The next day, Melin and the other five returned to the Sanctuary with the Silver Saints and Bronze Saints.
For ordinary people, a mission like completely wiping out the forces of the Buddhist Sect might be impossible. But for them, it was barely different from a sightseeing trip.
All the Buddhas left outside by the sect to gather faith from the masses had been slain.
Nameless minor Buddhas, child attendants, protectors, and more—countless of them—were rooted out. The highest among them in rank were the twenty-eight attendants of Guanyin. Each one was dragged out of hiding by Melin's group and executed before the eyes of their worshippers.
Now, there was not a single Buddhist temple to be found anywhere in the world. Even the statues that fervent believers worshipped at home were completely destroyed.
The number of worshippers involved in the conflict couldn't even be calculated anymore—at the very least, there were hundreds of thousands.
These people could no longer be considered innocent. Their fanatical devotion had already made them one with the Buddhist Sect. And since the Sect was an enemy of the Sanctuary, they naturally were enemies as well—and enemies were never shown mercy.
The countries most affected were India and Siam, where the Buddhist Sect was most concentrated. Once major tourist attractions, their temples were now barren ruins. Since tourism had been a major part of their economy, the destruction had a devastating economic impact, not to mention the significant loss of life. Of course, in a populous country like India, that wasn't seen as a major concern.
As expected, this incident caused worldwide shock, with nations issuing urgent calls to investigate and punish the culprits.
.
.
.
But oddly enough, two superpowers—Russia and the United States—remained completely silent.
Little did the world know, their top brass already knew exactly who was responsible. Golden, bizarre armor; powers that could level mountains with a single move—these characteristics weren't hard to connect to a specific group. But even so, they had no way to counter them.
Besides, those two countries were currently locked in fierce internal conflict and had no time to worry about external affairs.
So, the event was eventually recorded in history as "The Day of Buddhism's Calamity" and quietly faded from global attention.
While the outside world gradually calmed down, the internal turbulence within the Sanctuary showed no signs of stopping.
Although there weren't as many sent out as before, some agents were still dispatched until the Ancient One gave a clear response.
But what truly puzzled Melin wasn't the global outcry—it was the lack of response from the Buddhist Sect itself.
All external forces tied to them had been eradicated. Even with their secret domain cut off from the outside world, they should have sensed the break in faith-based energy. Especially when their elite—the twenty-eight attendants of Guanyin—had all been slain. That wasn't something easily ignored.
Yet bizarrely, the Buddhist Sect showed no signs of movement. They remained hidden, in some unknown corner of the world.
"Heh… looks like those hypocrites plan to hide like cowards till the end," Melin sneered.
"That's not surprising," Asura shrugged. "When the Medicine Buddha and Amitabha were killed, they basically deleted the word 'courage' from their vocabulary. Besides, anyone from our era knows you're the number one wife-lover in all existence. You took down Athena—of course they're hiding. What, you expect them to stretch out their necks for you to chop?"
"Heh, fair enough," Melin chuckled, brushing off the teasing.
There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I love my wife, and she loves me. Happy couple, living peacefully. Let the others be jealous—they can't have what we do.
"But we can't let things stay like this forever. Shakyamuni knows he's crossed a line with me. There's no chance for reconciliation now. He'll stand firmly against us in the future. If they keep hiding and suddenly strike from behind later, that'll be a real pain," Melin said.
"That's simple—just beat the Alliance of Gods into submission again, and he'll stay in hiding," Asura joked.
"I'd love to, but the new generation can't match the original one. The new divine officials are basically useless. Plus, Athena isn't even here," Melin said, frustrated.
If he could just steamroll everything with brute force, he wouldn't bother with all this scheming. He'd already have his sleeves rolled up.
"But don't worry. I'll keep looking for their trail—I've already found some leads," Asura said.
"Oh?"
"You and the kids haven't practiced Buddhist arts, so you can't sense it. But when the twenty-eight attendants and those lesser Buddhas were killed, their last lingering souls were sent back to the Buddhist Realm using secret arts. The traces are faint, but they're there. I've found the general direction—it won't be long before I can dig out their nest," Asura promised.
"Huh? Then why didn't we sense anything when the Four Heavenly Kings died?" Melin asked.
"They severed their ties with the sect when they were resurrected. They didn't have a chance to use the secret arts. And with your God-Slaying Slash, even the souls of Zeus and Hades barely escaped—what chance did those guys have?"
"Fair enough. Still, getting a lead is an unexpected bonus."
"Exactly."
"Should I send two people with you? Even if you practice both Buddhist and demonic arts, you can't beat Shakyamuni alone, right?"
"No need. I can't beat him, but escaping is no problem. Taking kids with me would just slow me down."
"Alright. Stay safe."
"Heh, of course. I value my life too much."
"That's not the Asura King I remember."
"People change, you know~"
"You're not even human."
"You're not human! Your whole family's not human!"
.
.
.
Unlike Melin and Asura's joking banter, Steve returned to the Sanctuary and found Peggy, who was completely despondent. Then, he found Howard and got the full story.
"I was the one who hit Peggy, but I don't think I was wrong. You can punch me if you want," Howard said, completely unapologetic.
Steve had a headache. He agreed that Howard wasn't wrong—it had protected them and preserved Steve's position.
Though Steve didn't worship Melin as a god, he still respected him as a leader—and respected every warrior of the Sanctuary.
He also didn't believe Melin had made the wrong choice.
Steve had participated in the Anti-Buddhist Operation from start to finish. He knew what those fanatical believers were like—twisted faces, filthy words, violent acts. It was hard to associate them with innocent civilians.
If he had to describe them, he'd say it was like seeing another Hydra—just a bunch of lunatics.
Even someone as pure-hearted as Steve felt no inclination to object. That alone proved how far gone those people were.
But Peggy was his wife. As her husband, he had to stand by her.
Which put Steve in an impossible position—caught between Peggy and the Sanctuary.
He also knew Peggy's mental state, but as her husband, it wasn't easy to bring it up. And even if he did, it probably wouldn't help. On top of that, he was always away on missions. Since they got married, they'd barely spent time together.
So, he was grateful to Howard for what he did.
Peggy needed a hard wake-up call—maybe that was her only chance at coming to her senses.
"Sigh… I'll go check on her," Steve said.
"Steve."
"Yeah?"
"I'm telling you now—if Peggy doesn't come around, I'm quitting Spear Bureau," Howard said seriously.
"…Alright. I'll try talking to her," Steve said. He couldn't bring himself to ask Howard to stay.
He knew Peggy's actions had crossed a line—not just endangering all their lives, but also putting Maria and Tony at risk.
Even if Howard didn't show it, Steve knew he considered Tony his greatest achievement.
Steve found Peggy, still staring blankly at the ground. She looked like a shell of a person. He didn't know what to say—just sat beside her and gently pulled her into his arms.
Feeling that warm, familiar embrace, Peggy trembled slightly, then pressed herself tightly against Steve's chest.
"Steve…"
"Peggy…"
"Did I really… do something wrong?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"Peggy…"
"I just… didn't want innocent people to get hurt…"
"I know, Peggy. I know."
"Why… aren't gods supposed to protect people? They receive human faith… shouldn't they protect us in return? Why… why is it like this?" Peggy's voice was a mix of plea and muttering, as if trying to convince herself.
"I don't have an answer for you, Peggy," Steve said. "But I'll tell you this—if anyone tried to hurt you in front of me, I'd beat them so bad their own mom wouldn't recognize them."
Steve was never good with grand speeches. He just followed his heart and walked the path he believed was right.
He joined the army because he felt he couldn't just sit at home.
He fought Hydra because he believed they had no place in the world.
He helped found Spear Bureau because he wanted peace and stability.
He destroyed the Buddhist temples because he saw another Hydra forming.
Every step he took was guided by his heart, without ulterior motives.
That's why he could become the Captain—and why he was the spiritual pillar of future heroes.