NOVPUB
Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Otherwise, How Would I Have Become a Luminous Saint?
This was a single thread for rooting out the cultists in the "Riven" district—once they grabbed onto it, it wouldn’t be long before every last cultist was uncovered.
"Brother, brother, I’m a daytime parishioner—I’ve even risen to Luminous Saint! The Demon Huntress Nun is hunting you across town. Hurry up and come out! I’ll shelter anyone I can!" Ashu pleaded earnestly at the mouth of the well.
Sure enough, the cultist hidden beneath The Withered Well was stirred by his words.
He emerged, hauling himself up the narrow shaft with hands and feet until he finally climbed out. Covered head to toe in dust and grime, he looked thoroughly disheveled.
"Well, my friend, why the dirt-caked face?" Ashu regarded him like a predator sizing up his prey.
"Don’t remind me," the cultist grumbled. "It’s your fault the Town Mayor ended up dead."
"Ahem—otherwise, how would I have managed to become a Luminous Saint?" Ashu shot back.
"Alright," the cultist said, blinking away the grime. "As Deacon, I know where my loyalties lie. That Town Mayor was useless—couldn’t even protect a handful of parishioners. What about you?"
Ashu’s heart soared, though his face remained solemn. "His Grace the Deacon, you’re the first to emerge, but you won’t be the last. I’m still a newcomer—no direct lines to the rest of our parishioners. For the sake of our Great Love, I’m counting on you. Rally the survivors and send them my way. I’ll hide each one I can—otherwise the Demon Huntress Nun will slay them all."
He’d witnessed Vivita Taan’s speed firsthand: no matter how many Cidi devotees lurked in Riven, they stood no chance against her relentless purges. In their world it wasn’t a game—cleaning up the small fry only drove the true Bishop deeper into hiding. Only by sheltering the rank-and-file and creating a façade of peace could they lure out the high-ranking heretic.
"Damn," the Deacon hissed through clenched teeth. "Why would the Demon Huntress Nun come here?"
"It was Midaldas," Ashu explained. "That ancient bastard personally petitioned the Holy Cultivator Guild’s headquarters to dispatch one of the Twelve Demon-Hunting Nuns."
"The son of a—traitor to our own!" the Deacon spat.
"Exactly," Ashu agreed. "I suspect once she’s done, he’ll discard her like a used tool."
"Ah, there’s nothing we can do. This parish is still under his thumb. We true parishioners will have to lie low for a while."
Ashu gave an approving nod and urged, "No time to waste—summon the surviving parishioners and send them here. I’ll wait."
"Understood!" The Deacon patted Ashu’s shoulder hard, his usually lascivious gaze softened by respect. "Brother, when this is over, I’ll recommend you for Deacon!"
"Thank you!"
"I’m off."
With that, the Deacon vanished into the backyard with a quiet whoosh—no match for Vivita’s speed, but swift enough. The old man watching the front gate wouldn’t notice a thing.
Only then did Anna speak. "Ashu, I never realized you had the makings of a Luminous Saint. According to the Witch’s Guild’s dossier on the Holy Cultivator Guild, every Luminous Saint in history has been a newcomer with under one month’s tenure—and yet has amassed over 333 Divine Points to earn certification."
Earlier, in the cathedral, she couldn’t ask—nor could she betray her husband’s secret. Now, with no one else around, her curiosity finally got the better of her.
As a former member of the Witch’s Guild, she understood perfectly what the title Luminous Saint meant within the Holy Cultivator Guild.
Not every Pope had once been a Luminous Saint—but any Luminous Saint could vie for the Papacy. In effect, the papal seat was a fast-track appointment for those who’d borne that title.
"I honestly don’t know how it happened," Ashu admitted. "Maybe I’m just unusually righteous."
By sheer blind luck he’d managed to accrue over four hundred Divine Points—despite having been a believer for less than a month—thanks to a system Critical Return. He met both criteria: under one month’s tenure and over 333 Divine Points. In other words, a neophyte who’d only joined the faith recently had slain more than forty cultists. Hardly anything could be more just—so righteous it verged on the absurd.
...
Before long, the Demon Huntress Nun detected lingering traces of Evil Power in the area and charged in at once. She glanced at The Withered Well, then back at Ashu.
"There’s still Evil Power in the air...hmm, at least high-level cultivator strength. You two aren’t hurt, are you?" Vivita asked.
"No," Ashu replied. "But you’ll need to leave a few cultists behind—that’s part of my mission."
She hesitated, then nodded. Though relentless in purging evil, the Nun had pledged to uphold the Divine Mother Goddess’s endorsement. Sparing a handful of cultists clashed with her destiny, but as long as she kept them under covert watch to prevent further atrocities, it would suffice. She could finish them off once Ashu’s task was done.
"You should go now—don’t arouse suspicion," Ashu whispered.
"Understood."
Moments later, Ashu’s mind pinged with another Critical Return! Vessel gains: Divine Point +10 notification.
Fifteen minutes after the Nun departed, a furtive band of cultists slipped into the backyard—led by the Cidi Deacon. He’d brought back fifteen Cidi parishioners in one sweep.
"Brother," the Deacon hissed, face ashen, "there are parishioners’ remains everywhere outside. That Demon Huntress Nun is unstoppable—even I’d be torn to pieces if she caught me!"
Even within the grim halls of the Cidi temple, he’d never known such genuine fear.
"Fear not, His Grace the Deacon—you’re safe with me."
"But there are so many parishioners still out there..."
"What can we do? I have no way to contact them, and our Bishop has gone silent ever since the temple collapsed."
The Deacon sighed. "Yes. Since that disaster, there’s been no word from him."
"Have you tried reaching Kido?"
"He’s been hiding in the cathedral—we haven’t dared go in."
"Hmph. I’ll lead everyone there and demand answers—I saw him leave with the Bishop myself!"
And with that, Ashu prepared to lead the group toward the cathedral—an absurd scene by any measure: a zealous Cidi fanatic turned Luminous Saint, marshaling a band of Cidi worshippers to storm a Holy Cultivator Guild cathedral in search of their missing Bishop.
"Um, brother, isn’t this a bit rash?" the Cidi Deacon stammered, shrinking back.
"Rash? I don’t understand," Ashu shot back. "Midaldas has already summoned the Demon Huntress Nun to be his executioner—are we supposed to just sit and wait to die? If we turn on each other today, that’s death; if we cower in hiding, that’s death too. Either way, we die. We might as well confront Kidopriest—does he think he’s so clean? Let’s demand to know where our Bishop is! This place can’t hold us anymore. I’d rather go find somewhere we belong! We refuse to be their puppets any longer—we’ll be ourselves! For Cidi!"
With those words, every soul in the backyard ignited with fervor. These backwater fanatics simply couldn’t withstand a rallying cry delivered by a modern office drone. Ashu’s speech unearthed a buried conviction in each of them—he gave voice to what they all felt but had never been able to articulate. Naturally, they roared their agreement.
Even the Cidi Deacon couldn’t help but raise his fist. "For Cidi!"
"For Cidi!" "For Cidi!" "For Cidi!"
A dozen or so cultists let out a muffled battle-cry in the yard. Before the householder could intervene, Ashu led them down the street, openly marching toward the Holy Cultivator Guild’s branch cathedral.
...
Inside the cathedral, Kidopriest stood on the balcony, peering through a gap in the stained-glass window at the street below. When he saw the Cidi worshippers striding boldly in formation, his lip twitched in disbelief.
Not only had Ashu spared them—he was leading a procession of Cidi adherents! One by one, they marched with steely resolve, looking more disciplined than any formal militia.
In all his years in the Cidi cult, he’d never seen these depraved fanatics wear such unbreakable expressions.
Where was the Demon Huntress Nun? With so many cultists parading down the street, how had she not noticed?
"Bishop Midaldas!" Kidopriest hurried away from the window and found the bishop. "Things have gone south—Ashu is leading a group of Cidi worshippers straight toward the cathedral!"
"What’s his aim?" Midaldas asked in astonishment. A man newly certified as a Luminous Saint needed only to wait for the reigning Pope to retire before he could vie for the papal throne. It was a divine gift so effortless that no action should be necessary—so why sully himself by consorting with cultists?
"I suspect, since they’re headed for the cathedral, that he plans to accuse me of complicity with the Cidi cult," Kidopriest replied.
"Preposterous! Even if they gather en masse, the Demon Huntress Nun will soon arrive," Midaldas scoffed.
"That’s the problem, my Bishop," Kidopriest said. "It’s as though she’s blind—she’s completely ignoring the cultists on the street."
At this, Midaldas flung his pen to the floor and sprang to his feet. "Damn it!" he swore, abandoning all decorum. "The Twelve Demon-Hunting Nuns are supposed to be cold, ruthless, selfless, and fearless—how dare she fraternize with a mere peasant? She’s brought shame on the Holy Cultivator Guild and insulted our Goddess!"
"My Bishop, I—" Kidopriest began, but his face betrayed his unease. He wasn’t afraid of being accused—cultists accusing a Holy Cultivator Guild priest was laughable. No, his fear lay elsewhere: if he let these cultists enter the cathedral, it would defile the sanctity of the place and render it a haven for evil. Yet if he resisted them, he’d be forced into open combat—but the branch had embezzled most of its funds and never formed a crusader militia.
