The Road to Transcendence

"Did you start training this young man as soon as you arrived here? You must have poured a lot of time and money into him."

A strange smile appeared on Nick's face. He coughed twice to ease his embarrassment. "I only recently decided to start training him. He's been at it for about a month. He's a genius."

"Only a month, and he's already met the requirements for Transcendence. He must have a very strong foundation," Hamfa said with an envious smile. "You've found yourself a treasure."

Nick was about to say something more, but in the end, he swallowed his words.

Should he tell Hamfa that before the Evil Spirit incident, Kraun had been an ordinary young man?

No, no. He wasn't going to tell anyone. It was enough that he knew how talented the young man was, now that he had such a powerful ally.

He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "How did you get here so quickly this time, and why did you bring so much stuff? By the usual standards, the Bureau of Affairs wouldn't even respond for ten days or half a month."

Hamfa's expression immediately turned serious, and he sat up straight without thinking. "Do you remember the Cardinal's sermon on the day we graduated as Exorcist Priests?"

"He said a lot of things. Which one do you mean?"

"'Night may fall and block the light of the flames, but hope will forever dwell in our hearts. A bright future lies ahead.'" As Hamfa spoke, he pressed both hands against the Holy Emblem on his chest. His eyes brimmed with resolve.

"Hey, old friend, why so serious all of a sudden?" Father Nick teased him, thinking he was being far too solemn.

"Nick, the Faruk Kingdom lies at the westernmost edge of the continent, and the Andes Mountains separate it from the sea. We're an inland kingdom, and there's a lot we don't know. The demons of old have awakened. Their vast cities, sunk beneath the sea, have resurfaced."

"When gray fog spreads to every corner of the world, true terror will descend. The Cardinal has ordered every church to keep the Holy Fire burning from now on."

The priest was completely baffled. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Hamfa took a small booklet from his coat and handed it to his old friend. "Have a look. I only just found out myself."

Nick quickly leafed through the booklet. When he finished and closed it, his hand clenched into a fist. "Those demons from the Starry Sky, the ones called the Olden Sovereigns, aren't dead. They're only sleeping beneath the sea. Now they've awakened again and want to shroud the world in darkness. Are you sure this isn't some made-up story?"

The fair-skinned priest didn't answer. He knew his old friend needed time to process the disheartening news. When the Cardinal had told him all this himself, he'd found it just as hard to believe.

Enemies of the gods—and enemies who had once held the upper hand in their war against them. It all sounded so hopeless.

After a long while, Nick finally calmed down. "So you've brought the Church's plan to deal with this?"

"Yes. The light of faith can drive away the gray fog. That was the method the gods discovered at the end of the previous era. We'll light the Fire of Hope in our churches, to illuminate a world on the verge of falling into darkness."

Hamfa paused, then continued. "It will still be a long time before the Olden Sovereigns revive. For now, only their followers are awakening. By the time the Sovereigns rise, the gods who dwell in the highest heavens should be able to break through the barrier between the mortal world and the Divine Kingdom and descend upon the world. The world's spiritual energy is still growing, and we'll grow stronger along with it. The Church expects the gray fog to reach the Faruk Kingdom sometime after the Month of Sprouting next year. We have more than three months to prepare, and you have even more time here."

"Heh. So being stuck in the backwater on the western edge of the kingdom gives us a time advantage," Nick said with a wry smile.

"Keeping the Holy Fire burning will consume Faith Power, and we'll need to set up the formation for making Holy Water again. That'll take a lot of time. Does the church have much Faith Power stored up?"

"Not much. Truly devout believers are few and far between. The residents here spend every day struggling to make ends meet. They attend services once a week, but otherwise no one comes to pray. I'm worried there won't be enough Light of Faith to keep the Holy Fire burning."

The priest was concerned. His parish was remote and sparsely populated, so the Light of Faith they could gather was limited. There was no way around any of these problems.

"Don't worry," Hamfa said unhurriedly. "They'll become devout. When the gray fog descends and despair spreads, they'll all become faithful believers. The more devout people are, the greater the quantity and quality of the Light of Faith they provide."

Nick smiled too. His old friend was right. When people fell into despair and realized that the Church could truly save them, they would become devout—perhaps even fanatical believers.

Knock, knock.

A knock at the door interrupted the two men's conversation.

"Reverends, the man named Kraun has arrived at the church."

"All right," Father Nick replied. He smiled. "Come on, old friend. Let's witness my Guardian's ascension to Transcendence."

"Gladly."

The two men left the room and headed straight for the Training Ground.

On the Training Ground, Kraun stood bolt upright in the center, wearing silver half-plate armor.

Nick looked at his vigorous appearance and nodded with satisfaction. "Today, Father Hamfa has brought the potion for your ascension to Transcendence. Battle is the catalyst for reaching Transcendence. You'll drink the potion, then fight to the death against two Crusader Order warriors who have already reached Transcendence. In dire straits, you'll awaken your Seed of Life and complete the leap to a higher level of existence. Tell me, are you ready?"

"Ready!"

Kraun's voice rang out, his tone resolute and full of confidence.

"Then let's begin. Remember, the potion will burn through your life force. If you fail to break through during battle, you'll die once your life force is exhausted."

Nick handed him a red potion that looked like boiling lava.

Kraun took it and swallowed it without the slightest hesitation.

It was like drinking boiling water. Heat filled his mouth, then surged down his throat and esophagus. He felt a blazing fire ignite inside his body, as if his skin were burning too.

A Red Beard knight in Leather Armor stepped forward. "Come on! Either begin your path to Transcendence or die by my sword!"

Kraun laughed loudly, lifted his Sharp Sword, and gave it a flourish.

With its blade flashing coldly, he charged forward.

He knew he had to push himself to the limit to reach Transcendence.

As he ran, he stretched out his arm and leveled his sword. His body blurred as he lunged at Red Beard, whose face wore a nonchalant expression.