On the Verge of Emergence

"Finally, I wish the month-long Industrial Expo a complete success!"

On the high platform, Charlton II concluded his speech, and thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the Crystal Palace.

Luo Wei suddenly widened his eyes.

[Save Point: Crystal Palace Exhibition Hall]

[Remaining Read Attempts: 4/5]

"Damn! That used up one already?" Luo Wei stared in shock at the high platform, where the emperor was just about to depart—meaning the previous mission had failed.

Yet, this reload left him utterly baffled. He couldn't understand how the Church's conspiracy had suddenly succeeded.

"Where did I go wrong...?"

"What did I miss??"

Luo Wei's gaze locked onto Charlton II's retreating figure as he muttered incessantly to himself.

Ophelia noticed Luo Wei's strange behavior and quickly asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Eleya's scheme might not be as simple as assassinating your father," Luo Wei said, staring intently at her.

If it were due to the "chaos level," the system would have provided a specific value—but it hadn't. So, clearly, the failure stemmed from the former.

"What? Not assassinating my father?" Ophelia's expression grew even more stunned. "How could that be? Didn't she collude with numerous rebel factions?"

"We've been misled," Luo Wei said, his expression darkening.

"But..." Ophelia frowned deeply. "All the opposition forces have been restless lately. Even the Winter Kingdom in the north seized the chance to invade. Every piece of evidence suggests they planned to act today, while my father was present!"

"Their actions are indeed tied to today, but that doesn’t mean their goal was targeting your father..." Luo Wei narrowed his eyes, focusing on the three elite guards accompanying the emperor—especially Hawkins, the Chief Royal Mage, who had effortlessly blocked the assassin's attack earlier.

Hawkins' displayed power had even made the Witch, formidable as she was, adopt an extremely cautious expression.

Luo Wei glanced at the other royal mages around Hawkins, as well as Adrian and the clergy. Beyond the visible forces, hidden agents from Special Affairs Director Fred's division lurked in the shadows.

Every elite was here, their efforts for the emperor's safety painstaking—truly giving off an "impregnable" vibe. No wonder the emperor remained so calm despite knowing about the assassination plot.

Luo Wei suddenly felt that even if all the rebel factions surged into the streets, launching suicidal attacks one after another, the outcome would be the same. The assassination would still stand little chance.

Unless Eleya herself made a move...

Yet, the strangest thing was her absence from the scene.

Luo Wei clearly remembered Helena's warning—Eleya's consciousness had vanished...

So where had she gone?

As the emperor's convoy left the Crystal Palace, the carriages slowly made their way back to Haiglitze Palace, surrounded by the same tight security as before.

Inside Ophelia's carriage, Luo Wei stared intently at the bustling crowds on the streets, his mind racing through one possibility after another.

Working backward from the outcome, it was clear that for Eleya, something far more important than assassinating the emperor was at play.

Ophelia watched Luo Wei silently, not daring to interrupt his thoughts.

They all knew Luo Wei possessed an almost prophetic ability. For now, all they could do was trust him.

"First, Eleya's goal is godhood—that’s undeniable," Luo Wei said, looking at Ophelia as if speaking to her or himself.

He decided to retrace the logic from the beginning.

"To become a god, she needs to amass widespread faith. She needs the entire world to worship her."

"That’s why the Siston Theocracy—the Holy Light Church—must conquer the Weignar Empire, the last 'dark corner' untouched by their so-called 'light.'"

"In our original assumption, Eleya planned to destabilize the empire by killing Charlton, paving the way for invasion. The Winter Kingdom and rebel factions likely thought the same..."

"But they were all just pawns Eleya used to muddy the waters..."

By now, the grand procession had reached the same corner where the previous assassination—swiftly suppressed—had occurred.

Luo Wei's gaze remained fixed ahead. He made no move to intervene, instead observing how events unfolded.

After Helena's warning about Eleya's disappearance, a blinding white light erupted, sending the crowd into panic.

Chief Royal Mage Hawkins swiftly took control, and the assassination was thwarted almost instantly. The assassin collapsed dead after casting [Judgment].

The unlucky clergy, just like before, were caught in the crossfire. High Priest Adrian, bloodied, was carried away from the scene.

Thinking of Adrian reminded Luo Wei of the incident in Kent City days prior—and the unfortunate Bishop Riel.

The Theocracy was the only faction that had truly withdrawn from the conflict. And recalling the Holy Edict Church, Luo Wei's reasoning suddenly clicked.

"From what happened in Kent City..." Luo Wei said grimly, "Eleya actually has another way to conquer Weignar. She doesn’t need to invade the empire or wage war to claim its faith."

"New Divine Arts," Ophelia blurted out.

"Damn it!" Luo Wei smacked his thigh in frustration. "We overcomplicated it!"

"Eleya doesn’t need to attack Weignar at all! Everyone’s been fooled—the rebels, the 'Anti-Weignar Alliance,' even us! That damned woman played us all!"

"True... Even now, I doubt the allied forces could ever truly march on Saint Callen..." Ophelia let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. "With such a simple alternative, she went to all this trouble, setting up so many riddles..."

She glanced at Luo Wei with a knowing look. "She really understands us—especially you..."

Eleya’s convoluted schemes were tailor-made for Luo Wei and the others. She knew that with Luo Wei around, her plans would struggle to succeed—so she risked revealing herself to divert his attention, masking her true goal.

Her understanding of Luo Wei was downright terrifying. She had ensnared his focus with puzzles...

"Tilis!" Luo Wei immediately called through the ring. "Follow Adrian’s group—stay hidden. We’ll regroup later!"

"What’s going on?" Tilis, hidden in the crowd, sounded confused. "We’ve still got a long way back to the palace. Aren’t we protecting the emperor?"

"Don't mind him! Eleya's target is the Pope!" Luo Wei grabbed Ophelia's hand, and the two leaped off the carriage together.

"Got it!" Tilis immediately ended the communication, her figure vanishing in an instant.

Luo Wei and Ophelia pushed through the crowd, sprinting toward Saint Callen Cathedral.

The White Church District earned its name from the headquarters of the Sacred Edict Church—Saint Callen Cathedral—a grand white church standing proudly in its center.

Once they left the emperor's procession route, the streets were no longer crowded. The church's carriages had been intercepted on the main road leading back to the cathedral. Luo Wei saw corpses strewn across the ground and Tilis, her expression grim, unleashing spells...

And then there was Eleya.

At high noon, sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a golden glow upon her pink hair. Her light golden eyes, radiant as the sun itself, calmly fixed on Luo Wei.

Behind her, pristine white wings unfurled, her fair skin shimmering with a holy, dreamlike glow—so ethereal, so breathtakingly angelic.

Yet beneath her feet lay a vast pool of crimson blood, the ground littered with bodies. Eleya gently lifted Adrian’s severed head, confirming his death before turning to Luo Wei with a sweet, serene smile.

So divine, yet so cruel—both angel and devil.

After four years, Luo Wei finally saw Eleya in her true form. She hadn’t descended upon any blessed vessel this time. She had chosen to act herself.

"Fine, you witch!" Tilis seethed with fury. "You actually dared to come!"

A torrent of magic clashed against holy white light, the air erupting with a deafening roar.

"Finally done hiding," Ophelia sneered, immediately glancing at Luo Wei. "This is our chance. Let Tilis hold her off—I’ll call for reinforcements. All of the empire’s strongest are here. She won’t escape!"

"It’s already too late..." Luo Wei shook his head.

[Mission Failed]

[Forced Reload in Progress...]

Though he was about to reset, Luo Wei wasn’t too disheartened. He still had plenty of attempts left. More importantly, he had finally figured out what this woman was truly after.

After deflecting Tilis’s magical onslaught, Eleya soared into the sky, her gaze still fixed on Luo Wei from above.

"Luo Wei, even now, you still intend to stop me? Still refusing to give up?"

"You’ve already lost~"

Luo Wei looked up at her. "I lost, yes. But I’m curious—is killing Adrian really enough?"

"Of course not." A faint smile curled at Eleya’s lips.

"Adrian was the emperor’s most loyal hound. His inner circle were all hardline conservatives."

Luo Wei nodded. These were the same church leaders who vehemently opposed the infiltration of new divine arts and spearheaded the trials against heresy. With them gone, no matter who the emperor promoted next, it would already be too late.

There were surely many clergy like Bishop Riel—those who couldn’t resist temptation. Once they rose to power, they’d never turn the scrutiny on themselves. In the future, who could say how many within the church would have practiced the new divine arts?

"Let me guess..." Luo Wei said with certainty. "Every clergy member who uses the new divine arts will fall under your control, won’t they? After all, your name is woven into their prayers."

If so, the Sacred Edict Church of the future might as well be entirely compromised...

"Are you trying to pry answers from me, Luo Wei?" Eleya chuckled softly. "You’ve lost. Stop struggling pointlessly."

"Says who?" Luo Wei smirked coldly. "I already told you—I’ll ensure your light never touches this world. I’ll make sure all your efforts, everything you’ve built, crumbles to dust."

Eleya took in Luo Wei’s defiance, her smile brimming with absolute confidence.

"Then we’ll see."