Lande, the Abandoned City, on the surface.
Innumerable sacrifices and four sheets of dried, stretched human skin were placed in the four corners: east, west, south, and north.
“The voice of blessing descends; the glory of the True God shall spread across the land…”
Following the believers’ synchronized prayers, the human skins hanging in the four corners actually opened their hollow eyes at the same time!
In that instant, they let out piercing screams!
Lande’s earth and sky both turned blood-red.
The entire space seemed isolated from the outside world, becoming an independent Divine Realm exclusively for the True God!
Within the Crystal Plaza, the widest area in the city, a man wearing a bizarre mask looked up at the sky that had already turned a deep crimson.
Although he had seen it many times, the Great Priest still found it difficult to restrain his inner excitement with every new observation.
This was the great power displayed by the True God, temporarily assimilating this useless mortal realm into His Divine Realm!
This was the true power belonging to a True God!
Compared to the century-old, so-called “Supreme God,” this was the status a true divinity should possess!
‘Only I… and those around me who can receive the True God’s response… are Punishing Existences truly worthy of the name “believer”!’
Pitter-patter…
In the next second, black rain actually began to fall within the crimson-covered Lande City.
The rainwater dripped onto the abandoned buildings of the city.
The structures touched by this black rain began to wither, decay, and finally turn into piles of dust right before one’s eyes.
It was as if they had experienced thousands of years of weathering in an instant.
However, the believers standing in place — also covered by the black rain — were not affected in the slightest.
They simply paused their work in excitement…
They opened their arms like small children, tilting their heads back with open mouths to welcome the black rain falling from the heavens.
This was the Divine Grace bestowed by the True God before the Sacrificial Rites began.
It allowed the True God’s believers to move one step closer to Him, and it allowed Him… to move one step closer to His descent.
“Ah… Great True God! We have received your will!”
A section in the middle of the Great Priest’s bizarrely twisted mask began to writhe!
In the very center of the mask, a bloodshot, grotesque eyeball gradually grew.
The eye on the mask gazed upward… and above the endless firmament, there seemed to be a giant Watcher Eye observing everything below.
“Now, let the Sacrificial Rites begin…”
As the Great Priest’s voice fell, the group of believers began to move the prepared sacrifices from the carriages.
These sacrifices were very strange. There were livestock and poultry often used in blood sacrifices, but there were also small trinkets.
For instance, there were women’s hairpins, cutlery, cloth, and even some scissors, plates… small items needed for human life.
During the transport of these items, another masked priest ran up to the Great Priest.
Although a giant eye had also appeared in the middle of this priest’s mask, the eye was not fully open; it was half-closed.
It looked like a drowsy person about to fall asleep, or perhaps someone who had just woken up and was about to fully open their eyes.
“Great Priest… there is one person missing from the God’s Guard.”
“What?”
The Great Priest slowly turned his head to look at the Assistant Priest beside him, his brow furrowing deeply beneath the mask.
The God’s Guard consisted of twenty-four people. Every one of them was a Transcendent and a devout believer of the True God — people who had been granted great power by the divinity.
Putting their strength aside, based solely on their faith in the True God, it was impossible for them to go missing just as the Sacrificial Rites were about to begin.
Unless —
The Great Priest’s expression turned slightly grim.
The twenty-four Divine Guards each had important duties during the rites.
It could be said that every single one was indispensable.
Technically, with one missing… the Sacrificial Rites could not be held.
But at this moment, the True God’s gaze had already descended. They were like an arrow on the string; it had to be fired.
“Continue the ritual. Tell the believers guarding the perimeter to search… I want them found, whether they are alive — or dead!”
“Yes, Great Priest…” The Assistant Priest nodded slowly and withdrew.
Rumble!!
As the black rain corroded the surroundings, ancient buildings began to collapse continuously!
In this moment, time in the red world seemed to have its fast-forward button pressed…
Buildings collapsed, decayed, and turned to ash…
***
At the edge of the red Divine Realm.
Behind a giant rock in the wasteland.
Among the scattered corpses and severed limbs on the ground stood a group of over ten people.
Their clothing was uniform: all were draped in white robes with a red emblem on the back consisting of two hands holding up a mark of light.
They were the Heresy Inquisition of the Church of the One God.
Shing!
The blade of a giant axe was pulled from the head of a locust-like giant insect…
However, no blood splattered from the wound.
It only brought out some charred black debris.
The axe-wielder did not continue to pay attention to the fearsome giant insect.
The eyes beneath her hood looked up, gazing at a certain point in the sky.
In the eyes of an ordinary person, there was nothing unusual there.
But in her eyes, red light pierced the heavens.
“Damn it, these Antfolk are really in the way…” On the other side, Sigrid complained unhappily as she held her scythe.
They should have reached the location to intercept the Evil Cult long ago.
However, seemingly because of the earthquake, these Antfolk had swarmed out of their nest, launching suicidal attacks on them!
Helpless, they had to deal with these things first.
For elite combatants of the Church like them, the combat power of these Antfolk was completely insufficient.
But there were simply too many of them.
If they wanted to break away, it wasn’t impossible, but…
The scythe-wielding woman looked to the side.
She looked at the slender figure holding the giant axe.
The weapon was taller and wider than the user… creating a very discordant sense of imbalance.
The Captain had not issued an order to retreat.
The order she had given was: “Kill all these heretics.”
That was what led to the carnage before them.
The Captain had always been like this, unable to tolerate even a grain of sand in her eyes.
Of course… that was also the creed of the Heresy Inquisition.
“Captain, it has been dealt with.”
Sigrid shook the dark green blood from her scythe and jogged to the Captain’s side.
“Mhm.”
The Captain slowly retracted her gaze from the sky and glanced at her team member.
That single glance gave Sigrid a phantom pain, as if her eyes were being scorched by flames! It made her quickly avert her gaze…
Those eyes were dark gold, and they seemed to contain endless raging fires!
Legend had it… that the eyes of every Captain of the Heresy Inquisition were a gate leading to Purgatory.
They were “Destruction” eyes that had been looked upon directly by the Supreme God.
“Let’s go.”
Whoosh! Clack!
The Captain lifted the giant axe from the ground with one hand.
In a crisp mechanical sound, the axe handle and blade automatically retracted inward by at least three inches!
Though the weapon still looked a head taller than the slender Captain.
But if she carried it diagonally on her back, at least it wouldn’t drag on the ground.