The Silent Angel's Choice

The End of the World, the northernmost point of the continent.

On the vast wilderness, a simple wooden house stands out abruptly.

Pushing open the wooden cabin door reveals a completely different scene inside. The interior space is far more spacious than it appears from the outside, bathed in a warm orange glow—the glow emanating from countless lit candles stacked from the towering dome to the floor, almost completely filling the magnificent space.

At the very center of the Altar stands a simple wooden inverted Cross, surrounded by numerous candles.

An old man knelt before the Altar, his eyes closed, his expression serene and devout, as if in silent prayer. He was Heliodorus, the leader of the Aurora Order, Sequence 2 "Profane Presbyter" known as the "Silent Angel".

"President, our situation is getting worse and worse."

Behind the old man stood a tall Filth, and blood-soaked figure, with a twisted, blood- Distortion head perched on each shoulder. These three heads spoke simultaneously, gazing anxiously at Heliodorus's retreating figure, "That despicable [Blood Bishop] has spread the faith of a false god, usurping the faith that rightfully belongs to the Lord!"

He is one of the Saint of the Aurora Order, the "Rose Saint" Stacey Endel.

"More and more of our fellow believers are being severed from the Lord; they can no longer hear His great voice, and in despair, they choose to sacrifice themselves... But the decrease in believers further affects the Lord's state..."

The three heads of "Rose Saint" Stessa Endel all wore expressions of extreme pain, with blood constantly flowing from their ears, as if they were Listening to some terrifying sound at all times.

In conclusion, the spread of the [Blood God] cult dealt a fatal blow to the Aurora Order. The former's mystical positioning is almost identical to that of the True Creator, both holding authority in the Flesh and Blood Domain, belonging to the same ecological niche. With the growing power of the [Blood God] cult, it has already squeezed out the True Creator's position.

More and more believers of the True Creator were horrified to discover that they could no longer feel the God they had fanatically worshipped. The despair of being abandoned and the thirst for attention drove them mad, to the point of self-sacrifice and mass death. At the same time, the deaths of many believers led to a rapid decrease in the number of [anchors], which drove the already Distortion True Creator even more insane. The ravings he sent to the remaining believers became even more Distortion and insane, making them more prone to losing control and dying.

A terrible vicious cycle is sweeping through everyone at the Aurora Order.

"President, are you still not going to speak?"

"The Rose Saint" asked unwillingly, "Our Aurora Order now at its most critical juncture. The Lord's will is difficult to convey, and Lord Ouroboros has yet to respond. We truly have no other options! If you don't intervene soon, we will truly face destruction... President!!"

He questioned, his voice filled with anguish.

Must our great and pure organization, our noble and devout faith, truly crumble before our very eyes?

Just then, Stacey Endel suddenly saw the old man in front of her move.

Heliodo, supporting himself on the ground, slowly rose from his kneeling cushion. He glanced back at the "Rose Saint," then walked to a corner of the church. There lay his bed, pot, and some miscellaneous items—the only traces of life in this magnificent church.

The old man walked to the corner, reached out, and carefully took a piece of Parchment from the wall.

The Parchment had a yellowish-brown surface and was filled with an ancient feel.

Heliodorus gently brushed the dust off the Parchment and then handed it to Stessa Endel.

"This is..." Stacey took the Parchment, and after just one glance, all three heads simultaneously showed expressions of astonishment.

The Parchment depicts a nautical chart.

The edge of the continent on the left is clearly visible, which is the Northern and Southern Continents where they are located. In the middle are the Sonia Sea and scattered islands, while the continent on the right only has a rough outline... that is, the sacred continent left by the Sanctuary.

On this indistinct continent, only one location is clearly marked, with the words "Giant King’s Court" written in Ancient Feysac.

The nautical chart was covered with a dense network of shipping routes.

These numerous shipping routes originate from various points Northern and Southern Continents, but their destinations are remarkably consistent: after crossing the Sonia Sea, they all head towards the "Giant King’s Court" in the Forsaken Land of the Gods on the right.

Record were left at the starting point of each route.

"The Rose Saint" randomly picked one and examined it closely:

[On July 8, 343, Aristotle led Fleet on a pilgrimage from the Enmat Harbor in Loen. We planned to cross the Sonia Sea and reach the Holy Land via the following route. May the great Lord grant us the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary.]

Below this Record, someone calmly wrote in red pen:

[Failure, route blocked, all crew members dead.]

[In 1021, Chris Hutten set out from the southern Sonia Island. His plan was to cross the Beluga Whale Sea, Pathway the Gargas Archipelago and Toscarter Island, to meet the Great Lord. May the glory of the Lord be restored to the earth.] [The mission failed; they were attacked by an evil Storm of believers, and all perished.]

Similar Record are densely packed, all belonging to followers of the Aurora Order attempting pilgrimages across the sea. A very small number of them succeeded, while the vast majority failed, leaving a deep, bright red mark on the Record.

For centuries, people Aurora Order borealis, and every route on this nautical chart has been paved with blood!

Praise the Lord...

The "Rose Saint" was deeply moved and felt honored for those who had sacrificed themselves for the Lord.

He soon discovered that after so many years of effort, the Saint had found several relatively stable routes. The two most recent Record were in the last two years: one involved a "Listener" with his son, who apparently failed, and the last Saint was "Saint of Darkness" Leomaster, who has been declared dead.

"President, what do you mean by giving this to me?"

Stacey looked up, puzzled, and asked, "You're not suggesting I go on a pilgrimage right now, are you?"

Heliodorus, of course, did not answer. He simply stretched out his hand and, under Stessa's gaze, slowly drew a pattern on the Parchment with his finger: an interlocking, looping symbol.

"The Ouroboros... Could it be Lord Ouroboros?"

The "Rose Saint" immediately understood the meaning of the symbol, and almost instantly, she understood what Heliodorus wanted to express.

In distant legends, at the end of the Fourth Epoch, the Black Emperor fell, and seven false gods occupied the world. It was Lord Ouroboros who led the remaining believers on a pilgrimage across the Sonia Sea, preserving the last embers of faith. "Guild Master, are you leading everyone to the Holy Continent to bask in the glory of the Lord?"

Stacea exclaimed excitedly, "And we'll even have Lord Ouroboros's protection along the way?"

If we can reach the Sanctuary, everyone will be safe!

It turns out I misunderstood the president; He had been thinking about how to resolve the current predicament...

However, the "Rose Saint" soon saw Heliodorus shake his head and point at him.

"Me? Let me lead them?"

Stacey exclaimed incredulously, "And you? You're going to stay here? What are you planning to do?"

"..."

Heliodorus smiled slightly at him, but said nothing.