(Three Years Later, The Cult Of Ascension)
Over the next three years, ti passed by in a complete blur for the Cult Of Ascension, as the organization continued expanding across the Rainbow Stream at a pace that left the rest of the universe struggling to react properly.
Planet after planet fell beneath the Cult banner, as their superior technology and well trained army decimated one enemy after another.
Until eventually, by the end of the third year following Kaelith's death, the Cult officially controlled a total of forty planets directly beneath its authority….
A number that surpassed even the height of Soron's reign during the later years of his life, as the Cult commoners could almost not believe that they were alive to see such good tis return.
However, while the expansion itself was impressive, what was even more terrifying was the fact that the universe itself had slowly begun accepting the Cult's rise as sothing inevitable.
Because while resistance remained fierce during the early stages of occupation across newly conquered worlds, over ti, that resistance steadily declined.
The citizens of the Righteous Alliance gradually realized that once a planet fell beneath Cult control, nobody was coming to save them anymore.
Not the Great Clans.
Not the remaining Gods.
Not the Righteous Alliance armies.
And strangely enough, the longer planets remained beneath Cult occupation, the more rumors began spreading regarding life under Cult rule.
Stories about lower taxes.
Stories about corrupt officials being executed publicly.
Stories about military officials being punished for abusing civilians.
Stories about Cult worlds becoming safer and more prosperous than before.
As slowly, the image of the Cult across the universe began changing from a terrifying apocalyptic force into sothing significantly more complicated.
The Cult still inspired fear.
However, it no longer inspired only fear.
And that shift alone changed the political atmosphere of the Rainbow Stream completely.
—--------
anwhile, while the Cult continued conquering planets rapidly outwardly, the far more important transformation happened internally.
Because over these three years, the machinery of the Cult slowly evolved into sothing far more stable and self-sufficient than before.
The organization no longer relied entirely upon Leo or General Sparrow to maintain order across every territory.
As instead, regional Commanders, rchant networks, military governors, and Chaosbringers Shadow network slowly began taking more responsibility by themselves, as the empire slowly beca more and more self-reliant.
Also, during this sa period, two additional Cult Commanders successfully ascended into the Monarch Realm, with one of them being Leo's eldest son, Caleb.
After reaching Monarch rank, Caleb was officially promoted into the position of a frontline Commander before receiving authority over his own independent military force.
And despite his young age, Caleb adapted to the responsibility remarkably quickly.
Over the next two years, he successfully led two separate planetary conquest campaigns personally, earning recognition across the Cult as one of its fastest rising military stars.
As although his fighting style resembled Leo's heavily.
What was unique about him was his leadership style, as many praised him as an even greater strategic genius than Leo himself, earning him the title, 'The Wise Dragon', from the people.
—----
anwhile, Mairon's growth followed a completely different path altogether.
As unlike Caleb, whose rise ca through direct military accomplishnts and battlefield achievents, Mairon spent nearly an entire year struggling to establish financial stability for the organization he created.
Because maintaining an independent ard force within the Cult required enormous resources constantly.
Weapons.
Armor.
Transportation.
Housing.
Training facilities.
Personnel salaries.
dical support.
These were all necessary resources that needed to be procured, and during the early days, the group he founded lacked almost everything except loyalty, ambition, and belief in its purpose.
He nad them 'The Fundantalists', believing that the na reflected exactly what they stood for, a group willing to fight for their most fundantal beliefs no matter the cost.
However, after spending several frustrating months idling around without direction, Mairon eventually discovered the solution to his financial problems.
rchant protection.
The Cult was conquering new planets rapidly, however taking control over the industries, trade routes, mines, and resources of those worlds was neither easy nor safe.
The rchants and businessn eager to beco first movers within newly conquered territories often needed additional protection that the formal Cult Army simply could not provide consistently.
And so, over ti, several wealthy Cult rchants quietly approached Mairon, seeking military protection across hostile territories where local resistance movents continued disrupting mining operations, transport routes, and comrcial activity regularly.
Unlike the formal Cult Army, which often moved too slowly through official chains of command, Mairon's organization solved problems imdiately through violence.
And gradually, the Fundantalists began building their reputation.
Whenever rchant caravans disappeared mysteriously across frontier worlds, the Fundantalists appeared.
Whenever local rebels attacked Cult businesses or sabotaged mining operations, the Fundantalists appeared.
Whenever black market disputes spiraled beyond control and entire districts threatened descending into chaos, the Fundantalists appeared.
And usually, once they arrived, the problems disappeared alongside them.
Naturally, this caused Mairon to gain the favor of several powerful rchant groups rapidly, as wealthy businessn began funding his organization directly in exchange for long term protection agreents and favorable treatnt.
Eventually, Mairon used this growing support network to establish a permanent training facility and residential compound for his organization upon Planet Yamuna, while simultaneously building a second operational headquarters upon Planet Satoru itself.
From there, the Fundantalists slowly evolved into sothing far larger than a simple private military force.
They beca an underground power structure operating beneath the Cult's formal legal frawork entirely, acting almost like a parallel authority that handled disputes through intimidation, influence, violence, and fear whenever necessary.
Trade routes.
Weapons distribution.
Private security.
Smuggling operations.
Debt collection.
Territorial enforcent.
Over ti, the Fundantalists quietly inserted themselves into nearly every profitable industry connected to unstable frontier worlds under Cult influence.
And despite their reputation terrifying ordinary Righteous citizens living beneath Cult occupation, the organization itself beca wildly admired amongst lower class Cult civilians.
Because unlike many mbers of the formal Cult military, who often had to go through many legal barriers and authorisations to conduct operations, the Fundantalists acted instantly and without fear of consequences.
If rchants exploited workers unfairly, the Fundantalists intervened.
If criminals targeted Cult civilians, the Fundantalists hunted them down personally.
If corrupt local governors crossed certain invisible lines, sotis those governors simply disappeared overnight without explanation.
As over ti, wearing the black uniform of the Fundantalists gradually beca viewed by many younger Cult citizens as sothing even more prestigious than wearing the standard Cult Army insignia itself.
However, while Mairon found himself extrely busy trying to run the fundantalists, what he still did not miss out on was his personal training, as by the end of the second year, he too managed to ascend into the Monarch Realm, after purchasing the necessary breakthrough potion personally through his growing connections and wealth.
And once he possessed enough power to lead planetary conquests himself, the Fundantalists slowly turned their attention toward neutral worlds and strategically important trade planets that Leo himself had little imdiate interest in occupying.
And surprisingly enough, Mairon succeeded almost flawlessly!
Despite having no formal experience leading a planetary raid, within less than a year after becoming a Monarch, he personally led the Fundantalists during their first independent planetary campaign before successfully conquering a wealthy neutral world positioned along several major rchant routes.
Officially, the planet belonged to the Cult Of Ascension.
Unofficially however, everyone understood exactly who truly controlled it.
As Mairon ruled the world almost like a mafia king operating beneath the Cult flag, while the rchant groups supporting him received enormous preferential trade rights and economic advantages throughout the entire system.
And although Leo remained fully aware of what Mairon was building behind the scenes, he never intervened.
Because fundantally speaking, the Fundantalists still strengthened the Cult overall, even if their thods occasionally blurred the line between military organization and organized cri.
—---------
anwhile, throughout all these developnts, the surviving Great Clans steadily continued losing territory year after year.
Planetary influence weakened.
Trade routes collapsed.
Allied noble houses defected.
While the neutral systems shifted allegiance quietly.
As slowly but surely, desperation began growing amongst the remaining powers of the universe.
And precisely because of that…
Mauriss waited patiently.
Because unlike the rest of the universe, the Deceiver understood sothing important.
The true chaos had not even started yet.
After all, the tiline attached to his Soul Contract with Leo had finally expired completely during these three years.
aning that Mauriss was no longer bound by the restrictions preventing him from harming Leo or his family directly anymore.
As sowhere deep within the endless storms surrounding Planet Granada…
The Deceiver smiled.
Because finally…
He was free to play the ga properly once again.
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