If asked which two sects have been the most prominent on the continent of Ver recently, all those favored by the gods would undoubtedly mention the Cult of Dawn and the Cult of Destiny.
Needless to say, Dawn is not only the number one sect on the continent of Ver, but it has also recently led its allied sects and the Nightfall Alliance, composed of war, dreams and death, to fight in Yachisde City. The battle is said to be extremely fierce.
What about the Church of Destiny? Why has a declining church become a focus of public attention again?
You would never guess that the attention Dawn has received this time is actually intricately linked to fate. It is said that their Holy Son is actually the Pope of the Church of Destiny!
Listen to this, how incredible is that!
I dare say that even if that mustachioed gentleman famous for writing fantasy scripts were to write it, he definitely couldn't have come up with something this outrageous.
But that's exactly what happened!
Before everyone's eyes, the Pope of Fate unleashed the divine power of both the Dawn and Fate sects! According to his late knight commander, this Pope may very well be a chosen one of the God of Death!
Look, the three chief gods' chosen ones! I can hardly believe it myself.
It is said that the chosen ones present that day, regardless of their sect, left in a daze, and then frantically described what happened to their fellow believers!
At first, people didn't believe it, but everyone who participated in the divine descent ceremony said so, which made people have no choice but to believe it. In just one day, the believers throughout the entire continent of Ver fell into a state of frenzy (of course, when I say that this event shook people, I am only referring to those who knew about the existence of the divinely favored, not the ignorant masses)!
The chosen ones discussed this matter openly or privately. They discussed it in small gatherings, at papal conferences, and in publicly published church publications... Many even wrote to Dawn and Destiny to verify the truth of the matter, and the public declaration of His Holiness the Pope Dawn confirmed it all.
He said, "His Holiness Phil Gray of the Church of Destiny will also be His Highness the Holy Son of my Church of Dawn. Given that the safety of Holy Son Vincent cannot be guaranteed, I do not mind making him my first successor."
Oh God above, I cannot imagine what kind of lucky person could become the pope of two religions at the same time. I am even looking forward to that day (I hope Your Majesty will forgive my slip of the tongue).
It is said that many churches have sent invitations to the Church of Destiny, hoping to meet the Pope of Destiny in person. Here, it is worth mentioning the Light of Wisdom. Everyone knows that these crazy and eccentric scholars always have an extraordinary desire to explore bizarre events, let alone something like multiple gods favoring a believer. It is said that their prophet is already on his way.
If it weren't for helping the church inventory the supplies sent to the front lines, I really would have liked to meet that pope in the afterlife. What a pity!
Speaking of which, the events that have occurred on the continent of Ver this year seem to defy common sense and are all related to the high and mighty gods. Take the three gods who possessed us, for example. We still don’t understand their intentions. If they were there to save their believers, why did they remain in a corner of the western continent without taking any action?
Sigh! I really hope that the continent of Vil can return to its former peace as soon as possible.
—Excerpt from a letter written by Archbishop Cyril Mohr of the Church of Life to a friend
...
The city of Kao, an obscure little town on the edge of the parish of destiny, is bustling with activity today because of His Holiness the Pope's arrival.
Phil Gray, accompanied by several knights of fate and his companions Eli and Ernest, arrived in Kao City after four days.
Although Dawn's vehicle was much faster, he was still embarrassed to use something that symbolized his status as the Holy Son of Dawn when he was the Pope of Destiny.
It was a bit slow, but in these four days he learned a little about the cities in the Destiny District he passed through. Although Destiny had declined, its followers were not few, and it had more than forty cities of varying sizes under its jurisdiction.
From afar, he saw the city lord and clergy of Kao waiting at the city gate. He still had some impression of the city lord and bishop's appearance; he had seen them from a distance at Miss Edith's wedding banquet that day.
As for the cold-blooded Grand Master of the Knights of Kao City, he actually came too. Phil Gray originally thought that the Grand Master would realize his mistake and slip away early, so that he would have to spend some effort to catch him. Unexpectedly, he did not make any move, which saved him a lot of effort.
Is it that he is reluctant to give up his position as the leader, is taking a chance on everything he has done, and wants to pretend that he knows nothing, or is he really unaware of his mistakes?
"Your Holiness, welcome to Kao City! I have heard everything that happened at the Divine Descent Ceremony. The God of Fate has been kind to you; it is wonderful that you were able to eliminate those traitors..." The white-haired lord of Kao City was filled with excitement. In the past ten years, this small city on the verge of collapse had never had such an important figure arrive, nor could he, like the lords of the major cities surrounding North City, see His Holiness the Pope from time to time.
The bishop of Kao respectfully bowed to Phil Gray, then knelt down dejectedly to repent for his sins.
“Your Majesty, I repent for our mistakes. A year ago, the Holy See sent word that you had been kidnapped by apostates and ordered us to search for you throughout the city. Once we found you, we were to inform Wendell. We did not know it was a trick of his and thought you had really been taken hostage by apostates, so we obeyed his orders. We never expected that we would become his accomplices in persecuting you. If you had not escaped back then, we would be guilty even if we were to die a thousand deaths!”
Hearing the bishop's words, the city lord was filled with remorse. "Your Majesty, when I heard the news that you were in Khao, I was extremely worried. I thought that this would prevent the apostates from abducting you from the city, so I kept the city gates tightly closed. I never expected that it would backfire..."
"I am willing to resign from my position as bishop and spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins with God," the bishop said heavily, his head bowed to the ground.
"Me too, may Your Majesty and the gods forgive our sins." The city lord also lowered his head.
Although the city lords in the secular world do not have a superior-subordinate relationship with the Pope, in the world of the continent of Ver, where theocracy reigns supreme, the Pope is the one who has more power to determine their honor, disgrace, life, and death.
"I agree. Considering that you may genuinely be unaware, I can forgive your actions towards me. If it hasn't harmed anyone else, you can resign from your positions. But this commander, I doubt you're completely unaware, right? When you led the Knights to track me down, you didn't seem to be protecting me at all, did you?"
Phil Gray looked at the motionless commander with hatred in his eyes.
"I don't understand what Your Majesty is talking about. I was just following orders," the commander said coldly, showing no sign of panic despite the Pope's questioning.
"An order? Valk Dodd's order? To hunt down the Pope because of a knight commander's order? How ridiculous! It seems you already sided with him long ago, didn't you? I'm very curious now, your master is dead, what makes you so fearless?"
“All knights must obey the orders of the knight commander. I am merely following orders. I believe I have a clear conscience in helping His Majesty capture the people who kidnapped you. If you wish to vent your anger, you may kill or torture me, I will have no complaints.”
Phil Gray sized up the leader of the Knights of the Order of the Khal Drogo, thinking that the man was not only cold-blooded but also shameless. Did he think that he would forgive him for the sake of his reputation?
He's overthinking it!
"The person who kidnapped me, an old woman with mobility issues, could kidnap me, the Pope? You forced her to her death, you should have known this day would come!"
Phil Gray said fiercely, drawing his Sunblade and holding it to the commander's neck.
For the first time, the usually composed captain panicked. Before he could offer any further explanation, Phil Gray lightly slashed the blade, and blood splattered everywhere.
"I don't care whether you knew about it or not, but remember this: the gods will not forgive the indiscriminate killing of innocent people!"
Phil Gray's eyes flashed, he sheathed his sword, and led his attendants into the city.
With a thud, the captain fell to the ground, and the bishop, the lord of Kao, and the other priests and knights knelt down, watching the Pope's departing figure in silence.
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