-Clap!!!
The man in ceremonial robes adorned with various armaments clapped one last time, the sound echoing clearly across the stadium before, in the very next moment, he was already floating beside Elizabeth.
"That was quite the speech."
"Direct... and effective."
He paused briefly, his eyes moving across the crowd, carefully observing their expressions, taking in the fear, the hesitation, and the faint sparks of determination that had begun to form, before returning his gaze to her.
"I can see you have given them something to think about."
Seeing the middle-aged man who was overflowing with mature charisma and a composed kind of handsomeness, people gasped softly, their attention instantly shifting toward him as his presence settled naturally beside Elizabeth.
Just a moment ago, they had heard Elizabeth speak about the Church of Light, and now, only minutes later, a figure who clearly held immense authority had appeared right beside her, making the connection in their minds almost instantaneous.
There was excitement, there was anticipation, and there was a faint fire burning in the eyes of many, as if the tension from before had not disappeared but had instead taken a different shape.
They wanted to see what would happen next, what kind of exchange would take place between these two, and more importantly, what this sudden appearance truly meant, as the atmosphere grew even more focused than before.
"Its an honor that the High Priest of the Church is himself present before me."
Elizabeth spoke in an ambiguous tone, making it unclear whether she was speaking in sarcasm or respect, her expression remaining calm as if she had no intention of clarifying it.
The High Priest seemed to have understood the underlying meaning behind her tone, but ignoring it, he smiled amicably and replied, "No, no... the honor is mine. It is not every day that I stand before a direct disciple of an Eternal. Your presence has graced this city with Radiance itself. Though, it would have been better, truly, if your arrival had been revealed to me beforehand. I regret that I was not able to greet you under the Light from the very beginning."
"It was only after you began to speak here that the Light revealed your presence to me."
Elizabeth scoffed inwardly but did not say anything else, her expression not changing in the slightest.
After all, she knew how shameless people from the Church were, they would lie with a straight face and would not feel a single shred of remorse about it, as if such behavior was completely natural to them.
How could people from the city know about her arrival, yet the High Priest of the Church had no idea at all? It was nothing but an excuse, and a poorly concealed one at that.
"It matters not, though I would have preferred if you had waited for me to finish what I had to say before coming her like this."
Elizabeth spoke with a straight face, her tone even, yet carrying a faint edge that did not go unnoticed.
Even then, the High Priest continued to smile as if it mattered not, his expression remaining as composed as ever.
"Do not worry, there is a reason why I had to appear like this. You see, the Church of Light also has something to announce. Just imagine my surprise when I saw you already addressing the people. I believed this to be the moment guided by the Light itself, a moment to reveal what has been personally ordered by the Heavenly Eternal Supreme. I ask for your forgiveness if my presence seems improper. If my presence here is not desired, I will take my leave under the Light."
This bastard..
Elizabeth cursed the High Priest inwardly, her irritation rising slightly at his words.
He brought up the name of an Eternal and then casually spoke about leaving as if it was her decision to make.
If she sent him back now, would that not imply that she was disregarding the words of an Eternal? She was not foolish enough to step into such an obvious trap.
These light bastards only pretend to be righteous, I am sure if you cut their hearts, it would certainly be black. How can there be so much similarity between these underlings and their masters....tsk!!
"Oh my!! You must be jesting, how could I refuse such a polite request. If you wish to announce something, feel free to do so. After all, I was almost done with what I had to say, the only thing left for me to do is to search for some talented individuals, if there are any in the city."
Elizabeth spoke fluently, her soft voice and sweet words enough to diffuse the tension-filled atmosphere, as if the sharp exchange from before had never taken place.
Meanwhile, the audience was completely stunned by the scene unfolding before them, their eyes moving between the two figures as they tried to grasp the hidden meaning behind their words.
It felt less like a simple conversation and more like a carefully layered exchange, where every line carried something beneath the surface.
Even so, their curiosity only grew stronger as they waited to see what the Church was going to announce, because the declaration made by the Transcendent Circle had already shaken the entire Eden, and whatever came next might change things even further.
The High Priest nodded toward Elizabeth and then ignored her completely, shifting his attention instead toward the cameras and the audience, his smile widening slightly as if this was the moment he had been waiting for.
"May the Light be with all of you who bear witness... I stand before you not as one worthy of praise, but as a humble High Priest of the Church of Light. At most, I am but a vessel of the Light’s will, a mere messenger chosen to deliver what must be revealed. What I bring before you is not mine to speak, but a matter of great urgency that now stands before us all."
His voice carried warmth and ease, spreading naturally across the stadium and through the streams, making it feel as though he was speaking to each person individually.
"This matter stands apart from the troubles you are already aware of, and let it be known under the Light... it bears no relation to the Church of Darkness."
A brief pause followed as he allowed his words to settle, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before he continued.
"The Church of Light, or rather the Heavenly Eternal Supreme, wishes to issue a decree."
The moment that word left his mouth, the entire stadium grew even quieter, as if everyone instinctively understood that what was about to follow carried a different kind of weight, and without needing to be told, every single person focused completely on his words.
"A matter of great importance has come to our attention, something that goes beyond the conflicts you are aware of and something that concerns the very order of existence itself, which is why I ask all of you to listen carefully."
"There exists an individual, someone who has somehow disturbed the web of fate, altering the destined paths of many beings, whether knowingly or unknowingly, and such a change is not something that can be taken lightly."
A faint murmur tried to rise within the crowd, but it quickly faded as people restrained themselves, unwilling to miss even a single word as curiosity and unease slowly began to mix within them.
"The Heavenly Realm became aware of this anomaly long before the Realm of Eden was formed, and under the guidance of the Heavenly Eternal Supreme, the Angelic beings had already begun their search across various galaxies and planets, yet even with their boundless reach, the results remained beyond grasp."
He paused briefly, allowing that information to settle before continuing at the same steady pace.
"However, after the formation of Eden, the task has become easier, because this being now exists within this land itself, which means that the distance that once hid them no longer exists."
"Finding this individual is of paramount importance, because someone who interferes with fate is not merely an irregularity, but a potential source of chaos that can disrupt the natural balance of all realms, and such a possibility cannot be ignored."
His expression turned more composed as he continued, the faint smile on his face becoming more controlled.
"And just a few months ago, the Heavenly Eternal Supreme sensed something even more concerning, something that elevated this matter to an entirely different level."
"There exists a being who has escaped all forms of binding placed upon existence itself, whether it be of living or dead, which means that they are no longer restricted by the laws that govern all other beings."
"This means that they are no longer bound by fate, no longer restrained by karma, and no longer judged by sin or elevated by virtue, while even the cycle of rebirth has no hold over them, and their destiny cannot be defined or predicted in any conventional way."
"Even causality itself struggles to apply to such an existence, making them an anomaly that stands outside the natural order, something that should not normally exist."
"And it is highly suspected that this being is the same individual who disturbed the web of fate in the past, which only makes this matter far more urgent than it already was."
The crowd had completely fallen silent by now, as the earlier excitement was replaced by a heavy realization that what they were hearing was far beyond anything they had imagined.
"Thus, the Church of Light, under the will of the Heavenly Eternal Supreme, is issuing a Divine Mandate, and this is something that concerns all of you without exception."
"Anyone who is able to locate, identify, or provide credible information regarding this individual will be rewarded, and those rewards will not be ordinary, but something that can truly change your standing and future."
"And if someone is capable of capturing or bringing this individual forward, then the rewards will be far beyond what you can imagine, enough to alter the course of your life entirely."
A faint smile returned to his face as his gaze moved across the crowd, observing the reactions that were slowly forming.
"So I urge all of you, remain aware of your surroundings and observe with clarity, for the one we seek may be closer than you think, and the chance placed before you by the Light may not be granted so easily again."
And as if on cue, at the very moment his words settled, something shifted across the entire Realm of Eden and a soft chime echoed in mind of every single being, whether they were inside the stadium or watching the stream from a far away place, because as long as they were connected to the Universal System, none were excluded from what came next.
A familiar window unfolded before their vision.
**
" UNIVERSAL SYSTEM NOTIFICATION "
" REALM QUEST HAS BEEN ISSUED "
" Quest Name: The Absolute Anomaly "
" Quest Type: Realm Quest "
" Target: Unknown "
" Quest Description: A singular existence has been identified as an anomaly that stands beyond the natural order, one who has altered the destined paths of countless beings, knowingly or unknowingly, creating ripples that extend across realms and disrupting the balance that governs existence itself.
This existence is no longer bound by the fundamental laws that define all beings, as they have escaped the constraints of fate, karma, sin, virtue, rebirth, and even causality, making them an irregularity that cannot be predicted, measured, or controlled through conventional means.
Such an existence poses an unpredictable variable to the stability of Eden and beyond, and thus locating and identifying this anomaly has become a matter of utmost importance. "
" Objectives:
-Provide credible information regarding the identity or location of the target.
-Track and report movements of suspected individuals.
-Capture or assist in the capture of the target. "
" Time Limit: Not Specified "
" Rewards:
-Blessing of the Universal System.
-Blessing of the Realm of Eden.
-Heaven-Blessed Sovereign Physique.
-Legendary Tier Evolution Stone.
-Legendary Tier Potential Stone.
-Right to take a single item from the Heavenly Vault. "
" Note: Rewards will be granted based on contribution. The individual who successfully captures or delivers the target will receive rewards of the highest order. "
**
For a brief moment, the entire realm fell silent as countless individuals stared at the same window before them, their thoughts slowing as the meaning behind the quest began to sink in, each line quietly settling into their minds.
A Realm Quest, issued to all of Eden for the first time since the formation of the Realm, involving every single being connected to the System, making it clear without needing further explanation that this was not normal and not something anyone could take lightly.
And as that understanding spread from one person to another, the weight of it became clearer, because this was not just an opportunity placed before them, but the beginning of the greatest hunt anyone had ever seen.
**