Chapter 173 – God Has Spoken (1)

Dimension Delta.

Deep in the mountains of the Seozhang region.

The mountain stronghold was located in a basin surrounded by tall mountains.

The gourd-shaped basin was surrounded by treacherous mountains except for the narrow entrance to the south, making it look like a natural fortress.

Perhaps because of this, security was not tight except at the entrance to the stronghold.

The Righteous Alliance special unit that had crossed the mountains was able to reach the wooden fence surrounding the stronghold without being discovered.

“Captain, is this the right place? It looks pretty decent for a Blood Cult branch.”

The youngest member of the unit asked the captain with a puzzled expression.

Thanks to the captain’s martial arts skills, he, a first-rate martial artist, had barely succeeded in crossing the mountains, but he seemed dissatisfied that a young woman was the captain, nitpicking here and there.

“The information is solid, so don’t start trouble for no reason. A guy who’s never even faced the Blood Cult, acting like he knows something.”

However, instead of the captain’s answer, his complaint only earned him curses from the vice-captain Hwangbo Jagyeom.

Captain Nanseol thanked Hwangbo Jagyeom inwardly.

The position of captain of the newly created Blood Cult response special unit had been yielded to her, and he was also preemptively blocking such complaints.

Thanks to this, Nanseol could perform her captain duties much more comfortably.

Danhyeoljo (Blood-Severing Unit).

It was a special unit created once again due to the Blood Cult’s brainwashing operations that had shaken the Righteous Alliance.

Unlike the investigative-style unit that Nanseol, Hwangbo Jagyeom, and Wang Munpung had been part of in the past, this was a proper military force.

Three peak-level masters and four masters at first-rate advanced level or higher.

Unfortunately, the number of personnel was not large, but the chaos in the Righteous Alliance had intensified due to brainwashing.

The Demonic Cult’s offensive had also intensified accordingly, making it impossible to allocate many personnel.

Instead, they were established as a unit directly under the alliance leader, receiving orders only from the alliance leader and military strategist, and having their own operational authority.

Moreover, the reason the unit was not large was because there were four summoners in this unit.

Captain Nanseol.

Hwangbo Jagyeom, who volunteered to be vice-captain despite being inferior in martial arts.

And up to Mumyeondo, who hadn’t spoken a word since gathering, and in contrast, Seolgeom Bang Muin, who couldn’t stay still for even a moment.

Although personnel had been pulled out in the middle when summoners were summoned, having many summoners made it easy to pass it off as a secret mission.

And now, fortunately, no one had been summoned, so all seven of them could lie in the grass next to the stronghold’s barrier.

***

After a brief whispered chat passed by, Nanseol, who had the group wait, quietly jumped over the wooden fence.

The peak-level unfolded like watching a shadow.

“Was Dark Fragrance Steps that kind of footwork?”

“If martial arts become high enough, even the marketplace’s Seven Star Steps become spatial movement.”

“Nonsense!”

The youngest member, who had just entered his twenties, snorted at Hwangbo Jagyeom’s answer.

Though he couldn’t enter the Five Dragons due to his poor family background, he was someone who was called a genius based on martial arts alone.

However, even his rapid growth was thanks to good martial arts and the family’s full support.

Spatial movement with the marketplace’s Seven Star Steps—even a passing dog would laugh at that.

However, there was someone who opened their eyes wide at Hwangbo Jagyeom’s absurd words.

“Wait, are you saying the spatial movement shown at the martial arts arena was Seven Star Steps?”

It was Seolgeom Bang Muin. He could tell who Hwangbo Jagyeom was talking about.

The man who appeared in the most famous recent martial arts match. There was no way Bang Muin, who had hosted that match, wouldn’t know him.

“Black Wind used Seven Star Steps as footwork? But it didn’t feel like Seven Star Steps at all?”

“Well, it seems to have been modified into his own style after reaching peak level. I didn’t think it would go as far as spatial movement either, but things seem to change differently when you reach the transcendent level.”

Hwangbo Jagyeom shrugged at Seolgeom’s question.

“Wait, does the vice-captain know Black Wind hero well?”

The youngest member’s sullen expression changed drastically. His eyes looking at Hwangbo Jagyeom sparkled like starlight.

After the Righteous Alliance martial arts match, his popularity within the alliance was truly explosive.

While older warriors and elders of sects seemed to deliberately pay no attention, his popularity among young martial artists was soaring sky-high.

Hwangbo Jagyeom, startled by the youngest member suddenly pressing close, redirected the arrow to someone else.

“I haven’t seen him much. The captain is close with him. When I first saw them, they came together.”

Though he laid out words perfect for misunderstanding, the young hero didn’t seem to misunderstand easily.

“I see. So the captain knows the hero well.”

The follower heard only what he wanted to hear.

At that moment, perhaps finding the unit members’ banter pathetic, the silent Mumyeondo opened his mouth.

“The captain is calling. Let’s move.”

Before they knew it, Nanseol had climbed the tall watchtower and was gesturing to the group.

In that short time, she had subdued all the guards at key points and even the watchtower sentries.

“Amazing. Seems like we’re not even needed.”

The youngest member spoke with a disgruntled expression at that sight.

Hwangbo Jagyeom smiled faintly.

“If this is a Blood Cult branch, that will absolutely not be the case.”

With Hwangbo Jagyeom’s words as the last, the group all jumped over the wooden fence and infiltrated the stronghold.

Shortly after, it was confirmed that Hwangbo Jagyeom’s words were correct.

The humans who had seemed like ordinary bandits not only used proper martial arts but also attacked after taking strange drugs that made them twice as strong.

Thanks to eliminating many through the surprise attack, the group barely avoided being pushed back.

“Puahaha, it is the Blood Cult!”

Once the fight began, Hwangbo Jagyeom’s true nature burst out.

Practicing his theory that the best defense is offense, his appearance seemed more insane than the Blood Cult warriors who had taken drugs and gone half-mad.

The youngest member could understand why Hwangbo Jagyeom hadn’t become captain.

Since they were carefully selected unit members, they all fought well.

The first-rate martial artists also steadily blocked the Blood Cult warriors engulfed in madness, and the peak-level martial artists eliminated the Blood Cult members one by one.

Of course, none of the unit members went anywhere near the vice-captain.

Among the group engaged in fierce battle, Nanseol’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

While the group drew attention, she had gone to find the stronghold’s leader—the Blood Cult leader.

She came to see a man in black clothes and Righteous faction masters in a large hut where the leader would be.

When she burst into the hut, the man in black clothes was chanting a spell toward the Righteous faction masters lying asleep on the floor.

And the moment she dealt with the Blood Cult master in black clothes, some of the Righteous faction masters who appeared to be sleeping woke up and attacked her.

They were all people who had been brainwashed and came here. People in the same situation as her senior martial brother who was now imprisoned.

If she and Sun-woo hadn’t stopped him, her senior martial brother would have definitely come here with the sect leader’s daughter.

The martial artists attacked her without even swords, but her sword did not hesitate.

They weren’t her fellow disciples, and besides, this was the Demonic Cult’s territory.

Though there were some who had reached peak level, no one could block Nanseol’s sword barehanded.

Shortly after, the only living people inside the hut were Nanseol and a few Righteous faction members who couldn’t wake up.

“Are these people the brainwashed ones brought here?”

Just as her senior martial brother brought the sect leader’s daughter, they might have brought people who were important in their own sects.

However, since it wasn’t certain, she decided to leave them as they were for now.

Nanseol went outside and helped the unit members annihilate the stronghold’s warriors.

Fortunately, there was no one who fled, so they didn’t need to waste time searching the surroundings.

“So, what’s next?”

After cleaning up the stronghold, the youngest member asked again.

The unit members hadn’t heard what would happen after cleaning up this place.

All the unit members looked at Nanseol.

It was Nanseol who had heard about the brainwashed Huashan disciple’s memories from Sun-woo, gathered new unit members, and entered this place.

Along the way, she had received instructions from Military Strategist Zhuge for two situations.

The first was that if the brainwashed were not here, further pursuit would be difficult, so they should return.

The second was that if there were brainwashed or other Righteous faction members, they should wait here for people who would take them away.

And now it was time to carry out the second instruction, and fortunately, it seemed they wouldn’t have to wait long.

Cuckoo, cuckoo.

A unit member guarding the entrance to the stronghold sent a signal.

“It’s the bad side.”

Hwangbo Jagyeom frowned.

The signal the unit member sent was one alerting them to the approach of Demonic Cult members.

The Blood Cult was already deeply connected with the Demonic Cult.

***

At the same time, Sun-woo was shuddering in frustration.

He had been to church services, attended Catholic masses, and Buddhist ceremonies, so thinking it would be easy was the problem.

The worship service dedicated to the Goddess of the Holy Kingdom couldn’t be compared to other religious gatherings.

The needlessly majestic interior decorations, the cardinal’s incredibly boring words, the solemn atmosphere all contributed to the frustration, but the hardest thing was the divine power that kept poking at him.

This was a world with mages, with dragons, and where gods directly descended.

In such a world.

Moreover, in a country that worships them, at a gathering that praises them, with that personality, there was no way they wouldn’t show their divine power.

Thanks to that, Van Shingwan in the seat next to him had a moved expression, but Sun-woo couldn’t help but be filled with irritation due to the divine power that kept playing pranks.

“Couldn’t I have waited outside too?”

Sun-woo truly envied Yeonhwa, who was playing with Seolmyo outside.

It was Yeonhwa who had refused to enter this chapel, saying the Celestial Emperor disliked it.

At that time, Sun-woo had interpreted it as meaning that contact with other gods was bad, but thinking about it now, she definitely hadn’t come in because she disliked situations like this.

Mingwei had much more drive than Sun-woo expected. Not long after the Hong Kong incident occurred, she flew to Korea.

Officially for filming a movie, unofficially as an investigator for the Hong Kong Association regarding the Hong Kong incident.

That’s why when Sun-woo received a summoning request from the Holy Kingdom, despite shuddering at the thought of the goddess, he readily accepted.

He expected that when he returned after the mission ended, Mingwei would have gone back to Hong Kong.

That’s how Sun-woo came on a mission to the Holy Kingdom with Van Shingwan and Yeonhwa.

However, Sun-woo’s jaw dropped the moment he arrived here and confirmed the summoning requester.

[This is a summoning request from Goddess Frig. Please meet with the goddess to confirm the request.]

The summoner was Goddess Frig.

When Sun-woo didn’t cross over to her world, she called him through summoner summons.

Of course, there would definitely be a mission, but ultimately he had to meet and listen to it.

It seemed he had run from a fox only to meet a tiger.

The three were immediately summoned to the capital of the Holy Kingdom and came to the Great Chapel under Van Shingwan’s guidance.

Sun-woo wanted to meet the goddess right away and just receive the mission, but unexpectedly there were many procedures, so he ended up attending the service.

Of course, she might possess Van Shingwan like before, but that was something Sun-woo absolutely! did not want.

Sun-woo sat at the back of the holy chapel, grinding his teeth while watching the cardinal.

The cardinal only felt a chill in his heart from the killing intent flying from somewhere.