Chapter 392 -: 391 Uriel’s unease.

Chapter 392: Chapter: 391 Uriel’s unease.

On the deck of one of the enormous flying ships, Saint Uriel stood near the bow, his hollow gaze directed toward the distant battlefield. The sounds of explosions reached him even from this distance, each detonation followed by the rumble of colliding energies that shook the surrounding air.

Although he could not see the battle himself, a soldier assigned to assist him with his movements stood nearby, carefully describing everything he could perceive.

"Lord Nathaniel is currently fighting the Patriarch of the Solarian Family. Neither side has gained a clear advantage so far, and they appear to be evenly matched. As for Lord Crypian and Salvane, their situation seems similar, although their movements are too fast for me to follow properly. I can only tell that they are still fighting, but I cannot determine which side has the upper hand. As for Lord Victor and Aryavrata, I cannot make out anything at all. Their figures are moving so quickly that they appear to be little more than blurs, and the shockwaves from their attacks are making it difficult to observe their movements."

Uriel listened without interrupting, occasionally tilting his head as he tried to piece together the situation from the soldier’s account.

Once the report was finished, he gave a slight nod before turning his face toward the sky, where countless figures moved between the flying ships and the four stationary continents.

Thousands of war cries echoed across the battlefield, accompanied by the deafening sounds of spells colliding and weapons striking against their targets. The invasion had finally reached its most intense stage, and the humans were throwing themselves into the battle with everything they had.

Even from his position on the ship, Uriel could feel the turbulent fluctuations of mana spreading through the atmosphere, while the immense pressure released by the stronger combatants occasionally caused the surrounding air to tremble.

Earlier, he had used the Fairyborn Empire’s heirloom to exchange his position with Crypian, Nathaniel, and Victor, allowing himself to be transported directly to the ship where he now stood.

The process had happened so quickly that he had barely registered anything beyond a sudden explosion before his surroundings changed completely.

He had no idea what had occurred immediately afterward, nor had he been able to observe the initial movements of the major combatants.

That was why he had asked the soldier assigned to assist him for a detailed report. Although his Mind’s Eye allowed him to perceive things beyond the reach of ordinary senses, it did not mean he possessed perfect knowledge of everything happening around him, particularly when he was not actively using it to examine the situation.

Now that he had a clearer understanding of the battlefield, Uriel finally released the breath he had been holding and rubbed his temple, his expression growing slightly troubled.

’Odd. Why do I feel as though my Mind’s Eye is becoming stronger?’

The question had been bothering him for several days, ever since he had begun experiencing changes that he could neither explain nor control.

His Mind’s Eye, which had already granted him extraordinary insight into the thoughts, intentions, and possible actions of others, had started showing him glimpses of events that had yet to occur.

They were not ordinary visions, nor were they the result of deliberate attempts to predict the future. Instead, they appeared in his dreams, presenting him with fragmented scenes and unfamiliar sensations that seemed to carry some significance beyond his understanding.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to recall them after waking, the details would slip away, leaving him with little more than the vague impression that he had witnessed something important.

The visions were not the only thing troubling him. For some time now, he had also been experiencing an inexplicable sensation deep within his heart, a feeling that resembled devotion toward someone or something he could not identify.

The emotion was unfamiliar enough to make him uncomfortable, especially considering his own nature. As the vessel of the goddess’s authority and a Saint who had devoted his existence to serving his main body, Uriel had never felt the need to direct his loyalty toward anything else.

His devotion had always been absolute, its object clear and unquestionable. Yet the strange sensation had continued to grow, occasionally surfacing without warning and leaving him with an unsettling sense of longing that he could not attribute to any known person or event.

He had considered the possibility that the changes were connected to the ongoing invasion, but the explanation seemed inadequate.

His Mind’s Eye had never behaved this way, and the gradual increase in its power did not appear to be the result of his own efforts.

Something was influencing him, something that had begun to manifest only recently, and the fact that he could not identify its source bothered him far more than the changes themselves.

"Saint Uriel."

A voice called out from his side, interrupting his thoughts.

Uriel turned toward the speaker, recognizing her immediately despite his inability to see her.

"Your Holiness, what is it?"

The Pope had approached without making much noise, and she stopped beside him, directing her attention toward the distant battlefield.

For a brief moment, she remained silent, as though she were trying to determine how best to phrase her question. When she finally spoke, however, her voice carried a mixture of emotions that Uriel found difficult to ignore.

"Do you feel the goddess?"

The question caught his attention, and he turned his head slightly toward her.

The Pope continued before he could respond, her tone becoming more earnest as she explained the reason for her visit.

"As you know, you are the Saint of our goddess, and your connection to her is greater than that of anyone else within the Holy Empire. Yet, throughout our long history, no one has been able to establish direct communication with her for thousands of years. We have continued to worship her, preserve her teachings, and follow the path she left behind, but we have never received a clear response to our prayers. For generations, we have been forced to rely on the remnants of her will and the authority she bestowed upon us."

She paused, and Uriel could hear the change in her breathing before she continued.

"However, something has changed over the past few days. I cannot explain it properly, but I feel as though I can sense her presence. It is faint, almost imperceptible, yet it is there whenever I quiet my thoughts and reach out to her. At first, I thought it might be my imagination, or perhaps the result of the tension surrounding the invasion, but the sensation has become more distinct with each passing day. I came here because I wanted to know whether you were experiencing something similar."

Uriel remained silent for a while, considering her words. He had already suspected that the changes occurring within him were connected to something beyond his immediate surroundings, and the Pope’s account only strengthened that suspicion.

He could hear the emotions beneath her words, the uncertainty that had driven her to seek confirmation, the happiness she was struggling to contain, and the anticipation that had gradually begun to replace her doubts.

There was something else as well, a faint longing that seemed to have remained buried within her for a very long time, only now finding an opportunity to surface.

For the Pope, whose entire life had been shaped by her devotion to the goddess, the possibility of finally sensing her presence again was undoubtedly significant.

If the goddess had truly returned, or if they were at least approaching the moment when she would once again make her will known, then the consequences would extend far beyond the Holy Empire.

The gods had remained distant for thousands of years, leaving humanity to interpret their intentions through ancient scriptures, inherited authority, and the occasional manifestation of divine power. A direct connection with their goddess could change everything.

After considering the matter, Uriel finally nodded.

"No, Your Holiness. It isn’t your imagination. I can feel it too, and my Mind’s Eye has been growing stronger with each passing day. I have also begun experiencing certain changes that I cannot explain, although I haven’t been able to determine their cause. I cannot say for certain where our goddess has been all this time, but..."

He paused, turning his face toward the distant sky as though he were listening for something beyond the reach of ordinary senses.

"I believe she is near."

The words came out quietly, but their effect on the Pope was immediate. She did not respond at once, and for several moments, the two of them stood in silence as the distant sounds of battle continued to echo across the heavens. Then she nodded, apparently satisfied with the confirmation she had received.

"Thank you, Saint Uriel. I needed to hear that from you."

She reached out and patted his back, an unusual gesture of familiarity that Uriel accepted without comment.

The Pope had always carried the responsibilities of her position with considerable composure, and although she occasionally revealed her more personal emotions to those she trusted, it was rare for her to seek reassurance so openly.

Her reaction made it clear that the matter had been weighing on her far more heavily than she had initially admitted.

A moment later, Uriel heard the faint sound of movement beside him, followed by the rush of air as the Pope leaped from the deck.

Her presence quickly receded as she flew toward the battlefield, joining the other powerful figures who were confronting Chakravartin.

The soldier standing nearby remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again, his attention fixed on the distant fighting.

"Her Holiness has joined the battle. Lady Elizabeth has also entered the fight against Chakravartin. However, the Zlycon reinforcements have yet to arrive."

Uriel acknowledged the report with a slight nod, but his attention had already begun to drift elsewhere. The Pope’s words had confirmed what he had been sensing, yet they had done little to ease the uneasiness that had settled within him.

If anything, the confirmation had only made the situation more difficult to understand.

The changes in his Mind’s Eye, the strange dreams, and the unfamiliar emotions were no longer isolated occurrences that he could dismiss as meaningless disturbances.

Someone else was experiencing the same inexplicable connection, and that connection appeared to be growing stronger as the days passed.

He turned his face toward the sky once more, listening to the countless sounds that filled the battlefield.

The clash between the humans and the Zlycons continued without respite, with powerful auras colliding across the continents and the distant explosions occasionally drowning out the soldiers’ cries.

Everything seemed to be proceeding as expected for an invasion of this magnitude, and yet Uriel could not shake the feeling that something important had been overlooked.

It was not fear of the Zlycons, nor was it concern over the outcome of the battle. He had witnessed enough conflicts to understand that even the most carefully prepared plans could be disrupted by unforeseen circumstances, but the uneasiness he felt now was different.

It seemed to originate from somewhere deeper, beyond the reach of his ordinary thoughts, as though his instincts were warning him of a danger that his Mind’s Eye had yet to reveal.

Uriel remained motionless near the bow of the ship, his hollow gaze fixed upon the empty expanse before him. He tried to examine the sensation more closely, searching for the source of the discomfort, but every attempt yielded the same result.

There was nothing he could identify, no clear vision or prophetic warning to guide him toward an explanation.

Only the persistent feeling that something was deeply wrong.