Sacred Relic

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

Twelve battle monks, with war hammers, flails, and revolvers hanging from their waists and monkish robes embroidered with T-shaped crosses, carried a heavy iron chest forward while chanting in unison.

These battle monks were huge, their muscles stretching their robes taut.

They were monks of the Franciscans, also known as the Order of Friars Minor, a legitimate branch of Catholicism. Since they pursued asceticism, lived simply, and often carried out charitable work, they were among the most beloved religious orders in Mexico.

They stopped before the Archbishop and set down the heavy iron chest marked with a T-shaped cross.

Archbishop Michael placed one hand on the chest and prayed devoutly.

President Porfirio wanted to urge him on, but seeing the devout looks in the eyes of the knights and monks, he could only forcibly suppress his impatience.

Inside the iron chest was a relic left behind by Saint Juan of the Franciscans—an obsidian sword.

It had originally been a divine weapon left behind by Guatemus, the last emperor of the Aztecs and the strongest Jaguar Warrior of his time. To kill that final monarch, the Spaniards had lost an unknown number of monks and holy knights.

The obsidian sword he had left behind later fell into Saint Juan's hands. After years of consecration, it had become a sacred artifact, much like the Holy Lance wielded by the legendary Radiant Knight, though its rank was undoubtedly far lower.

Compared to the primitive religions of African natives, the Old Gods pantheon of the New World was undoubtedly far more advanced. Yet compared to the Norse and Greco-Roman pantheons, it still lagged far behind.

Moreover, the Holy Lance in Jeanne's hands originated from Odin, king of the Norse gods. Within the Aztec pantheon, only the divine artifacts left behind by