Chapter Fifty: The Sacred Hall Order

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Sanctum Order.

Upon hearing this name, Jen frowned immediately. There was no need for Enoya to elaborate further; Jen already knew what sort of organization he would be facing.

Just as the inhabitants of the shadowed lands are called the Children of Darkness, so too are the humans living atop the earth known as the Children of Light. The so-called Sanctum Order is, in fact, an alliance formed by the surface races. Unlike ordinary unified organizations, the Sanctum Order is a coalition made up of nine churches, each worshipping a different deity of the same alignment. Legend has it that when the world first began and monsters ravaged the land (which Jen scoffed at), nine gods descended from the Celestial Kingdom, helping the suffering surface races to drive away the monsters and darkness tormenting them, spreading light and divine will across the land.

Driven by faith in these nine gods, the Children of Light who survived the great war built temples for each deity: the Water Goddess Levini, the Harvest God Mona, the God of War Marka, the Great Mother Chati, the Verdant Goddess Aidas, the Silver Saintess Sairen, the God of Truth Tom, the Forest Goddess Melike, and the Sun God Amonra.

Yet peace is always fleeting. Not long after (though for demons, "not long" is counted in centuries), the nations formed around the nine temples began waging war against each other over disputes of interest. And, by a curious coincidence, while the surface nations were embroiled in endless conflict, it happened to be the time for another Demon King inheritance ceremony in the Demon Realm. Many races from the shadowed lands had only recently been driven underground and yearned to reclaim their lands and nations on the surface. Fueled by this desire, the denizens of the shadowed realm forged a pact with the Demon King's heirs, forming an army to launch a fierce assault upon the surface.

At first, the battle went smoothly. The nations, distracted by civil war, never expected that those they had driven into the depths would one day return like Terminators with an "I WILL BE BACK." They were caught off guard, and their previous infighting had drained their strength, leading to repeated defeats by the combined forces of the shadowed realm and the demon army. The surface seemed poised to become scorched earth, a domain of darkness.

In this dire hour, the nine nations cast aside their differences, forming a united organization led by the nine temples. With support from saints and angelic legions descending from the Celestial Kingdom, they finally succeeded in repelling the demon alliance. It was another triumph of light over darkness, justice over evil. Ironically, this union—the Sanctum Church—was wholly instigated by the demons.

The aftermath was predictable. To eradicate future threats, the surface coalition launched a full-scale assault on the shadowed realm, igniting the Second Great War of Heaven and Earth. It ended only after the true body of Marka, the God of War, fell and three major demon army commanders perished, concluding a conflict that lasted one hundred and thirty-five years. The battered surface coalition withdrew from the underworld, leaving countless corpses and ruins behind. The races of the shadowed realm continued to lurk at the edge of the abyss, licking their wounds and passing down their hatred from generation to generation, waiting for the day they would reclaim the surface.

For Jen, who had spent most of his rebirth in the demon library, he knew the history of the demon races better than some Demon Kings themselves. Naturally, he understood the origins and workings of the Sanctum Order.

"What are those people doing underground? Are they planning to strike against evil and start the Third Great War of Heaven and Earth?"

"I'm not sure about that, master."

Enoya shook her head at Jen's jest.

"What I do know is that the members of the Sanctum Order have come here to eliminate a potential evil... It seems their Holy Lord issued a direct divine edict, claiming that some entity lurking deep within the shadowed realm poses a grave threat to the entire Klein Continent, and they must act preemptively to eradicate it... But I don't know exactly what this refers to."

"Is that so?"

Jen's expression darkened. Though Enoya's intelligence was not detailed, Jen sensed troublesome omens. The so-called entity capable of threatening the entire Klein Continent—for Jen, there was no other candidate in the Northern Wilds but himself. The gray dwarves and dark elves had no plans, nor the power, to launch another assault on the surface. Only Jen's underground city, which he must expand to survive the Demon King inheritance ceremony, would inevitably wage war on the surface.

And the Sanctum Order is an organization specifically targeting the Children of Darkness... To say they're here for Jen's trouble would not be far-fetched.

As Jen pondered this, Enoya spoke again.

"But in the old bishop's memories, I've discovered something strange."

"What is it?"

"In the information I obtained, the old bishop was a member of the Great Mother's temple. Yet oddly enough, this operation is being led by the God of War Marka's temple."

"Oh?"

Jen's curiosity was piqued.

Within the Sanctum Order, each of the nine churches has its own duties. The temple of Marka, God of War, is responsible for combat, so their leadership in this operation isn't surprising. Yet the problem is, Marka, God of War, has already fallen. The Celestial Kingdom is unlike the Demon Realm; gods rarely fight among themselves. In contrast, Demon Kings frequently battle for power and status, which is why there are always Demon King heirs. The Demon Realm is almost perpetually at war—no Demon King can guarantee eternal life. From the records, Jen knew that after losing its true god, the temple of Marka shriveled to a pitiful state. Without a true god, there is no divine grace, and without grace, no divine power—leaving the temple largely ornamental, bereft of believers and strength. Especially since the temple of war specializes in fighting evil and monsters; warriors unable to wield holy light or divine smite could hardly face dark creatures without courting death.

Could someone have inherited the God of War's seat? Or has another god merged with this position?

Jen was baffled. The inheritance philosophies of the Celestial Kingdom and Demon Realm are entirely different. A Demon King's heir is meant to be a candidate for the throne, but since there are many heirs and not all desire the position, some strike out on their own to become new Demon Kings. Take the Spider Goddess of the dark elves, Rose; during the Second Great War, she was merely a candidate for the Dark Queen's succession, but she abandoned that path, gathered the dark elves, and ultimately became Queen Spider Rose—a new Demon King for the realm. Better to reign as a rooster than serve as a phoenix.

But the Celestial Kingdom's rules are stricter. Although Jen didn't fully understand them, the temple of Marka's languishing state for centuries after its god's fall suggests that inheritance of divine thrones is not so haphazard as in the Demon Realm. Otherwise, Marka's seat would not have remained vacant for so long.

"This is truly interesting..."

In just a few minutes, Jen's mind spun through countless possibilities. Enoya stood quietly beside him, smiling as she watched her master. In truth, the intelligence she gleaned from the old bishop's corpse was more extensive; she had chosen only the most important parts to recount, confident that her master's knowledge would unravel the entire sequence.

"It seems we need more information."

As expected, after a moment, Jen made his decision.

"Enoya, who is leading the temple of war's faction?"

"Rox Tyan, Grand Paladin of the God of War's temple."

"Excellent. Then our next target is clear."

Jen reached out, adjusting his glasses.

"What about the situation at Black Onyx Fortress?"

"They've assembled an elite force, marching toward Brandon Fortress. I expect they'll arrive there soon..."

"Looks like we should find something for Kadec to do, lest he continue brooding behind the city walls..."

Jen narrowed his eyes, crossing his hands on the chair's back.

"Perhaps a brief skirmish with the surface humans will give him a clearer view of the current situation."

"I understand."

Enoya nodded. She needed no explicit instruction; she had already discerned the dangerous undertone in her master's words. Clearly, he intended to bind Black Onyx Fortress and Brandon Fortress firmly to his chariot. Hearing Enoya's reply, Jen smiled faintly, then raised his head and reopened the map of the underground city before him.

There, the cluster of red dots shone brilliantly.

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