448 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Chapter 448: “Now the Seventh Relic.” At the far end of the western continent. From atop a mountain, Harmon looked down upon the temple situated at the northwestern edge of the Torre Kingdom. His breath emerged as a white mist in the chilly air. The chaos that had begun across the continent last winter had persisted into spring. Yet the weather here, adjacent to the sea, remained unyieldingly cold. But Harmon's heart was colder than the harsh chill surrounding him. “First, reconnaissance.” His body began a rapid descent toward the mountain's base. With the Pope’s relic, Sententia, stubbornly attached to his neck, alongside Richentia, and the Terra and Flamma he collected from the central temple, accumulating two additional relics over the subsequent two months with minimal travel was not overly challenging for him. It was far more taxing to subdue his former companions, the holy knights and priests, without killing them. However, the real challenge lay ahead. If the new leadership of the Holy Kingdom was not entirely foolish, they likely realized that either he or someone else was targeting the sealed relics. “This won’t be like before.” Flash. As determination arose, the divine power formed a transparent barrier around him. Buzz. Simultaneously, the relic around his neck, Richentia, reacted, amplifying the barrier several folds to fully cloak his presence. The cursed object's only redeeming feature he had recently discovered was its enhancement of cognitive interference and the divine barrier. "The relic of the god of the sky and freedom…" The hypocrisy of the gods was enough to turn his stomach. Despite betraying the gods—or rather, now that they had betrayed him—the divinity still responded according to his will, and this realization brought a bitter smile to his face. Perhaps now, he could exceed even the legendary master thief Veil Shadow in stealth capability. “At this level, no one but an Aura Master or Archmage would detect me.” Harmon exhaled deeply and increased his speed. “I never imagined I’d have to use my abilities like this…” But there was no choice. Upon realizing that the faith he had dedicated his life to was a lie, he had already resolved to walk this path. At the very least, he hoped his former comrades would not be exposed to the gods’ threats. Moreover, as a former devout believer himself, he knew he could never persuade others with words alone. That was why he had decided to take action. “This is the best I can do for now.” Until he could reclaim the relics from here and two other locations. "I only hope I can achieve my goal without harming the brethren of the order." The former cleric, who had lost his place of prayer, cast his gaze into the empty space above, voicing a wish that would never be heard. But as if to prove that ominous forebodings always come true, the security at the Torre Temple, known as the Temple at the Edge of the Land, was dauntingly tight. Far beyond his expectations. “That’s…” It seemed they had gathered forces several times the usual number assigned to temples in the Torre Kingdom, from the paladins guarding the temple entrance to the soldiers patrolling the area. After reassessing the barrier, Harmon approached them slowly, listening carefully. “It’s still cold, so why are we suffering like this?” “Exactly.” “What’s the reason?” “No idea. They just said to be on high alert.” “Why are the brothers from Gaia and Linden here?” “How would I know? The Archbishop isn’t saying anything. They look clueless too.” The patrolling group around the temple. The conversation among the leading paladins quickly clarified the situation. It seemed they had redirected forces, including those from the Linden and Gaia temples, whose relics had already been stolen, to focus on Torre. However, since they hadn't announced the relics were stolen, the paladins were having such conversations. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Harmon’s expression darkened. “This will be tough…” He wasn’t concerned about stealing the relic. Even if diminished, his power as a top-tier Aura user combined with divine concealment from Richentia would be sufficient. It was ensuring the priests and temple forces remained unharmed that presented a challenge. Although infiltration was one thing, breaking the seal on the relic would require revealing his strength, making it difficult to maintain stealth thereafter. “What to do…” The potential soul-snatching threat from the gods. A vile method that devout priests were particularly susceptible to. Considering harming the brethren to prevent that seemed a contradiction of principles. But the period of hesitation was short. “…There’s no backing down.” He habitually realized that the ultimate purpose of everything he was doing was not merely a matter of duty. Having wasted his life, his soul was now collateral. The resolve to exact revenge by shutting down portals through which the gods might descend removed his internal conflict. Mercy and forgiveness. The two principles emphasized in the temple no longer had a place in his heart. At least not towards the gods. “Minimize sacrifices, but if it’s unavoidable, so be it.” With his jaw clenched tight enough to ache, Harmon gripped his fists. Without a trace, his body crossed over the temple walls. Through Richentia’s divine barrier-induced concealment. And with the superhuman agility typical of an Aura user, he made the numerous guards at the temple appear foolish. Quietly yet resolutely, Harmon’s body paused momentarily before the grand sanctuary of the central temple. Creeeak. It was because he saw the holy knights exiting through the large doors of the sanctuary. “Why do they want us to tighten security like this?” “Who knows. What’s there in the temple worth taking?” “What do you mean? There’re the offering boxes and the bishops’ riches…” “Oh… true. Then why are we standing guard here?” “That’s what I’m saying…” “They’ve already moved the offering boxes. Should we patrol the bishops’ quarters?” “The Archbishop said…” Observing the unexpectedly chatty paladins, Harmon allowed a hidden smile. “Well, that’s convenient.” Harmon silently leaped through the air, slipping through the gap of the door the holy knights exited. Unaware, they couldn't even fathom someone invisible passing above them. Creak. Thud. Even the minor noise from his landing error was drowned by the sound of the door closing. "Phew." Harmon exhaled in relief and surveyed the interior of the sanctuary. Buzz. Richentia, clinging to his neck, began to react almost immediately. "That way." Based on past experience, relics reacted towards the direction of their counterparts. Following this indication, Harmon moved swiftly. Yet... “Damn, someone’s there.” In front of a door resembling a personal prayer room, tucked in a corner of the sanctuary, Harmon paused his steps. “Should I wait?” Due to the nature of divine power, priests replenish their consumed divinity through prayer. It was an unavoidable requirement unless, like him, they carried a relic. And if the person inside was a high-ranking cleric, they could pray for three days and nights without rest in the worst case. Already in a situation where he might need to break stealth before encountering the seal. Though he hesitated… “No.” Harmon’s decision was swift, and his actions swifter. Bam! “...?!” The elderly priest turned his head as the door to the prayer room suddenly burst open. Seeing the astonished face, Harmon hesitated again, but his fist did not stop. Thwack. “Ugh…” “I’m sorry, Archbishop Dalan.” Thud. The elderly priest collapsed unconscious, unable to hear his apology. The force in the gauntlet that struck his solar plexus had disrupted even the divine power, so it would take quite some time, even for an archbishop, to recover consciousness. Judging by the reaction, his face was probably seen, but there was no choice. They were already suspicious of him. Eliminating evidence by killing a familiar priest wasn’t an option. Harmon blamed himself for even entertaining such thoughts and quietly examined the narrow prayer room. Soon, he located a skillfully hidden mechanism that reacted easily to the relic’s presence. Click. Rumble. With a press of the concealed button and a twist of a statue, a narrow staircase descending underground was revealed. A familiar sight, akin to what he had encountered several times before. Without hesitation, Harmon stepped down into the darkness that no light penetrated. Step by step. As the echo of his footsteps grew faint, a light emerged, illuminating the pitch-black space without any torches. A relic, existing solely to emit divine power. For those who could perceive divine energy, it was as bright as sunlight, a guide through the darkness. “With an especially intense glow among them.” Following the luminous path, Harmon soon discovered a peculiarly shaped relic. A golden coin the size of a human fist. Engraved with nothing but nine concentric circles of different colors, the coin illuminated the underground darkness as it floated in the air. The relic Aurum, of Ageron, the god of gold and commerce. “A relic that manifests merely as a coin.” Now facing the truth, Harmon wondered if Ageron was perhaps the most selfish representation among the Nine Gods. Feeling the remnants of his long-lost faith deplete entirely, Harmon smirked and approached the relic. The relic radiated a dazzling golden light, as though trying to repel the approaching Harmon. Finding the resistance reminiscent of a god's voice rejecting him, Harmon coldly smiled. “Your efforts are futile, Ageron.” Addressing a god who had abandoned him, Harmon calmly drew his sword. Though said to be unbreakable without the Pope's sanction, the seal on the relic was no match for the power to sever space itself. "I've done this twice before." Without hesitation, Harmon swung his sword, turning the golden-lit space to a brilliant silver. Flash. Boom! The stroke cleaving the seal struck the hovering relic, embedding the fist-sized coin into the wall. Watching this, Harmon sighed deeply. "It won’t break, as expected.” The slash intended to shatter the relic itself, not just the seal, had once again failed. “If I take this to King Logan, could he destroy it?” Logan, the young genius, could now wield the full might of an Aura Master. Given that no Aura Master had ever tried to destroy a relic, perhaps it was possible. The remaining two relics were at the eastern edge of the continent. Though the world was embroiled in war, finding Logan wouldn't be difficult given their shared history. With that thought, Harmon forcibly extracted the large coin from the wall. Buzz. The golden coin emanated an even stronger glow as if in defiance, but Harmon ignored it, stowing the relic away. As always, the moment a relic's seal was broken, alarms surely rang throughout the temple. Furthermore, due to the unnatural divine energy, he couldn’t cast a cognitive interference barrier. Given the numbers guarding the temple, exiting would undoubtedly involve bloodshed. “Minimize casualties but if necessary…” Blood would inevitably be spilled. As Harmon steeled his resolve for this, the unexpected occurred. – Malice towards fellow servants of the same god. At last, you've crossed the line. – No longer will things go your way, foolish servant. Voices echoed from both Aurum and Richentia. Especially hearing Aria's voice—the one who had severed communication by sealing half her soul—sent shivers coursing through Harmon. And that voice began to once again restrict the freedom he had believed fully reclaimed. “No, impossible! No chance!” – "No, it is you who are foolish, ignorant servant. You've committed truly grievous acts. Now, you must pay the price. Your soul will be sent to the deepest abyss..." – "...Zebrik's return is imminent, Ageron. We cannot afford to focus on a mere human." 'Do you think I'll be toyed with once again!?' Grinding his teeth. Ignoring the divine voices echoing in his mind, Harmon struggled to regain control over his soul and body. – "Oh, still resisting?" His bones creaked as if they were being wrenched apart, but Harmon refused to yield. "I am the master of my own body!" – "What a fool..." "I will never, ever submit!" Despite the gods’ mocking laughter, the determination in Harmon’s bloodshot eyes grew only fiercer. And then, at that moment. – "The Archbishop has been taken down!" – "Below! There’s an intruder!" The clamor of the temple forces converging overhead resonated through the space. Yet Harmon scarcely acknowledged the voices. His reddened gaze was fixed toward the east. 'Must... break the relic. Prevent the gods from descending. King Logan, please…!' Imagining the figure of a certain someone far away. Step. With blood vessels bulging across his body, Harmon managed to propel himself forward, taking a single, agonizing step.