[Vol. 8] Chapter 69: Primordial Light
“Everyone! The trial is about to begin! The time of Divine Descent has come! Please offer your faith to the gods, and may the Primordial Light shine forever!”
“Holy war! Holy war!”
“The time of Divine Descent has come!”
“Our Goddess! Please answer your followers and save this world!”
A wave of excitement swept through the massive, crowded Holy Capital. Countless believers shouted with passion. Under the glow of the holy light, many of them dropped to their knees without hesitation, praying with all their hearts.
Their pure devotion poured from all directions into the pillar of light, making it shine even brighter and more sacred, as if some great miracle was about to happen.
Until, suddenly…
The sky fell into darkness.
The bright, warm sun hanging high above suddenly dimmed, without any warning, as if day and night had switched in an instant.
But this was no normal nightfall.
Even though the sun lost its light, the moon and stars, which should have taken over, did not appear. Everywhere you looked, it was completely dark. Even the torches, magical lamps, and the summoning light created by the three saintesses and the Divine Knight all stopped glowing at the same time.
In that moment, all light in the world vanished.
And at that moment, no one yet knew that this strange, lightless event was not just happening in the Holy Capital. It was also happening in the Western Capital, in the five great nations, and across all parts of the world. The entire world was covered in unimaginable darkness.
There was a brief panic among the people in the Grand Church Square. But the clever ones quickly made a connection, they remembered a similar moment over a year ago, when for a short time, there was no light anywhere. They also thought of a prophecy written in the Holy Book of Revelation, which talks about the nameless Goddess of the Primordial Light.
[When the Goddess faces powerful enemies across many worlds, and victory is not easy,
She will raise Her hand, gather all light under heaven into one sacred blade, and all worlds shall fall into darkness for three breaths, and all will be in awe.]
This prophecy speaks of the Goddess’s absolute control over light. Just like how the highest-level priests glow brightly when using powerful holy magic, their bodies shining so strongly that nearby lights seem dim in comparison.
According to the Church’s theory of energy, the total amount of light in the world, though vast, is still limited. So if someone draws a large amount of light into one place, the weaker sources around will dim.
And if someone could gather all the light in the world at once, then the rest of the world would naturally fall into complete darkness.
Because in that moment, all light had gathered in one place.
And the only being who could do that, who could make all sources of light respond just by arriving, must be…
“That is…”
“How holy! How great! Ah… ahhh…”
“Praise… the Goddess.”
Whether or not they realized who it was… whether they were shocked, confused, excited, or scared…
At that moment, millions of people across the Holy Capital and even farther away, countless pairs of eyes, all saw it.
The only one who brought light and hope into this darkened world, as if recreating the beginning of all things.
A god had come, from the far end of the heavens.
As the god arrived, shining light followed them like a shadow.
Golden rainbows spread out in waves like the ocean, bursting forth again and again. A holy light that washed away the darkness, outshining the sun, moon, and stars, lighting up the dim world below.
“Ahhh!”
A huge, glowing bird circled around them and cried loudly. Its snowy-white wings dropped shining feathers across the sky, turning into bright light like a second sun. The darkness that had covered the world vanished almost instantly.
But even this blinding light, like the sun itself, was just a small part of the glory. Compared to the one who had truly appeared, it was only a background light.
This god’s glow was not harsh on the eyes. Yet it felt like the very center of all the world’s light.
Pure. Noble. Holy. Vast.
Even though the light from the bird could brighten the whole world, it could only fly in circles around this figure, as if it were a loyal creature drawn to its creator.
The bird circled around the holy figure three full times before it let out a long cry and flew high into the sky, disappearing into the blue above. Only then did the sun, hidden until now, slowly begin to show itself again.
With the strange sights fading, only one figure remained, floating high in the sky and glowing with a holy light. To the human eye, you could only just make out the blurry but beautiful shape of a figure, and six wide, snow-white wings spreading outward, much larger and more majestic than the body, yet perfectly balanced and beautiful.
After witnessing such a god-like and unimaginable scene, how could anyone still not understand who this was?
These people, from many different races and countries, with different histories and backgrounds, all shared one common, unshakable belief.
And they all fell to their knees, like waves crashing in unison, shouting with passion.
“We greet the Goddess! We greet the Goddess! We greet the Goddess!!! May the Primordial Light shine on the world forever!!!”
“Hummmm! Hummmm! Hummmm!”
The three holy artifacts began to shine brighter than ever under the holy light.
The Divine Knight, Edwina Cecilia, the Three Saintesses, all the holy knights, clerics, and followers, they all dropped to one knee without hesitation, honoring her with deep respect.
Surrounded by endless shining clouds, she slowly descended from the sky, floating just in front of the giant statue of the goddess, near its head, a hundred meters tall.
Never before had a god come so close to the people.
Two angels floated respectfully at her sides, heads bowed. And while countless believers stared with awe, excitement, wonder, and curiosity…
She made Her first move since arriving.
She waved Her hand.
Not just an ordinary wave.
When Her pale white hand, glowing like pure jade, reached out and waved toward the crowds of people below, countless sparkling points of light floated from her palm and drifted downward.
The glowing particles quietly entered the bodies of the believers, who gasped in shock and confusion.
“Praise the Goddess! What is this?!”
“It’s a blessing! A gift from the Goddess!”
“I… I think I can see the light element particles in the air now? That’s something only red-robed archbishops can do after reaching the fifth level and being blessed by the High Priestess… and she just gave it to us with a simple wave…”
“But… didn’t the Book of Revelation say…”
As the crowd stirred, voices full of joy, wonder, and a few doubts...
She finally spoke for the first time.