A little away from Rosario, on the outskirts.
A small cave situated atop a cliff overlooking the capital city.
That place was the secluded chamber where the current Pope resided.
The Pope, who hadn’t shown himself for years.
Surrounding him were the cardinals and Roman, who had been in the Chamber of the Holy Spirit just monts ago.
And they weren’t the only ones.
The Holy Knights led by the cardinals were present.
So were the Inquisitors.
Countless other clergy mbers had also gathered by the cliff.
There was only one reason why everyone had co here.
It was because of the door to the secluded chamber.
No, to be more precise, because of the symbol that had appeared on the door.
Everyone silently stared at the symbol.
Normally, the symbol should have been radiating a pure white divine light at all tis, and in fact, it had been when the cardinals first arrived.
Until the cardinals had used their divine power.
Everyone gazed at it with grave expressions.
The symbol was now oozing a bizarre, malicious energy, dripping dark mana onto the ground as if pulled from the depths of the abyss.
The mont divine power was used, the symbol had changed suddenly and violently, which led them to rush here with nearly all available forces.
Just the transformation of the symbol alone was enough to alert them to the seriousness of the situation.
“Then, since everyone seems to be here, I’ll begin opening it.”
Yutia, who had just been urgently summoned from Rosario, raised her hand toward the symbol dripping with thick darkness.
“I’ll help as well.”
Yuman also raised his hand beside her.
From their hands, divine power flowed forth.
“Ooh—”
As the clergy murmured in awe, the divine power swiftly enveloped the abyss-tainted symbol.
And then the symbol began to absorb the divine power at a frightening rate.
Drrrrrrrk!
With a hideous grinding sound, the symbol twisted.
It began to vanish slowly, bubbling like molten tal being scraped away.
And then—
Crack!
With a sound like sothing being shattered, the symbol was completely destroyed.
It scattered into the air and disappeared as if it had never existed.
“Everyone, prepare yourselves!”
A Holy Knight shouted loudly as he drew his sword.
The air was tense with suffocating silence.
But that silence didn’t last long.
The reason why—
“Well now, it’s been quite a while.”
From within the abyss-like cave, a man—no,
“Your Holiness, the Pope?”
It was Pope Villaniart who stepped out.
Perhaps due to years of seclusion, his face was gaunt and a long beard hung down to his navel.
But those present clearly recognized it.
The man before them was undoubtedly their Pope, Villaniart, who had vanished years ago.
“Y-Your Holiness! Are you alright?”
One of the cardinals approached to ask after his wellbeing.
Villaniart let out a hearty laugh, as if in good spirits for the first ti in a while.
“Of course I’m alright. I’ve gained a new enlightennt.”
“Th-That’s a relief.”
“Yes, it’s indeed fortunate.”
Despite his aged body, the Pope laughed heartily as if to show off his health, putting everyone at ease.
Unlike the ominous symbol that had been drenched in darkness.
The Pope looked perfectly fine.
However—
“......”
Among them, one person—Sergius—felt sothing was off about the Pope.
‘Sothing’s definitely strange…’
Most of those gathered here had never seen the Pope up close before.
So they didn’t sense anything unusual about him.
But Sergius was well aware of the Pope’s disposition.
Villaniart was a man who upheld rules and principles.
No matter how urgent a matter was.
Even if the symbol outside had turned murky and dark.
If his seclusion had been interrupted—
He would have first expressed his fury—that was the kind of Pope Villaniart was.
And yet this Pope—
He didn’t even verify the situation upon stepping outside, nor did he frown.
He didn’t question why so many soldiers were gathered?
Of course, it could be that he was simply too happy to be outside and decided to ask questions later.
But there was sothing else strange too.
‘......He should be seeing that cardinal for the first ti.’
Knowing Villaniart’s personality, if he saw soone he didn’t recognize wearing cardinal robes, he would’ve pointed it out imdiately.
And yet there was no reaction at all.
It was so strange that Sergius tilted his head in doubt.
“Everyone, may I have your attention for a mont?”
The Pope, Villaniart, spoke.
All eyes turned to him.
And then—
The Pope, now smiling as if pleased with the situation,
...?
slowly began to grow younger.
“Wh-What?”
Even as the clergy looked on in confusion, the Pope’s body continued to regain its youth.
His snow-white hair rapidly fell away, replaced by black strands.
The wrinkled skin beneath his fallen beard beca smoother and more vibrant.
His once thin fra now filled with firm muscles.
It was a transformation that couldn’t be achieved even with divine power—a true miracle.
Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Then, at the final mont—
Fwoosh—fwoooosh!
From the Pope’s back, brilliant white wings burst forth.
“W-What is...?”
Voices of awe mixed with confusion filled the air, giving rise to a strange reverence.
The wings that sprouted from the Pope’s back glead with dazzling purity.
As everyone stood frozen, staring at him—
“Well?”
The now youthful Pope spoke in a calm voice.
He turned around slowly, as if showing off his body, and then pointed at one priest.
“You there—what do you think?”
“Pardon...? What do you an—”
“I’m asking what thoughts ca to your mind when you saw .”
The priest, flustered, quickly opened his mouth to respond.
“I... I thought it was truly holy. Especially the wings on your back—”
“No, that’s not it.”
The Pope firmly shook his head.
As if that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear.
“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking what your personal thoughts were when you saw .”
“Uh, holy...?”
“No, I’m not looking for so dressed-up impression. I want to hear your unfiltered, honest reaction.”
Confused, the priest hesitated before answering.
“I... I thought to myself, ‘I wish I could be like that soday.’”
He murmured reluctantly.
And then—
“...?”
...?
Even though he had said it himself, the priest wore an expression of disbelief, as if he didn’t understand what had just co out of his mouth.
Because his usual self would never have said such a thing.
Unlike the priest, who was engulfed in confusion, the Pope, wearing a satisfied smile, continued asking questions.
“So, what else did you feel?”
“I felt envious.”
“Did you feel jealous?”
“Jealous? That’s not…”
“No, I’d like you to express your feelings honestly.”
“I asked because I wanted to hear your heartfelt truth.”
“Go ahead, speak.”
The Pope urged gently.
In the end, the priest confessed,
“...Yes, I did feel jealous.”
Once again, he uttered sothing he normally would never say.
And in response—
“Yes, I see.”
Behind the Pope, who now smiled brighter than even his pure white wings,
Squelch!
Another pair of wings sprouted.
“O… ohh…”
The clergy murmured in astonishnt.
But the Pope paid them no mind.
“Yes, thank you for your answer.”
“That was exactly what I wanted to hear.”
He gave the answering priest a pat on the shoulder, then raised his hand as he looked around at everyone.
“Is there anyone else willing to confess their emotions like this brave soul?”
There was no imdiate answer.
However—
“M- too—”
The silence did not last long.
“When I saw the Pope, I initially felt sothing holy… but at the sa ti, I was jealous.”
A Holy Knight confessed, as if in a confession booth.
With that as the start—
“M- too…”
“I felt the sa.”
“So did I—”
As if bewitched, those gathered began to reveal their feelings upon seeing the Pope.
The Pope had perford an unbelievable miracle before their eyes.
He had beco a young man from an old one, and angelic wings had sprouted from his back.
Yet even in the face of such an incomprehensible miracle, no one voiced suspicion.
Only a strange fervor of faith continued to rise.
“Good, very good!”
“Everyone, speak freely and bare your hearts.”
“That is the path to the next enlightennt~!”
Squelch! Squelch—!
Wings began to sprout continuously from the Pope’s back.
One pair.
Then another.
The steadily growing wings soon beca more than three pairs—then four.
From four to five pairs.
With wings like a great archangel, filled with holiness, the faces of everyone there began to shine with reverence.
Then—
Squelch!
More wings sprouted again.
From five to six pairs.
From six to seven.
From seven to eight.
Ten pairs.
Fifteen pairs—
“…!?”
“Wh-what—?!”
Twenty pairs.
Twenty-five pairs.
Wings multiplied aggressively, devouring the Pope’s body.
So much so that even his human form was no longer distinguishable, buried under the sheer number of wings.
The eyes of the clergy that had shown reverence were now filled with horror.
Confusion and tension began to cloud the eyes of the Holy Knights.
And then—
“This is—!”
The mont Yuman tried to unleash divine power toward him—
The Pope—
[Ahh—my dear lambs, you have spoken your hearts truthfully.]
was already floating in the sky.
Yuman looked up.
There in the sky was a bizarre creature, no longer anything one could call a Pope.
A being with a massive eye at its center.
With over hundreds of pairs of wings, it hovered in the air.
[Do not fear , for I shall grant you enlightennt.]
As if mocking those present.
The holy voice pierced their ears.
[Now rise, my children.]
And at that mont—
“…!?”
A priest began twisting his whole body.
The man who had first responded to the Pope.
As if in agony, his body contorted unnaturally.
Then he bent over,
Crack—crackkk!
Like a larva hatching from its egg, his human skin and flesh burst apart—
!!!!!
A pure white being was born from within.
It was many tis larger than a human but had the sa general form.
Yet it was grotesquely thin, like a starving creature.
And that marked the beginning—
“Gyaaaah—!”
“N-no! This can’t be! It can’t!”
“Aaaaaahhh—!!!”
One by one, the people present began to transform into grotesque, creature-like beings.
[Now, cultivate the earth into a paradise.]
The voice that deceived them echoed again over the land.
CRACK!
The massacre had begun.
***
“W-What on earth is this—”
Sergius trembled with fear as he lifted his gaze.
In an instant, chaos had erupted.
Massive, white beings several tis the size of humans.
They pulled out spear-shaped crimson weapons from their bare hands as if they’d always had them.
SHHHING—
They began slaughtering every living thing on the ground.
While the Inquisitors and Holy Knights quickly regained composure and launched a counterattack,
Sergius couldn’t hide the terror on his face.
The reason was—
‘They keep multiplying…!’
Those killed imdiately transford into new white beings, joining the massacre of the priests and knights.
The situation had spiraled into utter catastrophe.
Sergius turned his gaze imdiately toward Yutia.
“L-Lady Yutia? Sh-shouldn’t we do sothing?”
His voice trembled in urgency.
But Yutia simply stared—
No, glared— at the eye surrounded by wings with an expression of distaste.
Frustrated by her silence, Sergius called again.
“Lady Yutia…??”
He called desperately once more.
Yet Yutia’s red eyes remained locked on the grotesque angel.
Only when the newly transford white creature raised its spear to strike her did—
“Haa…”
She let out a small sigh.
A sigh that sounded like she was annoyed.
Then—
“Scheduled.”
Yutia muttered quietly as she began to raise her hand slightly.
A seal.
Hand signs.
She saw it.
God of Flashing Thunder.
CRACK!
The head of the white being that had aid its spear at her— burst apart without warning.
And then—
“…My Lord? How are you here—?”
Yutia, startled, couldn’t finish her sentence as she looked at the familiar man who stood in front of her.
“I sensed a commotion and thought I’d co up, just in case.”
“I see—”
Alon’s voice echoed calmly.
“There’s no need for you to handle this yourself.”
“…What?”
Yutia’s crimson eyes widened like a full moon.
As if sothing had been exposed.
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