The wind roared past my ears as I plumted through the open sky, clouds tearing around , soaking my clothes.
"What the hell?!" I barked out, twisting midair.
I could see the others scattered nearby Elijah, Wilhelm, even Aimar all falling alongside , equally stunned.
"Was this... a trap?" Elijah yelled, his voice barely carrying over the roaring winds.
"No—!" Wilhelm shouted, flipping his body expertly to control his descent. "This isn't an attack! The church themselves gave us the location."
Aimar was flailing uselessly like a broken bird, cursing loudly. "I hate you people! I knew coming along was a mistake!!"
My brain spun faster than my body.
A test? This was part of the teleportation...?
I narrowed my eyes.
Far below, barely visible through the clouds, was a vast, enormous city.
Glorious spires, massive bridges of light, hanging gardens dripping with mana... it looked less like architecture and more like a place where gods lived.
And at its very center... a colossal circular platform, I found a person smiling up towards us.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue, twisting my body midair, my shoulder blades twisted as wings unfolded behind .
I wasn't the only one.
Wilhelm was already adjusting his trajectory expertly, Elijah unfurled his white wings and caught himself midair.
"Hey!"
Aimar's voice echoed as he looked at .
"et below!"
Saying so, he conjured a portal below him before vanishing from the place.
My wings made the speed of the falling a lot less before I was gliding in the air.
BOOM!!!
Wilhelm was the first to land, creating a crater on the platform.
Elijah was the next to land, followed by , who landed gently on my feet.
I looked around, finding Aimar standing in the corner, staring at an elevated place.
Clap! Clap!
The sound of clapping echoed through the empty platform.
A figure stood there, surrounded by a shifting mist of mana.
He was tall and wiry, dressed in simple white robes that fluttered in the gentle breeze.
His hair was short and silver, and his face was sharp, almost foxlike, with a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"Welco," the man said, his voice carrying unnaturally across the vast space. "I am Vicar Lucien Raguel, the Gatekeeper of Trinitas."
He spread his arms wide.
"And you, honored guests, must now prove yourselves before stepping foot further into the Sanctum."
His gaze fell on my wings, and a look of disgust crept on his face.
'Vicar Lucien...'
I rembered the na from the ga — a high-ranking "guardian" under the direct command of Pope Lucien.
He was said to be a High-Eternal rank.
'aning he could wipe out cities if he wanted to.'
"You call this a welco?" Elijah muttered under his breath. "You almost killed us."
Vicar chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I was just playing around."
"What do we need to do?" Wilhelm asked, his voice serious.
"It's simple." He said, looking at and Elijah. "Show the mark of God Elyon."
Elijah sighed as he showed him the marking in his hand.
Vicar nodded before giving him a bow. "We welco you, Avatar of God Elyon."
Then—.
He turned towards .
I did the sa, showing the marking in my hand.
Vicar's face twisted, but he couldn't say anything.
He just turned around. "Follow ."
The gate at the end opened up as he vanished from our sight.
"Is it just or he hates you?" Aimar mumbled, walking closer to .
"He is a descendant of Angel." I replied, shrugging. "You think he will like ?"
"Fair point."
We quickly walked past the gate, reaching an open area where Vicar stood along with soone else.
A girl.
She looked about our age, maybe a bit younger, with pale skin, short silver hair that curled softly around her delicate face, and violet eyes like polished gemstones.
She wore a simple white dress embroidered with golden threads, the hem brushing lightly against her ankles.
'Ah, Selena.'
[]
'....Yeah.'
One of the [Sub Heroines] of the second ga's core two.
Vicar's little sister.
"As an apology for playing the prank." Vicar said, patting the annoyed girl's head. "My sister will be your guide."
Selena looked at her brother furiously but didn't say a word.
The girl gave a small curtsy.
"My na is Selena," she introduced herself, her voice soft. "Ask anything you want to know."
Vicar nodded before vanishing once again, while Selena guided us out of the place.
I turned to look at the three enormous mountains at the edge.
'...They look beautiful.'
The peaks glowed under the radiant mana light, their white trees swaying gently as if breathing.
"They are the Three Pillars," Selena said softly beside , noticing my gaze. "They represent the gods who created this sanctum."
"Can you answer our questions?" Elijah said, walking closer.
"Sure."
Selena replied, taking a turn, leading us down a pathway that seed carved from pure white crystal.
"Who are you people?" He asked, tilting his head. "I an, I know you are descendants—."
"When the chaos era ended and heaven was separated." She interrupted, looking at him. "The gods created the angels and sent them on Lumina as their ssengers."
She continued, her voice steady.
"But when they reached demigod levels, most angels were recalled. Only a few were permitted to stay behind."
"The descendants of those angels are called the Seraphbloods." She pointed toward herself gently.
"We are the ones tasked with maintaining the divine sanctity of Trinitas and overseeing the place."
'Seraphbloods…'
It matched what I rembered from the ga.
In the lore, they were known to be unnaturally powerful, incredibly proud, and fiercely loyal to the Three Gods' will.
"...So, you are like a separate race who lives here?" Elijah asked, curious about them.
"Sothing like that." She replied, nodding. "Even though we are part of the Kandam continent, we rarely interact with the outsiders."
'...Liar.'
The church always tried to increase its influence by interacting with all races.
The only ones they don't interact with are the people from Akasha.
"There are three families you should be aware of." She continued, looking at both of us.
"Michael family who follows the teaching of God Elohim. Uriel family, the followers of God Elyon, and Raguel family who follows God Adon."
'Michael, Uriel, Raguel...'
Exactly as I rembered.
But there was sothing she wasn't saying aloud.
[]
'Exactly.'
Though they served the sa gods, the families hated each other.
"Elijah, Himl." She turned her gaze to us specifically. "The Uriel and Raguel families support your arrival... but the Michaels do not."
"So nothing new," I muttered.
"They believe," Selena said softly, choosing her words carefully, "that a fallen... no matter his status... cannot be permitted to set foot in the Holy Sanctum."
She turned to look at us.
"Be cautious. They cannot harm you directly under the Church's watch... but accidents can happen."
'Oh, lovely.'
I filed that warning away.
"Where do you stand then?" Wilhelm asked, surprising a little with his bluntness.
Selena blinked once, then offered a faint smile.
"I stand where I am needed."
In other words, she wouldn't pick a side unless forced to.
'Smart girl.'
The walk continued through winding corridors, glimring gardens, and suspended bridges of light.
As we crossed a particularly long bridge, Selena slowed her steps beside .
"Selena." Before she could speak, I called her. "Where is the Avatar of Elohim?"
"He is on a....mission." she replied, looking at . "Pope Donus sent him away."
'How convenient.'
I mused as we reached the city below the mountains.
Even though killing him would have been difficult I was planning to end him here and now.
But....oh well.
'He will die sooner or later.'
The place was filled with people who road around the area.
Marble roads pulsed faintly with mana beneath our feet.
Crystalline towers spiraled high into the heavens, each one crowned with floating gardens and radiant fountains of light.
Priests, knights, scholars, and even children moved about in elegant white-and-gold garnts.
A constant hum vibrated faintly through the air as floating trains moved around the place.
And yet...
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