The headquarter of the Celestial Church was a floating domain located above the Holy Continent's highest mountain at more than fifty thousand meters of altitude. Therefore, the Tower's light screen didn't reach it.
However, the legions of disciples and priests that occupied the mountain range were now cut from the headquarters. Or more precisely, cut from the leadership of the Divine Rank Experts.
At first, when the Tower's light screen ejected them all from the Holy Continent, the Celestial and Infernal Elders believed Konrad's words exaggerated. But following a brief analysis of the screen, they realized the seriousness of the situation.
"An Anti Divine Power ward. Without the caster's permission, anyone with divine power cannot step inside. Hateful! Incomparably hateful!"
The leading church elder exclaimed while slapping his thigh. And though the Celestial Church was the one suffering the harshest slap of face, the Infernal Cult elders couldn't take pleasure in their nemesis' misfortune. They went in to rescue captives and were exiled from the land in a single blow.
Now, Bayiz and the third elder's son's fates remained within that lunatic's hands. What was there to gloat about?
Meanwhile, Konrad's words still echoed within their minds. The third elder, in particular, could barely restrain himself.
"In three days, your juniors will be executed before the public. But in the meantime, they will be flayed one piece at a time, until only the meat beneath their skin remains."
Whether that so-called Mortal Avatar of the One True God was a madman, or not, fact remained that he now held the initiative, and if left unchecked, was free to do as he saw fit.
Reminiscing the sight of his son's charred body and imagining him getting flayed before a public of mortal ants, the third elder could no longer contain his emotions.
"Boy, don't lose yourself in complacency! Although your screen prevents Divine Rank experts from stepping into the Holy Rank, while maintaining it, you can't use the tower for anything else!
Meanwhile, our two factions each possess more than one-hundred Star Fusing Saints, three-hundred Star Manifesting Saints, and five-hundred Star Connecting Saints.
To say nothing of the dozens of Quasi-Sages, puppets, and legions of troops! Meanwhile, we can command the Barbarian Continent's tens of millions of soldiers to coordinate with us and lay waste on the Holy Continent!
With your cultivation alone, do you really think you can stop us all? If you know what's right for you, turn the hostages into shields and sue for peace!"
The third cult elder roared and carried by his vast Divine Force, his words echoed throughout the Ancient Crystal World.
And indeed, this time, they mirrored the thoughts of both the Celestial and Infernal Leaders. If Konrad insisted on shaming them to this extent, they didn't mind temporarily joining hands to put down his arrogance and exterminate anyone remotely connected to him.
The Infernal Cult Leader would act for his faction's prestige.
The Celestial Church Leader for both his faction and his son's life.
Neither believed that Konrad was so muddled as to risk a hopeless battle for a brief moment of elation. After all, with his Rising Saint cultivation now revealed, they didn't doubt that even without their Sages, they could take care of him.
"Although his bloodline is formidable, a Rising Saint is a Rising Saint. The bulk of his strength must come from his physiques. A high-grade, Mastered Holy Physique already makes him as powerful as a Star Fusing Saint.
Add to that a few Divine Physiques plus a dreadful bloodline, and today's result isn't hard to accept. However, with that alone, he cannot face our forces. Better than anyone, he should understand that.
Moreover, with his cultivation, his control over the tower should be minimal. This is probably as far as he can go. Perhaps he merely wished to threaten us into surrendering some benefits."
The Celestial Church Leader assessed, his words reassuring his wife who stood at his right.
However, Konrad's next words against startled them all.
"Hahahaha!
Sue for peace? Harebrained imbecile. Does a giant need to discuss peace with ants? Does a God need to bargain with mortals?
How bold!
How conceited!"
Konrad jeered, his words clearly echoing within the ears of his interlocutors. Else, Verena and even Yvonne were startled and failed to grasp why Konrad adopted such a crass, provocative stance.
"I have shown you enough leniency. Since you don't cherish my kindness, I naturally must enhance the punishment. The previous wasn't enough? No problem, I'm very creative.
Your lads will experience hell on earth and crave death from the bottom of their hearts. Only then, will I offer them due salvation. Your threats only serve to worsen how I treat them before their inexorable demise.
As for your troops? Joke! I am God! What need I fear from insignificant mortals?"
Konrad roared with his arms outstretched. And seeing this, the experts of both factions came to one conclusion.
"He's stark-raving-mad."
Unwilling to waste more of their breath, they turned into light beams and returned to their respective headquarters, ready to join hands to prepare the most dreadful assault in the history of the Ancient Crystal World!
Meanwhile, Gulistan, who stood before the light screen, finally understood the ploy.
"It's a trap. He wants them to dispatch troops. The more, the better, or so it seems. But what card does he still possesses that he doesn't fear such an armada and instead does everything possible to invite it?"
She wondered. Clearly, Konrad first laid out "his full arsenal" for all to see, then goaded the two factions into collaborating with a false display of madness and megalomania.
Not only her, but Verena, Yvonne, and Else all came to the same conclusion.
In a twister of golden light, Gulistan vanished and reappeared within house Serkar, before her father, Berken, who now stood on top of a tower, with his hands crossed beneath his back.
"What are your thoughts?"
Berken asked without turning toward Gulistan.
"The answer lies in what became of his demonic blood. I'm inclined to think he turned into some kind of nephilim.
That boy is as cruel as he is crafty. Since he dares invite a combined assault, he must have confidence in his ability to suppress it."
Gulistan replied.
"Now the question is…what do we do? If the cult leader wishes to dispatch troops, we can't easily stay out of this. But if we do join the war effort…I'm afraid we're sending our people into surefire destruction."
Hearing this, Berken sneered.
"And whose fault is that?"
Before such an inquiry, Gulistan could only give a helpless shrug.
"I blame the butterflies in the east…"
…
Meanwhile, Olrich was about to make a getaway. Following the Kurul soul fiend's annihilation, and the exchange between that "Avatar of the Profane Prince" and the two factions, he realized that he once again needed to evacuate the country.
No, this time, he should turn into a commoner and hide within the Barbarian Continent. Joke, regardless of how the events ended, that lunatic clearly wasn't someone he could confront!
For now, he could only retreat and bide his time.
Alas, as he rushed out of the imperial city, an invisible force locked him mid-flight, preventing his escape.
"Shit…"
"Adoptive father, we father and son didn't even have time to catch-up that you're again making a getaway?
How…disheartening.
How…heartless."
