Chapter 222: The Seeds of Salvation

Few Hours Ago

Night’s thick curtain settled over Mount Ryogoku, cloaking the Grand Pavilion in cold, pitch-black darkness.

Inside his private sanctum, Roy stood alone by the tall arched window, his hands clasped firmly behind his back.

He maintained the withered, ancient facade of the Peerless Supreme Elder, his dark robes fluttering gently against the chill draft blowing through the open glass.

From the deepest corner of the room, the room’s ambient shadow writhed like living ink.

A slender figure stepped out from the darkness, her movements silent as a falling leaf.

Alisa, still cloaked in her elegant human disguise, dropped to one knee on the cold stone floor, bowing her head in deep reverence.

"My Lord," Alisa spoke softly, her voice melodic yet laden with solemn respect.

Roy did not turn around immediately, his golden-crimson eyes remaining fixed on the distant lights of the mountain passes below.

"Report, Alisa. What is the state of the cities?"

Alisa kept her head bowed as she began her report, her tone darkening with every word.

"The tyranny of the Paladins has escalated beyond measure, my Lord. The three major cities are living in constant terror.

The silver zealots roam the streets like unchecked beasts, fabricating heresy charges at the slightest whim.

Countless innocent mortals are being dragged off into their underground holding cells under the guise of ’investigations’... and not a single one has returned alive."

She paused, taking a quiet breath before continuing.

"They have already executed families in broad daylight, falsely framing them as followers of Lord Varanus to justify their bloodlust. The mortals cower in their homes, paralyzed by fear.

The reputation of the Church of the God of the Sky in this region is diminishing rapidly... yet those arrogant fools are too blind and self-righteous to even notice the hatred brewing beneath the surface."

Roy slowly turned around to face her.

A serene, faint smile rested on his borrowed, aged face as his golden-crimson eyes locked onto her kneeling form.

"You have done well monitoring them," Roy said calmly, stepping closer. "Tell me, Alisa... what do you wish for me to do?"

Alisa’s hands clenched into tight fists against her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly with suppressed rage. She raised her head, looking up into Roy’s eyes. "May this humble servant offer her personal opinion, my Lord?"

Roy gave a slow, approving nod. "Go ahead. Speak your mind."

"Thank you, my Lord," Alisa said, her amber eyes burning with an intense, bitter anger.

"I harbor absolute, unadulterated hatred for the Church of the God of the Sky. They dare point their bloody fingers at the sacred Church of the God of Beast, branding us as demonic heretics while they commit vile massacres across the land!

They act like divine judges, slaughtering helpless mortals all in the name of a righteous heresy investigation. I wish nothing more than for every last one of those damned fanatics to be dragged into the deepest abyss and judged for their crimes!"

Roy watched her passionate outburst without a single flicker of annoyance.

Instead, his smile widened just a fraction, a warm, understanding glint flashing in his eyes.

"Your hatred is completely justified, Alisa," Roy spoke smoothly, his voice calm and reassuring.

"And you need not worry. I have already planned out the exact sequence of their destruction."

Roy turned back toward the open window, his gaze cutting through the vast dark night, aiming directly toward the shimmering horizon where Jayrel City lay.

"Send word to Grand Chancellor Manuses," Roy commanded, his tone dropping into a chilling, absolute register that made the air inside the room freeze.

"Let Manuses hunt down and slaughter every Paladin patrolling Jayrel City. Those Paladin deaths must be brutally horrific, torn apart in ways that strike absolute horror into the hearts of their commanders."

Roy’s lips curled into a faint, ruthless smile.

"However... there must not be a single trace of Manuses’ involvement. Leave no magical signatures, no beastial traces, and no evidence of his work whatsoever."

Alisa blinked, her eyes widening slightly as she caught the terrifying brilliant logic behind the command.

"Without an enemy to target, those damned bastards will go completely insane with panic and rage," Roy explained softly, his voice echoing like a quiet death knell.

"They will assume the hidden heresy has taken deep root within the city’s populace.

They will tear through Jayrel City, unleashing their fury upon the citizens and slaughtering thousands of mortals in a desperate, blind attempt to flush out the killers."

Roy raised a hand, making a slow, crushing gesture in the air.

"Let them become more aggressive. Let them spread absolute terror through unchecked violence. Let them utterly ruin any lingering chance of ever ruling over these lands," Roy declared, his golden-crimson eyes gleaming with dark, masterful calculation.

"And when the people have reached the absolute depths of despair, broken under the heel of the Sky God’s holy tyranny... the Church of the God of Beast will step out from the light as their sole saviors."

He lowered his hand, his eyes burning bright.

"We will come to their rescue, slay the oppressors, and liberate the Northern Hashian Mountains forever. The mortals will not just accept us... they will worship Lord Varanus as their true protector."

Alisa listened in awe, her heart pounding against her ribs.

The pure, terrifying scope of Roy’s grand strategy left her breathless.

"By your absolute will, my Lord," Alisa bowed her head deeply.

However, instead of vanishing back into the shadows immediately, she remained on her knee, her expression torn with subtle hesitation.

She slowly raised her head again, her eyebrows knitted together.

"My Lord... may I ask one question?" Alisa asked softly.

Roy’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, a touch of curious interest entering his gaze.

"Go on."

Alisa swallowed hard, her voice wavering with a rare touch of vulnerability. "Is... is sacrificing thousands of mundane mortals truly necessary for this plan to work? Those people... they are weak, innocent, and completely ignorant of the wars between gods. Is there no other way?"

Roy looked down at her.

He let out a long, quiet sigh, the heavy weight of an ancient strategist lingering in his breath.

A gentle, almost consoling smile softened his sharp features as he stepped forward, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"I understand your pity, Alisa," Roy spoke softly, his tone dripping with profound, gentle conviction.

"It is natural to feel compassion for the weak. But you must understand... the followers of the God of the Sky are an absolute, uncompromising evil. Their hypocrisy and zealotry run far too deep into the roots of this world."

He squeezed her shoulder gently, his golden-crimson eyes holding hers with absolute certainty.

"If we do not allow them to expose their true, vile nature to the entire world, the people will always be deceived by their holy light.

Thousands may perish in the coming storm, Alisa... but their sacrifice will break the holy church’s hold over millions forever. This is the only way to grant these lands true, lasting salvation."

Alisa looked into Roy’s unwavering eyes, the doubt in her heart instantly evaporating into dust, replaced by absolute, unquestioning faith.

"I understand, my Lord," Alisa whispered, her voice resolute once more. "I shall deliver your order to Grand Chancellor Manuses at once."

With a final bow, her form dissolved into the shadows, leaving Roy standing alone at the window, staring out at the doomed city in the distance.