After hearing Lucian's voice announcing the discovery of the "Divine Radiance," Douglas, Fernando, and the others activated specially prepared artifacts and saw the five clusters of divine power.
At that moment, the lid of the iron-black coffin standing upright crashed to the ground, raising a thin cloud of dust and revealing the "master" within!
Facing this development, Douglas, Fernando, and the rest had their incantations poised and ready, while a silver-white pocket watch materialized in Lucian's hand.
Standing inside the black iron coffin was a handsome man with golden hair and white robes, tall in stature, eyes shut tight, arms folded across his chest in the shape of a cross.
There was not the slightest trace of vitality about him, as though he had been dead for countless years, yet his skin was smooth and lustrous, showing no hint of decay. His most striking feature was the aquiline nose that gave his face a sinister, predatory quality.
"Ivan?"
Suddenly, Lucian heard the voices of Douglas and Fernando ringing simultaneously through their mental link — both tinged with shock!
Ivan?
It was a perfectly ordinary Shahran Empire name, but placed alongside the ancient crosses surrounding them, only one person came to Lucian's mind:
The first Pope of the Northern Church — Saint Ivan!
The "chief culprit" behind the North-South Schism — Saint Ivan!
The Saint Ivan after whom the capital of the Shahran Empire had been named!
Why was he here?
Thoughts racing through his mind in the span of a heartbeat, Lucian watched as the "Ivan" inside the black iron coffin suddenly opened his eyes. They were a blue deeper than the ocean, sadder than melancholy, more luminous than any gemstone — so profound they seemed to drink in all the surrounding light, plunging everything into a brief moment of utter darkness.
…………
Saint Ivanburg, the Cathedral of Saint Ivan — a hidden prayer chamber within.
The current Pope of the Northern Church, Byelkovski, a man bearing the standard large-nosed Shahran features, was kneeling before a cross in prayer when his eyes suddenly snapped open. A wave of deep blue surged through the depths of his pale yellow irises.
"Who has broken into the Sanctum of the Holy Spirit?" he murmured in a low, suppressed voice. Then his body gradually grew translucent, flickering and wavering as though he were merging into the air itself, freezing in place.
And at Saint Alexei's Cathedral, Saint Felix's Cathedral, Saint Uriel's Cathedral, and Saint Gono's Cathedral, four saint-tier Cardinals opened their eyes simultaneously, cutting short their prayers.
…………
The sphere of divine radiance floating before "Ivan's" coffin shot into his body, causing wing after wing of crystalline light — born of divine power — to unfurl behind his back, purer than any angel, more radiant than the sun, more brilliant than starlight!
His nose grew taller and more pronounced, taking on the most common Shahran style, while his eyes gradually took on a tinge of pale yellow. Behind his head, the divine radiance seemed to conjure a succession of faces — some of them Saint Ivan, whom they had just seen, and many others that Lucian did not recognize.
Crack, crack, crack — from three of the horizontal coffins, the lids were thrown open by the corpses within. Three men in white robes flew out, hovering in midair as they merged with the spheres of divine radiance above them and spread open their own divine wings.
The fourth coffin remained still, yet something appeared to have flown into the sphere of divine radiance above it, causing it to elongate and expand, transforming into an angel of light with golden eyes.
A passage of recorded history suddenly flowed through Lucian's mind: "…Ivan, Alexei, Nikon, Uriel, Gono, and Felix — six Cardinals launched a surprise assault on Wilfred's demiplane magic tower. After a fierce battle, they slew him and destroyed the soul jar he had hidden… Among them, Nikon was killed by Wilfred…"
"Cardinal Gono, during the siege of the evil archmage Wilfred, was struck by his dying counterattack — death energy became entangled with his soul, inseparable — and seven years later, he fell in the Holy City of Lans…"
"…On that very day, the True God's eyes gazed upon the Holy City, and Ivan, Alexei, Uriel, and Felix, four saints, along with seven Holy Spirit Priests — Sot, Allest, Silisius, and others — stepped forth bathed in golden light and accused Gregory of being an avatar of the Lord of Hell…"
In an instant, the entire hidden chamber blazed with dazzling, sacred light, forming an eerie contrast with the deathly monotone of black, white, and gray.
"Greater Temporal Stasis!"
"Storm Barrier!"
"Body of the Death God!"
"Legendary Transformation!"
"Puppet Golem!"
"Retributive Gaze!"
Six incantations rang out simultaneously. Though none of them yet understood exactly what had changed, it was clearly a development that could only be bad — it had to be stopped immediately, without a moment's hesitation!
At that moment, the crossed arms of "Saint Ivan" suddenly opened wide, as though embracing all of humanity, embracing this corrupted world.
Countless tiny angels materialized all around him, singing hymns of praise — something reminiscent of the "Hallelujah" Lucian had heard in his previous life.