Chapter 258: The High Council! Irrefutable Evidence! An Unstoppable Political Trap!
As the Prophet of Truth scanned the list, recognizing many familiar names, it nodded thoughtfully. These individuals were no strangers to it.
The names on the list—Brutes , Jackals, and other young officers—were all key contributors to the Covenant's expansion. They were heroes of the cause.
It was only logical to have them replace the soon-to-be-outdated elites of the old clans.
"Excellent."
The Prophet of Mercy glanced through the service records of these young officers. Their credentials were adequate, their abilities acceptable. Promoting this new generation posed no real challenge.
At the very least, it wouldn't leave them vulnerable to accusations.
With a flick of its fingers, the Prophet of Truth dismissed the holographic screen and turned to the Prophet of Regret.
"Let's proceed. Mercy and I will prepare the High Council session. You handle the personnel shifts."
The Prophet of Regret nodded. "Understood."
With that, the Prophets of Truth and Regret departed the wide plaza under heavy guard, leaving the Prophet of Mercy behind, staring blankly at the towering building in the distance.
Its gaze then shifted to the crates filled with rare minerals and treasures nearby. Eyes gleaming, it whispered:
"Only fools cling to power. What's the point of ruling the galaxy? Transcendence through the Halo is the only true hope for a Prophet."
"…"
Three days later.
It had been 72 hours since Morami and the others arrived in the Covenant's capital: High Charity! During this time, they had been confined to quarters assigned by the Prophets under strict supervision.
Supposedly for their own safety—but in reality, it was imprisonment.
Meanwhile, rumors surrounding the "Shield World Miracle" grew increasingly rampant, and Morami's elite expedition team became a hotbed of controversy.
Some accused Morami of spreading the idea of the Flood as a vile insectoid species in an effort to undermine the Covenant's faith—an unforgivable blasphemy against the Forerunners.
Others claimed Morami was using the Flood as a pretext to cover up the murder of allied forces, such as the Brutes and Jackals.
Still more believed Morami—and even the entire Sangheili race—was plotting a coup for power and independence.
In short, driven by many factions behind the scenes, the streets of the city swelled with angry Covenant members.
Particularly numerous were the Brutes and Jackals, waving banners of "justice" and shouting slogans to overthrow Morami, expel the Elites, and punish the traitors.
Clearly, these protests were orchestrated by hidden hands. Even if Morami had never returned, the purge against the Elite clans would have continued regardless.
This time, however, the news Morami brought gave these conspirators the perfect excuse.
Whether it was the accusation of heresy against the Flood or the mysterious deaths of the Brutes and Jackal troops, the charges were heavy and damning.
Any one of these allegations would be enough to send Morami to the gallows—and force the entire Sangheili race to pay the price.
At that moment, high atop the platform, Brutes and Jackal officers watched the demonstrations below with cold, amused expressions. The bigger the uproar, the better it served their interests.
"Heh…"
One Brute, dressed in a deep crimson uniform, glanced at the nearby Council dais and let out a hoarse chuckle.
"Just wait. Today marks the end for the Elites. Once Morami's trial is over, the Covenant's military command will be ours."
Its words echoed the thoughts of many present. After years of power struggles with the Sangheili, progress was finally being made. Their long service to the Prophets was finally paying off.
"Right now, Lord Regret is reassigning Sangheili officers en masse. Soon, all security forces across the Holy Domain will be under our control!"
Another Brute officer spoke up, excitement in its voice.
In every civilization, in every era, guarding the capital was always a cushy job—well-paid, low-risk, and safe.
It also offered more chances to rub shoulders with leadership and climb the ladder than dying on some distant battlefield.
Until now, the duty of guarding the Capital city and serving as the Prophets' personal protectors had fallen to the Sangheili.
But after this trial and the surrounding unrest, those roles would soon belong to the Brutes Beast clans.
They'd be the Prophets' new bodyguards. And from there, how far could it be before they became full-fledged stakeholders in the Covenant?
As long as they followed their leaders faithfully, once the galaxy was unified, the Brutes were bound to be celebrated as founding heroes of a new age.
At that moment, a massive spire—the Council dais—lit up with a holographic projection, and the voice of the Prophet of Mercy echoed across every street in the Capital city.
"SILENCE!!"
The moment the highest authority spoke, Grunts , Brutes, Jackals, and all manner of strange Covenant species looked up toward the dais.
The projection displayed the live proceedings within the High Council chamber.
Inside, opulently dressed Prophet councilors, Elites clad in gleaming silver armor, and a handful of Brutes and Jackal representatives were all seated in solemn silence.
At the front of the chamber sat the three Prophets—Truth, Regret, and Mercy—wielding absolute authority and revered by all as High Priests, the living voice of the gods.
Once the angry crowds outside quieted, Morami, standing as the subject of this hearing, finally spoke in the presence of the Council.
"First, I must clarify one thing to all Covenant councilors and citizens—based on the findings of our expedition, the Flood is an immensely evil species!"
"The insectoid swarm rampaging across the surface of the Shield World Miracle is the very scourge that brought about the downfall of the Forerunner civilization. They are true 'godslayers'!"
"The Flood is the origin of catastrophe—an evil, horrifying plague!"
Morami knew full well the danger of its words and its current position. But it had no choice. Only a truth shocking enough to shake everyone's beliefs could wake them up.
Be they scheming opportunists, clueless onlookers, or fanatical zealots, they needed to understand the truth—clearly and without illusion.
As both a member of the Covenant and a hidden agent of the galactic conglomerate, as a Sangheili, Morami had a duty to speak.
Unsurprisingly, as soon as Morami launched into its bold, heretical declaration that desecrated their gods, chaos erupted within the Council chamber.
The chamber was filled with a cacophony of noise—chaotic voices questioning, accusing, and hurling insults!
Every spectator across the Covenant was witnessing this scene in real time. The onlookers, amused by the unfolding drama, eagerly watched the chaos erupting on the High Council dais as the Covenant's delegates tore into one another.
This kind of political theater wasn't something you saw every day.
Right now, the delegates representing the Prophet faction were openly refuting Morami's statements. Some Prophet-aligned councilors even resorted to outright verbal abuse.
"Shameless and despicable rhetoric! Morami, you're a traitor to the Covenant—you should be burned at the stake, or hanged on the execution platform!"
"Morami! Retract your words immediately! What you've said is blasphemy against the divine—a profanation of the great Forerunners!"
"…"
It was clear that nearly all those condemning Morami were Prophet-aligned delegates. Whether Morami's claims were true or not, they were perceived as slander against the gods.
They undermined the glory of the Forerunners and the authority of the Prophet caste.
No loyal Covenant believer could accept the idea that their deities had been destroyed by mere bugs.
Even worse was the implication that the great and wise Forerunners hadn't transcended into godhood but had perished at the hands of the Flood.
If even gods could bleed… then was there any point in believing in the Forerunners at all?
Meanwhile, the Sangheili delegates seated beside Morami stepped in to defend his statements, arguing that Morami must have evidence—otherwise he would never speak so boldly.
"Those twisted, malformed abominations could never be the work of the gods! Those defilers of sanctity are obviously the Flood!"
"I believe in Commander Morami. Please let him finish. Don't interrupt."
"…"
At this moment, no matter what Morami said, the Sangheili delegates stood by him without hesitation.
They were all in this together—if one fell, they all did. The Sangheili had to stand united and fight for the tribe's collective interest. Whether Morami was right or wrong didn't matter—support was all that mattered.
Seeing the Council spiral into precisely the chaos and confrontation they had anticipated, the three Prophet Hierarchs exchanged knowing glances. Everything was unfolding exactly as they had planned.
The very reason for holding this live, galaxy-wide tribunal was to declare Morami—and by extension, the entire Sangheili caste—guilty!
Blasphemy, murder of Covenant citizens, conspiracy to rebel—any one of these charges would be enough to bring the Sangheili down.
Once that happened, the Sangheili would be at the mercy of the Prophets. The full control and authority of the Covenant would fall into the hands of the Hierarchs alone.
Their consolidation of power would be complete.
As the chamber descended deeper into disorder, the Prophet of Mercy finally stepped in to rein in the chaos before it spiraled completely out of control. He resumed his interrogation of Morami:
"I must inform you—your previous statements are sacrilegious, an affront to the Forerunners. According to the Covenant Codex, such blasphemy is punishable by death."
"Your fellow tribesmen will not escape unscathed. They will be demoted, exiled, even imprisoned."
"More importantly, your words have shaken the very foundations of our faith, disillusioning countless devoted believers. For that alone, your guilt is beyond redemption."
Seeing that the atmosphere had been properly stoked, the Prophet of Mercy hastened to formally affix charges onto Morami.
As for the claim that "the Flood are the god-slayers," there was no way the Prophets would ever acknowledge it. Hardly anyone in the Covenant knew the Flood's true nature anyway—and whatever the priesthood said, the masses would believe.
After all, without evidence, there could be no truth. Morami's words alone wouldn't convince the public.
"The Prophet of Mercy speaks the truth."
At that moment, the Prophet of Regret picked up the thread and continued:
"Commander Morami, while your actions do not represent all Sangheili, we must ask ourselves—are your people still fit to serve in our military, or our scientific expeditions?"
"Your erratic, delusional behavior has brought disgrace upon your entire caste. I believe our Great Journey has no place for madmen."
On the surface, the Prophet of Regret was simply adding another blow—labeling Morami as deranged. But in reality, he was proposing a strategic retreat, offering the Sangheili a way out.
As long as the Sangheili admitted Morami had lost his mind, they could simply take him away for treatment, and the Prophets would magnanimously refrain from pursuing collective punishment.
Of course, that meant the Sangheili would have to give up their positions as high-ranking Covenant members, administrators, and delegates—all of them replaced.
It was clear the Prophet of Regret and the Prophet of Mercy were coordinating—a calculated one-two punch: first slap Morami with the heaviest charges, then offer a compromise.
This was meant to plant doubt in the minds of the Sangheili delegates. If they hesitated for even a moment, the Prophets would have the leverage they needed to seize control.
"He's definitely gone mad!"
"Morami should be executed—no heretic who defiles the gods can be allowed to live!"
"…"
Following the speeches of the Prophets of Mercy and Regret, the Prophet-aligned delegates piled on, ramping up pressure against Morami and the entire Sangheili caste.
The Sangheili delegates, on the other hand, looked visibly distressed, heads lowered in hesitation. They too were now grappling with whether or not to abandon Morami.
If they chose to stand by him, the entire Sangheili tribe could be implicated.
They could all be branded as heretics—blasphemers—and that would be catastrophic.
But abandoning Morami meant sacrificing their caste's status, power, and honor—all of which would be severely diminished by this public trial.
The Sangheili might be allowed to remain in the Covenant, but their reputation would be in shambles. The Prophets might even seize their "shares" in the alliance, demoting them to nothing more than laborers with no rights or influence.
No matter what they chose… there would be consequences.
It was a lose-lose situation.
And yet, as the accusations mounted and the pressure intensified, Morami responded calmly:
"Everyone, would you allow me to present the findings from our expedition? I believe it's best you see the full report before passing judgment."
With that, Morami took out a round metallic device—an external projector of sorts, capable of displaying holographic visuals and data.
This sort of precision tool didn't exist within the Covenant, so the Prophets hadn't expected Morami to have such a card up his sleeve.
Upon realizing Morami's request, the three Prophets paused in surprise—this wasn't part of their script.
They had long since ordered the data on Morami's fleet to be seized. By all rights, he shouldn't have had any device capable of showing evidence.
Still, they couldn't very well refuse his reasonable request in front of the entire Covenant.
"You may proceed," said the Prophet of Mercy, hiding his unease. He wanted to see what Morami was playing at.
"Then please watch carefully. I will reveal the complete truth to you all."
Morami bowed politely to the council, then activated the device, projecting a holographic display. As the star map zoomed in, the scenes from the Shield World became vividly clear.
When the towering Astartes warriors and the resolute face of David appeared on screen, everyone in the chamber was stunned.
Even the Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret instinctively assumed these were Forerunner warriors—or at the very least, members of an advanced alien race.
But soon, an ominous premonition crept into the hearts of the three Prophets.
This was bad.
Morami had come prepared. Could it be that the Sangheili really had made contact with the Forerunners on the Shield World—and even found proof that the Flood were the ones who wiped them out?
At this point in time, the Covenant hadn't yet encountered humanity, so the Prophets had no idea that David and the others were in fact human—the very race they would one day seek to exterminate.
And now, through Morami's projection, this live footage was being broadcast to every corner of the Covenant.
On the holographic screen, all Covenant citizens witnessed the Astartes warriors—aboard the Pilgrim's Dreadnought—eliminating the Brutes and Jackal units.
They also learned the truth behind the extinction of the Forerunners and the identity of the true Reclaimers.
Before long, everyone understood: the Flood were indeed the ones who destroyed the Forerunner civilization, and the Jackals and Brutes had been killed for their defiance.
Humanity was the Chosen People—the rightful Reclaimers designated by the Forerunners!
In fact, before Morami even departed on his mission, Li Ang had personally prepared this projection device for him.
Li Ang understood the political tension between the Sangheili and the Prophets all too well. He knew that the Hierarchs would seize the opportunity to conduct a public trial and crush the Sangheili.
Even more importantly, Li Ang knew from the original timeline that after humanity first made contact with the Covenant, the three Hierarchs learned through Forerunner AI that humans were the true Reclaimers.
But for the sake of power and control, they chose to hide this truth—and launched a genocidal war against humanity.
That's why the Covenant's war against humanity was so ruthless and unrelenting. Humanity's very existence was a threat to the Prophet caste's survival.
To the Prophets, humanity had to be wiped out completely.
But now, Li Ang had turned the tables by having Morami reveal the entire truth to the entire Covenant.
Thanks to the Council session, Morami had shown every Covenant citizen what was really going on.
It didn't matter whether the Hierarchs acknowledged the evidence or claimed Morami had fabricated it. That was irrelevant.
What mattered was that the Sangheili now knew they had found the Chosen Ones. They had an escape route—Morami had found them a new protector.
Humanity was the destined Reclaimer—the legitimate successor to the Forerunners. If the Covenant's Great Journey were to continue, then it should be under humanity's leadership.
If the Prophets broke down and continued to persecute the Sangheili in defiance of truth and reason, they'd only be pushing the entire caste into the arms of the mega-corporation.
At that point, whether the Sangheili wanted to or not, they'd have no choice but to defect.
Li Ang 's meticulously crafted plan—an open scheme—was flawless.
This was the true way to wield "divine legitimacy." When used correctly, it could shatter an enemy's unity with minimal effort.
That's why Morami had remained so calm and confident all along.
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