Chapter 15: The Miracle That Lied

Chapter 15: The Miracle That Lied

Kael Draven stood at the peak of the Withered Heaven Mountains, wind whipping his coat, the sky above him bruised with gathering celestial clouds.

Below, the Iron Vein Sect stood proud—a sect known for discipline, tradition, and unwavering faith in the Tribunal.

It would fall in a single day.

Not by invasion.

Not by battle.

But by a miracle they could not explain…

And a lie they could not resist.

Kael had spent seven nights weaving a story.

A divine sign.

A sacred relic.

A prophecy fulfilled.

All fabricated.

All beautiful.

He did not wish to fight the Iron Vein Sect.

"Why fight a mountain," he said, "when you can convince it to bend?"

He created the illusion of a relic descending.

Crafted a fake prophecy scroll that tied to the Iron Vein's founder.

He planted witnesses.

He built suspense.

"Humans crave faith more than they crave truth," he said to Yue Lin.

"And I am now their god in both."

System Prompt

[Miracle Subversion Protocol Activated]

[Objective: Install false miracle to shift sect loyalty by 33% within 48 hours.]

[Bonus: Convert Inner Elders to cause civil schism]

Day 1: The Relic Descends

A golden lotus descended from the sky—glowing with radiant light.

The sky opened. Harps echoed. Petals rained.

The Iron Vein Sect gathered at the central square.

Sect Leader Tao Kun watched, confused.

"This was not prophesied…"

But it was.

Ghost Fingers had slipped a forged prophecy into the sect's ancient vaults weeks ago.

The prophecy described a golden lotus, appearing during a blood moon, foretelling the rise of a 'Silent Sovereign.'

Kael appeared that night… cloaked, glowing faintly, surrounded by three kneeling 'disciples'—the Celestial Cleanser, Yue Lin, and Moss-Faced Girl, all playing their roles.

"Who are you?" asked Tao Kun.

Kael stepped forward, his voice low, confident, precise.

"I am no one."

"I am merely the result of your silence."

"For centuries you watched injustice grow. You called it law."

"Now the law breaks… and you wonder why."

Tao Kun trembled.

"We follow the Tribunal."

"Then you follow ghosts," Kael said.

"Because the Tribunal is already dead."

Day 2: The Conversion Begins

The Sect Elders argued in private.

Some believed the prophecy.

Some didn't.

Most were afraid to speak either way.

That's when Kael activated Phase Two.

He 'healed' a crippled disciple in public using a fake technique — 'Lotus Pulse Baptism.'

In reality, it was Cinderlight's cultivation pill hidden in a ritual.

"Miracles are just methods wrapped in mystery," Kael whispered.

Word spread like wildfire.

Disciples began bowing to Kael's name.

Then came the dreams.

Kael used his system to invade their sleep.

"I am the voice behind your breath."

"I am the reason you question."

"I am the answer you feared you'd find."

Elders awoke sweating. Some wept. One self-immolated in guilt.

Inner Conflict Brews

Sect Leader Tao Kun called an emergency meeting.

"He is not divine! He is a deceiver!"

But three elders stood.

"He healed the boy."

"He fulfilled the scroll."

"We have seen him in our dreams."

A schism.

Half the sect began holding Night Lotus Rituals, where they burned Tribunal flags and chanted Kael's name.

Kael Watches from Afar

Yue Lin stood beside him, stunned.

"You're tearing them apart without touching them."

Kael sipped tea.

"That is the true meaning of dominance," he said.

"To win the war without drawing your blade."

"To let them believe they chose it. That they wanted it."

"That they would have done it anyway."

He paused.

"Even gods beg to be conquered."

System Prompt

[Iron Vein Sect Loyalty Shift: 48% → 62%]

[Inner Elder Conversion Success: 2 of 5]

[Public Opinion: Unstable, Leaning Divine Allegiance]

[New Title Gained: The Divine That Lied]

Final Day: The Unmasking

Kael stood atop the Iron Vein platform. The Sect Leader attempted to arrest him.

Soldiers moved.

Kael did not.

"You can't arrest a belief," he said.

"You can't bind an idea."

He let them chain him.

He let them raise the execution sword.

He even smiled.

"Fools," Tao Kun shouted. "This man is a manipulator!"

"You believe because he showed you tricks!"

The executioner raised the sword.

Then hesitated.

"...but I dreamed of him."

"He showed me peace."

He turned.

The sword dropped.

The sect kneeled.

All of them.

Even Tao Kun.

"What are you?" he asked.

Kael turned, breaking his chains with a shrug.

"I am the fiction that replaced your truth."

"And your sect belongs to me now."

System Update

[Iron Vein Sect Fully Subverted]

[Celestial Resource Flow: +200%]

[Chaos Points +130]

[Faction Standing: Now Recognized by 2 Sects as Divine Herald]

Tribunal Chamber – Moments Later

The Tribunal Grand Elder slammed his fist against a divine jade slab.

"Another sect has defected!"

"Without war, without blood—only belief!"

Another message appeared via jade scroll. Kael's voice rang through it, echoing with layered confidence:

"You do not defeat monsters like me by swords."

"You lose to us the moment you believe we're right."

A pause.

"We are no longer facing rebellion," the Grand Elder whispered.

"We are facing a conversion."

"And it's spreading faster than light."