Three days later.
The Church began withdrawing from all major contests for power and wealth, holding fast to the territory it already controlled.
The entire Church seemed to have undergone some kind of change.
In the days that followed, when the Fathers led the faithful in prayer, they used exclamations several times more often.
A number of the haughty Holy Knights were disbanded. The criminals were purged, leaving only the truly devout, those worthy of taking up arms.
The bishops traveled among the various nations, no longer always putting on airs of superiority.
They were more like diligent administrators, showing real shrewdness as they worked swiftly and decisively, with painstaking care.
The Church's entire atmosphere had been transformed.
The other factions found it strange and made every effort to investigate the Church.
Soon, they received astonishing news.
A god had descended into the mortal world.
A god!
According to the Church's doctrine, after death, only the souls of those who believed in the god could enter God's Kingdom. Everyone else would either be reborn, descend into hell, or wander eternally through the void.
In any case, none of those options was as comfortable as staying in God's Kingdom.
Setting aside the god's power, the god's mere appearance proved that the Church's doctrine was correct.
Ask yourself honestly.
Who wouldn't want to live in comfort after death?
God's Kingdom—those words alone could draw almost anyone under the Church's banner.
Disbelief and unease spread among the leaders of the various factions.
Just as they were preparing to send their strongest professionals to investigate the Church's Holy City, the Pope appeared.
The Pope summoned the various factions, saying he had something to tell them.
So, naturally, they dispatched envoys to the Holy City.
Before the envoys could investigate anything, they were stunned by