[Vol. 8] Chapter 68: The Ceremony of the Chosen Trial
“Rumble... rumble...”
At the moment when the first rays of sunlight touched the grand golden gate, the doors of the Church slowly opened. Under the hopeful and excited gaze of countless believers, two young girls with white angel wings on their backs stepped out first, one on each side. Their faces were calm, and they stood silently with their hands folded.
Then, Pope Edwina Cecilia, dressed in shining white holy knight armor, stepped onto the spotless tiles of the Grand Church. With the angels and countless followers watching, she held her head high and walked out with strength and pride.
Normally, as the Pope, she should have worn her ceremonial robe and held the staff of authority to lead the ritual. But Edwina herself said that more than being a Pope, she was the Goddess’s messenger, a holy knight who protects the goddess. She insisted on wearing the same armor she used in her early training missions, something more fit for the battlefield than a ceremony, to welcome the arrival of the Goddess.
For the Pope to break tradition during the divine arrival ceremony was a bold and rule-breaking act!
Even with Edwina’s high status in the Holy Empire and the Goddess Church, many senior members were unhappy with her decision. But at this very moment, when that strong and noble holy knight stood on the stage, all those who once shouted “Disrespect!” fell silent at the same time.
The morning sunlight gently broke through the mist, like the soft touch of the Goddess herself. A light breeze lifted the girl’s crystal-clear golden hair. Her pure white armor, perfectly fitted to her body, showed her elegant and powerful form. A soft, glowing light seemed to naturally shine from her, making her the center of everyone’s attention.
She was holy, noble, fearless, and brave.
She was the sword of the Goddess, the one true representative of the goddess, the strongest holy knight.
Yes, although the Pope's title had passed through 14 generations since the founding of the Goddess Church, only Edwina Cecilia had ever been called both the Goddess's Messenger and the Divine Knight. Between those two titles, it’s not hard to tell which one means more and deserves to come first.
“Clack, clack, clack...”
Her steel-white boots stepped firmly across the floor. The Miss Holy Knight walked steadily out of the Grand Church.
The two angelic girls followed calmly behind her. After them came three saintesses carrying sacred relics with serious expressions, and behind them was a ceremonial group of 100 carefully chosen holy knights and priests, all selected personally by the Pope.
Under the burning gazes of the people, they marched forward to the front of the Holy Court, stopping at last beneath the 100-meter-tall statue of the Goddess in the center of the square.
This statue of the nameless, supreme Goddess was built over 300 years ago after the third demon war, when the Holy Church was newly formed. It was created to show gratitude to the Goddess for guiding them through that terrible war and was built with great care and cost by the Church and the Three Saintesses.
For many years, the statue was placed inside the Grand Church's main hall. But after Edwina became Pope, she said, “The blessings of the Goddess are for all living beings. She is the first light that shines upon the world. Her statue should not be hidden away in a closed hall.”
So, she had the priceless statue moved to the public square where people always came and went. It was now guarded day and night by the Church’s strongest holy knights, and open to all followers who wanted to pray to the Goddess, completely free.
And now, this statue, carrying over 300 years of history and countless prayers, beautiful and well-kept through years of careful repair, would become the place where the true Goddess would appear.
“Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!...”
The sound of bells rang out from the tallest lighthouse in the city and echoed throughout the Holy Capital. This was the true signal that the Divine Descent Ceremony was about to begin. All the believers slowly held their breath, eyes wide open, not daring to blink as they stared at the young Divine Knight, who had become the center of attention. She walked to the base of the goddess statue, side by side with the three Saintesses, Bright Light, Judgment, and Redemption.
“Whoosh~”
The two angels spread their wings and flew high into the sky. Their white feathers fluttered down gently like shining light. The Holy Knight drew a beautiful sword from her waist, not the [Judgment Holy Sword], but a special sword that symbolized her identity as the Divine Knight, and pointed it high into the air.
In the next moment, her bright and clear voice, filled with strength, echoed through the entire Holy Capital.
“Fellow believers, citizens of our land, and all followers of the Goddess! I am Edwina Cecilia. Many of you here today may have heard of this name, and some may even know my long list of titles, but none of that matters. Today, I have only one identity, I am a follower of the Goddess. Nothing more.”
“I believe most of you have already heard, in one way or another, that our world has become more and more chaotic. Natural disasters, wars between people, countless misfortunes have struck our lands one after another. In just a few short years, we’ve witnessed the Abyss Disaster in the Far South, the Fourth Demon War, and many more major events that shook the world.”
“And now, an evil god from ancient times has appeared in the buffer zone between our nation and the Austre Empire. That evil power has tricked and pressured the wild tribes living there into starting a war. Meanwhile, the Austre Empire has falsely blamed us, secretly stirring conflict. Using the excuse of ‘fighting back,’ they’ve sent their armies forward and already conquered several nations. They are now close to our borders, and war could start at any moment!”
“We all have our own judgment of what’s right and wrong. I, Edwina, won’t waste time arguing about it here. But let me ask you, the Austre Empire claims that we work with an evil god. Do you accept that? Do you accept what they’re saying about us?”
“NO!!! NO!!! NO!!!!!!!!!”
The response was like a mountain crashing and a sea roaring, a thunderous shout that echoed across the sky above the Holy Capital.
Millions of believers roared in anger. The force of it shook the heavens. Even the outsiders, those who were not followers of the Goddess but had come for curiosity or personal reasons, were stunned by the overwhelming energy and dared not say a word.
To the followers of the Goddess, nothing is more important than their faith. In the Goddess Church, the level of devotion can even affect one’s rank and position. To say that they work with an evil god is almost the same as accusing them of betraying their faith, it’s an unforgivable insult.
The fury this causes is hard to imagine.
Using the corner of her eye, Edwina secretly looked at one of the three saintesses standing near her, her sister, the Judgment Saintess, Frederica Cecilia. Seeing her give a small nod of approval, Edwina waited a moment for the crowd to calm down. She had just changed her speech based on new information and now shouted again, loud and solemn.
“That’s right! We absolutely cannot tolerate such a hateful lie! The Austre Empire has insulted the honor of our Goddess. They used this poor excuse to launch a planned war. Since they started it, we, the people of the divine, must strike back with all our strength!”
“Natural disasters continue, human troubles rise. This may be the greatest test in the history of our Holy Empire. But the Great Primordial Light has not abandoned us. Just as the prophecy said, today, the Goddess will come down to the world herself. We will hold the Trial of the Chosen Hero under her gaze and face the coming holy war and all the evil that lies ahead!”
Miss Holy Knight raised her sword high again. At the same time, the three saintesses lifted their sacred items, the [Judgment Holy Sword], the [Ring of Salvation], and the [Crownless Crown]. Each one burst out with powerful light.
The three beams of holy light came together, centered around Edwina, and shot up into the sky, forming a vast and brilliant pillar of light that pierced the heavens.