Inside the Divine Capital Grand Hall of the Asumos Church within the Red Lotus Leaf Empire—

The faith worshipped by the Asumos Church was none other than the great goddess who had once saved the world and bestowed a new order upon it.

Asumos.

In the ancient language, the word symbolized salvation and creation. The church had adopted the name precisely to commemorate that great goddess of old.

As the most powerful religious force on the Anqieka Continent, the interior of the Asumos Church headquarters naturally embodied the peak of luxury and grandeur. Within the vast and radiant hall stood over a dozen enormous stone pillars engraved with golden patterns and embedded with dazzling gemstones of every color.

Countless exquisite murals and masterfully crafted religious artworks filled the cathedral-like chamber.

At the deepest part of the hall stood a thirty-meter-tall goddess statue that seemed sculpted by divine hands themselves. It had been forged entirely from Angui platinum diamonds. Whenever sunlight filtered through the glass dome overhead and shone upon the statue, the entire figure radiated brilliant golden light.

A breathtaking spectacle akin to a miracle itself.

At this moment—

Beneath the statue, an elderly man with white hair and an immortal-like bearing slowly rose after finishing his prayer to the goddess. Dressed in white-and-gold robes, he turned toward the man kneeling at the front of the hall.

The kneeling man possessed exceptionally handsome features. Combined with his brilliant golden long hair, he gave off a bright and dashing impression.

He wore silver armor, a holy steel sword imbued with anti-demonic power at his waist, and a white robe draped over his shoulders. Rare golden threads had been woven into the robe to form rune patterns resembling a pair of wings.

This man was Pix-Lata.

A Sword Saint-class expert, and one of the Ten Braves of the Asumos Church.

A heroic figure who had slain hundreds of Abyss Demons.

Among the common people, his status could only be described as revered.

Yet such a man now quietly knelt upon the floor, waiting for the old man’s orders.

A moment later, the white-haired elder solemnly walked before Pix and spoke in a tone that permitted no doubt.

“Eighth Brave Pix-Lata, your squad is hereby ordered to proceed to the eastern region of the Great Winter Forest. Advance along Route T3 and investigate the distribution of Abyss Demon forces within the interior. According to ancient records, the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons is located somewhere in the eastern territory. If the opportunity presents itself, you may attempt to investigate the Hall itself.”

“This subordinate accepts the order.”

“Mm. Also, this is a distribution map of known Abyss Demon groups. It should help your team avoid unnecessary conflict. Remember—do not create too much commotion. The Snow Night Empire in the eastern region has never been particularly fond of us.”

As he spoke, the elder retrieved a bundle of scrolls from his spatial ring and slowly handed them to Pix.

After receiving the scrolls, Pix lowered his head respectfully.

“Yes, Bishop Nick. This subordinate understands.”

...

...

Some time later, after concluding his meeting with the bishop, Pix departed the Divine Capital Grand Hall under the guidance of a maidservant. The Eighth Brave then relayed the mission assigned to him by the bishop to his four teammates.

The moment they heard the details, unease immediately surfaced across everyone’s faces.

One petite brown-haired girl nervously walked up beside Pix and tugged lightly on the corner of his clothes. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“Captain? We’re... going deep into the eastern region? Is this mission serious? Aren’t expeditions usually limited to the outer areas? With our strength, if we run into large numbers of Abyss Demons—or worse, a Demon King-class monster—we’re dead for sure!”

“Yeah, Captain, this mission feels way beyond us.”

“Is the bishop actually serious about this?”

The other teammates also voiced their doubts.

In response, Pix gently patted the brown-haired girl’s head reassuringly.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry too much. Our route was carefully selected to avoid the main monster populations. Places without food sources are unlikely to contain large concentrations of Abyss Demons. As for Demon King-class creatures, we don’t need to panic over that either. According to observations over the last hundred years, there should only be three Demon King-class entities within the Winter Forest.”

“‘Deadwing’ always roams the western skies, while ‘Nightmare’ remains near the great lake region in the center. We won’t encounter either of them in the east. As for ‘Snow Devourer,’ its movements are unpredictable, but as long as we’re careful, we should be fine. Lier, you don’t need to worry so much.”

As he spoke, Pix encouragingly patted the brown-haired girl’s shoulder.

After hearing their captain explain things, the squad finally relaxed somewhat.

“Alright, we understand, Captain.”

“Mm.”

At that moment, the muscular giant Beckham, who had remained silent the entire time, frowned unhappily.

“Still, Captain... wasn’t this exploration mission originally supposed to go to that woman, White Yama? Why’d it suddenly get dumped onto us? Did that trashy woman shove the responsibility off again?!”

“I heard Lady White Yama was assigned to accompany the newly arrived girl.”

“The newcomer? You mean the one with extremely high affinity toward Holy Magic?”

“Yeah. That one.”

Pix nodded slightly.

After receiving confirmation from their captain, the girl named Lier immediately revealed an excited expression.

“Captain! Captain! Lady White Yama personally went to accompany her? Does that mean she’ll really become the first Saintess in hundreds of years, just like the rumors say?!”

“Well... I’m not completely sure myself. But both the bishop and the Pope place tremendous importance on that girl. They even plan to let her attempt contact with the Holy Beast. Enmm... maybe she really will become the Saintess.”

“If she truly becomes the Saintess, that’d be incredible news! Right, right, Captain! Didn’t you say that girl already arrived at headquarters?”

“Yeah. She arrived yesterday. Why?”

“I—I mean... could we maybe go see her? I heard the candidate Saintess is unbelievably beautiful and incredibly gentle, just like an angel! I want to see her for myself!”

Lier spoke with sparkling eyes.

At the same time, Pix’s other teammates also nodded in agreement. Everyone was curious about this prophesied girl who had seemingly descended from the heavens.

In response—

Pix helplessly shook his head.

“If Lady White Yama is responsible for watching over her, then there’s no chance you’ll get to see her.”

“Ah? How come...”

The group sighed in disappointment.

Pix laughed awkwardly.

“Come on, there are countless people who want to see her. If everyone lined up to visit, would the future Saintess even get any rest? Besides... honestly speaking... it’s probably better not to meet her...”

A trace of unease unconsciously entered Pix’s voice.

His four companions looked thoroughly confused.

“What do you mean ‘better not to meet her’?”

“That’s... because...”

At that moment, Pix hesitated.

He didn’t know how to explain it to his companions, because even he felt his thoughts sounded absurd...

As one of the Ten Braves, Pix had fortunately been granted the opportunity yesterday to meet the legendary girl.

According to the divine prophecy passed down through the Asumos Church—

The Child of Destiny.

Beautiful, kind, overflowing with holy aura.

She would become the next Saintess, lead the people of the continent against the invasion of the Abyss Demons, eventually destroy the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, and eradicate the source of all tragedy.

After meeting the silver-haired girl, Pix had no choice but to admit that her appearance was the most perfect beauty he had ever seen in his life.

A masterpiece crafted by the Creator Himself.

Her entire body overflowed with sacred energy.

At the same time—

Though the girl appeared delicate and fragile, her performance within the arena had left everyone stunned. Despite being a commoner who had only undergone training for a short period of time, every movement she made in battle flowed with shocking smoothness.

Despite only possessing early fifth-tier strength, she had violently beaten a sixth-tier knight commander...

Beautiful and powerful.

That was Pix’s first impression of the “Child of Destiny.”

However—

At the instant their eyes briefly met—

Pix suddenly felt an icy chill crawl down his spine.

In that moment, what he saw within the girl’s eyes was not the gentle warmth one would expect from a savior of the world...

But an indescribably profound coldness.

There was none of the warmth a Saintess should possess.

For a fleeting instant—

Pix even had the illusion that he was staring into the eyes of a Demon King-class Abyss Demon.

Even now, the lingering fear still remained in his heart.

...

—

At the same time—

Within the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons deep inside the Winter Forest—

After listening to Saiboke-Baniya’s report, the blood butterfly formed from Fan Yumo suddenly began fluttering excitedly through the air. Joy unconsciously entered her voice.

“You’re saying the girl taken away by the Asumos Church... is the ‘female lead’?”

Wow!

After waiting all these years—

There was finally news about the ‘main protagonist group’!