Chapter 212: The Miracle Bestowed by the Emperor
The cold wind was biting. Whispers spread through the crowd, most of them filled with hesitation and disbelief.
A middle-aged Sokovian in a worn thick coat tightened his grip on his daughter's icy hand. His own hands were covered in chilblains. He raised his head toward the platform and shouted in a hoarse, probing voice, "Is what you said true?"
"No one defies the Emperor's will," Karla said without hesitation.
She raised her hand slightly, and several special metal devices around her feet suddenly emitted a dazzling light. A huge holographic projection appeared above the square, large enough for every Sokovian around it to see.
Displayed across it were Sokovian words.
The words listed the simplest and clearest policies.
Food, clean water, winter heating fuel, clothing—every item was written plainly and clearly.
As everyone looked at them, many people's eyes immediately grew wet. Yet there were still many who remained doubtful, feeling this might only be another political show.
Karla naturally knew that.
So what came next was the key.
While completely stabilizing the hearts of Sokovia's people, it would also announce the arrival of the Emperor to the world.
Boom!
In an instant, the heavy thunder of power armor striking the ground rang out. The Sokovian people in the square had no idea what was happening. Confused and afraid, they looked around.
Then, to their astonishment, they saw rows upon rows of tall warriors in deep-blue power armor, each nearly two meters high, marching in perfect formation from every direction around the square.
Gilded emblems adorned their dark armor. Their steel bodies stood solemn as mountains, their plating shining with a cold, hard gleam. They were weapons forged for war, and also the tangible embodiment of faith.
They surrounded the square.
Besides them, there were also the tall female soldiers dressed in red windbreakers. They were graceful and beautiful, yet carried a will no weaker than the Astartes.
There were soldiers clad in fitted black armor decorated with gilded patterns, draped in black hooded robes, their coats swaying in the wind and snow.
Solemn, dignified, and arranged in perfect order.
Their weight, majesty, and sanctity gave people an indescribable sense of safety.
Bang!
Under the bewildered gazes of the Sokovians, the Astartes, Raven, Grey Knights, and even the ordinary soldiers maintaining order all dropped to one knee in an instant, their faces filled with fervor.
Even Karla, standing on the platform, did the same.
What the people did not notice was that from every direction around the square, and even from several angles high in the sky, specially made aerial drones were faithfully recording this scene.
Without a doubt, at this very moment, this image was being shown across all of Sokovia.
On televisions everywhere, what played was the central square of the capital.
Then the heavy voices of the Astartes, the clear voices of the Raven soldiers, and the ethereal prayers of the Grey Knights rose as one, rolling across the battlefield like thunder.
"Holy Emperor above, may You send down Your mercy. May sacred light fall upon the mortal world, cleansing suffering and soothing wounds."
"With our loyalty as the guide, and our faith as the oath, we bear witness to the sacred light."
"May it bless all people, and may glory shine upon the earth."
"We are no longer mortals searching blindly. We are apostles chosen by divine grace."
"Fear has long since dissolved within Your radiance."
"Doubt has long been crushed beneath burning loyalty."
"We shall raise our weapons high, trample the nests of heretics, sever the claws of alien breeds, and let the Emperor's mighty name resound through every corner."
"If we fight, then we shall shed every drop of blood for the holy path. If we die, then let our souls return to the sacred soil of Terra."
"The body may decay, but the oath shall never be broken. Ages may pass, but loyalty shall never waver."
"For Terra! For the Emperor!"
The collective prayer was solemn and majestic, loyal and resounding.
In that instant, the wind and snow across the sky came to an abrupt stop, as if a god had frozen time at this very moment.
Then, brilliant golden light gathered above the heavens and transformed into an endless sea.
The snowstorm was driven away. The heavy gray clouds vanished, and sunlight spilled down.
All the Sokovians stared blankly up at the sky.
High above, bathed in golden radiance, a tiny figure stood in the air. He should have been too far away to see clearly, yet for some reason, they saw him.
They saw the grandeur of that figure. They saw that blurred yet dignified face.
They saw the gentleness and mercy in his eyes.
His appearance made the prayers rise even higher.
Then he gently spread his arms.
From the golden, rippling sky, countless golden dandelions descended, drifting down in a radiant shower over everyone in the central square.
No—not only the square.
The entire city.
And not only Novi Grad, but also Sokovia's other three cities—Velica, Zagora, and Morava—as well as the surrounding towns and villages where people lived scattered across the land.
Golden dandelions fell from the sky everywhere.
The people stared upward in a daze. Many instinctively raised trembling hands and caught the golden dandelions drifting before them.
The moment they touched their palms, the golden dandelions melted into their skin like snow.
A warmth they had never felt before—gentle and soft—flowed through their bodies and into the depths of their hearts.
It drove away the biting cold. It drove away the pain left by years of labor. It drove away sickness. It drove away hunger.
They lowered their heads and looked at themselves, only to discover a faint golden glow emerging from within their bodies and enveloping them.
The feeling of health and renewed vitality was indescribably wonderful.
The Sokovians stood frozen in place, their eyes gradually growing wet.
Only then did they realize what had happened.
They had witnessed a miracle.
They had witnessed the Emperor they had never seen before heal their bodies with his boundless mercy and power.
And at the same time, he healed their hearts.
He soothed the unease, confusion, pain, and vigilance within them.
Not only here, but in every corner of the city, and across Sokovia's other three cities, sacred golden dandelions scattered among the people. Wherever they touched, unease turned into cheers, and confusion became devotion.
Everyone followed their instincts and, like the soldiers, dropped to their knees.
They looked up at the Emperor standing in the sky with reverence and fervor, crying out from the depths of their hearts.
"Thank you for bestowing a miracle and protecting this long-suffering land, great Emperor!"
"A miracle has descended! Great Emperor, your light has healed the wounds upon us!"
"A miracle! It's a miracle!"
"It's God! God has descended! Sokovia is saved! My illness is cured, it's cured!"
"Thank you! Thank you! My daughter is all right now! Haha, she's all right!"
It was a carnival of faith.
The jubilant cheers soon drowned out even the prayers of the Astartes, the Raven soldiers, and the Grey Knights, for these cries came straight from the people's hearts. This was the moment they had longed for—the moment countless people had dreamed of through endless days and nights.
And now, it had finally arrived.
Joy gave way to fervor.
In that instant, the anxious people of Sokovia found faith, devotion, and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor they had never seen or even heard of before.
...
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