Chapter 535

At six o’clock, after completing the isolation operation, I ordered everyone to assemble at the bishop’s residence. A minute later, everyone scattered throughout the coordinate systems of the Archdiocese of Bamberg and the Diocese of Eichstätt had gathered in the hall on the second floor of the Archbishop of Bamberg’s residence. Beyond the spot where the massive wooden doors had already been torn away, I could see the empty office of the Archbishop of Bamberg.

The detachment leaders counted their men, then turned and reported to me. The numbers were all accounted for, so I calmly waited for General Oettingen to contact me. At 6:02, one of General Oettingen’s adjutants spoke through the artifact on my left.

— [Lieutenant Colonel Ernst, do you hear me?]

“I do.”

— [The 2nd Infantry Regiment is joining the 10th Infantry Brigade.]

I had never been so glad to hear such an unfamiliar voice. Then came His Majesty the King’s actual order.

— [Kill the Archbishop of Bamberg and the Bishop of Eichstätt by 6:30. However, if that proves impossible, capture them alive.]

‘If that proves impossible, capture them alive.’ Those were words that left open the question of whether it would even be possible.

Thinking back on the path Leonard and I had just taken, they were not people we could afford to relax around simply because we had them cornered. We had to face them prepared to die. If anything went wrong with the operation up to this point, the Archbishop of Bamberg—Sarah Hohenfels—might realize what was happening and bring in additional forces from the leadership.

For the same reason, we couldn’t leave the Auxiliary Bishop of Bamberg alive indefinitely, either. He might have already contacted the Archbishop of Bamberg, and he might still be able to do so even now that he was isolated. Trapped in an empty space, he would be dealt with as quickly as possible by the mages from the other units that had not yet been deployed.

Likewise, the Bishop of Würzburg and the Bishop of Speyer, both belonging to the same Bamberg ecclesiastical province, or the northern four dioceses, would be dealt with by several mage brigades and regiments working together, just as we were. Considering that none of the bishops had been at their cathedrals, it was highly likely that all of these bishops, who were the core of their respective dioceses, had already known what would be announced at six. They might have gone to their respective cathedrals after six to direct the diocesan faithful and clergy, but until then, they were most likely gathered at the leadership headquarters. The fact that the bishops had gathered at headquarters instead of commanding from their own dioceses made it clear that the leadership was controlling all of Germany from a central level, rather than having each diocese prepare for the major six-o’clock announcement and take responsibility for it individually.

Just then, General Oettingen’s voice came through.

— [Lieutenant Colonel Ernst, Pleroma has gathered mana at an estimated height of 1,000 meters above ground and projected an image into the sky. The entire German Empire, including Bavaria, is watching this spectacle. The Imperial Dailies has just released breaking news about Pleroma’s first-ever appearance before the outside world. Be advised.]

Just as I thought.

‘Pleroma’s first-ever appearance before the outside world.’ Those words sent a chill down my skin.

The Pleroma leadership had revealed themselves during the Pentathlon, but I had turned that period into a time that didn’t exist, so no one knew that Pleroma had ever shown itself to the world. And only a handful of people, myself included, had met with their leadership. In other words, today really was the first time the Pleroma leadership was revealing themselves to the world.

Of course, we had also met with only a very small portion of their leadership, so we needed to keep a close eye on their appearance.

Our first objective was, above all else, victory for Bavaria. Our goal was to eliminate Pleroma in the Bavarian region.

But our second objective was to put a stop to their ridiculous broadcast.

Had the Pleroma leadership already received word that the dioceses in Bavaria had been wiped out, and were they forcing their plan through anyway? Or were they unaware of the attacks on the Bavarian dioceses?

The fact that the broadcast was still running even though every diocese had been shut down meant this was clearly something the Pleroma leadership had prepared on a massive scale.

I asked General Oettingen, “Can you hear what they are saying, too? If so, please find out how they are able to do it, Your Excellency. And is the temporary coordinate-system conversion functioning for the next thirty minutes?”

— [It is functioning. I will pass that along.]

6:03 PM.

I watched the clock as I waited for the bishops.

They didn’t come.

Had the Archbishop of Bamberg realized that something was wrong with her diocese? Or was she late—or simply not coming—because a bishop didn’t necessarily have to be present at the site of the announcement?

I quickly ran through my memories to keep my mind sharp. From assessing the current situation to the scenarios that could unfold from here.

The deacons, priests, and monsignors who had been in the cathedral, whom I had put to sleep and sent to another space, would be dealt with in much the same way as the auxiliary bishop. Unlike him, however, they would be restrained after having their means of communication removed, unless they were considered extremely dangerous. That was probably what the other units were doing right now.

Dividing the work this way was the best way to secure victory today.

Division of labor. Right. There’s also a brigade that has gone down to the basement of the bishop’s residence and is moving to their command center through the lion relief in the clock tower. That’s the 12th Infantry Brigade of the 6th Division, which was transferred when the 5th Corps was newly established.

There’s also a corps that has moved to the central square of the Pleroma world that Leonard and I visited just before returning—the place also known as Pleroma’s ‘capital.’ Most of the 4th Corps, apart from a few exceptions, has moved to the ‘capital.’ Disguised as clergy, they’re hiding in spaces with levers that allow them to return to Pleroma’s dioceses in Bavaria, like the space we passed through when we returned to Bamberg. From there, they’ll inflict as much damage as possible as quickly as possible, then withdraw just as quickly to minimize casualties.

Destroying those spaces through the Catacombs’ and Bavaria’s spatial magic is their top priority as well, but because they’re common areas shared by Pleroma’s dioceses, security is tight, and there’s a chance it won’t work if the spaces are outfitted with all kinds of new technology. And since there are bound to be many high-ranking clergy gathered there, they’re sure to be strong, so we can’t take them on head-on. We have no choice but to gain the upper hand through a surprise attack. And with most of the clergy except the bishops having dispersed to their respective dioceses following the six o’clock announcement, if they determine on-site that there’s nothing to be gained from staying there, we’ll also consider using it as a route to another diocese outside Bavaria.

This will secure Bavaria’s influence across Germany. I doubt they’ll be confident beforehand about how far we can succeed, though.

As for the Dioceses of Würzburg and Speyer, they probably wouldn’t have been able to make active use of divine power—Narke may have returned, but as part of this operation, he’s been traveling through densely populated areas across the Empire, clearing out the Atropos Pleroma must have planted. I simply haven’t heard from him, but by now, he’s probably gone to the ‘capital’ and joined up with the 4th Corps. Instead, they’ll use Archduke Maria’s sleeping-pill cigarettes to keep the clergy dazed for a short while. Since those dioceses are more dangerous than the ones I dealt with, the Royal Army will then enter using spatial magic and attack them. However, I’ll deal with the bishops, who are the key figures among the clergy.

Just then, I sensed movement upstairs. My eyes, sharpened on their own, turned in that direction. The moment I raised my wand toward it and held my breath, Leonard Wittelsbach and the mages under his command came down the stairs from the upper floor into the lobby of the bishop’s residence. I lowered my wand and raised a hand in salute. He did the same.

I spoke into the artifact.

“Your Majesty, with the utmost respect, at 6:04 PM on April 15, I will commence the operation to kill the Archbishop of Bamberg and the Bishop of Eichstätt.”

Leonard stood at the front beside me with the mages lined up behind him. He closed and opened his eyes, holding them shut just a little longer than usual, signaling that he wanted me to speak.

“Everyone, today we must kill the Archbishop of Bamberg and the Bishop of Eichstätt. As we were informed before coming here, their Special Abilities are destructive. To counter abilities powerful enough to throw us into confusion, you must not lose your composure. Wait for my divine power, and in places where you cannot receive it, focus on the commands coming through your ears. If possible, do not let the mirrors attached to your clothing be damaged. Everything else is as we trained for the past half-day. Stay focused with unwavering resolve, and we’ll deal with them within thirty minutes.”

“Understood!”

The same answer rang out at the same moment. I sent the 1st Detachment into the room and stood facing them.

We had pulled out and isolated all the personal spaces connected to the levers, as well as the archive and control room spaces. But we had left the levers leading to the other dioceses and the square intact. We had left a route through which the Archbishop of Bamberg could reach us.

But we would not go there.

We would wait for the bishops to come into the completely emptied Archdiocese of Bamberg.

And…

Even if we did not wait for them to do so, the bishops would have no choice but to come and defend their own territories. No landowner would stand by while their own house burned instead of rushing home. They would come, even if they had to bring reinforcements with them. More importantly, even if they knew the contents of the six o’clock announcement, the possibility that a bishop who controlled a diocese would not move to his own diocese even after the announcement had begun…

Thud—

― Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain!

…was a little low, though.

I had been planning to go after them if they did not come—but the moment two figures appeared in front of the open door, I raised my wand at them and shouted. A booming explosion rang out as it struck the pitch-black defensive magic. My protocol had already been decided, and whether or not the two figures easily scattered my divine power, there was only one thing I could say in that instant.

“Destroy the levers!”

Amid overlapping explosions from where the desks had been thrown behind us, a quill and fountain pen shrouded in what looked like mist through the monocle burned away and disappeared.

“Levers destroyed!”

Someone shouted, and at the same time, the 1st Detachment commander roared, “Throw them!”

The sound of rain rushed into my ears. Maria’s sleeping drug, contained within orbs of mana, shattered the moment they struck the floor and scattered through the air.

I saw the two bishops draw their wands and aim them at us.

— Terra, terra, terra, audi sermonem Domini―! Confractione confringetur terra, contritione conteretur terra…

Neumann’s voice rumbled through the corridor.

And then, ah—I marveled.

Warm memories melted hardened skin. Light shone down over my head. Magical confetti flew above me.

For an instant, I was in the middle of an Easter festival.

BOOOOM―!

And then it disappears in an instant. The divine power radiating from my body dispels Sarah Hohenfels’s Special Ability.

I’ve been hit by it once. I’m not getting hit by it twice.

I had hurriedly made a large number of artifacts to counter Sarah Hohenfels’s attacks in case divine power failed, but that was beside the point. There was no reason for me to hesitate to use divine power here.

The Royal Army mages fiercely strike away dozens of branches of vitriol that come flying at us like snakes. With the warm gaze of a spring day, rivers and streams seek vitality and awaken from their winter sleep! A voice I had heard somewhere before. Sarah Hohenfels shouted without a hint of disturbance, her face filled with the composure befitting an archbishop—and then I watched my divine power completely restore my comrades’ vision. Everything overlaps within a single instant. Strangely, her spell produces neither black smoke nor liquid…

“Reinforce the barriers!”

I shouted until my throat nearly tore. The vitriol was splitting apart into fine strands, layering itself over our body barriers. They intended to melt through our defenses and wipe us out in an instant.

And then—

BOOOOM―! CRACK―!

An earthquake struck.

The walls collapsed whole, breaking apart without even losing their shape. In the wake of the storm, I saw for the first time just how horribly the wooden floor of the bishop’s residence could be destroyed.

The ceiling, too. The walls, too.

Plant stems sprouted from every corner still filled with dust and split apart the plastered walls, bringing them crashing down. Even with the mana of dozens of mages chaining together and obscuring my vision, the scene was unmistakable.

While even some of the Royal Army mages were thrown into panic by the collapse, the stems lunged toward the two bishops.

The bishops were in the isolated area beyond the door, while we were in the hall directly in front of it.

In the instant I closed and opened my eyes once more—

— If you remain in me and my words remain in you.

The same spell reverberated dozens of times from behind me along with my incantation. Dozens of mages chanted the same spell.

The plant stems seized the two bishops by the waist, neck, and limbs.

Ah. The hands they had thrust into the air turned toward their necks and arms.

The brief opening we had secured was a glimmer of hope.

The stems began to dissolve under the vitriol.

Even in this dire situation, Sarah Hohenfels clasped both hands together and closed her eyes. With a face both gentle and resolute, as though praying to Christ, she spoke.

— The waning winter retreats into the rugged mountains, stripped of its strength―

— Ask whatever you wish!

— Terra, terra, terra, audi sermonem Domini―!

— …the sun shall tolerate no white light.

Baaaang!

The divine power comes to a complete halt.

In the instant before even a second has passed, Sarah Hohenfels looks around at the mana frozen in place all around them and tears apart Leonard’s plant vines with her bare hands. The halted mana has lost all aggression, like fireflies suspended in the air―but Leonard’s Special Ability does not stop even under her spell. It charges at them ferociously once more.

A moment of silence and a sharp rush of air, followed by another barrage of light and noise.

While Leonard’s attention is fixed on the formidable Sarah Hohenfels, I keep my eyes on the Bishop of Eichstätt. The two bishops defend against the Kingdom Army mages’ offensive spells, occasionally sending attacks right at Neumann and me to throw us off.

Neumann shouts, “There’s no opening to set up the spatial spell!”

“Keep trying! Everyone, listen. The Bishop of Eichstätt is planning to flee.”

I speak through the soundproofing spell, making sure my words reach the mages through the artifacts on their right ears. Before I can even finish speaking, some of the blinding light that had been crashing toward us hard enough to make our eyes sting is redirected toward the Bishop of Eichstätt.

Their faces remain calm, but they are being pushed back. No matter how unusually aggressive the vitriol is, it would be difficult for dozens of people to keep up an assault without giving them even enough time to cast a single spell.

— You’re a hopeless liar and a sophist.

Sarah Hohenfels’s dry voice pierces my mind.

My eyes widen at the sight that suddenly replaces my vision.

Mountains. Forests. A city―why?

The wind is blowing from the east. The dark sky suddenly brightens, as though a barrier has been swept away.

More importantly, the bishop’s residence is gone.

What appears before my eyes now is an unfamiliar village. No, a strange village bordering an urban area.

How?

What do you mean, how? The bishop’s residence was merely a building overlaid onto the space. The place where its coordinate system was installed was not actually the bishop’s residence.

Hadn’t I already known that?

If so, then…

They must have decided to hold the lives of Bavaria’s citizens hostage because they could no longer win on their own and had lost their way back to the leadership.

That way, they could hold us back!

Nuremberg. Leonard mouths the word, his gaze turning fierce. At the same time, the commander of the 1st Detachment, who had originally been a regimental commander, speaks.

“Your Excellency, it’s Nuremberg! Nuremberg is only 300 meters farther north from here!”

The 10th Infantry Brigade stationed in Bayreuth had ended up in Nuremberg…

This is getting interesting.

Still, all these places were close to one another, and the mages from the old Nuremberg noble families had all been assigned to the 10th Infantry Brigade. They had even trained together in the area, so I decided to trust them.

I run my tongue along the inside of my lip and shout, “They’re going to flee into the city center. Don’t stop them!”

“What?!”

“They’ll assume that we’ll obviously try to keep them out of the city center. In battle, trying to pursue two objectives at once usually means you end up losing both.”

As soon as I finish speaking, Leonard addresses the mages in a low voice.

“Don’t block their path. Just make sure the Archbishop of Bamberg doesn’t survive.”

He was right. In any case, we had temporarily distorted the coordinate system of the Kingdom of Bavaria, so even if they knew Bavaria’s warp coordinates, they had no way to warp. The problem was that, as mages, they could still escape very easily without warping—

I shouted at the Royal Army mages.

“Pursue them!”

The mages’ mana surged northward. At 6:08, with Bamberg gradually turning red beneath the evening sky, the town could no longer conceal the vivid blue of our magical assault. Screams began to overlap throughout the already-frozen town.

Wait—the Pleroma broadcast wasn’t visible in the sky anymore, for some reason.

I switched my staff to a wand and recited the spell.

― Commit your way to the LORD.

Someone among the residents was beginning to recognize me. Nikolaus Ernst, the crown prince, the murmurs, the wind, the sunset—every element of the world was distracting me.

― Trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun!

Thousands of clusters of light shot toward the place I had aimed at. Divine power burst from the tip of my wand, filling the surroundings with light as bright as day.

— Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes!

The light that shot forth like an arrow gathered in the distance. It did not scatter, instead stopping in place until the area around it became difficult to see.

Then it vanished almost immediately.

Had the vitriol consumed it? Ah. Of course it had.

I recited the spell once more toward the place where the clusters of light had been. The Royal Army mages were already rushing north. In the distance, the pitch-black forest thrashed violently as though it had a will of its own.

Leonard’s work, most likely.

Screams erupted from all directions. Amid the screams slowly scraping at my ears, I narrowed one eye, aimed my wand, and whispered.

― I have come to bring fire on the earth.

“Sir Ernst! In the sky—”

― And how I wish it were already kindled.

The terrified cries of those who had recognized me shook my ears. No light or sound returned as a reaction to the spell. But the spell must have inflicted pain on the bishops’ bodies.

I wasn’t merely believing that I had aimed accurately.

I could see that I had.

The Royal Army mages were almost upon the bishops.

“Ah!”

Someone shouted, and I looked up.

The sky had darkened.

The screams and cries of terrified children spread throughout the town. A gigantic figure with its face hidden beneath a white cloth was projected translucently across the sky.

An overwhelming sense of pressure seized my entire body.

I had never seen anything so enormous in the sky before.

Neither had anyone else.

[You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.¹]

It wasn’t a spell. The solemn voice of ‘someone’ slowly drifted through the air.

Ah. With my mouth hanging open, I finally understood the question that had been nagging at me.

[Dear brothers, on this day in 1898, we finally speak to our brothers.]

Now I understood why those bishops had arrived at the residence five minutes late.

Until now, Pleroma had been warming up the continent with an introduction, all for the people of Europe, so that everyone in the world would hear this news and turn their attention to it.

And now they were finally beginning to speak in earnest.

[Dear brothers, on this day in 1898, we finally speak to our brothers.]

Leonard Wittelsbach stared up at the sky with a frown, his mouth slightly open. He realized that this was a message being broadcast to everyone.

“Don’t stop! Keep pursuing them!”

He shouted, drawing strength from his entire body. Only then did the light of the world begin to return.

The Pleroma spoke, dressed like a pope with a white cloth draped over their face to conceal their identity.

[At last, we meet our brothers, who have been separated from one another by the misfortunes of this age. Surely today is a truly blessed and glorious first day, and no one can deny it. You, the children of Christ, are all brothers in faith, descendants of Abraham through faith, countless as the stars. We know that, in this age, we who are living witnesses of Christ, who will return before the Millennium, are regarded as nothing more than those who ceaselessly speak empty words, words that are vain and vain, and in which all things seem vain.]

Leonard Wittelsbach drew mana from the depths of a deep breath and shouted.

— May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!

— Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me—

— May ruin overtake them by surprise– may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin!

The Kingdom Army mages’ chain of spells rang out.

The Archbishop of Bamberg and the Bishop of Eichstätt headed toward Nuremberg through the forest. They were practically flying as they wrapped themselves in vitriol along the way.

Ernst’s command came through the artifact on the right.

— [Your Highness, I’ll pursue the Archbishop of Bamberg. Please take the Bishop of Eichstätt. 4th Detachment, 2nd Infantry Regiment, pursue the Bishop of Eichstätt!]

[The Empire’s slander against clear-sighted foresight blinds our brothers and turns us against those we long for like our own kin. This is by no means merely a conflict between Pleroma, Catholicism, and Protestantism. This age worships atheism and materialism by declaring them the essence of reason, severing humanity from its home. An age that has lost God will one day have everything in its hands yet lose the foundation that supports it, be consumed by emptiness, and stumble helplessly in peril.]

— [North! Encirclement Route 3!]

Nikolaus Ernst’s voice. He quickly gave chase. The Archbishop of Bamberg was heading toward Nuremberg. And the Bishop of Eichstätt?

[We have come to face this age of evil, and we have come to believe that pursuing such evil ourselves is what is right, what is knowledge, and what is truth. Thus Peter says this: ‘Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?”²’]

The Bishop of Eichstätt was doing the same.

Leonard Wittelsbach shouted as he struck away the fierce vitriol flying in from behind.

“4th Detachment, 2nd Infantry Regiment, change course! From now on, listen only to my orders. The Archbishop of Bamberg is heading toward Röttenbach in Nuremberg, to the west, while the Bishop of Eichstätt is heading east, toward Langwasser!”

[‘Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.’³]

“4th Detachment, move to temporary coordinates 554:899:200! Use the terrain to establish an encirclement in advance and report back. Go with Encirclement Route 4, but change it if necessary.”

[‘By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.’⁴]

His head was throbbing. The sound shook his whole body violently. Yet the mana sounded as though it were trapped in the sky rather than coming from the ground.

Leonard Wittelsbach pursued the Bishop of Eichstätt, who had begun using mana instead of vitriol to disrupt his position. In a pursuit, tactics came first and combat-magic technique second. So he watched the situation from the rear.

[I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.⁵Thus God promised that He would never again destroy us with water, and we would never again be destroyed by water. But because we have utterly forgotten the things of old, this age of injustice is hastening the day when we will be destroyed by fire. All things will collapse into ashes in a single day through fire. The wealth of the continent and the glory that seemed destined to last forever will be cut off beyond all hope of return on that day. Humanity will have to build everything anew, starting from nothing…]

BOOOM―!

Vitriol.

Vitriol flowed down like lava, corroding the buildings. The screams tightened around his heart. A divine power mage from the unit purified it, but Leonard didn’t know how long he could keep it up.

[We do not mean to say that our brothers are ignorant and unenlightened.]

“Your Highness!”

[Surely, Scripture tells us this:‘Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.’⁶]

The sacred-sounding voice recited Scripture. And on the ground, people screamed. The festive atmosphere of Easter had long since turned into one of the end times.

Leonard Wittelsbach heard the residents wailing.

“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us―⁷”

Leonard Wittelsbach approved and revised the strategy reports coming through the artifact. At the same time, he struck down every bit of vitriol the bishop scattered and hurled like blades from behind.

Grass, saplings, and enormous trees stretched across the places Leonard had passed, blocking the vitriol. Behind them, the faint sound of people reciting the Lord’s Prayer in terror could be heard.

“—And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever…⁸”

The voices he heard most clearly were the situation reports of his subordinates coming straight through the artifact. Given both his position and the artifact’s placement, they had to be.

After more than a decade of training, his hands reflexively caught and knocked away every bit of vitriol. He felt the grass sprouting beneath his feet and the paved roads being lifted and torn apart.

Everywhere he stepped, civilization was destroyed, and nature took its place.

The vitriol and Special Ability of the Bishop of Eichstätt kept pulling his mind away from the battle, but Leonard took out a pocketknife and cut the back of his own hand.

Just as he had two hours ago.

His mind cleared.

[Christ became human for our sake, and this was God’s plan to make us like Him. Through Jesus Christ, our countless descendants have been able to partake in the life of God, and Christ has led us into His realm. And today, God has granted us one more thing.]

One more thing? Leonard felt a sense of foreboding.

— [Your Highness, we have prevented the Bishop of Eichstätt from advancing west. Current casualties are 0 dead, 3 wounded, with 35 personnel still combat-capable. The bishop is continuing north. We have prevented damage to the center of the city!]

The report was encouraging. But Leonard did not allow himself to celebrate too soon.

Then a shocking announcement came.

[In addition to the biblical manuscripts discovered so far, we have discovered a new manuscript.]

Leonard’s eyes widened, his brow furrowing. Even so, he spoke to his subordinate.

“Drive him east if possible.”

— [Your Highness, there’s a lake to the north.]

“Driving him east will lead him into an endless forest.”

Ah. The other person inhaled as they understood what Leonard meant. Leonard continued.

“From there, I’ll take care of him myself.”

— [Understood, Your Highness.]

[It is believed to date to around the second century BC. Considering that the existing manuscripts of the Old Testament were produced in the first millennium, while the oldest New Testament manuscripts, theCodex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus⁹, were written in the fourth century, this manuscript comes from a very distant age indeed.]

They’re insane, Leonard Wittelsbach thought.

[By now, I imagine the world is boiling with the frenzied appetite of capitalism. For the sake of our brothers’ research, we are more than willing to reveal the location of these manuscripts. At the Dead Sea, there are caves at Ein Feshkha. Countless manuscripts remain in those caves, and we have made copies of all of them, so feel free to study them. But what we wish to speak of today is this: though you may be tempted by an unending passion for Christ to buy a ticket to the Ottoman Empire, you must first turn your attention to our declaration at this very moment.]

— [14th Detachment, head for Valznerweiherstraße!]

[Through the Ein Feshkha manuscripts, we have learned what we must do.]

There is nothing you should do except disappear from this world without a trace. Leonard Wittelsbach suppressed the urge to shout those words aloud.

[Therefore, from this moment on, we shall carry out exactly what the prophet of the Old Testament has newly proclaimed to us today. We know full well that we have been branded by this age as a wicked multitude. Therefore, we also know that our words today will be an act of wickedness, much like the council of the Jewish leaders who sent Christ down the path to His death. Yet the Ein Feshkha manuscripts tell us to do precisely this. They tell us that only by doing so can we become who we are meant to be. Brothers, Christ has come to the earth today.]

Crack— KABOOM—!

Leonard Wittelsbach raised his arm and spread out a massive barrier. The moment the vines broke free from the ground, they shot upward explosively. Deep green foliage blotted out part of the dim sunlight sinking along the horizon. Vitriol came hurtling down from the sky in the distance, melting into the plants. The screams of the residents of Nuremberg died down.

Was it the sense that something ominous was coming? Or was it the feeling that he had to know what they were supposed to do, setting every nerve in his body on edge? Or was it the sensation of battle bringing his blood to life? He could feel his blood surging through his body more violently than ever. No matter how much he used his ability, he felt no fatigue.

[Christ will refine the earth with fire and destroy us with fire. Yet the day when He will save us through that very fire of judgment is near. We must know Christ, and instead of sleeping like the others, we must remain awake and vigilant. Christ says in the New Testament, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’ And when He comes again, Christ has chosen to clothe Himself in that very promise. He also knows that the strict teachings concerning blood in the Old Testament have faded and been corrupted in this age, their essence forgotten until they have hardened into nothing more than a rejection of blood itself.]

Nonsense. None of that ever happened. Christ clothing Himself in that promise when He comes again? He had never heard such an expression in his life. And yet Leonard felt his steps growing slower and slower.

[Therefore, He has come to this age in the lowliest form.]

A chill ran down the back of his neck. He did not know why his heart was pounding so violently. He raised his hand, blocked another barrage of vitriol, and began breathing through his mouth.

[You all know very well the person who caused such a stir throughout our land more than a decade ago. You know the child who was despised for taking the blood of beasts and cutting out human hearts because of an incurable, wretched, and base disease. You all remember those ten-odd years when every person in the Empire, young or old, high or low in rank, without a single exception, despised his ignoble nature, while all the clergy joined their voices in lamenting that the world would fall into decline.]

Leonard froze in place.

Then he ran again.

He could not stop.

Leonard felt his heart pounding as though it were about to burst. He already knew what would be said next.

He knew how everything would unfold.

KABOOM—

The greenery thickens. The world ahead of where he stands is turning green. He erases every trace of civilization from the streets of Nuremberg. His Special Ability pulses in time with his heartbeat.

Leonard Wittelsbach looked up at the sky.

The white cloth of Pleroma, spread across the sky, rose and fell ever so slightly, over and over. The Pleroma speaker was still talking.

Even now.

At the center of the continent, watched by everyone, the speaker was creating his friend’s fate and putting it into words. Every other sound faded into the distance.

Never had he wanted time to stop as much as he did now.

[Today, Christ has manifested upon our land, lowering even a cradle filled with grace, wealth, and blessings to the lowest and humblest life, according to the nature He Himself chose. For more than a decade, we who wandered in search of Christ rebuked the lost child who seemed to be leading the world down a path of decadence, saying, ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.’]

And he said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’¹⁰

Translator Note

A small addition to the note from the previous chapter: Divisions, Units, and Detachments also appear in these chapters. Generally, the hierarchy goes Corps → Division → Brigade → Regiment, while units and detachments refer to smaller operational groups whose size and structure can vary depending on their role. A unit is a general term for an organized military group, while a detachment is a smaller group separated from a larger formation for a specific task or location. I’m still not particularly familiar with military organization myself, so I’ve had to do some research while translating these chapters. If anything in these notes is incorrect, please let me know!

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 ↩︎
2. 2 Peter 3:3-4 ↩︎
3. 2 Peter 3:4-5 ↩︎
4. 2 Peter 3:6-7 ↩︎
5. Genesis 9:11 ↩︎
6. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 ↩︎
7. Part of the Lord’s Prayer, based on the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6:12. ↩︎
8. Part of the Lord’s Prayer, too. ↩︎
9. Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus are two of the oldest, most complete 4th century handwritten copies of the Greek Bible and form the foundation of most modern biblical translations. ↩︎
10. ‘Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you’ is Mary’s words to Jesus in Luke 2:48, while ‘Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’ is Jesus’ reply in Luke 2:49. ↩︎