"The fifth calamity?"
Hearing this icy interrogation, Leticia did not show the slightest nervousness of being judged; instead, she revealed a playful, faint smile.
She took a step forward.
With just that one step, the invisible aura instantly shifted.
The high-pressure aura of the inquisitor, which originally belonged to Morwen Val, was easily dispersed by a more vast, more composed pressure that belonged to a deity.
Now, this was her home turf.
"It's just a name."
Leticia's voice was calm, yet it clearly reached Morwen Val's ears, as if resonating directly within her soul.
"You crossed the endless sea of stars, risking being misunderstood by the entire Empire just to come here, is it really just to confirm a meaningless code name, Saint?"
A single sentence caused all the interrogations and rebukes Morwen Val had prepared to get stuck in her throat.
She was choked up.
The other party's composure and her all-knowing gaze made Morwen Val feel as if she were the one being judged.
She could clearly sense the terrifying power, like an abyss, emanating from the four women before her.
The silver-haired one was as perfect as a trap.
The red-haired one held a fury in her silence capable of tearing the world apart.
And the golden-haired, white-winged one...
Morwen Val's gaze swept over Sanguinia, and her heart constricted violently!
That aura!
That holy, noble aura, filled with the meaning of sacrifice and guardianship, was so familiar! It was so familiar that it reminded her of the descriptions of the legendary "Archangel" in the oldest scriptures of the Adepta Sororitas!
But... it was also so foreign!
Because in this aura, there was not a trace of sorrow or madness, only pure, newborn joy and peace.
This shook her understanding.
"You..."
Morwen Val tried to regain the initiative; she gripped her halberd tightly and rebuked them sternly.
"You heretics who steal the glory of the Empire and blaspheme the name of the God-Emperor! No matter how perfectly you disguise yourselves, you cannot escape the ultimate purification of the Emperor's wrath!"
Her voice was still loud, echoing through the empty hangar.
But under the gaze of Leticia's black eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through eternity, these words appeared somewhat weak and blustering.
"Your God is on my ship."
Leticia did not argue; she simply and calmly stated a fact.
This fact was more powerful than any eloquent argument.
She turned to the side, facing the direction leading to the bridge, and made an elegant gesture of "please."
"Rather than arguing theology with me here and wasting each other's time."
"Why not go see the source of your faith for yourself."
Boom!
This sentence was like an invisible giant hammer, striking hard against Morwen Val's soul.
Her God... on her ship?
How arrogant! How blasphemous!
But... looking at Leticia's unquestionable expression, and looking at the three "Sisters" behind her, each with a distinct style yet all radiating divine brilliance, an absurd thought, one that made her feel afraid herself, uncontrollably rose from the bottom of her heart.
What if... what she said was true?
Once this thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.
Morwen Val's breathing became somewhat rapid for the first time.
She stared fixedly at Leticia, trying to find even the slightest flaw on that flawless face.
But she failed.
She only saw calmness, and a trace of... pity.
As if looking at a child who had been lost for a long time but did not know it.
In the end, Morwen Val's tense body slowly relaxed.
She knew that she had lost.
From the moment the other party disarmed and opened the hatch, the initiative in this standoff had never been in her hands.
She remained silent and took a step forward.
Following Leticia, she walked toward the deep, unknown interior of the ship.
Fogremia, Sanguinia, and Angronia, like four most loyal guards, followed silently on the sides and behind, forming an invisible, oppressive formation.
The moment Morwen Val stepped onto the bridge of the genesis, time seemed to stand still.
All her attention, all her perception, all her faith were, in this instant, firmly drawn to the figure on the throne in the center of the bridge!
It was a sleeping Blonde Girl.
Her small body was curled up on the large throne, covered with a blanket woven from light, sleeping peacefully and quietly.
She looked so fragile, so pure, without a trace of threat.
However, the moment she saw her, Morwen Val's soul was stirred by a storm of waves unlike anything in billions of years!
A sense of yearning, awe, ecstasy, and... belonging, stemming from the deepest part of her bloodline and the very essence of her soul, like a dam bursting, instantly overwhelmed the impregnable barrier of will she had built over ten thousand years of prayer and war!
It is Her!
It is Her!
This aura! This feeling!
It was exactly the same as the sleeping, fatherly aura on the Golden Throne that she had felt countless times in her prayer visions!
No!
It was even purer than that aura! Warmer! More... complete!
It was as if this was Her most primitive, most authentic form!
Just as Morwen Val's mind was violently shaken.
The sleeping Terrania on the throne seemed to sense something in her dream.
Her little face scrunched up slightly, and she let out a murmur of dissatisfaction like a kitten.
With this murmur, a circle of soft, pure golden divine light unconsciously radiated from her small body.
This halo was not blinding, nor was it aggressive.
It was warm, loving, carrying a fatherly majesty while having a motherly tolerance.
It was like a spring breeze brushing over the entire bridge.
When this halo gently touched Morwen Val's body...
Boom!!!
Morwen Val was struck by lightning!
Her tall body shook violently, and she staggered back a large step uncontrollably, her metal boots scraping against the floor with a harsh sound!
The Imperial Aquila badge made of holy gold on her chest was now becoming scalding hot, as if it were about to melt, burning her skin!
But this physical pain was not even a ten-thousandth of the trembling in her soul!
Under the shining of that golden halo, she felt that all her fatigue, all her confusion, and all her persistence over ten thousand years had found an answer in this instant.
And in the next instant, it was completely shattered!
Ten thousand years of prayer!
Ten thousand years of waiting!
Ten thousand years of seeking!
At this moment, it received the most direct and incredible response!
Her impregnable faith, her stubborn understanding like steel...
For the first time, it cracked.
A subtle, yet bottomless crack.
Morwen Val's face turned pale instantly, without a drop of blood.
She stretched out a hand, pointing at the Blonde Girl on the throne who was still sleeping and knew nothing of the outside world.
Her voice trembled violently due to extreme excitement, fear, and disbelief, almost losing its tone.
"That... that is..."
"No... impossible!"
She used all her strength to squeeze out the last sentence from between her teeth, her voice hoarse as if polished by sandpaper.
"What have you... done to her?!"
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