Knight: from Apprentice to the Almighty

Chapter 339: Chapter 326: Lodestar

High Priest Bordo’s voice briefly pulled Roland’s attention away from Gloria as he quickly explained in a low whisper.

"The Radiant Blessing is no simple ritual, Lord Roland. It is a sacred process of guiding the scattered fragments of our Lord Lodestar’s radiance, gathering and purifying them, and finally inscribing them deep within the soul of a compatible individual."

"The Holy Mark doesn’t bestow Power. Rather, it awakens the potential that already exists within the body—a potential that resonates with the radiance. Of course... this process is accompanied by tremendous risk and pain."

He gestured for Roland to take a seat on the side of the viewing platform. Then, he walked briskly toward the central platform to join the seven High Tier Priests and began to preside over the ceremony in a booming, ancient tongue.

The ritual began.

The low, solemn chanting suddenly rose in pitch, its resonance with the crystals in the dome growing ever stronger.

The golden ribbons of light flowing through the space seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. Like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea, they began to converge on Gloria at the center of the platform.

The light enveloped her completely, forming a dazzling cocoon. It was impossible to see her condition, but one could faintly sense the immense Energy contained within, as well as...

a subtle, suppressed tremor.

The artifacts held by the seven believers in dazzling gold robes, along with Bordo, burst forth with blinding light. They acted as eight anchor points, stabilizing and guiding the vast torrent of luminous Energy.

Roland watched this sacred and bizarre scene with rapt attention.

Before he knew it, his consciousness seemed to be immersed in, and assimilated by, the vast radiance and ancient chanting.

At first, he didn’t notice anything amiss, like warm water gently washing over his ankles.

But by the time he snapped to his senses, the chanting of the Priests, the glorious dome, and even the massive cocoon of light...

all of it had vanished.

His consciousness felt as if it had been stripped away and cast into an absolute Void.

Here, there was no up or down, left or right, no passage of time. There was only the purest light and the deepest Darkness, frantically intertwining, colliding, and annihilating one another.

It wasn’t a visual spectacle, but a fierce, heart-stopping struggle on a more fundamental level—silent, yet it shook the very soul.

After what felt like an eternity, the invisible war seemed to have been decided.

The light finally dispelled the Darkness and gained dominance.

Immediately after, a blanket of incandescent white light—so pure it was almost blinding—enveloped everything...

When Roland could see again, he found himself standing in a completely unfamiliar land.

The ground beneath his feet was a warm, lustrous white stone, smooth as a mirror. It stretched to the horizon, where it met a sky of equal Purity that radiated a soft halo.

In the distance, he could faintly make out the silhouettes of countless majestic palaces. They seemed constructed from solidified light, exuding an air of solemnity and sanctity.

The air was filled with an indescribable sense of tranquility and Power.

And not far in front of him, a figure now stood. When it had appeared, he couldn’t say.

The figure was tall and imposing, shrouded in a faint, gentle halo like the morning dawn. The light, though soft, was impossible to ignore and obscured the figure’s features, leaving only a sense of indescribable majesty and ancient presence.

He stood there silently, as if he had existed since the dawn of time.

Roland’s heart leaped in his chest.

An indescribable sense of familiarity struck him.

The figure’s silhouette, its posture holding some kind of long-handled weapon, the warmth and Hope it radiated, which felt as if it could dispel all gloom and despair...

He suddenly recalled something.

In the center of the Land of the Sun Crown, the towering Giant Stone statue.

Though the face was indistinct, its overall divine bearing and symbolic posture were strikingly similar to the Lodestar’s Holy Statue he had seen.

A guess, at once absurd and yet the only logical conclusion, exploded in his mind like a thunderclap, causing him to almost stop breathing.

’This being before me...’

’Could it be...’

"An interesting little one..."

The deep, magnetic voice seemed to resound directly in his mind, laced with a hint of curiosity and amusement.

Before the words had even faded, the figure shrouded in the dawn-like halo slowly turned around.

He wore a robe that seemed woven from flowing gold light. His form was tall and perfect, possessing the solid build of a Warrior and the serene composure of a philosopher.

His hair, like solidified, brilliant sunlight, was strewn casually over his shoulders.

But most striking of all was the aura he exuded.

It was a fusion of supreme majesty, endless warmth, and infinite Hope, as if he were the dawn itself, capable of dispelling all Darkness and cold from the world.

"Such pure and ardent Fire Element Affinity... truly rare. Hmm? And yet, it’s cleverly balanced with a sliver of Shadow’s coolness? As well as... such gentle, heart-soothing Moonlight Power?"

The voice continued its assessment, the admiration in its tone growing more apparent.

"Heh... and deep within your bloodline slumbers the Power of an ancient Giant Dragon? What a fascinating combination."

As he spoke, the figure clapped his hands softly and strode slowly toward Roland.

As he drew closer, the hazy halo receded slightly, allowing Roland to finally see his face.

It was a handsomeness no mortal could possess; every feature seemed meticulously sculpted from light, exuding a Divine Attribute of perfection.

This was especially true of his eyes, which seemed to hold both the infinite vitality of the rising sun and the profound wisdom of one who has seen through eons.

"However..."

A perfectly measured hint of confusion appeared on his flawless face.

"Though you have a rudimentary grasp of how to guide Positive Energy, your heart... seems to hold no truly firm faith in me, or in the light."

"So, how is it that you were able to capture that wisp of divine essence—so faint as to be almost imperceptible—and use it to connect with me and arrive here?"

Before Roland could respond, the figure seemed to perceive something and answered his own question, his tone shifting to one of understanding.

"Oh... so that’s it. You recently came into contact with a believer of extreme piety, one whose soul shines with Purity, and you... interacted with him? This unique aura..."

He nodded slightly, as if confirming a name.

"It was that sly fellow Holland, wasn’t it?"

"Holland?"

Upon hearing the somewhat familiar name, Roland thought for a moment, and the image of the living corpse he had encountered in the Land of Mist surfaced in his mind.

But he dismissed the thought in an instant.

And now, the astonishing suspicion in his heart was all but confirmed.

He suppressed his shock, placed his right hand over his chest in an ancient rite, and bowed his head deeply to the being before him, speaking with reverence.

"Greetings to you, great Lord of Billions of Radiance, Dawn Messenger, Lodestar."

"No need to be so formal, polite little one."

Lodestar waved his hand gently, the motion carrying an ancient, easy grace that seemed to effortlessly melt away the awe and distance in a mortal’s heart.

He then closed his eyes, which held both dawn and wisdom, as if dredging a distant memory from the river of time. His voice took on a hint of remote nostalgia.

"The rite of the Radiant Blessing... It has been a long time. The resonance of Purity’s radiance flowing deep into a soul... I can feel it faintly, even here..."

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon Roland with a tangible weight.

He carefully appraised Roland’s resolute, handsome face and his tall, powerful physique, which contained astonishing Power.

His gaze held unconcealed admiration, as if he were inspecting a creation that perfectly matched his own design.

He nodded in satisfaction, his approval as warm as a sunbeam.

"So..."

The Lord of Billions of Radiance spoke, his tone gentle yet carrying a natural, probing quality unique to the Gods.

"Are you the Holy Son my followers have so carefully chosen and championed, the one who is to receive this Blessing?"