Chapter 165: Holy Brilliance

The young man before them was illuminated with a holy radiance. He had gentle blue eyes, long blond hair that reached down to his chest, broad shoulders, and a balanced body covered in bright golden armor.

Looking down, his gaze fell on a hundred men who were kneeling before him. His expression softened, he smiled and asked.

"Are you descendants of Zigatola?"

Hearing that, they nodded in complete silence. While Nicholas slowly got up and walked forward.

"It's a great pleasure, to meet you in person. I congratulate the ancient one, on your awakening after million years"

The man looked at Nicholas and nodded "Thank you for taking care of me for so many years. I am truly indebted to your ancestors and your family. By the way, are you the current generation family head of the Benedict family" he asked and bowed his head to show gratitude.

"Please don't bow, my lord, it was a responsibility passed down to us by our ancestors, and we are very glad to serve you for many generations. We understand perfectly well that if the lord was not there; neither our family nor we would have existed today without your mercy to our ancestors" said Nicholas, approaching him and bowing.

The Man raised his head and looked at Nicholas.

"May I know? Who might you be?"

"Lord, this humble one is this generation head of Benedict family and my name is Nicholas Benedict"

"Nice to meet you. I am Zehel" he said and patted Nicholas's shoulders.

Nicholas was shocked when he felt Zechel's hands on his shoulder and the warm current that passed through his body.

Looking at the gentle face of the man in front of him, Nicholas bowed with sincere respect, and tears flowed from his eyes.

He just could not believe it, with one light touch, he healed his damaged mystic veins. That injury bothered him for two centuries, preventing him from cultivating, as well as casting magic spells.

He never thought that one day he would recover.

Meanwhile, Zehel looked at the men kneeling before him, then he saw the Archbishops and noticed their familiar faces, which made him frown.

"Aren't they the ones I saw last night who were obsessed with worldly desires? But then again, I can't be sure as my senses were too dizzy last night. After waking up after such a long time, I was only able to send a short mental transmission to the members of Benedict's family with the help of the two special items I gave them. That's right, the items' Thought Zehel as he used his magic sense to locate items, but was only able to find the location of one item that Nicholas currently have with him.

Out of curiosity, he asked

"Nicholas, where is the Radiant Sun staff? And who are these guys lying on the ground "

Hearing that Nicholas looked in the direction Zehel was pointing and saw a group of Archbishops standing there silently.

"My lord, they are the Archbishops of a religion that thinks you are their God, and those on the floor are your believers. As for now, the Radiant Sun staff is in the hands of the current pope whose whereabouts are unknown."

"What religion? What God?" asked Zehel and looked at Nicholas with astonishment.

In response, Nicholas slowly explained about the Radiant Sun God religion and how he became the god and idol of millions of people over the past hundred thousand years, as well as ideology and recent changes on the continent.

After hearing about the entire history of the creation of the Radiant Sun God Church and the current situation. At first, Zebel was displeased, but hearing about all the good deeds they have done for society. He calmed down and glanced at Nicholas for the last time.

Then he focused his gaze on the archbishops, as well as on ordinary citizens who were lying unconscious on the ground.

'I was in deep slumber for several years, and you guys created the so-called religion with me as God without my permission. Just what were they thinking? The one thing I hate the most is the belief system. It reminds me of the dark age of magic-users. At least they kept it within limits and didn't turn it into an illusion full of lies' thinking so Zehel took a deep breath.

"Nicholas, get rid of the Radiant Sun God religion and tell people the truth about my existence. Tell them about the world beyond the World Barrier. I don't know who this Dai Yusa is, but he is not lying. I believe that you also know about the world outside the continent from the texts and books left by your ancestors.

"For now, I'm going to heal all the people in the city while you will execute my orders without delay. I don't have much strength left from my Divine Stage cultivation, my time is limited. This is the last bit of my Divine Stage magic."

Saying that Zehel placed his palms together and gently said

'Heaven's Bliss'

Having said that, a golden magic circle appeared at the top of the church and a pillar of holy white light full of vitality descended from the sky.

Meanwhile, inside the church. Zehel's body began to radiate wave after wave of light rays, covering every corner of the city and thousands of kilometers around it.

The whole city and its surroundings turned into a world of white light without shadows and darkness. Not only the surroundings but even the darkness in the people's hearts. Cleansing the mind and body, as well as healing all injuries.

[Inside the Church]

The Archbishops, nuns, patients, and holy knights who were witnessing this phenomenon while standing in the Church were overwhelmed by the power of Zehel, and in the next moment, they lost the ability to open their eyes due to the bright light emitted by the Zehel.

Moreover, believers and people who had previously lost consciousness due to magical pressure began to slowly wake up and look at the holy being standing in front of them. At that moment, rays of light were purifying their minds and bodies.

Some believers thought it was their god, they knelt before the holy being and started praying.

Meanwhile, Zehel's face was twitching, he looked at the rows of believers who were praying constantly and listened to their chanting.

'This is so embarrassing. What happens if my friends from the age of darkness find out that I have become a symbol of the belief system instead of promoting the way of magic? Maybe I should just dig my own grave and lie in it before they know about it?'

Thinking so, he couldn't help looking at Nicholas with a helpless expression. He perfectly understood that after this action, believers in the Radiant Sun God Church would become even more determined. Maybe they'll start to say that their god came down from heaven to help them when they were in need.

Slowly and steadily, the power of the magic spells began to fade, and everything returned to normal. But people all over the city looked at the direction of the Church, especially the believers.

One by one, they rushed to the side of the prayer hall and witnessed the living image of their god speaking to people.

Everyone was bewildered by what was happening in front of their eyes.

On the other hand. Zehel could hardly stand still and fell on the ground with an exhausted expression.

His longtime followers began to worry about him and checked on his condition. They then gathered together to support him and carry Zehel away using the secret passage through which they entered the prayer room. Meanwhile, Nicholas stood silently in front of the crowd with a serious expression on his face.

Stopping them from moving forward.

"I have a message for all believers. Please, listen to me carefully. The Radiant Sun God, whom you guys have worshiped until today, is a light magic user of the Divine Stage. You may not believe me or understand what I am trying to say, but please listen. Our lord has been sleeping for one million years and has just woken up from a slumber. At the present time, he is very exhausted and tired both mentally and physically. He used the last bit of his power to cast a spell to heal all people throughout the city. So please leave the Radiant Sun God Church for today. Let our lord rest," said Nicholas sincerely and bowed to the crowd.

Hearing that their god is a powerful magic-user. They couldn't help but think of the words spoken by a man named Dai Yusa to the whole continent. That beyond the continent there are beings with God-like powers.

Some hesitated and left, while others stayed.

These guys were blind believers and couldn't believe that their god is some magic-user.

"Who are you? What right do you have to call our god a magic-user!? The Radiant Sun God is a god, not some stupid magician!" said the well-dressed man.

"Well said my friend, these guys are just trying to trick us. They are trying to keep our god, for themself. Our god descended from heaven after seeing the despair and suffering of his followers. You just can't keep him to yourself. ... He belongs to everyone"

Hearing that, more and more blind believers began to shout, but Nikolai didn't get angry.

After all, he was once the pope of the Radiant Sun God Church and is well aware that there are such blind followers who will believe anything without questioning the authority. Such believers may be easy to control at times, but in most cases, Nicholas thought of them only as troublemakers who are not clear about the facts or ideology. They just believe the words of others just because they were told so. To follow something without questioning and without any resolve to find the truth. Even if someone tells you the truth, but you are unwilling to listen and believe him because you are lost in your own fantasy world. That is a sign of ignorance.

Finally, Nicholas could not stand their foolishness.

"Don't you understand what I am saying? Are you so dumb? Does it matter whether he is a god or not? You should be happy that the person you guys treated like a God is now living with you. Go home and clear your minds. As for who I am, I am Nicholas Benedict, the former pope of Radiant Sun God Church. If you doubt it, go and research it!" Nicholas shouted in anger.

Out of nowhere, the believers standing close to him started suffocating and feeling dizzy.

Recalling what had happened before they quickly started to run away in fear.

Nicholas sighed and turned around to enter the secret passage which connects the underground rooms with the surface.