Chapter 585: Consequences and Conflicts [2]

[An Unknown Base of the Church]

In a room that looked like a chamber taken from a prison, multiple people sat around a round table.

Every single one of them would be respected and admired in the real world.

Beings who ranked among the highest in the Church of all three Gods.

First was Zekiel Michael, the current Head of the Michael Family. His sharp golden eyes remained closed while he leaned back in his chair.

Beside him was Lady Seraphina Uriel, wearing a flowing gown that shimmered like sunlight.

And then Head Caldus Raguel, gaunt and stern, whose presence weighed down on the room much more heavily.

Along with them were two more, the Holy Lady Irisveil and her apprentice Helena.

And finally, on the other end of the table opposite Michael sat a woman with long golden hair streaked with platinum.

She had bright golden eyes that glowed without any sunlight.

Ashlyn held the staff in her hand tightly, with her gaze drifting downward.

"The First Dragon, Morningstar..." Zekiel Michael was the first to break the silence. "...has asked the Church to work under him."

A silence settled between all those present in the room. They couldn’t wrap their minds around the audacity of the dragon.

To ask the Church, which had existed on Lumina for countless years, to essentially become his slave showed his arrogance.

"Is there anything we can do against him?" Lady Seraphina Uriel spoke dejectedly. "If he wanted to, he could have flattened the Church by now."

"So, do you wish for us to grovel under him and accept his arrangements?" Caldus Raguel spoke haughtily. "Is this what our Church is worth?"

"What else can we do?" Seraphina barked back. "We can fool the general public, but do you really think we can stop him by mentioning the Primordial Gods?"

Her words turned hopeless, as though she were on the verge of giving up. "...Gods who are unresponsive to their followers?"

The chamber fell into silence once again.

No one refuted Seraphina’s words because every person seated around the table had prayed, and every prayer had been met with silence.

"...Enough." Zekiel finally opened his golden eyes. "We gathered because the Church has reached a crossroads."

The others listened to what Zekiel was saying more attentively.

The only God who was responding to prayers was Elohim, his Patron God.

His fingers slowly tapped against the polished stone table.

"Morningstar has given us three days. He demands that every Church on Lumina acknowledge his authority."

"He demands that we hunt every remaining associate of Himmel."

"And finally..."

A faint crease appeared on his forehead.

"...He demands that we reveal the location of every artifact connected to the Primordial Gods."

Every Primordial God had once created weapons for themselves.

Weapons capable of mass destruction.

It was unknown what the First Dragon planned to do with all those weapons, but everyone was sure it wasn’t going to be pretty.

Ashlyn, who had remained silent all this time, looked up with her golden eyes. "...Are you going to betray Himmel?"

Silence lingered as no one came forward to give a clear answer.

Even though the young woman had the least authority on paper, she was still a prominent and well-loved figure in the Church.

Being the reincarnation of the Angel Gabriel gave her more than enough authority to question them.

"It’s still unknown where Himmel is." Irisveil spoke gently, her eyes covered with a cloth. "We haven’t even found anyone who was with him yet."

Ashlyn slowly tightened her grip around the white staff resting beside her chair.

"...That wasn’t my question." Her calm voice echoed throughout the chamber. "I asked, are you going to betray him?"

Zekiel quietly observed Ashlyn for several moments before speaking.

"If standing against the fallen can save the Church, then I have no problem with casting him aside."

"...I see."

The girl whispered softly. The orbs decorating her staff began to glow with a red hue.

The girl was conjuring a spell, and not a small one.

"You are in the presence of three Demigods." Zekiel kept staring at her. "Don’t do anything foolish that you might regret later."

Helena, who had been more of a bystander in the conversation, decided to chime in as well.

"If you go against the Church now, then you will lose Himmel for good." She said, looking at the young woman. "If you stay, you still have a chance of freeing him if we ever catch him."

The golden-haired lady looked at the woman with the veil covering her face before she relaxed a little.

The orbs turned back to white as Ashlyn leaned back. "Pardon my outburst."

A sigh of relief quietly escaped Helena.

For a brief moment, she had truly believed Ashlyn was about to attack.

Even Caldus slowly unclenched the hand resting beneath the table.

Only Zekiel continued watching her without lowering his guard.

"...Good." He folded his hands together. "I am glad reason prevailed."

Ashlyn lowered her eyes. "So am I."

The meeting resumed.

"The artifacts are our highest priority," Zekiel continued. "Whether we obey Morningstar or oppose him, they cannot fall into his hands."

Seraphina nodded. "I’ll have every cathedral begin relocating their vaults immediately."

"And the associates of Himmel?" Caldus asked.

"We will issue warrants. They are to be captured alive whenever possible."

Ashlyn remained silent throughout the discussion, her gaze fixed on her lap.

"We only need to hold our own for a month or two." Zekiel spoke, standing up from his chair. "Once the barrier breaks, our Gods will come to save us."

The other two Heads did not look too convinced by his words.

Having met with nothing but silence had taken a really big toll on their confidence.

Finally, Zekiel left the place, followed by Seraphina and then Caldus.

Once the Heads were gone, the two Holy Ladies let out a sigh of relief.

Ashlyn quietly stepped into the corridor, the white staff tapping softly against the polished floor.

Helena hurried after her.

The heavy stone door closed behind them, leaving the arguments of the Church leaders behind.

For a while, neither of them spoke before Helena couldn’t stop herself from putting herself into the conversation as she smiled faintly.

"...That was brave."

Ashlyn glanced at her.

"You stood up for the man you love." Helena continued. "Not many people would have dared to do that in front of three Demigods."

Ashlyn looked ahead once more. "...He doesn’t love me."

There wasn’t any bitterness in her voice, but there was no doubt it carried a longing that was hard to ignore.

Helena slowed her steps. "...And what about you?"

Ashlyn remained silent. Only her footsteps continued echoing through the empty hallway.

She neither denied it nor admitted it.

Seeing that silence, Helena smiled helplessly. "...I suppose that answers my question."

She decided not to press further, the clever girl quickly changed the subject. "I wanted to bring Arianell with me."

Ashlyn finally looked at her. "The former princess?"

Helena nodded.

"She insisted on coming." A small laugh escaped her. "She said she was tired of sitting around while everyone else was risking their lives."

"...That sounds like her."

A faint smile finally appeared on Ashlyn’s face.

For only a brief moment, the girl remembered the academy and the classroom.

The time when she was just an innocent girl who had found her Prince Charming.

"Too bad I couldn’t bring her." Helena sighed. "This base must remain secret."

Ashlyn slowly nodded. "It was the correct decision."

Even so, a trace of longing appeared within her golden eyes.

She hadn’t seen Arianell in a very long time.

She wondered whether her old classmate was safe.

Whether she had managed to escape the chaos consuming Lumina.

The two women continued walking side by side through the endless corridors.

It was only then that something made them pause.

"IF I FIND HIM..."

A thunderous voice suddenly echoed throughout the entire headquarters.

"I WILL KILL HIM MYSELF!!"

Ashlyn abruptly stopped, her gaze shifting toward the voice.

"...Ethan."

The Avatar of Elohim, whose voice she recognized immediately.

Helena frowned. "What happened now?"

Another furious shout echoed through the halls.

"If killing Himmel is what it takes to protect humanity, then I’ll be the one to swing the sword!"

Ashlyn’s fingers slowly tightened around her white staff.

The wood creaked beneath her grip.

Helena looked toward the direction of the shouting before letting out a weary sigh.

"...He’s arguing with the elders again."

But Ashlyn wasn’t listening anymore.

Her golden eyes had become frighteningly calm.

It took a lot for the woman to turn around and walk away.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to kill Ethan, but the boy was nothing more than a pest who wasn’t even strong enough to touch Himmel’s hair.

Still, she couldn’t help but worry about her childhood friend. "...Where have you gone, Azraiah?"

But as she walked, she didn’t notice a presence that was keeping an eye on her.

A presence that was so close to Himmel that the boy would recognize it in mere seconds.

A presence that was also trying to find Himmel.