Published at 15th of February 2026 10:09 am

Chapter 1505 A Full Purge

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High Ward.

Inside a simple but well-appointed manor in one of the district's wealthier neighborhoods, three Councilors sat around a low table in the tea room. The furniture was plain but expensive, chosen for comfort and privacy rather than display.

The three old men spoke quietly, discussing matters of real importance.

After the Council meeting had concluded, Berger had invited them to this manor. This house was something he had inherited from his mentor. Technically, it belonged to Lucian Acadia, but since he wasn't here, the gnome had laid claim to it.

Sitting at the table, Shaw Jidu and Carlton Yates had dark expressions on their faces. Even the latter, who always seemed distant and composed, now looked utterly solemn.

Berger was the one speaking, and he did so for almost thirty minutes. At last, he concluded:

"…and that is basically the gist of Operation Constantine."

Shaw Jidu couldn't help but pour himself a glass of water and wet his dry throat. He then said in a low and steady voice, "So you mean to say… your disciple planned this all on his own?"

"Initially, yes." Berger nodded. "And then, my mentor and the former Headmaster of Saratoga, Marcus Blackwood, made some minor adjustments."

He paused, his lips curling into a faint, bitter smile. "Those three were the architects of Operation Constantine. And now... only one of them remains alive."

"The Dark King lives?" Yates asked with a light frown.

"His Soulmark Lantern still burns bright, so yes." The gnome brought the wooden pipe to his lips and took a slow drag.

Exhaling a plume of smoke into the air, he added, "And spare me the drivel of him being the Deceitful One and whatnot. That was the Cult's scheme to turn the world against him, and… unfortunately, they mostly succeeded."

"Forget about the Dark King," Jidu couldn't help but blurt out. "You're telling me there are six portals in our world, and they lead to a faraway higher dimension that is likely the home of the devils?!"

"That is Adam's theory, yes." Berger nodded.

"And you believe him?"

Berger's eyes narrowed, and he spoke without hesitation, "Always."

A tense silence settled in the tea room. Jidu and Yates had dark scowls on their faces as they thought deeply about what Berger had disclosed to them.

If this were really true, then their world was in grave danger!

"Your letters arrived at a very opportune time," said the gnome. "I was thinking of ways to reach out to trusted allies in Europa. Then, through a stroke of fortune, I was invited to join the Council of Dawn. And the fact that there is now a divide between our enemies truly works in our favor."

"Speaking of…" Jidu began. "Do you believe those three know about the danger our world is facing?"

"I seriously doubt it," Berger said with a sigh. "I don't know what the Cult has promised them, but if those three have truly chosen to help the Cult despite knowing about the devil invasion, then they haven't just betrayed the Brotherhood, they betrayed the entire world."

"Are the Mana Core Magi of Ulier aware of Operation Constantine?" Yates asked in a low voice.

"Only a select few are," said the gnome. "But rest assured, Lucian has already secured an alliance with all the powerhouses of Ulier and Nahua."

Berger chose not to disclose the alliance with the merfolk. After all, trump cards stopped being trump cards the moment everyone knew about them.

"Even then…" Yates said with a frown. "The number of Mana Core Magi the Cult possesses is simply too great. Even if all the powerhouses of Ulier, Nahua, and the Sovereign Union were to unite, we'd still fall short."

"Then it's a good thing we have a few decades to plan." Berger scoffed.

The room felt silent once again. A long time later, Jidu spoke up, "What about the portals? Our alliance will mean nothing if the devils start pouring through them. If that happens… it's over."

Just the fact that extraterrestrial beings would invade their world caused them to feel a kind of fear they hadn't felt before.

Berger inhaled slowly, then said, "I know it's difficult to ask this of you, but you must trust Adam."

He paused for a moment, then added, "No matter what everyone thinks of him, you must believe that he has the best interests of this world at heart."

Shaw Jidu and Carlton Yates exchanged heavy glances. But ultimately, they nodded.

"Thank you…" Berger sighed softly.

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Now, what has been done about the compromised agents in the Brotherhood?"

"Nothing concrete as of now," Shaw Jidu said as he shook his head.

"We only know which Acolytes and Agents have been turned. The three traitors at the Council of Dawn were already identified. But unless we get a clear picture of who among the Wardens has been compromised, orchestrating a full purge will be extremely difficult."

"Agreed." Berger nodded grimly. "We have to cleanse the Brotherhood in a single, decisive sweep. Not one of them can be allowed to survive. Leave one behind, and they will retreat into the shadows and fester, only to return in the future."

However, doing so was far easier said than done.

Wardens were the backbone of the organization. In some ways, they had more influence in governance than even the Councilors. Of all the filth that needed to be purged, Mana Vortex-level Cult spies were the most important.

But how could they find out who the traitors among the Wardens were?

It was already a stroke of luck that Henrick van Booth had even possessed a list of compromised operatives at the Agent and Acolyte levels in the first place.

Evidence of compromised Wardens was very unlikely to exist, and even if it did, it would most certainly be kept within the Cult's own headquarters, known to only a few people at the top of the hierarchy.

"This is going to be difficult," Yates said in an even voice.

"Do we have any assets in the Cult's upper levels?" Beger couldn't help but ask. Although he already knew the answer.

Jidu shook his head, smiling wryly. "Everyone knows how paranoid the Cult Leader is."

"Then how do we go about this?" Berger rapped his finger on the table, the frown on his face turning deeper by the moment.

But what he didn't know was that the answer to his problem was already waiting in Springdale…

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