Radiant Church, Holy Mountain.
A towering cathedral stood amid the clouds and mist, its golden dome reflecting the morning light, sacred and solemn. Legends of the High God of Light were carved into the massive stone pillars. In the plaza outside, hundreds of priests in white were conducting their morning prayers. Their hymns drifted through the mountains.
This was the holy land in the hearts of countless believers.
Yet at this moment, the atmosphere in the council chamber deep within the cathedral was terrifyingly grim.
Twelve cardinals sat along both sides of the long table, each wearing a grave expression. Their red robes appeared especially glaring beneath the candlelight. At the head of the table sat the Pope of Light, Heidens. The scepter in his hand trembled slightly, revealing his inner unrest.
"Wusenno is dead." The Pope's voice was calm, yet it carried suppressed fury. "Nine Four-Winged Angels—all of them were killed."
The council chamber fell deathly silent.
It felt as though the temperature in the council chamber had suddenly dropped by ten degrees.
Fine beads of sweat emerged on Delankelin's forehead. As the cardinal in charge of intelligence, he was the highest-ranking official in the Church's intelligence network. The intelligence for Wusenno's operation had been reviewed and approved by him. Now that the operation had failed, he could not escape blame.
Wusenno, the Chief Inquisitor of the Radiant Church, was a peak Saint-level expert. He had commanded the Inquisition for three hundred years, and countless heretics had died at his hands. Even peak Saint-level experts of the same rank did not dare take his signature technique, "Radiant Judgment," head-on. Each of the nine Four-Winged Angels was equivalent to a mid-stage Saint-level expert. With the Angel Battle Formation, they could even contend against a peak Saint-level expert.
Such a force