After two consecutive victories, the audience was now cheering the Eldorin name as if they were bewitched into a trance.
Willet Ironblood and Silius Herman weren't just your average Knight and Mage. They were competent talents on the rise, well noted to be the next generation to lead the Hyades Republic. Willet in particular was slated to take over his granduncle's role as Grand Marshall of the Hyades Army. But, they lost to two relatively unknowns who had recently joined Eldorin.
Then, it didn't take long for the crowd to quickly search the names of all the Eldorin members, eager to figure out which talent would be next to dazzle them.
Amon Solaris and Yue Elune were a no-brainer. They were the Fantasy Couple whose legend spread beyond the borders of Solfea and Eshon, their respective territories, and awed everyone in the Republic.
The next two were equally, if not more, famous—the Hero and the Saintess.
Much to the audience's dismay, Leon wasn't present at Zephys for his recovery, and Ellahan had to return to Hyarum, the base of the Holy Church, for a meeting. But even though they weren't able to see the Hero and the Saintess, their adoration of them wasn't diminished in the slightest. In fact, some were even more hyped to finally meet the mysterious pair when they did get to Zephys later that month.
Alas, as much as the audience wished to see those four in action, they weren't going to participate in the show matches.
Which meant they had to settle for the other members of Eldorin.
There were well-known members such as Johann Amaris and Venya Vortessa.
Johann needed no introduction. He was the future heir of the Amaris House, widely regarded as the greatest magician family in the entire Republic. Although it was odd that the scion of the Amaris House would join Eldorin, a Solaris House affiliate, if it were to hunt the Demon Cult, everyone was willing to look the other way.
Then there was Venya Vortessa, the future God Archer. She was a mercenary whose renown was only beaten by her skill with the bow and arrow. There were hardly anyone as skilled as her in the Republic, and her joining Eldorin was major news for a good fortnight.
But the ones who really stole the show weren't those with fame, but those who erupted from the unknown…
"Fenric Ashglyph and the Magician Yeon! Where did they come from?"
"I heard the Fantasy Couple saved them during one of their many elopements! The Demon Cult destroyed their families, so they joined Eldorin in an act of revenge."
"Wow, a revenge story?!"
The audience began dissecting Fenric and Yeon's motives for joining Eldorin with flushed faces, completely bought into the storylines of the new heroes.
"They aren't the only ones who joined Eldorin for revenge purposes…"
There was Eris Umbrelune, the necromancer who fought against the Demon Cult to save as many tormented souls as she could. She was once an undertaker who helped souls to gain eternal rest—a horrid, yet noble job. Yet, the Demon Cult came in one day and desecrated her cemetery, forcing Eris to stand in the light to protect even more souls from falling into the Demon Cult's hands.
Then there was Oswin, once a renowned member of the Demon Hunter League. His gunslinging was the stuff of legend, and few rivalled the tally of demons he slaughtered. But his fate shifted the day the Demon Cult came for him. On what should have been a routine hunt for a wandering demon, Oswin watched his entire squad cut down before his very eyes. The grief carved deep scars into him, twisting loss into fury. In the end, he chose to stand with Eldorin—believing it the surest path to slaughter more demons and drag the wretched Cult to justice.
Khali, the Chakram Dancer… Ines, the Shaman… Lutz, the Artificer… Recto and Verso, the cursed brothers… Renee and Maelle, the twin orphans… Bit by bit, their information was coming to light.
Usually, Amon wouldn't care to put all their confidential information in the open. However, their purpose of coming to the Capital was not only to root out any Demon Cult operatives, but also to put public sentiment against them. And the best way to do so was to show the atrocities the Demon Cult had caused, particularly to the members of Eldorin.
At the very least, it would give the Eldorin members a just cause for hunting the Demon Cult, if they hadn't garnered one already.
But the other reason why Amon was willing to let the information go was…
'We need more people to hate the Demon Cult.'
Unfortunately, the Demon Cult was slowly gaining influence over a minority of the population. Whispers were saying that they deserved equal rights or demanding they be tried in accordance with the law.
But what those justice seekers didn't know was… the Demon Cult didn't care about civil society. They just wanted to cause unrest so that their invasion of the realm would be smoother. Additionally, the Demon Cult could make promises that would entice and corrupt any mortal mind.
For instance, they could grant a dying man eternal life, promise a grieving widow a way to resurrect their loved ones, a greedy merchant endless wealth, and a weak victim power to inflict pain on others.
And most people who were unaware of the Demon Cult… would have taken the offer.
But what they didn't know was that every deal with the devil came with an equivalent price.
To counter that, Amon chose to reveal the stories of the Eldorin members, at the very least, giving awareness to the ignorant, hopefully reducing the number of people who would turn to the Demon Cult.
"The last member to come on stage is Khali?"
"Yes, she's the only one left who chose to have a duel."
Amon answered Yue's question with a sigh of disinterest. Of all the Eldorin members, only three decided to show off their abilities in a duel. Some chose a display of skill, such as Venya and her archery showcase or Eris with her ability to perform ceremonies for the dead. Others wanted to show their talents in hunting beasts, so Oswin and Lutz were going to participate in a hunt.
But for Fenric, Yeon and Khali, they didn't have that kind of patience. Rather than dragging it out for long, they were going to fight openly in the arena, showing off their skills the old-fashioned way.
Khali's opponent was yet another Knight, this time a dual-wielding rapier specialist who didn't seem any less dangerous than Willet or Silius. But Khali wasn't deterred; instead, she looked bored.
After all, they had just come back from fighting an Apostle and the Clay Emperor. A mere Knight who only knew how to fight training dummies simply didn't cut it. In fact, Amon felt the same way. With the fight already decided, he diverted his attention elsewhere.
[Bane, what's the progress?]
Amon sent a telepathic message to the subordinate who roamed in the shadows. Although a vast distance separated them, the head of the intelligence branch immediately reached for the communication artefact around his neck and reported reverently.
[As you suspected… there's Demon Cult activity in the Capital.]
[You found their bases?]
[No, not yet. But I managed to identify some Acolytes and Deacons. They seem to be planning something big.]
[You found traces already? That's impressive.]
Bane had only arrived at the Capital a few days prior. For him to already deliver results in such a short time frame was practically a miracle. However, it was precisely because of his talent that Amon recruited him into his fold.
[No, it's the least I could do.]
Usually, Bane would brag about his abilities and slide in a lecherous remark about making Amon his disciple. But the head of intelligence refrained. After the events with the Clay Emperor, Bane realised that he was severely lacking and his pride had nearly cost the downfall of Leon and the Eldorin unit as a whole. If not for his disobedience, the mission would have gone more smoothly, and Leon wouldn't have had to bail them out so desperately. Hence, Bane was eager to prove himself this time.
[Have a look out for abandoned properties, especially ones that have multiple underground levels.]
[... is there something I should find?]
[I believe they might have Demon Shrines built here.]
Amon wasn't sure how entrenched the Demon Cult was in the Capital. In [Bright], the story begins with the Capital already on the verge of destruction. Multiple high-ranking officials had fallen to the Demon Cult's false promises, and over half of Zephys was beyond saving. Beyond that, there were over a million souls already given to the Demon King, making it nearly impossible for anyone to save the Capital.
But this time was different.
Because of Amon revealing the Demon Cult's existence early, the High Council had been prepared for their invasion. Demonic humans were weeded out, and it had even become taboo to mention the Demon Cult in the Capital.
Additionally, Amon and Eldorin had been getting in the Demon Cult's way, greatly diminishing their influence.
[I see, I will be on the lookout for that.]
[Anything else of note?]
[Yes… Have you heard of the Utopia Church?]
[Utopia Church? What's that?]
Amon frowned at the sudden unfamiliar name.
[It's a new religious organisation, said to be a branch of the Holy Church that recently gained independence. They are led by a mysterious, charismatic leader who preaches the Utopia gospel. A new take on the holy text. I heard that this new Pope has been performing miracles wherever he goes, gathering more followers by the day.]
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Even in [Bright], Amon had never heard of a Holy Church offset. At best, fanatics would follow the Demon Cult, not a new religion.
However, this mysterious Pope who performed miracles to gather new followers… it reeked of the Demon Cult.
[Should I investigate further?]
[Go ahead, we can't leave something like that unattended.]
Bane's voice faded away as Khali easily dispatched her opponent, finishing the battle without a single injury on her sun-kissed skin. As the cheers of the crowd roared into life, Amon's focus was mainly on the eerie sense of foreboding that lingered in his mind.