Chapter 192 : Chapter 192
Chapter 192. Divinity, the Holy Light Arrives
At that moment, inside the camp of the Dragon-Lion Legion, the Second Dragon-Lion Legion, which had just finished its slaughter, returned to its station and handed five Totem Pillars to the commander.
The commander held the five Totem Pillars, which were carved all over with twisted Runes, and quickly walked past the patrolling soldiers. He arrived before a room built from trees and went straight inside.
There were no lamps lit in the room. Only moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, outlining the silhouette of the elf Pandora.
She sat on a low couch covered with beast hides, her silver hair falling over her shoulders. A wisp of pale green light coiled around her fingertips. It was an extremely thin strand of Divine Power extracted from the Totem Pillars.
“Five.”
Pandora’s voice was like the wind in the forest, clear and cold, yet carrying a trace of chill that was not easily noticed.
“The Divine Power of small tribes is mixed and impure. It takes time to refine it, but… little by little, it adds up.”
She raised a hand and brushed it over one of the Totem Pillars. The Runes on the pillar suddenly lit up with a faint red glow, then quickly dimmed again.
“The Power of Faith from the Barbarian Tribes is the purest nourishment to begin with. What a pity that their stupidity wasted it.”
The commander nodded.
“The large tribes in the Central Region will not be easy to gnaw through. The Totem Pillars there contain Ancestral Spirit Power. They can only be brought back to the empire for refinement.”
“There is no time. The Blackgold Empire is already interfering.”
Pandora interrupted him. The green light at her fingertips suddenly tightened, and a crack on the Totem Pillar abruptly widened.
“Those bastards who play with Shadow Magic actually used ‘protection’ as a bargaining chip to make the Barbarian Royal Court lean toward them. Now, a Shadow Barrier has already been set up around the outskirts of the Central Region. As soon as anyone approaches, they will be discovered.”
“Right now, the Radiant Sun Empire is negotiating with the Eight Great Clans. Although they are not afraid, it is still very troublesome.”
The commander frowned.
“Should we ask Dragon Island to take action? They are famously hostile toward the Blackgold Empire.”
“No.”
Pandora shook her head. Moonlight fell across her face, making her skin look almost translucent.
“Dragon Island’s rule is that it does not interfere in disputes between human empires. Being able to mobilize the Dragon-Lion Legion is already the limit.”
She rose to her feet and walked to the window, gazing toward the distant Central Region, where faint black mist seemed to coil in the air.
“What the Blackgold Empire wants is the Heart of the Divine Remains guarded by the Barbarian Royal Court. What we want is Divinity.”
“The two are inherently in conflict. Only one side can obtain everything.”
“Since we cannot touch the Central Region for now, we will clean up the small tribes on the outskirts first.”
She turned around, and her gaze fell on the commander with unquestionable authority.
“Tell the Second Legion to set out in three days and sweep through the Frostsnow Tribe at the southern border. It is a medium-sized tribe, and its Totem Pillar contains a trace of Divinity. We must obtain it.”
“Yes.”
The commander bowed, then withdrew.
Silence returned to the room.
Pandora walked to the table and placed the five Totem Pillars side by side. The green light at her fingertips slowly seeped into the pillars.
Under the infusion of Divine Power, the rough wood actually began to glow with a jade-like luster.
“The Heart of the Divine Remains…”
She murmured to herself, greed flashing through her eyes.
“Even if the Blackgold Empire is protecting it, sooner or later, it will still be mine.”
“I will become a Demigod as well. I will prove to the Elf Queen Iluvia Lightcrown that I was not wrong. Mother was the one who was wrong.”
Outside the window, the wind lifted the corners of the tent, carrying the distant low roars of the Dragon-Lions.
Pandora closed her eyes and began silently refining the Divine Power within the Totem Pillars. Pale green light flowed through her palm like a poisonous flower blooming quietly in the darkness.
To her, the survival of the Barbarian Tribes was of no importance. The Blackgold Empire’s intervention was only a temporary obstacle.
What she wanted was power sufficient to let her break through her bottleneck. The Power of Faith and the Fragments of the Divine Remains on this land were the best nourishment.
As for the Dragon-Lion Knights and Barbarian warriors who died for this, they were merely necessary sacrifices in her plan.
At that moment, on the coastline, nine great ships lay upon the water like black leviathans. The waves shattered by their hulls carried the salty, fishy wind as they slapped against the beach.
As the heavy gangplanks fell, Knights of Light clad in silver-white Holy Light Armor filed out in orderly lines. The sound of their armor clashing echoed through the morning mist, and every step landed with a steady rhythm.
The banners of eight Holy Radiance Legions unfurled in the wind. The golden cross emblems were dazzling under the sunlight. The knights’ long spears pointed diagonally toward the ground, and the Holy Light gathered at their spear tips into a flowing river of light.
But the appearance of the final legion seemed to make even the air turn light.
Four-Winged Pegasi spread their snow-white wings and swept over the heads of the knights. The riders on their backs wore pale golden soft armor, their long hair bound beneath their helmets, revealing the gentle lines of their jaws.
They were all women. Their gazes were clear and resolute. Only the pure aura unique to virginal bodies could harmonize with the sacred spiritual resonance of the Four-Winged Pegasi.
The nine legions soon formed neat square formations on the beach. Nearly one hundred thousand soldiers stood like a surging sea of light.
The Bishop stood on high ground and struck his gilded Scepter heavily against the ground. The gemstone at the top of the staff erupted with brilliant light.
“In the name of the Lord.”
“In the name of the Lord,” one hundred thousand knights answered in unison. The sound surged into the clouds and startled the gulls above the sea into flight.
“Those lands polluted by shadow, and those souls deceived by heresy, are all lost lambs.”
The Bishop’s voice spread through the entire army by means of the Holy Light.
“Our mission is to use the Lord’s radiance to purify the shadows and redeem them from sin!”
“Purification! Redemption!”
The female knights of the Four-Winged Pegasus Legion lightly pressed their heels against their mounts’ sides. The pegasi released clear neighs, and the wind stirred by their wings swept up the knights’ cloaks, making them look like a host of angels descending into the mortal world.
The knights of the Holy Radiance Legions tightened their grips on their long spears. Holy Light flowed over their armor, casting their faces in solemn lines like carved statues.
“Set out!”
The Bishop lowered his Scepter, and the nine legions advanced slowly inland like streams of light that had been set ablaze.
The heavy infantry of the Holy Radiance Legions crushed the reefs beneath their feet. The hooves of the Knights of Light kicked up sand and dust, while the Four-Winged Pegasus Legion maintained low-altitude flight, guarding the flank like a white barrier.
Dense footprints were left across the beach, but they were soon smoothed away by the rising tide. Yet the lingering aura of the Holy Light in the air remained like an invisible declaration.
The iron hooves of the Holy Light Aresos Empire had already stepped onto this land they regarded as “heretical territory.” A war in the name of “redemption” had now begun.
In the depths of the distant forest, startled beasts scattered in every direction.
The Bishop gazed at the Totems of the Barbarian Tribes faintly visible ahead, and the corners of his mouth curved into a fanatical arc.
“The Lord will bear witness. Here, we shall establish an eternal kingdom of radiance.”