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Heretics.

The people of the world referred to those who bore the symbol that cloaked the sun as such.

Of course, they also had a name for themselves—”True Night”—but no one called them that.

To the continent’s inhabitants, the sun symbolized the Divine Lord Altair, so intentionally bearing a symbol that obscured it was akin to denying Altair’s divinity.

The continent acknowledged the existence of many gods, but among them, the one called the Divine Lord was solely the God of Light and Radiance, Altair. Everyone living on the continent knew the story of how he descended to the mortal realm as a champion to battle the evils of the world.

This legend was recorded in history across races, illustrating how he received a distinctly different treatment compared to several other gods.

The empire, renowned for its unparalleled power and a millennium-long history, was also a testament to what the Divine Lord Altair left behind.

The champion established the mighty empire of Estellia on Earth and disappeared into legend after leaving behind many tales as he ascended to the heavens, but the imperial family has continued to be born with remarkable divine power and the shining golden hair that symbolizes Altair, proving their descent.

Thus, the empire could maintain an unwavering center and legitimacy represented by Altair, and as a result, it could be said that the continent has grown to be the empire’s domain.

However, there was one thing they could not overcome: the heretic group ‘True Night,’ their primary enemy.

The empire flaunted its influence across the continent just like the sun, but just as there is light, there is darkness; the empire could not control every corner. The more splendid the empire’s glory grew, the greater the darkness that settled beneath it.

No matter how bright the light, a shadow inevitably follows.

‘True Night’ was such an existence.

No matter how much the empire tried to eradicate them, they were like an unyielding shadow that would not disappear. For ages, the empire has attempted various measures to erase the existence of heretics, but each time, they would change their name and form, sustaining their lineage.

Having gone by numerous names in the past, they were now known as ‘True Night,’ and, as history had demonstrated, they were beings that could never coexist with the empire. Just as the empire held resentment toward the indelible existence of the heretics, they too held profound grievances about their circumstances.

To others, they merely appeared as crazy zealots, but just like the empire once did in the past, they wished to present their god as the Divine Lord to rule the world.

To bring down the foreign god watching them from beyond the distant stars, to plummet the sun to the earth, and to establish their kingdom within that crumbled world was their ultimate goal.

It seemed to be a notion too absurd to consider, a mere deluded dream, but the power bestowed by the alien god was so enticing and robust that it could make such dreams plausible.

If they desired, they could plunge the system into chaos and burn the world, yet they knew that to act like that would only result in their ultimate downfall.

So, they concealed themselves in the darkness and waited quietly.

Just as the empire was established through Altair’s champion, they awaited the day their god would descend onto this land.

In the present day, there were indeed those who are called transcendent beings, but could they truly be said to be stronger than the heroic figures who once wrote past myths?

Of course, while some individuals could stand up to legendary heroes, there were none that could be compared with the ‘champion’ who founded the thousand-year-old empire. Even if a champion were to descend upon this land again, they had not the slightest doubt in their god’s victory.

Their god had promised to descend and bring victory.

And finally, the promised time approached.

The Archbishop, displaying a sacred relic emitting foreboding light, declared that the day they had long awaited for was drawing near.

With clear evidence and a revelation, the decision was made swiftly. To welcome the god descending to this land as soon as possible, two Cardinals present took the relic and set off for the prophetic site, Merohim.

Upon arriving in Merohim, the relic radiated light unlike any before, immersing them in an unparalleled whirlwind of excitement. The thought that the moment they had awaited for hundreds of years would finally come to fruition sent blood rushing to their heads.

【It’s late.】

Not even darkness could conceal his massive frame.

Wrapped in a black robe, he gazed at the brightly shining city from the white walls of Merohim, muttering about his missing companion.

Considering her abilities, he had expected that by now he would have received word that they found the prophetic individual, even if she was inside the Winter Castle.

He realized that his gigantic body would be too conspicuous to search, so he chose to wait here quietly; however, had it not been for that, he wouldn’t have been able to restrain the impulse to leap into that brilliantly shining city and absorb all the light, drenching it in darkness.

There was no way he could disrupt the great event just to sate his own trivial desires.

He turned his gaze to the endless expanse of the white snowy field. The dark, invisible landscape only served to calm his heart.

If he were to meet the prophetic individual, perhaps he should suggest turning this noisy city into a snowy field like those outside. With her by his side, that bothersome tower and that irritating White Grand Mage would pose no obstacles.

Above all, tearing down Merohim seemed perfect for signaling to the entire world the grand arrival of the great being. It felt like a good idea upon reconsideration, and he stroked his chin with a deeply satisfied expression.

Yet, as he unfolded his wings of imagination, envisioning the future, a shadow of fury suddenly fell across his face. Enough of simply staring into the snowy expanse or sitting in silence to think; his thin patience quickly unraveled, radiating a fierce purple aura as he turned his head back toward the city.

【Now that I think about it, it might not be a bad idea to go rampaging in the city for a bit. Even if the White Grand Mage descends, if Cardinal Paula arrives on time, I could easily escape, and… perhaps this very display would cause her to make her presence known immediately.】

He nodded, uttering thoughts completely contrary to his previous inner monologue.

Such extreme self-centered reasoning was a part of his innate nature, yet unlike before, when he could still discern right from wrong, ever since embracing the power of foreign beliefs, he had become akin to an untamed steed with completely loosened reins.

Nevertheless, despite this, his abilities were extraordinary enough to survive confrontations even against those called transcendents, so the decision to pair him with another was made in hopes of controlling him, but the Archbishop was also caught by surprise when his patience ran out.

Whooosh—

An immense amount of aura began to gather in his lower body, poised as if ready to leap toward the city at any moment.

The aura distorted the flow of the atmosphere around him, and the sheer pressure focusing on his legs placed immense strain on the walls he was standing upon. This was partly due to his clumsy handling of aura, but his saturated violet aura was oppressive and heavy enough to overshadow the techniques of ordinary Aura Knights.

The power concentrated at a single point eventually reached its apex.

Realizing he was about to burst like a bomb, he was ready to release the aura gathered in his legs. Thankfully, just as he did, a flickering black shadow appeared before his eyes.

【Hey, Paula, you’re too late…】

He attempted to express his dissatisfaction with a glance at the shadow but was abruptly silenced by the intense pressure pounding against him.

His heightened senses, sharpened to an extraordinary level by drawing up aura, dredged up the rationality he had buried deep inside.

As he encountered the watchful gaze peering at him from the darkness, he felt as exposed as if he had been tossed outside in the nude.

The overpowering divine presence that washed over him was very familiar, yet it felt qualitatively different from any divine energy he had ever experienced.

There was no doubt.

The figure before him was indeed the prophetic individual the Archbishop had spoken of.

The mere act of standing before this being filled him with an overwhelming sense of awe.

The force that had always sheltered him now pressed down upon him, evoking a foreign sensation, yet the only thing he could do in that moment was yield to that power, as nothing else was permitted.

As the darkness receded, revealing the figure before him, his eyes widened.

With white hair that seemed to glow even in the dark of night, paired with crystalline purple eyes, she looked down at him. Momentarily lost in her appearance, he suddenly remembered how closely she resembled someone he knew from his past.

【Edel…weiss…?】

The image of the young lady reflecting in his eyes was unmistakably that of the Lord of Merohim from the Edelweiss House. Realizing this, he felt unrestrained joy filling his heart as a twisted smile formed on his face.

Is there such a cruel fate as this?

Of all names, it had to be Edelweiss. Truly a wicked joke from the divine.

Though there likely existed no trace of the previous daughter’s consciousness within her body, the thought of the Edelweiss family toppling Merohim brought him enough joy to savor.

More than anything, the image of the White Grand Mage meeting death at the hand of his daughter’s kin kept an unwavering grin on his face.

While he indulged in such thoughts, a melodious voice pierced through his revelry.

“What’s so funny that has you laughing like that?”

【Ah, it’s nothing… cough!!】

Startled by the beautiful yet chilling voice, he quickly raised his head, but the divine energy swirling around him had already tightened around his neck as she pleased.

Though he boasted a particularly strong and sturdy physique among the Cardinals, in the face of her overwhelming divinity, his body, honed to be tougher than steel, felt more like paper that could crumple at any moment.

He could no longer feel any joy amid the power pressing down on him. The suffocating starkness of overwhelming strength brought forth a singular feeling of dread that he might lose his life at any moment.

As that fear began to dominate his mind, other realizations he previously overlooked started to seep in.

【Pa…ula…】

In the hand of the pale girl staring at him lay the unmistakable head of Cardinal Paula, who had gone before her. The girl glanced at the severed head she held and, with a flick of her wrist, unleashed flames that consumed it, leaving no trace behind.

“Destruction of Iolon.”

As she softly spoke his name, he unconsciously met her gaze. Wanting to say something, he found that his throat, constricted to its limits, only allowed him to gasp for air, leaving no room for words.

“I should start by thanking you. Thanks to you, I won’t have to go on a wild goose chase.”

Her voice remained unchanged, smooth as ever. However, that very tone only served to amplify Iolon’s terror.

Why did she know his name? What was the intention behind her malice? A flurry of unanswered questions filled his mind, yet those thoughts did not connect logically.

In the haze of fading consciousness, her words no longer reached his ears.

In his blurred field of vision, only the ominously flickering purple eyes reflected back at him.

 

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