Chương 71: The Maniac’s Hunch

The players went from ecstatic to analytical frighteningly quickly. Almost every player on the continent was actively searching for the main protagonist faction to obtain more hints on the main storyline, and this random event they all happened to leisurely decide to participate in suddenly became their best clue.

The protagonist faction had to be able to challenge the church on relatively equal footing or have some sort of hero type character on their side, so having a transcendent individual in the arsenal was an absolute must. They also needed to have a negative opinion of the church to spark some conflict to therefore produce the juicy storyline they yearned for. It didn't matter if the faction was lawful good or chaotic neutral, so long as it wasn't evil, there was a chance.

So far, not a single major power on the continent has publicly announced the presence of a transcendent individual in their ranks ever since the mass extinction known as the Void Armageddon. Currently, this secret faction fits the bill perfectly in the eyes of the players, and with a little more information, they would be able to confirm it.

Not all of them wanted to join the protagonist faction, they just wanted to gather some hints to stay ahead of the other players and receive the most rewards from the main storyline. However, if they liked the faction's strength, potential, and benefits, they might reconsider it after extensive research.

Joining a faction was a big decision, which they all learned the hard way.

Once joined, leaving for another faction did a lot of self-harm. This was one of the points of the game where it was too realistic for players. Currently, only around three percent or less of players have joined a faction of some sort, with the vast majority choosing to join organizations like the Adventures Guild, Magic Association, Merchants League, etc. These type of sub-factions that gave players large amounts of freedom while letting them join other factions was like pure gold for the players.

As if their minds were all connected, a large hunt had commenced in search of the hidden organization and their best clues were inside the walls...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Deep in the forest laid a massive hidden camp that used all sorts of anti-detection magic at the transcendent level. All types of holy soldiers of the Templar armies were fixing and stabilizing the shambled encampment. The aura shockwaves from that transcendent bodyguard were still far too powerful even at the distance they were from Kassio.

The Archaic Church's forces didn't know this, but for some "unknown reason", they received a more brutal beating from the bodyguard's aura than any other faction out there. They were taking considerably more time to lick their wounds unlike the rest

Inside the largest and most luxurious tent that took up a whole clearing of the forest and had a hard time not rising above the treetops, all of the Bishops and Respected sat in a circle in the same order as Leonardo's mental world. This time, however, Leonardo sat in the center of the circle as he swayed in circular motions like the madman he was. These Bishops were all using Leonardo as a mental medium to observe the situation outside and they were all extremely displeased by what they were seeing and hearing.

The millions of players were blatantly shouting and conversing in unison about how the church was finally no longer the top-dog on Lumeria and no longer would they be bullied. The Bishops didn't know they were the unusual existences known as Immortal Souls, so they assumed that public opinion was leaning in the direction of the hidden organization. As fanatic members of the church, they were outraged to be hearing that they were on "equal ground" with a nobody faction that's never even been heard of before.

"This is humiliating... We should silence those low lives for their impudence and disrespect to the church!"

"We could do that, or we could wipe out the root of this grand sin at the source of it all."

"Yes, it seems that the mass and this infant organization have forgotten their place. Let's enlighten them of our might. After all, thirty-three of us including three Respected are present. Let us take this opportunity to overwhelm them..."

"That's right. Although that aura was held back by quite a lot, we can all tell that the bodyguard merely had average T~grade power. With the combined power of the Respected, the national treasures we brought along, and the aid of us peak strength mortals of the S~grade, theoretically, not even her eminence who's at the peak of the T~grade would be able to outlast such a fierce onslaught for too long... Forgive me for using the Archbishop as reference fellow believers."

"You are forgiven... Speaking of which, shouldn't we report these developments to her eminence?"

"It would be a useless effort to trouble her with such trivial matters."

"Correct, she would tell us to handle these bugs ourselves. We shall put it to a vote, with the Respected counting for ten votes each, as per protocol. All in favor of doing something about this organization will release a violent physical aura. All in favor of simply completing our objectives and observing this organization, for now, will release tranquil physical auras."

Small and differently colored transparent bubbles extended out of the thirty Bishop's bodies. They didn't actually release their aura, just the physical effect to get their point across. The tranquil auras were smooth, calming, and ovalish, like an egg or a falling water droplet. The violent auras were like intense flames or the spiky "Pow" speech bubbles in superhero comics, and they writhed and flickered with intense ferocity.

Eighteen Bishops released violent auras while twelve released calmer auras...

The three Respected didn't vote and looked at each other solemnly instead. Waiting to see what the others did.

Knox let out a hearty and villainous laugh, "HAHA, I don't know about you two, but I'm always on the side of violence! It runs in my veins and gives me life!! It's been too long since I've had a proper fight!" A violent aura burst from his figure and it was far bigger and more intense than all the others.

Jillian laid back in her chair and went into her trademark "hands behind her head" position without a care in the world, "I'll vote for whatever Leonardo votes for... It's all the same to me so long as I can stay on the sidelines and watch."

Everyone looked at Leonardo with interested stares. He never participated in votes and he'd usually abstain before everyone commenced voting, which he surprisingly didn't this time. This meant he actually had an opinion on the matter, which was a first for everyone.

Leonardo abruptly stopped swaying like a lunatic and his expression turned sharp, serious, and calm. He was so still as he sat there, that a cold sweat appeared on everyone's foreheads and they got squirmish under the tense atmosphere of the room. A calm and tranquil aura slowly arose from his figure as he deliberately turned his head to all those that voted for violence, singling them out individually and making them flinch.

"Every single one of you shall not lay a finger or offend anyone from this hidden organization. THAT'S A DIRECT ORDER!" His voice was shockingly clear and devoid of his usual insanity or maniacal giggling. He was so serious, out of character, and normal-like, that he didn't even seem to be the same person. Almost as if there was no insanity in the first place...

Everyone gulped with wide eyes. A potent feeling of confusion and fear from his words were imprinted onto their hearts.

Knox has never once witnessed something so bizarre in his life and his mouth was agape. He jolted up from his seat and it was sent flying from his great strength. Jillian couldn't ignore this one even if she wanted to. Her eyes were just as wide as everyone else and she nearly fell out of her chair from being alarmed to such a large degree.

Leonardo's brief moment of sanity came and went like the wind and he began to sway again while giggling. Unlike before, there was a very faint sense of nervousness around him and within his voice, "HeheHEhe—Give me your word—hehe—all of you—HAHA....."

They all lowered their heads as they mumbled a promise not to do anything. Jillian stayed completely silent as she looked the supposed psychopath up and down, a strange hope in her eyes. Only after receiving a death glare from the madman did she also agree.

A shadow covered Knox's face as his teeth were clenched. His massive fingers were digging into his palm and his hands faintly trembled as he said in a low voice, "So you will just accept for us to sit and watch?! What's the basis of that order! Why are you suddenly—"

The faint giggling coming from Leonardo started to get louder and crazier. It was now a full-blown laugh that was literally shaking the ground and surroundings, "HAHAHAHAHA—I HAVE A HUNCH—HAHA—THAT WE'RE HORRIBLY UNDERESTIMATING—HEHE—THAT BODYGUARD..... So swear to me—hehe."

"... We might be good friends, but I have to disagree with you wanting to sacrifice the church's pride for a mere hunch—" Knox's words caught in his throat when Leonardo's face had another moment of sanity as he glared at him.

Buckets of killing intent were invading directly to his soul while a large headache made him wince. There was even a slight hint of begging in Leonardo's facial expression as he sent small mental attacks at him as a warning.

Knox trembled even more out of pure rage as he reluctantly agreed. After that, he immediately stormed out of the tent towards his own residence. He had countless emotions rushing through him, but agitation, irritation, and confusion were the dominant ones.

Leonardo has been one of his best friends, practically like brothers ever since they became Bishops and received Odella's respect. He just couldn't understand why he was acting so cowardly in front of such vile sinners. He wanted to beat that damned mysterious bodyguard and everyone in that organization to a pulp, preferably to death if he was able to, but he was forced to suppress the emotions as he took long and angry strides towards his tent.

All of the Templars in his path that didn't have time to get out of the way or notice his approach were ruthlessly blown away. They couldn't even scream in pain from being mortally wounded because they were immediately knocked out.

Only when the furious Bishop was within his tent did the clerics (healers) rush out to silently treat the wounded. Luckily, there were no deaths this time, just heavy casualties.

Oddly enough, not a soul was discontent with what just happened. By player terms, their opinions of Knox or the church's hierarchy didn't drop a single percent. Their lack of reaction towards his blatant abuse of power would be seen as incredibly unnatural...

A couple of minutes of silence passed in the meeting tent after Knox departed and Bishops started to leave one after another. The decision to just observe the organization and complete the objectives won by four votes after Jillian released her aura.

Jillian and Leonardo were the only ones left inside and before she left through the entrance, she took one final glance at the swaying maniac. She didn't enjoy wearing the plague doctor's mask, but in cases like these where it perfectly hid her bright red cheeks, she was glad to have it.

Once she was gone and he confirmed that he was alone, Leonardo collapsed out of his chair and onto the floor in total exhaustion. His skin could no longer hold its color from using so much energy and it paled at a rate visible to the naked eye. He also breathed heavily like he just ran a marathon.

To obtain those moments of sanity and temporarily bypass the unfathomably strong entities controlling his body and mind and forcing him to be a deranged lunatic, he used up an immense amount of mental mana that put him in critical condition. Although he was surely going to suffer heavily for defying and abusing "it's" power without permission, at least it was worth it if he could stop his friends from sacrificing their lives by fighting that monster that still floats over Kassio.

Using "it's" power, he was able to see the true strength of that bodyguard and he was mortified to find a genuine U~grade. There was also the fact that he was a mutant species of an Elder Dragon in a human disguise, which raised his threat level in his eyes to the Demigod sub-Realm

Even if he was a transcendent psychic mage that focused on raising his mana capacity, it still took a long while to accumulate enough strength to rebel for only a few moments. Deep down, he was just an innocent victim with a good soul that's been through a living hell his entire life.

He was always half-unconscious or mentally detached as he did things, like a puppet being controlled by multiple puppeteers. The side of him coming out as the lunatic wasn't technically a split personality, it was still him, just under the heavy influence of foreign powers.

He knew that Knox and Jillian were absolutely horrible people that have done downright demonic things in the name of the Archaic Church, but he still thought of them as a couple of his only friends so he couldn't watch them foolishly lose their lives to that monstrous hidden organization.

His body abruptly lurched as unimaginable pain flowed through him like a broken damn. He was surprised that "it" found out about his futile rebellion so fast. Punishment this time would not be swift like usual so he could only accept it without any will to resist.

Half of his consciousness slowly and painfully faded into the torturous abyss or prison that was his own mind, as the deranged and corrupted half of him took over his thoughts once again.

Manic chuckles and giggles slowly filled the room as they quickly devolved into blood-curdling and sinister laughs of both immense agony and extreme delight...