Chapter 68: The Church
Sky City, Imperial Region, Elpham Country, Asterion.
The Sky City was located hundreds of feet in the air, a massive floating metropolis piercing through the clouds under its own independent domain. It fell under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Region, the absolute center of the world where the most powerful beings resided.
In the very center of the city stood a massive, luxurious church made of pristine white porcelain and marble, decorated with beautiful, intricate designs.
The church’s territory was nearly as large as the Asterion Academy itself. It contained various different buildings nearby, serving as the living quarters for the high priests and paladins.
A man in grand robes walked hurriedly through the outer section of the church, rushing past the massive entrance gates.
"Get out of my way..."
"Your Highness..."
The man ignored the greetings of the lower priests and continued walking rapidly. He kept his brisk pace until he reached the heavy, ornate doors of the inner sanctuary, where he finally stalled his speed and stopped.
He took a deep breath, composed himself, and stepped forward. The guards stationed at the door bowed in deep respect as he passed.
"It is an honor to greet you, Bishop Evander."
He nodded silently, his hurried footsteps falling softly as he entered the sanctuary.
Inside, the church was even more luxurious and breathtaking. The rich smell of burning incense and a profound sense of calmness filled the massive hall. The silent, comfortable atmosphere slowly helped calm Evander’s violently beating heart.
He walked down the center aisle, passing through long rows of wooden benches until he reached the grand altar.
The altar was dedicated to none other than the God of Judgment—a deity who, according to ancient history, had once ruled and protected the world from catastrophic disasters similar to the Ascension Realm.
People flocked here to pray to the god, hoping to lessen their grief. Some lucky few even prayed in hopes of receiving a direct blessing from the god themselves, though that only happened in one out of a million cases.
Today, the church was restricted from public entry. For common citizens and even most Awakeners, entry into the inner church was only available three days a week. Today, the doors were firmly closed to outsiders.
However, that didn’t mean the church’s operations stopped. The devoted priests believed the god resided within these very walls, so they prayed fervently every single day, desperate for the god to bless them. It sounded like the behavior of absolute fanatics, but the results were what truly mattered. There were historically documented cases where someone who truly prayed from the bottom of their heart received a divine blessing. Everyone clung to the ’hope’ that they might be the next chosen one.
As Evander stepped toward the altar, he suddenly halted in his tracks.
A man was kneeling on the floor, deep in concentration as he prayed to the god.
Evander waited silently, folding his hands respectfully behind his back.
Fifteen minutes passed in absolute silence as the man continued to pray. Finally, the man in deep concentration opened his eyes. He bowed to the god one last time and stood up. Without even looking back at Evander, he picked up a silver cross locket from a pedestal and wore it around his neck.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Bishop Evander? Is it something important?"
the man spoke, his voice was soft carrying a hint of elegance.
Evander immediately knelt on the ground. He took the man’s hand, kissed the ring on his finger lightly, and backed away respectfully.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace. Archbishop Lazarus."
Evander kept his head bowed.
"Yes... I wanted to talk to you about something important. It is extremely urgent."
"Mhmm... That is highly unusual coming from you. I didn’t expect you to suddenly get so worked up. Come with me..."
Lazarus walked past the altar and pushed his hand against the wall behind it. A hidden mechanism clicked, and a secret door opened seamlessly. Lazarus stepped inside, and Evander quickly followed behind him.
Inside was a giant, dimly lit hall. At the far opposite end sat a lavish throne. In the middle of the room rested a massive, long table surrounded by chairs, with a grand head seat positioned at the very end.
Archbishop Lazarus stepped forward and sat gracefully in the head seat. He propped one elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand, and casually plucked a grape from a silver fruit basket.
"So, are you going to sit? Or do I have to personally force you into a chair?" Lazarus asked calmly.
His tone had changed completely. The soft voice from the altar hall had vanished, replaced by an aura of cold, calculating authority.
Evander didn’t hesitate for a single second. He quickly pulled out a chair and sat down.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Lazarus asked, chewing the grape.
"Give me a good reason for interrupting my prayers, or you might find yourself sacrificed for the ’greatness of the people’."
Evander swallowed hard at the sudden shift in the Archbishop’s personality. Even though he had served in the high church for years, he still hadn’t gotten used to Lazarus’s terrifying dual nature.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Evander stammered.
"I have extremely important news that you definitely need to hear."
"Then tell me. What is it?"
Evander straightened his back and spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Your Majesty... I—I saw the artifact. The Divine Orb... it shone again."
Lazarus’s bored expression instantly vanished. He narrowed his cold eyes.
The ’Divine Orb’ Evander was referring to was a legendary artifact used exclusively for detecting strong divine presences across the world. It was a Divine Grade artifact forged by the lost Angel Race. It was so sensitive that it could detect even the slightest emergence of someone who had gained the power of Divinity in any form.
"Are you absolutely sure about this news?" Lazarus demanded quietly.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I checked it thousands of times to be sure... The result was exactly the same."
Lazarus looked away, staring at a translucent glass of water on the table that reflected his sharp features.
"So it seems... a new person has entered the stage again. It seems that person must have obtained ’that’ specific thing to gain the qualifications..."
A small, chilling smile spread across his lips, completely contrasting the coldness in his eyes as he stared at his own reflection.
"It seems the world is going to get much more interesting."
He slowly turned his eyes to look at Evander, who shuddered violently under the Archbishop’s intense gaze.
"Bring me that person, Evander."
Evander bowed deeply in his chair and nodded.
"I will surely bring that person to you, Your Grace."
"Hah! It seems the world is about to change, Evander," Lazarus chuckled darkly, popping another grape into his mouth.
"Prepare yourself. A new ’Apostle’ has emerged in the world...."
