Demos was confused by the unexpected word. Did the Blasphemia bastards find out about the Theistic Order?
No. They might have had a vague idea that there existed organizations akin to the ‘representatives’ of various sects, including the Pope.
But knowing that such an organization exists and knowing its specific name are two very different things.
The existence of the Theistic Order is one of the greatest secrets among the followers of the gods. Even those who have officially become priests wouldn’t know the name unless they were deemed trustworthy.
Yet how did this person…?
“The problem doesn’t end there…”
He clearly claimed to possess Phobos’s sacred artifact. How could Blasphemia have obtained a holy relic, and why did it choose him?
In the midst of his confusion, Ortes spoke.
“An impostor, I see.”
“Hmph, you’re jumping to conclusions. Unless you show me the artifact directly, I cannot believe you.”
“It’s simple. Right now—”
Suddenly, Ortes stopped moving. Was this a deception meant to prepare for an ambush?
However, something seemed off. Several seconds had passed, yet no attack came. Demos stood with his fists raised, watching Ortes closely.
Ah.
That thing—I gave it to Carisia.
I wasn’t flustered. I’m used to thinking on my feet. So…
“Oops, a sudden insight came to me: You shouldn’t be shown the sacred artifact.”
“Playing at being a prophet? Hah. Anyway, whether you’re an impostor or not, it’s a fifty-fifty chance. Just guessing correctly doesn’t prove anything—”
“If the Theistic Order had truly aimed for victory, they would’ve done everything in their power. You’re a priest of Enyalius, the war god. But isn’t there another war god?”
The priest fell silent. In the original story, tales of the gods aren’t dealt with in much detail. But I have knowledge accumulated from raiding Blasphemia branches.
According to Blasphemia’s research, the deity known as the war god usually refers to two entities. One is Enyalius, symbolizing the most primal aspect of war—violence. The other is Glaupicos, representing the tactical wisdom of war.
If the Theistic Order truly sought victory, they would have dispatched both forces: Glaupicos of tactics and Enyalius of violence.
“But I don’t see any priests of Glaupicos. Do you understand now?”
Demos felt his mind growing more and more confused. For outsiders to know the name of the Theistic Order is shocking enough.
And for them to so thoroughly understand the sect’s conduct?
‘Is this really foresight granted by Phobos’s artifact? But if Blasphemia has been chosen by the artifact…?’
“I am called by many names.”
The ever-smiling man murmured.
“My titles are numerous, but here, introducing myself as ‘the Enemy of the Ten Towers’ seems most appropriate.”
“Blasphemia being the enemy of the Ten Towers? That’s laughable nonsense!”
“They also call me Blasphemia. But even that isn’t my true name.”
A snake-like, ominous gaze flickered as he nodded. Was this a signal for an ambush?
No. There was no one around except himself, the man, and the hostage girl.
At that moment, the hostage girl slowly raised her left index finger. A violet energy condensed at its tip. A whiff of grape fragrance brushed past Demos’s nose.
“Bacchus…!”
“That’s enough. Doing more might alert the Ten Towers.”
The grape fragrance emanating from the girl’s finger dissipated. So…
“This little one, she’s a priest of Bacchus?”
‘I heard the Bacchus Cult disappeared recently. Didn’t they get wiped out by Blasphemia?!’
Demos looked at the man again. His eyes, half-closed yet piercing, were they the quirk of a seer who sees both the future and the present?
“…No. I’ve met the head of the Phobos Sect, and someone like you wasn’t there.”
“The priests of Phobos sometimes see different futures. If the high priest saw a future different from what you saw, which one would you believe?”
“Who are you?”
“For now, just call me the Enemy of the Ten Towers. Like yourself.”
Given the clear collaboration between the girl wielding Bacchus’s divine power and this man, Demos couldn’t outright deny his claims. He pieced together clues to guess the man’s identity.
Enemy of the Ten Towers, and furthermore…
‘Prophet of Phobos…!’
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Demos asked as calmly as possible.
“I have one last question. Why does the Enemy of the Ten Towers operate under the guise of Blasphemia?”
“Who are the ones who oppress and k*ll sects the most?”
“Of course, Blasphemia.”
“Even if I go around warning sects about the future, some will inevitably fall prey to others they can’t avoid. But if I infiltrate Blasphemia and feed them false information, subtly controlling their actions?”
More lives could be saved. Though frowning, Demos nodded in agreement.
“The logic… holds.”
“Then let’s move on to the main topic.”
Clap. The Prophet of Phobos clapped his hands together.
Phew. Success.
Thankfully, I instructed Kine to follow via text just in case. Always good to have a Plan B.
“Ah, send that child back. It’s clear she’s not an enemy, right?”
“I’m not like Blasphemia. I only said that; I don’t have a habit of killing kids.”
Despite grumbling, the priest of Enyalius sent Kine away.
“First, let me address your biggest question. Where did the captured believers go?”
I pointed to the ruins.
“That answers your question.”
“What?”
“If you infiltrated during the chaos of Elysion, you must’ve heard the announcement from the infiltrators calling themselves ‘Argyreion.'”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything? It was Blasphemia’s skill that tracked and found our sect’s hideout.”
“The leadership of Argyreion consists of Blasphemia agents who have become infiltrators.”
The priest stiffened. To him, Argyreion was probably seen as an enemy of the Ten Towers—an enemy’s enemy, meaning someone who could potentially be utilized despite mutual distrust.
But if Argyreion was originally Blasphemia, compromise was impossible. It wasn’t an ally against a common enemy; it was simply another enemy added to the list.
I roughly guessed how the members of the sect disappeared.
Carisia once deduced that the talent injected into Sikton’s brain was a rehearsal for the Elysion terror attack.
So why did Argyreion choose the vanished sect as a testing ground?
The reason was simple.
They were a group that could be abducted and killed without raising suspicion.
If Argyreion abducted people from any random city, it would inevitably attract attention. The regional Magic Towers would start investigations, complicating matters for Argyreion.
But the missing sect?
Killing them off would be blamed on Blasphemia. Few would question the disappearance of a few superstitious groups—they might even celebrate.
The group with the least risk associated with abductions.
Just as Sikton was used to test the talent, choosing the sect’s followers as the first hosts for infiltration into Elysion made perfect sense.
I summarized this reasoning as briefly as possible.
“Argyreion is a group of infiltrators retaining the skills and information of Blasphemia. The sect was the easiest group to obtain hosts for this talent terror attack.”
The priest’s face, previously red with anger, turned pale.
“The captured people!”
“The terror attack has already happened. Most of them have likely been consumed.”
Thud. The priest collapsed, his legs giving way.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
His cries of anguish echoed. Though painful, I couldn’t afford to let him wallow in grief.
“Listen carefully. I’ll tell you what you need to do next.”
“My sister! My sister!”
“If you continue to wallow in despair, all that awaits is the loss of more people in the future.”
Demos looked up. Ortes stood facing him, bathed in sunlight.
The image of the god Phobos came to his mind. Phobos, the far-seeing, the highest, is also the sun god.
The sun hid his face, leaving only his blue eyes glowing in the shadows. In the backlight, the Prophet of Phobos spoke.
“Argyreion will be your enemy. By opening portals to other dimensions through evil research, they wiped out the Bacchus Cult. This girl was the only life I could save.”
“It’s a danger threatening every sect allied with the Theistic Order. So, priest of Enyalius, rise from your despair. Don’t cover your eyes with your hands; clench your fists instead.”
Grinding his teeth, Demos struggled to his feet.
“What should I do?”
“I know what Argyreion plans to do next. Relay this information to the Theistic Order.”
Argyreion is using this terror attack to buy time to conceal their base. Therefore, we cannot allow all the hosts to be captured here.
Fortunately, Elysion has a Magitech Train station connecting to locations worldwide.
“At the conclusion of this terror attack, they’ll announce that they’ve spread the hosts across the world.”
“How? Blasphemia agents are currently hunting infiltrators throughout Elysion. You know their capabilities better than anyone.”
“Magitech Trains. Before making their announcement, they must have already mixed the hosts among the passengers. Once this is revealed, the Ten Towers will have no choice but to divert resources to track down the hosts. This gives Argyreion time to regroup.”
“…”
“One advantage terrorists have over the Ten Towers is the ability to choose when to strike. By the time they initiate the attack, their real objective may have already been achieved. The additional attacks were merely for dramatic effect.”
This conclusion came after pondering why they staged such a large-scale terror attack.
The Argyreion officer dispatched to Elysion was essentially a decoy, and the true purpose was to create a smokescreen to distract the Ten Towers.
“The Theistic Order could become a variable in this conflict. Either add momentum to discovering Argyreion’s base, or sacrifice believers to inflate Argyreion’s strength so they can fight the Ten Towers to the d*ath.”
“Sacrifice believers?! Do you think I’d allow that?”
“Would you allow it? What about the will of the Theistic Order?”
The priest of Enyalius fell silent.
That’s settled. I scribbled an email address on a piece of paper and handed it to the priest.
“If the Theistic Order decides to aim for Argyreion’s destruction, let me know. This email belongs to a Blasphemia agent of Rank L13—one of the names used to summon me.”
After the priest of Enyalius took the note Ortes offered and left, Kine asked in a trembling voice,
“D-do you really… are you the Prophet of Phobos?”
Predicting the destruction of the Bacchus Cult and reciting Argyreion’s moves as if foreseen.
From the moment he arrived until now, everything followed Ortes’s plan.
A prescience so precise it could rival the head of the Phobos Sect.
Upon hearing Kine’s question, Ortes massaged his temples.
“Miss Kine.”
“…Yes.”
“You’ll get taken advantage of by bad adults if you’re this naive. Let’s go see the Chairman.”
