Fractured: I became Her【Genderbend LitRPG】

Chapter 134: Public Test

The churning River of Fate obscured the gods' vision. Across the continent, while surface calm prevailed, tensions between the Radiant Church and other factions had reached a breaking point. Radical demonstrators began assaulting municipal buildings in various cities.After Pontiff Sulyvahn led his war knights into Divine Lordran, the Radiant Church's command structure fell to the Hall of the Pontiff, leaving local chapters disorganized and directionless. Cities failed to coordinate, with many members unclear about whom they were fighting. Some within the Church attempted to restore order, but faced with fanatical clergy and followers who refused reason, they could only sigh in despair.

Among the divine office holders, reactions varied: some sacrificed themselves, others turned a blind eye, many devoted themselves with fervent zeal, while a few retreated into seclusion.

Summer arrived with intensifying heat.

Such fervor, left without outlet, would inevitably lead to destruction.

"Coo coo coo, coo coo coo."

Torrent City, Upper District Flower Avenue. Afternoon.

A pure white carrier pigeon soared through azure skies, weaving between bustling streets before gracefully descending into a courtyard filled with red roses and sunburst flowers. Fluttering its wings, it landed on the lawn, cooing as it pecked at grass seeds.

Suddenly, a pair of pearl-like hands reached out, gently lifting the pigeon to retrieve a small message from its leg. The released bird circled affectionately around the masculine-attired beauty before flying away.

"Another message? How frequent~~" came a lazy voice from under the sunshade. Gehrman contentedly sipped his iced Durand wine, his appearance transformed from his usual wilderness-survival disarray. With slicked-back hair and a refreshing teal shirt and shorts, he looked completely revitalized. Lady Maria suspected he'd be wearing sunglasses too, had they existed in this world.

In contrast, Maria's attire remained appropriately formal: a fitted white lace blouse with a black vest, resembling a noble lady prepared for horseback riding. Her entire presence exuded neatness and propriety.

Her naturally cool constitution made the sweltering summer heat irrelevant. With doll-like serenity gracing her exquisite features, she carefully unfolded the secretly sealed message.

Her crimson eyes flickered as she quickly absorbed the brief contents.

With a delicate swipe of her translucent red nails, eerie particulate Blood Essence reduced the paper to irrecoverable fragments.

"Someone plans to attack the Church of Steam's Armory tonight."

Lady Maria's voice remained cool and ethereal as always. In Torrent City's recent power structure, Maria had effectively become a faction in her own right. Due to complex circumstances, some clergy from Luminous Cathedral, led by Flame Warrior Phoenix, had chosen to align themselves with Maria.

This was likely Archbishop Mark's arrangement.

The old man who had devoted his life to the Radiant Church could only make preparations in advance when faced with inevitable decline. Maria had anticipated this development, though she hadn't expected the Archbishop to place his bets on Phoenix rather than the Steel Nun Dolores.

It took about a week.

Maria dispersed the clergy who pledged allegiance to her, spreading them from Torrent City to surrounding towns. Her goal was to recruit more rational clergy who refused to be swept up in the fanatical tide, along with skilled individuals from the Radiant Church.

The results proved satisfactory.

This also allowed Lady Maria to ease Harvett's unnecessary concerns after his investigation. To the shrewd chairman, Maria, descendant of an ancient noble lineage from the Northern Territories, was clearly accumulating resources to challenge her family upon returning north. His early investment in Lady Maria and deep cooperation would secure him a seat in the Noble Council if things progressed smoothly.

The special combat unit currently under Maria's command received a meaningful name: Purge.

Phoenix particularly favored this title.

To the clergy who had chosen to stand on the other side, the fanatical and pathological church was beyond saving. Only by purging all reactionary elements could the Radiant Church regain its purity.

This belief circulated within the Purge Squad, though it somewhat diverged from Maria's vision of forging them into a blade against Chaos. Still, time remained plentiful. Once earth-shattering upheaval arrived, she would truly become the spiritual guide and navigator of the Purge Squad.

"Those maniacs finally lost their patience?"

Gehrman took a sharp swallow of chilled liquor, looking up at his beautiful apprentice with curiosity.

He knew all about Maria's activities and had used his own influence to ease mundane concerns for his prized pupil, such as the combat unit's permits, land deeds for their base, and supply channels from the noble military.

"Fools."

A flicker of icy anger surfaced in Maria's eyes as she unusually employed such inelegant words to describe the reckless fanatics.

"Exactly. They're just fools. Singing cheerful tunes while marching merrily toward destruction, completely unaware of what awaits them." Gehrman gave a thumbs-up at his apprentice's precise wording.

Suddenly rubbing his chin in contemplation, Gehrman recalled something puzzling. "By the way, have many people been inquiring about you these past couple days?"

"I don't know."

At the mention of this, Maria immediately showed a frustrated expression. Two days ago when the Fractured Open Beta launched, players who appeared in Torrent City and its surroundings went inexplicably wild, charging toward Luminous Cathedral like they were on stimulants, causing traffic congestion around the cathedral area at one point.

These people shouting meaningless phrases like "Let me see HER!" "I NEED HER!". all had the same goal: to see Lady Maria.

If Maria hadn't moved out beforehand, she would likely be harassed twenty-four hours a day by these individuals.

Fortunately, the security situation in the upper district remained good, and under the current tense circumstances, those unemployed drifters hadn't managed to infiltrate the upper district to find her.

———————————

< Support Me >