NOVEL NEXT Chapter 167: The Birth of the Twilight Order
The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 167
EP.167 The Birth of the Twilight Order
Humans seeking the dungeon on their own and dreaming of the Great One’s descent sparked curiosity in the dark wizards before Celia. She greeted them with a smile.
“Welcome, you’ve had a long journey. Shall we have a conversation together?”
Seeing Celia welcoming them, Sharia felt relieved. Even though they served a Evil God, they were still apostles of that God. She had worried they might be expelled or even killed if they were not accepted, but fortunately, that did not happen.
“Thank you for your hospitality! O First Apostle of the Great One!”
Sharia gasped for breath and immediately knelt down. Her eyes flickered with excitement, but soon they settled into a reverent gaze as she bowed her head. Seeing Eclipse’s leader kneel, Lucas quickly lowered his body as well.
“First Apostle?”
Celia tilted her head at Sharia’s words.“Yes, since you serve the Great One closely, I thought you to be the First Apostle. If my thoughts are incorrect, I beg your forgiveness.”
“No, that’s a wonderful sentiment. Sharia, your words are correct.”
Celia smiled, pleased. Upon reflection, the human’s words were not wrong. Being chosen first by the Great One naturally made her the First Apostle.
“You must be tired from your journey. Let’s prepare some simple refreshments while we talk.”
With a clap of her hands, skeleton knights busied themselves with the preparations.
“……”
Watching this, Sharia, a genius dark wizard, instinctively knew. The being in the red dress was the most powerful among the apostles.
Or perhaps, was there anyone on the continent who could surpass this being? The power emanating from her felt like it belonged to another dimension. When considering everything, this being was undoubtedly the First Apostle closest to the Evil God.
‘…And the same goes for this dungeon.’
Sharia glanced around the interior of the dungeon. This was the heart of the dungeon, located in its deepest part.
‘Everything here is extraordinary.’
She had seen many things on her way here. There was a Dullahan wandering the mountains, muttering to itself. There was even a Goblin Lord carrying a strange, long staff. And a powerful vampire was sowing seeds outside the dungeon.
‘It’s certain. This must be the will of the Evil God!’
Sharia’s heart pounded. How else could such incredible beings coincidentally gather in one place? Even a child would find it unnatural.
‘More importantly…’
The most important thing was something else. It wasn’t about powerful beings gathering in one place or the size of the dungeon.
‘They’ve already started using humans as slaves…’
The most shocking part of entering the dungeon was seeing humans being used as slaves. Humans were working with pickaxes and shovels everywhere, and this sight left Sharia in awe.
‘The Apostle has already prepared everything for the resurrection of the Evil God.’
At the same time, she felt a deep reverence for the Apostle. Sharia was a dark wizard and the leader of the group of dark wizards known as Eclipse. She had thought that the grand ambition of summoning the Evil God, a long-held desire of Eclipse, would take a considerable amount of time. But now, it seemed that the preparations were already complete.
If they acted decisively, it seemed possible to conquer the continent of El Dorad even before the Evil God descended.
“……”
How joyous it would be if Eclipse could partake in that grand endeavor. Sharia bowed her head once more.
“Though we may be lacking, we wish to be of service to the First Apostle.”
Celia’s lips curled into a smile at Sharia’s sincere words. She nodded and approached Sharia and Lucas.
“Rise, Sharia. And you too, Lucas. I believe in your sincerity.”
At Celia’s gentle voice, the two slowly lifted their heads. Celia stood before them, looking down with a goddess-like presence.
“What must we do to be of great help to you, Apostle?”
Lucas asked, his eyes filled with anticipation. Like Sharia, he had felt the immense power of the Apostles. Any lingering doubts he had melted away like snow.
It wasn’t that he had ever doubted the Apostles. He had merely lacked faith in their ability to summon the Evil God and conquer the continent. But the being before him was different.
‘First Apostle, Celia…’
She had introduced herself as Celia. It was impossible to gauge the extent of her power. With her, not only would the Evil God’s descent be assured, but conquering the continent would be effortless.
As Lucas envisioned a hopeful future, Celia also fell into brief contemplation.
“Hmm.”
The crux of her thoughts was their utility. In truth, the addition of these dark wizards wouldn’t be a significant boost. However, Celia saw a potential in them.
“…Religion.”
Until now, they had faced the priests and holy knights of the White Order. Though they were mere humans, they preached faith and salvation under the teachings of the goddess. Faith and salvation had driven them to madness. What made that madness truly terrifying? It wasn’t confined to a specific group. The White Order could evangelize even ordinary humans.
Celia understood this well. There were many humans who yearned for salvation. If they could use the dark wizards to recruit such humans, their future plans would become much easier.
“We need to gather followers.”
Celia eyes gleaming with determination.
Followers who looked only to the Great One. Followers who, for the sake of the Great One, would even be willing to sacrifice their own lives in a frenzy of devotion. If they had such followers, would there be a need to spread rumors to attract adventurers? They could simply convert adventurers into followers and have them offer themselves as sacrifices.
Celia decided to use the Eclipse organization to execute this grand plan. However, she couldn’t keep Eclipse as it was.
“Sharia.”
“Yes, First Apostle!”
Sharia responded immediately to Celia’s call.
“From now on, abandon the name Eclipse.”
“……!”
Sharia and Lucas were shocked by the sudden announcement. Abandoning the name was tantamount to abandoning Eclipse itself. But Celia didn’t stop there; she began to write something diligently.
After a moment, Celia looked up and handed the paper to Sharia.
“From this day forward, you will be known as the Twilight Order. Your mission is to gather followers who will serve the Great One with unwavering devotion. Spread the word of His impending return and recruit those who share our vision.”
Sharia and Lucas took the paper, reading the new name and their mission. They nodded, understanding the gravity and importance of their new role.
“Yes, First Apostle. We will not fail,” Sharia vowed, her voice filled with resolve.
Celia nodded approvingly. “Good. Together, we will bring about a new era.”
“……”
Though she didn’t know what Celia was writing, Sharia had no choice but to follow the First Apostle’s command.
“I’ll write down the tasks you need to accomplish. In the meantime, please have something to eat.”
Clatter, clatter—
At Celia’s words, skeleton knights appeared. One of them handed over a silver tray with teacups. Another skeleton knight presented a plate filled with freshly baked, juicy meats and well-browned bread.
Normally, food for humans wasn’t needed in the dungeon. However, as the number of humans in the dungeon increased, they had received supplies from the royal palace. Though the menu was simple, the quality was assured, given the royal origin.
The sight of steaming bread and meat made Sharia and Lucas’s eyes widen. For those who often had to stave off hunger with scarce food, this scene felt like a dream.
“Can we really eat this?” Sharia asked in a trembling voice.
Seeing the cautious human, Celia smiled kindly and replied, “Of course. Please, help yourselves. You have much work ahead of you.”
With Celia’s assurance, Sharia and Lucas picked up the food. The moment the tender meat and well-baked bread touched their mouths, they couldn’t help but tear up.
‘…Delicious!’
Sharia closed her eyes, letting out an ecstatic sigh at the taste of the meat. Eating bread topped not with eggs or sausages but with juicy meat was a first for her. It was a moment of achieving her second wish.
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***
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After the satisfying meal, Celia handed over what she had written to Sharia and Lucas.
“…Twilight Order?”
At the top of the paper Celia handed over, the words ‘Twilight Order’ were written. Sharia began to read the document slowly.
—
[Twilight Order]
– From this moment, ‘Eclipse’ will be reborn as the ‘Twilight Order.’
– Sharia is appointed as the leader of the Twilight Order.
– Lucas is appointed as the deputy leader of the Twilight Order.
– The decision-making body ‘Inner Circle’ is established, and the existing dark wizards of Eclipse are appointed to the Inner Circle.
– Followers are ranked in four tiers: ‘High Priest,’ ‘Priest,’ ‘Monk,’ and ‘Believer.’
[The doctrines of the Twilight Order are as follows:]
- The Great One is our master and savior. His descent is our salvation.
- The present world is ruled by pain and absurdity, a false order created by deceitful gods.
- On the day the Great One descends, the false order will collapse, and a new world will emerge.
- We must follow His teachings.
- Sacrifice for the Great One is inevitable. All who obstruct Him must be eliminated.
—
“This is…!”
It was akin to the founding of a new religion. The creation of a new religion would be deemed heretical. If their identity were exposed, the Order would likely dispatch inquisitors. However, Sharia felt no fear. Instead, she was filled with excitement, her hands trembling.
“Now, Sharia. Show us your abilities. I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
Indeed, this was both an opportunity and a test from the Apostle.
To prove their worth here was essential for moving forward together. However, there was one concern.
“First Apostle, we currently lack the forces to protect the Twilight Order,” Lucas pointed out.
Indeed, creating a new religion was one thing, but having the strength to defend it was another. The White Order’s power stemmed not just from the teachings of the goddess but from their overwhelming military strength. With inquisitors and holy knights serving as the Order’s sword, who would dare challenge them?
“You are absolutely right,” Celia agreed, gesturing with her hand.
Heavily armored skeleton knights lined up behind her.
“Use them as the sword of the Twilight Order. I shall name them… the Twilight Knights.”
With that, Celia called for Necros.
“Sir Necros, I would like you to assist them in establishing their base.”
Founding a new religion required a secure foothold, and it was safer to establish it within the Sael Kingdom, where Celia’s influence reached. Of course, they couldn’t operate openly, so they planned to start in the shadows—the underworld.
Currently, Necros managed the underworld of the Sael Kingdom.
“Clink…”
However, Necros was busy. He had nearly conquered the underworld, the monster arena was thriving, and he was also managing the dungeon. On top of that, he needed to find the master wearing the ‘Black Mask’ and generate more revenue through new ventures.
“Necros, I want you to handle their finances.”
“Clink?”
“Support the Twilight Order and manage the donations from the followers.”
“……!”
Necros’s mind raced. Supporting the Twilight Order -> Elevating the Twilight Order’s status -> Increasing the number of followers -> More donations from followers -> More money.
“!”
Necros knelt before Celia, bowing his head. This was a gesture of genuine respect.
Thus, the moment the new religion, the Twilight Order, was born on the continent of El Dorad.
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