Chapter 321: You Scheme Against Us

After waiting over ten minutes, a fat middle-aged man in silk ritual robes finally appeared.

This couldn’t be the Pontiff Kitakudo Shingen—their builds didn’t match.

“Grand High Priest!”

The other priests, including Kaneda Hideki, bowed to the obese man.

As Kaneda Hideki had mentioned earlier, this Grand High Priest was named Wakagi Kazuhiro.

When the Pontiff Kitakudo Shingen wasn’t present, Wakagi handled all church affairs, holding status second only to the Pontiff himself.

Despite wearing priestly robes, Wakagi Kazuhiro resembled a merchant more than a clergyman.

His plump face wore a kindly smile as he said in a soothing voice, “Thank you for your patience. The Pontiff will emerge shortly. Please maintain order and approach one by one as required.”

He stepped aside and announced: “All hail the Pontiff!”

The priests echoed him, causing many wishers to join the chant.

Pontiff Kitakudo Shingen finally emerged.

He matched his photographs perfectly—draped in ornate robes, wearing a golden crown, his neck laden with pendants. A peculiar mask concealed his face.

The hall fell utterly silent when Kitakudo Shingen appeared.

Though placed at the queue’s end due to his height, Fang Cheng’s sharp vision immediately spotted a Blissful Faith-style pendant on the Pontiff’s chest—two human faces pressed back-to-back.

This was unmistakably the soul stabilizer.

The device lay within reach. Fang Cheng burned to activate Overload Mode and grab it, but restrained himself—Kitakudo Shingen’s capabilities remained unknown.

By the Countermeasures Department’s standards, Fang Cheng ranked at Hazard Level A. The Department similarly rated Kitakudo Shingen as Level A.

Both shared the same rating, but Kitakudo Shingen’s A was inflated by the Truth Cult’s capacity for terrorist attacks. Simply put, Fang Cheng’s rating reflected personal power while Kitakudo Shingen’s included organizational might.

Since the Pontiff’s power source remained unclear, Fang Cheng decided to wait until the wish-granting ritual brought him closer before making his move.

After receiving worship from the Grand High Priest and followers before the holy grail, Kitakudo Shingen began granting wishes.

The first wisher hurried forward, bowed low, and murmured their desire.

Most couldn’t hear the quiet request, but Fang Cheng’s enhanced hearing caught every word.

The man wished to cure his disease-ridden aging body and restore vitality—a surprisingly mundane wish. Fang Cheng had expected a plea for renewed youth.

After years of wish-granting operations, astute observers had likely discerned which requests the Truth Cult could actually fulfill.

Opportunities came only once, and these wishers wouldn’t risk making unrealistic wishes.

Kitakudo Shingen stretched out his hand and slowly placed it on the man’s head, chanting the Truth Cult’s doctrines.

When he finished, specks of golden light drifted from the holy grail behind him, sinking into the wisher’s body like fireflies.

“Congratulations, sir. Your wish has been granted.”

Grand High Priest Wakagi Kazuhiro smiled. “You may inspect your body now.”

The wisher frantically patted himself, finding his back pain gone and legs healed. Vital energy surged through his limbs—even his lifeless “old roots” felt revived like spring sap.

“Haha! It really works! Thank you!”

The man kept bowing to Kitakudo Shingen until worshippers led him away. Witnessing this, the remaining wishers grew restless, their eagerness palpable.

Fang Cheng observed coldly. Through his dealings with Iyaya, he’d learned all divine powers demanded payment. The Truth Cult’s wish-granting might work, but hidden prices lurked. This man’s current relief might cost him heart failure later—trading lifespan for temporary health.

One by one, wishers stepped forward. Most succeeded, though the holy grail remained dark for some. Failed wishers grew bitter—one even threw a tantrum.

“Screw you! Refund!!”

His shouts earned him a rough escort out. Others finally grasped their vulnerability—lambs trapped in a slaughterhouse.

When dozens had left, only Fang Cheng and Kanzaki Rin remained in the hall, posing as lovers seeking a heart disease cure. Fang Cheng waited to be summoned closer, ready to seize the soul stabilizer if Kitakudo Shingen’s power proved manageable.

The summons never came.

Boots clattered suddenly. Followers with automatic weapons poured from behind statues, guns trained on the pair.

They instinctively turned to Kaneda Hideki. The mole now stood beside the Grand High Priest, grinning triumphantly.

Kanzaki Rin’s face hardened—the betrayal was obvious.

“Kaneda!” Fang Cheng barked. “You sold us out?”

“Apologies!” Kaneda smirked. “The cult leader’s my owner now. Don’t take it personally.”

A realization struck Kanzaki Rin. “You caused the missing moles? The deaths?”

Over years, most Countermeasures Department infiltrators had vanished or died. Kaneda, surviving this long, had clearly been turning them in.