Chapter 79 Revelations
It’s definitely not Alessandra, Iryoku thought, narrowing his eyes. The voice is completely different—probably a young boy… or even a child.
The high priest spoke again, his voice echoing through the grand cathedral.
“Dear brothers and sisters… now, co forth to the altar, one by one. The Blessed Child will share the Light of the Creator with thee directly.”
The congregation began to move in an orderly line.
The Blessed Child, cloaked in gold, stepped forward to the front of the altar—and slowly pulled back his hood.
Beneath it was an androgynous, strikingly beautiful face frad by long red hair.
From his place in line, Iryoku narrowed his focus, studying the figure once more.
Is not Alessandra.
He looked away, scanning the altar for any other sign of her. His gaze drifted to the golden-cloaked knights nearby—but their faces were completely hidden beneath polished helts. So of them had the curves of a woman, but there was no way to tell who was who.
Then, a sharp voice rang out like a crack of lightning:
“A heretic!”
Iryoku’s head snapped toward the front, heart pounding.
For a mont, he thought they had found him.
The Blessed Child had just placed two glowing fingers on the forehead of a kneeling citizen.
“A heretic,” he repeated, voice calm but unwavering.
Gasps rippled through the hall.
In an instant, the knights moved like a storm—drawing their weapons and surrounding the trembling man and his family.
“Please, I’m not a heretic!” the man cried, kowtowing in panic. “I’m faithful—I swear it!”
“No! My husband is a believer!” the wife pleaded. She clutched two small children in her arms, both on the verge of tears.
Two knights stood firmly, guarding the Blessed Child with sword and shield.
Iryoku watched, stunned, as the scene unfolded.
The Blessed Child raised his voice, now laced with anger.
“The Creator has spoken,” he declared.
“This man harbored impure thoughts. He is a subhuman lover—a traitor. The Creator showed —he’s the one who helped the two animals escape.”
The woman and her children gasped, paralyzed, unsure what to do.
Another wave of shock swept through the cathedral. Even the high priest’s face twisted in fury.
He turned sharply and shouted,
“Punisher Hak!”
A towering knight erged from the line. He bowed deeply to both the high priest and the Blessed Child, then strode toward the condemned man with cold, deliberate purpose.
Without hesitation, he kicked the kneeling man in the back, sending him face-first onto the cold stone floor. Blood sared across the ground beneath his nose.
The crowd erupted in chants:
“Heretic! Kill the heretic!”
Punisher Hak unsheathed his greatsword—and with a single, brutal swing, severed the man’s arms and legs.
“No!” cried the wife and children.
“AAAAHHHHHH!”
The heretic scread in agony, writhing on the ground.
“I’m sorry! Please… PLEASE!”
But the knights only shouted louder:
“Burn the heretic! Burn the heretic!”
The Blessed Child ca forth, eyes glowing with golden fury. He raised a hand—and the hall fell into sudden silence.
“The Creator will cleanse him with His holy Light.”
He knelt beside the mutilated man and placed two glowing fingers on the bloodied forehead. Then he began to sing again—this ti deeper, stranger… almost inhuman. His eyes radiated blinding gold.
“Hff’drash… ves’talekh…”
Golden light surged from his body and engulfed the heretic. The man’s limbs twitched violently. His mouth opened in a silent, twisted scream as his body convulsed under the divine radiance. He clawed at the floor with what remained of his arms—at his own face—sobbing and shrieking in unbearable pain.
Then—suddenly—his body crumbled.
Like ash in the wind, his blood, flesh, and every last trace of him dissolved into golden dust… and vanished.
Iryoku swallowed grimly as the ceremony continued without pause.
The wife and children stood frozen, broken, as the knights ushered them forward and motioned for the ritual to continue.
The line resud—calm, quiet, undisturbed by the grueso execution.
As if nothing had happened.
Shit… Iryoku cursed in his mind, forcing himself to stay composed as he advanced—one step at a ti—toward the altar. He glanced around. Knights and priests stood on guard throughout the room—watchful, silent, disciplined.
Did that person read his thoughts?
How does it work?
Can I fool them sohow? Should I escape?
His mind raced with possibilities, searching for any weakness, any opening. But if he ran now, it would only raise the alarm further. They’d lock down the city. He’d lose any chance of finding Alessandra.
He was two people away from the Blessed Child now.
Underneath his cloak, his fingers quietly gripped his harpoon he had hidden inside his hooded robe. He steeled himself.
Then—suddenly—a wave of danger slamd into him like a freezing gust. His instincts scread.
CRASH!
A massive explosion tore through the cathedral ceiling. Stone and fire rained down as a wide hole opened above the altar. Dust and debris choked the air.
Iryoku acted instantly.
He dashed to the nearest corner and lted into the shadows—vanishing just as chaos erupted.
Knights imdiately surrounded the Blessed Child and the high priest with chanical precision.
“Stay behind us, Your Highness!” one of the shield-bearing knights shouted, her voice unmistakably female. They raised their shields in unison, forming a barrier as the priests lifted their staffs and summoned glowing wards in the air. The shields and magic held, stopping the debris from harming anyone.
The high priest raised his voice above the chaos, fury blazing in his eyes.
“Punisher Hak! Destroyer Slash!” He turned to the lead knights.
“Go out and eliminate the one responsible!”
“For the Dominion of the Light!” ca the unified cry, as the knights and priests rushed toward the doors, led by their commanders.
The doors flung open—
And from outside, screams rang out.
“We’re under attack!” soone shouted, just as magical projectiles began raining across the city beyond the cathedral walls.
Iryoku scaled the inner wall and erged onto the roof through the shattered ceiling. He looked out over the city, toward the outer defenses.
Was this Reika’s doing? Or Yumi’s?
No—it wasn’t. At the far wall, a large and varied force was storming the gates, attacking in waves and pounding the defenses with relentless fire.
Whoever this is... it might be my chance.
He could use the chaos to slip away and continue his search.
But his thoughts were cut short.
Another wave of danger scread through his senses. He flashed to the side, twisting his body—
FWOOOSH!
A golden arrow of pure light zipped past him, arcing into the sky.
Iryoku turned—just in ti to see the entire congregation staring up at him through the ruined ceiling. The Blessed Child stood at the center, golden energy swirling around them, eyes blazing. A glowing hand pointed directly at him.
“Kill him.”
“Fuck!” Iryoku cursed, leaping back just as two knights bent their legs—glowing gold—and launched themselves onto the roof in a single bound. Each drew a one-handed sword and shield, moving with terrifying speed.
He dodged their first strikes and drew his twin daggers, parrying and deflecting blow after blow, doing his best to avoid the devastating rebound damage.
Damn… they’re fast. Too fast. Too strong. How is this possible?
They were glowing—wrapped in divine light.
They’ve been blessed… by that thing.
Iryoku fired his harpoon to the side, latching onto a nearby building. With a powerful tug, he launched himself across the rooftop.
But his instincts flared again.
He twisted mid-air—just in ti to dodge a flying slash. A blade of golden, glowing steel swept past his chest, missing by re inches.
Iryoku countered with a swift kick to the knight’s head. She arched backward just in ti—but the force of the blow still knocked her helt off.
As the rope yanked him away, he caught a glimpse of the knight’s face.
Crimson hair. Fierce, beautiful features twisted in fury—mixed Asian and Caucasian, unmistakably hers.
His heart stopped.
Her hair was shorter than he rembered… but there was no doubt.
Alessandra.
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