Little Pink Starfish

Even possessing extraordinary power, the Pope was not omniscient.

He had not stepped out of the cathedral in many years. The affairs of the Church of Light were managed by the Twelve High Priests, yet the Pope was still considered the first among the servants of the Light God—his authority unquestioned.

Because he was powerful. The most powerful within the Church.

He was also shrouded in mystery. The old High Priest, at least, knew the Pope was older than himself. No one knew how many years the Pope had lived—he was simply still alive.

Now, he saw the endless horde of Bix clan members before the church and the completely suppressed Saint Radiance and Saint Spirit standing to the side. As he descended upon the cathedral’s front steps, he frowned before saying a word.

A beam of holy light struck the figures of “Eagle” and “Pei Sen”—they shattered instantly like broken mirrors!

Radiance and Spirit, who had thought the pair were still there, looked on in stunned realization.

“Projection from a Mirror Image Spell,” the Pope said calmly. “It seems our dear Count and that so-called foreign leader have already fled—leaving you foolish creatures behind to do their dirty work.”

He hoped his words would stir division among the Bix and turn them against Eagle and Pei Sen. After all, he knew these “foreigners” weren’t stupid.

Yet what he saw were Bix clan players who continued charging the cathedral with zero hesitation—as if they hadn’t heard him at all.

---

Ding!

Main Quest: Final Battle – Church of Light

“Brave warriors of the Bix clan have launched a surprise night raid on the Light Holy City. The darkness has worked in your favor, and the attack has gone unexpectedly well. As the Bix clan storms the cathedral, the Pope Ogolink appears before you.”

Main Boss Objective: Defeat the Pope of the Church of Light, Ogolink.

Rewards: EXP, gold, plot advancement, Story Boss Loot Chest

---

Many players rushing toward the cathedral came to a sudden halt—so sudden it looked comical.

Then, all at once, they turned to look at the Pope.

The Pope paused, disappointed that his “Incite” divine power hadn’t worked. The spell was obscure but potent—once seeded with the right words, it could make people interpret events through the lens he shaped.

He was still wondering why his words had no effect when the players stopped.

…Had it worked after all?

Well, not quite.

In truth, the players didn’t care. Why should they care?

What NPCs were doing wasn’t their concern. What mattered was their quest.

The Pope assumed Pei Sen was their leader. Pei Sen certainly didn’t think so—and neither did the players.

To them, Pei Sen was a glorified errand boy. At least the young Earl had the title of faction leader!

All that mattered was the mission. If the quest asked them to switch sides and help the Church, most players would do it—even begrudgingly.

But right now, the task was to destroy the Church. So Pei Sen and Eagle? Relevant or not—they were just background noise.

The players didn’t even understand what the Pope meant by his speech. Some casually chatted, “Pei Sen and the young earl pulled back? Whatever, the invincibility’s gone. Let’s kill the boss already.”

“This Pope looks like the big boss. Why are we still trying to squeeze into the church?”

“Yeah! Why are we even pushing through the cathedral door when the final boss is right here?!”

Some players even thought it was a good thing that Pei Sen and Eagle had left. What if they showed up and stole the boss kill?

No one wanted a repeat of what happened with Sadin—the powerful NPC who once snatched away a key story kill, earning players’ long-standing resentment.

And speaking of Sadin, his voice rang out just then:
“Your Holiness, no need to look for the young lord or Pei Sen. Your opponent is me.”

He strolled forward, sword in hand, completely relaxed. The Pope’s face darkened.

A Sword Saint was never to be taken lightly—especially after what Sadin had done to the Mage’s Association.

The Pope was confident in his own strength, but he knew Sadin wasn’t an ordinary swordmaster.

The moment players saw Sadin appear, they groaned.

“Ugh, this guy again! First time wasn’t enough, now he’s here to steal the boss again?”

“Everyone inside the cathedral, hurry out! Boss is outside now! Don’t let Sadin steal another kill!”

“Damn, where are the high priests? We need to—”

“Found them! Coordinates shared. Pei Sen and the young earl are blocking the escape route. We’ll guard the back!”

“We’re not skipping the final boss, are we? The Pope’s right here!”

“We’d leave if we could! You deal with the outside—we’ll finish off the priests first.”

“Don’t let Sadin take the kill. Once we’re done with the priests, we’ll join the boss fight.”

“Ugh, we can’t even attack Sadin—he’s a green (friendly) unit!”

“……”

In a panic, players surged toward the Pope. Even if they couldn’t kill him, at least tag him—touching him might count for loot credit!

The Pope was locked in battle with Sadin. He quickly found himself nearly surrounded by the chaotic swarm of Bix players.

Strangely, they seemed to be trying to block Sadin from reaching him—squeezing between them, interrupting their duel.

Soon, the Pope could barely see Sadin at all. Though their duel should’ve been one-on-one, the Bix’s presence overwhelmed everything.

Sadin gave a wry smile at the players jostling between them, even rudely shoving in front of him to block his strikes. It was as if they’d rather kill him than the Pope.

---

Meanwhile, Pei Sen wasn’t concerned with the battle outside. He’d also seen the updated main quest—but what truly mattered to him was getting information from these priests.

Specifically, how to cure Eagle’s condition.

“No choice now. The Bix clan will break through soon. High Priest, can your divine shield really hold much longer?”

Pei Sen pulled a chair from his inventory and offered it to Eagle, whose condition was deteriorating. Fortunately, they had triggered a Church-related quest—otherwise, they might’ve had to beg the Church for help.

The unfortunate one standing last in the line of escape was Annan, the lowest-ranking of the twelve high priests. The narrow staircase let him barely hold off players swarming from above—but not for long.

Hearing Pei Sen’s words, he shouted, “What do you want?!”

“You don’t know?” Pei Sen replied coldly. “I want the young lord safe. That means solving the problem of the Seed of Light in his body.”

The old high priest’s gaze fell on Eagle. He could clearly sense the unstable divine power within—abundant, potent, and dangerously unsuited to a human vessel.

“No one knows?” Pei Sen raised an eyebrow.

Only Annan looked truly panicked. The rest exchanged looks with the old priest. They all envied Eagle’s power—an outsider wielding more divine light than they ever had.

“If none of you know, then you’re useless. You can all die here,” Pei Sen said coldly. “If no one in the Church of Light has an answer, then today, the Church of Light will disappear.”

He raised a scroll, ready to unleash destruction.

“Wait!” Annan cried. “The Pope—His Holiness definitely knows!”

In the original timeline, Eagle’s issue had been resolved—proving the Church must have a method.

It was only natural that the Pope knew. But Pei Sen didn’t want to deal with him unless absolutely necessary.

After all, in the original timeline, the Pope’s power only grew. Rumors persisted that he held dark secrets. He mastered obscure spells like “Incite,” able to subtly manipulate emotions and bend others to his will. Without a strong psyche, anyone facing him was doomed.

Pei Sen didn’t consider himself mentally invincible.

And Eagle… even if smart, was still only twenty. Who knew what tricks the ancient Pope still had?

In fact, players had never even dared challenge the Pope directly.

Coldly, Luria said, “Even if you threaten to destroy the Church, we can’t help. We truly don’t know the answer. I swear to the Light God I am not lying—I know nothing about resolving the Seed of Light.”

Other priests followed her lead, swearing solemnly. For Light God’s true believers, these were sacred oaths.

Only the old high priest remained silent.

Pei Sen looked at him and smiled. “Then you must know, right? Otherwise, wouldn’t you have sworn as well?”

The old man finally spoke. “Lord Eagle is of the Light’s bloodline. Why must this end in ruin? The Holy City has fallen. The Church of Light is shrouded in darkness. Lord Eagle—is this the outcome you truly wished for? Your ancestor was the Light God himself…”

Eagle looked at him. “Yes. This is exactly what I wanted.” He had no affection for zealots like these.

“You’ve been deceived by these foreigners!” the old man barked. “If you want salvation, you must abandon that outsider and return to faith. Only then will the Light God bless you and relieve your suffering. The Pope and I will help you master your divine power!”

Pei Sen: “……”

Seriously? Still trying this garbage?

Eagle laughed—though thinner, worn down by sleepless nights and his burning power, his eyes remained sharp and bright.

He stood and said, word by word, “Even now, you don’t see how ridiculous you are. I don’t care if the Church has a cure or not. Believe in your Light God? Here’s my answer: absolutely not. Leave Pei Sen? Never. Not in a million years.”

Pei Sen felt Eagle’s warm hand press on his shoulder.

So warm—it made his heart tremble.

At that moment, Annan’s shield finally broke. A flood of swords, daggers, and fireballs slammed into him. He screamed in agony.

“High Priest Kaenli, save me!” he cried.

The old high priest closed his eyes in sorrow.

Annan was cut down—players showed no mercy.

Another priest screamed, “Kaenli! Say it! You know the answer! I’m a relative of the Pope—no, I’m his illegitimate son! Save me! I can’t die here!”

Pei Sen blinked. What? That was never mentioned in the original timeline. Was it true?

Players were also stunned. “Wait, what? The Pope has a bastard son?!”

A message quickly spread across the forums.

Outside, as players swarmed the Pope, someone shouted:
“Your Holiness! Your secret son is about to be killed inside!”

The Pope faltered mid-duel.

Son?! What son?! Nonsense!

But finally, the old priest gave in with a sigh.
“Stop. I’ll tell you.”

Pei Sen exhaled. Knew he was hiding something.

Much better than having to wring it from the Pope.

But… how to make the players stop killing them?

Now that was the real problem.