<Well... that's a rather interesting perspective on the matter. And that does explain some things about how Frosttusk fights.>

=Indeed. Weapon skills do transfer in the case of reincarnation kaijin, but they usually end up translating those skills to their inborn weapons,= Logos observed. =Or to their Kaijin Lord when they're channeled as [Taboo].=

Thanks to their connection to Slug-at-arms, Logos and Pathos were able to catch the full story

=I don't think I've ever seen a curse manifest from a primitive aether treasure before...then again, most of the time we find a primitive aether treasure they would get turned into kaijin almost instantly.=

<That is true...hmmm.>

=Hmmm?=

<Odd question, can you remember a time when a kaijin in our care ever found a primitive aether treasure that once belonged to their past selves? I mean, in the cases of kaijin like Frosttusk.>

=I...huh. I honestly can't recall a time. Not even getting a sealed inkling of one.=

<Well, now I'm wondering what would happen when such an item is wielded by a Kaijin. Oh, speaking of kaijin and their lords, we should probably contact ours to make sure everything is still going okay.>

=Good call, he should be arriving to the capital of the Sacred Flame Theocracy by now.=

…

*Ding!*

You're going to be hearing the word:"flame" alot.

You have been warned.

*Ding!*

...

Emberona.

That is the name of the holy capital city of the Sacred Flame Theocracy.

Named after the first Pope of the Sacred Flame Church, Emberona is home to over a dozen or so cathedrals and monasteries that are, in turn, home to hundreds of sects all vying for dominance. Unfortunately for them, that would involve toppling the current sect that leads the church: The Foundation of the Holy Flame.

The Foundation of the Holy Flame, as the name implies, was the very first cult to form around the Sacred Flame. As such, out of all the sects and factions that compose the Theocracy, they're the ones who are the most familiar in tapping into the myriad of powers that this ancient aether flame could bestow upon its wielders.

At least, most of the ancient powers.

Over the years, the quality of the Sacred Flame's primary wielder has been worsening.

Not enough for people to call for a religious revolution, but just enough that the big power players that were vying for more have been keeping close eyes on the Foundation in order to swoop in and take over.

As for the reason why the quality has been worsening, that was quite simple: lack of proper fire tending.

When the Foundation had first claimed the Sacred Flame, they had also acquired a series of tools needed to keep it burning bright. Unfortunately, those tools became lost to time and were scattered all over the place.

Which leads one to wonder, what would happen if those tools were to suddenly reappear?

Would this lead to a glorious revival of the church?

Or would it lead to a violent revolution?

Who could say?

All that is certain, though, is that such an outcome would heavily depend on the person who made the first claim of power.

Then again, this entire debate would be rendered moot if the war with the Erupting Dawn Empire went south.

...

'Okay, this place looks like a mash-up between Madrid and Vatican City...I feel like I should've expected that,' Zhen Liu thought to himself as he and he companions passed through the city gates.

[You want us to go scout around now?] Hurricroak asked. [This place smells like incense and I want to know where it's coming from.]

[I think it's the entire city,] Razorstella said.

Due to some unspoken experiences in his past life, as well as a mix of events in this current one, Zhen Liu had become increasingly leery in regards to religions and the divine powers that they focused on.

The irony that he was a "demon" Lord complaining about heavenly figures was not lost on him, but his experiences with them so far were justifiably weird.

That stated, he wasn't going to let his personal biases ruin the experience of visiting this place for his friends and family.

Despite having visited large cities in the past, there was a strange charm to them that made it nearly impossible to not be awestruck by their presence.

As such, Zhen Liu's cousins, his friends that were native to the continent, and his lovers were all caught up in the novelty of being able to tour such an exotic locale. Well, exotic to themselves.

...

"This place smells like the home of one of my half-sisters," Jinju Ren complained to Zhen Liu as she clung to his arm. "Remind me to see if I can get one of those silk veils as a souvenir while we're here. Isn't it interesting that regardless of the clothes that they're wearing, everyone seems to be wearing a veil. Is it a religious item?"

"I think it's just meant to filter out the incense smell," Rianna complained as she held her nose. "I use this stuff to keep away mosquitos too, but this is ridiculous."

"I don't think it's meant for...never mind. Wait, aren't the mosquitos in Insect Hell the size of wolves? What kind of incense do you make that that can do something like that?"

"I forget the name of the tree, but I made it out of the sap of a tree that the giant hornets likes to make their nests on."

"Huh..."

...

"One church, two churches, three churches," Zhen Tai counted as he looked further down the road. "Zhen Xing, don't a lot of churches maintain their upkeep via donations from the public? How the hell are there so many concentrated in one area?"

"First of all, don't curse while we're here. I can already feel the judgemental eyes of clerics and priests burning a hole in my head" Zhen Xing chided his cousin. "Second, a bunch of those churches seem to double as businesses. Like that one is clearly a bakery and a church."

"That...makes a weird amount of sense but also feels wrong..."

"That's because the only church we know is that one ran by that drunken nun."

"True..."

...

"You know, I actually visited this place a really long time ago," Lythero told Antonio and Olstenna and the three of them took in the sight and smell of the holy city. "One of my masters was a member of the church, so we had to visit this place for him for a service. Or something like that, it was really long time ago."

"Shot in the dark here, were your masters participants in this war between the Erupting Dawn and Sacred Flame?" Antonio asked.

"No," Lythero shook his head. "Master Crow did make that suggestion, but everyone else shot it down because they thought it would be a pain in the ass to make a mercenary contract with the church."

"Smart move," Olstenna commented. "Working as a church mercenary fucking sucks."

"Why?"

"The pay is crap and they literally send missionaries to try and convert your ass every battle," Olstenna grumbled.

"Before or after?"

"Both."

"Ah." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

...

'Hmmm. Good to know that they're still able to relax despite us being in an active war zone,' Zhen Liu thought to himself as he saw how relaxed his companions were. 'Then again, acting tense would just attract unwanted attention.'

Zhen Liu had, in his desire to not kill everyone who tried to hurt him and his loved ones, left alive a good chunk of the rank and file that had served under that so-called Bishop. While it probably would've been smarter to slit all their throats and burn all of their bodies, Zhen Liu hadn't reached that level of information suppression.

At least not yet.

That stated, Zhen Liu was at least fairly certain that any survivors of that army had yet to return to Emberona or wherever they called home to send a report back about him and his kaijin.

^You there! Pagans!^

'Oh boy.'

Which is why Zhen Liu was more or less certain that the group of nuns wearing glasses and skintight habits were probably not someone trying to kill them.

^Would any of you like to join us, the Sisters of Hearth, for our service today?^ the leader of the group asked, making a show of presenting her cleavage in the process and directing lascivious gazes at Zhen Tai in particular. ^We are in need of several strapping men such as yourselves to assist with some of our rituals. Don't worry, the aftercare will be more than satisfactory.^

'Huh...I feel like I should be surprised sex cults are a thing in a Theocracy, and yet, somehow I'm not.'

"Apologies, sister, " Jinju Ren answered before anyone else in the group could. "but we're just passing through and have no plans to—"

"

^Oh don't be so hasty to refuse, my fair lady,^ another nun interjected. ^Beauties such as you and your friend here are also welcome to join. The more the merrier, as it were.^

"Uh..."

Evidently, nobody in Zhen Liu's group was expecting such a...friendly welcome.