Against The True Gods

Caine observed the man before him, his eyes—or rather, his gaze—sweeping up and down in quiet assessment. Before he could act, a sudden mental transmission from Pope Francis interrupted his thoughts.

<Don't kill or cripple him; he's a good kid. Also, be wary of the old lady.>

Caine didn't respond, offering only the faintest nod of acknowledgment. His attention returned to the towering man standing before him.

"Hello," Caine greeted, his voice calm and neutral.

The armored man's tense stance relaxed for a moment before he straightened and spoke. "I am Bertrand Sims, Holy Knight of the Rising Sword."

"Who might you be?"

Caine remained silent for a beat, as though considering his response.

"Lerouge. Caine Lerouge."

Bertrand nodded, his expression unchanging.

"Good, Lerouge. Your performance in the trials was impressive enough to trigger the Holy Protocol."

His feet left the clouds as he began to hover, qi wafting off his body in rippling waves. The energy coated his hovering swords, and his aura steadily built, climbing to oppressive heights.

"Now, you have a chance to join us, the Knights of the Holy Creed. All you must do is defeat me."

Caine chuckled softly. "A mere trainee must defeat a fully-fledged Holy Knight to join? Quite demanding, don't you think?"

Bertrand did not respond, his aura now fully unleashed. A sword of orange light materialized in his hand, blazing with searing energy.

"Let us begin."

Bertrand shot forward, the air folding and exploding under the strain of his acceleration.

In moments, he was upon Caine, his blades moving to impale him from all sides while his own sword arced upward with terrifying momentum.

"Apologies," Caine murmured, his voice calm despite the ferocity of the attack. "But I'm still quite tired, so I won't drag this out."

Caine's palm shot forward, moving so quickly it seemed to transcend the natural laws of existence.

His hand lightly tapped Bertrand's armored chest, and a pulse of qi rippled outward from the contact, surging through every fiber of Bertrand's body.

Bertrand froze mid-motion. His swords clattered to the ground, his qi dissipated into nothingness, and he fell to one knee, blood pouring from his nose.

But Bertrand wasn't finished. His blood qi surged violently, repairing the damage to his body in an instant. With a roar that echoed across the sky, his aura reignited, his blades springing back to life.

Caine sighed, exasperation flickering across his face.

He moved forward with deliberate steps, dodging Bertrand's attacks with uncanny precision. Each of Caine's retaliatory strikes was a simple palm, delivered too quickly for Bertrand to counter or evade.

Though the attacks seemed harmless, Bertrand's body slowly began to fail. His veins ruptured, his organs faltered, and his strength ebbed away.

It made no sense.

How could a palm coated in neutral qi cause such devastation?

"Please, give up," Caine said, his tone almost pleading. "As I said, I'm very tired."

Bertrand's orange eyes burned crimson, black runes erupting around him as a new, sinister power awakened within. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Caine's gaze narrowed slightly, and he immediately moved.

In a single step, he closed the distance between them. In the blink of an eye, dozens of palms crashed into Bertrand's body, each one delivering precise, devastating force.

Bertrand didn't even have time to scream before a fist slammed his jaw shut, snapping his head back.

PAH!

Caine's fist buried itself in Bertrand's gut, driving all the air from his lungs. A wave of death qi coursed through Bertrand's body, corroding his blood qi and ravaging his system.

To Bertrand, Caine was a blur—a mess of overlapping motions he couldn't comprehend, let alone counter.

PURCHI!

Bertrand collapsed to his knees, his body bloodied and broken. His swords hovered precariously at his sides, their tips pressed against his own throat.

Caine stood over him, his expression as serene as ever.

"This could've been avoided had you listened. Now look—you won't be able to move for days."

Bertrand sighed in resignation. Seeing this, Caine smiled faintly and dispelled the death qi coursing through Bertrand's body.

Bertrand's eyes widened as the once-lethal energy transformed into a restorative tonic, amplifying his blood qi's healing properties.

His recovery, which should have taken weeks, was reduced to mere moments.

Rising shakily to his feet, Bertrand accepted Caine's outstretched hand.

"I tried my best not to crack your armor," Caine said with a smirk. "You can thank me for that."

Bertrand's lip twitched in annoyance, but he couldn't help the grudging smile that followed.

"Welcome to our ranks, Holy Knight Lerouge."

***

Before the Church's grand glass doors, the people of the capital had gathered, their eyes fixed on two figures.

The first was a young man kneeling on the ground, his eyes concealed by rune-covered bandages. He wore thick golden knight armor, the light of the sun glinting off its surface.

The second was Elder Larisse, standing tall and imposing, her expression cold and unyielding.

In her hand, she held a ceremonial blade.

She began the knighting ceremony, her voice echoing through the hushed crowd.

"Holy Knight Lerouge, son of the stars, we of the Holiest Church welcome you into the Timeless Pantheon of Honor."

She touched the blade to his right shoulder.

"May your blood bleed gold, and your heart echo with the pulsing drums of heaven and earth."

The blade moved to his left shoulder.

"May your soul burn with the flare of a billion suns."

Finally, the blade rested gently atop his head, pressing into his long black hair.

"May your body stand against the evils beyond and protect the world from the darkest of lights and the brightest of shadows."

Suddenly, a terrifying pressure erupted from Elder Larisse. Above Caine's head, a golden star materialized, blazing with celestial light.

"Holy Knight Lerouge of the Endless Stars, please…"

Her voice grew thunderous, reverberating across the capital.

"…RISE AND CLAIM YOUR TITLE!"

BOOOOOOOOM!

The golden star exploded, its fragments fusing into Caine's armor.

The armor, once golden, turned jet-black, etched with countless shimmering silver stars. It tightened around his body, accentuating the tempered strength of his refined physique.

From his shoulders, a cape as dark as the void erupted, cascading majestically down his back.

Caine rose to his full height, locking eyes with Elder Larisse.

They nodded at one another before crossing their hands over their chests in solemn salute.

Together, the crowd, the Holy Knights, and Elder Larisse spoke in unison, their voices rising like a chorus to the heavens.

"All hail the Holiest of Popes, Francis!"