In a land far, far away, there stood a structure that looked like it had been made of glistening, pristine silver which rose so far into the sky that only a part of it was visible to those who stood on the ground.
More than half of it was situated above the clouds, and it was so large that it"s base, alone, took up more s.p.a.ce than the entire Kingdom of Lanthanor.
Its shape was, perhaps, the most unique feature which set it apart.
If one could view it in its entirety, then they would see that it was in the shape of a kind man with flowing locks of hair, whose eyes were filled with generosity and kindness.
They would almost look alive to anyone who was gazing into them, and because of the fact that one hand of his was raised as if it was blessing someone, many said that they would feel as if they were being bestowed by the grace of the Heavenly Saint whenever they paused before entering the headquarters of the Church to gaze upon his visage.
The entrance on the ground was also very noteworthy: it was present between his gigantic feet which formed the base of the edifice, and it was so large that it would allow a thousand people standing side by side to enter it without any difficulty.
Jonah was currently at a very famous spot in front of the headquarters. It was at a specific point within the clouds from where one could see both the image of his feet which were welcoming the thousands of individuals who could be seen piously entering the holy land of the Church, and the image of the rest of his body which was apparently an exact likeness of the man.
As always, the entrance was bustling with people who all had their heads bowed and their hands joined in prayer. Many also had their eyes closed, but strangely, they seemed as if they were being guided by some power which made it so that they did not collide with anyone in front of them.
Jonah altered his gaze between this sight, and that of the forehead of the Saint which was the second entrance of the Headquarters of the Church. It was exclusively meant for Heroes and Champions, and as he saw each of them enter the Church or leave it to go about their duties, he once again marveled at just how many there were.
He still remembered his thoughts when he first came here. He had been struck dumb by just the architectural feat which had resulted in the existence of this building, and after that, seeing all of the Heroes which were apparently just a fraction of those who were a part of the Church, he had been convinced that it might be futile to hope for the continent of Angaria to withstand the onslaught of such a powerful foe.
He had still somehow hung on to his faith that had allowed him to take the step of deciding to become a part of the Church so that he could help his home, and thankfully, he was rewarded for doing so when he found out about the incredible number of threats that such a large force needed to keep in check in the Mainland if they wanted to continue to exist.
As he stood there and recalled the days he had spent when he had first come here, he couldn"t help but caress the locket he held in his hand.
Just like he had done a million times in this foreign land, he opened the locket and used his fingers to trace the picture within.
He didn"t need to see it to envision it in his mind, as it was something that was branded into him for all of eternity. It showed a woman with enchanting features who had a wide smile on her face, with the reason behind her happiness being the bundle of joy that she held in her arms.
It was a baby who had remarkably similar features to Jonah, and just like each time he did this, the soft coo of a woman, followed by the merry laughter of a child resounded in his ears.
Even after all these years, this was something that brought a melancholy look to his eyes.
It took a few seconds to get out of all the emotions evoked by this object which was the only thing he had been allowed to bring from Angaria, and after that, Jonah continued his trip down memory lane.
The major part of his time here had been filled with the struggle to rise to a position in the Church where he would be eligible to find out privileged information which might come in help to Angaria.
The Church was an unforgiving place, especially to those it called its own.
To show his willingness to embrace the ideals of St. Rect.i.tude, he had had to do many things which still brought anger to his face when he thought of them.
He had killed thousands in the many battles he had been deployed in.
He had turned hundreds and made them follow the Church.
He had tortured so many who were innocent that he would sometimes wake up drenched in sweat, as he would dream of his family asking him why he had sent so many to the Heavens, where they were torturing them, in turn.
Each and every time he was given a task that he would rather have died than carry out on Angaria, he would remind himself about why he was here, and somehow, he would always find the determination to keep on going.
He didn"t know if it was right for him to do so, but many times, he would justify himself in this manner: if he refused, there were thousands who would take his place, so except for dooming Angaria to a b.l.o.o.d.y death, he would be accomplis.h.i.+ng nothing.
The only consolation was that they had broken first. Convinced of his loyalty, they had stopped giving him such tasks, and now, he spent most of his days researching methods to break down continents exactly like his own using minimal resources so that the Church could continue to walk towards its lofty goal of becoming the leader of the Mainland.
"Jonah, where are you?"
A deep voice interrupted his reverie, but strangely…his first reaction when he heard it was to tightly clench his fist and control himself from retorting in anger.
And the reason behind this…was that this was the voice which had told him of the plan that had almost destroyed Angaria.
He still remembered that moment perfectly. He had been diligently going about his work while trying to also do the opposite so that he could find loopholes in the methods he was researching which might help his home, and suddenly, the one who had just spoken had burst into the room with a wide smile on his face.
He had joyously described the plan and how he had been told that it was to be kept secret from Jonah even though he was supposed to be consulted on all plans relating to Angaria, and after saying so, Jonah had noticed that the man had been watching with a keen eye to wait and see how he would react.
Of course…with no other choice, Jonah had been forced to use a trick he had had to create so that he wouldn"t blow his cover as that of someone who wanted Angaria to be destroyed at all costs, because of its people who had cost him his family.
With a superhuman effort of will, he arched his spine minutely, but in an extremely destructive manner which made his face go lax.
This would make one think that it was shock, and a moment later, using a Fighter technique he had created by himself, Jonah regained control of his face and put on an expression of equal joy.
With dread, they had listened to the updates together, and at one point, Jonah had even started to ponder what he would do if the worst played out- should he take out his anger, or continue to stay hidden so that he could find a way to destroy the Church from within?
Thankfully, his disciple had once again shown that the best decision Jonah had ever made was to choose him for the ultimate responsibility of becoming the continent"s guardian angel.
Even then, just the fact that a plan had come so close to making all of his efforts be in vain had been something that struck a deep blow within his heart.
It was only in his room that he could finally let out his anguish. He had done so in the guise of training, where he punched and punched a target until all of the skin on his fists were gone.
The excruciating pain had helped to mask that which he felt inside, but even then, one thought had continued to dominate his mind.
It was that he had saved himself…by being useless.
He had not progressed enough to know about the plan, and if he had, he would definitely have informed his disciple.
Even if that had resulted in him dying, he would have let his life end happily, but alas…he had failed all those who were dear him.
His disciple had said after that that it was probably better this way, and that Jonah should concentrate on continuing to rise.
Now, just the other day…his disciple had contacted him with a plan to flush out all the rats on the continent.
He had loved it, and had a.s.sured him that he would be safe as he had a method to intercept communications regarding him…even though he had no such thing.
Maybe, at least in this way…he would be able to justify his existence.
However, the moment he waved his hand to greet the one who had called him, he heard something that made his heart drop.
"The Bishop has summoned you."
The Bishop.
She was the single most ruthless individual that almost everyone feared in the Church, and she had more than earned her t.i.tle, "The Saintess of Blood" through her actions which would make anyone"s blood curdle if they heard them.
If it was just might that she possessed, then she might not be such a threat, but word was that she also had a razor-sharp mind to go with it.
Jonah had shuddered with fear when he had found out that she had been placed in charge of the mission against Angaria. Now, he knew that she must be fuming about her loss, but why was she calling him?
Either way, there was no running away, so letting out a breath, he nodded and walked to a spot in the room where there stood a teleportation array.
Soon, he was striding along a gigantic room whose roof seemed to reach the Heavens.
It was an optical illusion brought about by magic, and even though it was breathtaking…Jonah"s eyes were fixed on the woman who stood with her back to him, while praying piously to a statue of the Saint.
After reaching the spot beside her, he made a quick prayer, too, but when he was doing so, she spoke, and her austere voice…made all of Jonah"s blood freeze in his veins.
"Priest Jonah. It is time to launch our final campaign against your home, and you…will be my main commander. Everyone has agreed: Angaria has been a pest for far too long. This time, there is no holding back, and hence…the promise made to you by the Church will finally be kept. Against a thousand elite Heroes, such a puny continent can only bow down and beg to be ma.s.sacred with mercy. So…aren"t you excited? I know I am! Serve me well, and maybe, I"ll even let you land the final blow on that disciple of yours! Now, won"t that be a sight to see?"