Chapter 599: Akatsuki in Motion

Hah?

Eriri’s brow arched, a trace of astonishment in her eyes. “Say what now?”

“I’m not joking, Mr. Shinigami!” Ashley drew a deep breath, her body still trembling faintly. “We have to leave this place. The War Church has seen through us!”

“You’d better change how you address me, too. My name is Eriri.” She still found “Mr. Shinigami” awkward; she had been wanting to raise the point for ages.

“Of course, Eriri… sir. Miss.” Ashley went along readily, catching her meaning. “I beg you to follow my counsel without hesitation and leave Larnic this instant!”

“Tell me why. Is it only that our identities are exposed?” Eriri asked, curious.

She knew perfectly well that Ashley was no coward. A reaction like this had to have a real cause behind it.

“The Gorge Chamber.” Ashley drew another breath, lips pressed tight. “They mean to send you to the Gorge Chamber. I will never stand by and allow such a thing!”

With Ashley painting the picture in vivid detail, Eriri came to understand exactly what sort of place the “Gorge Chamber” was. Her brow knitted, and she shared the information into the group.

Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Damn!

Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Damn!

Machete Girl: Vile. Absolutely vile!

Curly-haired Guy: So THIS is the confinement-play business, huh? First time Gin-san’s seen it in real life.

Though his tone was light, Sakata Gintoki’s fists were clenched tight. Even he was shaken by the War Church’s filth.

Brainwashing women, imprisoning them, putting them to service as the War Church’s money-making tools, and dressing it all up as “divine grace.”

That degree of shamelessness and depravity was more than even he could stomach.

Foul-Mouthed Mask Guy: Damn it all! Every last one of those sleazy charlatans deserves to die!

Amegakure Village’s Angel: Just destroy them when the time comes.

Doujin Artist: Obviously. I never intended to leave them standing.

Eriri’s eyes were firm. Now that she knew what the “Gorge Chamber” meant, she was more determined than ever not to let slip this perfect chance to destroy the War Church.

This is an Actor: Go and do what needs doing. Don’t worry.

Gerard said little else, this was no moment for many words. He needed only to give Eriri his support.

Lazy Kitten: But if the War Church is destroyed, the god behind it won’t just sit on its hands, will it? And then Anzen-san can go over there directly and finish off that cursed thing!

Doujin Artist: Mm!

This is an Actor: It won’t be that simple. If that thing had two brain cells to rub together, it wouldn’t descend directly.

Soul Society’s Villain: ?

Lazy Kitten: Anzen-onii-san, do elaborate.~

This is an Actor: A faith-type god can only descend by relying on a vessel. It’s a cumbersome process, and it burns enormous amounts of divine power. That’s why gods ordinarily never meddle in mortal affairs, unless they themselves face a threat of annihilation.

Gerard had already spotted Qi Luoli’s little wordplay, that “do elaborate” was loaded with meaning. But he paid it no mind, pretending not to see.

Soul Society’s Villain: If its church were rooted out wholesale, would that not count as a threat of annihilation?

This is an Actor: No, churches can be rebuilt. The wellspring of those gods’ power is faith, not the church itself. So long as the majority of the empire remains its faithful, the loss of one or two churches means nothing to it.

Doujin Artist: So this trip of mine might all come to nothing?

This is an Actor: That depends on how you play it. If you show the majority of the empire the true, filthy face of the War Church, how long do you suppose that faith would last?

Doujin Artist: Got it. Time to file a report, then.

Skirt-Flipping Maniac: But aren’t the Vandesse royal house and the War Church’s higher-ups hand in glove already? They’ll fight tooth and nail to smother the scandal.

Doujin Artist: What if the emperor’s most beloved prince works there part-time, and the emperor doesn’t know?

Soul Society’s Villain: ? The prince?

Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Holy crap! For real? The prince, not a princess?

Doujin Artist: The prince, yes. According to Ashley, so probably true.

Machete Girl: What a cesspool of a circle.

Amegakure Village’s Angel: Putting the prince to work there and hiding it from the emperor, this War Church has real game.

Clearly, the War Church was no longer content with religious power alone. Brainwashing the prince and putting him to service in the Gorge Chamber was obviously a means of control, leverage for seizing greater political capital.

The hidden war between crown and church. Eriri plainly meant to exploit that contradiction and set the whole thing ablaze.

A splendid idea.

The corners of Konan’s mouth curved up into a captivating smile. Then, remembering she was still in a meeting, she swiftly reined it in. Lifting her eyes, she looked at the mirrored figures of her fellow Akatsuki members.

“The captures of the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Seven-Tails are complete.” Pain stood at the center, his voice cold. “Next, we discuss the assignment of the remaining tailed beasts.”

“The Six-Tails is mine.” Konan spoke up first.

In the previous world, she had been the one to complete the Six-Tails capture. That was why she now volunteered, curious whether she could recapture the feel of those days.

To her this wasn’t a mission at all. It was sentiment, thick with memory.

Pain looked at her, faintly surprised, unable to guess his friend’s intentions. Hadn’t all her recent behavior pointed toward leaving the Akatsuki? Why volunteer now?

Of course, however many questions churned inside, Pain would never show them. He only nodded slightly. “Granted.”

He also knew that Konan’s power was no longer what it had been, beyond anything he could fathom. So he entertained no worry for her safety, and simply agreed.

“Hoshigaki Kisame and I will take the Three-Tails.”

Uchiha Itachi raised no objection, so long as it wasn’t an early incursion into Konoha after the Nine-Tails.

“Ha! You people certainly know how to slack off, this won’t do!” Hidan snickered. “Well, fine. For the pleasure of our Lord, leave the next few tailed beasts to me!”

Damn, this moron.

The other Akatsuki members turned their eyes toward him in unison, contempt written plainly in every gaze. This new idiot really did have a hole in his head. Did he honestly believe the tailed beasts were barnyard cats and dogs?