Chapter 23: The Holy Body Recapture Expedition

City of Dawn.

Cathedral of Light.

Beneath the dome, the air was suffocatingly heavy.

Pope Uther VII sat upon the High Throne.

His fingers lightly tapped the armrest.

Below him was the core of power for the entire Holy Radiance Alliance.

The captains of the Seven Sacred Order Knights.

The kings of the Five Human Kingdoms.

Each one a figure so mighty that a mere stomp could shake the land beneath them.

Yet now, all sat in silence, their faces darkened with worry.

“Everyone.”

Uther VII spoke, his voice echoing through the vast cathedral.

“The name ‘Saint Abandoned Ignatius’”

“Is like a poisonous thorn, piercing the very faith of the Holy Light.”

“Disgrace.”

The captain of the ‘Sword of Judgment’ Knights, a burly man with a scarred face, stepped forward.

The clinking of his armor rang through the hall.

“Your Holiness! Disgrace can only be cleansed with blood!”

“I demand we launch an all-out war immediately!”

“My knights can no longer wait to trample that accursed Nightfall City!”

“Let us use the heads of those bloodsucking vermin to restore the glory of the Holy Light!”

Before his words faded, the King of the Northern Kingdom rose.

He was older, worry creasing his face.

“Captain, please be calm.”

“How long has it been since the last war?”

“My treasury is empty, my granaries are bare.”

“My people, my soldiers, need rest and recuperation.”

“Not another endless bloodbath.”

“The Eternal Night Empire is at its peak now, and that queen’s power is unfathomable. We…”

“Coward!”

The Sword of Judgment captain cut him off harshly.

“Your fear is the greatest betrayal to the Holy Light!”

“Your Majesty!”

The Northern King’s face flushed red.

“This is not fear—it is responsibility for my people!”

“The glory you seek is paid for with their lives!”

“Enough.”

Uther VII’s voice was low but immediately suppressed all arguments.

***

The meeting had reached a stalemate.

To fight—there was neither strength nor confidence.

To not fight—the bitterness was unbearable.

A Holy Knight corrupted into a vampire.

This was like rubbing the Holy Radiance Church’s face in the dirt again and again.

If this matter went unresolved, who would still believe in the Holy Light?

Faith would begin to crumble from its foundations.

At that moment.

“Report—!”

A White-robed Priest responsible for intelligence stumbled hurriedly into the hall.

His face was panicked, clutching a freshly decoded secret report.

“Your Holiness! Highest priority intelligence!”

All eyes fixed on him.

For the Church’s Silent Speaker to lose composure like this was no trivial matter.

Uther VII raised a hand.

The scroll was handed to him.

He unfurled it, his gaze slowly scanning the contents.

Suddenly.

The tapping of his fingers on the armrest stopped.

Everyone in the cathedral felt it clearly.

The surrounding light elements fluctuated violently.

A terrifying pressure radiated from the throne.

The kings and captains even found their breaths faltering.

They stared in horror at the Pope on the throne.

What kind of intelligence could shake this mighty figure—one who had almost touched the threshold of Demigod power—so deeply?

Uther VII slowly lifted his head.

His face bore no anger, no shock.

But a look… a look indescribable, mingled with fanaticism and excitement.

He understood.

He understood it all!

This was no disgrace!

It was clearly a once-in-a-millennium opportunity granted by the Holy Light!

He stood slowly.

His gaze swept across every uneasy leader below.

Then, with a voice holy and majestic enough to pierce souls, he proclaimed.

“Everyone, we have all been wrong.”

“That so-called ‘Saint Abandoned’ Ignatius…”

He paused, each word falling like thunder.

“She has not fallen.”

“She is our ‘Holy Body’!”

“A vessel of the Holy Light, defiled by the evil vampires and imprisoned in darkness!”

What?

Holy Body?

Everyone present was stunned.

Their minds spun in confusion.

Wasn’t she fallen? How could she now be the Holy Body?

Such a sudden reversal!

The Sword of Judgment captain blinked and asked, “Your Holiness, what does this mean?”

“It means!”

Uther VII’s voice surged higher, filled with fervor.

“The soul of Knight Ignatius never yielded!”

“Her soul remains pure, still bathed in the Holy Light!”

“She suffers in a cage of darkness, struggling, waiting for our salvation!”

“That vampire princess named Sylvia is no other.”

“She is Knight Ignatius herself, her body corrupted by evil forces!”

“She is not the vampire’s treasure.”

“She is our treasure—of humanity!”

“The most precious pearl of the Holy Light, lost in the dark world!”

These words overturned everyone’s previous understanding.

Of course!

How could such a steadfast Holy Knight fall so easily?

She must have been subjected to some evil vampire magic!

She was defiled! Imprisoned!

She was no disgrace! She was a victim! A hostage!

This brand-new definition instantly dissolved all prior conflicts and divisions.

The Northern King no longer feared the cost of war.

Because this was no longer invasion—it was rescue!

It was reclaiming a sacred relic that rightfully belonged to them!

The Sword of Judgment captain trembled with excitement.

This was more compelling than simple revenge; it was far more “just”!

“This is no longer a war of vengeance.”

Uther VII opened his arms.

Behind him, the relic called the “First Ray of Light” burst forth in brilliant radiance.

His figure was illuminated like a god.

“This is a…”

“Holy Body Recovery Crusade!”

“Our goal is no longer to destroy Nightfall City.”

“But to ‘purify’ and ‘save’ our fallen comrade, Ignatius!”

“Purify! Save!”

“Reclaim the Holy Body!”

A wave of fanatic fervor spread rapidly through the cathedral.

The Holy Radiance Alliance, so humiliated by a ‘Saint Abandoned,’ now found a new spiritual pillar and mission.

All shame turned into united wrath.

All hesitation turned into an urgent calling.

“I will deploy the Church’s ultimate trump card!”

Uther VII declared loudly.

“And hereby call upon all kingdoms that believe in the Holy Light, all races that hate the darkness!”

“Gather all your strength!”

“The Second Human-Demon War…”

“Begins now!”

“For the Holy Light!”

“For the salvation of the Holy Body!”

A roar like a mountain avalanche surged forth.

From the Cathedral of Light, the fervor spread quickly across the City of Dawn.

Within days, it reached every corner of the human world.

The war machine, fueled by fanatic faith, began to roar deafeningly.

Countless soldiers gathered; endless supplies moved to the front lines.

A sword hung slowly raised over the Eternal Night Empire’s head.

***

Meanwhile.

Nightfall City.

Sylvia, just dragged forcefully out of bed by her sister Avira, with a mouth full of premium blood plasma cake, let out a big yawn.

She looked out at the eternal twilight outside.

And at her sister’s face, written all over with “praise me now.”

She thought life was utterly boring.

She had no idea.

A war, named “to save her,” was silently sweeping across the entire continent.