Chapter 75: Saintess
The Saintess’s order left Xingluo motionless for several seconds, she had expected the guards to refuse her again, not for the cathedral doors to open before she could explain anything.
The two temple guards immediately withdrew their halberds and bowed, although neither questioned the command, both watched Xingluo carefully as they moved away from the entrance.
She sensed the token from inside, Xingluo said through the Anchor Link.
And recognized whatever it carried, Wuxia replied, his earlier amusement had disappeared. Do not assume that makes her harmless, we still do not know how much of the original Saintess remains within this recreation.
The Saintess turned and walked back into the cathedral, when she realized Xingluo had not followed, she stopped and glanced over her shoulder.
"You came here because something guided you to me, there is no reason to hesitate now."
Xingluo drew a quiet breath before crossing the entrance with Wuxia beside her. The metal doors slowly closed behind them, cutting off the noise of soldiers and supply carts moving through the central square.
Hundreds of pale lamps floated beneath the high arched ceiling, illuminating two long rows of crystal coffins positioned along the central aisle. Every coffin was empty, and their transparent surfaces remained perfectly smooth, without a single crack or blemish.
The Saintess continued toward the altar until she reached the staff she had left upon the floor,she picked it up, then turned and examined Xingluo more carefully.
Her attention soon shifted to the space beside her. "The soul accompanying you may come closer," she said. "I can sense him more clearly beneath the cathedral’s formations."
Wuxia stopped immediately, while Xingluo looked between them in surprise.
"You can actually see him?"
"Only his outline. The cathedral was built to distinguish wandering souls from those still bound to living bodies." The Saintess studied the connection between them. "His soul is anchored to yours, although the bond does not appear to have been forced upon him."
Until now, none of the recreated soldiers or residents had shown the slightest awareness of Wuxia. The Saintess identifying both his soul and the Anchor Link confirmed that she was different from the other inhabitants.
Wuxia approached without relaxing his guard. "Are you another impression created from the sanctuary’s memories?"
"The body you see was reconstructed from those memories," the Saintess answered. "However, part of my original soul was preserved within the legacy, most of the time, I remain trapped inside the events of this final night."
"Then what changed?" Xingluo asked.
The Saintess looked toward her chestplate. "Something beneath your armour called to the part of me that still remembers."
The token trembled in response. "My name is Luo Xingluo," she said as she removed it. "This thing instructed me to find the dying Saintess and place it in her hands."
A trace of understanding appeared within the Saintess’s expression when she heard those words. "Then the legacy still remembers what became of me."
She extended both hands, but did not take the token immediately, her gaze remained fixed upon the ancient engravings as pale light travelled between them.
"Where did you receive this?"
"Before entering the legacy," Xingluo answered. "It reacted to the Oracle, showed me several visions, and eventually brought me here, it has never properly explained what it expects from me."
"That was never its purpose."
The Saintess finally accepted the token, its violent trembling stopped the moment it touched her palms and a pale pulse spread throughout the cathedral.
Every suspended lamp brightened at once, faint symbols appeared within the silver frames of the empty crystal coffins before disappearing several breaths later.
The Saintess closed her eyes and allowed the pulse to pass through her, the hope she had shown while opening the doors gradually settled into quiet relief.
"So that is what reached me," she said.
"What did you sense?" Xingluo asked.
"The authority of the God we served."
The Saintess turned the token over and traced the engravings with her thumb.
"Long before I was born, this token rested upon the cathedral’s altar during the appointment of every Saintess."
" It did not grant us our position, it merely records that our God had acknowledged the person standing before it."
Xingluo looked toward the empty altar. "How did it end up outside the sanctuary?"
"It disappeared on the same day our God stopped answering us."
The Saintess’s hand tightened slightly around the token.
"There was no final command or explanation, his presence withdrew from every altar and no prayer reached Him again. When the priests entered this cathedral, the token was already gone."
"You believed He had taken it?" Wuxia asked.
"We did not know what to believe, some thought He had abandoned us, while others believed an enemy had separated Him from the sanctuary. My predecessors preserved only one instruction concerning the token."
The Saintess raised it between them. "If it ever returned after forming a complete bond with another soul, we were to recognize that person and allow the legacy to continue its purpose."
Xingluo examined the light gathering across its surface, several thin strands extended from the token and entered her hand, remaining visible even while the Saintess held it.
"That bond was already present when you arrived," the Saintess continued. "It was not created by this trial, and I possess no authority to transfer it to someone else."
"So what does that make me?"
"The heir accepted by the token."
Xingluo’s expression stiffened. She turned toward Wuxia, hoping he would challenge the Saintess’s conclusion.
"You have examined the token since the Oracle," she said. "Tell me there is another explanation."
A faint smile appeared upon the Saintess’s face as Xingluo released a frustrated breath.
"Do you know why your God accepted me?" Xingluo asked.
"No," the Saintess answered directly. "I could praise your courage or claim He foresaw some great purpose within you, but those would only be comforting guesses. I will not place my own words into the mouth of a silent God."
The honesty of her answer prevented Xingluo from arguing further. "Then tell me what you do know, what happened to this sanctuary?"
The Saintess looked along the rows of empty crystal coffins before answering. "Our enemies were simply stronger."
There was neither hesitation nor shame in her voice. "They destroyed the other sanctuaries first and drove every surviving force back to this fortress."
"Their armies outnumbered ours, their strongest warriors surpassed our commanders, and they carried weapons capable of breaking the formations protecting these walls."
"Was there no betrayal or hidden weakness?" Wuxia asked.
"Nothing that could have changed the outcome. Our God remained silent, and no miracle came when the other sanctuaries fell. We defended this place with the power He had already left behind, but it was not enough."
The Saintess closed both hands around the token. "Everyone within this fortress knew the enemy would eventually reach us. Even so, the soldiers continued preparing these walls. Surrender would only have allowed the last remnants of our legacy to be erased without resistance."
Xingluo glanced toward the cathedral doors. Beyond them, thousands of soldiers and residents were preparing to repeat the final hours of their lives without realizing it.
"Is that why you left part of your soul here?"
"Yes, before the final battle, I placed a fragment of my soul within the legacy. The memories and Wills left by the others could recreate the last sanctuary, but someone needed to recognize the token if it ever returned."
The Saintess lowered her gaze toward her reconstructed body.
"Beyond this cathedral, the Final Night will continue exactly as it did before, I will speak the same words, issue the same commands, and eventually die in the same place. The token has awakened my true awareness only long enough to fulfil the duty I left behind."
For the first time since entering the cathedral, Xingluo understood why the notification had called her the dying Saintess.
The woman before her was not simply another impression repeating an ancient memory. She was the fragment of the original Saintess that had remained within the legacy and waited for the token’s return.
The Saintess shifted the token onto her open palm. "Extend your hand."
Xingluo cautiously obeyed. Rather than returning the token, the Saintess pressed one finger against its centre.
Pale-gold light gathered beneath her fingertip as she traced an intricate symbol across its surface. The new mark joined the older engravings so precisely that it appeared to have always belonged among them.
"What does that mark do?" Xingluo asked.
"It records my testimony, whatever awaits you during the remaining trials will know that the final Saintess examined your bond with the token and recognized it as genuine."
The Saintess placed the marked token within Xingluo’s waiting hand.
The instant Xingluo’s fingers closed around it, a powerful surge travelled through her arm and struck the armour beneath her clothes, a sharp metallic sound echoed throughout the cathedral.
Xingluo staggered backwards as pale light escaped between the armour plates, the material surrounding her chest and shoulders tightened before rapidly rearranging itself.
Thin lines of light spread across every plate as the internal formations expanded and reconnected. The armour became thinner without losing density, damaged sections repaired themselves, and stronger protective layers formed beneath its surface without increasing its weight.
Wuxia moved beside Xingluo, ready to intervene if the transformation began harming her. The Saintess also raised her staff, but the violent surge subsided before either of them needed to act.
A notification appeared inside Xingluo’s mind.
[Recognition of the Final Saintess has been recorded.]
[Divine resonance has been established.]
[Your bound armour has advanced by one complete tier.]
Xingluo stared at the final message. She immediately checked the armour’s condition while Wuxia examined the changed formations through the Anchor Link.
Its material, internal formations, and defensive strength had all advanced together. "Was your mark supposed to do that?"
The Saintess examined the altered armour as the remaining pale light faded between its plates.
"Your armour has advanced by an entire tier," she said. "Strengthening the equipment bound to an acknowledged heir is one of the effects of my mark."
Wuxia studied the changed formations before giving a slow nod. "The advancement is stable, this is not a temporary blessing."
Xingluo tightened her grip around the token. "You could have warned me before changing my armour while I was still wearing it."
"The process does not normally begin so violently," the Saintess replied. "Your armour must have required more reconstruction than I expected."
"So the armour is responsible?"
"It was a bit damaged."
The slight movement at the corner of the Saintess’s mouth revealed that the remark had been intentional.
After a moment, she lowered her staff and stepped directly before Xingluo.
"I cannot tell you why our God became silent or what He saw when He chose you, I can only tell you what the people of this sanctuary sacrificed to preserve."
Her expression became solemn. "Complete the trial, Luo Xingluo, honour his choice and do not waste what they protected for you."
Before Xingluo could reply, the Saintess lowered herself onto one knee and bowed her head.
Xingluo immediately stepped forward. "Saintess, please stand."
"This is the final acknowledgement offered by my sanctuary."
The Saintess showed no intention of rising, Xingluo kept one hand extended for several seconds before looking toward Wuxia when he made no effort to assist her.
Are you planning to help me?
She is completing a formal rite, let her finish.
And how am I supposed to do that?
Accept it, unless you would prefer to drag the final Saintess to her feet and insult the sanctuary she represents.
Xingluo’s fingers curled before she reluctantly lowered her hand. She disliked his answer, but arguing with the Saintess over her own ceremonial rite would only prolong the situation.
"I accept the final acknowledgement of your sanctuary," she said after a brief hesitation. "Now, will you please stand?"
The Saintess raised her head, faint amusement easing her tired expression. "Nothing more is required."
She accepted Xingluo’s waiting hand and returned to her feet.