Atop a distant hill, observing the sparse battle in the woods below, Anna watched Malin holding the slender twig in his hand with a silent, beaming smile.
It was a gift from a deity of another realm, which Anna had seen before. In the Church of Justice, there were no fewer than ten such ’wooden artifacts,’ each possessing divine power akin to a sacred weapon. They could treat Spectral Power as solid matter, dealing damage to Spiritual Bodies and Wraiths, as well as other ethereal beings, while healing the innocent when upon them they lay.
They were said to be tender branches plucked from a vast tree of divinity.
Anna had never seen such a giant tree, nor heard any legend of it in this world. Yet, some travelers from other planes referred to this tree as the World Tree, and to the God of Justice by different names. Travelers from a vast world affectionately called this deity... Nameless.
All were gods from foreign lands, but this one was a great existence, different from the Evil Gods. In different planes, he appeared only to save.
Had the Church of Justice not existed, the world would have plunged into the abyss centuries ago, becoming a nest and breeding ground for Evil Gods, with every child born into this world a vessel for Chaos... Perpetual damnation is the best outcome for everyone in this world, and ’better off dead’ is the kindest epitaph for all living beings here.
Luckily, this Rightful God appeared, and even as the local deities weakened, it was he who was reforging the pantheon.
Even as an elf, Anna sometimes thought that such a grand deity truly deserved her faith.
However, he actually needed no faith. Unlike the local pantheon, this great being did not require faith. He preferred his followers to walk the righteous path and do good deeds. Faith? Prayer? Those were unnecessary to him, and he could even grant his priests the Sacred Rite to be used daily without condition.
These required no faith, only that the priests remain steadfast in the forces of good.
Now, he had bestowed the sacred tender branch upon Malin—even if only a temporary right of use, it was enough to prove that he had passed this great being’s test, his character beyond reproach—after all, not just anyone could wield such tender branches. In the history of the Church of Justice, their owners had died more than once on the battlefield, and there were numerous records of evil and dark entities trying to pick up or destroy them. But every time they attempted to do so, judgment from another plane would arrive, as expected.
Now, every creature in this world knows only the virtuous can pick up those small branches of the God of Justice.
"I felt the presence of my lord here, Lady Anna of Lillianum, good afternoon."
The Bishop of the Church of Justice stepped through the portal, glanced at the battle, and frowned, "My lord’s Paladin... has sacrificed another one."
"It is a noble sacrifice, Your Excellency, the great God of Justice has descended, and Malin from the Church of the Goddess of Harvest has received a small branch."
"I have seen it. Being acknowledged by my lord, the child has the right to grasp it. But, my lady, do you really feel at ease letting him fight that Wraith?" the Bishop furrowed his brows.
"The Battle of Oaths. The righteous one has made a pact with Malin; I can only wait until they settle a victory or defeat before I can step in." That was the agreement made between the Paladin and Malin. Anna had neither the qualification nor the authority to interrupt this sacred battle, only entering it when Malin faced ultimate peril.
"Ridiculous, even if the child Malin indeed possesses talents far beyond others... to be able to stand resolute and make an oath at that critical moment is the quality of a true warrior." The Bishop shook his head as he watched the fight, "If the battle drags on, the Wraith transformed by the Saint will grow stronger and his chance of victory will diminish."
"I believe in the child; his father... was my mentor." Anna crossed her arms, watching the battle below. Malin had just rolled to dodge a thrust from the Wraith’s Blink, then performed a spectacular somersault to avoid a decapitating strike, managing to counterattack with the tender branch in his hand.
He felt... completely unbound by gravity, much like the elderly man Anna had once loved—her mentor.
"...I see, you too." The Bishop finally allowed a smile to spread across his aged face.
"Yes, just like you are." Anna turned to look at the old man, "We are all gifts our mentor left to this world. That child will be as well."
With the tender branch in hand forcing back the Wraith before him, Malin watched as it blurred once again. He swiftly pivoted to the left, and as the Wraith vanished, countered the incoming slash of the Spectral Power Longsword with a parry from the branch.
He felt no impetus upon clash; the Wraith and its Longsword were made of Negative Energy, also known as Spectral Power, which the branch could block and also deal damage to the Wraith before him.
The Wraith didn’t relent, screeching as its empty hand reached for Malin.
To a normal person, the mind-controlling screech would have been enough to receive harm from the Wraith, but for Malin, it was merely ’noisy.’
He quickly backstepped, withdrawing his Firearm from his waistband, and pulled the trigger towards the approaching Wraith. The first bullet pierced through its body without causing any damage, but as the screeching Wraith closed in, Malin pulled the trigger a second time.