The Sea of Miracles, before the Gate of Glory.
Lately, the commotion inside the gate had grown louder, as though some enormous creature had joined the ranks attacking it, constantly attempting to force it open. Every attack shook the gate and walls, churned the seawater, and sent huge chunks of debris falling from the walls.
A great many ships were moored around the walls, all Radiant Warships. Their decks were packed with kneeling Blind Believers and lined with God Statues of varying sizes, receiving the believers' prostrations. Particles made of light drifted toward the Gate of Glory and the walls, seeping into them.
These Blind Believers had also built a large number of facilities before the gate to forge equipment and God Statues infused with divine power and faith, and to build warships. There were no facilities related to everyday living at all.
For Blind Believers did not fall ill, nor did they need to eat or even drink water.
The divine grace earned through their profound faith freed them from these most basic hardships.
In the future, they even had a chance to transcend all suffering and attain eternal immortality...
Under prolonged assault from this extraordinary force, the gate finally showed obvious deformation. One section of the tightly interlocked, toothed seam bulged outward, revealing a tiny crack.
Numerous threads of light emerged through the seam, each as thick as an adult human's arm. They burrowed into the gap and pushed against both sides, attempting to widen it.
Then a figure of light squeezed through the gap.
Immediately afterward, the entire Gate of Glory erupted with blinding light. The walls began repairing themselves within the light, and some of the light tentacles were severed by the repairing gate. Everything returned to its original state, and the gate remained standing there.