Soon, Muxuan and Qiansitelin, leading those forty knights, made three more trips back and forth before everyone was finally brought back.
As for the few people Luther Sage had killed, Muxuan did not care. A mere glance revealed that several of them were already on his blacklist. He estimated the others were likely no better.
Luther’s ruthless methods had shaken the faithful quite a bit. When Muxuan arrived, they looked at him as if he were their savior, behaving with extreme docility.
Muxuan was quite satisfied with Luther’s approach. However, he hadn’t expected that even though Luther had lost all his magic power, his physical techniques would be so formidable.
Regarding this, Luther simply chuckled and gave an explanation.
“When I realized that the improvement of my magic had reached a bottleneck, I began to train my physical techniques. A mage’s weaknesses must be compensated for, after all.”
Qiansitelin retorted, saying that if she hadn’t used violent means to tear down 2 Mage Towers, the old man would probably still be tinkering with his ideas of magical ascension.
This remark made Luther glare and huff in frustration, his beard twitching.
It was only after the strenuous intervention of Mosen and Muxuan that the two avoided getting into a full-blown fight.
*Sigh*…
Looking at the large crowd of faithful gathered in front of him, Muxuan couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
There were too many new followers being taken in this time; the stronghold was almost at its capacity.
Once the memorial service concluded, Muxuan planned to expand outward. The small stronghold that had been destroyed by the Eerie Wave had already been rebuilt, so he would arrange for people to move there when the time came.
Clearing his throat, Muxuan lowered his eyelids slightly.
To match the atmosphere of mourning, Muxuan had intentionally adjusted the light in the stronghold to a dim, somber glow. With a few oil lamps lit, the atmosphere of the memorial service truly felt heavy and solemn.
Muxuan wore his Pope robes and held his crosier as he stood before the piled remains of the fallen, his expression solemn and full of pity.
The victims had all been wrapped in various flowers and plants, resting quietly upon massive wooden boards that had been hastily constructed.
The faithful behind him were very quiet, whether they were new arrivals or long-time followers. This was out of respect for the dead and respect for His Holiness.
Muxuan tapped his crosier slowly and rhythmically. After counting 5 seconds in his heart, he slowly opened his eyes.
Surveying the exhausted and grieving followers who felt a slight sense of peace because of his return, his voice rang out clearly across the entire stronghold through the power of Lightforce.
“Today, we gather under the radiance of the Goddess, with the deepest sorrow and the highest respect, to see off our fallen devout. They sacrificed their precious lives to protect our common home — this stronghold of light that shines within the boundless darkness.”
“Not long ago, a wave of darkness surged toward us. It was they who built a defensive line with their bodies, defending the glory of the Goddess and this sanctuary of light with their blood and faith!”
Muxuan’s voice paused for a moment before suddenly rising in volume.
“We know well that in this world distorted by darkness, the souls of the departed face unknown threats. We cannot promise them rest in the mortal realm. But we can, and we must, in the name of the Goddess and with the holiest Lightforce, perform a sacred Purification Ritual for them.”
“This is not the end, but another form of protection. I will wash away the residual Corruption of darkness from their bodies, allowing their souls to break free from the entanglement of the Eerie contamination, and return to the pure embrace of the Goddess’s light! They shall return to the Divine Kingdom of the Goddess!”
As he spoke, Muxuan raised his crosier above his head, and the dim sky was instantly ignited by light.
“We will remember them; we will remember their achievements. Their spirit shall remain with the light!”
“Now, let us offer our final blessings to these fearless devout with the most pious hearts! May the radiance of the Goddess guide their souls to find eternal peace and solace within the pure light!”
As he finished speaking, the light emanating from the crosier completely illuminated the entire stronghold. The warm glow fell upon them, making many of the faithful feel a sense of warmth in their hearts.
Watching the sacrifices bathed in that immense light as they slowly dissolved into motes of radiance, many of the faithful showed looks of envy.
Just being shone upon by the light made them feel a warmth like a spring breeze; how comfortable must it be to be bathed inside that sphere of light!
Furthermore, they could return to the Goddess’s Divine Kingdom!
Unfortunately… that was a treatment reserved only for those who sacrificed themselves while contributing to the Church.
Quite a few people felt a twinge of regret, wondering why they hadn’t died at the hands of The Strange. Wouldn’t the Goddess’s Divine Kingdom be better than this hellish world?
“Hey, stop dazing off.”
Jack looked at those who had been sacrificed with a hint of envy in his eyes. He couldn’t help but tug at Roman beside him.
Roman didn’t speak, still staring blankly at the scene on the stage.
He felt much better now.
He didn’t know if His Holiness was truly sending them to the Goddess’s Divine Kingdom, but regardless, it was better than turning into a creature of The Strange.
That was his primary reason for wanting His Holiness to hold the memorial service. Roman had seen too many people turn into monsters after death.
After all the bodies of the victims had been dissolved by the Lightforce, Muxuan let out a heavy sigh.
‘Doing this doesn’t feel great in my heart either.’
‘Saying they return to the Goddess’s embrace or her kingdom… that was entirely to comfort and soothe the feelings and emotions of the faithful.’
Slowly turning around, Muxuan’s expression became serious as he spoke again. “Now, the Goddess shall also bestow her grace and grant gifts to those who have merit!”
“Bishop Valentin, Roman, Jack, Frank…”
“These individuals all made great contributions during this struggle against the Eerie Wave. Now, the Goddess shall bestow power upon each of them!”
When the dozen or so people Muxuan named all walked onto the stage, he adjusted the dim sky back to brightness.
As the light cascaded down, different degrees of changes appeared on the bodies of the dozen people.
Gelifende didn’t care about himself; he first looked at Valentin. Seeing that Valentin’s pale complexion was gradually regaining its color, Gelifende let out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Jack looked left and right, checking himself before curiously eyeing the others. Then, he tugged at Roman and pointed to the dagger in his hand formed from condensed Lightforce, appearing as if he wanted to express some dissatisfaction.
Roman simply gave him a look that suggested he couldn’t help, then began to carefully stroke the longsword in his own hand.
This was a sword of a completely different style than those of Gelifende or Camanni.
It was practical rather than ornamental, but Roman liked it very much. He finally had power!
When the memorial service drew to a close and all construction work resumed, everything returned to an orderly state.
However, Roman eventually sought out Muxuan privately.
“His Holiness… Could I…”
Muxuan saw the thirst for power in Roman’s eyes and understood his meaning.
He couldn’t say whether such a thirst for power was good or bad, but since Roman believed in the light, Muxuan didn’t mind pointing him in a certain direction.
“You can go find Luther Sage.”
Recalling Luther’s exaggerated physical strength, Muxuan still felt a bit of trepidation in his heart.
After all, who would have thought that a lordly mage would cultivate such powerful physical combat capabilities!
Not only could he use instant-cast spells for long-range sweeping, but when enemies got close, he could knock them senseless with a single strike of his staff.
If Luther hadn’t sacrificed all of his magic power for his sake, Luther could truly be called all-powerful!