Chapter 308: Canton Coalition Meeting (1)
When the 7 leaders saw the blunt text left by Huma, they all had an expression of disbelief.
However, there was a peculiar persuasiveness to it.
That’s because the person who currently wields the greatest influence in Canton, no, the World, was Kyung-joon, an otherworlder.
“Surely, Kyung-joon, you can’t be the second Demon King?!”
Buried Bones exclaimed with a one-dimensional mindset.
“What nonsensical talk are you spouting at Huma’s heir, beast king. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have informed us like this in the first place.”
“Aha! That’s right!”
Without even needing Kyung-joon to clarify the misunderstanding, Fairy King immediately corrected it.
“Yes, that’s right. If you truly think that way, all of us here can come together and seal me away if you wish.”
Kyung-joon looked from Takiki on the left to Humanity 8th on the right in succession.
They didn’t seem to have the intention to seal Kyung-joon.
There was also no basis to call him the second Demon King just because he was undoing the Demon King’s seal, since everyone here was involved in the unsealing of the Demon King.
It was a ridiculous comedy.
“Now I understand clearly.”
Lupera let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Kyung-joon.
“What do you understand?”
“The reason why you have a similar scent to us. I didn’t know you were cooperating with the Demon King, of all things.”
“Ah. Well, it’s not really cooperation. I just made a promise.”
“A promise, you say?”
“To create a world where the Demon King won’t have to act.”
Lupera had a momentary blank expression after hearing Kyung-joon’s words.
It seemed he was recalling various thoughts and memories.
In fairy tales, legends, and myths, the Demon King was always portrayed as evil.
They were known only as the embodiment of evil.
But Lupera, before becoming a leader, realized through his studies of history and archaeology that it was not always the case.
The Demon King War 700 years ago was a holy war for the Crusaders, a struggle for survival for the demons, and a war for hegemony for other races.
All standards changed depending on the perspective.
“I think we’ll get along quite well.”
Lupera took something out of his inventory and handed it to Kyung-joon.
[The 7th Proof of the Hero (Yuna Sikarrie)]
※Yuna Sikarrie: The first Demon King defector, now deceased
It was indeed the Proof of the Hero.
Kyung-joon accepted the Proof of the Hero.
“I’m not going to say that demons are good or righteous. They may truly be evil. But even so, isn’t it the nature of society to coexist? That’s why I think the inclusion of demons in the Humanity Cantons is for that very reason.”
“I think the same way. Let’s create a new World so that the tragedy of 700 years ago never happens again.”
Lupera and Kyung-joon shook hands with smiling faces.
In this way, he had obtained the consent of 6 out of the 7 leaders.
But there was one who could not just watch this scene.
That was Humanity 8th.
Kyung-joon looked at Humanity 8th and said,
“Well, now that it’s settled, Humanity, you must also cooperate. You have a big task to do right away.”
“Preposterous! I still cannot acknowledge you! Even though we created and spread the black mana, it’s all because you undid the seal of the Demon King that the situation has become like this!”
Even though the matter had progressed this far, Humanity 8th could not accept Kyung-joon.
After all, the moment he acknowledges and cooperates with Kyung-joon, the Crusaders will come to an end.
Humanity 8th, who became the king through the baptism of the Pope and the leader, could never accept Kyung-joon, who was essentially the enemy of the Holy Cross.
Kyung-joon was fully aware of this.
“There’s no need to be so hasty. I don’t have any intention of wiping out the Crusaders either. In fact, I think they should be maintained. Otherwise, who will manage the Holy Cross Faction? It’s obvious that a war will break out if the Crusaders disappear.”
The coercive power of the Crusaders was important.
The reason why humans were able to live without a major war for 700 years was clearly because the immense power of the Crusaders united the humans.
“If you keep erasing one thing after another because you don’t like it, you’ll end up standing alone in a field of corpses. That’s a very dangerous idea.”
Kyung-joon approached Humanity 8th and stood in front of him.
And he brought up the main topic of this meeting, which would be the most important first step for the future.
“Please arrange a private audience with the Pope. I will handle the rest.”
“Alone……with you? Absolutely not! How can I trust you enough to give you that opportunity!”
“Is that so? Then there’s no choice. You can come in now.”
As Kyung-joon said this towards the door, the closed conference room door opened.
And a man who was not invited to this place entered.
▼Kingyear (NPC)
“I’ll vouch for this gentleman, brother. Or should I call you Humanity 8th now……How awkward.”
The person who entered the conference room was the former man, Kingyear.
“Bro……brother……?”
And he was the brother of Humanity 8th, and once the prince of Humanity who was supposed to inherit the name.
Of course, he has now completely discarded that past and name, and is known as the scholar lord, Kingyear.
“Why……why are you here, brother? Weren’t you……dead?”
“Brother. I’m sorry for entrusting everything to you and running away. It was tough, wasn’t it?”
Kingyear approached Humanity 8th and embraced him tightly.
“Ah……Aaah……”
“I won’t run away anymore. It’s time for me to……move on from my former self as well.”
Embracing the sobbing Humanity 8th, Kingyear said to Kyung-joon,
“I’ll talk to my brother myself. I’ll be sure to convey to him how much you love and cherish the World.”
“Alright, please do.”
And so, Kyung-joon had persuaded all 7 leaders.
🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷
Not many days later, a private audience was arranged between Kyung-joon and the Pope.
[You have entered a No PvP Zone.]
[You cannot subdue or injure the other party.]
“You have come, otherworlder.”
The Pope greeted Kyung-joon while sipping wine from a golden goblet.
In front of him was also bread placed on a golden plate.
On the other hand, there was nothing, not even bread and wine, where Kyung-joon was to sit.
Furthermore, unlike the Pope’s, it was an ordinary, cheap wooden chair.
“This is rather childish, isn’t it?”
Kyung-joon pulled out a chair he had made himself from his inventory and sat on it.
It was a study chair that perfectly supported and straightened his back, supposedly helping him study well.
“Aren’t you going to give me anything to drink?”
“You should be grateful. If you were even a day late, we would have commenced the Holy War at the next Mass, and you and your blasphemous pagan territory would have been utterly destroyed and cursed like Sodom and Gomorrah. Be thankful that I am not burning you at the stake right here for not only rejecting faith but also joining hands with the devil. It’s all thanks to God’s mercy.”
“May the great and merciful Buddha be praised.”
“……What was that?”
“Nothing.”
[Study Territory Lord’s Exclusive Bread]
[Study Territory Lord’s Exclusive Wine]
Kyung-joon took out bread and wine directly from his inventory and ate and drank, intending to tease the Pope.
“Hmph. The outside looks impressive, but the inside is empty, just like you.”
Whether the Pope was provoking him or not, Kyung-joon simply shrugged it off and asked while munching on the bread.
“I saw 12 people outside as I came in, glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me. What’s that about?”
“They are very devout apostles who have dedicated their lives and souls to God. They are the heroes who will bring God’s wrath upon your head. The first apostle, Prevay, based on his deep faith, has offered his own body to……”
“Let’s skip the backstory. Anyway, if we don’t reach an agreement today, those guys are going to kill me, right?”
“As expected of a devil, you’re quick-witted.”
The atmosphere wasn’t suitable for the two to engage in idle chatter.
In the first place, the Pope’s hostile attitude prevented a proper conversation from flowing.
Kyung-joon shook his head as if there was nothing he could do and displayed the data he had prepared beforehand in front of the Pope.
[Regarding the Current Power of the Holy Cross]
[Summary of Holy Cross Secret Documents]
[Analysis of the Current Holy Cross Situation and Faith]
[The Miserable Future of the Holy Cross, Its Specific Details]
．
．
．
The Pope’s eyes widened after seeing the contents of the critical report.
“Was it Rone Fordbang? I’ve compiled this on my way here, based on what the priest in our territory told me and the data I’ve personally investigated. What do you think, Your Holiness? It’s a perfect match, right?”
“You bastard……”
“Instead of calling me a bastard, take a good look. You know it too, Your Holiness. If things continue like this, it’s the end of the Holy Cross. Honestly, the reason you agreed to this audience is because you want to try something with me, right?”
“How dare you try to ridicule me, the representative of God!”
The Pope threw the golden wine glass he was drinking at Kyung-joon.
[You cannot subdue or injure the other party.]
However, blocked by the system, his hand wouldn’t let go right before throwing it.
In the end, only the innocent wine was spilled on the floor.
“Is this space a little unfamiliar to you, Your Holiness, who has been wielding power as you pleased? In any case, this is a place of peace under God’s blessing. Then, how about laying down your weapons for a moment and having a conversation with me? I have a lot to discuss with you.”
Kyung-joon repeated the words he had heard from Rone to the Pope.
“You bastard, you bastard, you bastard……!”
The Pope’s clenched fists trembled, but that was all.
According to them, in this place blessed by God, no one could harm or be harmed by another.
“Your Holiness. Let’s be honest. Aren’t you struggling a lot right now? You’ve been completely cornered. Even if you are as strong as you say, even if the 12 apostles try to kill me, do you really think you can do it? With your divine power almost depleted?”
Kyung-joon, who already obtained 6 tokens from the Humanity Cantons.
Obtaining the Hero’s token means that he has earned that much complete trust.
Although he hasn’t received it from Humanity yet, considering the relationship between Kingyear and Humanity VIII, all the Cantons were already practically on Kyung-joon’s side.
“Ugh……”
The Pope was still trembling, but he was in a much calmer state than before.
Or perhaps he was forcibly suppressing his anger.
“Now that you seem to have calmed down a bit, let’s get straight to the point.”
Ding.
Kyung-joon brought up another status window in front of the Pope.
[The only scenario where the Holy Cross can survive and remain the savior of humanity]
The Pope’s eyes widened once again after reading the title.
“Honestly, I don’t have any grand plans to extend my influence to the Holy Cross Faction. There are already more than enough humans in my original world, Earth. So, I’ll leave all the humans to you. Just like you’ve been doing, pray, perform rituals, and give Mass.”
“You……What’s your sudden motive?”
“It’s not a motive, it’s a strategy. Was your playing around with the black magic stones really to break the Demon King’s seal? No, it wasn’t. It was all a strategy to increase divine power.”
The Pope remained silent, neither denying nor affirming.
The reason was simple.
[Currently, it is impossible to tell a lie in this space.]
Because just like it’s a PvP impossible zone, it’s also set up so that lying is impossible.
In other words, everything Kyung-joon is saying is the truth, without a single lie.
Recognizing this, Kyung-joon proposed a ‘Big deal’ to the Pope.
“I will give the Holy Cross the opportunity to seal the Demon King. And I will let the entire nation know that.”
“What……?”
The Pope frowned slightly, taken aback by the unexpected words.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. Even if I actually seal the Demon King, the people of the Holy Cross Faction will believe that the Holy Cross sealed him. No, it’s not just knowing, they’ll actually witness that scene live through a broadcast. I know someone who does broadcasting.”
“Broadcast? Are you referring to the Video Memory Stone?”
“Well, it’s similar. It’s technology from another world. Anyway, how about it? If you’re still not getting it, I’ll give you some time, so read through what I’ve brought up.”
The Pope read through the status window.
The current situation of the Holy Cross, the disastrous future, the setting of a new future, the Holy War, the Holy Cross ultimately corrupted by the Demon King, but rising up and overcoming it at the very last moment, the final battle, the resealing of the Demon King, peace.
The status window Kyung-joon brought up detailed a scenario that was unimaginable until now.
Seeing the Pope erase the status window, Kyung-joon spoke.
“The conclusion of the scenario is exactly half a year from now. How about it? Shall we put on a play together?”
A grand national deception targeting the world – World.
That was the scenario Kyung-joon proposed.
In response, the Pope tossed something to Kyung-joon.
[Hero’s 0th Token (Huma)]
As Kyung-joon received the Hero’s token thrown by the Pope.
Sparkle!
Kyung-joon’s inventory suddenly began to shine.
Leave a Reply