Within a branch church of the Church of Light in the capital city of the Lycas Empire.

The cardinal was leading the faithful, who sat quietly in the prayer room. They sat in neat rows, heads bowed, silently reciting prayers in their hearts.

In the center of the prayer room, right at the very center of the relief, the statue of the God of Light, which had been destroyed during the rebellion led by Lucas, has now been rebuilt.

This time, the image of the statue of the God of Light was reshaped according to Aldrich's appearance, and it was still carved with the most expensive and best stone, with every detail vividly depicted.

It wasn't just that the statue of the God of Light was reshaped...

Just then, the prayer ended, and the believers opened their eyes, looking up at the direction of the cardinal, waiting for him to speak.

A moment later, as the cardinal finished reciting his prayer in a low voice, layers of light spread out, seemingly drawn to him, and then diffused onto the believers.

After finishing his reading, the cardinal finally lowered his hand, opened his eyes, and looked at the seated believers: "Fellow believers of the God of Light, today we are going to talk about a major event in the Church of Light."

"Believers, as you should know, although we have always believed in the God of Light, in the past, believers did not obtain strength or seek comfort from the gods."

"More often than not, we are slaves to the gods, and our lives and deaths are in the hands of the gods. This is because our power and everything we possess come from the gods."

"This situation was finally broken ten years ago, all because of a major event that occurred between the Church of Light and the Lycas Empire—a terrorist attack that almost swept across the entire continent of Hilar!"

The cardinal spoke passionately, raising his hands high: "If it weren't for the former God of Light, Lord Aldrich, and the great Lady Dolores, the continent of Hilar would have been plunged into darkness!"

Hearing the cardinal's words, the believers sitting below couldn't help but light up, their eyes filled with longing and anticipation.

The cardinal continued, "The evil sorcerer Lucas preaches the faith in the god of evil, death, and curses. Countless believers have turned their backs on the god of light, and countless commoners have been misled."

"He intended to start with the Lycas Empire and then spread the disaster to the entire continent of Hilar, but fortunately Lord Aldrich and Lady Dolores appeared in time to stop the disaster."

"After this disaster, people were finally freed from the slavery of the gods, the evil sorcerer was executed on the spot, the summoned evil god disappeared completely, and all the bewitched commoners were captured."

"Finally, Lady Dolores and Lord Aldrich spread the idea that mortals should strive for self-improvement throughout the entire continent of Hilar, reshuffling the landscape of the Church of Light and changing the entire world!"

The missionary work concluded only after the cardinal recounted the major events of the Church of Light and all the achievements of Aldrich and Dolores.

Just as all the believers were about to leave, one of them suddenly stopped: "Your Excellency, Bishop."

"Is there anything else you don't understand?"

"No, that's all. I just wanted to ask if it's true that Lady Dolores is staying in the capital and is scheduled to give a public speech at the Lancaster family manor today?"

The cardinal nodded: "It is true, but it is a great pity that I am unable to attend Lady Dolores's speech today due to the busy affairs of the church."

As they were talking, the cardinal and the believers walked out of the prayer room together and escorted them to the door of the branch church.

He looked up at the entrance of the branch church, where a statue as tall as the statue of the God of Light was placed.

—A gigantic dragon breathing fire, and a slender girl riding on its back, holding a rose scepter in one hand, high above, unattainable.

After that incident, the Church of Light not only recast Aldrich's idol, but also created an idol for Nguyen Thanh An.

One stands in the prayer room as a former deity, a symbol of the believers' faith; the other stands at the church entrance as a symbol and guide for mortals, to be revered by all.

Before leaving the branch church of the Church of Light, the believers bowed to the statue one by one before finally leaving, leaving only the cardinal standing beside the statue, looking up at the statue of Nguyen Thanh An.

"To stand shoulder to shoulder with gods with a mortal body, only you have accomplished this in thousands of years..."

"Even Lord Aldrich cannot compare to your achievements."

As Nguyen Thanh An rode the demonic dragon, facing the majesty of the gods.

At that moment, regardless of victory or defeat, she was already bathed in unparalleled glory, because—it was the first time in history that a mortal had looked directly at a god high above.

...

In the afternoon, in the back garden of the Lancaster family manor.

Countless people crowded the grass, but despite the large number of people, there was no commotion, no conflict, and the scene remained calm.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the person in front of them—a girl wearing a dark red gothic-style dress, sitting on a golden bench, looking at everyone.

Although he was not tall, when his leaden gray eyes calmly and indifferently gazed at everyone, they brought a strong sense of oppression and being scrutinized.

After a brief silence, Nguyen Thanh An finally stood up, waved his hand, and a rose scepter appeared in his hand. The moment he stomped on the ground, red flames filled the sky.

Nguyen Thanh An was like an uncrowned queen, looking down upon her subjects.

"I am very happy to see you all here."

"The fact that you are here at least proves that in the past ten years, you have achieved certain successes through your own efforts and by pooling your strength. You are among the most outstanding group."

“You are all Grand Magisters, or Magisters, or you are all exceptionally talented and accomplished at a young age. I know very well why you are here: to become stronger.”

"And what I want to tell you is how to transcend—God, enlightenment."