"Cult of Erebus's group?" a nearby follower of the Hermes Cult said with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, with the situation deteriorating, this is the moment when everyone needs to work together to overcome the crisis. When I send them my letter, those Cult of Erebus followers will come."
As Hippomenes spoke, he took out a seal-stamped letter from the Magic Circle Diagram and handed it to a Hermes Cult member responsible for conveying messages.
The reason he was so certain was that he was not only the Priest of the Hermes Cult but also the Priest of the Cult of Erebus.
Just like the fools of the Hermes Trismegistus Sector, those followers of the Cult of Erebus couldn't resist the temptation of eternal life from the moment he presented the Philosopher's Stone and unanimously elected him as their Priest.
Unfortunately, he had not been in power within the Cult of Erebus long enough to personally preside over a Cult of Erebus secret ritual.
Otherwise, it would have been possible to mix the prepared red potion, nurturing the artificially created embryos, into the Hygieian Porridge while distributing it to those fools.
Hippomenes shook his head and then rose to his feet, heading straight for the Royal Palace.
As soon as he entered, the guards and maids smoothly welcomed him into the Royal Palace Council Hall.
The King of Arcadia, who had been waiting for a long time, was eager to see him and pounced on him the moment he entered the door.
"Priest, my medicine? Where is my medicine?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive my incompetence..."
Hippomenes lowered his head, his face full of shame.
Seeing this, the King of Arcadia's face filled with astonishment and his voice rose sharply.
"I'm sorry, I didn't expect there to be a Typhon Temple hidden in the Arcadia mountains. With the protection of that ancient demon, the intensity of the Beast Disaster far exceeded everyone's expectations..."
"Where is the medicine?!"
The King of Arcadia interrupted Hippomenes' explanation, grabbed his garment, and pressed him desperately.
At that moment, he could not hear any unrelated noise, his savage face filled with madness, and tiny insects were visibly swimming in his bloodshot eyes.
"I gave you the army, I handed those people over to you, and you promised to bring me the medicine that would elevate me to Deities!"
In a frenzy, the King of Arcadia hissed furiously, his engorged flesh seeming to writhe with countless worms, desperately seeking this transformation.
Watching the completely distorted face beginning to surge with a strong murderous intent, Hippomenes spoke calmly.
"Your Majesty, although I don't have the medicine now, there are enough materials here. If you permit, I can prepare a new one for you at any time."
The King of Arcadia followed Hippomenes' gaze toward the countless households within the Royal City and quickly grasped the Priest's intent, his eyes flickering with struggle.
"The campaign has been declared a failure, the Beast Tide is about to return. At this critical juncture, you must not fall. Only if you survive can you save more people, right?"
Hippomenes spoke softly, his deep voice like a slick serpent, slithering through the King of Arcadia's ears and stirring his brain.
"This is a necessary sacrifice. Arcadia will remember their contribution..."
"Yes, it's all for Arcadia!"
The King of Arcadia muttered and nodded, taking out a Bronze crest engraved with the emblem of the Moon from the Magic Circle Diagram and handing it to Hippomenes.
Every city-state has its own Guardian God, and the deities provide protection to the nations that worship them.
Unless they choose to give it up...
Hippomenes accepted the Bronze emblem, bowed mockingly toward the King of Arcadia on the throne, rose to his feet, and walked toward the grand hall, arriving at the highest point of the Royal Palace: the Astrological Observatory.
A group of Hermes Cult and Cult of Erebus followers had already assembled, each standing on different Astrolabes.
Seeing this, Hippomenes crossed the steps engraved with Hermes Script, ascended the high platform, and crushed the Bronze emblem in his palm into tiny fragments.
The Sacred Flame in the Temple of the Moon Goddess "puffed" out, and the sky above the Royal City suddenly cleared, as if some barrier had been broken.
Hippomenes revealed a satisfied smile, opened his arms, and joined the assembled followers in chanting the ancient Holy Word.
"When the stars are rightly aligned, the Circle of Reason appears here; the Origin is minuscule, expansion infinite. The celestial is the void. The void is the vacuum. In the vacuum dwell the Deities!"
Accompanied by the unified chanting, countless stars in the sky lit up, their intersecting lights constructing an intricate and vast star pattern, enveloping the entire Arcadia Royal City from above.
The people in the city involuntarily paused, their eyes turned skyward.
They were amazed to find the stars above seemingly spinning, their interwoven streams of light forming a massive vortex, consuming their thoughts and siphoning their spirits.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Moments later, one after another, figures collapsed to the ground, countless spirits streaming toward the swirling stars above.
The followers in front of the altar, upon seeing the entire city's people falling one after another, were shocked and turned their gaze to the central figure on the altar.
Wasn't this to combat the Beast Tide? How did it differ from what was agreed?
Two nearby Cult of Erebus followers just opened their mouths to inquire, but Hippomenes raised his hand and made a fierce gesture in midair.
The bodies of the two instantly burst open, turning into a cloud of blood mist, converging into Hippomenes' body.
With this nourishment, Hippomenes cracked a ferocious smile and, under the terrified gaze of many, raised his hands high, culminating in the final chant.