"Hahaha... It's quite ironic how we're being cheered on by entire crowds of these people, while those imperials are being brought outside in chains..."

"Hm. Now that you think of it... I think you're right, Spera... it's quite the contrast... And it's even kind of laughable as well, haha..."

"Well, in the end, at least they managed to live through all the devastation we unleashed, right? I heard they're being sent back to the empire's lands as we speak..."

"Haha... Good for them, I suppose..."

They were parading through the city's main road with their vast armies of constructs trudging along in formations behind them. Instead of being feared or hated though, their triumphant march was gladly being cheered for and welcomed by the Polonian citizens, who had become incredibly thankful to them for freeing them from their enslavement under the empire's cruel tyranny.

"By the way, sister... Don't you think that it's quite... Strange that our creator chose to leave us for the moment... In order to meet up with someone else?"

"... With another woman, at that?"

"..."

Currently, Novus wasn't present in the little parade they were performing, as the saintess of this country, a woman named Adelaide, requested for his sole presence in a place not too far away from where they were right now.

Of course, while Whitlea felt apprehensive about this, she didn't present any refutations when Novus agreed to meet up with the saintess alone... After all, she believed that these people wouldn't try to harm the saviour who had just liberated them from their conquerors... Most importantly though, later on, Whitlea had all the time in the world for Novus later because of the deal she had coerced him into a while ago.

That issue was nothing compared to the one she was currently anxious about though: what was worrying her the most right now, was the loss of Novus' entire left arm during his last fight, as it was a grievous injury that made her heart stop for a moment whenever she looked at it, though fortunately he managed to patch it up before everything else would grow to become worse.

"... Don't worry, you see, I made a rather one-sided deal with him when he begged me to forgive him earlier..." Whitlea uttered, which immediately caught Speranza's curiosity. "... Well, in short, I'm going to punish him later for all the bad things he's done to us~ and it's actually making me feel a bit excited~"

"... Say, would it be fine for me to... Join...? If you don't mind of course..." Speranza asked, finding the mere idea of such an occurrence as a fun-filled venture.

A smile of pure mischief formed on Whitlea's lips as she answered her question. "Of course, Spera... the more the merrier, after all~"

________________________________________

"We humbly thank your visitation, oh great saviour of ours..."

Dutifully escorted by the templar knights behind him as they closed the doors in order to seal off the cheering crowds of people that were trying to storm in, Novus couldn't help but admire the grand architecture he was currently witnessing right now: it was honestly quite impressive really, from the very structured of the stone walls and pillars, to even the colored 'images' formed by the window glasses themselves...

Although, admiring the admirable quality of this chapel's construction was not the reason why he came for in the first place.

Novus had agreed to meet up with the saintess in this massive chapel of hers, and the reason why he had agreed to meeting with her was actually quite simple.

These people from the 'Holy Orthodoxy', or so did they call themselves. For an incredibly strange, yet fascinating, unknown reason, the very religion that these people devoted their entire lives too... Oddly enough, it was nearly the very same religion that had once possessed the greatest amount of followers back in the modern period of modernity where Novus lived in...

While they called it 'Luminism', which made it seem different compared to the likes of Christianity, it was apparent that the God they worshipped was the same God that Novus held a strong faith for back then: he could easily tell from what he had just seen, as he had once been a devout catholic in his previous life.

From the massive, wooden cross near the altar at the far end of the room, to the symbols of familiar saints and angels that had whatever remained of their long-forgotten identities etched onto the chapel's cathedral windows...

There was no way Novus could mistake the similarities between these 2 beliefs that seemed completely different at a first glance: he had, by now, developed a strong belief that this 'Luminism' was a faith that involved the same God, even though there were some slightly different practices that these luminists were doing in the current time period.

"Tell me, oh great saviour..." the saintess would suddenly ask, her voice echoing a bit loudly throughout the chapel's interior as she spoke. "... Do you believe that God... Or perhaps... A god, exists?"

Of course he did, Novus answered internally. How else could existence have come into existence? He had a firm belief that both nature and the concept of life had only managed to thrive due to the guidance of some higher power, and the world would never have existed if there were some slight deviations within the phsyical realm of the world: for instance, if the very atoms of this world had come into existence through positrons and anti-protons instead of the 3 subatomic particles that served as the world's current building blocks, then would life have even managed to form in the first place?

"Indeed I do..." he answered back in a sufficiently humble voice. "... Why do you ask, though?"

"Well... You'll find out eventually, oh great saviour..."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously. "Is there something that's going to..."

...

...

It was a uniquely baffling sight that Novus could instantly feel and see: his surroundings came to a grinding halt and ceased to move for even an inch, as if time had been stopped for everything and everyone else but him.

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"... What is even happening right now..."

What just happened to this place? Was it the saintess who caused this? And, of all the times and places it could've occurred in, why was it occurring right now?

Many questions formed within his mind, as the entirety of the world before him stopped functioning normally for a moment. Was it the end? Was he about to die from some unforeseen attack? Or was he perhaps hallucinating in a sort of awake-yet-lucid state?

... And then, an ethereal voice came along and finally decided to break the silence...

"Do you remember me, Novus Sturne?"

It was a booming voice that spoke not through words, but directly into his line of thought- it possessed the loudness of thunder when it spoke to him, but at the same time, its tone was as calm as a light, gentle breeze. Almost immediately, Novus felt as if he was familiar with a voice like this, as if he already knew who it really was... Could it be?

"... Who are you? And what do you want with me?"

"... I am the God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob... and all those who came from their bloodline..." it answered gently. "... Do you not recall when you begged my presence for guidance and forgiveness through song and prayer? Do you not remember when I gave you the strength and deliverance needed to persevere through the toils and challenges of life? "

His mouth immediately ran agape as Novus continued to listen... It couldn't be... Was he truly...?

"... T-then... You're... Are you...?"

A bright, yet elegant light then began to manifest from seemingly every angle and direction- despite its intense luminosity however, its radiance was neither blinding nor painful to the eyes at all: simultaneously, Novus would also fall to his knees as he remained in complete and utter awe and fascination for the magnificent presence before his very eyes.

" I am that I am..." it uttered with a great, yet soft loudness. "And I have been watching you, Novus... From the day you were first conceived... To the very 'rebirth' that allowed you to momentarily transcend death itself..."

"... As well as all those experiences that led you to this very moment... I have seen them all, Novus Sturne, and I must say... I find myself a bit impressed..."

"... R-really now..." he stuttered, unable to believe that He himself had somehow become impressed with him. "Anyway... Do you mind answering a question of mine..."

The voice didn't respond, as if it was allowing him to pose his query. Of course, Novus immediately began to ask his question without a moment's hesitation.

"... Why did you let the war happen? Why did you let billions of people die and do nothing?"

"I have given my finest creations the gift of freedom and free will, but many of you have forgotten that with great power always comes with equally heavy responsibilities..." this time, there was a heavy disappointment in his words as he spoke.

And he quickly became confused: Novus couldn't understand what most words truly meant: what did free will have to do anything with a war that wasn't initiated by humanity against itself?

"... What do you mean?" Novus asked curiously.

"... There were people who tried to pry into the prison I made to contain the monstrosities that constantly desire to eradicate you all." the voice explained. "Their success is what allowed those... 'dragons' and 'elves'... Or so you call them.. Into the lands, skies and seas of your world..."

That was a shocking revelation that made his eyes widen a bit: so the otherworlders hadn't come to their world all of sudden, but rather... It was a group of some unknown people who had allowed them to seep their filthy existences into reality...

Novus wouldn't have much time to think too much about this, as the environment surrounding him would then suddenly begin to change its appearance: everything twisted, spiralled, and faded in and out of existence in an organized manner. After only a few seconds, a new collection of sceneries met Novus' eyes with their terrifying appearances, which quickly made him fall into a great bewilderment.

Surrounding him was a hellish landscape of fire and brimstone, one that housed countless human souls that remained trapped in its ever-burning lakes of fire, all of whom were closely guarded by merciless, sharp-eared figures, while numerous, familiar, winged creatures of thick scales soared in the skies with their unchallenged dominance over everything in this inhospitable domain.

The dragons: they were the exact same creatures who had unleashed death and destruction upon the earth hundreds of years ago during the Great War... On the other hand, there were also the elves, who, like always, were the compliant minions who would always obey the cruel orders given to them by their draconian overlords... It would seem that their existences had a lot more depth into them than what Novus initially thought.

"The great evils I sealed long ago began to slowly leak their putrid existences out of their horrid prison... and they will all eventually be unleashed with their untold numbers into the world..." the voice narrated softly. "... Which is why you are currently here before my presence... I only require one thing from you, Novus Sturne..."

"... Why did you allow these evils to exist in the first place?"

Once again, the voice wouldn't even be bothered by his questions, as it instead found them to be somewhat entertaining to answer.

"The act of creation is not as simple as that: good cannot exist without evil, similar to how men cannot exist without women... How life cannot exist without death, and how creation itself cannot exist without the concept of destruction..." he explained with an incredible patience. "My Great Plan shall allow the lives of men to transcend this worldly law, and I shall deliver all of humanity into a state of peace and tranquility that will last forever..."

A new landscape began to form as Novus' surroundings quickly changed in appearance. The brutal, hellish sceneries that once surrounded him had now become a divine paradise that was full of light and beauty: it was the very concept of heaven made manifest, a beautiful realm where suffering and pain were completely nonexistent.

"... The end of the old, chaotic world has come, and it is time to restore creation to my original vision... To fulfill the prophecy of my holy scriptures..." the voice stated. "I shall bring those who believe in me into a new world without the toils of pain and suffering... And I shall finally erase the concept of evil from existence for good..."

"Which now brings me to explain the very reason why you are here..." the voice quickly shifted the topic into that of a serious one. "You are a man of war, Novus Sturne, a warrior deeply experienced in the horrors of warfare and bloodshed, while at the same time, you are also a man of faith and good heart, and these qualities are what make you the most suitable individual for the role I require you to fulfill..."

"... What is this role you want me to do?"

The voice would then begin to explain once more. "Become my prophet, Novus Sturne. Continue your goal of world conquest, but from this point on, do it in My name." He stated utterly. "Do not stop with merely conquering this continent: go forth and spread the glory of my name to every corner of the earth, until every living soul knows of the wonders of my existence once again, so that all may be saved before the end that is about to come...."

"Most importantly however..."

"... Most importantly?"

"Eradicate this 'magick' that currently plagues the earth with its infestive malice..." a faint, noticeable anger would arise within the voice's tone. "It is not something that belongs to this world, and its warped nature corrupts the very souls of those it has tainted..."

For the last time, the environment would change into a realm of illusory that would instead show him several imageries at once, like a film that was swiftly being played in his mind for him to be able to understand quickly: almost immediately, its effects would quickly become observable within Novus' mind, as the landscape finally returned to the massive cathedral room he was originally in.

Novus had finally obtained the truth about that horrid force after the revelation thata had been given to him: magick... Or so did the current, primitive humans of this era call such a disgusting, unnatural force of chaos- it was the mark of the beast... A seal made by the very concept of evil that had leaked out from its prison ever since the barrier between reality and the netherworld had been shattered by those fools that He mentioned previously...

It was also a damning force that corrupted human souls, as those who perished with magick still present in their bodies would immediately have their souls dragged into the depths of the underworld by the very same beings who leaked its filth into the world, never again being able to witness the concept of mercy for the rest of their infinitely-miserable lives.

What was even more horrifying was the dark truth that came with the existence of the elves: they were humans who had utilized its power too much and had succumbed to the corrupting forces of the arcane after utilizing it for many years, leading to their souls to become forever damned as they would forever remain as the servants of those draconic beings...

"Fear not though... I shall give you the means of achieving these tasks that I have given you..." the voice reassured. "I will bless you with the knowledge necessary to neutralize the existence of this revolting power... It will be an improvement to the device your companion made that can temporarily neutralize it within a limited radius..."

"... May I know how much of an improvement it will be?" Novus questioned inquisitively. If it was a development provided to him by the Lord Himself, then obviously it would be an incredibly outstanding improvement, though of course, the reason why Novus had asked such a question was to know the degree of advancement it could bring.

The voice would respond straight away and without a pause in his words.

"Enough to permanently negate its arcane effects in a vastly larger radius..." the voice answered back. "... I also have one more blessing that I wish to bestow to you..."

The saintess' body, which was supposed to have remained frozen still due to the time stopping effects that had been applied, began to move and walk towards Novus' direction, as if she hadn't even been affected by it all in the first place. As she then arrived at nearly an arm's reach to him, a blinding, white light would then begin enveloping her body, as a rapid transformation of her mortal vessel immediately went underway in the next few seconds that would pass by.

"I shall give to you a fragment of one of my strongest warriors in order to fulfill your conquest of the world..." the voice proclaimed. "Her name is Apollyon, a sharded existence of my great servant who still dutifully guards the already-shattered barriers of the netherworld..."

"Nevertheless though, the humble fragment before you possesses an untold amount of power. Use her well, and see to it that you obtain many victories with her assistance..."

Saintess Adelaide's body had transfigured into that of a silver-haired angel with grey-iris eyes, as a faint, white halo of pure light hovered above her head: her skin was fair and incredibly smooth, and her wings were made of pure metal unlike most other angels, as she also wore a sleek, elegant battle armor that enveloped most of her well-proportioned body.

"... W-woah..."

As Novus couldn't help but stare at the magnificent sight that had just taken form in front of him, the angel then spoke to him with an incredible warmth, as a gentle smile formed on her face while her eyes fixed themselves upon Novus' figure.

"... It has been a long time since we last met, my friend..."