Volume 1 Chapter 683

Chapter 683: The Dark Humor of the God of Light

"I have granted…"

A sacred voice resonated through the skies above the Holy Capital.

Though this voice had remained silent for millennia, its sudden resurgence instantly stirred recognition among all Holy Light devotees within the sacred city.

This gentle, benevolent, and divine tone could only belong to the master of all Holy Light in existence—the supreme deity who founded their church, safeguarded their realm, and reigned as the omnipotent Lord over the main plane.

The God of Light!

His voice had manifested once more above the Holy Capital.

Though merely four syllables, they sufficed to paint expressions of awe and delight across countless faces.

"O Lord, do You still watch over us?"

So the emergence of those profane deities hadn’t signaled their Master’s abandonment…

Meanwhile, among the Church of Light’s higher echelons—

the Privy Bishop and venerable elders from the Ascetic Order—

their elation burned brighter still.

"It’s the Lady of Light!"

They discerned the God of Light answering a singular "prayer."

Some among them had faintly sensed this invocation…

A prayer of absolute purity.

Within the Church of Light, only one soul could craft such devotion and merit divine response.

That being…

the Lady of Light!

"Her Holiness… has received the God of Light’s answer."

This truth reignited hope in the ancient guardians who felt the monstrous weight pressing upon their holy city.

Many already perceived this new presence as more terrifying than the trio of warring evil deities combined—

as though an incarnate god had descended.

Yet…

With the God of Light’s audible response to His chosen vessel’s entreaty,

even a true deity’s physical manifestation within the Holy Capital

no longer seemed insurmountable.

Though challenges remained…

All anxieties now felt unwarranted.

Within the Devoted Zone, Lolth narrowed her eyes at the celestial spectacle where divine echoes intertwined with…

It was not merely the stabilized emotions of believers gradually renewing their faith in the Holy Light.

The coalescing divinity and the gradually restored power of Holy Light manifested as well.

From every corner of the Holy Capital, these forces seemed to materialize spontaneously—unlike other evil gods requiring "conduits" to alter environmental energies.

The Holy Capital functioned as an extension of the Land of Light itself, where the God of Light’s power and the Divine Kingdom’s radiance emerged naturally… requiring no additional portals.

First, the Land of Light is a half-plane Divine Kingdom intrinsically linked to the main plane.

Furthermore…

All know the Holy Capital and Land of Light have shared profound connections for millennia!

The manifestation of divinity followed this same principle!

The supreme divinity of the God of Light did not manifest within any physical location.

Instead, it crystallized directly upon the Lady of Light herself!

Though this appeared extraordinary, such is the nature of "divine favor"!

If the Holy Capital serves as the Land of Light’s earthly counterpart,

Then the Lady of Light and the Pope embody the God of Light’s mortal extensions.

Just as when the Pope perished, copious amounts of lingering divinity were released…

Yet most divine essence didn’t disperse across the Holy Capital or main plane, but flowed back to the Divine Kingdom through mystical bonds.

Thus, the inverse holds equally true.

Channeling divine power to these two figures—especially within the Holy Capital—requires no elaborate rituals.

Almost effortlessly, they could ascend to become living embodiments rivaling the God of Light’s avatars or celestial messengers.

Yet for Lolth, this remained insufficient.

The divine amalgamation forged from three outer gods’ essence, this terrifying construct painstakingly projected…

Ordinary blessings could never suffice!

Her ambition had always centered on achieving the "Sacred Divine Consecration"!

Evidently, when the God of Light glimpsed events unfolding in the main plane’s Holy Capital, he recognized Lolth’s "sincerity."

Hence…

The burgeoning divinity within the Lady of Light soon surpassed all expectations.

Beneath storm-laden skies, a luminous pillar of Holy Light erupted where the Lady of Light stood—not descending from heavens above,

But blazing upward from her very being in radiant splendor!

The spontaneous Holy Light emissions had already altered the Holy Capital’s magic environment.

With this luminous column’s emergence…

The city’s chaotic corruption receded like the tide, leaving sanctified clarity.

Even the Lady of Light herself gazed in wonder at this transformation.

"This is…"

"…’Divine Ordainment’!"

Janine Irene standing beside her could not suppress her cry as she witnessed the Holy Maiden’s transcendent visage. She perceived Her Holiness – already the embodiment of sacred purity – now radiating an unmatched nobility and power, her essence harmonizing with the divine breath of the Lord Himself.

Unconsciously, Janine Irene’s sword slipped from her grasp. The Lady of Light required no mortal protection now. Her Holiness would safeguard the Holy Capital, the Church, and all devotees of the Holy Light. She would shield this continent and plane entire. Against any foe, this truth remained unshaken.

Tears formed at the corners of Janine Irene’s eyes – not from personal sentiment, but from overwhelming reverence and conviction – tracing paths down her cheeks as she surrendered to the moment. "Go forth, Your Holiness." She sank to one knee, bowing deeply before the maiden enveloped in luminous white-gold radiance.

Nor was Janine Irene alone in this reverence. Throughout the Holy Capital, trembling households paused – simple faithful parents clutching wide-eyed children, stooped elders and stalwart youths who’d pledged service, quarreling nobles of the Holy Lieto Empire alongside crimson-robed cardinals and stalwart Paladins, Privy Bishops and ascetic monks alike, even approaching contingents from the Heretic Tribunal and Paladin forces en route to the Devout District – all prostrated themselves as one, offering devotion to the heaven-piercing column of Holy Light.

This was the Lady of Light… yet in this sacred instant, she became the living manifestation of both God of Light and Holy Light itself.

"’Divine Ordainment’… As I surmised – the complete infusion of conceptual essence and divine station upon the chosen vessel." Lolth murmured her analysis. "Effectively, a partial transfer of divine authority. Comparable to the ‘Divine Kingdom of Death’ ritual, though that ceremony occurred within a masterless Divine Kingdom, rendering its bestowed powers irrevocable."

Though recognizing parallels between the rites – and noting this current transference didn’t constitute full empowerment – Lolth nevertheless felt disquiet stirring within. The cause was evident: The God of Light, paramount among main plane deities since the Third Era’s dawn, undefeated even against divine challengers… Even a fraction of such a being’s authority manifested terrifying potency.

"Most formidable indeed… The quintessential deity." Lolth’s lips curved in a wry smile. "Yet… this proves advantageous! At least now I needn’t restrain myself!"

Her whisper faded beneath the colossal Holy Light pillar that bridged firmament and earth, banishing storm and shadow alike as it reforged the Holy Capital’s magic environment…

A pair of colossal luminous wings unfurled.

Then came…

The second pair.

The third.

Three immense sets of pristine feathered wings coalesced from Holy Light materialized gradually, spreading like six expansive scrolls unfurling across the heavens. With a wingspan stretching hundreds of meters, they manifested as dimensional equals even before the gargantuan steel beast conjured by Lolth’s divine will.

The six Holy Light wings then elevated the comparatively diminutive Lady of Light skyward. Before these radiant pinions, more Holy Light condensed into a towering maiden-shaped effigy.

The luminous colossus – a glowing upper torso centered around a radiant pillar – enveloped the Lady of Light within its form. The six wings appeared seamlessly fused to the statue’s back, their owner’s face bearing seventy percent resemblance to the saint though suffused with divine serenity through half-lidded eyes. Despite being light-forged, the figure wasn’t unclothed but rather garbed in the saint’s signature hooded robe, its folded cowl meticulously detailed as if carved by master artisans into breathtaking realism.

Behind this sacred manifestation, above the wings…

A colossal annulus of Holy Light materialized, its circumference completing as it synchronized with spatial dimensions. The annulus pulsed with even greater luminous power than the angelic maiden herself, its emergence instantly dispelling half the stormclouds and transmuting falling rain within its sphere into glistening sanctified droplets.

Luminous ripples cascaded through the aqueous veil, enhancing the statue’s inviolable divinity. The glowing surface developed subtle chiaroscuro textures, imbuing the figure with startling vitality. Yet this was no mere sculpture…

The Holy Light embodiment lived.

Transformed into this radiant avatar, the Lady of Light gazed upward through newfound cosmic perspective. Lolth’s divine construct now met her eye-to-eye – not merely in scale, but in fundamental essence. Their power magnitudes…

Their divine ranks…

Stood perfectly matched.

The saint’s silent prayer trembled through her being:

"My Lord…"

"What measure of power and dominion have You bestowed?"

She hovered at the precipice of omnipotent delusion, this torrential Holy Light energy promising purification, creation, and illumination beyond mortal comprehension. Any soul less devout might have drowned in such glory.

Across the battlefield, Lolth stared at the colossal luminous saint and her sacred annulus, momentarily transfixed.

"You truly spare no expense!"

This transcends mere measures of power and authority.

The divine stature emanating from the Holy Light statue and its annulus before me unexpectedly surpasses even the combined might of three divine avatars I’d gathered…

Though deities vary in strength, none of these—not the cunning Demon God Norolandti from hell’s five pillars, nor the Day of Revival’s evil god reigning over an alternate plane, nor the nascent primal deity embodying four elemental concepts—could possibly be considered weak among godly beings.

Yet the God of Light effortlessly shaped a humanoid form and sketched a circle, eclipsing Lolth’s tripartite convergence…

Lolth couldn’t help feeling a tinge of surprise.

"Well, the silver lining here is that not only can I abandon restraint, but even giving my all might not suffice for victory…"

"How… considerate of you."

Moreover, observing the maiden bearing seventy percent resemblance to the Lady of Light, Lolth realized any feigned weakness would now flow more naturally.

Her blade inevitably hesitated against humanoid adversaries bearing familiar, comely features.

This incarnation of the Lady of Light blended both form and essence—though not of her own choosing. The Rod of Eden’s usage had evoked similar transformations before.

Lolth strongly suspected this manifested the God of Light’s peculiar whimsy—an apparent obsession with molding his chosen vessels, Divine Artifacts, and Holy Light wielders into magical-girl parodies.

Yet dissecting divine eccentricities mattered little now.

Having completed the "Divine Ascension," the Lady of Light stood before her in near-equal majesty…

Leaving but one course of action.

"Long has the wheel turned since last we met, dear Lily! Miss Lily Miradow!"

Lolth’s voice boomed through the Holy Capital, amplified hundredfold from her metallic cockpit.

The radiant statue-girl—now incarnated as the Lady of Light, Lily Miradow—lifted her gaze in response.

Eyes unveiling celestial glory, she intoned prearranged words with sacred resonance:

"Thou chaotic succubus, architect of calamity—this day shalt thou be cleansed in Holy Light!"

"Thy blighted existence and wrought devastation shall be expunged utterly!"

Yet beneath the thunderous proclamation pulsed no righteous fury…

Only sorrow-tinged resolve.