Chapter 150: Holy Power (1)

“It seems everything went smoothly. How was your conversation with Kalosia?” Shadranes asked Ketal.

“It was truly an enjoyable time. I hope I will have another chance someday,” Ketal answered brightly.

“I see...,” Shadranes murmured, sounding a little perplexed. Although she had the god’s approval, she still found it daunting and could barely speak whenever she conversed with Kalosia. Talking to a god placed a massive burden on any mortal, so for Ketal to call it an

enjoyable time

was difficult for her to comprehend.

“Well, I’m relieved to hear that,” she finally said. Although she could not entirely understand his viewpoint, at least the meeting seemed to have ended without problems. She had worried Ketal might commit some act of irreverence, but apparently, everything turned out okay.

“Ah, there’s something I should tell you,” Ketal added.

“Yes?” Shadranes asked him, tilting her head in confusion.

Ketal began to explain why Kalosia withheld the holy scripture from them. It wasn’t because of their sins and guilt over past misdeeds, but rather because they had abandoned the very values of lies and deception, thereby disappointing Kalosia.

Shadranes’s jaw dropped.

“Is that really true?” she asked, briefly forgetting to maintain her usual composure.

Ketal gave a short nod. “I’m fairly sure I remember what Kalosia said. They made it quite clear.”

“Oh... I...” Her words trailed off, and a dizzy spell nearly overwhelmed her.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“So... the reason we could never gain permission to wield the holy scripture was because of that,” she said with a groan. She suddenly frowned as another thought struck her. “Then why am I the only one able to use it?”

“It must mean that the mask you wear holds enough value to meet your deity’s requirement,” Ketal noted with a curious smile.

In that instant, Shadranes realized something. “You... noticed?”

“I was surprised too. I didn’t realize it at first. That mask is so perfect that it’s the first time I’ve seen one like it,” Ketal replied.

“I would appreciate it if you would keep that secret,” she said quietly.

“I have no desire to spoil the fun,” he answered with a small grin.

Shadranes let out a long sigh. Now Ketal knew the secret she had only ever confided to Hayes, which made her feel gloomy. Still, the personal revelation seemed small compared to the bigger issue at hand.

“I can’t help but feel a bit... dejected,” she said at last.

The believers had done everything in their power to atone for their ancestors’ wrongdoings, striving to help people and restore the church’s reputation. Yet, all those efforts had only further disappointed Kalosia. It felt like all their struggles had been for nothing, leaving her profoundly dispirited.

“What do you plan to do now?” Ketal asked her.

“Well...,” she began, her voice trailing off. “We won’t go back to wreaking havoc with trickery and deceit. Being recognized by our god is a separate matter. We simply cannot dirty Kalosia’s name through our own actions.”

She let out a quiet breath, then continued firmly, “We will need to find a way to preserve the values of deception without being rejected by society. It’s going to be difficult, but we’ll try.”

Ketal offered a slight nod. “That’s going to be tough. Good luck.”

She rose from her seat and bowed politely. “Thank you. Without you, we would never have learned the truth. We would’ve kept disappointing Kalosia until... well, who knows what might have happened.”

They might have gone on until their order was destroyed, cursing a god who withheld the holy scripture and eventually succumbing to despair. The mere thought made her shiver. Considering that, the truth Ketal had revealed felt like a priceless gift.

He replied with an easy shrug, “Well, I found it interesting, so I didn’t mind sharing. Now, can we move on to our main topic?”

Ketal’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, and Shadranes nodded.

“Yes. Please come this way,” she said, standing and leading him out of the room. She guided him into the heart of the small church, heading to its deepest chamber.

“We ought to be grateful to Kalosia for this as well. To be honest, we had no idea what sort of reward would be appropriate,” Shadranes said.

Ketal had done so much for the Church of Kalosia; they felt compelled to repay him, yet they lacked the resources to provide the sort of reward he deserved. A considerable amount of money and manpower was already going into restoring the holy land, so preparing something that would meet Ketal’s satisfaction was impossible.

“Indeed, Kalosia is merciful for granting their attention to us, even though we continue to disappoint them,” Shadranes remarked with reverence.

Ketal merely gave a quiet smile. They arrived at the farthest chamber within the church, where Shadranes paused to offer a short prayer.

“O Kalosia, please grant us permission to behold your domain,” she intoned.

A portion of the floor split open, revealing a hidden passage.

Ketal’s eyes sparkled as he exclaimed, “Oh, wow!”

“This way, please.” Shadranes invited him, stepping down into the basement corridor. “This is the place where we once bid Kalosia farewell as they departed this realm for the heavens. Before ascending, they left their garments and ornaments to their followers.”

In other words, this underground area housed the very robes and accessories Kalosia once used while walking the mortal realm. Across the church’s long history, no one had ever been permitted to use these relics. Kalosia had never allowed it—until now.

“Here we are,” Shadranes announced, stopping at a door in the depths. It opened to reveal an array of objects on display.

There was a grayish robe, a diminutive dagger, and a piece of tree root whose purpose was unclear. All emanated a powerful aura of divinity that even Ketal could sense. Shadranes carefully picked up one of the relics.

“This is the relic Kalosia had permitted you to wield. Please accept it.” She handed him a bracelet of jet-black color.

“Ooh...,” Ketal murmured in awe as he grasped the bracelet. Had he tried touching this relic without permission, holy power would have consumed him entirely. Yet, that did not happen.

A golden radiance flared around him, a sign that he indeed possessed the right to handle it. Shadranes could not help gasping.

“It’s really true...,” she whispered. Kalosia had bestowed a relic upon a barbarian. It felt like something from a mythic legend. Ketal looked at the bracelet with a broad grin.

“Excellent,” he said.

***

Having finished his conversation with the god and received a relic, Ketal soon learned that Rakuza had finally recovered from his injuries and been discharged from the infirmary. After their reunion, Rakuza cautiously posed a question.

“Ketal, I heard a rather strange rumor. Is it true?” Rakuza asked Ketal.

“What rumor would that be?”

“Well...,” Rakuza faltered momentarily, as it sounded too unbelievable even to his own ears. He slowly continued, “I heard that Kalosia met with you alone and personally granted you one of their holy relics.”

“That sounds about right,” Ketal replied. “I received this.”

He lifted his arm, revealing a black bracelet. Even at a glance, it radiated enough powerful holy energy for anyone to sense.

Rakuza fell silent. It took him quite some time before he managed to speak. “So... it’s really true.”

After leaving the infirmary, Rakuza had been astonished to see how the entire holy land now regarded Ketal. The believers practically worshipped him. Although Rakuza was aware Ketal had saved them from annihilation, it still seemed excessive to treat him with devotion on par with their reverence for Kalosia.

He had asked the believers why, only to receive an even more incomprehensible explanation: Ketal had conversed directly with Kalosia and been granted a relic. The story sounded absurd, yet their sincere answers and Ketal’s own confirmation made it impossible to dismiss.

With a wry laugh, Rakuza remarked, “At this rate, it won’t be surprising if something starts writing a book about you.”

“I guess it’s possible,” Ketal said, chuckling. He did not seem overly serious about it, and Rakuza only brought it up jokingly.

Neither of them realized that some of the faithful were, in fact, beginning to compile a text recording Ketal’s deeds. Before this, rumors already hinted he might be Kalosia’s avatar. Now that he had actually met with the god and received a relic, such speculation would only intensify.

There were even those who ranked him alongside Shadranes as one of Kalosia’s chosen representatives.

Unaware of all this, Ketal and Rakuza continued their conversation in a relaxed manner.

“At least you’re getting better,” Ketal noted. “That’s good to see.”

Rakuza gave a faint, bitter smile. “Yes, I barely managed it.”

He had come dangerously close to suffering permanent damage; that was how fierce and powerful the enemy demon had been.

“That demon... was terrifying,” Rakuza said, exhaling heavily.

“You’re telling me,” Ketal agreed. “Do you think the demon’s power is on par with the highest-level Transcendents?”

After the battle ended, Ketal gathered what information he could about Lubitra, the so-called Demon of the Twisted Threads. Lubitra was near the top tier of named demons, having singlehandedly destroyed an entire religious order two centuries earlier.

Measured by mortal standards, he ranked among the strongest of the Transcendents.

Rakuza nodded. “It’s hard to draw exact comparisons, but that should be about right. Two hundred years ago, one of the strongest Transcendent fighters fought Lubitra and managed to take him down, though they themselves were seriously injured in the process.”

“I see. He was certainly powerful.” Ketal considered Lubitra the strongest foe he had encountered since getting out of the White Snowfield. Even the Legendary spirit and Nano had been weaker than Lubitra.

“Yes...,” Rakuza grimaced.

The battle had rattled him the most. Despite not having access to the holy scripture, he had been confident in his skills as a Transcendent holy knight. He believed he might not reach the highest ranks, but at least he wouldn’t be severely outmatched.

However, he had lost to Lubitra without being able to accomplish anything, despite holding the advantage of holy power. The crushing gap in strength dealt a heavy blow to his confidence and self-esteem.

Ketal’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “If a top-tier Transcendent is that strong, then how powerful must a Hero be?”

“No, you can’t even compare those two,” Rakuza interjected, instantly denying any comparison. “Heroes are strong—extremely so.”

Heroes could cleave the earth, slash through the sky, and shatter any mountains. A single Hero could upend the entire continent on their own. While the highest tier of Transcendent was formidable, they could never hope to match a Hero.

“I see,” Ketal said, intrigued. “They’re that much stronger?”

“They exist beyond the realm of normal understanding,” Rakuza said. “For instance, hundreds of years ago, there was an incident where four demons descended simultaneously.”

The Cradle of Darkness performed a massive summoning, sacrificing countless lives to pierce through the gods’ revelations and bring the demons forth. Each of those four demons was on the same level as Lubitra, capable individually of destroying an entire religious order.

The entire continent went on high alert. Many churches sent carrier pigeons in a panic, and even the most powerful Empire braced itself for possible catastrophe.

“Yet the demons were all banished almost immediately, without doing a single thing,” Rakuza said. “Apparently, the Tower Master happened to be in the vicinity at the time, and he singlehandedly disposed of all four demons right then and there.”