Deep within the territories controlled by the Divinity Faith Army, an immense cathedral glowed with pure and holy light. Three statues with a sacred aura stood above it, and no matter who saw them, everybody bowed to them with pious light in their eyes.
Inside this holy cathedral, a group of middle-aged men sat around a large table decorated with all kinds of beautiful jewelry. They all had a thriving life force, and the reason for their looks was to project a sense of maturity.
They were the highest-ranking priests of the High Gods inside Gods' Tomb and could be considered the generals and leaders of the Divinity Faith Army.
"Tomas, how could you lose control over the Astaroth continent so suddenly. Not even a day passed since the news of the assault over the army headquarters, and the entire continent already fell under the heathen's control."
"Hmph, your troops took an eternity to be mobilized. Had you arrived early, we could have remained in control of the continent. Of course, what else could I expect from a follower from an Evil God?"
"Do you dare to say Divine Lord Ramiel's forces are inferior to that of yours? I should kill you right now!"
"Both of you, stop quarreling. Had been Divine Lord Hertus' forces the one in fighting the heathen, we would have won easily."
Passing the blame to others while highlighting their attributes and merits was very common for priests. They thought of their God as superior to the others, even if they were part of the same pantheon, so they constantly argued.
Once the discussion started, they could keep on going for hours. Luckily, the priests were interrupted when the main gates to the church were open, and three mighty individuals entered.
The moment they appeared, all the High Gods' priests stood up, and a respectful and somewhat fearful expression appeared on their faces.
The newcomers were Peak Rank 3 life forms, but an extraordinary power ran through their veins that made all the priests feel like they were in the presence of divine beings.
All the priests sitting on one right side of the table bowed toward one member of the trio.
"We, servants of the Higher Gods of Virtue, salute the Demigoddess of Justice, Lady Serena."
The one they spoke to was a beautiful woman with white hair and a benevolent aura.
Like their counterparts, the priest on the left side of the table bowed toward someone else.
"We, servants of the High Gods of Immorality, salute the Demigod of Evil, Lord Siro."
The Demigod of Evil was a tall man with a wicked aura whose eyes glowed with a black flame.
Once they saluted their respective spiritual leaders, all the priests focused on the person between the duo and spoke in unison.
"We, servants of the Divine World, salute the Demigod of Transcendence, Lord Tyron."
Demigods were not a title but a kind of supernatural life form. They were born in many ways, but the core of their existence was that they carried Divine Blood inside them. In a sense, they could be considered a God's offspring.
Transcendence beyond good and evil was a state only the Overgod reached. Only he stood above mortal's understanding and took the role of the universe's will.
Those were the doctrines taught inside the Divinity World, which meant that Tyron carried inside of him the Divine Blood of the Overgod, making him an extension of whom they believed was the creator of the universe.
Tyron had the appearance of an older man, and although there was a smile on his face, he emanated an aura that could suffocate the rest of the priests.
The trio took their seats at the table's head, and only once Tyron signaled the priests did they dare to sit back down.
"Brothers and sisters, I can see the anger in your hearts, but we must not lose ourselves in our rage. We must stand together as one, leaving aside our past grievances, all for the glory of our Divine Lords." There was a pious tone in Tyron's voice that made all the other priests feel humbled and, at the same time, inspired them.
The idea of working together and letting go of their differences appeared in their minds and became stronger and stronger.
Tyron's first message was unity and compromise, of letting go of the past and focusing on the future, but what happened next took a very different turn.
He focused on Tomas, the priest who had failed to protect the Astaroth continent, and although the expression on his face remained the same, everybody felt the entire room grow colder.
"The loss of the Astaroth continent to the heathens is a heavy blow that we can not let go unpunished. Brother Tomas, you failed on your mission, and your troops took the shameful decision of retreating. I have to ask, why are you still in the mortal plane."
Tomas' face grew pale, and cold sweat covered his back. He had difficulty breathing, and his condition worsened the more time Tyron's eyes focused on him.
"Lord... Lord Tyron. The heathen came out of nowhere, and no one could have predicted the level of power those elite forces were able to unleash. It was impossible to resist much longer, and the most sensible path was to retreat so that we could fight another day."
Although Tomas' tactics made sense for all the High Gods' priests, none of them dared to say a word on his behalf. They all maintained their heads down, praying so Tyron's eyes would not land on them.
Tyron's expression did not change as Tomas tried to explain his failure. Everything about the old man kept the same, but the coldness in the room grew stronger.
"You say everybody was oblivious to the heathen's movements, but you are wrong. The Supreme Pontiff had stated the Astaroth continent would be in danger and sent a weapon that should have been able to kill all our enemies. However, in his plan, your troops were supposed to endure four more days. Do I need to continue?"
When Tyron mentioned the Supreme Pontiff, Tomas felt an invisible hand crushing his heart.
Even the other two Demigods showed reverence when the Overgod's Supreme Pontiff was named, so there was no need to say his effect on the rest of the priests.
In the Divinity World, mortals were oblivious about the Path of Gods, and they believed Gods have been present since the dawn of times.
They all thought that becoming an immortal being was impossible, so the closer they were to the Gods, the higher their status would be, and there was no one closer to the Overgood than his Supreme Pontiff.
It was only now that Tomas understood the weight of his failure. Since he lost too soon against the Magi's Divine Slayer Force, he failed the Overgod's Supreme Pontiff, and that was a crime no one could forgive, not even his own Divine Lord.
Tomas' body began to tremble, but then a crazy expression appeared on his face. He gathered energy in his palm, and then under the sight of the priests, attacked himself, blasting his head open.
Even those priests who did not have a good relationship with Tomas felt disturbed by the man's grotesque death, but none dared to say a word about it.
The Demigod of Transcendence's actions could be considered illogical. At first, he said they needed to remain united, and then he practically forced one priest to commit suicide. Some could condemn such behavior as vile and hypocritical, but the Divinity World's people were used to it.
Religion rarely made sense, and those in power would usually twist the truth as they saw fit. Faith did not need logic, and in wicked man's hands, it was a perfect tool to enslave the weak and fearful.
Without waiting for the corpse of Tomas to be taken out, Tyron focused on another priest, making this one tremble.
"Brother Simon, you will lead your Divine Lord's army into the Astaroth continent tomorrow."
"Yes, Lord Tyron, I will kill all the heathen and take back control of the continent. I will not fail the Supreme Pontiff."
"You misunderstand, brother. Your mission is only to secure, as the Supreme Pontiff's tool should be reaching the continent anytime now, and it will kill every heathen on its own."
Tyron's words surprised the rest of the priests. They all felt awe at the Supreme Pontiff's wisdom since, for his weapon to have reached the continent, it meant he truly knew of the Magi's plan before anybody else despite him being outside Gods' Tomb.
"Overgod's Supreme Pontiff is truly wise." The Demigod of Evil spoke with a respectful tone, and there was admiration in his eyes. "I can see now why he used to hold that title."
"I don't like to admit it, but I have to agree with Siro. The title of The Sage truly fitted him."
