"Even now, do you still believe that time is on the Church’s side?"

Hearing his words, Bishop Wenstar was stunned for a moment.

The next second, his expression shifted, his gaze complicated.

Which side was time really standing on?

If this had been five years ago, he would never have spared a glance for a small Life Church that couldn’t even defeat mere Half-Beasts.

Yet a few years had passed, and this existence he once couldn’t even be bothered to look at had already swelled into a colossus whose every move made the entire Segis Continent tremble three times...

And the Goddess they worshiped had gone from some unknown Life Goddess who’d popped out of who-knew-what rocky corner, to the World Tree with powerful Divine Power.

To be honest, when he learned the true identity of Life Goddess Eve, Bishop Wenstar had been deeply shocked.

And now, the Black-clothed Bishop’s soul-deep counterquestion finally laid bare, bloody and naked, a reality he did not wish to face yet had long since answered in his heart.

In that moment, Bishop Wenstar fell silent.

Seeing Bishop Wenstar calm down, the Black-clothed Bishop continued:

"Lord Wenstar, the Life Church is expanding too quickly. The time left to us... is already very short."

Bishop Wenstar said nothing.

And many times, saying nothing already reveals one’s inner stance and thoughts.

It was just that Wenster’s gaze was still somewhat complicated, as if he was still unwilling to accept this.

Only after a moment did he speak, his voice dry:

"But... has our Lord not already bestowed power, granted blessings, and trained a great number of Judgement Knights?"

"As time goes on, our Judgement Knights will only grow in number! The Life Goddess may be the World Tree, but in the end, she has only recently awakened. Could she truly possess the power to contend with our Lord?!"

"Not to mention, the unsealing of the Segis World is imminent. Once it is unsealed, we..."

"Lord Wenstar."

The Black-clothed Bishop once again cut Bishop Wenstar off.

He let out a soft sigh and continued:

"Lord Wenstar, to strike at the Life Church before the Segis World is unsealed is not only the holy decree of His Holiness the Pope, it is also the Divine Oracle of our Lord."

"A Divine Oracle? This... how is that possible?! Does our Lord believe we can’t even hold out until the day of unsealing?!"

Bishop Wenstar’s eyes widened; he could no longer hide the shock in his heart.

The Black-clothed Bishop said in a low voice:

"If it were the former World Tree, then indeed it would not be our Lord’s match. But Its power is no longer merely what it once was."

"No longer merely what it once was..."

Bishop Wenstar’s pupils shrank again.

As if thinking of something, his expression shifted slightly:

"You mean... it’s those..."

"Elves."

The Black-clothed Bishop said in a deep voice:

"Those Elves the Life believers call Chosen Ones, who like to call themselves players!"

"Lord Wenstar, don’t you think the speed at which the Life Church has spread through the Empire recently is a bit too exaggerated? Even though the Church has already begun suppression, it’s still to no avail..."

"It is all the doing of those Elf Chosen Ones. According to estimates from the Judgement Court, there are at least two hundred thousand Elf Chosen Ones infiltrating the Empire to secretly preach..."

"They possess the ability to die and come back, they cannot be killed off. The more we cull them, the more they multiply..."

"Not only that, the news of the arrest of the Divine Favored John leaking and spreading swiftly across the continent—we’ve discovered traces of Elf Chosen Ones behind that as well..."

"They are fanatical, belligerent, and extremely adept at incitement and seduction..."

"It is precisely because of their existence that the Empire’s poor have been so quickly bewitched, falling into heresy."

"Moreover... according to the conjecture of several Divine Envoys, the number and strength of these Elf Chosen Ones also seem to be linked to the strength of the World Tree."

"These Elf Chosen Ones are our true foes in the struggle against the Life Church!"

After hearing the Black-clothed Bishop out, Bishop Wenstar fell completely silent.

After a long time, he let out a long sigh:

"I understand."

He once again assumed the calm and solemn demeanor he usually wore. Only, when he looked at the Black-clothed Bishop, there was now a trace of probing in his gaze.

"However..."

He changed the subject:

"Lord Judgement Bishop, are you and His Holiness the Pope still hiding something from us?"

This time, it was the Black-clothed Bishop’s turn to remain silent.

Seeing this, a ripple flashed through Bishop Wenstar’s eyes:

"So... there really is."

With that, he raised his head and stared fixedly at the Black-clothed Bishop:

"Lord Judge Bishop, does it have to do with our Lord’s Divine Oracle? What you just told me—is it not the full content of the Oracle?"

The Black-clothed Bishop remained silent.

Wenster’s expression darkened; he spoke unhappily:

"Your Excellency Judge, as our Lord’s fanatical Believer, I too am qualified to know the full content of the Oracle!"

At this, the Black-clothed Bishop finally let out a soft sigh:

"Lord Wenstar, if you have any doubts, please pray to our Lord directly."

As he spoke, he gave the other man a meaningful look:

"If you truly possess the recognition of the Lord, then... I believe you will understand His Holiness the Pope’s methods."

Bishop Wenstar’s heart skipped a beat. He cast a similarly meaningful glance at this Judgement Bishop whose very name he did not know, gave a cold snort, and flicked his sleeves as he left.

However, after leaving the Judgement Court, he did not return to the Imperial Palace, but went instead to the church closest to the Judgement Court.

"Prepare the highest-grade prayer room for me. I wish to commune with our Lord."

Bishop Wenstar ordered the Priests.

Although he was not a Divine Favored, as the current Regent Minister of the Empire, he had likewise received a portion of the Eternal Lord’s Divine Favor bestowed upon the Holy Mania Empire.

In theory, as long as his faith was devout enough, he too possessed a certain degree of ability to commune with a True God.

Hearing Bishop Wenstar’s command, the Priests respectfully withdrew and quickly prepared a solemn and austere prayer room for him.

Entering the prayer room, Wenstar closed the door and came before the statue of the Eternal Lord.

He took from his robe the sun emblem symbolizing the Eternal Lord, placed it upon his chest, knelt down gently, and shut his eyes in devout prayer.

"My merciful and great, supreme Lord..."

"Your devout servant Wenstar wishes to ask you to dispel the doubts in his heart..."

Wenstar’s voice was fervent and sincere.

As he prayed sentence after sentence, gradually, platinum light began to bloom from the statue.

Vaguely, a sacred and majestic figure seemed to appear behind the statue.

An ethereal, formless voice slowly sounded at Wenstar’s ear, sending a rush of excitement through him.

That voice could be nothing else—it was a Divine Oracle from the Divine...

The Oracle was intermittent, ethereal and awe-inspiring.

Gradually, Bishop Wenstar’s eyes opened wide, his face full of astonishment.

And after astonishment, his expression shifted to confusion; within that confusion, there seemed to flicker both terror and sudden realization.

Not until a moment later were those shifting expressions slowly replaced by solemnity, and behind that solemnity, Bishop Wenstar’s gaze seemed to become even more devout and fanatical.

Little by little, the vague silhouette behind the statue faded away, the hazy Oracle vanished with it, and the radiance shrouding the statue of the Eternal Lord returned to dimness.

Bishop Wenstar took a deep breath, once more bowed respectfully to the statue, traced a sun symbol upon his chest, and said:

"Praise be to you, great Lord..."

"Your devout servant Wenstar will strictly obey your Oracle!"

"May your radiance illuminate every corner of Segis!"

No one knew what sort of Oracle Wenstar had heard.

Only, after he walked out of the prayer room, he never again voiced any doubts about the Pope’s orders.

On the other side, after they had successfully crushed rescue attempt after rescue attempt by the Elf Chosen Ones, the Judgement Knights finally succeeded in escorting the Divine Favored John back to the capital of the Holy Mania Empire—the Eternal Holy City Mania.