Cucking The Demon King
Chapter 139: A disjointed heretic order

Chapter 139: A disjointed heretic order

"I need answers," Liam said, turning slowly back to Jaegel. His voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp, locked in a careful study of the man before him.

"All of them. You’re going to tell me everything you know about the Order. Names. Locations. Who they’re working with. Where they’re summoning Mammon from. All of it."

Jaegel hesitated only for a second, but it was enough to make Liam’s gaze narrow.

"I will," Jaegel said, quickly bowing his head. "I swear. There’s... a lot. The Order works in layers. Compartments. Most operatives don’t even know who’s giving them their orders. But my position was a bit high in the order, so I know more than the average member."

Liam tilted his head slightly, not moving.

"I was never trusted with everything," Jaegel explained. "They don’t trust anyone that much. But I know where they hide. Where they gather. Where some of the old texts are kept."

"Interesting," Liam muttered.

He turned, about to walk past him.

But Jaegel suddenly raised a hand.

"My lord," he said quickly. "If I may..."

Liam paused. "What?"

"There’s something else. Something I didn’t mention before."

Liam’s eyes narrowed. "Go on."

Jaegel licked his lips, glancing toward the forest edge like he feared the trees were listening.

"There’s a... faction. A breakaway sect within the Order. Smaller. Quieter. But more fanatical. They believe the rest of the Order has grown soft. That they’re too slow with the summoning. Too cautious."

Liam didn’t like where this was going.

"What do you mean ’too cautious’?"

"They believe Mammon should already be here. That every second we delay gives the world time to prepare. This faction has been experimenting with rituals—older ones. Forbidden ones. Ones even the high priests banned."

Liam frowned. "Trying to summon him faster?"

"Yes," Jaegel nodded. "They don’t care about the cost. They’ve already destroyed villages—entire bloodlines—trying to find the right vessel."

"Vessel?"

Jaegel nodded again, eyes flicking upward to meet Liam’s just briefly. "A human body capable of surviving Mammon’s entry. A host. Without one, he’d burn through reality like a blade through cloth."

Liam’s stomach twisted. "You’re saying they want to possess someone with him?"

"That’s the theory," Jaegel said. "But no one has survived the attempts. Not yet. They keep trying, though. More violently each time."

Liam exhaled sharply through his nose.

This was worse than he thought.

He took a step closer. Jaegel froze.

"Then answer me this," Liam said, voice low. "Why do you know so much? If they don’t trust anyone, why do you know where the texts are? Why do you know how their structure works? Why do you—"

He stopped.

The air between them was dense now, pressing in like a suffocating fog.

"—Why do you know about the vessel?"

Jaegel’s eyes widened slightly. Just for a moment. But Liam saw it.

He stepped forward, almost lazily, his hands behind his back.

"You slipped earlier," Liam continued. "You mentioned something you shouldn’t have known. Something you only might have heard if you were trusted far beyond what you’re claiming. Or..."

He leaned forward slightly.

"Or you were part of it."

Jaegel opened his mouth. Closed it again. His throat bobbed in a hard swallow.

Liam didn’t blink. "Say it."

The silence stretched. Then—

"I was," Jaegel said finally, voice barely more than a whisper.

Liam’s expression didn’t change. "Speak up."

"I was part of that faction," Jaegel repeated, louder this time, shame creeping into his tone. "The one I told you about. The breakaway group. The zealots."

"You are one of them."

"I was," Jaegel stressed, quickly lifting his hands. "I left. I abandoned them. I had to. I—I saw what they were becoming."

Liam stared at him a moment longer. Then took a single step back.

"Talk."

Jaegel exhaled, looking downward as if it hurt to speak the words. "The main body of the Order... their plan was always to open a portal. A stable, anchored connection to the demon realm. It’s a slow process. One that requires layers of sacrifice, sigils, preparation... years of effort."

He glanced up at Liam.

"They wanted to bring Mammon through it directly. No possession, no intermediary. Just open the door and let him walk in."

Liam folded his arms. "And the breakaway faction didn’t like that."

"They said it was cowardice," Jaegel nodded. "That it was a waste of time. They believed Mammon should already be here. That the world was gaining strength every moment he was delayed."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "So they decided to summon him directly into a vessel?"

"Yes," Jaegel confirmed. "Through older rituals. Dangerous ones. Ones even the High Priests refused to use. But that only made them more fanatical."

He paused.

"They’re still looking," he added. "For the right person. The right body. Someone capable of containing Mammon’s essence without burning apart. All the past attempts... failed. Horribly. But they keep going."

Liam was silent for a moment.

He hadn’t expected this.

"You’re telling me the Order isn’t unified?"

"They never were," Jaegel muttered, tone bitter. "They pretend they are. But deep down, they’re splintered. Into three groups now."

"Three," Liam repeated, frowning.

Jaegel nodded. "The first is the main group. Focused on the portal. They’re patient. Calculating. Dangerous, yes, but slow."

"The second is your old group," Liam said.

Jaegel flinched slightly. "Yes. The zealots. The ones seeking a vessel. They think the portal method is outdated. Too slow. Too careful. They believe Mammon will reward whoever brings him through first."

"And the third?"

Jaegel exhaled through his nose. "They’re the worst in a different way. They believe everything hinges on the girl."

Liam’s heart skipped slightly. "Emma."

"Yes. They think she’s the key to stopping the ritual. Or at least slowing it. Some say she’s a natural counter to the rituals. Others claim she’s a threat to Mammon’s influence itself."

Liam’s fists clenched behind his back.

"So they want her dead."

"They’ve been trying for years," Jaegel said quietly. "Assassins. Cursed objects. Poisoned familiars. Nothing worked. She keeps surviving."

Liam rubbed his temples with his fingers and let out a sharp exhale.

This was worse than chaotic.

It was annoying.