"In the early Age of Ignorance, amid the wars that swept across All Spirits, a pair of intimate brothers waged conquest together, establishing the supreme Bright Divine Realm and forming a covenant to share ultimate Authority, promising never to betray one another..."

Tang Qi, as well as many polymaths and strong individuals versed in ancient Knowledge, felt such information surge from the depths of their hearts.

Who these "brothers" were was clearly known to all.

Thus, at this moment, the keen-minded Transcendents had already guessed what the current Pope Charles I intended to do.

Clad in a magnificent, golden Vestment robe and adorned with the "Bright Heavy Crown," he advanced step by step towards the giant statue.

The contrast in stature between the statue and the Pope was akin to a giant and an ant.

Yet at this moment, within everyone's perception, the earthly incarnation of Light, "Charles I," appeared even more imposing as if he was looking down upon the statue.

In his eyes, there was not a trace of reverence for the "Lord of Thorns."

On the contrary, his gaze revealed an anger born of Deception and an enduring hatred that could not be resolved. Inside the Bright Kingdom, where Holy Light surged above, the expressions of the Church's strong wielders of faith were just the same, feeling unbearable Pain as their faith shattered.

Who could know how much chaos and conflict had arisen within the Bright Church after Ludwig and the Second Rotten Head's revelations spread, with the Church of the Old Continent being affected, and in particular the Church within the Divine Eagle Federation on the New Continent during this period, having suffered great losses.

Even the "Thorny Sword Saint," York Sims had defected, and many strong individuals were forced to confront the foundational beliefs in their hearts.

An originally intimate and united faith now required a choice to be made.

Light!

Or Thorn?

At present, the former still held the predominant Authority.

As Pope, Charles I not only made his choice, but he had also resolved to take "vengeance" in the name of the Master.

He arrived before the statue of the Lord of Thorns, thoroughly disregarding both "Ludwig" and the Second Rotten Head perched upon his shoulder; to him, they were nothing more than weak ants.

In his eyes, only thorns existed.

He held an exceedingly ancient Holy Relic, a duplicate of the contract formed between the two Sovereigns, "Light" and "Thorns," in the Church from the distant Age of Ignorance.

Lifting his head high, he intoned in a cold voice:

"The Master says, I make a covenant with you."

"My people shall be your people, my Divine Realm shall be your Divine Realm, my Radiance shall be your Radiance, my Dominion shall be your Dominion..."

"I am you, and you are me."

...

"Thorn says,

"Inscribe my name, wherever there is Light, there shall be entanglement by Thorns?"

"Boom!"

When those emotionless, ice-cold words spilled from Charles I's mouth, the Mysterious Side, secretly observing, immediately boiled over in agitation.

Everyone understood what Charles I was undertaking.

He was challenging "Thorns" on behalf of the "Master."

Almost instantly, an unimaginable scene unfolded.

The "Contract" he held, upon his utterance of the final phrase, suddenly burst forth with an incredibly sacred and violent Light, as though the Earthly Divine Realm representing Light unfolded at this moment, merging with the ancient and mottled statue of the Lord of Thorns in an instant.

Amidst that Radiance, a voice awakened the Extraordinary World.

Crack!

A strikingly conspicuous crack, leaving onlookers dumbstruck, appeared on the statue, starting from below its Crown, extending all the way to the dark pedestal. As the crack appeared, the statue, originally imbued with solemnity and reverence from an age's breath, began to weaken, its grey-whiteness spreading.

At this moment, all Transcendents of the Federation seemed to lose their voice.

The "Lord of Thorns" statue, a gift from the Europe Alliance to the Divine Eagle Federation, had stood over Jiatai City's port for more than two hundred years, witnessing almost all of the Federation's history since its establishment and representing the heroic efforts of the Federation's heroes in building the Kingdom.

But now, was it about to collapse completely due to "Charles I's" challenge, witnessed by a multitude of strong beings from the Mysterious Side?

The "official" parties who should have intervened appeared to abstain, seemingly restrained by some concerns.

Before the onlookers could digest the reality of the statue cracking open from a mere challenge, that increasingly cold voice emerged once more from within the Holy Light.

"The Master says, I make a covenant with you."

"My people shall be your people, my Divine Realm shall be your Divine Realm..."

"Crack"

Another fracture was born.

The Transcendent individuals belonging to the Federation, especially the strong ones of the Order Camp, felt immensely conflicted at this moment.

Reason told them that this was a division within the Light Camp, though it involved the secrets of the Great Catastrophe and the mysteries of the Eternal; in such times, there was virtually no room for other organizations or individuals to intervene.

Anyone, just by looking at Pope "Charles I's" icy face and beholding the silently brewing, unprecedented storm of slaughter in the Light Kingdom, would realize that to oppose the Church's actions was nearly no different from seeking death.

All could only watch as Charles I continued to recite the ancient covenant, each iteration birthing another crack upon the statue.

Above, within the "Divine Realm," an endless army of Angels echoed as if a gap had appeared, a gap that continued to widen.

Within the gap, a pure, illuminating "Light" rained down.

Filled with the utmost Divinity, the Holy Light sourced from the "Lord of Light."

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