Chapter Fifty-Four: Wagers Before the Battle

The moment the Star God Church and the Father God Church appeared, the entire venue erupted with excitement. Although several major religious duels had taken place earlier, they had all been restrained affairs, with stakes merely for show—hardly enough to stir anyone’s enthusiasm.

But everyone knew that tensions between the Star God Church and the Father God Church had been mounting even before the competition began. Though neither side had yet announced their wager, the hostility was already palpable. Especially for the Father God Church, many so-called experts and professors had confidently declared that if they lost this duel, it would mark the end of the Father God Church, just like all those other fleeting, meteoric sects that had risen and disappeared throughout history.

A duel that would determine the very fate of a church—a church whose own history was legendary in itself—just the thought of it made people’s blood surge with excitement.

When the members of the Father God Church entered the arena, exclamations rang out from the crowd, and even more people lost faith in this group. After all, Link and his companions were so young, while the Star God Church’s representatives had an undeniable aura and presence that put them at an advantage.

As a result, many who had placed bets at the outside market began to jeer, urging Link and his group to lose as quickly as possible—ideally to lose all three matches in a row. Many, finding the odds for a straightforward Star God Church victory too low, had instead bet on a sweep, hoping for greater returns the faster the Father God Church was defeated.

Such words naturally enraged the still-spirited youths Saga, Aiolos, and Elia. Where before the three had felt some stage fright, they now felt nothing but determination.

As for Link and Lingmeng, one had seen many grand occasions as a traveler from another world, while the other was simply indifferent by nature and unbothered by such things. How could they be disturbed by the jeers of nameless onlookers? From start to finish, both remained composed.

Ironically, their calm demeanor irked some of the more malicious in the crowd, who began to shout even more unpleasant things.

“Hey, kid, are you really the founder of the Father God Church? Ha! No wonder it’s a trash church, founded by a brat like you. Do yourself a favor—when you’re up there, strip down and offer yourself to the other side. There are women on their team, and maybe the men have special tastes too. If you serve them well, maybe they’ll let you go, hahahaha!”

“Well, look at this beauty—a black-haired, black-eyed girl from the Dongyun Empire, so rare! What’s her name again? Lingmeng? Hey, Lingmeng, what’s the point of being a nun? Your useless archbishop is dragging you into battle because the Father God Church obviously has no one left. Come to me, I’ll show you some warmth…”

These were but two examples of the many appalling taunts being hurled at Link and his companions. The crowd did everything they could to demoralize them, their faces full of schadenfreude, finding joy in others’ misery.

Saga and Aiolos were furious and wanted to retort, but Link stopped them with a smile. “Enough. Ignore those clowns—they’re nothing but parasites. When we win, their current behavior will make for the sweetest irony.”

The two hot-blooded youths recognized the truth of his words and repressed their urge to argue.

Then Link turned to Lingmeng and said, “Sorry, Lingmeng, for dragging you into this. You’re a Grand Priestess of the Celestial Spirit, and yet you have to stand here with us and endure their insults.”

Lingmeng replied, her expression untroubled, “It doesn’t matter. They’re just a swarm of flies. Being the Grand Priestess is in the past—once the festival ends, the entire Celestial Spirit Church will join the Father God Church. I’ll be a nun of the Father God Church anyway, so this is just getting started a little early.”

Link nodded, saying nothing, but felt deeply grateful to Lingmeng. Even if it was just her nature, her willingness to help without complaint moved him.

His gratitude, however, was short-lived, for Lingmeng’s next words caught him off guard.

“Besides, those old women said if I help you, there’s a chance I’ll earn a reward. Why wouldn’t I? By the way, how much are you planning to give me? How about a hundred thousand Sora?”

“…Just you wait!” Link couldn’t help but twitch his lips, thinking to himself how foolish he was to have been so touched by her.

Putting aside the private banter between Link and Lingmeng, once both teams had entered the arena, the host stepped between them and invited the leaders forward. Link and Amon stepped up immediately, and the host got straight to the point: “Gentlemen, please discuss your wagers. Once the stakes are set, the duel can begin.”

Before Link could speak, Amon interjected, “We, the Father God Church, invoke the right of apostasy arbitration, and require that the Father God Church wager their Holy Light Cathedral and ten ordinary churches.”

Apostasy arbitration again, and a demand that could not be refused by the rules. Link narrowed his eyes, realizing the Star God Church had done its homework. They not only knew about the Holy Light Cathedral, but even the exact number of churches the Father God Church owned—including those just acquired from the God of War Church, now totaling ten ordinary church properties.

“Archbishop Niel, you’ve heard Bishop Amon’s request. Any objections?” the host asked Link, though it was a mere formality. Link had no right to refuse; if he did, the Star God Church could invoke another arbitration right to call on other churches in the Red Moon Province to punish the Father God Church. Even with Count Lothar as a backer, the Father God Church could not withstand that.

So Link glanced at Amon and shook his head. “I have no objections. However, these are all our assets—especially the Holy Light Cathedral, which is no ordinary church. Since you want it so badly, Bishop Amon, you’ll have to put up something of equal value.”

Amon smiled coldly. “Don’t worry, our stake is more than fair. The Star God Church will wager twenty branch churches and one hundred thousand Sora.”

This drew a sharp intake of breath from the host. In his view, this was a generous offer—twice as many churches as the Father God Church, and enough money to build a lavish cathedral.

But Link merely shook his head. “Bishop Amon, that’s hardly sincere. Since you’ve allied with the Temple of the Mad God, surely you know the value of the Holy Light Cathedral? It’s worth far more than a few branch churches and a hundred thousand Sora. Besides, our congregation is still small—even our ten churches are a burden; what would we do with your twenty?”

Amon narrowed his eyes. “Then what do you want? Name it—as long as it’s something our church possesses, I can authorize it.”

Link smiled faintly. “Nothing complicated. Just money. Bishop Amon, here’s my proposal: our wager remains as is, but you put up five hundred thousand Sora.”

“Five hundred thousand Sora!” Both Amon and the host were visibly stunned. That was an outrageous sum—Amon’s earlier offer was barely worth two hundred thousand Sora, and Link had just doubled it.

Amon instinctively wanted to refuse, but thinking of the Father God Church’s strength and the rumored miracles of the Holy Light Cathedral, he held his tongue. If the cathedral was truly as miraculous as reports claimed, half a million Sora would be worth it. Besides, he had no belief they would lose.

Having made up his mind, Amon snorted coldly and nodded. “Very well, I accept. But I require an additional condition—if you lose, both you and Elia Night become ours to dispose of.”

“Elia?” Link was taken aback, then shook his head. “No. You can have me, but not Elia. If you insist on including her, the wager is off.”

He would never allow Elia to become part of the stakes—not even with full confidence in his own victory. To him, Elia was not just another follower, but the most important person in his life. In the months they had spent together, she had become like a true sister to him.

Seeing his resolve, Amon did not press the matter. After all, once the Father God Church and Link were destroyed, Elia would be theirs to do with as they pleased. The key was to lure Link into the trap.

In Amon’s eyes, Link’s bravado was just what they wanted—a sign he had fallen into their snare. Otherwise, why would he act so tough when it was clear they were outmatched? A hot-headed kid was still a kid, clever or not.

With that, Amon sneered and said no more. The host quickly drafted a magical contract, writing out the terms and having both parties press their handprints to seal the wager. The contract was binding; anyone who reneged would suffer unbearable torment, and the victor could use the contract to seek official enforcement.

With the contract signed, the duel officially began. Link and Amon returned to their teams, and the host, holding a magical loudspeaker, announced with great enthusiasm, “Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests—the duel between the Father God Church and Star God Church has begun! This is the grand finale of the All Gods Festival, the event we’ve all been waiting for. Now, let the two teams send forth their first challengers!”

As the host finished, the audience erupted in excited cheers. The Star God Church’s first representative stepped forward. Seeing who it was, Link gave a cold smile. “Sending out your strongest right from the start? Amon, you’re really in a hurry to make a statement. Very well. Saga, you go. You’re permitted to use the Sacred Armor.”

Saga’s eyes lit up. He took a deep breath to steady his excitement and replied in a low voice, “Rest assured, Archbishop. I won’t let you down. This fight will show everyone the might of our church!”

With that, Saga stepped forward amid the crowd’s anticipation and Aiolos’s envious gaze. In truth, Aiolos had wanted to go first, but he knew how crucial the opening match was and recognized his own limitations, so he kept his desire in check.

(A recommendation for another book follows here.)