Sathya shattered the meteorite, even though the two apprentice Saintesses beside her knew full well this was merely their scheme.
Tina, of course, understood this too.
Before being transported to the Holy Academy, Sathya had held her, gently stroking her head as she whispered, “Don't take action this time, Sister Tina. You want me to become the Saintess, right? It wouldn't do if we showed such chaotic power~”
She recalled her awakening of the Winter Magical Beast. That indeed might have been a bit evil in the eyes of humans...?
No matter what, as long as Little Ya was happy~
She was the Saintess, after all~ the one humanity revered and believed in the most, and the person who deserved happiness more than anyone else in this world.
At that thought, a glimmer of joy appeared in Tina's crimson, slitted eyes.
However, she had to wear her hood to conceal her magical beast features so she wouldn't expose herself. Then again, even if she took off her hood, with the protection of the Chaos Bracelet, there wouldn't be any issues~
At this moment, on the platform of light, Velrose curled her lips and tugged at her sleeve.
“Mother, look! The humans are all cheering for us~ I really want to eat them!”
“Don't get so excited. The real show is just beginning, and we will have an enemy very soon,” Velrose whispered, casting a glance at Krulu.
Meanwhile, Sathya shielded Tina behind her, sometimes squeezing her hand and sometimes linking arms with her.
The Holy Academy erupted into a frenzy.
Countless people—whether they were Sanctuary Inquisitors, paladins, students, or teachers—all began making their way toward the central plaza of the Holy Academy.
Numerous stone sculptures stood tall in the plaza's garden. These peerless masterpieces by master sculptors paled in comparison to Sathya's brilliant light.
They gathered around the golden palace, waiting for the light-attribute magic to dissipate and for everything to return to normal so they could celebrate Sathya's return together.
At this moment, the members of the Saintess Faction, who had been gathered inside the building, even rushed out, shouting Sathya's name amidst the crowd.
Lavertis was among them.
“Waaah, I knew it! I knew you guys would be okay...”
She wiped away her tears while students pulled her aside to comfort her, making the scene look somewhat comical.
Yet little did they know, this was only a small part of the “Saintess Descent” plan.
Suddenly, in the sky directly north of the palace of light, another divine glow emerged from the parting clouds.
The light coalesced into a holy bridge extending into the sky, resembling a path leading to heaven.
The crowd fell silent, quietly watching the woman walking along the bridge.
Her slender figure was draped in a white robe, rendered holy and beautiful by exquisitely crafted gold ornaments and delicate lace. A white veil gently brushed against her long hair, which resembled golden stalks of wheat, and her porcelain skin looked like heaven's most beautiful masterpiece. Above her petite nose was a pair of eyes filled with gentleness. She parted her lips, letting out a sweet, melodious, yet incomparably majestic voice.
She looked toward the holy Saintess; the point where the bridge connected was none other than that golden platform.
At the same time, the other three girls fell to one knee.
“Apprentice Saintess, Sathya.”
The voice was very soft, yet highly penetrating, gently brushing against everyone's ears.
Many people in the crowd followed the girls' lead and fell to one knee.
“I am here,” Sathya replied.
Right at that moment, someone in the crowd muttered, “Her Holiness the Pope,” and everyone finally understood.
Was this divine, goddess-like figure not Her Holiness the Pope, who had not shown her face for decades?!
She almost never appeared on any non-essential occasion, yet today, she had appeared at the Holy Academy!
And a single thought crossed the minds of many...
Today might very well be the Saintess's “coronation ceremony.”
In just half a year, she had resolved several catastrophic crises. She was kind, immensely talented, and resembled a goddess from a fairy tale.
Some even rumored that if it weren't for Sathya, the magical beast crisis would have erupted many years earlier.
She was clearly the Saintess of prophecy, and the moment the Pope appeared and spoke her name, “Sathya is the Saintess” became an undeniable fact in everyone's hearts!
“Long live Her Holiness!”
“Long live Her Holiness!!”
They shouted in unison.
Meanwhile.
Kneeling on the ground, Tina slightly raised her head, looking out of the corner of her eye at Sathya, who was waiting to be crowned.
As the holy radiance shone down, she felt a sudden sense of fulfillment, as if a void in her heart had been filled.
But then again~
This “Her Holiness” was merely Isobel's spell.
The real Pope had not appeared for far too long, and any news regarding her had been completely sealed off by the Holy Academy.
Having seen the Pope once, Isobel had used her power to replicate the Pope's appearance and even a portion of her strength to descend upon the Holy Academy.
And forcibly execute the “Saintess Coronation.”
As for the real Pope?
The Church did not care, so naturally, they did not care either~
That woman locked away in the palace, never seeing the sun, had ultimately become a pawn of the magical beasts.
All that mattered was that the coronation ceremony was deeply engraved in everyone's hearts.
Meanwhile, members of the Rebel Army disguised as students would use image crystals to record the coronation and spread it far and wide.
This was the full scope of the plan.
Tina curled her lips. The more she thought about it, the more apparent the excitement in her eyes became.
It was just that right now, it felt like something was missing.
Before parting ways with the other magical beasts, Isobel had found an opportunity to speak with her.
Tina still remembered the anticipation and anxiety in Isobel's eyes.
“Lord Demon King, your immense strength might save us at a critical moment. Perhaps... I am just a bit obsessive over you. I am sorry, please forgive my arrogance, but I believe you can no longer afford to hold back your power in the upcoming battle.”
Normally, she would have been more oblivious, but this time, for some reason, she recalled that infuriating figure.
A flash of sword light swept down, instantly slicing through the bridge of light constructed by the “Pope.”
Accompanied by a sound like shattering glass, a familiar figure leaped onto the severed edge of the bridge.
She was currently dressed in knightly attire, but her powerful physique required no armor whatsoever; thus, only a few pieces of fabric symbolizing her status clung to her voluptuous body.
“I am Cardinal Elcalan.”
Her voice was incredibly resonant and as beautiful as a nightingale's song, yet it was deeply grating to the ears, like a sudden disturbance interrupting a sacred prayer.
Elcalan cast a downward glance at Sathya before turning her hateful eyes toward the “Pope.”
She naturally knew this Pope was a fake.
However, she had no room to argue; currently, she looked like nothing more than a sinner disrupting a sacred ceremony.
If she wanted to stop this coronation ceremony, she only had one last option left.
“Your Holiness, for what reason do you wish to crown a magical beast as the Saintess?” she said calmly. “That Saintess is actually a magical beast who has disrupted the order of the Church. She has deceived you all by disguising herself as a Saintess. If she is allowed to be chosen as the Saintess, humanity will face nothing but destruction.”
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