Chapter 278: News from Afar

“The Light Goddess… doesn’t exist.”

Even though I had already gathered hints from various clues before, Fleidetrika’s comment and the experimental results had nearly nailed this truth down.

…What an astonishing deception.

Who would have thought that the world’s largest religion, with its followers making up nearly a third of the world’s population, and temples spread across the lands, would believe in a god that is nothing but a lie?

Even Miss Vilyric gasped instinctively upon truly confirming this fact, her mind swirling with thoughts ignited by the embarrassment of certain prior conversations.

Speaking of this topic, a hint of bitterness crept across the Saintess’ delicate face as she shook her head helplessly once more.

“Miss Xī, you asked me before why, as a Saintess of the Church of the Goddess, I would simultaneously join the Church of the Light, right?”

“It’s simple… because I’ve also been infected by the ‘Impure’ plague. Among the high-ranking demons that attacked me in City of Saint Sanos, there was a powerful plague demon hiding among them. I managed to kill it using the power of the Holy Sword, but that incurable poison also seeped into my body at the same time.”

She tossed a faintly golden pill into her mouth, her smooth, fair neck contracting a few times before she swallowed it down.

“After receiving the first batch of the developed special medicine from my teacher, I tried to take it immediately, but as I mentioned earlier, it was completely ineffective. I felt no protective power flowing through me as I praised the name of the god, only a vast void.”

Putting the bottle containing the pills back into her storage item, the Saintess took a sip of her carried water, letting out a slight sigh.

“I’m not afraid of you laughing at me when I say this, but even though I am the Judging Saintess and a divine offspring, I cherish my life too. So when Aland suggested I try adjusting my faith… a suggestion that should have been a straightforward resolution, I wavered.”

“I tried, like him, to stop praising the Light Goddess Aurora and instead directed my prayers towards the concept of the ‘Primordial Light,’ which is more abstract and elusive. The results far exceeded my expectations.”

“I felt His presence. He is not in any corner of the world, yet He is everywhere. The Light Artifact, the ‘Arbitration Holy Sword,’ resonated like never before, as if the dislocated joint had returned to its original form.”

“The holy power from beyond causality poured into me with my prayers, suppressing the ‘Impure’ venom that had been raging within me.”

“I heard His call, felt His guidance, a luminous figure fleetingly flashed before my eyes like a revelation. That… is the true ‘Primordial Light.'”

The Saintess smiled, her faintly golden eyes sparkling with a glimmering light and a hint of comfort.

“Though there are still countless questions left unanswered, which confuse and trouble me, it was at that moment I confirmed an absolute truth — the church, the Church of the Goddess, has taken the wrong path, betraying its faith and original intention. As a descendant of those chosen by Him and bearer of the ‘Arbitration Holy Sword’, I, Cecelia, must set it right, no matter what.”

“So, I joined the more pure Church of the Light, becoming one of its ‘Apostles’, helping this organization to expand quietly in the shadows, gathering and healing displaced people as we await new changes.”

Miss White Fox nodded slightly.

“So you’re saying that you believe the Church of the Light is the form that the Church of the Goddess should have taken? But forgive me for being blunt, they are allowing demons to run rampant while employing a non-resistance strategy.”

Hearing Miss Vilyric’s slightly probing voice, Fleidetrika blinked in slight surprise before quickly realizing.

“Oh… it’s the information that Miss Sasha told you, right? Miss Xī, you’re a clever person; you should be able to figure it out easily. If the Church of the Light came out swinging against the demons right away, we’d never be able to establish roots and grow in these two provinces.”

“Just like the Church of the Light lay low for over a hundred years before the establishment of the Holy Nation. If we had recklessly taken action without securing the three artifacts and divine offspring, the so-called Holy Empire probably wouldn’t exist.”

“That’s true…”

With that, most of my doubts had been clarified.

As Fleidetrika mentioned, now it’s just a matter of waiting for the frontline Holy War to progress and reveal new changes. Then she could lead the long-prepared Church of the Light to respond collectively, catching the enemy off guard and determining the key to victory.

As for how these two churches would coexist afterward — frankly, that wasn’t something to rush into worrying about right now.

The remaining issues would probably be those ceremonies held in the shadows revolving around the concept of ‘Killing’, the repeatedly mentioned arrival of the Killing Blade, and…

“Hm?”

Suddenly, a change occurred in a sense coming from the depths of my mind, causing the White Fox Girl to inadvertently let out a surprised, confused utterance.

“Miss Xī? What’s wrong?”

A puzzled voice from Fleidetrika reached my ears, but I was currently too preoccupied to respond.

Ella… Ella Light, something must have happened.

The Light Element Spirit left on the other party by the Priestess was a derivative created using the seventh-tier magic technique, ‘Light Element Spirit Summoning’.

Originally, it could only summon units of level 60, but because Miss Vilyric had perfected this skill and with her own attribute boost, the summoned Light Element being had already reached level 70, which is commonly referred to as Pseudo-God level.

Moreover, to be on the safe side, the Priestess had even specially bestowed a perpetual buff on this individual, bringing it close to the eighth tier.

Although completely unarmed, it couldn’t compare to a serious level 80 character like Lucas, yet in Miss Vilyric’s knowledge, aside from deities or mythical beings, there were nearly no normal creatures in this world that could pose a threat to Ella Light, whom it was protecting.

That’s why she would say things like “As long as you’re not too reckless, you should be fine.”

But…

Just now, that Light Element Spirit died.

Saying it died… might be a bit inaccurate, because Miss Vilyric wasn’t certain if the Light Element beings she summoned were indeed the same each time or if they just dissipated like Lucas, sent back to some place, waiting for the next summoning.

This skill’s summons were typically used as cannon fodder to absorb damage in most battles of the same level, and it was often difficult even to delay time. It was simply favored by the Priestess for its convenience.

So for a Light Element Spirit to die was as normal to Miss Vilyric as having a meal, and it didn’t seem worth paying much attention to.

However, there is a limit on the quantity of ‘Light Element Spirit Summoning’; even if Miss Vilyric could summon a maximum of ten at once, being eliminated means she could instantly resummon it by expending MP — there’s no cooldown involved. But every existing Light Element Spirit, regardless of how far apart they are from the host, must occupy one summoning share.

Previously, Miss Vilyric had placed only one Light Element Spirit on Ella, so her current summoning limit should be nine. But just now, that maximum limit in the Priestess’s perception had reverted back to full value.

There was no reason that it disappeared naturally due to energy insufficiency. Even if Ella had accidentally lost the seventh-tier Light Element Crystal meant to provide energy for the summoned being, even relying solely on the Light Element Spirit’s own accumulated energy, it should last at least three months.

However, it had only been a little over two months since they left the Holy Capital.

So there could only be one possibility — that Light Element Spirit, close to level 80, was killed in battle by an enemy stronger than it…

   

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