In the Name of Empress

Chapter 749 414: Your Stake, No, Your Stake of Fire

Light, how wonderful it is.

When the first ray of dawn awakened the world, Christine was moved to tears, the fatigue and bruises swept away.

The madness of last night seemed to never have existed, only the bloodstains on the statue of the Goddess spoke of last night's intense battle.

Light once again favored her.

This time, it was not from the Goddess, but a resonance caused by Roland that fully awakened her Light Constitution.

Heart towards the light, no need for others to grant it.

Christine had never been more convinced that the light was on her side.

If Tiya wanted to strip her of the Power of Light but failed, it meant that Tiya is a demigod, unable to strip the so-called heretic power that she deemed, what else but a demigod?

If Tiya is a demigod, then she is the enemy of light.

"I will personally vanquish the demigod Tiya and make her pay the price for her transgression. Her filthy soul fragment will be eternally burned under the bath of light, never to find peace."

It's no surprise, Christine.

Roland thought silently, when it comes to being harsh on women, it has to be another woman.

But he didn't sympathize with Tiya at all.

The final battle of the Day of Return is not a dinner party, but a fight to the death.

If Tiya won, the fate awaiting him and Christine would be even worse.

There's a saying often used in battles of faith, "Death is the greatest mercy to you."

This is no idle talk, but the brutal reality of struggle.

Roland embraced Christine, feeling the restored contours of her body and her vibrant heartbeat, his eyes full of light.

Except for a Holy Mark still on her face, and the true growth obtained last night, Christine had regained the youthful and beautiful state of her seventeen-year-old self.

Roland didn't ask her why she kept the Holy Mark, he knew it was intentional.

Restoring her body was a farewell to unbearable memories, keeping the Holy Mark was a remembrance of past pain.

The door to the Prayer Room slowly opened, as expected, several Cardinals and fully armed Paladins were standing outside.

Almost all the high officials of the Divine Court of Light were here.

"Bishop Martin, what is going on?"

Christine, as dignified as ever, asked coldly: "I don't recall summoning you for a meeting."

"It is..." Martin was drenched in sweat, at a loss for words.

A large, sturdy hand reached from behind, pulling Martin, the fence-sitter, backward with force.

A true fence-sitter, just a gentle pull sent him staggering behind the crowd.

Roland almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

Martin, able to maintain almost the same appearance for over a hundred years, was not weak, at least at the peak of Tier Five in combat power, enough to fight Sofia before the Battle of White Mountain.

Such a strong man, yet a light tug almost threw him out the door.

This old guy truly knows how to put on an act.

Roland wouldn't be angered by Martin's slickness.

At least this guy was still hesitating, unlike the other rebels who were directly confrontational.

It's easy to guess that the crimson intimate encounter in the Prayer Room last night drove Tiya into irrationality, hastily issuing a Divine Oracle to other clergy to clean house.

A God cannot directly use power to interfere with the Material Plane, but there are loopholes in any rule, they have the authority to guide followers in cultivation.

Granting divine power for followers to comprehend is also a form of guidance.

Followers who gain divine-bestowed power are, of course, loyal to the God, who then handles Material Plane affairs through them.

Previously, Tiya's spokesperson was Christine.

No one was more pious in faith or loyal to the Goddess's commands than her.

Until Roland appeared.

Tiya couldn't accept Christine's betrayal and chose to punish her by stripping her power.

According to Roland's estimate, Tiya probably just wanted to warn Christine, not intending to kill with one blow.

If truly intending to kill Christine, she wouldn't have waited until today to let others handle it.

If Christine calmed down and thought it through, she would surely figure it out.

However, she chose to go to the extreme.

Roland glanced sideways at Christine, whose gaze was as calm as water, feeling a slight chill in his heart.

He realized he guessed wrong again.

Christine was so intelligent, surely she could deduce Tiya's warning, hoping she would yield.

This directly touched her bottom line, the greatest insult to her.

Incomplete trust is equivalent to complete distrust.

Tiya was furious at Christine's incomplete loyalty, while Christine was likewise utterly disappointed by Tiya's incomplete trust.

Some things if originally dirty, don't mind getting dirtier; some things originally pure, even a tiny stain feels filthy.

Christine felt her sincere feelings were misplaced, hence her despair.

Roland's mind raced, reflecting on the past understanding and connection between him and Christine.

Fortunately, he never doubted Christine, even when she held all the military power he trusted absolutely.

It was this trust that made him replace Tiya as the last pure light in Christine's life.

Roland inexplicably felt a chill rise up his back.

Christine was indeed extreme, whoever wronged her, she'd fight fiercely.

The chill passed quickly, and Roland breathed a long sigh of relief. As long as he didn't betray, there was nothing to worry about.

The ones to worry were those fools attempting a coup.

They thought Christine had lost all her power, and could be easily controlled, not knowing she wielded a more pure and powerful Power of Light than before.

These rebels keep provoking, later on, no one will escape justice.

Roland stepped back, handing the stage over to Christine.

"Bishop Muse, since you've gathered so many people, you must have something important?"

"Your Holiness the Pope, this morning I heard the voice of the Goddess, she instructs me to gather all believers in the Holy City to announce an important matter."