Chapter 563 - The Congregation Inside a central region of the capital Arkensan, was a territory of a particular institution that played a very important part in the social and cultural structure of the entire Vulcan empire. Inside this 50 kilometers wide territory, were hundreds of lavishly decorated white and red-colored buildings that were filled with millions of people since the early morning. Through sound amplifying artifacts, all these people prayed to the hymn that resounded in these settlements while maintaining peace and order as if this was part of their daily routine. At the innermost parts, were 5 gigantic castles that were not only heavily guarded but also appeared to be the most highly maintained among all these buildings. And at the end of it… was a ginormous castle that had 5 layers of different sections while at the very end of it… was a 500 meter tall enormous statue of a figure with multiple arms that were covered with blistering flames and yet it appeared to not be affected by them at all. Unlike the other portions of the region, only the highest authorities of this institution were allowed to set foot in the closest areas of this statue while the rest were permitted to only look from outside regions of these castles. This place… was the Church of Hetrax. And the statue belonged to the Hetrax, the God of Fire in the world of Vantrea. Among the many high-ranking people including hundreds of Paladins, over a dozen of whom were bonafide saints. Then thousands of deacons and priests who worshipped their mighty god with vehement eyes were also gathered a few kilometers away from the statue of Hetrax. In front of them, were a few hundred bishops followed by over 40 archbishops, 3 cardinals and finally… the Pope himself. An elderly fireborne whose eyes shone brighter as if they were on fire while donning a red and golden cassock stood the closest to the statue a few hundred meters away. "Your Holiness… everyone is here." spoke the middle-aged Cardinal who was adorned in white and red robes of the church. After completing their prayers and worshipping rituals… the Pope who had summoned all the important figures of their church that were spread across the whole empire then gathered over a hall created for holding a congregation. "May the eternal flames of our almighty god Hetrax cleanse your bodies and soul." he spoke vehemently while widening his arms and looking at the gigantic statue of Hetrax. "We pay heed to the mighty god Hetrax and offer our lifetime pledge of loyalty!" spoke all the attendees in unison at the same time. After the introductions were done, refreshments and delicious food were put on long tables, enough to feed 10 thousand people at once… the mood was set properly for a proper discussion. "I, Demiurge Val Arhelm, gladly welcome you to our annual congregation." he spoke and his voice reached the ears of every single person present in this 2 kilometers wide building. The aura given by the pope himself was of a 6th stage saint who had the profession of a Healer. "Forgive me for my rudeness, your holiness. Wasn't our annual congregation supposed to happen 3 months later as per our usual schedule?" asked one of the archbishops who were suddenly summoned on short notice. "Yes, Archbishop Clive. But there is a reason why I was forced to summon everyone here on short notice." he explained in a kind voice and continued while gazing at all the people present in this vast hall. "After the recent Imperial Court's decision regarding the crimes of the former second prince, Rogis Hos Sigfreed and his allies… we all know what kind of situation we're in." he emphasized. To his words, everyone's face turned sullen all of a sudden. Because not only Rogis but all of his allies and those who partook in his crimes of killing humans for fun and releasing their hatred on the innocent people who were shunned by the laws of the empire… all of them were judged under imperial punishment. "Among the perpetrators… over three thousand and two hundred people belonged to our church. And all of them previously held an influence in several regions and had high rankings positions in our institutions throughout the empire." he iterated and gave a number to all of the high ranking people. "And now… every single one of them has been either caught and imprisoned or executed under the imperial decree. This was something neither we nor any prominent race of the empire could fight against. Because if I spoke one word against it… the Emperor and the Imperial Clan could've used it against us in order to get rid of many more among our ranks in the name of investigation or dug up some buried past that we didn't want the common populace to know about. And hence… I too had no choice but to give up many of those who previously attended our congregation just last year." he elaborated with a stern expression. However, no one dared to speak a word against the emperor or the imperial clan at all. Because that was enough to get them in trouble. "It's not just us, but many other races and even the dwarven race had their infrastructure and chain of command broken to bits. Just one imperial decree by the emperor was enough to destroy centuries of the system that we established. Our losses… are probably the largest in the history of any pope who came before me." he brought everyone's attention to this hard fact. "This is why… I don't think we can afford to stay on the sides anymore. This empire…" he looked towards everyone's expectant gazes and declared in a loud voice. "We are the main force that bound different species and classes of society and showed them a proper direction to live their lives. We formed communities, regardless of one's origin and brought them together. If not for us… the imperial clan would've never managed to rule the empire on their own. But after the recent imperial decree… I have only a clear vision that we should all join hands to accomplish." he spoke. "What is that?" asked the first Cardinal. To their curious gazes… Demiurge declared his final decision. "The Vulcan empire… shall only be ruled by the Church of Hetrax!"