CHAPTER 49: UPHEAVAL

“The Anointed One has descended?” Archbishop Ivor let out a low exclamation, hastily ending his speech and hurrying away from the crowd. He was visibly flustered, but the people didn’t notice anything amiss and continued singing and dancing, celebrating what was the most wonderful day in Enrod’s history.

Ivor entered his office in the headquarters and ordered all four Bishops to assemble. After a while, only three arrived.

“Where’s Sean? Why didn’t he attend the gathering?” Ivor frowned. Sean had rarely shown himself these past few days.

“He’s at the Holy Gate. Tonight is a crucial time. He doesn’t want anything to go wrong in the last moment.” One of the bishops spoke up for Sean.

Ivor nodded. While not fully convinced, he accepted the explanation. They had already taken ninety-nine steps; they couldn’t afford to stumble on the final step.

However, rather than believing that Sean was exercising caution, he rather believed that Sean was sucking up to the Lord of the Void, guarding the divine statue up close to curry favor with their master.

Hah, you think you’re clever? But Master has already given me a new mission. With the Anointed One’s descent, you’ll never match my position in the church, no matter how humble and devout you act, let alone compare to the Anointed One.

Ivor felt a strong envy. He had put in so much effort for Master, but his status would be inferior to someone who came out of nowhere. For a moment, his head felt heavy with the dejected feeling of an old love being cast aside and replaced by a new favorite.

Even so, Ivor remained utterly loyal. He put aside his disappointment and said to the three bishops, “There’s been a change of plans. We need to begin the sacrificial ritual early.”

“Why?”

“Are there enemies invading?”

The three bishops were puzzled.

“There is indeed a little mouse, but it’s not worth fearing. Even left alone, it can’t stir up much trouble.”

Ivor thought back to the mysterious intruder who had spied on him. Their use of their messenger bird was crude and clumsy, and calling them a beginner would be generous. He didn’t take the small fry seriously, instead saying, “Just now, I received a divine oracle from Master Void. The Anointed One has descended and is somewhere near Enrod.”

“What?!”

“The Anointed One has descended...”

The three bishops’ faces lit up with joy. Though they weren’t clear what the Anointed One represented or what position he would hold in the church, Master Void personally delivering an oracle was undoubtedly good news for the Geocentrism Sect.

They lived and died by the sect, and their faith and interests were dependent on it. Their brains conjured the wonderful prospects of their future after the Anointed One’s descent.

Ivor took in their expressions, feeling even more jealous of the Anointed One. He hid it under a poker face and said bluntly, “Don’t celebrate yet. The Anointed One has just descended and is confused about himself and the future. He’s gone astray, displeasing Master Void...”

“Master Void ordered us to bring the Anointed One to the Holy Gate as soon as possible. He wants to guide the wayward Anointed One in the right direction personally.”

The three bishops flushed red, too overwhelmed by excitement to speak coherently for a moment. Master Void would descend today! Being able to witness the moment firsthand was a great honor that left them proud and dazed.

“Mark, come with me to the Holy Gate to sacrifice the prisoners and awaken the Underground King, rousing its children. Kent and Melville, bring back the Anointed One. Spare no effort and do whatever is necessary.”

He shared the location with them and instructed, “Listen carefully. Master Void’s command is to bring the Anointed One here at any cost. Even if today’s sacrifice fails, the Anointed One has to be brought back.”

Kent and Melville bowed in acknowledgement, their expressions turning bitter. The Anointed One would enjoy great status and wield great power in the future. Whether he would stand as an equal with the Archbishop was yet unclear, but he could certainly lord it over the two of them. The Archbishop didn’t want to play the bad guy and offend the Anointed One, so he had them do the dirty work.

What’s so great about you? When the Anointed One comes, Master Void will only speak to him. You old fart will sooner or later lose your status.

Just wait until I latch onto the Anointed One’s thigh and show you!

Sharing the same thought, Kent and Melville turned to leave. They gathered thirty devout followers and formed a modest honor guard, even borrowing the luxury cars of the mayor and other high officials.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Ivor and Bishop Mark arrived at the chicken farm. They entered through the back door and took the passage exclusive to them, taking an elevator directly to the underground courtyard rather than crawling through tunnels.

The courtyard was as usual—guards at their posts, everyone busy with their work.

Ivor first offered sincere prayers to the statue in the center of the fountain, and then he ordered the guards to bring up the prisoners held in the jail.

“They aren’t here. They’ve been transferred to another prison for detention...”

What other prison do we have here? The police station?

Ivor was surprised to learn that it had been Sean’s order. He flew into a rage and had the guards relay a message to the Bishop. Demanding that he explain his actions before Master Void’s statue.

Leaders never walked. Even if their subordinates were right next door, they required them to come rather than the other way around.

Soon, Sean emerged from his office, head bowed and back bent as he quickly approached Ivor. Facing the Archbishop’s scolding, Sean acknowledged his mistake and accepted punishment, not daring to talk back.

His sincere attitude appeased Ivor somewhat. He said no more and didn’t ask where the prisoners had been transferred. They were just nobodies. If Sean had killed them, so be it. The underground courtyard was never short of sacrifices. They could just grab a few guards and throw them down.

“Sean, I’ve heard Master Void’s oracle. The Anointed One has descended. Prepare yourself. We must advance the plan and start the ritual immediately to awaken the Underground King’s children.”

Sean stiffened and asked in surprise, “Who’s the Anointed One? Why haven’t we heard of him?”

“That’s not your concern. Begin the ritual immediately. Do you hear me?” Ivor’s voice grew stern.

“Archbishop, I’m not questioning your orders, but I, too, have heard Master Void’s oracle. He said...”

Sean lifted his head, pulling back the hood covering his face, revealing the red-capped, white-stemmed mushroom.

Ivor and Mark froze in shock. Before either could say anything, Sean clutched his head and let out a blood-curdling wail of pain.

His body rapidly lost moisture, his skin shrinking suddenly. His face became shriveled and dried like a tree’s bark, his eyes bulging and his gums exposed. His hair quickly turned white. On the other hand, the mushroom on his head swelled dramatically. With a loud noise, it burst, scattering countless green particles in all directions, which drifted to every corner of the courtyard.

The upheaval happened so quickly and at such a close distance that Bishop Mark couldn’t cast magical defenses in time. Instead, he shielded himself with the sleeve of the robe, backing away.

Thud!

A kick to his rear sent him falling face-first into the green dust. The particles bored into his body through his mouth, nose, and pores like living things. He screamed as the spores parasitized him, leading to vines sprouting from his body. Each green leaf that unfurled and stretched consumed a portion of his vitality.

In only a moment, he withered into a mummy. The plants had drained all his nutrients, and like Sean, his body cracked and crumbled to the ground, turning to dust.

Dust and green leaves. An old life nurtured new growth.

Ivor’s pupils contracted. If he hadn’t kicked Mark into stepping up in the last second, he would’ve met the same fate. Even so, many spores had gotten onto him from the close-range sneak attack. One sleeve had turned green, and his entire right arm was going numb as vines sprouted.

Around the courtyard, many guards had collapsed to the ground, screaming and writhing as their lives became fertilizer for the plants, turning the underground courtyard into a garden full of greenery.

Without hesitation, Ivor held his left fingers together into a knifehand and conjured wind blades around it, slicing off his right arm. Simultaneously, he breathed out a gale to sweep away the green smoke.

The gale swept across the courtyard, blowing the spores either to the walls and corners or to the tunnels around the courtyard’s perimeter, disposing of them outside. This was terrible news for the guards on the fringe. Many had luckily escaped the immediate disaster, but before they could thank Master Void for the luck, spores rained on them and turned them into fertile soil for plants.

Outside the courtyard, several unlucky guards on duty couldn’t get away in time and ended up blown off their feet by the whooshing draft through the tunnels, screaming as they plummeted into the bottomless abyss.

Thump, thump!

Like the rhythm of a heartbeat, patches of green light bloomed. A massive tentacle crawled and squirmed along the cliff face. Hearing the sound, Ivor’s grim expression brightened slightly. The enemy had been lying in wait for a long time, but he wasn’t completely unprepared, either. It wasn’t so easy to disrupt the sacrificial ritual.

He clutched his bleeding right arm and growled, “Come on out, heretic of Nature! The Underground King has awakened. Come and face your judgement. Welcome Master Void’s descent along with the town!”