The Imperial Capital.
A woman erging from the main palace concealed her face beneath a hood.
Her graceful appearance, reminiscent of a noble lady, was unmistakable at a glance.
Though the hood was pulled tightly over her head, the gazes of passing n lingered briefly upon her before drifting away.
“Huff… Huff…”
She quickened her pace.
The surroundings grew darker and more humid with each step. Entering a deep alley shrouded in thick shadows, she pushed open the door of a shabby restaurant.
— Creak.
The woman glanced around.
Despite being a bit old and grimy, the establishnt was an ordinary restaurant.
‘Did I co to the wrong place…?’
Her expression filled with uncertainty as she scanned her surroundings. Watching her, the restaurant owner finally spoke.
“What would you like to order?”
Despite the owner’s polite tone, the woman hesitated, her voice faltering.
“Ah, um… That is…”
She glanced around anxiously, confirming that they were alone before cautiously speaking.
“Brodié, and as a side, tomatoes, please.”
At her words, the owner’s face turned expressionless.
— Step!
He strode toward her.
The woman instinctively shrank back, but the owner rely walked past her and approached the entrance.
— CLOSED.
A sign announcing the restaurant’s closure was flipped over.
— Click!
The door locked.
The woman’s shoulders trembled.
Keeping his hand on the lock, the owner spoke.
“Are you a follower?”
“Y-Yes.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“T-That’s…”
The woman cautiously rose from her seat.
Then, after a mont’s hesitation, she pulled down the collar of her blouse.
A jet-black spider tattoo was imprinted below her shoulder.
“Hmm.”
The suspicion in the man’s eyes faded slightly as he asked.
“Your mark is properly engraved. Did you co from inside the palace?”
“Y-Yes! That’s correct.”
“So, even within the palace, our faith is spreading rapidly.”
The Bloodstone Cult had various thods of expanding its influence. One of the more effective strategies was to draw in young people who were more susceptible to psychological vulnerabilities. ṙäꞐỘ₿Еṩ
Exploiting feelings of emptiness and loneliness, their doctrine spread like wildfire, ignoring social status or intelligence—it simply seeped into the cracks of human nature like an unrelenting tide.
“More and more people within the palace are learning the teachings of blood and darkness. I am one of them!”
The woman spoke with a sense of pride, as if declaring her devotion.
The teachings of blood and darkness—they were the very foundation of the Bloodstone Cult’s doctrine.
“I see.”
“Yes. It is an honor to et you, my lord!”
—Lord.
A title reserved exclusively for the thirteen of the cult—the highest-ranking mbers.
Her gaze upon the man before her was filled with reverence, awe, and a tinge of fear.
He was an existence akin to the heavens themselves.
Her heart pounded wildly.
‘This… this is the reward for my efforts…!’
She was a follower of the Bloodstone Cult, a re disciple. Though an ordinary believer, she had been entrusted with certain missions—tasks that involved gathering special intelligence related to the Empire’s administration, accessible only within the palace.
She had poured everything into completing her mission.
And now, the opportunity had been granted to her—the chance to et a high-ranking cultist in person.
“… It is truly an honor.”
She bowed deeply.
It was exactly as the rumors had described.
An otherworldly aura seed to ripple around the Elder standing before her—a sacred presence.
Of course, it was simply the energy of mana emanating from him.
But to the eyes of a re mortal, it was nothing short of divine.
‘At last, I will be saved.’
A serene smile spread across the woman’s lips.
The doctrine of the Bloodstone Cult had always preached one thing:
— Beco the fertilizer.
If one beca fertilizer for the High Priest, or at the very least for an Elder, salvation would be attained.
That was the sole aspiration she had held.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Ah…”
“Speak. You must know this is not a place for idle visits.”
“I… I have obtained internal docunts.”
“Internal docunts?”
With the utmost caution, the woman retrieved the docunts she had secured and respectfully presented them to the Thirteenth Elder.
He scanned the docunts briefly before tilting his head to the side.
“Yes. This is information that will greatly benefit our cult.”
At his words, the woman nodded fervently.
Excitent began to surge within her.
‘Perhaps… I might be able to go to the Holy Land…!’
Her gaze turned desperate as she looked up at the Elder.
He spoke.
“Do you wish to go to the Holy Land?”
“Y-Yes! Please, I beg you! I will do anything…!”
“Common believers like you do not return once you enter.”
“I understand! Please, let beco nourishnt for Him! Please!”
A plea filled with an almost maddening devotion.
The Thirteenth Elder’s lips curled into a smirk.
“As expected, our cult’s indoctrination is exceptional.”
“Y-Yes…!”
No matter what he said, the woman barely registered his words.
She could go to the Holy Land—that was all that mattered.
Tears continued to stream down her face.
“Follow .”
The basent of the restaurant.
A massive magic circle was etched into the floor.
The Elder infused it with mana, and imdiately, the symbols began to glow red.
The woman instinctively took a few steps back.
“A… a portal? But a portal can’t be created with just a magic circle…”
“You have so knowledge, I see.”
“I’ve heard that a rare spirit essence is required. They say only the Empire or the Vatican can obtain such a thing…”
“We are the Bloodstone Cult.”
“Ah…”
The crimson portal flickered and wavered—it was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Glory to Bloodstone.”
Murmuring those words, the woman stepped into the portal.
◆
The Inner Palace of the Bloodstone Cult.
‘Finally…!’
She swallowed hard.
Kneeling on the blood-red floor, she gazed up at the high staircase before her.
At the very top sat an empty throne.
The throne of the High Priest.
Just looking at that vacant seat was enough to fill her with an overwhelming sense of tension.
She was about to et Him.
To her, He was no different from a god.
No—He was already a god.
— Step.
She heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
Turning toward the source of the sound—
There was no one there.
Except.
“A lamb has wandered into my presence.”
At so point, a man had appeared upon the highest seat.
He gazed down at her with a half-bored, yet enigmatic expression.
The woman instinctively threw herself to the ground, pressing her forehead against the floor.
— Thud!
Pain shot through her skull as stars burst before her eyes—but that didn’t matter.
“It is an honor to be in your presence, High Priest…!”
“I shall read what you have brought.”
Ah, how noble He is.
— Thump, thump, thump.
Her heart pounded so violently it felt as if it might shatter.
Just hearing His voice was enough to bring her to tears.
She would gladly offer her aningless life for Him, as many tis as necessary.
“I-It is my honor.”
“Very well. What is it that you desire?”
Tears still running down her face, she cried out.
“I desire nothing! Everything I have done was solely for you, my Lord!”
The High Priest asked again.
“What is it that you desire?”
“Just being able to see you like this is already an honor…!”
And then, a third ti, He asked.
“What is it that you desire?”
A third question.
That ant there was an answer He wished to hear.
Slowly, cautiously, the woman lifted her head.
The High Priest’s face was turned toward her, his gaze piercing into her soul.
His eyes—they were impossibly deep.
And at the sa ti—
“Ah…”
— She realized that his gaze was not singular.
She felt the presence of countless other eyes within him.
The High Priest was one, yet he was not singular.
Countless lives resided within Him.
“Ahhh…”
It was not horrifying—it was dazzling.
And in that mont, she understood.
She, too, could beco one with Him.
And at last, she realized—
The “salvation” that the Bloodstone Cult had always spoken of.
She, too, could beco a part of the cult leader.
“Ahhh…”
Tears stread down her face, endless and unceasing.
But they were not tears of sorrow.
They were tears of joy.
This insignificant, lowly existence of hers—soon, even in the most humble way, would be allowed to rge with Him.
“So then, what is it that you desire?”
That solemn voice rang out once more.
The woman pressed her forehead to the ground.
Then, she spoke.
Her voice, once trembling, now held no hesitation.
“I will beco nourishnt for my Lord.”
Instead, her voice was filled with unwavering confidence.
A conviction greater than she had ever felt in her entire life.
To offer her life to the High Priest—
The mont she accepted that reality, she felt as though she had finally been freed from all the burdens that had ever bound her.
“You have chosen well.”
The High Priest smiled.
And the woman smiled along with Him.
“I shall grant you salvation.”
— A gentle breeze.
She felt the air swirl around her.
A wind so soft, wrapping around her like an embrace.
Yet at the sa ti—
The world was dyed red.
“Ahhh…”
That was the last thing she saw.
That was salvation.
◆
The cult leader extended his long fingers.
A wisp of red energy was absorbed into him.
That was all.
— Flick.
He casually shook off his hand and looked downward.
“My Lord. The movents of the Empire and the Holy Constantine are becoming unsettling.”
A voice spoke.
A man had arrived at so point and now knelt before Him, his eyes barely open in a slit.
“Fourth Elder. Do you not know how to announce your presence?”
“I apologize, my Lord. But the information that disciple brought is urgent.”
The cult leader leaned lazily against the armrest of His throne, a clear sign of disinterest.
The Fourth Elder lowered his head cautiously.
He already knew what the next words would be.
“Fourth Elder.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“I do not doubt your abilities.”
“… Yes.”
“Handle it as you see fit.”
The Fourth Elder bowed his head in silence.
It was a serious matter, but he knew well that right now, the cult leader’s mind was elsewhere.
“I am close.”
The cult leader murmured.
“There is not much left before I ascend to the Tenth Star.”
Silence.
“The Tenth Star… that is what it ans to be a god.”
The cult leader was on the verge of becoming a Demon God.
“This ga is finally reaching its conclusion.”
He whispered.
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