Chapter 256: Conditions and Limitations

In the Grand Cathedral of Aurelion Prime, the High Pontiff was writing a book inside his living quarters.

With only a candle illuminating the table and gleaming moonlight casting shadows inside, the High Pontiff was scribing while seemingly being guided by the Authority of Salvation.

Suddenly, his movement stopped.

His face turned horrified as the quill snapped out of nowhere.

"This can’t be..." the High Pontiff mumbled in horror.

The High Pontiff glanced upward and communicated with the Authority of Salvation to receive the answers.

He felt weak all over his body.

It was bad news.

The demons are able to create an artifact that can push back the Authority of Salvation...

The High Pontiff felt like his mind had frozen.

He took a deep breath and exhaled for some time to calm himself.

Without hesitation, he grabbed his communication device and called the Emperor.

If the High Pontiff could detect it, the Imperial Family would be able to do so as well.

Almost immediately, the call was accepted.

The Emperor said, "What’s the status?"

The Emperor might have caught wind of what had happened, but only the High Pontiff, who was closer to the Authority of Salvation than anyone else, had a clear picture.

The High Pontiff said, "The demons are able to create a flag that can push back the Authority of Salvation.

The flag was planted at the Southern Frontier of Mirefall Province.

They claimed five kilometers of area from the southern border.

However, the flag has many conditions.

According to the Authority of Salvation, the conditions are that there must be no humans living in that specific area, and the environment must reach a certain demonic mana saturation threshold.

The flag will fail once living humans return and the demonic mana saturation drops significantly."

"In other words, winning the war?"

The High Pontiff affirmed. "That’s right."

The Emperor was silent for a while.

He asked, "What do you think?"

The High Pontiff was aware of the occurrence in the southwestern province.

He communicated with the Authority of Salvation for some time before replying.

"As long as the war in the southwestern province is ongoing, there’s no need to worry.

That’s what the Authority of Salvation tells me."

"That’s good."

The Emperor ended the communication, leaving the High Pontiff to ruminate.

He recalled Max, Seraphina, and the Holy Knight.

The latter two were his children whom he had entrusted to Max.

Given Max’s capabilities, and Seraphina and the Holy Knight’s strength, their survival was guaranteed.

What he worried about was the current situation of the war.

Max, Seraphina, and the Holy Knight were only at B-rank.

While the A-rankers in the Demon Hunters Guild had already passed their peak.

According to the Godhand of Salvation, even an Arcane Overlord from the Demon Hunters Guild was almost killed by a Demon Lord who had sealed her strength.

The fact that a Demon Lord could seal a portion of their strength to bypass the Authority of Salvation also terrified him.

He leaned back in his seat and sighed helplessly.

The Godhand of Salvation offered assurance that the war was still ongoing and that the current state did not conclude the war yet.

At the same time, he came to learn that Max was growing stronger at a rapid pace.

It was the same for the Guildmasters in the northwestern and western provinces.

As if the more monsters and demons they killed, the faster they grew stronger.

Even the Authority of Salvation could not explain the reason behind the phenomenon.

Either way, it was a miracle for the Empire.

Just as they faced another great invasion from the demons and monsters because of a Greater Demon hungry to swallow the Empire, Max and other adventurers appeared out of nowhere and became heroes for their respective provinces.

As long as the Authority of Salvation did not raise an alarm, the High Pontiff was assured.

But that didn’t mean he would remain passive.

He stood up and prepared for an emergency meeting with the clergy, in preparation for the worst possible result that might happen in the future.

...

Night had passed, and the Demon Hunters faced their first loss.

After the Supreme Commander Demon Lord successfully claimed five kilometers of the Southern Frontier, Max and the Demon Hunters were forced to retreat another two kilometers because the Demon Lord’s influence was stronger when they fought at the border.

Of course, Max spread the Reconnaissance Division throughout the Southern Frontier inside the two-kilometer area controlled by the demons.

Primarily because he received information from the Authority of Salvation that the Abyssal Conquest Flag could not be planted further when there were living humans in the particular area, and as long as they managed to prevent the demons from completely corrupting the environment in the two-kilometer area.

In fact, an hour after the Abyssal Conquest Flag was planted, Max summoned his Radiant Knights and forced the demons to be unable to mass their forces in the two-kilometer battlefield.

Max’s Radiant Knights had grown significantly stronger than before.

Fiora herself remained the strongest Radiant Knight, capable of fighting a peak Demon Lord-rank opponent who could slaughter peak B-rank humans in a matter of minutes.

Fiora had even slain a peak Demon Lord-rank opponent in a quick exchange.

That alone proved that Max was not being left behind and that the Demon Hunters could still put up a fight.

Strangely, though, as dawn finally appeared, the demons retreated to the Abyssal Conquest Flag’s territory, where no sunlight could shine.

The Demon Lord did not make a move at all.

As if they simply watched Max and his summons kill a lot of demons.

This night alone caused Max to level up six times, making him reach Level 250.

Another six Free Stat Points were added to his remaining 53 Free Stat Points, which he spent all of them to increase his Agility points.

His movement speed, reaction speed, casting motion, projectile handling, and skill recovery had significantly increased.

Max felt like he was a lot stronger than before.

But it was nowhere near enough.

As he allowed the Demon Hunters to rest, he called an emergency meeting with the high-ranking Demon Hunters almost immediately, while the High General and his respective officers joined in the Central Command Hall.