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Archbishop Amos Aster.
Leader of the Gaishara Branch, the colossal branch of the Church of Morte, and bearer of one of the three Sacred Relics.
["That man can't possibly be…"]
What could it possibly mean for someone like that to be standing here so openly?
No, there was no need to even think about it.
It meant that the intel claiming the Kronos Union had made contact with the Church of Morte was, in fact, true.
As evidence of that, Archbishop Amos Aster maintained a relaxed demeanor, even here in what could only be described as the very heart of enemy territory.
Something utterly unthinkable under normal circumstances had, in this place, become the new normal.
"Hmm? Have we met somewhere before?"
Truthfully, the Gaishara Branch and I shared no small amount of history.
Namely, we had encountered one another as enemies during the Bone Lord hunt not long ago.
Of course, that was back when I had faced him as a Turncoat Pawn, so there was no need to act familiar.
"Hard to say."
"Mmm… I see. But more importantly, what's with all the commotion?"
Archbishop Amos Aster turned his gaze toward Salvatore.
Salvatore froze like a rabbit caught in the eyes of a snake.
"W-Well, uh…"
"No, I'd rather hear it from you. Would you be so kind as to explain what happened here, brother?"
His eyes shifted to me.
Though he clearly had the appearance of a human, something about him didn't feel human at all.
As expected of a high priest who stood atop the fanatical Church of Morte, he radiated a different kind of presence than when we had once faced each other from afar.
"Why should I?"
"Ah, if you don't wish to, then I have no desire to force you. I just happened to be passing through and heard a disturbance."
Amos Aster added with a smile.
"I wondered if perhaps you had come here with the same purpose as I."
"The same purpose?"
"Yes. I was scheduled to meet Brother Lania Marcus here. From what I overheard, you too seemed to be looking for Brother Lania Marcus… were you not?"
It wasn't a coincidence.
Amos Aster had known all along about the commotion that would occur here.
And more than that, he seemed to already know who I was.
"This too is a kind of fate. Why don't we go together, brother? I was headed that way myself."
With a warm smile, Amos Aster extended his hand to me.
I felt like vomiting.
I knew a fair bit about Amos Aster.
Not just that he led the Gaishara Branch—but also the anecdotes that surrounded him.
A mass murderer who had slaughtered countless innocents.
One of the many stories involved him gleefully tossing a child's parents to monsters as the child sobbed in front of him.
And yet, his proposal didn't seem entirely unreasonable to me.
'I don't particularly like playing along with a Church of Morte bastard's games…'
But it wasn't the first time I had faced the Church with a smile, so I nodded.
After all, putting a hole through his brow was something I could do at any time. Letting that wretched life continue a little longer wasn't too difficult.
"Sure."
"You've made a wise choice. Then let's head out. It seems the meeting is about to begin."
"Meeting?"
"You'll find out soon."
Accepting Archbishop Amos Aster's offer wasn't exactly pleasant, but since we had already run into each other, taking his head later wouldn't be difficult. I decided to postpone that moment—for now.
Under that tacit agreement, Amos Aster took the lead, and just as I was about to follow, Salvatore stepped in front of me.
"Do you still have business here, brother?"
"Uh… it's not proper to bring Carl Marcus to the meeting."
"And why is that? I don't quite understand. From what I know, this brother here is more than qualified."
"Well…"
Salvatore hesitated, glancing nervously between me and Amos Aster.
"You cannot give a reason, then? May we go now? You're wasting our precious time, brother… I'd hate to cause inconvenience to the other brothers by arriving late."
"Ah, no! There was an order from higher up not to allow Carl Marcus entry."
A long smile stretched across Amos Aster's face.
"Brother, did I give you the impression I was asking for permission?"
"…What?"
"Oh, brother, our foolish brother. I can understand that you've left the embrace of the Great Will out of a lack of faith… but surely you shouldn't be interfering with its work like this?"
"T-That's…"
"Betraying faith does not mean it disappears. One day, that abandoned faith will become a dagger twisting in your chest. Who's to say it won't be today?"
Though his voice sounded almost gentle—persuasive, even—the contents of his words were anything but.
"We'll be on our way now, brother. I hope that next time we meet, you'll have reclaimed the faith you've lost."
Salvatore could say nothing more.
No matter what orders he had received, there was no way he could keep talking back to a monster like the Archbishop of Gaishara.
["Ugh… not someone I want to be involved with. Wait—is he even human?"]
'This is the only chance.'
With Salvatore's interference out of the way, nothing could stop my steps anymore.
Though they weren't exactly cheerful.
"Let's go, brother. We're already quite late."
"…Right."
And so began my uncomfortable journey with the Archbishop of the Church of Morte.
The meeting place was one of the most inconspicuous of many rocky hills within the natural fortress of the Kronos Union.
It didn't seem important at a glance, but that made it all the more strategically valuable.
"I heard you were related to Brother Lania Marcus… is that true?"
"Do I have to answer?"
"Not at all. But if it's true, I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of each other soon."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That we'll be walking the same path before long."
"That's nonsense."
"We'll see, won't we? Haha."
Amos Aster laughed as we arrived in front of the rocky hill.
The guards recognized him and opened the door.
"Archbishop Amos Aster, I presume. The meeting is about to begin. And your companion…?"
"He's more than qualified to attend. But if you prefer, feel free to verify his identity."
"Then, excuse us—just a moment, please."
The guard scanned me with his Ark Scanner.
And soon, after confirming my identity, his face changed in surprise.
"…Ah. Identity confirmed. You may enter."
"Good thing we weren't late. Come, brother."
So natural.
If even the Kronos Union—known as the arch-enemy of the Church of Morte—was reacting like this to an archbishop, then what had happened in the time I wasn't watching?
'Guess I'll have to find out now.'
Why had Lania, once so supportive of the Ark, made that choice?
And how had the Church of Morte accepted it?
"Watch your step."
The meeting chamber lay beneath the rocky hill, accessible via a tunnel.
Though the outside looked modest, the thick reinforced concrete inside revealed this was a stronghold—capable even of withstanding nuclear attack.
"..."
Only our footsteps echoed in the silence.
How far had we walked?
Finally, a large steel door appeared—the entrance to the chamber.
"This is it. Please wait a moment."
At the door stood only a scanner—no people—implying that no one unauthorized would be allowed in.
Amos Aster stood before it, and the scanner activated.
[Initiating identity verification.]
[Authorization complete.]
Clunk…
With a heavy mechanical noise, the door slowly opened, revealing the meeting room within.
Just as Amos Aster had said, we had arrived just in time. Many were already seated inside, waiting.
Among them, I recognized several all too familiar faces—Diallo, Julius, and even Lania.
"…Brother?"
Lania stared at me, visibly shocked.
She clearly hadn't expected me to show up here.
"Carl Marcus, is it? Well… someone of your caliber has more than enough right to be here. Take a seat. You have the right to know the truth."
Diallo spoke on behalf of the others, and no one objected.
Even the Church of Morte remained silent—perhaps because I had entered alongside Amos Aster.
But there was something else gnawing at me.
"The truth?"
"You'll understand once the meeting begins."
What sort of truth could possibly bring the Kronos Union and the Church of Morte together in one place?
'More than anything… that robed figure lurking in the corner—there's no mistake. That's Cardinal Oculus.'
Cardinal Oculus.
Right hand of the Church of Morte's Pontiff and the de facto number two of the entire church.
His presence alone confirmed how deep the ties between the Church and the Union had grown.
"Since everyone's here, let's begin."
With Diallo's signal, the meeting officially began.
I still didn't know what the meeting was about—but that answer wouldn't be far off.
"Lania."
"…Yes."
Lania stood at the front as Diallo called her.
As if to confirm the rumors that she had facilitated contact between the Union and the Church herself.
"Many of you already know, but since we have someone new, let me start from the beginning."
She glanced briefly in my direction.
"This world is dying."
A painfully obvious statement on the surface.
But it was clear that Lania's meaning went far deeper than the world-ending threats I knew.
"A true end is approaching. The Great Will is losing its will, and the cycle of rebirth is grinding to a halt."
The ending I knew was the Ark falling to an endless wave of monsters.
But what Lania spoke of was something else—more fundamental.
And she was naming it.
"All because of the Ark's greed."
She pointed at an image of a fortress on the screen.
The Ark.
The last bastion of humanity. The thing I had sacrificed everything to protect.
"It's time to break that chain of greed. To restore the lost cycle of life—and set all things right."
Lania… was trying to destroy the very thing I had fought so hard to preserve.
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