Dusk stared at the information scrolling across the Parchment and felt a pang of regret.
Had he known this earlier, he would have seized Victor himself. Now all he could do was hope that Fursa managed to bring him back.
With their leader gone, the Cult of the Dawn and Clinton's Knights quickly fell into disarray.
The remaining members of the Cult of the End, however, obeyed Dusk's orders and did not seize the chance to strike.
Castor and the others set everyone to work collecting the spoils scattered across the ground.
"Your Majesty, these are Isaac's weapon and the Demonbinding Chains." Derrick presented the two items to Dusk.
He examined them both. To his surprise, Isaac's longsword turned out to be a Sealing Relic—and not a low grade one at that.
Sealing Relic: Steel Slayer
Ability 1: Steelcut — Unleashes a single slash with Super Tier power.
Ability 2: Flashback — After activation, the wielder instantly returns to their position from three seconds prior.
Cost: Each time Steel Slayer is used to kill, the user's will is tainted by a measure of murderous aura, inching them closer to madness.
...
Dusk drew the gleaming longsword from its scabbard and felt the chill of killing intent surge up his arm.
In that instant, he noticed his own mood soaring into a furious agitation.
"This is a Grade 4 Sealing Relic—I've heard of it before," Quito said with a touch of envy.
Ordinary Extraordinary Beings seldom lay hands on even a Grade 5 Sealing Relic, let alone Grade 4. In this god forsaken world, most rely on relics far below their own level.
Dusk was pleased, of course; another powerful weapon at his disposal was always welcome. Yet his expression remained unreadable, as if he hardly thought it noteworthy.
As for the Demonbinding Chains, Dusk passed them to Nara instead, bolstering the Church's cache of Sealing Relics.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Nara said gratefully, bowing deeply.
Even to the top powers, a High Tier Sealing Relic is exceedingly rare. With these Chains, her standing within the Church would only grow more secure.
At that moment, a dark speck appeared on the horizon, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.
It was Fursa, returning from the pursuit of Victor.
Though his black robe was tattered, he gripped a blood soaked figure by the arm.
Drawing near, Fursa hurled the limp, bleeding man to the ground, dropped to one knee, and intoned respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have not failed you—Victor is brought back."
Victor, once neat and composed, now lay at death's door, utterly spent, with no strength even to speak. What Fursa had done to him was anyone's guess.
"Well done," Dusk nodded slightly, stepping forward to prod the fallen man with his foot.
"Is he still usable?" he asked.
The Parchment surfaced once more, bearing no words; instead, it drifted down to cover Victor's mangled face.
"Waaah—!!!" Victor, who had resigned himself to die, suddenly convulsed in violent agony.
He writhed like a maggot, his fingers digging deep into the earth, as though enduring some unimaginable torment.
This process didn't take long. In just a few breaths, Victor's body withered into a husk, the gaunt old corpse reduced to little more than dry tinder.
As the Parchment drifted up from his remains, a gust of wind scattered him into ash and dust.
"Your Majesty, this…" The others shivered as they watched.
Anyone who saw a living man turn to nothing but flying ash in an instant would feel chills run down their spine.
All the more so when the corpse belonged to a Super Level Red Robed Bishop.
Dusk paid their reactions no mind, fixing his attention instead on the Parchment floating back before him.
Once it settled, the Parchment glowed softly.
[Transaction Complete!]
[The Class Change Scroll you seek lies within the Church of the End. You won't be disappointed.]
[I look forward to another smooth collaboration!]
Raymond's message was brief, but his haste was plain between the lines.
Dusk guessed he was eager to consume Victor's soul and chose not to ponder it further.
"Church of the End, huh?" he murmured—surprised that the very scroll Raymond mentioned was held there, perhaps tied to the Lord of the End himself.
Still, it mattered little to Dusk. Any path to greater power was worth pursuing.
At that moment, Nara and the others approached with a report. "Your Majesty, we have dealt with all Cult of the Dawn and Clinton Empire forces. Please issue your orders."
Dusk considered briefly, then said, "Everyone, follow me. We're reclaiming the Church."
The Church of the End was currently occupied by Cult of the Dawn and Clinton Empire troops. He knew he couldn't retake it alone; he needed every ally at his side.
"Your Majesty… did you just say we're going back for it?" Fursa, Nara, and the rest exchanged stunned glances. The Divine Court of the End was completely surrounded—no one believed they stood a chance.
Abandonment, not a siege, was the sensible choice.
"Do as I say. Nothing else matters," Dusk said coldly, his composure unwavering. His authority must not falter.
Despite their doubts, Fursa and the others knelt in unison and proclaimed, "We obey your will."
Fresh from vanquishing the Dawn and Clinton forces, Dusk stood at the height of his power. None dared defy him—not even Fursa.
In their eyes, Dusk's prestige matched that of the true Lord of the End.
Relieved to see the situation under control, Dusk allowed himself a small nod. If they followed his plan step by step, they might yet seize the Divine Court of the End.
This would be the pivotal moment that secured his claim as the rightful Lord of the End.
Originally, Dusk had planned only to linger within the ranks of the Cult of the End before slipping away unnoticed.
But this encounter with the Cult of the Dawn and the Clinton Empire changed his mind.
The dangers of this world far exceeded his expectations.
Staying within the seemingly perilous Cult of the End would perhaps ensure his survival—and allow him to grow stronger.
Harnessing every power he could, and using it to achieve his goals: that was what he truly desired.
…
Meanwhile, outside the Church of the End in the northern reaches of the Clinton Empire, countless soldiers and griffons filled both sky and earth, encircling the entire stronghold without a single gap.
High above, champions of the Empire hovered in the air, watching coldly as the End devotees below continued their desperate, doomed resistance. They did not hurry to strike.
To these warriors, taking the Church of the End was no great feat—but their ambition went further. Whether for the Cult of the Dawn or the imperial Royal Family, this battle would cement their reputations.
In short, Fursa's head was pivotal.
"What's taking Victor and Isaac so long?" An impatient imperial strongman clad in golden armor growled, "It was just a matter of subduing Fursa, and they even sent him off with the Demonbinding Chains. It's been a week already—how is he still not back?"
Beside him, a lithe figure in black robes frowned. "Could something have gone wrong? I know Fursa's strength well—Angel's Feather plus Demonbinding Chains. Even if he's formidable, he shouldn't need this much time to finish the job."
A member of the Royal Family shrugged and teased, "Perhaps he's just drawn it out for fun. I hear the Holy Maiden of the Cult of the End is a stunning beauty."
A Cult of the Dawn Bishop scowled. "Richard, watch your words and stop slandering our Royal Family."
Richard snorted and was about to retort when a brilliant shaft of golden light suddenly streaked across the sky toward them.
"He's back, I guess. We'll need to have a stern word with Isaac—he's getting lazy…" Richard trailed off as his expression shifted.
Everyone's eyes turned skyward, brows tightening.
The situation…was clearly not what they had expected.
The golden light halted before them, revealing a soldier drenched in blood. He dropped to one knee and reported breathlessly, "Honorable lords, a new dispatch from General Isaac—there's been a setback. They've been defeated!"
At his words, every face drained of color.
"What? Victor and Isaac have been beaten?" An imperial general staggered in disbelief.
The Cult of the Dawn Bishop frowned. "How can that be…"
Third Prince Richard could not help but laugh bitterly. "Fifty thousand well trained, fully equipped cavalry, plus two Tier 3 Sealing Relics… and they lost to Fursa?
"Are Isaac and Victor nothing but incompetents?!"
No wonder Richard was so furious. The others might not know the inner workings of the Royal Family, but he understood them all too well.
According to the Royal Family's design, this battle was meant to cow the empire's power brokers and reshuffle the balance of power across the realm. And yet, just as their plan was taking shape, disaster struck at its most critical moment.
"My lords…" The reporting soldier forced himself to speak under the gaze of the top-tier champions. "The fundamental reason for our failure lies in faulty intelligence.
"There was, in that town, besides Fursa and several Cult of the End bishops, a mysterious Super Level powerhouse!
"He needed only a single Sealing Relic to fell General Isaac!
"And Lord Victor himself was taken alive at the end—his fate now unknown!"