When the plot-skips players into the game world

April 6th, afternoon.

Narcissus Duchy, Protagoras Territory, Barcelona Port.

Aiwass, draped in the opulent black-red Papal robes, descended slowly from the Elf warship, the Coronet Scepter in hand.

His golden hair had grown back to shoulder-length, and his emerald-green eyes gleamed luminously like gemstones. The chest of his Papal robe displayed a large emerald jewel. The robe itself was primarily black, accented with deep red and bright gold thorn-like decorations.

As for the Coronet Scepter in Aiwass's hand… it was originally more of a visually "cool-looking" ornamental staff without substantial power. Yet now, paired with Aiwass's black-red robe, it seemed fitting—at least, the visual style was in perfect harmony.

The moment Aiwass stepped off the ship, people immediately recognized him as someone of great significance.

—The warship behind him served as undeniable proof of that.

"So, this is the Narcissus Duchy…"

Aiwass sighed with a trace of wonder. "It's truly my first time here."

This time, Aiwass did not take a passenger vessel—naturally, the Holy Nation wouldn't dare have their Pope travel on a mere civilian ship.

That would be far too dangerous. In this world riddled with "taboo" entities lurking in the ocean's depths, even for a Fifth Power Level Transcendent, the seas posed significant threats. Not only was it an open expanse with no place to hide, but lurking sea monsters, those sleeping in the deep, could strike at any moment.

And those creatures started at Fifth Power Level or higher!

The ship Aiwass sailed on was the same model as the one Helquinn used during his mission to Avalon. It was resplendent with a deep crimson hue, constructed using materials sourced from The Great Tree. The hull was adorned with large amounts of gold and rubies, each gemstone nearly a square meter in size, with their numbers totaling close to two hundred pieces—these were, of course, not naturally formed rubies but massive synthetic ones created using Classical Alchemy.

These ruby-like components, resembling solar panels, functioned as the ship's "cannons." They served as both an energy shield and a means of attacking in any direction.

This ship, named the "Cruel Preacher," was built using ancient technology predating the birth of the Candle Celestial Marshal and the establishment of the Holy Nation.

When Helquinn sailed aboard a similar ship in the past, its weapon systems had been dismantled. After all, the Holy Nation was firmly neutral and at peace at that time; it surely could not bring a warship into the Giant Kingdom of Alktoth's territory—that would have been a show of disrespect to the Alktothians.

—Alktothians, the scholarly name for Giants. This was new knowledge Aiwass had learned from the Holy Nation… a piece of authentic history that would have been impossible to learn on Avalon.

Just as Dwarves wouldn't call themselves "Dwarves," as they wouldn't perceive themselves as being short, Giants similarly wouldn't refer to themselves as "Giants." In their own tongue, they called themselves "Alktoth," which translates to "Favored of the Earth" or "Children of the Earth" in the Elvish Language. As for the Giant King, his title translates as "The King of the Earth"—this is why the Giants have a "Royal Family" but lack other "nobles" or "feudal territories."

One reason is that the Giants had not adopted a feudal system, but the larger reason is… in Giant culture, the Giant King was not considered merely the "King of the Giants," but rather "the Ruler of the Land." His authority was granted by conquering the earth itself and bestowed by the "Supreme Heaven." Other Giants were "born from the embrace of the earth."

According to the Giants' creation myth, their progenitor, the Supreme Heaven, grew ravenous with hunger. Yet, due to its overwhelming power, no offspring could withstand its strength. Thus, it consummated with the unyielding earth. Its essence seeped into the depths of the ground, creating the swelling, pregnant earth—which manifested as volcanoes.

The first batch of Giants emerged from these volcanoes and, like their fiery birthplaces, they were forever wrathful and perilous. This endowed Giants with innate powers of both flame and earth.

For this reason, within the Giant Royal Court, the Holy Statues of the Supreme Heaven are depicted in an exposed posture.

The bloodline of the Royal Family consisted of the first Giants to open their eyes and converse with the Supreme Heaven. They were, therefore, the elder siblings of all Giants. By the Giants' tradition of venerating the eldest, the Royal Family became the oldest—and hence strongest—Giants, naturally wielding the greatest power and authority.

To humanity, the Giants seemed savage, frenzied, and bloodthirsty… yet to the Elves, the Giants were merely another equal race, like all others. The Giants had their own culture and language, their own sense of identity, and their own form of governance…

The eventual enmity between the Holy Nation and the Giants stemmed partly from the Giants' militaristic stance against the Elves, whom they regarded as a rival, and partly due to the killing of Cardinal Castening by the Giants.

The catalyst for this conflict lay in the massacre of Elves residing on Avalon Island by the Giants.

Avalon Island was not solely inhabited by Giants. Before the Supreme Heaven created the Giants, the island was a paradise for Serpentfolk, Elves, and a few Winged Ones, as well as housing some Witches and Fairies. But the Giants began stealing the eggs of the Serpentfolk and Avianfolk to eat and even consumed them. Unable to match the strength of the Giants, these races, after suffering defeats across several battles, opted to leave the island.

The Elves, however, respected the traditions of the Giants—for in this world, there are both herbivores and carnivores. It is part of natural order. While the Nine Pillar Gods' teachings discouraged eating creatures capable of speech, not every race adhered to this principle. Survival of the fittest, the law of predation, was also a form of natural Order. The Elves merely sought to observe and mediate.

If the Serpentfolk and Avianfolk had chosen to remain on Avalon Island, the Elves would have endeavored to prevent their extinction.

But since they departed, the Elves ceased interfering with the Giants, only warning them not to go too far.

Yet perhaps connected to the Supreme Heaven's defeat of the Heaven Devouring Titan Nibiru and its consumption of the Titan's divine body, Giants possessed an insatiable appetite, which continued to provoke the Elves.

Eventually, the Elves chose to oppose the Giants entirely, plunging both sides into a prolonged war—a conflict that began only after the Elves had severed ties with the Holy Nation, declaring their actions to be independent of the church.

This faction of Elves had chosen not to live in the Holy Nation, as they were more aggressive, harsh, and militant compared to their serene and peace-loving kin.

They believed their technology far exceeded that of the Giants, yet they underestimated the physical might and valor of their adversaries. Weapons such as the "Nation Destroyer" and "Breaker of Sieges" were born from the final battle between the isolated Elves and the indomitable Giants.

The Eternal Vanguard of the Candle, Castening, had been summoned into the Material Realm. Even though he himself was a Giant, he devoutly worshiped the Candle Celestial Marshal. He exterminated the Giants who had sparked the massacre and took up residence at the Kastening Temple, keeping a perpetual watch over his violent kinsmen.

The strong can only be convinced by greater strength. Having borne witness to the overwhelming might of Castening, the Alktothians gradually quieted down.

They established a nation, forming settlements over time. Though they still consumed other races, they began adopting "civilized" methods, such as trade or livestock rearing, and stopped waging external wars. Gradually, they became more mindful. And when the Holy Nation issued warnings or punishments, they became compliant… leading to internal debates and disputes among the Elves over handling the Giants.

For the Path of Devotion transcends notions of good and evil.

It was precisely because Castening had not yet been betrayed and killed that Helquinn needed to personally gather evidence of the Giants' sins. The fact that he needed to collect evidence suggested that mainstream opinion within the Holy Nation was against going to war—conversely, the fact that he was willing to risk his life doing so meant that there was still significant anti-Giant sentiment within the church!

Now, Aiwass was certain that if Helquinn had sailed directly to Avalon aboard a fully armed warship like the "Cruel Preacher"… he might not have had to die at all.

This vessel, which even gave Aiwass a faint sense of intimidation, signified firepower capable of annihilating Fourth Power Level Transcendents and posing a fatal threat to those at the Fifth Power Level.

Its effective range was vast—its beams could cover targets over twenty kilometers away. Within this range, enemies were targeted and pursued by the augmented and extended Fourth Power Level spell "Scorching Ray." The number of simultaneous targets depended on the number of Divine Arts practitioners operating its control nodes, while the tracking accuracy relied on their manual skills. When focused on a single stationary target, nearly a hundred ruby lenses could strike simultaneously.

Moreover, the ship itself functioned as a highly powerful Divine Arts altar, amplifying spellcasting over a diameter exceeding fifty kilometers—enough to encompass nearly half a city.

With such a ship, Helquinn's followers would not have had to engage in close combat on land.

If they had stayed aboard, Helquinn wouldn't have needed to linger in human settlements, awaiting supplies for extended periods.

Traveling alone, Helquinn's Pegasus afforded him unparalleled mobility. Like what Aiwass had done during his own ritual—Giants simply couldn't keep up with him.

Even the Winged Celestial Marshal, though capable of flight, was confined by the Supreme Heaven's original creation: Giants, incapable of flying themselves. This remained their fatal flaw… for any humanoid entity lacking spatial teleportation and flight abilities, mobility was inherently limited—a rule dictated by natural law. Unless smashing through every obstacle in their path could be considered a form of movement.

But with the cover of artillery fire, Helquinn could've retreated and regrouped at any time.

This was, after all, the Holy Nation's most formidable warship, its firepower once critical in the Elves' battles against Demon Beasts, Sea Monsters, Dragons, and other ancient foes.

After the era of war concluded, only three "Cruel Preacher" ships remained. One was damaged beyond repair in Helquinn's expedition, leaving this one among the surviving vessels. It typically served as an escort for missions involving two or more Cardinals.

As for the more powerful "Oathbreaker Annihilator" class, all of them had been dismantled long ago due to their exorbitant upkeep costs, predating even the birth of humanity… fortunately, their designs had been archived. Yet even with Aiwass's command, rebuilding one would remain extremely challenging.

Currently, the ship lacked what would traditionally be termed "sailors." The eighty crew aboard were all at least Third Power Level Priests. Additionally, six Papal Guards accompanied the voyage.

They remained stationed on the warship, ever-ready for action.

Aiwass finally grasped the terrifying martial prowess of the Elves…

This time, Aiwass was accompanied by another Cardinal Archbishop.

"Six hundred and forty-one years ago, I visited this place,"

came the cold voice of Cardinal Galatea. "Would you like me to act as your guide?"

The girl, with her snow-white hair and doll-like expression, displayed no trace of emotion—her presence as icy as a winter frost.

She was the substitute for the Gemini Mirror, the sole construct Cardinal within the Holy Nation. As the leader of the Relic Restoration Assembly, news of Aiwass's intent to visit an Age of Amber ruin had piqued her strong desire to join the expedition.

"…That won't be necessary."

Aiwass replied with some resignation.

Six hundred years had passed; the very landscape was likely unrecognizable by now…