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A week had passed in the blink of an eye....

The Holy City, the headquarters of the Church, was also the site where the Lord of Glory first manifested His Miracle. Originally, this was a desolate desert, but because of the Miracle, it transformed into a fertile oasis. People built a city upon this oasis, and after several hundred years, the majestic and immense Holy City took shape.

As the inhabitants of the Holy City were the most devout believers, the most common buildings were churches, constructed to keep up with the daily prayer needs of all the citizens. The city saw massive building projects, with a large church every thousand steps and a smaller one every hundred steps—an assertion far from hyperbole, but rather, a reality.

At the very center of the Holy City stood an exceedingly majestic and enormous cathedral that was, however, not open to the common public, accessible only to senior Church officials.

Even those lofty Cardinals only had the privilege to enter, not to reside within. They were only briefly allowed in to present their reports and were otherwise forbidden to enter at other times.

For this place was the dwelling of the Lord of Glory and His Emissaries of the Gods. The cathedral's interior could no longer be considered part of the Mortal Realm; it was enshrouded by the power of the great Deities, a Heavenly Sanctuary. Among all ignorant mortals, only the Pope of the Church was permitted to serve as a servant within, day and night, always ready to heed the Lord's divine decrees.

However, this situation had changed a month before, when the Lord issued a divine decree. Overnight, the Pope led people to welcome a teenage girl into the Glorious Cathedral, after which the entire Church of Glory received a notification: a new position, Saintess, would be added within the Church.

Saintess Sophia, a name all the Church's high officials committed to heart.

After all, nominally, this sudden Saintess possessed authority surpassing all Cardinals, on equal standing with the Pope himself.

And in truth....

Inside the Glorious Cathedral, a venerable old man with an imposing visage now lay prostrate with utmost humility before a white-haired, golden-eyed young girl, as though she were not merely a girl, but a sacred being walking the Earth.

Indeed, that was exactly the case. Others might not know the girl's identity, thinking her only a Saintess, but Saint Peter the Thirteenth knew well that the title of Saintess was nothing but a sham to deceive the ignorant masses. Then in his presence, the girl's true identity was as the daughter of the great Lord of Glory, a truly divine being.

A month before, the Lord had decreed that His daughter would descend to the Mortal Realm for a trial and had commanded the Pope to personally bring back the reincarnated Saintess.

Following the Lord's guidance, the Pope finally found the Holy Lady in the slums of the Holy City. The task wasn't difficult, for the Holy Lady was so distinct—her pure whiteness and naturally divine and noble aura made her instantly recognizable in a crowd.

However, Sophia paid no heed to the zealous and devout Pope prostrated on the ground. The white-clad girl simply stood at the center of the cathedral, gazing up at the giant Twelve-Winged Angel statue at the temple's end.

That was the image of the Lord of Glory.

At that moment, Sophia's mind was somewhat disordered.

She was merely attending Witch's Night, but a month before, right after her arrival, and before she even had a chance to do anything, she was suddenly cornered at the door by the Pope and a group of Cardinals and, without a word, bestowed with the title of Saintess, and then brought into the Glorious Cathedral for protection.

Of course, "protection" was just a euphemism for house arrest; she had been confined in the huge cathedral for over a month now.

Thankfully, it was only a restriction on her freedom; she hadn't been mistreated. In fact, the lofty Pope had transformed into an old servant for this past month, serving her with the utmost care. Everything she ate, drank, and used was the very best in the world.

Unfortunately, whenever Sophia attempted to question what exactly was happening, the Pope, now an old servant, would avoid answering. He only asked her to wait patiently, assuring her that, in time, the great Lord would personally clarify all her doubts.

According to the Church, the Lord of Glory was too powerful to be contained by the Mortal Realm; hence, His true presence could only abide in Heaven's Divine Realm. Therefore, if the Church wished to communicate with the great Lord, a vast amount of faith was needed to construct a channel capable of bearing the descent of His divine decrees.

A major Festival was celebrated in the Holy City every month. The divine decree received during the previous festival was to welcome the Saintess, and regarding the arrangements for the Holy Lady thereafter, the Church needed to await the next instruction from the great Lord.

In any case, the Holy City was now preparing for an unprecedented grand Festival; at that time, the great Lord of Glory would descend in incarnate form, and all of the Holy Lady's questions would be answered.

Of course, Sophia knew the truth and would never believe such tales. She understood very well that her Mother Superior was not any sort of deity, but rather a powerful entity from another world that had invaded this one.

Yet, among those fables, there was some truth: the Lord of Glory was indeed too mighty, and such a frail world could not withstand His descent. If He were to force His arrival, the world would simply burst apart.