Season 2 Chapter 7: The Unexpected Blessing from the Primordial Goddess
[4th Week of March 2021 — Meadowville City — Day 4 — Late Afternoon]
Acolyte-Captain Seran Velorius took a slow step forward, extending his hand toward the altar. His voice rang out in solemn reverence, each syllable of the ancient tongue echoing through the chamber.
"Let the Light bear witness. Let the Path be chosen. May the Flame of the Divine illuminate the soul of Accel von Winchester."
Accel nodded in silence and moved before the altar, kneeling down upon the sacred cloth laid out beneath the golden sigil of the Luminescent Faith. He clasped his hands tightly and closed his eyes in prayer.
A warm light enveloped him.
Then — something shifted.
His vision faded, not into darkness, but into a realm of absolute white. His breath caught in his throat. He could no longer feel the weight of his body. His soul — detached — floated into a higher plane, distant yet familiar, as if returning to an origin forgotten by time.
And in that infinite expanse, he was not alone.
A colossal presence stirred within the light. Its eyes — unseen yet felt — locked onto Accel with impossible intensity. From this presence, a great ring of divine radiance — a glowing halo — emerged and hovered above him. Then another. And another. Each ring burned brighter than the last, their edges spinning, expanding.
Back in the physical world, within the Local Church, Acolyte-Captain Seran's hands trembled.
"What… is happening?" he murmured.
The initial halo of light had appeared as expected — the sacred sign of a successful Transcendent Blessing — but then it grew.
And grew.
And grew still.
Multiple halos burst outward, towering up, spiraling through the church's roof and piercing the open sky. The glow became so intense it turned dusk into dawn. Golden-white rings layered one over another, climbing toward the heavens, like stairways woven from light.
The light did not stop.
The people of Meadowville saw the heavens bloom with an impossible radiance. They froze in place. Farmers dropped their tools. Children pointed skyward. Guards abandoned their posts. Even travelers near the borders paused in awe.
Soon, the entire Ilvarra Empire gazed up as the expanding halos reached the stratosphere — becoming a divine column of light visible from mountains, deserts, and coastlines alike.
And then...
The halos fractured horizontally, spiraling left and right like wings stretching across the firmament. From within the sacred light, figures emerged — shining beings of perfect symmetry and boundless presence.
Angels.
Archangels.
Exactly as described in the Sacred Tome of the Luminescent Faith.
Wings of radiant energy flared, and divine sigils etched themselves into the sky. The sound of harmonious chimes—as if sung by a thousand celestial voices—rippled through the world like a forgotten lullaby.
The witnesses inside the church—Count William, Raizah, Seran, the other Lumen Disciples—rushed outside to behold the sky transformed into scripture.
Their hearts shook when a divine vessel descended through the spiraling halos.
She hovered amidst the light — a woman of infinite grace, her hair a cascade of moonlit threads, her robes a shimmering flow of gold and starlight. Her presence alone silenced the world.
It was her.
Aurelia Noctessa Lumina, the Primordial Goddess of Light, Protection, and Hope.
She spoke a language long lost to mortal understanding. Yet, in their hearts, everyone understood.
"He is chosen. Let him be marked. Let him be claimed by the Divine Light."
A single beam, thinner than a thread of silk, but brighter than ten thousand suns, descended from her hand and struck Accel's motionless body within the church.
There was no pain — only stillness.
Then an explosion of light erupted from his form, bursting through the rooftops in a massive vertical shockwave that shook the nearby districts but harmed no one. It left blossoms of light floating in the air — remnants of divine mana unlike anything seen before.
And just as suddenly as it began, the halos receded.
The angels vanished.
The divine vessel disappeared into the higher sky.
The light dimmed, and silence returned.
Inside the church, Accel blinked his eyes open.
"...Huh?" he muttered groggily. He looked around. The pews were empty. The golden sigil on the altar now glowed faintly, humming with dormant power.
"Where… did everyone go?"
He slowly rose to his feet, unaware that his armor now shimmered with faint divine etchings… and that his back bore a new mark — the Crest of the Radiant Guardian, a symbol never before granted to a mortal.
After a while, Acolyte-Captain Seran and the others rushed toward Accel. "What's going on, Count Accel?" Seran asked, visibly shocked by the situation. Accel replied, "What do you mean, Sir Seran?"
Acolyte-Captain Seran explained what had just happened and requested an explanation from Accel. However, Accel stated that he didn't have one. He explained that during the separation of body and soul caused by the blessing, he had been gazed upon by an unknown entity, which froze his soul and left him unable to move.
"Wait, wait, wait! What do you mean your body and soul separated? That shouldn't happen during the first level of blessing—only at the fourth or fifth levels! Count Accel, check your status window and examine your passive skills related to the blessing!"
Accel checked his status window and said, "Supreme Blessing of Protection... Oh shoot..." The Acolyte-Captain, shocked by this revelation, fainted and fell to the floor. "Head-Captain Seran!!!"
[Meadowville City — General Hospital — Day 5 — Morning]
After the grand event yesterday, Accel is currently at the General Hospital because Acolyte-Captain Seran wasn't feeling well due to the shock from the previous day. The other acolyte members, known as Lumen Disciples, inspected Accel's body and confirmed that he can now wield holy power and use holy magic and abilities. As a result, all of his active and passive skills changed after his class evolution. However, there are still requirements he must meet, such as being baptized and receiving a blessing from a priest of any religion.
Now that Accel has met his requirements, his current abilities as a Swordsman and Knight have evolved into forms that are suited for his holy power and skills, they are:
Power Slash -> Radiant Cleave (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: A horizontal slash infused with divine light that cuts through darkness and deals moderate holy damage to a single target. If the target is evil-aligned or corrupted, bonus radiant damage is applied.
Rending Strike -> Severing Light (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: A piercing diagonal slash that unleashes searing light, bypassing armor and inflicting a lingering "Holy Burn" debuff that deals damage over time for 20 seconds.
Whirlwind Slash -> Halo Spin Slash (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: Accel spins in a wide arc with his blade, forming a glowing halo of cutting energy around him. Deals damage to nearby enemies and briefly disorients them, reducing their accuracy for 20 seconds.
Riposte -> Sacred Counter (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: A powerful counterattack that triggers when Accel blocks or deflects a strike. It instantly retaliates with a holy-infused strike that returns 50% of the damage taken. Successfully executing three perfect counterattacks can return 100% of the damage taken.
Piercing Thrust -> Holy Thrust (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: Accel channels holy energy into his weapon and lunges forward in a burst of light. Pierces magical barriers and reduces the enemy's defense by 25% for 10 seconds.
Defensive Formation -> Aegis Ward Formation (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: A defensive field is created within a 5-meter radius, reducing incoming damage for all allies by 25% and providing resistance to status effects. This effect lasts for 10 seconds and is limited to 10 allies within range. He has the option to increase the limit to 15 or 20 allies, but doing so will cause his holy energy to deplete 1.5 to 2 times more than usual.
Deflecting Spin -> Blessing of the Spiral Shield (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: Accel spins while his shield glows with holy runes, deflecting up to three ranged or spell-based projectiles. He reflects 30% of incoming damage back toward enemies within a 5-meter radius. (This ability only activates if Accel has applied holy runes or has the capability to place them.)
Iron Defense -> Bulwark of Faith (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: A stance skill that significantly increases Accel's resistance to physical and magical damage for 20 seconds. Additionally provides immunity to knockbacks and staggers during duration.
Reflective Guard -> Radiant Mirror Guard (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: Forms a temporary holy barrier that reflects 20% of incoming magic damage back to its source and absorbs minor spell effects. Barrier lasts 20 seconds or until broken.
Shield Slam -> Shield of Judgment (Intermediate Level 20)
Description: Accel slams his glowing shield into a target with holy force, dealing holy damage and having a 50% chance to stun enemies of lesser alignment or corruption for 10 seconds.