Gospel of Blood

Chapter 299: Divine Grace

Charlotte realized she had been overlooking a crucial detail.

In the world of Myria, it is a widely accepted rule post-Holy Era that high-level extraordinaries are not allowed to actively participate in front-line battles, slaughtering ordinary people.

However, this prohibition doesn’t mean they can’t take any action in wars at all.

Yes, if high-level extraordinaries couldn’t even protect their own forces, what would be the point of their existence?

The high-level extraordinaries who established these war conventions certainly wouldn’t agree to rules that were disadvantageous to themselves.

Indeed, while they cannot actively engage in front-line battles, they can still participate in a defensive capacity. For instance, they can maintain large-scale magical defense systems.

When Charlotte learned that her father had personally maintained the magical shield protecting Northport during the Star-Moon War, she realized this.

It was akin to nuclear deterrence in her previous world. As a force that could determine the outcome of a war, such a trump card is rarely used in conventional warfare, but it could be employed defensively when facing invasion.

Applied to the current Borde-Castell war, it meant Charlotte could certainly use high-level powers to maintain Northport’s defense against the coalition forces of the two duchies.

However, this was not entirely true. With the Gospel of Blood, Charlotte could be considered a temporary high-level extraordinary.

In the state of using the blood divine power, she could even contend with a Blazing Sun powerhouse, or possibly even a Legendary one, for a short time!

Maintaining Northport’s magical shield required immense mental strength and vast amounts of magic power, as well as strong control over defensive spells.

While Charlotte couldn’t normally achieve this, with the blood divine power activated, she might very well succeed.

The only issue was explaining why she could wield such strong powers.

Charlotte’s solution was simple and bold.

Since she was already establishing herself as a “Saintess”, she might as well attribute all her extraordinary abilities to “God.”

After all, the God she referenced seemed to be asleep and unlikely to expose her.

If these “miracles” were believed, she could openly use the blood divine power to protect Northport. Moreover, it would label the attacking Third Prince as “evil”, since “only evil would invoke the wrath of the Gods.”

With this plan in mind, Charlotte acted.

She couldn’t truly borrow the power of the God Harald, but her prayers and invocation were a disguise.

In the eyes of the exhausted President Layton and the other mages, the moment Charlotte finished praying, holy light descended. It seemed that God had responded to her prayers, bestowing blessings. But in truth, what Charlotte saw was a crimson radiance emanating from her, enveloping the control cube.

This was the blood divine power she had activated.

Simultaneously, all mages covered by this power became entranced.

Illusory Perception, a mental illusion spell from the blood magic Charlotte mastered through the Gospel of Blood pages. It manipulates mental power to create hallucinations for the target.

Charlotte used this to create a “divine miracle” scene in the eyes of all witnesses.

Such large-scale illusion magic would have been difficult with her normal Silver Moon powers but was feasible with the blood divine power.

Under divine power boost, the effect of Illusory Perception was amplified. Everyone in the mage tower was pulled into the illusion of “divine grace descending.”

This illusion was confined to the mage tower, but that was enough. Charlotte didn’t need to display a “divine grace” over the entire Northport. She just needed some witnesses to believe what they saw, explaining her sudden surge in power.

In the eyes of the onlookers, Charlotte radiated dazzling holy light, merging with the magic core of the mage tower, which then glowed with sacred brilliance.

Instantly, the wavering magical shield stabilized!

“Divine grace… this is divine grace! The Countess has been blessed by the Gods!”

President Layton was first stunned, then overwhelmed, and finally filled with great excitement. The other mages and apprentices felt the same, their eyes reflecting shock, awe, and disbelief, mixed with reverence and excitement.

As for the “culprit” Charlotte, after using the illusion to control all the extraordinaries witnessing her take over the defense system, she began using the blood divine power to support Northport’s magical defense.

Mystically, she felt herself connecting to a vast network covering Northport.

Divine power surged, supporting Northport’s defense with Blazing Sun-level output. Her senses expanded with this release, giving her a marvelous feeling.

Charlotte marveled as she seemed to merge with the city’s magical shield.

She could “see” every corner covered by the defense, “feel” each strike from the duchy fleet, and “perceive” every movement of the Borde-Violet coalition around Northport.

With a thought, the magical shield above Northport lit up, its silver-blue radiance solidifying. The once fragile shield became robust and formidable, visibly stronger even to those unfamiliar with magic.

Moreover, through the city’s magical defense network, Charlotte perceived a starry world, a myriad of brilliant stars, as if hearing countless voices through the starlight…