Chapter 526

Unsurprisingly, the shocking declaration of an election for a successor pope flooded the world with breaking coverage of the event.

After all, the successor would succeed Pilgrim Karl Anderson himself, the man who led the largest religion in the world.

“So how is this election being conducted?”

“I heard that the ten archbishops will vote until they reach a majority.”

“

Hm....

If that is true, doesn’t that mean the successor has already been decided?”

“Considering how sudden the announcement was, maybe so...”

Because of the method and abrupt schedule, people naturally thought the outcome was already determined. And of course that made their curiosity turn to the supposed preordained candidate—someone who was shockingly pointed at by

both

experts and the public.

—Se-Hoon, are you seriously aiming to become the pope?

“

Hmmm,

I guess it seems like a decent fit for me.”

Jake: Se-Hoon... do you happen to know if marriage is allowed in the Pilgrimage Church? Jake: hiadwhioawfe Jake: Jake’s clearly drunk. Just ignore this message, would you? ^^

Amir: Brother, have you truly accepted the role of Pontiff?

Obviously, the subject of all the speculation was none other than the Grand Archbishop, Se-Hoon himself. Even before, he was long considered the most likely next pope.

“What the hell...”

While he had been on call with Luize, messages poured in from all directions. The sheer amount left Se-Hoon speechless when he ended the call. How could he not be when he—the one speculated to be the next pope of the Pilgrimage Church by the entire world—had heard nothing about any of it until now?

An election for the next pope...? What is even going on?

He had literally just started suspecting something was amiss right before such a massive event exploded into the spotlight. Everything was unfolding more or less as he expected, but the pace of it all was alarmingly rapid.

Judging by how things look, they must have been preparing for this scenario for a while... is Karl’s recent silence a contributing factor?

Sensing something deeply off, Se-Hoon walked over to the living room window and looked up at Babel’s night sky.

Woong-

The pure white currents of fate gathering from around the world were stretching upward toward space. Gazing up at it, Se-Hoon immediately activated the power of Perception to absorb the information within.

Fwoosh-

His field of vision extended, going outward past Babel to spread across the globe. Before long, he caught sight of the Pilgrim’s Path that cut across the Abyss of Demons.

“...He’s not there.”

Karl, who patrolled the Pilgrim’s Path every day to protect humanity, was nowhere to be seen.... Se-Hoon checked the headquarters of the Pilgrimage Church—the Peregrine Cathedral—next, only to come up empty-handed there as well.

There are a few places where my vision is being blocked, but that alone isn’t enough to confirm Karl is in hiding.

What could have happened inside the Pilgrimage Church for even Karl to vanish without a trace? Just as Se-Hoon frowned at the clearly ominous development, space shimmered.

“Lee Se-Hoon. Do you have a moment to speak?” Ludwig’s voice rang out.

“Yes. I was just about to contact you myself.”

“Perfect. Given the situation, I’ll get straight to the point. Did you know about this in advance?”

“No. I had no idea.”

“...” Ludwig fell silent at Se-Hoon’s answer, then spoke again in a slow, troubled tone a few beats later. “Looks like we’ve got some real trouble on our hands...”

“Did you hear anything about this beforehand, sir?”

“I just got the news myself as well. But, according to Gregory, the moment the announcement was made, the Church delivered a signed statement.”

“A signed statement...”

“A written declaration stating the election is being carried out under Karl’s direct order—signed with his power of Grace.”

A signature infused with the power of Grace was indeed something that essentially only Karl Andersen himself could produce.

Thinking for a moment, Se-Hoon carefully asked, “What do you think, sir?”

Had Karl voluntarily stepped down for some greater purpose? Or... had Kamal and the other archbishops staged a coup to take over the Church?

Realizing what Se-Hoon meant, Ludwig thought for a moment.

“Personally... I think something changed within Karl. The archbishops would never have been able to defeat him otherwise,” Ludwig answered in a low voice.

In terms of raw power, the gap between Perfect Ones and ordinary heroes was immense—though not wholly insurmountable. However, Karl’s Divine Magic, derived directly from the power of Grace, was a different story. From the beginning, it was established with an absolute hierarchy between his usage of it and that of others.

Even if all ten archbishops ambushed him together, Karl would have been able to suppress them instantly.

That fundamental superiority in power made Ludwig certain the archbishops couldn’t be behind it—but Se-Hoon had a different view.

“Didn’t we have that one case with Apostate?”

While Divine Magic originated from the power of Grace, Apostate was an example of an exception who broke away from the framework. Granted, it was unlikely that all ten archbishops had turned into apostates or demons; if their faith had shifted in some way, though, it wasn’t impossible for them to subdue Karl.

“Oh? I didn’t expect you to give the archbishops that much credit.”

“It’s not really about credit.... It’s just that humanity has gotten that much stronger.”

With the emergence of the Blessings—Eternal, Sacred Lantern, and Foresight—humankind had evolved dramatically. Now, on top of the threat of the Demon Force, which didn’t strike the same fear as before, the aura surrounding those with powers had likewise diminished.

“Oh? So you’re saying humanity might actually be able to challenge beings like us now?”

“Not to that extent—but we still can’t afford to be careless anymore.”

“A fair point. So what will you do now?”

“I’m going to meet with the Heroes Association President and examine the statement said to be written by the Pilgrim himself. And if it turns out to be genuine...”

At that point, then, like Ludwig suspected, Karl most likely had truly changed. Letting out a quiet sigh, Se-Hoon gazed at the night view.

“As grand archbishop, I suppose it is time I made an inspection.”

***

Two days had passed since the announcement. Just like the world that was still abuzz with speculation over the changes to come under the new pope, the Peregrine Cathedral was as well.

“What do you think things will be like with the Grand Archbishop as our new pope?”

“Maybe he’ll invest more in the development of Holy Artifacts? I heard a rumor ages ago that there was something in progress.”

“I’m more worried about his interpretation of doctrine. I heard he’s quite the pessimist...”

“He’ll probably just maintain the status quo. Stirring things up will only make a mess.”

Contrary to what the world believed—that the result was long preordained—even the priests working under the archbishops had heard nothing of the announcement in advance.

This feels... off.

Is this really okay?

Like everyone else, the announcement had been so sudden that the inner ranks of the Church were left uneasy. They, of course, went to ask the archbishops—only to be told one thing: “It is the will of the Pilgrim.”

Naturally, an atmosphere of tense unease settled within the Cathedral.

Huh... This isn’t quite what I expected.

Standing in the midst of it all, Se-Hoon—invisible—looked around. He had assumed the headquarters of the Pilgrimage Church would be better organized two days later, but the place was still in chaos. The unease, discomfort, and a hint of anticipation in the air all saturated the air.

I’m feeling a sense of... anticipation, huh.

Focusing on the hint, Se-Hoon began wondering. Could it be that there had been quiet discontent toward Karl within the Church?

“...As the times changed, so too did humanity’s faith in God. Yet the Grace I was given could not guide that change. Just as mankind survived the trials once bestowed by God decades ago, the Pilgrimage Church must now overcome a new ordeal to prosper once again. So I ask you to blame my own inadequacy, and may the new pope be blessed by the divine...”

It made him recall Karl’s statement on white parchment: genuine, infused with the power of Grace without a trace of forgery. Because of that absolute truth, Se-Hoon had come to the Peregrine Cathedral with only the bare minimum of preparation.

I don’t know how much of the statement was honest... but it’s clear something happened to Karl.

That suspicion only deepened as Se-Hoon examined the cathedral for himself, feeling the underlying atmosphere for himself.

Let’s start with the areas that didn’t show up with the power of Perception.

Blending perfectly into the boundary between dream and reality, Se-Hoon moved through the cathedral while checking the places that remained hidden even now.

Hm... it’s mostly storage rooms here.

From what he found so far, most were places shielded by Karl’s Divine Magic with the occasional small library or resting rooms.

Was this Karl’s personal space?

In one study in particular, he found handwritten journals that appeared to be written by Karl. When he used the power of Perception to absorb their contents instantly, Se-Hoon found out they were mostly written after Karl had become a Perfect One. The contents were just some musings on faith, Church management and powers—more like personal diaries than public documents.

Seems like he wrote these after the Cold War during his travels and later along the Pilgrim’s Path.

Skimming through, it was evident Karl had recorded them not for others but to organize his thoughts. However, it was also clear what he valued above all else.

He really did think only about humanity.

Whether he was waging war on the front line, contemplating new Divine Magic, or walking the Pilgrimage Path, his thoughts were always focused on humanity’s peace. His unconditional benevolence was clearer than all else, something perhaps only possible for someone who had ascended a Tower of Heroes.

A man like that stepping down due to “limitations”... just doesn’t sit right.

Se-Hoon frowned.

If Karl had truly reached his limit, wouldn’t he have consulted Se-Hoon at least once? The more he investigated, the more things seemed to spiral deeper into mystery.

At the same time... a certain figure kept popping into Se-Hoon’s mind: Kamal.

Kamal is a good man at his core, but he has a surprisingly ruthless side.

Before the regression, Kamal—then grand archbishop—had determined that his dying body made his own existence an obstacle during the extermination of the Destroyer of Moralities and the near-collapse of the Allied Forces. After that, he persuaded the remaining archbishops and believers to offer everything they had through a ritual, forging the final Holy Artifact: the Grand Holy Sword.

Kamal could have subdued Karl if he had really felt the need to.

Se-Hoon only grew more convinced.

With such thoughts in his mind, he pressed on with his investigation and eventually found a prayer room tucked away in a corner of the cathedral.

“...”

It was small—barely big enough for two people. Inspecting the room, Se-Hoon soon noticed faint footprints on the floor atop the residual trace of Karl’s presence...?

Fwoosh-

White particles that had been invisible began manifesting around him, then slowly drifted downward. Observing them silently, Se-Hoon followed them by phasing through the floor using the power of Boundaries and descended into the underground.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Thud-

With a slight jolt of dissonance, he landed in a massive cavern.

This place is...

Se-Hoon looked around the underground space devoid of light. A normal person would have seen nothing, but Se-Hoon could clearly discern the structure within.

Is that a church?

Cracked and crumbling, the decrepit form of a church that seemed to have been abandoned for decades made Se-Hoon frown in puzzlement.

Why would something like this be beneath the cathedral?

Mulling over possibilities, Se-Hoon stepped forward to investigate—

Wooong-

A golden light erupted across the cavern, illuminating the space. In the blink of an eye, the archbishops—who had been aboveground until moments ago—appeared, all clad in Stigmata.

Boom!

“Welcome, Grand Archbishop.”

With a thunderous thud of his greatsword on the ground, Kamal greeted him with a chilling voice.