Using the ceremony to open the Celestial Gate, a gate leading to the Celestial Realm, was, without a doubt, an ingenious yet horrifying idea. The people of the Seneca Kingdom were basically handing themselves on a silver platter to the angels, which were beings capable of bringing ruin to the entire continent, with their very own hands by summoning them from the Celestial Realm. “If what you’re saying is right... Then we might be looking at a ticking time bomb that is going to unleash a full-scale catastrophe capable of destroying the entire world,” Siegfried said with a grave expression. “The moment the Celestial Gate opens... then nothing will be able to stop them.” The angels were undoubtedly strong. If the whole army of the Celestial Realm, led by the archangels, descended upon the world, then this world was as good as finished. The Seneca Kingdom’s capital would fall to the angels in an instant, and the entire continent would follow suit within mere months. “Kyuuu! Then what do we do, owner punk?!” “We need to hurry up and come up with a countermeasure.” “We have to stop the religious ceremony... even if we have to use force.” With that, Siegfried immediately made his way back to the communications room and contacted the Continent Religious Council’s headquarters. — Hello, Your Majesty. What can I do for you? The one on the other end of the line was the chairwoman of the council, Saintess Janette. “We have to stop them,” Siegfried said. He wasted no time explaining how the Church of Healing in the Seneca Kingdom was about to hold a massive religious ceremony, one that could potentially summon the angels into this world. — That is indeed a grave issue... “Did the Church of Healing send any high-ranking priest as a representative to the council?” — I was wondering about that. The only religious order that has not joined the council is the Church of Healing. “That explains a lot,” Siegfried grimaced and said. Then, he continued, “Everything is falling into place... The Church of Healing is under the control of the Illuminati.” — I have come to the same conclusion too, Your Majesty. “For now, we need to focus on stopping their religious ceremony from taking place. We have to stop it no matter what we do.” — I will apply pressure using the name of the council. If we can get all the major religious orders to oppose the ceremony, then they won’t be able to ignore the backlash. “Then I will push from the political side. I will try to put pressure on the Seneca Kingdom using the World Peace Council. And I will also speak to Emperor Stuttgart.” Their priority was clear. They had to pressure the Seneca Kingdom and King Romanson to cancel the ceremony. Aside from that, they had to raid the Church of Healing and flush out the rats festering it from the inside. Each of the religious orders released official statements condemning the Church of Healing’s planned religious ceremony. Siegfried had also filed a formal petition to the World Peace Council to intervene and prevent the Seneca Kingdom from going ahead with the event. The plan was to use both the international bodies and the religious orders to pressure the Seneca Kingdom to stop the planned religious ceremony. Unfortunately, neither approach worked. I, Romanson van Jayestina, King of the Seneca Kingdom, express my deepest regret regarding this situation. The Church of Healing is the Seneca Kingdom’s state religion, a sacred faith that embraces the sick and ailing across the entire continent. This gathering is merely a commemorative event marking the fiftieth anniversary since the Church of Healing was designated as our state religion, and there are no other ulterior motives whatsoever. The Church of Healing has dedicated itself not only to this kingdom but to the entire continent. Its priests worked tirelessly to heal the afflicted, and their contributions are unparalleled among any religious order. Interfering with the Church of Healing’s gathering is a blatant act of religious oppression and a violation of our kingdom’s sovereignty. Thus, I, Romanson van Jayestina, will not yield to any external pressure and will proceed with the planned ceremony. Moreover, should anyone oppose or attempt to disrupt this event, the Seneca Kingdom will not sit idly by. Despite the mounting pressure from the World Peace Council and the Continent Religious Council, King Romanson remained steadfast in his decision to push forward with the gathering. Unfortunately, there was no way to stop him. The Marchioni Empire was currently embroiled in a battle against the Coral Race’s second invasion, leaving them with no room to exert influence over the World Peace Council. To make matters worse, some of the nations that had a history of opposing the Marchioni Empire openly voiced their support for King Romanson. But that was not all... “Stop persecuting the Church of Healing!” “Do not oppress them!” “Bah! Who would believe that the Church of Healing is trying to bring about the world’s destruction?!” “That’s utter nonsense! Stop spreading lies about the Church of Healing!” “We support the Church of Healing’s religious ceremony!” “I will participate in the ceremony!” The believers of the Church of Healing throughout the continent began protesting, putting pressure on Siegfried and the Continent Religious Council. The Church of Healing was simply massive. Nearly thirty percent of all believers in the world followed the Church of Healing, so their numbers easily reached hundreds of millions. The followers weren't staying put as well, and it made things even more complicated. “King Siegfried van Proa should stop persecuting the Church of Healing at once!” “Do not slander and fabricate lies against the Church of Healing!” “Just kill me instead! I’m willing to be a martyr!” “We are all prepared to be martyrs for the church!” Devout followers of the Church of Healing gathered near the borders of the Proatine Kingdom to stage demonstrations. As a result, Siegfried was now experiencing a massive headache. He could see right through the true purpose of the Church of Healng’s religious ceremony, but there was no way for him to stop them. ‘Ugh... They really thought things through...’ Siegfried groaned at his desk after realizing that the Illuminati got him good. Launching an invasion into the Seneca Kingdom would mean going to war against a great power, and sending a small elite force to infiltrate would be nothing short of a suicide mission. The Seneca Kingdom’s capital city would be teeming with not only powerful warriors but also mobs furious at the Proatine Kingdom. It was impossible even for Siegfried and his comrades to go into their capital city and wreak havoc. ‘What am I supposed to do...?’ Siegfried found himself deep in thought, unable to come up with a clear solution to stop the Church of Healing’s gathering. ‘Should I ask the dragons for help again? No, that won’t work. There’s no way the Illuminati won't station any Dragon Slayers in an event as important as this. And it’s happening right in the heart of the Seneca Kingdom, so who knows how many Dragon Slayers might show up?’ He racked his brain as he desperately tried to think of a way to stop the religious ceremony. “ACK! What the hell?! You fucking scared me, you shit fuck!” Siegfried nearly jumped out of his skin after hearing a voice right beside him. He was so startled that he ended up cursing in a manner he rarely did. “Why are you so spooked?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked with a grin. “You crazy bastard! How many times do I have to tell you to at least announce yourself when you show up?!” “I asked what you were doing just a moment ago, but you completely ignored me.” Only then did Siegfried realize how deeply lost in thought he had been, but that did not do anything to placate him. Siegfried narrowed his eyes and asked, “You... you’re getting back at me for that time in the Death’s Carnival dungeon, aren’t you?” “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “This was payback for that time in the dungeon, isn’t it?” Cheon Woo-Jin grimaced and grumbled in response, “Huh? Do you think I’m petty like you? I don’t do childish crap like that.” Cheon Woo-Jin flatly denied the accusations, but his thoughts were quite different on the inside. ‘Damn it... This guy’s way too sharp for his own good...’ In truth, Cheon Woo-Jin still remembered how his heart nearly stopped back then, so he was trying to get back at Siegfried. He was trying his best to play it cool, but he was quite satisfied with the reaction he got just now. “Fine. If you say so,” Siegfried grumbled. “It’s true,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a shrug. “Sure, whatever,” Siegfried responded dismissively. Then, he asked, “So, why are you here?” “The Northern Great Rift is going berserk again.” “I think it’s going to peak soon. At least within the hour.” At those words, Siegfried emptied a plate of snacks and filled it to the brim with water. “Huh? What are you doing?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked. “I’m going to drown myself in this.” “Huh? What the hell are you talking about?” “Don’t try to stop me.” “W-Why are you acting all of a sudden?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked. He was taken aback after seeing Siegfried’s extreme reaction. “Is something stressing you out?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked. “How can I not be in this situation?” Siegfried grumbled in response. Then, he explained the entire situation regarding the Church of Healing’s upcoming religious ceremony in the Seneca Kingdom. “Ah, so you’ve got way too many things on your plate right now,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a nod. “Bingo... Why did the Great Rift have to go berserk now of all times? This is a coordinated attack, I tell you. One side is trying to open the Celestial Gate while the other is trying to flood the world with death.” “But don’t worry. The Blue Knight of Death can be dealt with as long as we buy time.” “What do you mean by that?” “I have everything I need to summon Terra, the Avatar of Life...” Siegfried proceeded to explain the recent developments to Cheon Woo-Jin. “Whoa! Han Tae-Sung!” “But we need more time. There’s a cooldown before we can summon the Phoenix.” “So we just need to stall until then?” “Yeah. Don’t fight it if you don’t have to. Just focus on minimizing damage and buying time. What’s important is not letting the Blue Knight of Death escape from the Great Rift.” Cheon Woo-Jin nodded and said, “Okay, got it. Then I’ll handle the Great Rift, and you will—” Siegfried cut him off and finished his words, “I will stop the Celestial Gate from opening.” “This is what we call scope of work.” “So, piss off. I’m really busy, and my head hurts.” And that was how Siegfried kicked Cheon Woo-Jin out. Meanwhile, Siegfried agonized, searching for a solution to stop the Celestial Gate's opening. ‘There has to be a way...’ Stopping the Church of Healing’s religious ceremony from taking place was his top priority. He agonized over the matter, but there was no clear way to stop the religious ceremony, no matter how much he thought about it. At this point, there were only three days until the ceremony. If he failed to find a solution and take action within those three days, the Celestial Gate would open, and an army of angels would descend upon the world. He needed a special solution to stop them, and he needed it fast. “Do I have to... wage war on them?” Siegfried muttered. “Kyuuu! What are you even worrying about, owner punk?!” Hamchi exclaimed. Unable to watch any longer, he decided to step in. “Just think simple! Keep it simple, owner punk! Kyuuu!” “Hey, you. How is this a simple problem to you?” Siegfried growled in response. “There’s no way to stop it. So, what? You want me to keep it simple and just invade them? Even if we march out right now, reaching their capital city and taking over it in three days is impossible.” “Kyuuu! Why do you have to invade them?!” “Then what should I—?” “Just bomb drop[1]them! Kyuu!” “Kyuuu! That’s right, owner punk! Drop a massive force right into their capital! That should do it!” “By that, you mean... we'll drop our men from above and—Whoa!” Siegfried’s eyes widened after realizing what Hamchi meant. No matter how powerful someone was, disrupting the religious ceremony of the Church of Healing was practically impossible. However, what if they dropped a massive force right into the heart of the capital city? Causing chaos would be easy—no, it would be far more than that. ‘I might get King Romanson and the high-ranking priests of the Church of Healing, no? All that in one fell swoop.’ On top of that, he could kill the Illuminati’s high-ranking members attending the religious ceremony as well. “You’re a freaking genius, you know that?” Siegfried decided to take Hamchi’s advice and directly invade the Seneca Kingdom’s capital city. However, there was still the problem of how to execute a bomb drop on such a large scale. A great power like the Seneca Kingdom would have absolute control over their warp gate frequencies, making it almost impossible for a successful bomb drop. “Hey, Hamchi. I need to step out for a bit.” “Kyu?! Where are you going, owner punk?” “To meet Elder Gerog.” Siegfried could easily initiate the bomb drop by borrowing the powers of the Dragon Lord, Gerog. The dragons couldn't directly participate in combat due to the Dragon Slayers, but it was possible for them to provide ample support from the rear using their advanced magic. ‘You’re dead meat, buddy.’ Siegfried gnashed his teeth while on the way to meet the Dragon Lord. He was still seething, furious at King Romanson for ending the call unilaterally and daring to ignore his call afterward. Siegfried was not going to let this one go. 1. Bomb Dropping is a term originated from Starcraft. It is when a player uses multiple Dropships, Shuttles, Overlords to drop a ton of units on top of their enemy. ☜