Chapter 793

Gabella, the imperial capital.

Today was the day the Gabellan army set out once more.

The army assembled in the square at the center of the city to be inspected by Emperor Antonio Griffin, then passed through Central Avenue in neat formation before leaving the imperial capital through the southern gate and heading for the Western Border Battlefield.

War had broken out between Gabella and the Holy See of the Lord of Light.

After years of campaigning in the east and west, Antonio Griffin had firmly seized the power that came with being emperor.

However, another power structure still existed in the country: the Gabella Church, the branch of the Holy See of the Lord of Light within the empire. Like a creeping vine, it had extended its influence into every aspect of society.

If Antonio Griffin had been content simply to hold secular power, he might have tolerated the Church's dominion over the spiritual realm of the Gabellan people and even cooperated with it, as the emperors before him had done.

But his other identity made it impossible for him to sit by and watch the Church's rule continue—he was a wizard, and the leader of the Secret Art Society at that.

The Holy See of the Lord of Light had always held an attitude of extreme hostility toward wizards. Once Antonio's true identity was discovered, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Correspondingly, most Spellcasters also harbored extreme hostility toward the Church because of its oppression, and Antonio was naturally one of them.

Moreover, to deal with the prophecy of the Great Destroyer's descent, the human world had to unite around a core. The Holy See of the Lord of Light possessed long-standing authority and was the natural leader of humanity, but the Spellcasters certainly did not want to hand