Vol 2. Chapter 38: The Change in the Flame of Divine Benediction

Fenny’s mana was nearly depleted. Earlier, she had used Saint's Envoy magic to heal injured students, leaving her with barely any mana left to resist the fanatic.

Just as Fenny's life hung by a thread and she desperately prayed to the Goddess, she suddenly sensed a burst of pure, immaculate sakura-colored radiance flash before her eyes. The next instant, the fanatic who had been arrogantly gripping her and ridiculing her was struck by an unknown light magic, sent tumbling through the air, rolling over himself several times.

Freed from his grip, Fenny fell hard to the ground, escaping the fanatic’s restraint, but she was severely wounded. Her throat clogged with blood, the pain was unbearable.

Then, she felt a warm, sakura-colored orb of light fly into her body, swiftly mending her internal and external injuries at a visible rate. In mere moments, she coughed up a mouthful of clotted blood, and her entire body felt relieved.

Saint's Envoy?

It seemed to be Healing Orb, didn’t it?

Fenny thought one of her fellow Church students had saved her. She opened her mouth to say thank you, but when she looked up—

The sky was filled with countless drifting, immaculate white feathers. Amidst the pristine sakura light stood a pink-haired girl, an angel with wings outstretched, radiating purity as she hovered above.

In her hand, the lingering brilliance of Luminous Strike had yet to dissipate. Even after being unleashed, the remaining light element swirling within was unimaginably intense—far beyond the dim glow of Fenny’s own Luminous Strike.

Sakura hair, heart-shaped pink pupils, angelic wings, and an impossibly divine white ceremonial dress.

Fenny was utterly dumbstruck. That unmistakably familiar face immediately reminded her of the Goddess statue she visited every day at the cathedral.

“Th-the th-th-the... The Goddess?!”

Though her injuries were mostly healed, the shock flooding Fenny’s heart was impossible to describe.

Excitement, awe, disbelief, and utter bewilderment crashed over her in waves. Her brain couldn’t even process the scene before her. Countless emotions swelled within her, leaving her stuttering and unable to form a complete sentence.

“Goddess above! Y-Your Holiness, d-did You hear Your faithful follower’s prayers?!” Fenny cried out in overwhelming excitement, her entire body trembling. There was so much she wanted to say, yet in this moment, all she could manage was that single, halting sentence.

“Praise the Goddess! The Goddess has truly manifested! The Goddess has come to save us!”

Fenny prostrated herself on the ground, lifting her head to gaze reverently at the sakura-haired angel, her voice filled with infinite worship and awe for this divine miracle.

Meanwhile, Vanessa...

Did this silly child get her brain scrambled in the fight?

She actually mistook Vanessa for the Goddess of Radiance herself? There were quite a few differences in appearance, weren’t there?

Vanessa had flown over, spotted Fenny valiantly holding off the fanatic to cover the retreat of the first-year students, and decided to step in and help.

Not that she particularly liked the brat.

And like most Demon God Pillar cultists, this fanatic clearly wasn’t normal—asking people to punch him in the head, claiming he could stand still and let them hit him for minutes.

Weird request... So Vanessa obliged, giving him a proper, fully charged Luminous Strike right to the skull.

Technically, at Vanessa’s current level, it shouldn’t have been possible to injure a fanatic with Alchemical Blood, but her sheer strength and extraordinary light element affinity broke through his defenses. She had fully charged the Luminous Strike in midair.

That single blow nearly sent the fanatic back to the grave, scattering countless shimmering droplets of blood.

“Urgh...!”

The fanatic’s head buzzed, as though even his soul had been rattled to pieces. Barely steadying himself, enraged, he looked up to see who dared attack him—

His empty, orange-yellow pupils quivered in shock as he laid eyes on the dazzling, sakura-haired angel floating in the sky.

“The Goddess of Radiance?!... No, the Radiant Saintess?!”

The fanatic was utterly dumbfounded.

“No, no, impossible—what is happening?!”

Gazing at the angelic girl whose presence resembled falling cherry blossoms, the fanatic couldn’t believe it. Beyond the shock, a trace of fear seeped into his heart—as if shadows, unable to escape the light, cowered instinctively.

“Who the hell are you, playing divine tricks?!”

Vanessa didn’t answer. She rested her war hammer lightly against her shoulder, performed a graceful curtsey midair—a simple gesture of combat etiquette—and then dove down. Her pristine angelic wings swept across the sky, scattering radiant motes of light that healed the withering soil below.

The hammer, dense with concentrated light element, came crashing toward the fanatic’s head once again.

“Whoaa! As expected of Her Holiness the Goddess!”

Watching the graceful angel soar by, Fenny clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with awe.

It was the same Luminous Strike, but without charging, Fenny’s own version emitted only a faint, powerless glow.

But Her Holiness the Goddess—without even charging, her strike brimmed with terrifyingly dense light elements. Her affinity for light magic must be utterly monstrous.

As expected of the Goddess!

Fenny’s entire attention was fixed on Vanessa’s radiant figure. The question of why a being with such overwhelming light element affinity was only using a low-tier spell like Luminous Strike?

It never crossed her mind.

The fanatic, however, wasn’t about to take another hit like that. Even if it didn’t kill him, he wasn’t going to stand there like an idiot and let it happen.

In fact, he now considered Vanessa to be a powerful opponent on par with himself, unaware that her actual level was merely that of a Sorcerer—her immense strength entirely propped up by her terrifying elemental affinity and brute force.

The fanatic conjured two blazing fireballs in his palms and hurled them at Vanessa.

Vanessa traced an elegant curve through the air, as if performing ballet mid-flight, gracefully evading both fireballs and circling in close to the fanatic.

“Heh... You’ve fallen for it!” The fanatic sneered as Vanessa approached. “You faker—I’ll expose your true form!”

Before his words faded, he extended his arm—far longer than an ordinary human wielding a sword. With her hammer’s short range, Vanessa couldn’t possibly reach him.

His palm ignited with searing flames—not ordinary fire, but one that engulfed both himself and Vanessa within its blazing inferno.

Neither humans nor demons possessed full-body magic resistance, unless equipped with enchanted gear or items granting elemental protection.

And this fire wasn’t ordinary—it could reduce beings to ashes in seconds.

“Ha! Let’s see you impersonate that damned false goddess now!”

Seeing Vanessa engulfed in flames, completely silent, the fanatic roared with laughter.

But as he withdrew his mana—

Those immaculate, enormous white wings remained, folded protectively right in front of him.

Without undergoing her Four-Winged transformation yet, upgrading Radiant Wing Blessing already brought notable visual changes. Vanessa’s wings had grown large enough to shield herself—and several others—completely.

Her wings enclosed, safeguarding the sakura-haired girl within. As they unfurled once more, not a single hair was singed, her divine white ceremonial gown untouched by even a speck of ash.

That was the benefit of upgrading to Immaculate Radiant Wings—drastically increased magic resistance. Combined with her Fasylis bloodline and the overall magic resistance granted by Armor Fortress, low-tier spells couldn’t harm her at all.

“What?!”

The fanatic never expected this woman to emerge from his inferno completely unharmed. Stunned, he faltered.

Vanessa didn’t hesitate. Raising her hammer, she slammed another Luminous Strike straight onto the fanatic’s head, driving it deep into the ground.

More glittering Alchemical Blood splattered everywhere.

Of course, defeating a fanatic wasn’t that easy. Vanessa never expected her Sorcerer-level strength—or two Luminous Strikes—to finish him off.

Even slamming him into the ground was likely due to sheer brute strength, not actual damage to his absurdly tough body.

If he stood up again, it would become a hassle—the fanatic surely wouldn’t underestimate her twice.

She had no time to waste. Seizing the opening, Vanessa pushed her palm forward, summoning a palm-sized, iridescent flame.

Flame of Divine Benediction.

The surrounding temperature skyrocketed. The earth itself began to melt.

Not wasting a second—every moment the Flame existed drained her mana—Vanessa decisively shoved the Flame of Divine Benediction onto the fanatic’s exposed back.

The fanatic, his head still buried in the ground, seethed with rage, swearing to pluck every last feather from this pink-haired woman’s wings.

What made fanatics strong was their combination of devastating magic and absurd durability. Their Alchemical Blood granted them immense resilience—allowing them to endure attacks few others could survive.

As long as they could stand up, victory was theirs.

This fanatic was no exception, his Alchemical Blood covering nearly all common human elements: fire, light, water, lightning. Combined with his iron-like skin, he was supremely confident no attack could one-shot him.

Yet, as he tried to rise, a wave of weakness overtook him. His limbs failed him, collapsing to the ground.

“Urgh?!”

Confused, his head tilted as he tried to understand—until his eyes drifted to his chest.

A massive, gaping wound stretched across his torso, cleanly pierced through.

Thud.

The fanatic toppled, eyes wide in disbelief, unwillingness, and terror.

“Haah... haah...”

Vanessa exhaled deeply.

Even summoning a palm-sized Flame of Divine Benediction and making a simple push drained her significantly—half her mana gone.

Still, it was progress. Before, her flames were only flickering wisps—useless without physical contact.

Now, palm-sized, and crucially, she could project them slightly—allowing her to harm nearby enemies without direct contact.

Though, even now, the range was pitifully short.

Compared to Aesphyra’s Divine Favor, another near-broken blessing, hers was still far more taxing. Surely Aesphyra’s blessing consumed vast mana—or had other hidden costs.

This victory came swiftly thanks to many factors—not least the fanatic’s overconfidence. They thought no one could one-shot them—so their aggressive style left them vulnerable.

But in Fenny’s eyes—

The Goddess descended, effortlessly crushed the fanatic, displaying overwhelming strength without breaking a sweat. The fanatic hadn’t even been able to fight back.

In Fenny’s perspective, there was no contest, no gamble, no pressure—only the destined triumph of divine will!

“That was... the Flame of Divine Benediction?!”

As a descendant of the Cassius family, Fenny had seen the holy flame left behind by the Saintess at Church headquarters. That familiar radiance—

There was no doubt—this was truly Her Holiness the Goddess!