“Nick!” Landon shouted from afar at the Third Patrol Regiment Commander Nick, “You evil heretic, your atrocities against the brothers and sisters of the Church of Light will be judged.”

“Judged?!” Nick was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter. “Who dares to judge me?! That so-called God of Light of yours who’s already dead? Bah!”

As he spoke, he spurred his warhorse and suddenly drew the greatsword from his saddle. “Brothers, today is our time to earn glory. Except for the heretical remnant, the false Saintess Catherine, kill all the rest without mercy!”

“Kill, kill, kill!”

Nearly two hundred soldiers raised their spears and short shields, morale high, marching forward with heavy and deadly steps, advancing bit by bit toward the followers of the Light.

In an instant, a murderous aura surged and enveloped the entire Faith Square. Even the wind whistling through the air seemed to carry a sharper chill.

“Great God of Light~” The shallow believers, unarmed and defenseless, many began to wail and weep bitterly, “Please descend to the mortal world and save us!”

“Mama, mama.” A little girl of about seven or eight looked up at her mother, her face full of innocence. “Will God come to save us?”

Her mother, a farm woman in her twenties, was herself on the verge of collapse. Yet, out of fierce maternal instinct, she still held her daughter tightly and whispered, “He will. The great God of Light will surely descend and personally judge those evil heretics.”

But even she didn’t believe her own words.

She regretted it, deeply regretted believing the Saintess and returning to the faith of the God of Light. She regretted even more bringing her child to the church gathering to witness the so-called miracle of the God of Light.

Now, seeing the imperial soldiers with spears already advancing to the front of the believers, it seemed that with just a thrust, those defenseless civilian followers would be slaughtered.

“Clang!”

The swordsman Landon suddenly drew his longsword, a trace of battle aura flowing into the blade, which immediately shimmered with a faint white light.

He looked at Catherine, his gaze resolute. “Your Holiness Saintess, please grant me the blessing of Light.”

The other three soldiers also requested blessings, ready to charge forward and fight the enemy.

The four of them were already prepared to sacrifice themselves for their faith.

“Calm yourselves!”

The Saintess of Light, Catherine, gave a gentle yet firm command, her expression still devout and composed.

Her lips parted slightly, and her calm, dignified voice spread across the square with the holy radiance: “The great Lord of Light is watching over us. He will shelter every believer with His wings of light, and judge every heretic with His sword of light. Believers, calm the fear in your hearts, cleanse the filth within your souls, and let us welcome the descent of the great God of Light.”

As her words fell, she clasped the silver cross to her chest and began to sing the hymn—the Praise of Light—with utmost devotion.

The melodious, ethereal, and stirring song floated through the night.

In an instant.

A powerful and pure light burst forth from her, surging into the sky, then exploding like fireworks in midair, transforming into countless fragments of light that drizzled down from above, like a dazzling rain of light.

The fine rain of light fell upon the terrified believers, and also upon the imperial soldiers and the cavalry guards.

The raindrop-like light landed on a shallow believer filled with fear, instantly turning into streams of power that entered his body, like warm and pure sunlight, dispelling the darkness and terror deep within his heart.

In that moment, the shallow believer felt as if he were bathed in holy light, his whole body relaxed, his mind clear. Even the gleaming spears right before him no longer seemed so frightening.

As more and more light rained down, the believers seemed to regain their lost courage and saw the dawn of light.

Thirty true believers stepped out from the crowd, hand in hand, blocking the imperial army. Though still afraid, their eyes were full of courage as they chanted loudly, “The time of darkness is about to pass, the dawn of light is coming.”

With the true believers leading by example, the shallow believers also stood up, moving the elderly, women, and children to the back, while the strong male believers joined hands at the front, shouting along with the true believers.

The old, the young, the women, and the children were not idle either. They grabbed the hands of the nearest believers, trembling as they joined in the chant.

At this moment, the Saintess’s Praise of Light reached its climax, the most stirring point. The brilliant light blossomed like fireworks, illuminating the entire Faith Square, even casting a dazzling glow over the battered statue of the God of Light.

Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, the believers’ hearts seemed to unite as one at this moment, gathering together, their inner distractions being washed away, their thoughts becoming as clear as jade.

Most of them were shallow believers, each with only a faint channel of faith, but once united, they became strong and unbreakable, like a sword of light piercing the sky.

……

Chapter 9: Divine Might Like a Prison

……

A large-scale sacrificial prayer!