What did it matter?
Cyrik had poured his heart and soul into building the Dark Sun Order.
But even if the Dark Sun Order were destroyed, Cyrik would feel no heartache. Instead, a burden would be lifted from his shoulders, easing the pressure on him.
The Dark Sun Order now had at least a hundred million followers. It was an enormous number.
Yet the truly brainwashed fanatics accounted for only one-twentieth of them, or roughly five million.
As Cyrik continued to grow, the Language Fruit's abilities had become considerably stronger.
But changing people's minds through sound took time, and people moved around. Many factors could make them leave. They might occasionally visit a Dark Sun church, but that was not enough to turn them into fully committed followers of the Dark Sun Order.
The greatest growth in followers came not from newly expanded islands, but from the Dark Sun Order's heartland.
The order had deeper roots on those islands.
Even so, this provided a steady source of momentum for the Dark Sun Order's development.
The Holy Light Empire's followers were spread across half the South Blue.
But in terms of truly devoted followers, it did not have many more than the Dark Sun Order.
Faith was a way of life, a habit. Reaching the point of sacrificing everything for it was exceedingly difficult.
When danger came, it could be abandoned at any time.
That was the Dark Sun Order's advantage.
However, the current Dark Sun Order was both powerful and fragile.
Many people became followers of the Dark Sun Order without even realizing it.
Although the Dark Sun Order displayed no armed organization in public,
the power it possessed was strong enough.
With its formidable organizational capabilities, the Dark Sun Order was the largest arms trade customer in the North