THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 567: Heaven’s Veil

Far from where Frey was… deep within Noctherra, the City of Eternal Night . in a strange, wondrous place built amid the heavens .. stood a majestic edifice overlooking the skies, from which poured the waterfall of holy power that nourished the land with blessings.

At its summit stood three men—two in pure white vestments, the third cloaked in black.

They were none other than the Church’s three bishops: Blattier, Platini, and Calistes. “It seems the battle has already begun,” Calistes remarked, hands clasped behind his back as he stared toward the distant horizon—commenting on the fight raging on the far side of Noctherra. “Frey Starlight… he lives up to the rumors. A true monster.” Smiling, Calistes turned to Blattier. “Is that why you put the name Starlight on the Revelation Tablet, High Bishop Blattier?” he asked lightly.

Silence fell.

The other bishops showed no reaction, but had anyone else been present, the words out of Calistes’s mouth would have sparked a catastrophe. “No… that wasn’t the reason,” Blattier said as he turned to face what stood behind him.

At the very crest of the waterfall—at the highest point in Noctherra—there rose a wondrous golden tree, its branches and boughs spreading so wide they covered a vast portion of the sky.

This was the phenomenon that had fed the Church its power—the cornerstone of the name it had built for itself.

Those who knew of the tree’s existence could be counted on one hand, and Blattier had allowed only a select few to set foot in this sacred place. “This tree appeared out of nowhere centuries ago, and it’s said the sword Vermithor was drawn from within it.” “Thanks to its power, we were able to forge this institution—one strong enough now to fight in this war,” Blattier said, eyes fixed on the far horizon. “We must be cautious from here on. If this place is ever discovered… that would be our end,” warned Mikhael Platini in a grave tone. “For this religion is nothing but a lie we made the whole world believe.”

There were many secrets hidden within the Church’s walls .. secrets that must never leak into the world. “The Lord of Light abandoned us long ago. We have heard not a single word from Him since the first war, when Kazis Valerion sacrificed himself,” Blattier said, his expression deepening.

The Lord of Light had forsaken them, had said nothing to them—yet he had appeared again recently, choosing a new champion:

Snow Lionheart.

At that moment, Joseph Blattier did not miss his chance and played his cards shrewdly. “That so-called Revelation Tablet is nothing more than a device we made ourselves, deceiving our followers into believing it a heavenly shrine capable of receiving the Lord’s words.”

That light which had descended from the heavens was simply power Blattier borrowed from the towering tree behind him.

Its power was so pure and immense that any who beheld it would assume it came from something not of man.

And thus Blattier, with cunning, set forth his decrees—as if they had been revealed upon the Tablet. “At the time, I named the Ultras—our natural enemies—as foes, along with the Valerion family; once they fell, we could seize control of the Empire with ease,” Blattier said with a scowl, recalling those days. “As for the third force worth fearing—the combined strength of the other three great houses—I chose Starlight to weaken them, for they were the weakest of the three and the easiest to eliminate.”

He was right: at that time, House Starlight had but a single fighter who had barely reached SS- ..Carmen Starlight.

In other words, they were an easy target.

Scowling, Blattier stared out toward the horizon where the battle raged. “Who would have thought that weak house would bring forth a monster capable of crushing the other families single-handedly…” “Frey Starlight must die here—and we must reclaim Vermithor and its bearer.”

Blattier issued his orders and bared his forearms.

Across them, blood-red sigils were carved deep into his skin—hideous to the eye, yet the sight of them made Ramiel Calistes’s eyes kindle at once. “Are we going to use both War Angels in this battle?”

Blattier answered with a nod. “We will use everything at our disposal to win—even if it means sacrificing our followers.”

Redoubling his resolve, Blattier turned to Platini. “Tell me—how fares the new Saint?” Blattier brought up the subject out of nowhere.

Platini’s answer was brief. “She resisted at first… but in the end, she surrendered to her fate.”

The three bishops moved together .. following Platini .. toward the place beneath that mighty tree.

There, a place of sorcery spread out like a paradise upon the earth: a vast spring of pristine waters, saturated with holy power.

From that spring, the waterfall flowed.

But the bishops’ eyes ignored the spectacle and fixed upon a single point. “As you can see, the legacy transfer is proceeding smoothly. Soon she will awaken—a complete Saint loyal to us, bearing the powers of her foremothers,” Platini said, while Blattier nodded in satisfaction.

Before them… a naked girl lay within the spring.

It was the only place where any color but blue could be seen—red was there as well, in abundance.

Her eyes were closed; she had been unconscious for a long time, unable to endure the torment.

All over her bare body, dozens of tubes had been driven in—pierced into her flesh—pumping strange blood into her veins.

There were so many tubes, and she bled without cease .. yet her wounds constantly mended under the spring’s holy power, keeping her alive throughout.

And so Platini kept vigil over her all the while … cutting her, inscribing strange runic letters across her naked skin.

Then, as soon as the spring healed her, he would begin again .. over and over, until those things were carved into her very being.

The pain was immense… the torment, greater still.

She was forced to endure the Church’s mad rites, eyes shut against the world.

She was none other than Uriel Platini—the Saint chosen to live… and to meet the fate of her foremothers.