NOVEL NEXT Chapter 248
At that moment.
Many people gathered in the central chapel of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess.
“What’s going on?”
“I heard the Pope summoned everyone.”
It was late at night.
Midnight.
People were deep in sleep, and a blue full moon hung high in the sky.
“Damn it, the Pope has his limits too. Summoning old folks like us at this hour… ugh.”
The cardinal grumbled as he took his seat, and others joined in with grumpy murmurs.
“I’m sorry for the late hour. Everyone.”
“…Huh?”
Step by step.
The voice of the Pope walking along the long red carpet was strangely youthful and healthy.
“Ah, thank you all for coming.”
The Pope called everyone together.
The cardinal and a multitude of priests expressed their perplexity at the sudden voice of the Pope.
“The reason I summoned you today is that I received a revelation.”
“A revelation? What kind of revelation? You received a revelation from the Moon Goddess??”
“That’s right.”
Rustle.
The Pope placed his hand on his face, tugging at it.
Pop.
His facial skin peeled away instantly, transforming the old man’s face into that of a handsome young man.
“Gasp…!”
“Light.”
Swish.
As a blue light enveloped the Pope, his entire body began to change.
“…The Moon Goddess granted me youth so that I may serve the believers more diligently.”
While everyone was astonished, the Pope took something out from his robe.
“What is…?!”
“It is the divine gift, the Holy Grail, sent to me by the Moon Goddess.”
A blue chalice.
Its beautiful appearance elicited gasps of admiration from everyone, and people swallowed hard at the sight of the grail they had never seen before.
“I will show you a miracle of the divine. Cardinal, step forward.”
“Y-yes…!”
The cardinal stood before the Pope as if entranced.
“Kneel and reveal all of yourself.”
“W-What?”
“Take off your hat.”
“Oh, understood.”
The cardinal carefully removed his hat, but the Pope shook his head resolutely.
“No. That’s not your hat.”
“Th-That…!”
“Take it off. The Moon Goddess is watching.”
“Ugh, ugh…!”
The cardinal knelt and placed his hands on his head.
Rustle.
“Gah…!”
His head was revealed.
A scalp shining brighter than the full moon was exposed, and the cardinal blushed to his earlobes in an instant.
“In the name of the Moon Goddess.”
Click.
The Pope tilted the Holy Grail over the cardinal’s head, holding it with both hands.
Liquid, the color of divine power, poured from the grail onto the cardinal’s head.
Soon.
“Oh, ohh…!”
The divine power settled upon the cardinal’s head as if it were alive.
Blue light scattered like threads, and a new miracle took residence atop the cardinal’s head.
“How hard have you suffered, Cardinal?”
“Oh, ahh…! My, my head…?! How… how is this possible?!”
“This is the miracle bestowed upon you by the Moon Goddess. Everyone!”
The Pope spread his arms wide and pointed to the sky.
“Your faith and belief have not been in vain! I will prove it starting now! The miracle of the Moon Goddess!!”
Boom.
[Lux Machina!!]
As the Pope raised the grail high, blue light soared into the sky, reaching the heavens.
[Open Sesame!!]
And then…
Boom, boom, boom.
The sound of drums reverberated.
In the empty space, the sky sounded as though it were shaking.
The sky, which only sparkled with black light, opened left and right, and on the center, a blue light covered all sides as something descended from the sky.
Flutter, flutter.
A group of humans descended, flapping white wings behind them.
They looked human, possessing pale skin and beautiful faces.
But they had wings on their backs.
They were completely naked.
And despite being naked, it was as if they had no need for organs typically associated with reproduction, and there were places on a woman’s body that one would usually need to ‘cover’ that simply did not exist.
In their peculiarity, everyone looking at the sky realized who they were.
“Angels…!”
Angels descended from the sky.
With expressionless faces, they slowly folded their wings and landed on the ground.
Though they were unclothed, the absence of anything to cover them was a perfect embodiment of the faith and doctrine of the Moon Goddess.
“The Moon Goddess has opened the heavens! Angels have descended from the sky!”
Different from humans who would at least wear something to cover themselves, the worshippers knelt and cheered at the angels’ presence.
Step by step.
The first angel to land, with blonde hair, stood in front of the cheering Pope with arms wide open.
[An unwelcome face doing such a wonderful thing.]
The angel’s words resonated all around.
Her voice was as clear as rolling jade, but the language sounded as though it belonged to another world.
No one understood.
[It’s nice to meet you. Viriel.]
The Pope smiled as he responded in a language similar to that used by the angel.
All the priests gaped at the Pope, while he raised the blue Holy Grail high above his head.
[The first Archangel, Luciel, asks. Where is the Moon Goddess?]
[Hmph… No matter if you’re the first Archangel, you are merely a being who has betrayed the Celestial Realm.]
[This little one knows nothing and speaks recklessly.]
Flutter.
Behind the Pope, wings unfolded from one shoulder.
[With two wings, you dare challenge me, the thirteen archangels? It seems the order of the celestial realm has been thrown into chaos in my absence.]
As the six wings spread wide, the priests gasped and bowed their heads lower, while the Pope, Lucifer, twisted his lips and gripped the grail tightly.
[It seems you’ve made one mistake. Just because the heavens are opened doesn’t mean you can wander freely on this land. You have come down here thanks to me.]
[What? Ugh?!]
[Kneel.]
Thud.
The angels, including Viriel, knelt before Lucifer.
Though their expressions remained blank, the wings shaking behind them clearly betrayed their astonishment and agitation.
[Foolish beings. As soon as the portal to the Intermediate Realm opened, you foolishly crossed over. The moment you crossed over, you became my slaves by the Holy Sword. Fallen angels who obey my commands.]
[This… this damn…!]
[Worship me. You heathen.]
Lucifer approached the kneeling angel and poured the contents of the grail over her head.
Drip.
[There are laws to life on the ground. If you walk around like that, you’ll be caught for indecent exposure. Heh heh.]
The blue sacred water flowing from the grail swiftly drenched the angel’s head, transforming into a blue dress that covered her nakedness.
[Only now does it seem somewhat modest. Heh heh, am I starting to resemble that one?]
As clear as the view at the bottom of a crystal-clear sea, the dress was far too transparent.
[Arise, my angels. Shed the stale laws of the celestial realm and bring forth the light of the Moon Goddess to this land as fallen angels.]
Hehe.
[This is the start of the Holy War! In the name of Archangel Luciel, I command! Bring down the original sinners who falsely claim to be the Moon Goddess and summon the Moon Goddess to this paradise on earth!]
Lucifer stretched his arms toward the sky.
[In the name of Luciel, I declare the descent!]
From behind Lucifer, light burst forth from his shoulder that bore no wings and began to shimmer as wings.
A blue light, different from pure white wings; it radiated a divine presence as though the Moon Goddess had descended to this land.
[It has been a long time. Now I shall return, not as the Demon King Lucifer, but as Archangel Luciel!]
[You…! Since when have you been preparing for this?!]
[Since when? I prepared since I was exiled to the Demon World. It’s been so long that I can’t even remember, but I’ve waited for this day for far too long. And the result….]
Lucifer lightly sipped from the blue sacred water in the grail.
[…crossing over to the Intermediate Realm. The Holy Sword of Light. Just fulfilling those two conditions is the end. The rest has been prepared for hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years, perhaps even longer.]
[You’re insane…!]
[Insane? Yeah, I am. For Him. I dedicate this land, this paradise, to Him.]
Lucifer raised his hands to the heavens.
[I will offer this land to my God.]
[Who’s helping you?!]
[You are. And these beings.]
Lucifer turned his body.
“All the priests of the Order of the Crescent Moon, listen! The Moon Goddess has sent angels and spoken to me! Spread the faith of the goddess to all the people of this land! The moment the blue light fills this land, the Moon Goddess will personally descend here!”
“Oh, ohhh!!”
“All evil shall perish, all wars shall end, and there shall be a world that follows the divine word and providence! Behold, the era of the Crescent Moon shall dawn!”
“Woooaahh!!”
Flutter.
“Everyone shout! Light!”
“””Light!!”””
The heavens opened.
*
“Wow, this is crazy.”
Lucifer.
Belerze caused a large-scale incident beyond all reason.
“Witch, what’s that?”
“The Gate to Heaven.”
“…What?”
“He’s actually opened a portal to the Celestial Realm. That madman.”
The heavens opened.
Opened what pretended to be the sky, ‘Dimensional Door.’
“Angels will be coming down.”
“Real angels? Um, um, isn’t that a good thing…?”
“Who knows.”
There are few people as troublesome as angels.
“If we get caught by the angels, except for Yan and Liriez among us, everyone will probably be executed.”
“…No way.”
“Angels do not believe in the Moon Goddess.”
Swish.
“They kill them all.”
Unbelief.
Execution.