Chapter 345

Chapter 345
## Chapter 345

Pantheon (4)

As had been demonstrated on numerous occasions, Pantheon was far from a unified front, given its sprawling membership and their drastically conflicting tenets and convictions.

The sole thread binding them together was their shared identity as clerics devoted to their respective divinities.

It functioned essentially as a professional guild—a assembly of peers from the same trade who concurred on mutual courtesy and arbitrating disputes without violence.

Yet, inevitably, various faiths proved utterly incapable of adapting to such a tolerant system.

There were denominations demanding unyielding devotion, condemning every other god as a false idol.

There were factions practicing barbaric rituals such as human sacrifice, rendering them entirely incompatible with contemporary civilization.

And there were those serving malicious entities, orchestrating the annihilation of reality itself.

A multitude of clerics, driven by diverse motives, existed completely outside the jurisdiction of Pantheon.

Naturally, had that been the extent of the issue, keeping a watchful eye on them might have sufficed…

…But the true crisis lay in the infiltrators—the worshipers of sinister gods who had successfully bored into Pantheon, and their headcount was alarming.

Predictably, their objectives were far from benign.

Case in point—.

Scribe, the regional director of the Heaven’s Turn Society’s North America branch.

“So, Brother Heinrich, what you are asserting is…”

Priest Jason stroked his jawline ponderously, his features tightening into a grave expression.

“…that disciples of a malevolent deity, operatives of this… Heaven’s Turn Society, are functioning covertly within Pantheon? And occupying elevated ranks, no less?”

He gave a deliberate nod, his countenance darkening as his earlier doubt regarding Heinrich’s declarations dissolved completely.

“Precisely. They represent the ultimate manifestation of corruption, having brought about the collapse of unnumbered worlds. Their tendrils run deep… And I seriously doubt Pantheon is their sole objective.”

Heinrich’s voice, ringing with absolute certainty, reverberated across the chamber, causing the features of everyone present to stiffen.

The gravity of his statements carried a potency they had never encountered until now.

And that was entirely due to…

“Ahem.”

…the fair-haired youth lounging in the corner with crossed arms, maintaining an uncharacteristically solemn posture while surveying the room with a borderline condescending demeanor.

He appeared to be no older than six or seven.

However, the majority of the individuals assembled were far too sharp to evaluate him merely by his youthful facade.

‘It defies belief. Yet this astronomical level of mana…’

‘A dragon… In my original realm, such creatures were mere myth. To think I would encounter one on Earth… What a bizarre realm.’

‘An absolutely crushing presence. He cannot possibly be a fledgling wyrm to possess such accumulated might. Is that shape an illusion? Or simply a matter of personal whim?’

Here was undeniable confirmation of an extraterrestrial entity setting foot on Earth.

Not only had they observed this historic event with their own eyes, but the entity itself was lounging directly within their sight.

Consequently, the declarations of the person who had summoned such a creature carried monumental significance.

Furthermore, Heinrich was a Saint, an instrument of sacred might.

‘Therefore, my declarations do not stand isolated. I speak with the backing of the Almighty.’

Heinrich offered a slow nod, tracking the hushed discussions rippling through the assembly.

He had effectively sowed the initial seeds of mistrust.

‘I shall maintain this strategy. For the time being, it is our most viable path.’

This was their window of opportunity, capitalising on the current inertia of the Heaven’s Turn Society.

Their slow reaction to his declarations stemmed from the fact that they had not yet fully deciphered the circumstances.

But that window would close swiftly.

‘They will not remain passive forever. Still, this will secure us some breathing room.’

The Heaven’s Turn Society was a colossal, multi-dimensional cartel, its reach spanning across countless realms beyond Earth.

Even utilizing his diverse network and the backing of numerous coalitions, a shadow war would not suffice to crush them.

For that reason, his primary focus had been dragging them into the open, exposing their operations to public scrutiny.

‘And Heinrich’s purpose is to capture their gaze, functioning as a… decoy.’

A highly appropriate assignment for a holy champion!

Naturally, he had no intention of relying solely on an overt confrontation.

He possessed alternative manifestations working silently in the dark.

‘I am uncertain whether the Master resides on Earth or within an alternate realm…’

Fortunately, having claimed a substantial degree of divine status, the Master was restricted from moving unhindered on Earth.

Even if he resided here, he would be concealed in some obscure corner, gathering data via his underlings.

‘…I will systematically dismantle everything you have constructed. Piece by piece. Until you lack the luxury to even contemplate other worlds.’

Heinrich’s gaze flashed, a brilliant radiance dancing within his amber eyes.

Horus, positioned beside him, gave a resolute nod, his small face tilting sharply up and down.

Thus, following the startling disruption, the conference between the extra-dimensional Saint and the gathered delegates advanced without further hitch.

—

Predictably, the frenzy ignited by the dragon’s manifestation did not dissipate quickly.

Horus had already departed back to Ganghwange after savoring his brief excursion in human guise, leaving the scene entirely… yet the event, which had gripped international focus, was merely entering its next phase.

—Wow;; I just witnessed an actual dragon for the first time in my life lmao.

└Who hasn’t? Even among the elite returnees, plenty have never laid eyes on one.

└Agreed, I’m a returnee myself, and I never crossed paths with one. Not because I’m incompetent, there just weren’t any in the universe I landed in.

└I ran into one once, but… it bore no resemblance to this. It was barely five meters long, resembling a flying reptile.

└That’s a wyvern, you clown, not a true dragon.

└Don’t look at me, the system localized the name as ‘dragon’.

Whether involving ordinary citizens or awakened personnel, any data concerning the dragon became an instant sensation.

After all, a titanic dragon, stretching dozens of meters across, had drifted through the heavens above Seoul.

It was an earth-shattering event.

—I’m wondering, do dragons routinely transport spheres like that? Or is this specific specimen unique?

└Yeah, that detail caught my attention too.

└Is that truly a Dragon Orb? Could it just be a lookalike artifact?

—Just so you know, cognate species can display totally distinct traits depending on the dimension. We can only infer that this is standard for dragons from his origin world.

—It’s kind of hilarious lol. A dragon wielding a Dragon Orb? What an eccentric pairing lol.

Horus’s Dragon Orb drew a modicum of curiosity as well, though the interest faded rapidly.

The dragons native to Auterica were on the brink of total erasure, having retreated into seclusion eons ago, meaning very few individuals on Earth possessed any real scholarship regarding them.

The genuine complication was that the occurrence, by its very nature, had instantaneously gone viral across the planet.

It matched his design, but…

—Oh heavens! What on earth is that? A dragon? A genuine dragon?

—Which nation is this broadcast coming from? China? Is it CGI? I don’t buy their broadcasts.

└South Korea. The stamping ground of those vigilantes, Korean Smile Face and Phantom. And this is a live feed from a broadcasting account.

—I never imagined I’d witness a living dragon, even via a clip! Heaven has smiled upon us. I only wish I could view it live.

Myriads of onlookers conveyed their astonishment and reverence.

Yet, the feedback was not universally appreciative.

…He had generated an excessive amount of notoriety. The public discourse had drifted from the context of Horus’s arrival to the physical dragon itself, which presented a slight dilemma.

Granted, a colossal Gold Dragon was essentially a mobile goldmine, representing the most premium crafting resource available on the planet…

‘Naturally, I have no intention of letting them lay a finger on it.’

Korea fell under his jurisdiction.

He refused to tolerate rapacious outsiders running rampant.

It was time to employ severe tactics to preserve stability.

Snap—

“Argh!”

A crushing hand clamped around his throat.

The Caucasian male, hoisted off the ground with his legs kicking futilely, fought and squirmed… but the vice around his windpipe was absolute, unmoving.

“…Hmph, I assumed you amounted to something substantial, given all that grandstanding.”

The man’s thrashing stopped as the color drained from his skin, his limbs going entirely slack.

A frigid tone cutting through the alleyway.

Heinz the Second carelessly flipped the inert form into a dark recess where several other corpses lay stacked, then pivoted on his heel.

—“It is Jin So-ran speaking.”

—“Greetings, Lord!”

—“Deploy a disposal unit. I will forward the coordinates.”

—“Understood! It is a relief you are on site, Lord. We have faced a surge in unauthorized crossings recently, and these global intruders seem to view us with contempt. They perceive us as mere big fish in a small pond.”

—“Amusing. Do they genuinely believe they occupy a higher tier?”

—“Well, the whispers of agitators vanishing without a whisper ought to give them pause. It will simplify our management.”

—“Conceivably.”

Heinz the Second, the Divine Blood vampire, gave a small shake of his head as a breath parted his lips.

He was stretched thin governing his syndicates across two separate realities.

These interlopers were not the sort to be reasoned with through logic or diplomacy.

There would always be idiots, intoxicated by their own delusion of power, who would persist in instigating chaos.

—“I shall monitor the developments. Alert me to any atypical behavior.”

—“Understood, Lord! I shall oversee Heterosis and the Blood Alliance. Ensuring they avoid provoking any needless friction.”

—“Excellent, see to it.”

The link with Jin So-ran severed.

He shifted his weight forward,

And his position instantly transitioned from the grimy alleyway to the precipice of a towering skyscraper nearby.

He cast his eyes over the urban expanse below, watching the vibrant boulevards and the relentless progression of automobiles.

Yet his focus was directed toward an entirely different phenomenon.

“…This vibration… It does not belong to the natural order.”

He spoke in a low whisper, his crimson pupils scanning the perimeter.

He could perceive the strands of destiny warping and tangling, their patterns forced and unnatural.

The dragon’s abrupt manifestation, the migration of high-ranking foreign entities…

It all superficially aligned with the standard sequence of reality… and yet…

…there existed an underlying variable.

A minute tampering, a spectral imprint of a entity’s shadow, far too faint for him to pinpoint… but undeniably present.

‘Heaven’s Turn Society.’

The conclusion was self-evident.

They would view this instability as a perfect window to expand their grip on Korea, utilizing the current turbulence as an ideal screen.

‘…Ha, I anticipated precisely this.’

The focus of the entire planet was locked onto Korea.

Every syndicate… the Heaven’s Turn Society included.

‘Time to commence.’

And while their eyes remained glued to Korea,

…An independent actor was initiating his strategy, on the completely opposite side of the globe.

—

San Francisco, California.

“…Hmph, this must be the location…”

A form, shrouded in an ambiguous cloak with its cowl pulled low, slipped from the darkness, its steps measured and deliberate, resembling an attendee of a clandestine rendezvous.

Its attention was locked onto a sprawling, cathedral-like structure.

The administrative hub of Pantheon.

The individual’s eyes, resembling cold, celestial bodies, flashed with an icy radiance.