Chapter 25: Holy Scars and Unholy Saints

"I don't oppose gods. I expose them. And what's beneath is always uglier than the worshippers dared believe."

—Kael Draven

Location: Sanctum of Radiant Grace — 2nd Immortal Province

The Sanctum was carved into a floating prism of crystalized light, a gleaming spire so pure that even its shadow healed wounds. Choirs of winged acolytes sang divine hymns that mended spiritual trauma. Pilgrims crawled for miles to glimpse the glass stairs.

At its peak sat the Celestials of Virtue, nine robed saints who claimed to embody divine compassion.

They didn't.

They sold it.

Kael knew.

He could smell corruption beneath their robes — centuries of holy pretense and emotional extortion.

He walked through the sanctified gates without shedding a drop of blood.

Because they let him in.

"Another sinner seeking forgiveness," a white-robed priest murmured.

Kael smiled faintly. "I'm here for confession, yes. But not mine."

Scene 1: The Trial of Mirrors

Before meeting the Celestials, all visitors were brought to the Hall of Mirrors — a radiant dome reflecting one's innermost soul.

The mirror showed pilgrims weeping, saints glowing brighter.

Kael's mirror didn't work.

It cracked.

Then reformed into a black lotus.

The priests stared. One began reciting a cleansing verse.

Kael raised a hand.

The verse caught in the man's throat and turned to ink.

He vomited scripture.

"You use light to blind," Kael whispered. "I'll use shadow to illuminate."

Scene 2: The Celestials Reveal Themselves

The nine saints appeared, each bathed in a halo of public virtue:

Saint Elavien of Mercy (secret sadist)

Saint Cordial of Patience (hoards rage in his bones)

Saint Teramyth of Chastity (collects disciples' desires)

They spoke in unison:

"You bring darkness to a sanctified place."

Kael's voice remained soft.

"You don't fear darkness."

"You fear someone turning on the lights."

Saint Elavien stepped forward, brandishing the Rod of Absolving Flame.

"You will be judged."

"Good," Kael replied. "Start with yourself."

He snapped his fingers.

Scene 3: The Mass Unveiling — Madara Style Revelation

Across the Sanctum, sacred walls split.

The stained-glass windows inverted.

Every sermon they'd ever faked—

Every miracle they'd staged—

Every sin they'd blamed on their flock—

It all played out in radiant illusion above the spire.

The pilgrims screamed.

Some fell to their knees in despair.

Others laughed, broken.

The Celestials staggered, their robes blackening with exposed vice.

Kael walked through the ash of collapsing idols.

"You called it virtue. I call it marketing."

Saint Cordial lunged in rage.

Kael sidestepped.

The saint struck a mirror Kael conjured mid-air—

And saw his true self.

He broke.

Scene 4: Zhou Fan Twist — Redemption Loop Trap

Kael offered Saint Teramyth a single scroll.

She opened it. Read it. Wept.

It was a manual.

A path to genuine sainthood.

She fell to her knees.

"I… I can change?"

"Yes," Kael said. "But only if you understand that you never were."

"What is this scripture?"

"A trap."

The scroll coiled around her wrists.

Etched truth into her bones.

Locked her in a loop.

Every time she tried to do good without understanding pain—it rewound her to try again.

She wept louder.

"Thank you."

Scene 5: Collapse of Radiance

With three saints broken, the rest turned their powers outward.

The Sanctum burned with divine flame.

Kael spread his arms.

And absorbed the light.

It didn't purify him.

It darkened.

A reverse-halo exploded behind him.

Black wings sprouted from the ashes of discarded faith.

"Your holiness was built on hidden cruelty."

"Mine will be built on revealed sin."

He ascended.

The tower fell.

Not from destruction.

But from confession.

The saints who remained could no longer lie to themselves…

And their power dissolved.

System Update

[Sanctum of Radiant Grace Corrupted: 5/15 Nodes Claimed]

[Title Gained: The Heretic Saint]

[Aura +3.1M | Confession Matrix Unlocked | Divine Immunity Partial]

Final Image

Kael walked through sobbing pilgrims, bloodstained saints, and shattered scripture.

He stepped over burning halos.

"Let there be no gods without scars."