****(POV)

"Sect leader! Bad news! He has managed to escape! He's gone! We tried to stop him but without success!"

This messenger is loud and losing his cool too. This isn't something that is worthy of the Purity God. I'll have to thoroughly discipline him later. Instead of panicking, we need to calmly send our trump card.

"Why all the fuss? Send the Holy Cavalry E. We'll see how long he can evade them. He is but a lone man, after all. Hurry!"

The man in front of me seems to be showing a difficult expression. It's almost as if relaying such a short message is difficult. *Sigh* This is what happens when you send all your best personnel on a scouting expedition.

Recently there have been reports of moving enemy troops and also of ice elementals roaming the land. My most valiant men already left, and they'll come back once the danger has been evaded. The messenger is still there for some reason. He hesitantly opens his mouth.

"T-that, they already fought and lost, Sir."

"What?! Didn't you say he was alone and fleeing?"

There is something wrong here. There is no way any normal individual can take one of these squads alone. They are made to train together from a young age and are pros at complementing one another to create the most powerful magical killing formations.

Their faith is strong, they themselves are strong, and they outnumbered the enemy by far. For them to fail, there is something sketchy going on. Is this new enemy a powerhouse from a hidden sect? This is most likely.

How should we deal with this? The chances are that chasing him won't yield any result right now. We have to wait for our people to be back. Actually, what if this enemy is trying to lure our forces out? He especially targeted a statue in our temple.

He was trying to anger us. Perhaps him only destroying one was to try and make us believe that he's weak?

"How many casualties were there?" I promptly ask.

"Only one, Sir! He threw a man under a horse and made him die from friendly fire."

I see. He really thinks us stupid, doesn't he? He was able to defeat them in such a humiliating way but only killed one. He's totally baiting us!

"Find me his identity. No matter how. For now, we'll wait, but we'll be preparing for our counterattack. We won't swallow such humiliation. He will die. Also, make sure to have servants repair the statue as soon as possible."

Thus he leaves as I remain alone in the large opulent room. I'm sure the villain thought we'd act rashly, but he's wrong. Just as I'm ready to figure out the next sect issue comes to a knock. Then the same messenger enters once more. Did he already get confused?!

"Sir, as I was leaving, I stumbled upon a servant that claims to knows our opponent's identity. Should I…"

"Of course! Hurry up and let them in!"

This is great. It seems even fate is helping us. Perhaps I'll reward that lowly servant and even….but then I see who the man that enters is. He's that disgusting weakling. Let's forget about any reward, shall we?

This is the man that has brought the Eaglevein branch to destruction. He claims to have been poisoned with an aphrodisiac along with all the others, but there is no way such a thing is possible for a true believer.

The thing is our god's blessing course through all of us. Any temptation, mind control, anything evil really can easily be protected against. He claimed the enemy to be too strong to handle, but really they were the ones lacking.

Is he trying to atone for his crimes? He truly won't ever be able to. It's already been decided that all of them will work until they fall. Perhaps in another life, they will manage to uphold their moral integrity and won't lie about their innocence.

"Speak."

He looks at me, unsure of what to say. That's when he gets an item out. It seems to be some kind of wanted poster. On it is the face of our enemy.

"Sect Leader, he's the one that was hunted a while back by The Righteous Sects Alliance. He was believed to have died in a dimensional portal, but apparently, that was a lie. I implore you to get revenge for us."

Ah, I understand now. This man is the cause of our losses in Eaglevein. Does this idiot think he can redeem himself if we catch him? How hilarious.

"Alright, we'll first start printing these again and distribute them. Let's see how long he can run for! As for you, keep up the good work. There may still be hope left after all."

A little praise goes a long way. I can see a small scheming smile adorn his face. Does he think I'm blind? I know he is trying to use the sect for his own benefit. We'll catch the guy, and then we'll crucify them both for the harm they caused. Yes, that should be fun.

****(POV)

I leave the sect leader's room satisfied. Oh god, this is great. The Purity God has abandoned me completely? Well, so did I. Now that the sect will be hunting him, there is only one possible outcome.

They will be destroyed. How? I'm not sure. But I don't believe a single second they have what it takes to go against that monster. I really hope the fight is heated, and they all come to regret it soon.

Once they are gone, I'll escort my fellow "sinners" out of here. Where? I'm not sure yet. But I'll figure out something. All I need is the will to keep going.

In the worst case, we'll all die. It clearly beats this ridiculously painful existence laden with non-stop work and degradation. I'd rather die fighting than from overwork here.

Oh well, I wonder what the monster is up to and what brought him to attack the temple in the first place. For all we know, it was but a mistake, not that anyone would believe that.

Anyway, for now, I have something to do—time to somehow start rumors. I need people here to be really pissed at him. This way, they'll become mortal enemies. Then, I'll just watch. This shall be entertaining…