Chapter 20: Chaos

Komer turned his gaze northward. The orcs’ actions undeniably posed a huge challenge to the Church of Light. Now, the Church had to consider how to address the crisis of faith among the people of the Kingdom of Nicomedia caused by the orcs’ actions. If the image shaped by a religion could be so easily shattered by the force of orcs from the northern wastelands, the impact would be unimaginable. Without taking decisive action to reverse this situation, it would be an irreparable disaster for the Church of Light.

So how should he make use of this opportunity? Should he fully support the Dark faction’s development in the Caucasus and Leon, even expanding its influence to Livonia? Or should he cautiously back the Salvation Order as it infiltrated the areas north of Nicomedia? Or perhaps take advantage of the Church of Light’s preoccupation in the north to openly establish the banner of the Dark Holy Church in the south?

Komer was hesitant. The Salvation Order had quite complex and subtle influence in the Kingdom of Nicomedia and throughout the Northern Alliance. The fact that nobles like Melkin would openly side with Kakiya when necessary showed their devotion to their beliefs. In fact, Komer never believed that the true teachings of the Church of Light were utterly incompatible with those of the Dark faction. In his view, it was the people who truly held power in the Church of Light who were the scum who defiled its true teachings. If he could provide various forms of support to the Salvation Order, its existing structure could quickly form a strong network in the northern regions. Though it might not yet be able to rival the Church of Light, it could help counter its influence and even lead to the Church’s division.

This prospect was quite attractive, but it carried many uncertainties. Especially once the Salvation Order gained an advantage, would it still cooperate with him or obey his demands? Komer had no certainty about this, as this was not a force under his direct control but more like an ally or partner. He didn’t want to see such a force exist outside his control.

What about expanding the Dark forces into Livonia and even the entire southwestern region? It seemed that the Church of Light’s influence had diminished significantly due to the orc invasion, but deeply ingrained beliefs couldn’t collapse so easily. The Dark faction had a poor reputation in the north, often perceived as evil and negative. Entering the heart of the kingdom rashly might backfire.

What about focusing all efforts on the South? This undoubtedly holds quite promising prospects. Komer believed that with the current strength of the Dark Faction, it wouldn’t be difficult to seize the opportunity to establish dominance in the South while the Light Church was preoccupied elsewhere. Moreover, the South’s favorable population base could provide a solid foundation for the development of the Dark Church, allowing it to grow into a religious force comparable to the Light Church in the northern countries and thus compete with the Light Church for influence over the central regions of the continent. This was undoubtedly a very solid strategy.

Komer carefully analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of these three possible approaches. It was not yet feasible for the Dark Forces to immediately penetrate deep into the Kingdom of Nicotia, but they could cautiously establish footholds there. The Salvation Society could also be supported to a certain extent, allowing them to gradually become more visible and draw the Light Church’s attention. Komer had a hunch that there must be sympathizers, supporters, or even manipulators of the Salvation Society among the Light Church’s elite; otherwise, it would be impossible for them to survive so tenaciously and remain so hidden. Internal strife was often more intense than any external conflict, and Komer hoped that the Salvation Society could confront the Light Church head-on, draining its strength, thereby giving the Dark Faction more opportunities.

A three-pronged approach was Komer’s final conclusion. However, a delicate balance needed to be maintained in both strategy and execution—neither should overshadow the others, and the situation had to be sustained over the long term so that the Dark Faction could have more time to build up its strength.

Vazinki mused thoughtfully over the information he had received. Although he had already sensed some abnormalities, he still couldn’t easily believe that Frenster could be so reckless and bold. Compared to him, Noroya was nothing but a coward.

All the intelligence pointed to the fact that Frenster and his men were undoubtedly involved in the orcs’ breakthrough through the fortresses along the borders of the Kingdom of Nicotia. The orcs’ rapid advancement in siege engineering technology was remarkable—quite a number of siege engines suddenly appeared in their army, which had never made any progress in this area before. This was vastly different from their sporadic use of such weapons in previous encounters. It would be impossible for humans to transport such a large number of siege engines to the orcs without being detected by the human troops stationed along the borders. This meant only one thing: the orcs could now manufacture their own siege engines, or at least produce some basic ones with the guidance of human craftsmen.

Either scenario would be catastrophic for humanity, but that was just one aspect. What truly shocked the entire Light Church was the large number of wizards in the orc army. Humans had always believed that orcs only had an advantage in physical strength and were far inferior to mortals in intelligence and wisdom. However, the appearance of wizards undoubtedly overturned this view, bringing about a tremendous shift in power. Orcs with wizards could now harness natural forces just like mortals, thereby stripping mortals of their previous magical advantages in war. Of course, Vazinki had also been carefully studying whether orc wizards possessed the same abilities as mortal magicians when wielding their natural forces. Fortunately, orc wizards seemed more like novices in this regard, still far behind mortal magical powers both in form and substance.

It was an era of turmoil. Vazinki sighed softly. The Pope’s health was declining rapidly, especially after using the Great Prophecy spell; he became extremely weak, barely leaving his room, and even began to have difficulties eating. Frenst had taken a different path and was drifting further away from him. Noyora had become so obsessed with pursuing truth that it bordered on fanaticism. Dark forces were thriving in the south. What fate awaited the chaotic and complex Land of Azure?