Volume 1, Chapter 14

Red Lotus Leaf Empire – Ashurmos Church Headquarters,

Inside the Holy Capital Hall,

The Ashurmos Church worships the great goddess who once saved the world and bestowed upon it a new order.

Ashurmos,

This word means “salvation” and “creation” in the ancient tongue. Naming the church after Ashurmos is also to commemorate that great goddess.

As the most powerful religious force on the Ancheka Continent, the interior of the Holy Capital Hall at the Ashurmos Church headquarters is naturally the epitome of luxury. Within the spacious and bright hall, over a dozen stone pillars adorned with golden patterns and inlaid with dazzling gemstones stand tall.

Countless exquisite murals and masterfully crafted religious artworks fill the interior of the hall.

Deep within the hall, the goddess statue, a staggering thirty meters tall and carved with divine craftsmanship, is made entirely of Angui Platinum Diamond ¹ 安规的白金钻 (ān guī de báijīn zuān), I’m not sure what Angui means because the literal meaning for it is “safety regulations”. I’ll just keep it as is. . When sunlight filters through the glass dome and shines upon the statue, it radiates a brilliant golden glow.

Such a miraculous sight never fails to leave people in awe.

And now,

Beneath the goddess statue, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a platinum robe and exuding an air of nobility and elegance, slowly rose after offering his prayers to the statue. He then turned his gaze toward the man kneeling on one knee at the front of the hall.

The kneeling man was exceptionally handsome, and coupled with his lustrous golden hair, he appeared radiant and dashing.

Clad in silver armor, with a Holy Steel Longsword imbued with exorcism powers at his waist, and draped in a white robe embroidered with rare golden threads forming wing-like patterns, this man was none other than Pix.

Pix, a Sword Saint-level powerhouse, was also one of the Ten Great Heroes of the Ashurmos Church, a legendary figure who had slain hundreds of Abyssal Demons.

His status among the people was lofty,

And yet, here he was, kneeling quietly on the ground, awaiting instructions from the elderly man before him.

After a moment, the white-haired elder solemnly approached Pix and spoke in an authoritative tone:

“Eighth Hero Pix Lata, you and your team are hereby ordered to proceed to the eastern region of Deepwinter Forest. Follow the T3 route and conduct an in-depth investigation to ascertain the distribution of Abyssal Demons within. According to ancient records, the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons is located in the eastern region. If the opportunity arises, you may attempt to locate it.”

Rеаd оn КαtReaⅾіnɡСаfe

“As you command.”

“Very well. Additionally, here is a map of known Abyssal Demon hordes. It will help you avoid unnecessary conflicts. Remember, do not draw too much attention. The Snownight Empire in the eastern region is not particularly fond of us.”

With that, the white-haired elder retrieved a scroll from his Space Ring and slowly handed it to Pix.

Accepting the scroll, Pix bowed his head respectfully and replied:

“Yes, Bishop Nick. I understand.”

Shortly after, having concluded his meeting with the bishop, Pix left the Holy Capital Hall under the guidance of a maid. He then relayed the mission assigned by the bishop to his four teammates.

Upon hearing Pix’s words, his teammates immediately grew uneasy.

A petite, brown-haired girl nervously approached Pix and tugged at his sleeve.

“Captain? Deep into the eastern region? Is… is this mission for real? Usually, we only scout the outskirts. With our strength, if we go deep into the east and encounter a large number of Abyssal Demons, or worse, a demon king tier… wouldn’t we be doomed?!”

“Yeah, Captain, isn’t this mission beyond our capabilities?”

“Is the bishop serious?”

The other teammates also voiced their doubts.

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

“It’s fine, don’t worry. Our route has been carefully selected to avoid major magical beast hordes. In areas with no food sources, it’s unlikely we’ll encounter many Abyssal Demons. As for demon king tier monsters, we don’t need to worry too much either. Based on observations over the past hundred years, there are likely only three active demon king tiers in Deepwinter Forest. ‘Death Wing’ usually roams the western skies, ‘Nightmare’ resides in the central lake region. We won’t run into them in the east. As for ‘Snow Devourer,’ although its whereabouts are unpredictable, as long as we’re careful, we should be able to avoid it. Li’er, you don’t need to worry too much.”

With that, Pix gave the brown-haired girl an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

Reassured by their captain’s words, the team felt somewhat relieved.

“Alright, we understand, Captain.”

Reαⅾ оn КatRеаԁіngCаfe

“Mhm.”

However, the muscular man Beckham, who had been silent for a while, frowned in displeasure.

“But, Captain? I remember this exploration mission was originally assigned to that woman, Bai Yanluo, wasn’t it? Why was it suddenly given to us? Did that worthless woman dump it on us again?!”

“Actually, I heard Bai Yanluo was assigned to accompany the new girl.”

“The new girl? You mean the one with extremely high affinity for holy magic?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

Pix nodded slightly.

Upon hearing their captain’s confirmation, the girl named Li’er couldn’t help but show excitement.

“Captain! Captain! Bai Yanluo is accompanying her? Does that mean she really will become the first Saintess in centuries, just like the rumors say?!”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but both the bishop and the pope place great importance on that girl. They even want her to try making contact with the Divine Beast. Hmm… perhaps she really will become the Saintess.”

“If she truly becomes the Saintess, that would be a tremendous blessing! Oh, right, Captain! Didn’t they say the girl has also arrived at the headquarters?”

“Yes, she arrived just yesterday. Why?”

“I, I… um, could we go see her? I heard this candidate Saintess is incredibly beautiful and gentle, like an angel! I’d love to meet her!”

Li’er said, her eyes sparkling.

At the same time, Pix’s other teammates nodded in agreement. Everyone was quite interested in this prophesied girl who seemed to have descended from the heavens and wanted to catch a glimpse of her.

In response,

Pix shook his head helplessly.

Reаԁ οո KαtRеadiոɡСаfе

“If Bai Yanluo is responsible for looking after her, there’s no way you’ll get to see her.”

“Ah? How could that be…” Everyone sighed in disappointment.

Pix smiled awkwardly.

“Come on, lots of people want to see that girl. If everyone went to see her, would this candidate Saintess ever get any rest? And… to be honest, it’s better not to see her…”

A hint of unease crept into Pix’s tone,

Which puzzled his four companions greatly.

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

“Well… because…”

At this moment, Pix hesitated. He didn’t know how to explain the reason to his companions, as his thoughts were somewhat unfathomable…

As one of the Ten Great Heroes, Pix had the fortune of meeting that legendary girl yesterday.

According to the divine prophecy passed down by the Ashurmos Church,

The Chosen Maiden,

Beautiful, kind, and filled with holy aura, she would become the new generation’s Saintess, leading the people of the continent to resist the invasion of Abyssal Demons, ultimately destroying the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons and eliminating the source of all tragedy.

After meeting that silver-haired girl, Pix had to admit that her appearance was the most perfect he had ever seen, a masterpiece of the Creator, and her entire being radiated a rich, holy aura.

At the same time,

Although the girl appeared delicate and frail, her outstanding performance in the arena was astonishing. Despite being just a commoner girl with little training, her combat movements were incredibly fluid.

With only early fifth tier strength, she had soundly beaten a sixth tier knight captain…

Rеαⅾ οո КаtRеaԁіnɡCαfe

Beautiful and powerful,

That was Pix’s first impression of the ‘Chosen Maiden’.

However,

During a brief moment when their eyes met,

Pix inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.

In that instant, what he read in the girl’s eyes was not the gentle compassion to save all beings, but an indescribable, profoundly deep coldness…

It was completely devoid of the warmth a Saintess should possess.

For a moment,

Pix even had the illusion that he was locking eyes with a demon king tier Abyssal Demon.

Even now, the feeling lingered, leaving him unsettled.

Meanwhile,

In Deepwinter Forest, inside the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons,

After listening to Saibok’s explanation, Yumo, transformed into a Blood Butterfly, suddenly fluttered excitedly, her voice tinged with joy.

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

Wow,

After waiting all these years, there’s finally news about the ‘Main Character Group’!