"O great Lord of the Holy Fierce Sun, I pray for the descent of the Holy Light..."

"...Your devout believer prays for the Holy Shield to fortify my body..."

"Great Holy Power..."

The rising and falling voices of prayer merged into a torrent.

A mysterious existence from above the Celestial Kingdom responded.

The bodies of the many Believers of the Holy Fierce Sun Church—the Knights, Priests, Divine Mages, and Casters—began to glow with the scorching light of the Holy Fierce Sun.

For a moment, the entire ritual area blazed with Holy Light.

Knights wielding lances and swinging longswords worked in concert with the Priests, Divine Mages, and Casters behind them.

A few unlucky Evil Spirit Creatures that rushed forward too quickly were instantly purified.

But immediately after, a massive horde of Evil Spirit Creatures surged forward.

The surging Death Black Mist also clashed head-on with the Holy Fierce Sun’s light.

For a time, the two sides were locked in a desperate struggle.

Evil Spirit Creatures were continuously eliminated.

But just as many Knights were dragged into the Death Black Mist, their screams echoing as they were torn to pieces.

The Knights and the combined Casters were numerous.

But the powerful Evil Spirit Creatures within the [Evil Spirit Calamity] were endless.

As time passed, their numbers only grew.

The Knights fighting on the front lines against the Evil Spirit Creatures soon couldn’t hold on any longer.

Although their Holy Light could disperse the Death Black Mist to some extent,

when the tide of Black Mist surged in from all directions and enveloped them, some Knights’ Holy Light was quickly extinguished.

For a Church Knight who fell into the Death Black Mist, their fate was easy to imagine.

First, the lethal nature of the Black Mist caused their instant death.

Then, their fresh flesh and blood were rapidly devoured and absorbed by the Evil Spirits.

After death, their Wandering Souls were absorbed by the [Evil Spirit Calamity].

Part of it became Energy for the ritual, and part of it became sustenance for the [Evil Spirit Wizard].

The ceaseless advance of Death forced the Knights to retreat again and again.

Even if they didn’t want to retreat, the relentlessly surging Death Black Mist left them no choice.

Honor belonged to the Church, but their lives were their own.

If they fought to the death and lost their lives, how could they enjoy the power and wealth that came with being a Church Knight?

"You damn Knights, why are you retreating? Get out there and teach those Evil Spirits a lesson!"

a Level Four Priest roared in anger.

But the Knights all avoided the Priest, each one saying with a troubled expression,

"Your Excellency, it’s not that we’re unwilling to charge out. It’s just that the Black Mist is too toxic."

"Indeed. Some brave Knights already tested it for us. The moment you touch that Black Mist, you basically lose all ability to fight."

"Your Excellency, the Black Mist is about to overwhelm us! We... We should reconsider our strategy!"

Seemingly sensing the terrifying aura of the encroaching Black Mist outside, the Level Four Priest in charge of the Ritual Curtain’s gate turned and quickly opened the portal. Everyone swarmed inside, terrified of being left out.

Inside the Ritual Curtain.

Leaning against a stone pillar with his arms crossed and his Heavy Sword resting diagonally across his back, the Level 5 Peak Great Knight, Reilov, watched the Knights scramble inside in disgrace.

An unconcealed smile spread across his face, and he almost laughed out loud.

Even when he saw the nearby [High Priest], whose face was so grim it looked like it was about to drip water, he didn’t restrain himself in the slightest.

"The results of the Church’s Knight reforms are truly eye-opening!"

Grand Knight Commander Reilov remarked softly.

Over the past decade or so, and especially in the last few years,

His Holiness the Pope in Saintisman and the Church High Level there had increasingly come to feel that the members of the Knight Orders in the Northern Border Region were useless.

As a result, the Knights’ benefits were cut again and again.

To prevent the Knights from complaining,

the command authority of Grand Knight Commanders and Knight Commanders like him was also slashed repeatedly.

Although Grand Knight Commander Reilov didn’t understand the connection between the two,

the Pope even wanted to get his hands on the tax revenue from the Church’s branch in the Autanston Republic.

That audacious and crazed man had reached for the "Divine Tax."

When they couldn’t get enough resources from the Church to grow stronger,

the Church’s Extraordinary Knights naturally began to cooperate with merchant guilds and nobles.

Some of the Church’s Extraordinary Knights even started their own small businesses on the side.

For example, running a Knight summer camp, forming a Knight’s club, and so on.

With the power and authority of an Extraordinary Knight, not to mention the wealth their status brought, the Knights of the Northern Border Region had long since stopped truly believing in the Holy Fierce Sun.

Holding a position in the Church was now just a job.

’How much is Faith worth?’

’Can it feed a family?’

The Knights today were fine as long as they were fighting a winning battle.

But as soon as the intensity ramped up and sacrifices were required, the Knights would start wondering if it was worth it.

Any hesitation!

And a Knight’s charge would lose its power.

A Knight’s Holy Sword would lose its edge.

And even... a Knight’s Faith could only be maintained on the surface.

Reilov could see it clearly.

This superficial Holy Light Power was no match for the terrifying Death Black Mist.

Only the Holy Light that blossomed from the depths of one’s Sequence could be truly invincible.

But Knights like that had died long ago, fighting against powerful enemies.

"Knight Commander, you’d better hurry up and reorganize the Knights from these Knight Orders!"