The Holy Capital, the Sacred City, the Holy Palace.

The grand palace stood dignified and solemn, transcendent and sacred as always.

Although the Great Purge against the apostates had left the core of this Holy Royal Court somewhat deserted, the threat of internal chaos and even schism within the Church was ultimately successfully thwarted.

Main Hall of the Holy Palace, Prayer Hall.

Amid increasing clamor, the largest Divine Hall in this Church Authority Country reopened to the outside world, welcoming devout believers from across Mireya for worship.

And at the hall's entrance, the Church had stationed eight fully armed Holy Hall Knights, each at least at Silver Moon Rank, to meticulously check the documents of every Holy believer who came to pray.

The worshippers entered one after another, respectfully handing their entry permits to the Knights for inspection.

Everything was in perfect order.

"Be more vigilant! This is a critical moment; everyone must scrutinize every document to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from infiltrating the Holy Palace!"

Enzo, the Knight Captain leading the eight Holy Hall Knights, stated solemnly.

Handing back the document of yet another worshipper, Knight Captain Enzo gestured for the person to proceed.

Apparently sensing something, he suddenly looked up.

In the distance, a dozen fully armed Holy Hall Knights marched over in unison.

They came straight to the entrance of the Prayer Hall, and the leading Knight Captain handed over his credentials:

"Benito, Captain of the Eighth Division of the Knight Order, ordered to relieve the guard."

"So early?"

Knight Captain Enzo slightly furrowed his brows.

"The schedule has changed; to enhance vigilance, the Saintess has ordered an increase in manpower and a shortening of the guard change intervals."

The new Knight Captain replied in a deep voice.

"When was the order given? Why wasn't I informed..."

Knight Captain Enzo muttered as he took the credentials for examination.

Just as he lowered his head to check the documents, the Holy Hall Knight, who claimed to be Benito, suddenly drew his sword and pierced Enzo's chest with it.

The other Holy Hall Knights standing guard were taken aback.

But they soon reacted, exclaiming:

"Enemy attack——!"

Having killed the Knight Captain with one strike, "Benito" raised his blood-stained sword high, fervently shouting:

"Kill them! Charge inside! All for the Eternal Sun!"

With these words, the other "Holy Hall Knights" drew their weapons and attacked the Knights guarding the hall, and even the believers gathered outside the Prayer Hall brandished weapons, donned robes emblazoned with the Sun symbol, and charged towards the Prayer Hall, all the while shouting "For the Eternal Sun."

In an instant, the clamoring shattered the peace, smoke began to rise throughout the Holy Palace, and cracks spread across the magical Shield that enveloped the palace, finally shattering with a soft sound.

Crimson blood soon stained the floor of the Holy Palace's main hall, while the "Holy Hall Knight Benito" donned in the Sun Divine Robe approached the Divine Statue and struck down the elderly Chief Priest standing guard with one swift sword move. Then, with a fanatical grin, he shouted loudly:

"Gregory has successfully lured the Pseudo Saintess and Haral's lackeys away! As planned, activate the Divine Artifact quickly, and commence the summoning ritual!"

With that, the Sun believers who had rushed into the hall swiftly sprang into action.

They set up the pre-prepared Array foundation and began chanting the incantations in a rhythmic and obscure tone.

The silver radiance illuminated the entire hall, spreading rapidly, resembling a layer of phantasmagoric mist, under the divine light, the surreal scenes unfolded in the Prayer Hall like a dream.

It depicted an ancient blood-colored grand hall, its structure remarkably similar to the Prayer Hall, resembling a replica of the Divine Hall, only with the spot where the Main God Statue would stand now replaced by two altars.

The two altars stood side by side.

One of them bore the Holy Emblem of the Blood Demon Duke, the Demon's Eye, featuring an open coffin on the altar, filled with dark red liquid, lying within a Judgement Knight with tightly closed eyes.

As for the other altar, it was adorned with the Sun symbol of the Sun Divine Palace, even showcasing an ancient Divine Statue on top.

The Divine Statue bore a striking resemblance to Haral's garb, except it wore a Sun Mask on its face.

The moment that surreal sight appeared, the spatial dimensions within the Divine Hall began to distort.

Soon, like a projection, the eerie blood-colored grand hall gradually became clear, faintly overlapping with the Prayer Hall.

And by the time the Sun believers concluded their chant, everything around had irrevocably changed.

The grandeur and dignity of the Divine Hall had completely vanished.

In its place was a transformation, as if from illusion to reality, turning phantoms into substance—the blood-colored grand hall with two altars.

Space... Space Projection!

It is the 'Space Projection' of Mirick's Shrine invading reality!

Mirick's Shrine was nowhere else but hidden inside the Holy Palace all along!

Staring at the encroaching blood-colored grand hall, lying in a pool of blood, the Chief Priest's eyes widened.

"Trap... Holy Capital... Danger... Must... Inform the Saintess Hall..."

With difficulty, he stretched out his hand, attempting to drag himself outside the hall.

He didn't make it very far.

The last thing he remembered was the cold, condescending gaze of "Holy Hall Knight Benito" and the long sword he swung down.

"The time has come, commence the ritual!"

Dropping the knight's sword in his hand, "Benito" said coldly.

With those words, he was the first to arrive before the altar marked with the sun symbol, kneeling on one knee.

He took a dagger engraved with the sun symbol from his chest and, without hesitation, stabbed it into his own chest, his face filled with fanaticism as he cried out hoarsely:

"Everything... for the eternal sun!"

The other Sun believers followed suit.

They stepped forward, likewise kneeling before the altar, drawing daggers with the Sun Badge engraved upon them, and without the slightest hesitation, they stabbed into their chests:

"Everything for the eternal sun!"

Under the dye of blood, the Sun Badge on the daggers suddenly lit up, bursting with a platinum sacred light, and all the Sun believers seemed to have their life force drained, turning into desiccated corpses in an instant.

Their bodies rapidly weathered away, dissipating like dust, leaving only blood merged with the sacred light, showing a strange golden-red color.

The golden-red blood gathered beneath the Sun Altar, soon illuminating the Divine Statue on the altar.

A vast holy power slowly emerged above the altar, bursting with dazzling radiance, while the Divine Statue gradually transformed into a magnificent scepter.

The scepter was identical to the Holy Royal Court's amplifying and controlling Divine Artifact, the "Holy Hand," but looked more ethereal, and the Ring Cross Holy Emblem originally on the scepter had all turned into the Sun Badge's appearance.

And then, that "Holy Hand" with the sun symbol soared by itself, embedding into the coffin on another blood-red altar engraved with the Demon Eye.

Once the scepter was embedded, the dark red liquid within the coffin boiled instantly.

And in the next moment, the entire altar radiated a dazzling red light, the dark red liquid continuously moved, and a complicated and mysterious giant array manifested itself, centered on the coffin.

Scarlet brilliance bloomed in the array, a black-red beam shot up into the sky, while the judgment knight within the coffin suddenly opened his eyes.

...

Outer city of the Holy Capital.

With the "Great Purge" by the Holy Royal Court's high ranks, the entire Holy Capital had been shrouded in a solemn atmosphere these days, and the streets of the outer city were much quieter than usual.

In the church of the Ninth District, priest Susan in the treatment room slowly opened her eyes.

The injuries on her body had been healed by the priest, her originally pale little face restored to color, but still looked somewhat weak.

"Sister Susan, you're awake!"

The children from the Gray Swan Orphanage, who had been guarding by the side, excitedly gathered around.

"This is..."

Susan looked around a bit confused.

"This is the Church! It was the Saintess who saved you, the Saintess stopped the judgment, and vindicated our orphanage!"

The children said excitedly.

"The Saintess... saved me?"

Susan murmured to herself.

But soon, she felt a faint pain in her heart.

Following some kind of instinctive sense, she subconsciously looked out the window, seeing the sky where the setting sun was blood-red, and the towering Holy Palace was shrouded in shadows.

"Sister Susan, you... what's wrong? Is there still discomfort somewhere?"

The children asked worriedly.

Looking towards the direction of the Holy Palace, Susan only felt her heartbeat growing stronger.

She opened her mouth, hesitating:

"I... I think I felt my brother's presence..."

After saying that, she forced herself to sit up, wanting to get out of bed, but the next moment, the entire room suddenly shook.

Unprepared, Susan almost fell, and when the shaking stopped, the entire room's light suddenly turned dark red.

Susan somewhat dazedly looked out the window, only to see the sky outside had been shrouded in boundless blood, bats innumerable flew in from all directions, heading towards the Holy Palace.

Suddenly, a black-red beam shot up from the direction of the Holy Palace, tearing through the entire sky.

Clouds rolled, space tore apart, and tens of thousands of black dots flew out from the shattered space, falling towards the Holy Capital like raindrops.

A sharp, violent cry approached from afar, those black dots constantly enlarged, revealing themselves to be hideous demons!

Accompanied by a roar that seemed to come from eternity, a terrifying crack spread across the blood-colored sky.

The sky ripped open a massive rift, and a demon hand wreathed in fierce flames stretched out from within!

The mottled flames fell continuously, igniting the buildings on the ground.

In the next moment, a Flame Demon nearly three hundred meters high broke through the limitations of space, descending into the Holy Capital under the crowds of many demons.

Its body was distinctly divided into two parts, one half clad in jet-black armor, burning with the fierce Hellfire, while the other half was unarmored, its fiery skin tender as a newborn sprout.

And at the junction of the two body parts, a sword scar remained, glowing with a bit of scarlet light.

Feeling that terrifying aura far exceeding an ordinary legendary, seeing the iconic horned head and crescent eyes, the church's priest widened his eyes in horror, uttering a name:

"Flame Demon... Vararoka!"

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