Under such circumstances, how could those nobles possibly dare to go to the grand cathedral of the Light Temple to conduct a sacrificial ritual?
They would probably ascend to the Saint realm in the morning at a ceremony presided over by the Light Pope—and by evening, they and their entire families would be on their way to the Sea of the Dead in the Underworld.
At the very least, until the Light Pope figured out how the Frostsnow Empire had managed to assassinate a Saint right under his nose, those nobles had no intention of courting death.
To be honest, almost everyone suspected that the person who killed Gasco was none other than His Majesty, the Emperor of the Frostsnow Empire.
Even the Light Pope harbored the same suspicion.
After all, he was confident that across the entire Wakanda Plane, aside from Celes, there was no one who could kill one of his people under his very eyes without being discovered.
And as for Celes's motive, it was actually quite simple.
According to the agreement made long ago between the Light Pope and Celes, the struggle for influence between the Light Temple and the Frostsnow Empire hinged primarily on the battles between legions formed by newly advanced Saints.
For the first three years, Saint-level powerhouses were forbidden from personally intervening; only their respective legions were allowed to fight.
If one side managed to crush the other's legion within those three years and determine victory, then the Saints wouldn't even need to take the field—the outcome would already be decided.
After three years, the Saints on both sides would enter the battlefield.
Even then, it was generally Saints fighting Saints, and legions and knightly orders fighting each other.
If one side's Saint was defeated, the only thing left to hope for was whether the opposing Saint would show mercy to the losing side's troops.
Back then, after Gasco completed the sacrifice and advanced to the Saint realm, forming a knightly order, the Frostsnow Empire had no newly advanced Saint of its own to form a legion.
If Gasco had chosen to attack a territory within the Frostsnow Empire that lacked a Saint overseeing it, the Light Temple could have considered the victory all but secured.
Looking at the current territorial distribution between the Light Temple and the Frostsnow Empire, if the Light Temple were to seize just one or two more ducal territories, its domain would be nearly on par with that of the Frostsnow Empire.
Such an outcome was something the proud Celes could never accept.
The Light Pope was nothing more than a mere Demigod—what right did he have to stand on equal footing with Celes?
Even equality in terms of territory was unacceptable.
If Locke hadn't succeeded in killing Gasco back then, Celes would have taken action against him himself.
Thus, the situation now was clear: unless the Frostsnow Empire produced a new Saint first, His Majesty Celes would not stop targeting those nobles who defected to the Light Temple and advanced through sacrifice.
Under these conditions, the atmosphere in all the major warrior academies and magic academies within the Frostsnow Empire became unprecedentedly intense.
As long as you were a genius, numerous nobles would pour vast resources into supporting you.
This wasn't because those nobles were particularly loyal to the Frostsnow Empire, but because they were desperate for new Saints to emerge as soon as possible.
Only then could they resume searching for sacrificial candidates, head to the Light Temple, and use the ritual to break through their bottlenecks and reach higher realms.
If Celes claimed he was unaware of what the nobles within his own country were doing, that would be a lie.
But in truth, his desires aligned perfectly with theirs.
He too hoped that new Saints would be born in his realm as soon as possible.
As for those who defected to the Light Temple?
Frankly speaking, he didn't regard them as worthy of notice.
On one side were Saints who relied on their own talent to comprehend the Profound Mysteries of the Laws and break through; on the other were those who walked an unorthodox path, depending on sacrifices and the aid of a Sovereign to advance. The two were simply not on the same level.
In the great battle Locke had participated in, if the Light Temple hadn't concealed the presence of an extra Saint warrior from the very beginning, then even fighting one against two, the Fifth Legion's commander might have been at a disadvantage—but he wouldn't have been killed so easily.
In Celes's eyes, Saints who achieved their realm through sacrifice were no different from gods who refined divine sparks to ascend—neither were worthy of his regard.
…
On this day, while deep in cultivation, Locke suddenly grasped a crucial fragment of the Profound Mystery of Illusionary fog.
The moment he fully comprehended that sliver of insight, he discovered that under its guidance, everything he had previously understood about Illusionary fog instantly merged into a seamless whole. A profound sense of completeness welled up within him.
"My Profound Mystery of Illusionary fog… has reached great completion!"
As that realization surfaced in his heart, Locke suddenly felt the entire world fall silent.
It was as if space had frozen and time itself had come to a halt. An overwhelming pressure descended upon Locke Territory.
The Laws of Heaven and Earth had arrived.
The fluctuations caused by the descent of the Laws were imperceptible to Saints, but to god-level beings, they were impossible to miss.
Thus, at the very moment the Laws descended, the only two god-level powerhouses in the Wakanda Plane turned their gazes toward Locke Territory.
"Hahahaha! As expected—it's him!"
Without even spreading his divine sense, Celes knew the moment he saw the direction from which the Laws descended. The one ascending to godhood this time could only be Locke.
Within the grand cathedral of the Light Temple—
The instant the Laws of Heaven and Earth descended, the Light Pope also cast his gaze in that direction.
"So it truly is a Saint of the Frostsnow Empire who's ascending…"
The Light Pope let out a sigh, his expression turning heavy.
During his time in the Wakanda Plane, the main reason the Light Temple had maintained a tacit understanding with the Frostsnow Empire was that he knew how to keep his head down and avoid truly provoking Celes.
Moreover, with the war stirred up by the Light Temple, the faith power offered to Celes by the people of the Frostsnow Empire had increased considerably compared to before. That was precisely why Celes hadn't taken action to "bully the weak with strength."
But now, with the Frostsnow Empire gaining another god, the Light Pope couldn't be sure whether Celes would send this new god to contend with him.
If this newly ascended god harbored hostility toward the Light Temple and truly sought a direct confrontation, it was entirely possible that the Light Pope would be forced to abandon the Wakanda Plane altogether.
"…So be it. Once this new Demigod completes his ascension, I'll go meet him personally."
Having made up his mind, the Light Pope hesitated no longer. He stepped out of the Holy Court, transforming into a streak of white light as he flew toward the place where the Laws had descended.
Since this was a visit, he naturally had to go in person.
Sometimes, revealing a bit of one's strength at the right moment—enough to make the other side recognize the gap and retreat—was a form of wisdom.
The Light Pope was confident that once this newly ascended god understood the difference between them, he would make the correct choice.
After spending so much time cultivating his influence in the Wakanda Plane, and only just reaching its current state, the Light Pope was unwilling to give it up. As long as there was even the slightest chance, he was determined to fight for it.
(End of Chapter)
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