In the Holy City, the Bright Hall was the highest building above sea level, followed by the Hall of Classics of the Saint Bissau Theological College.
The building was similar in appearance to the colosseum in Shakti. The center of the building was flat, with a magnificent podium. There was no roof, and the seats around the podium rose to a height of dozens of meters in a circle.
Whoever stood at the center would find that the seats were packed with people. Countless eyes were staring at them from all directions. The pressure was indescribable. The sun in the sky sprinkled down the golden brilliance through the ceiling, as if a real god was watching this place. The feeling of holiness was rising.
At this moment, the sun was setting. The last light of the setting sun illuminated the hall and dyed everything in brilliant gold.
Illuminated by the golden light, the whole hall was kept in weird silence, as if something terrible was brewing and waiting to break out.
"You are the incarnation of the Lord of Hell and the greatest devil. You stole the Lord's power in the world when he was asleep!"
The words were still echoing in the hall and in everybody's heart. They were so deafening that they felt that they were in a dream.
Since the establishment of the Church, had anyone ever questioned the pope in person?
Since the establishment of the Church, had anyone ever dared to disrespect the pope?
Since the establishment of the Church, had anyone ever dared to accuse the pope of being the incarnation of devils?
Devils could perform 'God's Arrival', and devils could lead us to defeat sorcerers, dark creatures, and heretical churches?
While it was ridiculous and hilarious, the clerics were caught in speechless shock. They stared at the pope who was gloomy on the podium, and at Saint Ivan who seemed to be covered in a golden coat down below in bewilderment!
What was going on exactly?
Why did the strongest and most devout saint object to the pope?
Was he not scared of 'excommunication'?
At this time, someone loudly said, "In the Holy Scripture, the Bishop teaches us not to worship idols or statues. Therefore, we only erect crosses. But you openly declare that you are the incarnation of the Lord, that you are His spokesperson on earth. You want us to worship and obey. Such a violation of the teachings of the Holy Scripture is something only the devil can do!"
Another person stood out and accused His Holiness of being the incarnation of the Lord of Hell!
All the clerics in the hall looked over in shock, only to see another Saint, Felix, walk behind Saint Ivan. Then, they saw Aleksei and Uriel, two Saints, walk out as well, followed by Sauter, Anlester, Sirisius, and the other Saint Cardinals!
So many saints and so many excellencies are supporting Saint Ivan?
Could it be that His Holiness the Pope was really the biggest devil?
"Ridiculous! His Holiness the Pope just used 'God's Arrival' to severely injure the Lord of Hell and drove him back to hell!" Saint Quentin accused the traitors angrily.
"How can I win everyone's trust if I don't do this!" Ivan said firmly.
Pope Gregory pressed down with his left hand, stopping the other saints and priests from arguing with Ivan. He raised his platinum scepter and said solemnly:
"Those who betray the Lord will be stripped of their glory and fall into eternal hell!"
Words were useless. The grace of the Lord would prove everything.
The golden light suddenly turned milky white, solemn and holy. Specks of holy light flew out of Ivan, Felix, and the others and dissipated in midair.
"Excommunication?"
"Excommunication!"
All the clerics couldn't help but shiver. That was the irrefutable proof of the pope's identity. If the pope was not the Lord's "emissary on earth", how could he deprive the other clerics of the Lord's grace so that they could never replenish their divine power?
Lord Ivan and the rest of them must've been fooled!
However, from the bottom of their hearts, they all hoped that the pope could forgive Lord Ivan and the rest of them for their ignorance, or perhaps only punish the leaders. After all, with so many saints and priests, if all of them were lost, the Saint Truth would've suffered a great loss even though it was a large organization.
Suddenly, Ivan opened his arms, as if he were embracing the world and the people.
Countless tiny angels appeared around him and surrounded him. They sang his praises and sang his praises, forming an ethereal and solemn hymn.
A giant hole suddenly appeared in the void above, and the projection of Mountain Paradise appeared. Specks of holy light flew out and congregated into a pair of sacred and inviolable wings behind Ivan's back. Glorious wings!
Time and space trembled, and the air of "Excommunication" was driven away. Ivan's air soared nonstop, giving the clerics a feeling similar to that of the pope.
"Devil! Open your eyes and take a look. This is the Lord's grace! " Ivan declared loudly, "Our divine power is the Lord's grace. Only the Lord can deprive us of it. Only the devils will try their best to pretend that they can deprive us of our glory. It's the best proof that he has stolen the power of sovereignty!"
Although it was illogical, the clerics couldn't tell the difference at this moment. Even the saints and saint cardinals who supported the pope were dumbfounded. 'Excommunication' had failed! Ivan was close to the level of demigods!
Could it be …
They didn't dare to think about it, nor were they willing to think about it!
"Your power comes from the devils. Only the devils' power is not affected by 'Excommunication'!" Pope Gregory said calmly and solemnly. Then, he raised his right hand and raised the platinum staff.
Everybody was alarmed. "God's Arrival"?
At this moment, the sun gradually set, and a Silver Moon seemed to be rising in the sky!
Gregory hesitated for a moment and performed "Light of Judgment".
Ivan did not intend to fight the pope when he was surrounded by so many saints and saint cardinals. The wings on his back that were made of godhood flapped abruptly, and the light flowed, shaking the space and time, nullifying 'Light of Judgment'. The other saints and saint cardinals activated a one-time legendary item that they had prepared in advance and disappeared at the same time.
Only a face-to-face reprimand could break the pope's prestige that had been established for years and lay a good foundation for their future development. They had to take the risk!
Gregory did not expect that they would run away after they finished talking. Slightly late, he ordered with an awful expression, "Ivan, Felix … have been corrupted by devils and betrayed the Lord. The rest of the Grand Cardinals, except for those who are guarding the places, will follow me to the north to purge them!"
In the Cathedral of Seraphs in Orenburg, the capital of the Schachran Empire …
Teams of emotionless Knight rushed into the church. Led by part of the clerics, they arrested the so-called "heretics" according to the list in their hands.
After Ivan, Felix, and the rest of them appeared in the cathedral through the teleportation circle, they immediately changed the structure of the circle in case the pope came directly.
"Did everything go well?" Inside the cathedral, a man wearing a crown asked solemnly. He was as strong as a bear and had a funny nose.
"Your Majesty, everything went well." Felix replied on behalf of Ivan.
The man was exactly Rostov II, the current emperor of the Schachran Empire and a level-three epic Knight.
With a smile on his face, he saluted Ivan respectfully as a Knight. "Saint Ivan, please be crowned as the pope!"
"Saint Ivan, please be crowned as the pope!" Felix and the rest of them also saluted.
Ivan's face remained unchanged. He raised his right hand and said solemnly,
"I will lead the devout believers to eliminate the heretics and restore the glory of the Lord!"
In Year 425 of the Saint Calendar, the Grand Cardinals including Ivan rebelled in the Highest Conference, and the Church was divided.
… …
Inside the Dark Mountain Range, a night watcher in a cloak checked the time. After confirming that the Highest Conference was almost over, he strode to the headquarters of the Dark Congress that had just been established.
"I am an emissary of the New Saint Truth. I would like to meet Danisos and Dracula."
… …
When the Highest Conference was held, Douglas had a hunch and invited 'House of Sorcerers', 'Supreme Soul', 'Cabin of Palmeira', 'Will of Elements', 'Shadow Singers', and other forces.
Outside of the magic tower, the sorcerers below the level of archmages were exchanging knowledge and items. Inside the magic tower, Douglas, Atlant, the Lord of Frost, Congus, Amanata, and the other legendary sorcerers were discussing the situation together with the archmages such as Fernando, Hathaway, and Vicente.
At this moment, Douglas's face slightly changed. A demiplane that looked like a real world appeared behind him and shivered slightly.
"According to the intelligence from hell, Saint Ivan accused the pope of being the incarnation of devils in the Highest Conference and divided the Church with that as an excuse to establish a new Saint Truth in the Schachran Empire. He has the support of Felix, Aleksey, Uriel, and the seven saint cardinals. He has the support of the Grand Cardinals in the parishes in the north. He has the support of all the epic Knight in the northern countries." Douglas soon calmed himself down and told everybody the news solemnly.
"What?" The news was so shocking that many sorcerers took out their crystal balls and performed "Astrology" to confirm it.
Because nobody kept it a secret, they got the result smoothly. They all looked at Douglas in excitement.
Douglas stood up. "Hathaway will contact His Majesty Hoffenberg and ask them to fulfill their promise. We will stand out openly according to our agreement and let them know that they are not supporting a rat who only dares to lurk in the darkness."
"Calola, you will be in charge of the north coastline. You do not want to destroy the cathedral in this parish. You only want to stand firm. We are not strong enough after all, and the nobles will not watch us banish the Church completely." Douglas looked at the Lord of Frost.
"Alright." The Lord of Frost was not dissatisfied with Douglas's command at all. He was deeply impressed by the guy's strength, his talents, and his achievements in arcana.
"We will be in charge of the Kingdom of Colette." Congus volunteered.
The Eye of Curse was unwilling to be left behind. "Erica and I will go to the Duchy of Calais."
"I'm going to Cocus." Vicente opened his mouth indifferently.
Douglas had heard about him before. So, he nodded. "Then you and Erica will switch places."
Then, he looked at Amanata, the Master of Shadows. "Please go to the Kingdom of Brianne."
Amanata nodded as a sign of acceptance.
"The Congress will take care of the Kingdom of Holm." Douglas tightened his collar. "Now, we have to mobilize everybody."
Clang!
The pleasant sound of a bell came out of the magic tower, gathering all the sorcerers nearby. Then, they saw that the excellencies walked out surrounded by the archmages.
Standing on the stairs, Douglas first described the intelligence that he had just obtained. The magic casters below were surprised, excited, and in disbelief.
"This is our opportunity. We have to seize it. After the Church stabilizes the situation, chances are that we won't have such a great opportunity again." Douglas said sincerely without any encouragement. "This time, even if we succeed, it doesn't mean that we will immediately be comforted and live a life free of danger."
"On the contrary, in order to win the support of the nobles, we have to stand out and fight the Church openly. Therefore, our success this time is only the first step for the sorcerers to rebuild their glory. Every step that follows will be accompanied by great dangers, even greater dangers than right now. Many of you may not see the arrival of real glory and peace."
All the sorcerers on the spot were caught in speechless silence.
Douglas went on. "However, if we don't stand out, we will only be paralyzed by the temporary peace in the darkness and swallowed by the darkness bit by bit. Our children, our students, and our descendants will never be able to live freely and peacefully and learn arcana and magic without external pressure."
The sorcerers felt the same. Many of them had never experienced the glory of the Magic Empire. Since they were born, they had been living in hiding like rats in the sewers. They didn't want their children, their descendants, to experience such a life again.
Douglas took a deep breath and waved his arms.
"The path to brightness is destined to be paved with our bones and flesh, but we have no other choice!
"Although we live in darkness, we must not forget to pursue the light!"
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