The Holy City of Lance. The Grand Hall of Radiance.
The moment the world trembled faintly, every member of the College of Cardinals sensed the anomaly. In the cloudless, sunlit sky, an immense otherworldly landscape shimmered into view — alien, yet hauntingly familiar. It was the extradimensional space they had been searching for over three years, the very space into which the Silver Moon Eitna and the mysterious existence had both fallen!
"I wonder who first discovered it... This world seems rather special — the commotion was so great that it gave us precise coordinates as well." Another "Saint" among the College of Cardinals, Anastas, narrowed his eyes slightly, breaking the momentary silence that had frozen the Grand Hall of Radiance. "Another fair competition, then."
Every Cardinal present turned their gaze toward the Pope. Would they continue with the plan for a full-scale war against the Magic Council, or would they redeploy their forces, making this extradimensional space their primary objective — to find the injured Eitna and the mysterious existence who had fallen there?
Two Cardinals aside, whose deep eyes betrayed no emotion whatsoever, the rest were visibly excited. For them, if a choice had to be made, there was no question — they would choose the latter!
Was Lucian important? Of course he was. He had repeatedly put forth new theories that struck at the prestige of gods and the Church alike. He would very likely earn the title of Grand Archanist in his thirties or forties and become a Legendary Magician. If left to grow unchecked — setting aside the worst-case scenario of further breakthroughs in the domain of Creation — the mere possibility that he could become the next Douglas, the next Brooke, was enough to give anyone pause. No one wanted yet another formidable enemy who had to be slowly schemed against before they could be eliminated.
But compared to the Silver Moon Eitna, the mysterious existence, and the secrets they harbored, Lucian's importance paled into insignificance. If they could capture those two beings and unravel the secret of their existence, the reward for the Church, for the Pope, and for themselves would be unprecedented — a harvest beyond anything they had ever imagined!
Which Pope would not wish to achieve what the "quasi-god" Eitna had — "the Silver Moon never setting, the Moon Goddess never perishing"? Yet they were constrained by the source of their power: the God of Truth. They could not extend their lives through magic or alchemy, and could only live to four or five hundred like ordinary Legends. Moreover, after ascending to the papacy, they seemed to die far younger than normal Legends — their bodies seemingly unable to bear the power of the God of Truth, or due to other complex reasons — even if they had already been Saints when they took the throne.
Any observant Cardinal would have noticed that every Pope throughout history had been short-lived. As for the true reason, they could only make rough conjectures: a mortal body bearing the power of a true god, forcibly elevated to the "quasi-god" tier, suffered irreparable damage to both body and soul.
Therefore, deciphering the secrets of a true "quasi-god" would surely allow the Pope's lifespan to be extended far further.
And as for themselves — even if they merely shared a fraction of the benefits from this endeavor, they would have a significant chance of breaking through their current levels. Perhaps they might even reach "quasi-god" status, becoming a "Saint" or a "Descending Angel" who remained permanently in the mortal realm.
As for the Church — if the Pope and they themselves all received an uplift, the entire Church would benefit!
Under a dozen pairs of eyes that had suddenly grown feverish with intensity, the Pope let out a soft sigh and spoke with calm composure: "In the normal course of things, we should have purged the 'Fallen Angel' Lucian Evans by now. But the Lord has entrusted us with a more critical and more dangerous mission. This is our honor, and our glory. Saer de, you shall continue to serve as the Cardinal of the Holm Diocese, commanding all five major dioceses and standing against the Magic Council. However, until this matter is resolved, there will be no reinforcements, so you must hold the line."
"Your command is the will of the Lord. Eternal is Truth alone." Saer de replied without any emotional fluctuation. But in the eyes of the other Cardinals, his luck was truly abysmal.
Becoming the head of the five major dioceses — the most powerful figure in the Church after the Pope — was the ambition of every Saint and every Holy Spirit Priest. But the Magic Council was nothing like the decadent and corrupt Magical Empire of old. The position itself entailed enormous risk, and most critically, he had thereby lost the opportunity to venture into the mysterious space to search for the Silver Moon Eitna and the others. It was clearly not worth the trade-off. Still, since Saer de himself raised no objection, they were only too happy to have one fewer competitor.
"Anastas, Maria — you will accompany me." Pope Benedict II gave his instructions in a measured tone. Maria was another "Saint," and like Anastas, she was one of his loyal followers.
Unlike the Northern Church's system of conciliar governance by Cardinals, in the Southern Church the Pope wielded absolute authority. No Cardinal dared raise an objection. What shocked them even more, however, was something else entirely: since the Great Schism between the Northern and Southern Churches, the Pope had never once left the Holy City of Lance — and now he was finally moving out!
Does His Holiness value this matter even more than we imagined?
"Ezalo, Valenhir, Berya..." The Pope named five Cardinals — some Holy Spirit Priests, others Epic Knights, all Legendary powerhouses. "You will accompany me as well."
This was the maximum force the Southern Church could deploy without compromising its defenses and standoffs across all fronts. After all, they had the most enemies. Even the Pope, who believed that the other factions would likewise never abandon the secrets of a "quasi-god," dared not be overly confident. If some powerful figure managed to set aside their greed and, while the Church had dispatched most of its elites to the mysterious space, led their own forces in a sudden assault — that would spell serious trouble.
Moreover, with him personally taking the field, the Pope was full of confidence.
Having assembled his forces, the Pope continued: "Senior clergy, the top two hundred of the Night Watch, and all national-level Sky Knights and above — prepare yourselves. It may be that this world is extraordinarily vast, as boundless as a Star Tomb, in which case we will need sheer numbers to cast our net wide."
"And as for the execution of Lucian Evans — assign two or three high-ranking Night Watch members to carry it out if possible."