Imperial Encirclement, Church of Light Breakout

"Great Lord, the kingdom's army is cunning and treacherous. They have deployed heavy forces, forming three lines of defense, guarding them tightly. We do not know the Tower of Babel's exact capabilities!"

"The Tower of Babel, according to some intelligence, is said to be capable of firing powerful weapons!"

The leading Pope of Light, prostrate on the ground, said with a fanatical expression:

"Our Church of Light will soon infiltrate the enemy's upper ranks. We have hope of learning the Atabians' Tower of Babel plans and destroying it! Please believe in us, great Lord!"

After hearing so much, Li Qing merely replied coldly, "Killing the tyrant is the people's chance at self-redemption."

The colder and more arrogant he was, the more mysterious and awe-inspiring he became.

Li Qing did not speak much to believers.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Instead, they grew even more fanatical.

Only the leading group among them were Li Qing's dependents. Most were native Atabians. It seemed his dependents had been zealously preaching in secret and spreading the faith.

After all, every civilization was like this.

Differences in ideals would always arise.

Some wanted to overthrow the gods and believed man could conquer heaven, while others believed in and revered the gods, serving them with fanatic devotion. It was perfectly normal.

Suddenly, more Imperial Guard troops appeared in the distance.

Along the endless border line that stretched across the sky, the Imperial Hero Herodotus, who led them, climbed back up. "Kill the Church's cultists!"

"God, they..." The Pope immediately said nervously.

They had risked death to come and deliver this information. Basically, once they came, there was no returning. If their faith had not been firm enough, they would never have dared to charge in at the risk of their lives.

"God has heard your prayers. The Lord is willing to be with you."

Li Qing's words fell.

The World Crystal Wall border around them began to tremble one after another.

The main ant forces that had come to encircle them were shaken loose, tumbling into the sea like a dazzling meteor shower.

The enemy troops in the distance no longer dared approach either.

They had discovered that whenever they approached the crystal wall, trying to climb up and seize those evil cultists above, they would be shaken off and fall into the sea. Some soldiers had shells whose cellular structure was not sturdy enough; most of them broke apart and suffered severe injuries in the fall.

"General, what should we do?"

"The Outer God is watching us from above the clouds!"

The surrounding generals could not help asking.

Above the sea, the Imperial Hero Herodotus controlled a massive white armored giant. Standing upon the giant's shoulder, he gazed into the distance at the battlefield.

"There is no need to approach! The Outer God cannot descend into our world. We will stay away from the crystal wall and expand the encirclement. They still cannot escape!"

"Yes!"

The Imperial Hero Herodotus looked at the sky, Fighting Spirit blazing in his eyes as he said:

"Next, that evil Outer God can only watch helplessly as his believers die miserably. This will be the beginning of shattering the legend that gods are omnipotent! Break the fear in your hearts!"

Meanwhile.

The Pope looked at the soldiers below, still standing far away in the sea around them, and knew they no longer dared come close.

But.

Their side still could not break through.

They would likely die here after all. The enemy army was simply too numerous.

Suddenly, a melodious, ethereal voice came from the heavens.

"God created all things. Glory shall favor mortals who believe in the gods."

"I shall bestow Divine Grace: Protection of All Spirits."

Li Qing opened his eyes.

Rays from his gaze fell upon those believers.

Splash!!

A life radiance like warm sunlight descended upon them, nourishing their lives and making their bodies even stronger.

One second.

Two seconds.

Even during the baptism beneath that gaze.

The Pope, Cardinals, priests, and countless believers all instinctively fell to their knees, accepting God's gift as they excitedly recited the doctrine.

Twenty seconds.

"May You watch over every church in Your world and make Your churches stronger! May more sinners in the world enter the Light Cathedral and confess their sins and repent before You!"

A vast torrent of consciousness rose up. Sacred, majestic words echoed through the heavens above the crystal wall.

"May the Lord lead Your churches, so that Your churches may walk upon the path of Your truth!"

Thirty-two seconds.

"Merciful, righteous, all-wise, omnipotent, wholly good God of Light, O almighty God!"

Forty-six seconds.

"I sincerely thank You. I thank You for choosing me, granting me a long life and the meaning of living, so that my soul may not fall into the kingdom of sin!"

Watching the scene, the Imperial Hero Herodotus said in astonishment, "What is that? What is the god doing to them? Why have they knelt down?"

"General, should we charge in?" someone asked.

Herodotus thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "We cannot approach. Let us see what that Evil God beyond the heavens intends to do."

Splash.

They were still receiving the gaze and baptism.

Li Qing's gaze shone upon them for seventy seconds to [Awaken], but that did not mean further gazing upon microorganisms after [Awaken] had no effect. It could replenish the intensity of their consciousness, bringing unseen benefits and elevating their spiritual level.

In the distance.

Under everyone's dumbfounded gazes.

Something terrifying happened.

The entire Church of Light's knight army discovered that not only had their consciousness become energetic and vigorous, but the biological exoskeleton armor covering their bodies had actually begun to come alive.

They possessed life, making adorable, ignorant, primitive sounds. "Where is this?" "Who am I?"

"This... has become a divine artifact!!! A Holy Relic of the Holy See! It has become far too powerful!"

The Holy Pope suddenly shouted.

The believers felt boundless power surge through their bodies. Their eyes grew even more fanatical, revealing the piety of zealots.

"This is God's gift!"

"This is the baptism of Holy Light, the Lord's blessing! God has bestowed life upon our armor!"

"I feel infinitely strong. I can easily break through the encirclement!"

A Holy Knight of the Church shouted.

He suddenly felt incomparably powerful, becoming a Divine Descendant Knight from legend.

Piloting the enormous exoskeleton giant body that now possessed intelligence, he swung a bone sword at the enemy.

Boom!

He charged straight into the army that had come to attack again, as though entering an uninhabited land.

"God! Be with us, and with every person Your hand has created in this world."

His voice was fanatical. As he hacked at those around him, he recited loudly:

"The God of Light watches over us at every moment, leads us, and makes us walk upon the path of the Father's truth."

Crack.

An enemy head fell to the ground.

Boom!

The sound shook the heavens, as though he wanted to roar all his faith out through his shouts:

"Do what God delights in, and love what God loves!"

The earth trembled violently.

"May You place great love, courage, humility, patience, sacrifice, and justice upon each of Your Knights of Light. Help us manifest Your glory in this world, and return all our glory upon the earth to God in heaven!"

Thud, thud, thud! The entire fanatical Holy Knight army, like a torrent of steel, charged out through the enemy troops and shouted together, "Yes, yes! Yes!! I know that You are with us every moment!!"

The doctrine became a battle cry, like surging waves rising one after another.

This elite Church army fought its way through amid furious roars!

"What did that Evil God do to the Church??"

Everyone watched the battle in terror.

They looked toward the world in the heavens beyond the wall.

The entire massive Glass Window was a defensive line, and that line had been stretched far too long.

For a time, the knights seemed to have been pumped full of blood. They became unbelievably fierce, and one cavalry force chose a weak point, killing its way out of an encirclement with forces hundreds of times greater than theirs, creating a miracle.

Li Qing observed this breakout battle from outside the world.

He felt as if he were watching a medieval war.

Heavy armored knights piloted their massive suits of armor, charging into battle while crying out the glory of God. It was stirring and carried an epic grandeur.

Heroic, bloody, savage—those were his first impressions.

And his second impression was:

"These believers have memorized the doctrine I gave them quite fluently."