Right now, it is a godsend for the Church of Amaunator.

"Okay. It's time for everyone to rest enough." After thinking and resting for a while, the Archbishop of the Church of Amaunator stood up and motioned everyone to gather in front of him.

"You are all either my students or my peers. Over the years, we have devoted all our energy to spreading the teachings of the Church of Amaunator, but we have always been forced to languish behind the Church of Torm." Draigos II waved his hand heavily. "The Church of Tyr was willing to leave the capital for the sake of fairness, allowing its followers to spend their entire lives doing dirty work in the Knights of Hell. The Church of Ilmater would rather retreat to a small, remote town."

"We're unwilling to give up the glory and prestige of Eltoril and focus on cultivating one city, but we can only barely keep up with the Church of Torm. There are no outsiders here, and I'll be honest—if the devil's affairs hadn't been exposed, we wouldn't have seen hope of surpassing the Church of Torm for at least twenty years."

This statement can be regarded as exposing one's own shortcomings. If it were to be publicized, it would naturally cause an uproar.

In fact, each church in Faerun has its own main god. Although they nominally acknowledge the existence of other gods, when it comes to writing the internal myths of the church, they generally exaggerate as much as possible - for example, the Church of Oghma claims that the main god created the concept of everything, and the Church of Shar and Selûne claim that everything was created by the goddess of light and darkness. Even the powerful first-generation goddess of magic was born in the aftermath of their battle.

Claiming that one is incapable of doing so will not benefit the spread of the Church. Even some people within the Church may find it unacceptable.

O'Ndell immediately stepped out from behind the crowd and said, "Archbishop—"

"Alright, hear me out." Draigos II waved his hand. "However, the Church of Torm did make a mistake, a mistake of an unheard-of magnitude. In the tens of thousands of years of Faerun's history, it's almost unheard of for a city to be quietly infiltrated by demons, both inside and out, and yet ultimately survive the peril. Now, Eltoril wants to be the first.

"Is the burrower swarm a major event? It is, but will it require the complete mobilization of all of Elturgard, with almost every church out in full force? Eltoril is practically deserted right now!" Draigos II said. "If it weren't for the recent catastrophic events at Baldur's Gate, with the newly appointed Grand Duke being that famous paladin, the Flaming Fist might have already marched eastward!"

Dragos II took a deep breath. "The Supreme Observer Craig of the Church of Torm wants to use this massive operation to prove to everyone that Eltoril is still functioning normally and that the devil is merely a piece of sand that has accidentally seeped in. We must stop him from proving this!"

"The only way we can legally accomplish this goal is to do it more beautifully and properly than the Church of Torm during this crusade!"

"If we miss this opportunity, how long do we have to wait? I'm already sixty years old and will soon be in the arms of my Lord. I believe that if we retreat this time, we may not even get a second chance in this lifetime!"

"I know this operation is risky, far beyond our expectations." Draigos shook his head. "Well, it's not too late to speak now. This beheading is a test from our Lord. It will be the most important trial we will ever face. Everyone, brace yourselves and cast aside all arrogance, contempt, and fear!"

"This battle is a battle of advancement, not retreat. There is victory, not defeat. If we simply retreat in the face of a group of demons, how can we spread the glory of our Lord to every corner of the world in the future?"

"Now, as the Archbishop of the Twin Suns Cathedral and the Lord of the Rising Sun Sect, I order everyone to recheck their equipment and supplies, recast their spells, and advance again! Without my order, do not take a single step back!"

**************************

"They're starting to move again."

Bayer sat on the throne, turned his head slightly, and confirmed with Craig: "What is your relationship with the Church of Amaunator?"

Craig shook his head and said, "It's a far cry from reality. The Church of Amaunator has expanded significantly under the name of the Companions, but in reality, they have always guided their followers to worship Amaunator and forbid the veneration of the Companions. Therefore, there are no Lathander followers in the Order of the Companions."

"Oh..." Bayer nodded thoughtfully, "Very good."

Norwich naturally doesn't like to be with those devils who are ready to fight.

But, he didn't want to be with Craig even more.

Yes, Norwich has made a pact with the devil for his own selfish desires.

Norwich, when dealing with the devil, was always regretting it, but once he returned to the secular world, he wanted to show off with what he had obtained in exchange for the contract.

—But he firmly believed that without Craig's help, the devil would never have found Norwich.

He smiled bleakly - the hero who developed and expanded the sacred kingdom under the sun was actually a lackey of the devil.

Who could have foreseen such a thing?

At this moment, an unexpected existence noticed Norwich's depression.

Bayer, who was originally sitting in his seat, humming softly about the great devil who controls the world, raised his head at this point and said, "Mr. Norwich, you look a little depressed?"

depressed?

Norwich almost laughed out loud: "I've already sold my soul to you, and you won't even let me be depressed for a moment?"

"Hmm?" Bayer blinked in surprise. "—Perhaps you weren't in the best of moods. It seems you didn't study our contract carefully enough. So you signed that contract knowing you were selling your soul. But, unfortunately, you didn't. What we signed was just a simple alliance contract."

"……what?"

Bayer actually began to explain seriously, "You seem to have overlooked your own value—you are the most outstanding young man of this generation in the Church of Oghma, only in your early twenties and already a fifth-ringed priest. And we, the Baatezu, truly desire to find a foothold in the Material Plane. I'm helping you simply to invest in your future and to strengthen our relationship with the Church of Oghma. If I were to take your soul beforehand, you would inevitably become depressed and degenerate—I don't need a soul that's just a walking corpse."

The devil stepped down from the throne and, like a true friend, leaned down slightly so that their eyes could meet. "We are allies with common interests, not a relationship of slave master and slave."

Norwich was silent for a moment, then pointed to the gate of the underground palace and said, "Then your friend must be free to come and go."

Bayer replied, "Yes. However, I have already stated in the contract that I will do my utmost to help you win the Ritual of Truth. If you suddenly have the idea and start to do your utmost to help your former classmate Mars's team, the Emya team, to win the Ritual of Truth..."

A hint of embarrassment crossed the crimson face of the great devil, as if he hadn't anticipated this situation. "Then we are truly caught between a rock and a hard place. We have to devote far more resources than we could have imagined to this Ritual of Truth—and at the same time, we can only watch helplessly as you give away our wealth and hard work to Team Emia for nothing."

Would he give all his efforts to Team Emiya in vain, thus making these demons in front of him run around in a hurry?

This idea actually appeared in Norwich's mind for a while, and even his hands and feet began to stir.

Bayer coughed. "But I must state that our contract clearly states: We will do our utmost, using all our heart and wisdom within our capabilities—not at any cost."

Norwich's already somewhat disheartened mind perked up again after Bayer's forced warmth. He took a deep breath and said, "So, is trapping and killing the Emiya team part of your plan?"

He pointed westward and said, "Anyway, the people of the Church of Amaunator are about to become your caged birds."

"It's a complete misunderstanding!" Bayer said confidently. "Yes. We do have a large force stationed here. But our real purpose is simply to establish contact with the Church of Amaunator—just like with you."

"Who can be fooled by saying this?"

"Only the truth lacks persuasiveness! Mr. Norwich, imagine you are a minor cadre of a notorious force, destined to be unable to break away. You now want to establish contact with a hostile, unfamiliar force in an unfamiliar region. Even if you have good intentions, you cannot put down the hammer."

Bailton paused, then continued, "—As for Team Emia, especially Mr. Emia."

The devil was silent for a moment, then stood up, looked down at Norwich, and said, "This matter is our secret. With all due respect, some information, once heard, will put you in a vortex... Do you really want to hear it?"

Norwich's breathing stagnated, and then he couldn't help but glance at Craig and said coldly: "I'm not in the vortex yet."

"Compared to what you're about to get involved in, it's certainly not."

"...Okay then." Norwich shouted, "I want to hear it! I hate it most when people treat me like a child and keep me in the dark!"

"Okay." Bayer seemed a little surprised, then nodded.

"You should know that I was once the Lord of Avernus, a powerful devil. But now, the Demon King has taken back my power, and I've become a pit fiend once again. Of course, I still have some influence within Zariel's legion, and I'm now responsible for the logistics and engineering of the Avernus Legion."

Bile said dryly, "But I did not want to remain confined to the furnaces and storehouses. So, in Elturgard, I hatched a plan."

The great devil pointed at Craig and said, "Coincidentally, this Supreme Observer and I have the same goal."

Norwich was a little confused at first.

What common goals could the ruler of a kingdom who had already surrendered to the devil have with a great devil?

If it were him, after selling himself to the devil, there would probably be only two things he would want to do - find a way to break the contract, or find a way to have a higher starting point in hell.

Then, Norwich shuddered and looked at Craig, his eyes full of shock.

Supreme Observer, Tavis Craig, nodded, then pointed to his mouth and shook his head.

Bayer walked back to the center of the hall, wings spread wide, and spoke loudly, "Yes. I'm not here to harvest souls—of course, one of my goals in causing such a stir in Elturgard and excavating the worms to expand my influence is also one of my goals."

"But my greatest goal is only one."

He spoke slowly, "Drawing all of Elturgard to a single point, while Zariel appears on the Material Plane, everyone working together—"

"Trap this devil archduke in the material plane, leaving the position of Lord Avernus vacant once again."

"I don't want a soul, I just want Zariel to never return to Avernus!"

The sound is not loud, but it is extremely clear.

Norwich shouted, "Zariel? Why would she come to the material plane?"

Bayer smiled and said, "This is Lunya..."

Just uttering these few words made him shiver as if burned by icy frost. "How could there be a place with that name in the Material Plane... Anyway, Zariel has already relegated me to the logistics department, but she's still not satisfied. She wants to find a more powerful subordinate to completely replace me and leave me with no hope of recovery."

"I'm sorry." Bayer rubbed his hands. "According to my intelligence network, Grand Duke Mephistopheles thanked Zariel for her help during the Late Summer Rebellion, so he gave her a suggestion."

"He said that Mr. Emiya, this young wizard who suddenly emerged and almost single-handedly thwarted Mephistopheles' decades-long plan, is very suitable to be her assistant."

"From what I understand, the boy named Will from Baldur's Gate is Zariel's eye. She wants to re-confirm the abilities of this mortal recommended by her colleagues." Bayer opened his bloodshot mouth. "Mr. Emya hasn't established any connection with Hell yet, and his soul won't fall into Hell upon death. So if he's in danger, Miss Zariel will become anxious. If he's on the verge of death, our irascible General Zariel might even come in person."

Bayer said bluntly, "Of course, for me, taking a step back—if I can't attract Zariel."

"Then I will kill him just the same."

Fifty-three Heavens Net

"Snapped."

Elastrid's mace fell cleanly, landing in the dirt.

The priest of Lady Luck nodded seriously, "It seems that Lady Luck thinks that direction is better."

Sig pursed his lips. "As a bard, it's not nice to question the Smiling Lady... But Sister Alestria, that's the West, where we come from."

Elastrid nodded. "Yes... perhaps the lady considered this journey unlucky. She suggested we return."

Now, Emiya and his group have been trudging in the lightless darkness underground for an hour.

Perhaps not using the barrier stone would be better—right now, they were just practicing cross-country running in the still, windless underground. If it weren't for the occasional shifting of the soil by the barrier stone, Emiya would have thought they were on some kind of endless journey.

Mars was the first to stop. "Emiya, with all due respect, I originally thought this decapitation operation would be no problem, especially with the barrier stone. We should have been able to be a strong support. But now I'm not so sure. We've already traveled several kilometers here, and haven't seen a single earthworm, let alone a burrowing worm.

"We shouldn't continue moving forward without even knowing the exact location of our final destination."

Archdruid Woods gave Moti a hard kick: "If this guy hadn't stopped leading the way, I would have thought we were walking into a trap!"

Moti didn't dare to refute, but just muttered: "I've been saying that I don't know the specific terrain ahead."

Emiya observed the expressions and states of her companions.

Only an hour's trek was not enough to make their team look tired, but doubts and hesitations had gradually taken over.

Fear comes from the unknown. Their team can't just keep running around like a headless chicken.

Emiya hesitated for a moment and said, "Then, how about we try to contact the Hell Knights and join them? If Norwich and his men are indeed making rapid progress, then we probably won't be able to get the honor of defeating the devils and burrowing worms. If Norwich and the Supreme Observer are defeated by the devils and burrowing worms, then our entry will be useless."

Their team didn't care much about the honor itself, so they didn't get any comments. However, the Archdruid paused for a moment and said, "Archdruid Fenwe didn't come with you. Where is she?"

Emiya replied, "She patrols the skies, watching over the surface."

Woods nodded. "Indeed. We druids can only rely on comets to deal with the demons. We are operating underground, like tying our own hands. So..."

The Archdruid's gaze gave Moti a chill.

"You guys caught Moti."

When they captured Morti earlier, they also cleared out Morti's treasury. Combined with Metatron's own dimensional hole, they successfully emptied Morti's accumulation.

Of course, Moti's real wealth will probably be taken away by the Archdruid.

Woods said, "The River Forest doesn't need that much armor, so I'll leave it to you. But I don't want to continue marching underground like this. I'd rather lock Moti back in the forest and bring the druids to watch from the sky and provide you with remote support."

He shook his head and stamped his foot on the ground angrily. "I'd say this beheading thing is pretty stupid—wasting hours in someone else's lair, and who would we even catch? We'd be better off sticking with our strategy from a few days ago and slowly squeezing out the burrowers and devils."

The Archdruid and they were only temporary teammates, so if he wanted to leave, Emiya and his group naturally had no right to stop him.

But once the two druids left, the only high-end combat force in their team was Emiya's teacher.

Emiya sighed. "Then, let's go back to the surface, send the Archdruid away, and then join forces with the Hell Knights, shall we?"

The Hell Knights had no objection.

Rather, the Hell Knights were supposed to travel with the Supreme Observer in theory, but for various unknown reasons, this core force of Elturgard chose to act alone.

But for some reason, this obviously independent force had no objection to Emilia's suggestion of merging into a team and agreed very readily.

Emiya sighed—the relationships among the top leaders in Elturgard were simply too complicated right now.

If his guess was correct, then the resistance of the Knights of Hell should have been more intense. This kind of ambiguous relationship was truly puzzling.

Regardless, this relationship couldn't be maintained—the mastermind behind this burrower tide had made such a big fuss, clearly not to help Craig integrate Elturgard and win back the people's hearts.

Although the burrows were over ten meters deep, the height was no problem for the mage. Emya easily led the team back to the surface. The Archdruid, without hesitation, transformed back into a giant eagle, grabbed Morti, and soared into the sky.

However, before taking off, the Archdruid said, "Young men, I advise you not to carry out that decapitation operation again! If you are willing to continue your cautious approach, the River Forest will attempt to provide you with full support. If you have the opportunity, please convey this message to the people of Elturgard as well."

"Thank you very much. I will bring it to you."

Emiya sighed, looked up at the sky, and waved to another giant eagle circling in the sky.

Almost at the same time, words written in clouds appeared in the southeast sky: "Hell Knight."

This was their signal to the Hell Knight, indicating that the Hell Knight was directly below the text. Emiya also cast a spell into the air, sending a signal directly above her.

The two teams were within a few kilometers of each other. The Hell Knights had encountered countless battles along the way, and they hoped to have some time to rest and recuperate.

If there are demons heading in this direction, that's fine too - if the Norwich team is really progressing well, they can help share the pressure on the outside.

If Norwich is unreliable, then they don't have to rush into the most dangerous area.

**********************

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like