Chapter 385 (1/2)
Chapter 385: Cause and Effect
Translator: Meh Editor: – –
“Don’t be so upset, Lord Mayne.” Zero held her hands behind her back and slowly circled the square. “The church was originally founded by the Union anyway, so His Holiness only did this so that the witches could get back what was theirs. If you win, you can also get my memories and experiences—wealth I accumulated over the past 200 years.”
“I see. Letting Zero use the Reflection Church was already strange because even if she were the Pope’s favorite, she was still a Pure Witch and shouldn’t have been given access to the church’s deepest secrets. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this soon enough.” Mayne was silent for a while before saying, “If you win, where do you plan to lead the church to?”
“To victory,” she said, raising her head, “or destruction… just not towards the Fjord Islands.”
“W… what?”
“You think no one knows about your secret orders?” Zero’s tone contained a trace of mockery. “Right before a great battle, you sent resources to the port of Kingdom of Everwinter to repair ships and support sailors. Plus, you sent a large number of scapegoats to the gallows. These are all costly expenses, practically impossible to hide from the church.”
“Shoot, O’Brien even entrusted her with the Pivotal Secret Area’s intelligence agency.” He thought silently. “That doesn’t prove anything! As the Pope, I need to think in the long-term to ensure that the church survives under any circumstances.”
“Do you even believe your own words?” Zero laughed. “Right after you accepted the scepter in front of all those believers, you started thinking about your own future, and you lost your will to win the Battle of Divine Will before it even began—do you think a mortal like you can earn the approval of God?”
“What approval of God?” Mayne couldn’t help but scream. “If his approval was really protecting us, why were the humans suffering defeat after defeat?” He panted heavily and rasped. “Meanwhile, we need to rely on God’s Punishment Army to battle the demons, so time is of the essence, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”
“No, not just God’s Punishment Army,” whispered Zero. “The fate of mankind shouldn’t rest in the hands of a few people.”
“Are we supposed to count on you witches?” Mayne chuckled coldly. “Don’t forget that it was your kind who failed us 400 years ago!”
“The witches are also only a small group.” She stopped walking and stared directly at the Pope, her eyes chilling him to the core. “This battle will decide the survival of all of the mankind, so everyone needs to be involved—men, women, the elderly and children will all become honored warriors and join the fight against the demons, or else… they’ll all die.”
“That’s absurd. You plan to send those civilians who are scared senseless by demonic beasts against actual demons? You must be out of your mind…” Mayne suddenly stopped, as he realized she wasn’t joking and was seriously sharing her plans with him. “The only way to give civilians the ability to fight was…”
“You want to feed all of them Pills of Madness?” He asked in disbelief.
“One enchanted person is no match for a God’s Punishment Warrior, but what about ten?” Zero turned her head and asked. “Not only is there currently a steady supply of demonic beasts running rampant, but the Pivotal Secret Area might also be able to invent a few new formulas. Five years later, the church will have a supply of around three to four million pills. What does this mean?” She paused. “It means that besides God’s Punishment Army, the Holy City can also send out an army of millions of maddened men to participate in the battle against demons.”
“You’re… insane!”
“Insane? You’re the insane one for not taking the Battle of Doomsday seriously!” The Pure Witch suddenly roared. “Both the Union and the church used small groups to fight against their enemy’s full force, which is why they failed. No one is exempt from this battle, and mortals can’t hide behind God’s Punishment Army or witches forever—as I said, this is a fateful battle that requires everyone’s full efforts, otherwise we won’t be able to contend with the demons in the Barbarian Land!”
A Pure Witch raised by the church would never say such a thing because this was the mentality of a conqueror. Mayne’s face grew pale. “You are… an absolute mutt!”
Your Holiness O’Brien, did you really foresee all of this?
“Accepting knowledge is a part of the process of self-change, and only the exchange of thoughts can bring progress.” Zero inhaled sharply. “Perhaps we should stop chatting and decide who the ruler of the church should be.”