Crofort. The Main Keep of the Bivins Kingdom.
Inside the castle stood a man with a striking, handsome face and waist-length golden hair. He wore a luxurious white-crossed cassock over a black base, topped with an obsidian-and-white cross crown, and held a scepter made of pure obsidian.
Horkheimer Max. 39 years old, one of the three Obsidian Archbishops of the Church of the Night.
Beside him stood a man with jet-black hair and a square jaw, clad in reinforced steel armor adorned with a black-and-white cross. He wore a sweeping black cape patterned with stars, a cruciform longsword hung at his hip, and he gripped a massive 1.5-meter mace.
Toulouse Leog. 43 years old, the Grand Knight Commander of the Church's Paladins.
These two were the high-ranking officials newly dispatched by the Church of the Night to oversee all affairs within Crofort.
Since the Church seized the castle, they had been relentlessly spreading their doctrine and expanding their influence. The headquarters continued to funnel resources here, dispatching high-ranking officials, lower-level clergy, and paladins. The entire weight of the Church's assets was leaning toward this front.
They had consolidated the defectors and absorbed military remnants from within the castle, mixing them with the paladins, clergy, and a swelling tide of fanatical new believers. Together, they formed the Dark Legion, subjected daily to grueling physical training and doctrinal brainwashing.
In a matter of days, the Church had raised a massive army of 100,000. While their actual combat effectiveness remained untested, their equipment was top-tier: swords, armor, flintlocks, and heavy cannons, they lacked for nothing.
In the center of the royal palace's grand hall sat a long mahogany table, three meters long and one meter wide, covered by a detailed map of the Bivins Kingdom.
Gathered around the table were Horkheimer Max, Toulouse Leog, several regional bishops, and various Knight Commanders. Their expressions were grim as they stared toward the entrance.
Step... step... step...
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the hall. Soon, the figures of Bane and Mondos Bank appeared before the assembly. These two had only just reached Crofort after their desperate flight from Valanfort. Having barely had time to wash up, they had rushed straight to the meeting.
"Everyone is here," Max said flatly, rubbing his obsidian scepter. "Then let us take our seats and begin."
"I didn't expect they would send you of all people," Bane remarked, his expression complex as he looked at Max.
"Archbishop Bane, considering the gravity of your recent... performance, the Church had to act with caution," Max replied, his face a mask of indifference.
Silence fell over the room as the officers took their seats.
"The news of the Chris Pirates' large-scale invasion and the loss of Valanfort is known to you all," Max began. "But just now, I received word of something even more dire. As of yesterday, the Revolutionary Army and the vast majority of the Rebel Army at the Red River Wasteland were completely annihilated by the Chris Pirates' Grand Flying Fleet."
The meeting opened with a bombshell that left the room stunned.
"What?! Are you serious?"
"The Revolutionaries had over 100,000 rebels. They were wiped out in a single day?"
"Even if they were 100,000 pigs, it would take longer than that to slaughter them all!"
"Are the Chris Pirates truly that terrifying?"
Shocked whispers rippled through the hall. Even Leog, who had been in the dark, and the newly returned Bane and Bank turned pale.
They wouldn't have been this shocked by the slaughter of 100,000 disorganized rabble, but these were troops integrated and trained by the Revolutionary Army. With the Revolutionaries' vast experience in fueling insurgencies across various nations and the leadership of their seasoned officers, their strength was formidable, likely on par with the Church's own newly formed Dark Legion.
To have such a massive force erased in twenty-four hours was nothing short of horrific.
THUD!
Max struck his obsidian scepter against the floor in annoyance. "Enough! It has happened. Discussing the 'how' is a waste of time!"
Fearing Max's temper, the others fell silent. Meanwhile, Leog, Bane, and Bank were already calculating the fallout.
"Archbishop Bane, Bank, you witnessed the Chris Pirates' strength at Valanfort. Tell us what we're up against so we can prepare," Max demanded, his voice low.
Bane and Bank exchanged a look before Bane spoke. "There isn't much to say. The intelligence is accurate. Those monster armies made of stone and metal... ordinary soldiers simply cannot stand against them."
"Golden Ring Aeridar led the charge personally," Bank added. "He was accompanied by two of the Top Commanders, Oliver and Enel, along with over a dozen officer-level members, all of whom are famous pirates from the New World. Against us, it wasn't a battle; it was a steamroll."
Ever since the Church of the Night was nearly wiped out centuries ago due to a lack of high-level combatants to rival the Marines and the World Government, they had worked tirelessly to develop their elite power. While the hidden strength they had cultivated over the years was formidable, they were still a cult operating in the shadows. Compared to the Chris Pirates, the gap was still a chasm.
At the mention of the Chris Pirates' roster, several regional bishops turned ashen. They were experts at brainwashing followers, but their combat prowess was negligible.
"The Chris Grand Flying Fleet has immense mobility and even greater firepower," Leog noted, his tone heavy. "Now that the Revolutionaries are gone, we are almost certainly next. In this situation, we have only two choices."
"And those are?" Max asked, his eyes narrowing.
"First: Abandon everything in the Bivins Kingdom and stage a total retreat."
"Second: Mass every scrap of our power and find a way to halt the Chris Pirates. Even if we fall into a stalemate or are forced onto the defensive, it is better than being systematically erased."
Leog surveyed the room as he laid out the grim reality.
…
While the high-ranking members of the Church debated in the main hall, two men sat in a side chamber, listening to the deliberation with stoic expressions: Malha and Ryūkawa Jiku.
"Malha-sama, what do you think of their plan?" Ryūkawa asked, tilting his head slightly.
"It's a sound approach," Malha nodded, his tone cryptic. "If they can withstand the initial assault and force a stalemate, then that man's enemies will gladly support the Church of the Night. They will use the Bivins Kingdom as a slaughterhouse to slowly bleed the Chris Pirates dry."
"Does that mean we can actually defeat the Chris Pirates?" Ryūkawa's eyes brightened.
"It's not that simple. Oliver, Enel, Arlan... none of them are easy to handle. And then there is that monster, Golden Ring Aeridar," Malha shook his head. "That man is the heart and soul of the entire Chris Pirates."
"Still, weakening them is a cause worth pursuing. Let's throw our own hand into the mix then! Yohehehe~" Ryūkawa grinned, a savage, rasping laugh escaping his throat.