members?"

Lanchi muttered to himself, equally puzzled.

The original holder, Landri, as the later #7, seemed to have joined relatively late, so there wasn't much information on the communication magic card.

And except for #1 and #2, they couldn't have private chats, only group chats.

Currently, it seemed that:

#1 should be the leader of the organization, and #2 the coordinator in charge.

Before long, a new message popped up, attracting Lanchi and Talia's attention.

It was from the communicator named "Truth."

Truth #2: That's good, now everyone except #4 is in Brillda. In principle, we can't interfere with or investigate each other, which is also for our own safety.

Truth #2: But let's try to help each other as much as possible.

The other party added a sentence.

"So everyone is in the same city?"

Lanchi said in surprise.

"For people like you who want to cause trouble inside the Kritias Empire, isn't the best place the capital, Brillda?"

Talia felt that Lanchi didn't need to pretend to be innocent in front of her.

Although Lanchi was impersonating Landri.

The motives of these secret society members in the capital, Brillda, wouldn't be anything good.

"What are you talking about? I'm the one who wants the empire to be good the most."

Lanchi said righteously.

"...Sure, whatever you say."

Talia felt there was no need to waste words with Lanchi. He was already like this, what was there to argue about?

"Speaking of which, this 'Truth' #2 divine communication card holder actually simply assumed that I had just arrived in Brillda, instead of having been here for half a day."

Lanchi thought.

And according to #2, in principle, these members couldn't interfere with or investigate each other.

That meant the other party probably didn't know the real identity of the #7 divine communication card holder.

"So, probably only the founder #1 who issued these cards knows everyone's true identity?"

Talia understood Lanchi's meaning.

"I think so. Maybe only #1 has met Landri. As long as I don't meet #1 offline, there shouldn't be any risk of exposure."

Lanchi nodded.

Judging from the organization's style, the most mysterious #1 probably wouldn't reveal their identity when handing the cards to other selected members.

"But let's reply to #2's message first."

Lanchi said to Talia while typing information on the pink divine communication program.

Justice #7: Okay.

He sent it out.

Even if there was an opportunity to obtain some information through talking to "Truth," he was just an imposter, and the more he said, the more flaws there would be.

The correct plan was to observe the group messages on this special communication magic program for a period of time, understand the rules and characteristics of this organization, and then perfectly join their conversations, so at least he wouldn't be easily exposed.

This time, after waiting for a long time, #2 didn't reply, and Lanchi and Talia relaxed a bit.

It seemed to be the end of it for now.

"No one else is talking in the group chat for the time being."

Lanchi observed and said.

It seemed everyone was doing their own thing, or rather, everyone was very busy. The relationship of this secret society organization wasn't that strong.

"Are you going to stay in this organization?"

Talia felt that Lanchi's business in the empire was starting to increase again.

But the problem now was that Lanchi didn't know the organization's size, nature, or goals, and didn't even know the organization's name.

"Of course, otherwise Landri's identity might be exposed. The people who are most familiar with him in the capital are probably in this organization. If I want to make good use of his convenient identity, I can only fulfill his obligations by the way."

Lanchi sighed, spread his hands, and said,

"It's not a big deal. Having more friends means more paths. Maybe I can get some information or help in the future. The organization seems pretty safe, so let's take it one step at a time."

"That's good, I'll go see how dinner is coming along."

Talia said, standing up and pushing back the chair.

Since things had come to this, they would just live in the empire like this. The only thing to consider at the moment was filling their stomachs first.

…

At the same time.

In Brillda, the capital of the Kritias Empire, nestled at the foot of the towering Osterro Mountain, on the side of the lush pine forest.

In the center of the undulating city, stood a temple-like beige building.

The outer walls of the temple were made of divine-era stone bricks, reaching a height of a hundred meters, impossible to destroy even through generations of annihilation, emitting a faint glow in the moonlight.

Hundreds of automatic target-locking sky-splitting cannons were mounted outside the surrounding defensive barriers, their muzzles grimly aimed at the distance, as if ready to turn illegal intruders into ashes at any moment.

Beneath the Kritias Thunderous Shock Tower, fully armed special patrol officers wore black military overcoats, held empire-made *cui huo* (tempered fire) guns, and coldly watched the distance.

This was the Imperial Military Staff Headquarters and the Imperial Military Headquarters.

As the supreme command organization of the Imperial Army, it was responsible for formulating grand strategic policies and allocating and coordinating the operations of various military services.

The Chief of the General Staff was Hecintos, the Imperial Marshal bestowed with the Diamond Throne, who was directly responsible to Emperor Saint Baldo Hoffman Myoko the Great.

He managed the affairs of the Imperial Army, while also forming Imperial Army units and formulating operational plans.

It had several group armies under its jurisdiction, including the General Headquarters of the Imperial Army, the Headquarters of the Imperial Air Force, the Headquarters of the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Weapons and Equipment Department, the General Directorate of National Mobilization, and the Wartime Propaganda Department.

As for the Capital Garrison Command and the Imperial Special Operations Department, which were independent of this, although they were not directly under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Military Headquarters, but directly under the Kritias Emperor, their authority was not higher than that of the Imperial Army, and they still needed to obey the command of the General Headquarters when necessary, and could not break into the General Headquarters without permission.

At this moment.

In the deepest core of this building, a huge space known as the "Hall of Divine Descendants."

The hall was carved downward like a circular theater, surrounded by twelve arches.

The mosaic mural composed of thousands of luminous immortal crystals on the temple dome reflected the ink-colored marble floor below.

This was the exclusive meeting place of the Empire's Twelve War Gods.

It was also the most impossible forbidden area to break into in the Kritias Empire.

In non-wartime situations, even a ninth-tier expert was completely unable to break through the defense of half of the War Gods.

Now that most of the War Gods were out fighting, the Hall of Divine Descendants had become much quieter.

Often only Hecintos, the First War God guarding the capital, would meet with Violet, the Sixth War God, here.

But tonight, in the center of the empty Hall of the Gods, on a long chair beside the round table, sat Gyat, the Third War God of Twisted Agate.

He wore a black obsidian robe embroidered with dark patterns, like a mist armor worn on his body, seamlessly fitted.

And the mechanical staff composed of countless silver gears was placed aside by him.

He sat quietly, as if waiting for someone.

Until a long time passed.

From the shadows of a door at the far end of the temple, a faint sound of footsteps rang out.

Gyat slowly raised his eyes and looked over there.

He saw a doctor walking out of the darkness at a leisurely pace.

He wore a simple white coat, and beneath his silver-white short hair was a handsome face with smiling eyes.

"You're here, Lucaed."

Gyat said.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting, after all, my journey has basically never stopped."

The man dressed as a doctor came over and replied.

Except for Hecintos of the Diamond Throne, the First War God, who would always guard the heartland of the Empire, and Violet of the Aquamarine Throne, the Sixth War God, the remaining War Gods would return when they needed to rest and resupply, and would be configured and adjusted according to the strategy on the front lines.

Originally, most of the time, three War Gods acted in one area of the Kingdom Union Council Alliance.

But now there was to be an adjustment.

That was, Gyat of the Twisted Agate Throne, the Third War God, and Lucaed of the Mica Throne, the Fifth War God.

Gyat, who had stronger offensive and suppressive abilities, would be transferred to the Western Hub District, and Lucaed, who had stronger auxiliary and interference abilities, would be transferred to the Eastern District.

As a pharmacist skilled in poison and alchemy, Lucaed of the Mica Throne, the Fifth War God, had the ability to quickly help other eighth-tier experts heal, adjust their state, and strengthen themselves.

Since the start of the war, Lucaed, the Fifth War God, had been the most frequently dispatched War God, wandering around everywhere.

It could be said that, contrary to Hecintos, the First War God who wouldn't move, and Violet, the Sixth War God, Lucaed, the Fifth War God, could appear anywhere.

"Let me take a look at you by the way."

Lucaed walked over and sat next to Gyat, carrying a dark gold medical kit in his left hand.

This exchange would also allow Gyat, who was returning to the capital, Brillda, to adjust his condition to its best, and then Lucaed would go to the Eastern District to provide medical care for the other two War Gods.

"I hope it won't delay your time."

Gyat, the Third War God, nodded slightly and said in a calm tone.

"Gyat, a doctor should be calm and unhurried. You and I are both people who race against time, so why bother about a mere hour?"

Lucaed of the Mica Throne, the Fifth War God, curved his eyes into a smile, his voice clear and pleasant.

After speaking, he lightly opened the medical kit and took out a crystal clear bottle, which contained a pool of emerald green liquid.

He gently grasped Gyat's wrist, pulled back his sleeve, and placed his fingertip on Gyat's pulse, closing his eyes and concentrating, feeling the rhythm of the magic circuit.

"You seem to be indeed overworked recently. You'll have to give me an hour here."

After a moment, Lucaed opened his eyes, and he said unhurriedly.

"Thank you."

Gyat replied succinctly.

Lucaed picked up the medicine bottle and syringe, injected it into Gyat's veins, and began to use alchemy magic to modulate the medicinal power of the poison.

The potion he used would be a potent poison if injected directly. Only under his use, constantly decomposing and recombining it in real time, could it exert a rapid restorative medicinal power.

This process was relatively long.

"What is Hecintos busy with?"

Being treated, Gyat was also idle, so he asked the pharmacist Lucaed.

The movement trajectory of Lucaed of the Mica Throne, the Fifth War God, was dispatched by Hecintos, the First War God. Before coming here, Lucaed must have gone to see Hecintos.

"I don't know, he doesn't have time to clean up after you lately."

The pharmacist Lucaed shook his head and said.

Gyat was silent for a moment, and his gaze looked towards the transparent glass surface of the round table directly below, the restricted area beneath the Hall of Divine Descendants.

He knew that Lucaed was referring to the thing he had brought back.

It was also the black chimera cube that was now bound by the chains of the restricted area, surrounded by anti-magic steel pillars, standing alone on the stone platform.

Covered with incantations, the chains radiating red breathing light intertwined like scorpions, tightly locking the hexahedron.

"If we continued to fight, I wasn't sure if he would become stronger, so I banished him to the Phantasmal Realm."

Gyat of the Twisted Agate Throne, the Third War God, spoke after a moment, in a deep voice.

The battle that day on the eastern border of the Yaroran Kingdom was neither difficult nor smooth.

After Simonro appeared, Philip, who was constantly healed by him and exchanged injuries with Loren, the battle fell into a death cycle. Loren could only be forced to have his life and mana consumed by them, unable to cause effective damage, nor could he escape.

"Is he that strong?"

Lucaed of the Mica Throne, the Fifth War God, asked.

According to the intelligence, there was no reason for Loren, the High Priest, to force Gyat to use his trump card.

"When I first fought him, I could clearly confirm that he wasn't stronger than me, but by the end of the fight, he was almost catching up with me."

Gyat shook his head, seeming to be recalling the battle at that time.

It was the first time he had seen a guy who was born to fight like Loren, getting stronger and stronger the more he fought.

Although there was still a considerable distance from Obsidian Throne, the Second War God.

But Loren's speed of getting stronger made it difficult for Gyat to estimate. If Loren were to open a gap from Philip, the Seventh War God, or Simonro, the Eleventh War God, and successfully escape, the consequences would be disastrous.

The three of them hadn't suffered any dangerous injuries for the time being, but the more they fought, the more they felt that the uncertainty was increasing. In order to ensure the success of the mission, Gyat still gave his ultimate move to Loren, sealing him, and didn't fight Loren to the end.

In this Phantasmal Realm, there was only an endless void world, and an exit that could never reach reality.

"According to the Empire's secret agents, Loren also possesses a multi-use immunity field ability, which was last used on the night of the Pariuer demon incident in Bosom Kingdom, and he looked like he was about to die at any moment, but he never used this spell, making the commander feel vaguely uneasy."

Gyat said with a solemn expression.

In the end, they didn't figure out what Loren's best attribute was.

In the end, from the review, his choice to seal Loren at that time was the correct judgment, otherwise Philip and Simonro probably wouldn't have been able to return so unscathed.

"It's all the same whether he uses it sooner or later. Using your great sealing technique like this can be considered to have eliminated a major hidden danger, but it's a bit of a pity that it couldn't be used on the chairman of the Western Hub District."

Lucaed was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

Of course, it wasn't so easy to successfully use this forced sealing technique.

Only when the enemy was severely injured and entered a state of forced control could this sealing technique be connected.

It was originally the supreme spell used by ancient sealers to seal the immortal blood clan, recorded in the sacred Moon God Temple. It was necessary to have the blessing of the Wolf Sage as a medium to cast it without cost, otherwise the caster would suffer a fatal backlash.

Being hit by this spell was no different from being dead, and it wouldn't be undone even if the caster died.

For safety's sake, Gyat still brought the gate to the Phantasmal Realm back to the capital, Brillda.

Although, to be safer, they could also gather enough power, and after actively unlocking the Phantasmal Realm, have the War Gods besiege and kill High Priest Loren.

But if this work was to be carried out, it would probably be best to gather more War Gods to ensure that he could be killed without injury, and not give him any chance to escape.

The current situation on the front lines didn't support all of their War Gods spending time and energy dealing with a prisoner Loren who was no different from being dead.

"Are you sure Loren has been completely sealed in this barrier?"

Lucaed looked at the black sealing chimera cube and asked Gyat.

It wasn't that he suspected that Gyat or the sealing technique would go wrong, but that there were indeed some discordant notes inside the Empire, and anyone inside the Empire could become a traitor.

And the more unlikely a person was to betray the Empire, the more terrible the harm that would be caused once they betrayed the Empire.

If someone leaked the news that Loren was sealed deep in Brillda, those traitors might try their best to find a way to rescue Loren.

Such a hostile force was undoubtedly disaster-level.

If the rebels were allowed to continue to develop, any place could become an anthill that could cause a levee breach. Even the emerging church groups had gradually attracted the attention of His Majesty Saint Baldo Hoffman, who personally ordered the Imperial Military Staff and the Imperial Special Operations Department to investigate.

"Hmph, Loren is definitely inside, that's right."

Gyat snorted coldly and interrupted him, saying proudly,

"Unless I actively unlock it, or there is a stronger sealer than me to undo the spell, this seal will never be opened."