The High Priest’s arrogance seemed to have vanished after talking to the Cleric Walker. The old man, who now called himself an apprentice, happily presented to the Archmage all the information he had on angels and angel-summoning. This included the design of the angel-summoning formation.

As the Scholar Walker poured through this information, she gasped. “The sheer magnitude! It is almost impossible to replicate this. I figured that the Church had sacrificed a lot even before the ritual began.”

The formation complex was so large that it could cover a large city, so it had to be supported by a huddle of churches. This was only the first of many difficult demands, though. Only someone that completely blinded by their faith could embark on such a project.

Only the Ancient Rohlserlian Empire’s magic complex was bigger than this angel-summoning magic complex, but the same amount of technical expertise and skill was required to construct both magic complexes.

Such a large magic complex was the application of thousands of years of knowledge. It was impossible for a person, institution, or even nation to shoulder the cost required to build the angel-summoning magic complex. Only the Church, an organization that has existed for millennia, could bear such a cost.

“The ‘Path to Ascension’ from my time is nothing compared to this! I find it hard to believe that such a cute little complex could actually end up being used to summon an angel. Maybe I should just call it what it is, a bloody miracle!” The Archmage exclaimed. “I meant the “bloody” part, as well. Is the power generated from live sacrifices this potent? No wonder the annoying cults back in my day were so obsessed with it. Damn it; I’m now pretty tempted to harness that sweet, sweet power…”

The Lich Walker sighed. “Today, even scholars do not know why the painful annihilation of a human soul can generate a large amount of power. This is the reason why the act of human sacrifice is being carried. Sigh. My luck is rotten to have been born at the wrong time. Despite a lifetime of research, I did not come close to harnessing that darkness for myself.”

The other Voidwalkers frowned. “Can we please not talk about human sacrifice in this manner?” It had been a few thousand years since anyone in Isythre made human sacrifices, so the correct way to do so was lost to history.

If the Demigod Lich Waker, who was considered the worst of the worst, did not know how to make human sacrifices, then the Voidwalkers were sure that no one else would know. Except an even more deranged individual rises up and travels to hell to learn from the devil, as it may have been the brains behind the dastardly invention. From what Hope had once said, even the arrival of a holy angel was tainted by the deaths of the hundreds of thousands used to fuel her summoning.

“Come on, edgelords. There are a good many reasons why human sacrifice is frowned up and why the process of carrying it out is lost to history,” said the Sorcerer Walker, steering the discussion back on course. A moment later, he exclaimed, “Yo, this magic complex is huge and very complicated. I’m amazed that the old fella managed to remember all of it!”

As a mage that was better at fistfights than magic fights, formations as complicated at this one was the nightmare of the Sorcerer Walker.

“Nepotism or a solemn declaration of religious fealty is not enough for one to become a High Priest. A prospective High Priest first had to have a complete understanding of the angel-summoning formation,” the Paladin Walker explained. “I will not be surprised if the High Priest had been studying this thing since he was a child. He must have devoted his life to this ritual.”

The Soul Armature Practitioner sighed and said, “And, here I am, hoping that we could summon an angel of our own in Da Xue’s name, using Hope’s resources. How naïve. It feels bad, man.” He slowly rubbed a finger on a ball parted down the middle by a black band. A large white “M” could be seen on the purple top, with two smaller pink circles on either side.

The dejected Voidwalker let out an even quieter sigh. “The dreams of a man, in the end… amounts to nothing…” [1]

The other Voidwalkers stared at the Soul Armature Practitioner. ‘What do you mean by that? And, what the hell are you planning to do with that suspiciously-familiar ball?’

“So, how will this magic complex help us? Can we use it to save Her Grace?” The Paladin Walker asked, picking a paper out of the stack.

“Although we can’t use this to summon an angel, the knowledge we have gained is enough. At its core, the angel-summoning formation is a city-sized magic complex with many incredible functions. I think it will be useful in our bid to escape the Void,” the Archmage replied, his attention still focused on the paper in his hand. “We just need a lot of time to study them all…

“But, that’s the problem!” He stood up abruptly and made a show of pulling his non-existent hair in frustration. “I don’t have enough time! [2] We have Noirciel to save; we have Earth’s technology to research; and now, we have this! I just don’t have enough time, even though I don’t need to sleep!”

“Hear, hear. After researching Earth’s Internet technology, I was poised to produce a prototype, but alas, I have not, due to a seemingly-indefinite delay. Hence, the research had to be stopped and set aside,” the Scholar Walker sighed. “In the Void, I believed that time was infinite; I now realize that such a thought is stupid. I did not expect to one day be so short of breath — metaphorically speaking, of course.”

The Archmage raised his head and said, “Well, we have no other choice but to give it our all, right? “First things first, let us carefully study this information so that we can understand how the Church was able to compress Noirciel’s soul and power into the body of that little girl. Understanding this is now our priority!”

While Baiyi ventured into the depths of his being to save Mia, the Voidwalkers were in a race against time to save Noirciel. While all this was happening, something else occurred in the Church, prompting it to take action. Someone there had received a revelation.

As a cathedral’s enormous bell tolled at the stroke of midnight, the Pope crazily summoned the Church’s higher up for an impromptu meeting. His dedication to the cause was once again put on display.

When the sleepy cardinals gathered in the dim room, they heard something that instantly dispelled their lethargy.

“The gods have spoken to me!”

The Pope sounded ecstatic. After maltreating Noirciel greatly, the man was weighed down by his conscience. He decided to reside in the Temple of Auguries and pray to his lord as often as he could.

“A few minutes ago, the clock struck midnight, and I heard it. I heard voices from above!” The Pope exclaimed, pointing at the ceiling. “My brothers, they told me that more angels will grace us with their presence! We must make the necessary preparations now!”

“Is that revelations are received? With our High Priest missing, the gods decided to speak to you instead?” The Chief Judge asked in surprise. He had never received a revelation before. This was not a surprise because only a few people have ever received revelations. The Chief Judge could not imagine what it would be like to hear a god speaking.

“They speak not with sounds, but directly to my mind! Their voice reached my soul, greatly enlightening me!” The Pope reverently said. “It’s an overwhelming experience; I can’t even describe it to you. Their voices… It sounded clearer than words spoken in languages under the sun!”

However, the Pope, who was overwhelmed by the experience, had no idea that Voidwalker had been using the same method to communicate for thousands of years. The Fourth Voidwalker did not talk; he just passed his messages directly to Baiyi’s mind.

“The message was clear. The gods will send more angels to us. This time, not a single one of them will be sinners. We won’t get another broken angel that spends all her time in the clocktower, daydreaming her time away,” said the Pope. “These angels will be just as the Scripture depicts — mighty, proud, and without sin! I could even sense their presence in mind. Oh, how that made me tremble in fear! The Lord most gracious; the Lord most wrathful!”

“Why, though? Why now?” The Archbishop of Canningham asked, even though Noirciel had done a number on his faith.

“The One True God commanded them to aid His children. These angels serve Krachlon — the God of Nature — and Tylemus, the God of Time. They have been blessed by Deilos — the God of Power — and Cardinia, the God of Life. They are here to punish the sinners who have incurred the wrath of the gods!” The Pope replied. “Those demons have indeed done it, this time. They have enraged the gods of nature, time, power, and life! Only the God of Space and the God of Prophecies remain silent[3]. What grave blasphemy did they commit, O’ Devil, to incite the Lord’s fury?”

The Chief Judge jumped from his seat and gripped the Scripture necklace at his neck. “After all the trials and tribulations we have suffered, our work has been recognized!” He looked up cried out, “Praise be my Lord!”

The other joined the Chief Judge in praising loudly. They felt like devout believers again.

When the crowd finally calmed down, Paladin Grand Cross Aaron, who commanded crusaders and templars, asked, “What do we have to prepare? How much time do we have left?”

“What do we prepare? We prepare for war!” The Pope bellowed. “There’s no time like the present. Summon all the crusaders and the templars, and prepare their swords. Train them for the glorious battle ahead. Prepare resources and rations. My brothers, a holy war is nigh! With the gods on our side, we are destined to win. When the gods unleash their anger, those demons will perish!”

The Pope’s speech was a very passionate one, but he made no mention of when the war would actually take place. The gods did not mention any dates to him, so he could only make preparations and wait.

“While our preparations are underway, we need to make sure that our summoning formation remains functional. Spare no resources, no matter how expensive it is. Even if we have to bow our heads to those foolish sorcerers, so be it,” said the Pope. “In fact, I have a hunch that those arrogant sorcerers will hang their heads in shame when the angels descend.”

“No mortal would dare raise their head to look into the eyes of an enraged god,” said the Chief Judge. “I’m afraid that the infidels would turn to dust before they even get a chance to get down on their knees and plead for mercy.”

“But where is the High Priest?” The Archbishop of Canningham suddenly asked. “This meeting is too important for him to miss. We need him to maintain the summoning formation.”

“I bet that old fool is hiding in a confession booth somewhere,” the Pope coldly replied. “He is pathetically obsessed with that failed angel. No matter — I want him found, now!”