Chapter 211: The Grand Ceremony

“These bastards, how can none of them be reliable?”

Heles cursed in exasperation. She had reminded her superior to carefully investigate the information conveyed by Leo, but they had ignored her, dismissing it as a pclass.

This was also a normal situation; no one would believe such an outrageous thing. It was not a hero who had slain the Demon King, and there were said to be ten other terrifying existences like the Demon King. It sounded like a sensational story meant to attract attention, a mere gimmick.

If it weren’t for her understanding of Leo, Heles wouldn’t have believed it either. After all, given that kid’s personality, it was indeed possible for him to do something so crazy.

“No way, this can’t go on.”

Heles gritted her teeth. If the situation was true, she could imagine the desperate circumstances Leo faced. She quickly made a decision, “We are going back to the imperial capital to personally inform Michelle.”

“Captain, leaving the front line without permission is against orders. You might be treated as a deserter,” her subordinate reminded her.

“The world is about to be destroyed; who cares about orders? If it’s false, I will take full responsibility.”

The members of the team had fought alongside her for a long time, and in their hearts, Heles had already established a high reputation. Hearing her say this, they all decided to follow her.

“Hmph! Leo, if you dare to deceive me, I will make sure you regret it.”

Heles rushed towards the teleportation magic circle, constantly cursing in her heart.

The imperial capital was a sea of people, with crowds coming and going, bustling with activity.

The faces of the citizens were filled with anticipation for the future, eagerly waiting for the arrival of the Chosen Saintess.

At this moment, the grand ceremony was taking place, where the Chosen Saintess would swear an oath to the gods and receive blessings, officially becoming a saint of the church, wielding the holy artifact, the Light Staff, and the Sacred Crown.

From now on, the people of the empire would, under the leadership of the Chosen Saintess, cut through thorns and overcome numerous obstacles, surely achieving victory in the war against the demon race. Everyone present believed this wholeheartedly.

In the most spacious square of the imperial capital, rows of holy knights guarded the surroundings, keeping the excited citizens at bay.

The residents of the imperial capital brought their families, young and old, eagerly waiting for the Chosen Saintess to appear.

On a massive high platform, the pure white Sacred Crown and the Light Staff radiated a holy light, floating in mid-air.

Just a glance seemed to purify the heart, bringing tranquility, and the citizens no longer felt so anxious.

A large red carpet was laid down from the high platform, creating a glorious path.

Michelle’s figure appeared, dressed in magnificent holy robes, dignified and noble, walking along the red carpet towards the high platform, flanked by Solar Knights holding their swords high to escort her.

Pure white holy petals danced in the air, and hymns played, with melodious voices echoing, the enchanting melody resonating in people’s hearts.

People craned their necks, eagerly wanting to witness the grace of the Chosen Saintess.

Amidst the white petals, Michelle slowly ascended the high platform, gazing at the holy artifact, the Light Staff, and the Sacred Crown.

“Who goes there?”

Suddenly, a group of imperial knights rode fast horses, charging towards the square.

The guarding holy knights immediately blocked their way upon noticing them.

“Stop!”

The holy knights shouted coldly, but the charging imperial knights remained unmoved.

Heles spotted Michelle on the high platform, her eyes lit up as she shouted:

“Michelle! Stop! I have something very important to tell you.”

Heles sprinted forward, but Michelle seemed not to hear her.

The holy knights intercepted the warhorses, and Heles jumped off her horse, quickly running towards the high platform.

The other knights behind her were not so lucky, being subdued by a group of holy knights.

Heles continued shouting towards the high platform: “Leo went to fight the Demon King. He said he killed the Demon King, but an even more terrifying enemy has appeared. The threat to the world is not just the Demon King; there are ten enemies as strong as or even stronger than the Demon King.”

At this moment, she was quite close to the high platform, and her voice could be clearly heard, but she was disappointed; Michelle never looked her way.

“Leo is currently in the Abyss of Demons, he might be dying. This is the information he exchanged with his life, and you are so heartless, not caring at all?”

Heles looked at Michelle in shock, unable to believe it. At this moment, Michelle had a calm expression, transcendent and detached, as if nothing could affect her state of mind.

“Damn! I will never believe in love again.”

Heles’s heart suffered a great shock. Although she had been out for an internship for a long time, she had always heard rumors about Leo and Michelle, who were said to be deeply in love.

Although the two had broken up, she thought it was because Michelle had become the Chosen Saintess, but the situation she saw now seemed somewhat different.

Their deep feelings had changed so suddenly; what love in this world was still worth believing in?

“I don’t care anymore; if the world is to be destroyed, then let it be.” Heles walked away dejectedly.

“Hmph! You think you can just leave? Openly disrupting the grand ceremony, even if you are imperial knights, you will be treated as heretics,” a holy knight blocked her path.

“Heretics? Fine, then just kill us. After all, no one will survive,” Heles said, completely unconcerned, almost self-destructive.

Just as the holy knight was about to capture her, a clear voice rang in her ears.

“Let them go.”

“Yes!”

The holy knights immediately obeyed.

“Hmph! At least you have a bit of conscience. Let’s go!”

With that, Heles led her subordinates away from the scene.

Although they left, many people were still pondering the words she had just said.

The crowd began to whisper and discuss, but they were soon captivated by the scene on the high platform, putting the matter out of their minds.

“Your Holiness, do you think what they said is credible?” Selena asked.

The Pope’s gaze remained fixed on the high platform as he shook his head, “It doesn’t matter whether we believe it or not. Let’s not worry about it for now; we will discuss it after the ceremony ends and leave it to our Chosen Saintess to judge.”

Michelle knelt on the red carpet of the high platform, her hands placed on her chest, praying earnestly.

She took a deep breath, her silver eyes gazing at the sky, filled with an unshakable strong belief.

“I, Michelle Restina, the one hundred and twelfth Saintess of the Church of Light.”

Her gentle voice slowly flowed from her lips.

The sun hung high, the pure white sunlight shone down, and the sky responded, a ray of light gathering in the air, the holy light illuminating Michelle.

“To receive the grace of heaven and earth, I am honored to become the Chosen Saintess.”

“At a time when the demon race invades, disasters arise, and the demon race harms the world, the land is in suffering.”

“I, Michelle, as the Chosen Saintess, shall obey the heavenly mandate, wield the power of holy light to fight against the Demon King, rescue the world from fire and water, and restore peace to the world.”

“However, the threats to humanity are not just the Demon King. Even if the Demon King is defeated, many still struggle to survive.

The empire has nobles who covet power, wantonly exploiting the people, while the lower-class citizens struggle on the brink of survival, forced to do things against their conscience to live.

The church personnel only care about spreading doctrine, with few understanding the suffering of the world. They have empty doctrines but cannot implement them, failing to truly help those in need. Some clergy even collude with nobles to oppress the common people.

In today’s prosperous empire, countless darkness hides, the world is polarized, and no one understands how the orphans in the slums struggle to survive in the dark corners.”

As her words fell, the holy light in the sky slowly faded, and the rays of light dimmed.

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