Leticia's gaze fell upon the thin data slate made of an unknown black metal.
It was cold, chilling to the touch, with complex and ancient Imperial patterns engraved on its surface. In the center was a double-headed eagle emblem, but the eyes of the eagle were pierced by a deep scratch, as if it were some silent protest.
"'Saintess Candidate'..."
Leticia recited the name in her heart, her fingertips gently tracing the cold surface of the slate. She could feel that within this small slate, a heavy, massive stream of information filled with sorrow and unwillingness was sealed. Those were the silent cries of lonely souls in the dark universe.
Katerina, the leader of the Bloody Rose Order standing before her, had by now completely removed her pitch-black power armor. She had changed into a simple black monastic robe. Having laid down her armor, the hideous claw mark on her face seemed to soften slightly, losing some of the battlefield's murderous aura and gaining a bit more of the composure and resilience befitting a middle-aged woman.
She saw Leticia take the data slate, and a glimmer of relief flashed in her sharp, hawk-like eyes. This meant that the Goddess had accepted her intelligence, and had accepted her as well.
"Yes, Goddess." Katerina's voice was slightly hoarse with excitement. "That Inquisitor spent his entire life secretly investigating these 'miracles.' He firmly believed that these Sisters with special powers were not heretics, but different fragments of the Emperor's divinity on earth. He believed that as long as they were gathered together, perhaps... perhaps the true appearance of the gods could be pieced together."
She gave a bitter smile, her eyes revealing a touch of compassion. "It is a pity that his ideas were considered the greatest heretic by the Inquisition. In the end, he and all his research were burned to ashes by a fire. This file is the only backup I secretly rescued from the fire."
Fogremia elegantly held a teacup, her moon-white silk dress making her look like a lonely moon atop a snowy mountain. Her deep, beautiful purple eyes carried a hint of amusement as she sized up the leader of the Sisters who had just completed her "betrayal."
"An interesting mortal. She has transferred her loyalty from a pile of dry bones to another deity. In essence, there is no difference. But... she chose correctly."
The perfect Primarch made her evaluation in her heart, the corners of her mouth curling into an imperceptible arc. She was very satisfied; the charm of the Goddess was radiating toward the entire universe in an unstoppable, most "perfect" way.
Angronia remained like a loyal red guardian statue, standing silently behind Leticia. Beneath her loose black vest, the muscles of her bronze, vigorous arms were bulging, and in her amber eyes, golden Battle Intent flowed calmly. She could not understand the complex conspiracies and files, but she could feel that the woman named Katerina before her harbored the purest, unblemished loyalty toward Leticia.
That was enough.
Leticia did not immediately check the contents of the slate.
She simply held the cold slate in her hand, her deep, night-sky black eyes watching Katerina calmly, as if to see through her soul.
"You have handed this top-secret Imperial file to me and confessed everything to me. Katerina, what do you want?"
Her voice was soft, yet it carried the weight specific to a deity, reaching straight into the heart.
This was a holy question.
It was a test before the grace, an inquiry before the covenant.
Katerina's body trembled slightly at this question.
She raised her head to meet Leticia's gaze, which seemed capable of devouring everything, yet there was no hesitation or thought on her face.
In those sharp and clear eyes, washed by tears, burned an unprecedented, pure, and nearly insane flame. She took a sudden step forward, and under Fogremia's slightly surprised gaze, she knelt heavily on one knee in a resolute and solemn posture!
The knee of her heavy monastic robe hit the cold metal deck with a dull, firm thud.
"I, Katerina, leader of the Bloody Rose Order, on behalf of the thirty-seven thousand two hundred and sixteen Battle Sisters on Saintess Star, hereby offer everything we have to you, the supreme Goddess!"
Her voice was no longer a report, no longer a statement, but a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering oath from the depths of her soul!
"We are tired!" Her voice trembled with excitement, and two lines of hot tears flowed down her scarred face. "We are tired of praying to that cold pile of dry bones on the Golden Throne, only to get death-like silence in return! We are tired of using the blood of our Sisters to defend those long-decayed dogmas! We are tired of only being able to embrace cold tombstones after every battle!"
She looked up, teary-eyed, at Leticia and the small, sleeping figure in her arms that radiated holy light.
"And you... you and the Empress are alive! You are warm! You are true gods who will respond to our prayers and have compassion for our sacrifices!"
"We... we want nothing!"
Katerina used all her strength, almost roaring, to answer Leticia's holy question.
"To be able to follow you, to fight for you, to bathe in the glory of you and the Empress, this in itself... is the supreme honor and grace that we could imagine in this life!"
"All I seek is your permission. Permit us to become the sharpest sword in your hand, to become the humblest dust beneath your feet!"
As she finished speaking, she knocked her forehead heavily against the cold deck, performing the most pious kowtow of a mortal to a deity.
The entire captain's quarters fell into silence.
There was only the sound of Katerina's rapid breathing from excitement and her uncontrollable, joyful sobs.
Leticia was silent.
For the first time, her black eyes, which were always as calm as an abyss, rippled with truly intense waves.
"Is this... faith?"
She felt the massive, pure power of faith, strong enough to shake the stars, transmitted through the invisible link, and her heart was moved as never before.
This was different from the fanaticism of the warriors under the inspiration of miracles during previous battles.
It was a pure emotion called "loyalty," which sought no reward and completely dedicated everything of oneself.
It was clean, scorching, and contained not a single trace of impurity. It was like a flame that had burned in the darkness for ten thousand years and finally found its home.
Leticia gently handed the sleeping Terrania in her arms to Fogremia beside her. Fogremia stood up elegantly and carefully took the small, warm body, as if holding the most precious treasure in the world.
Then, Leticia stood up. Her white robe moved without wind, and the pink-purple halo belonging to [Divine Charm] and the emerald-green radiance belonging to [Vitality] flowed slowly like two intertwined galaxies.
She walked step by step to Katerina, who was prostrate on the ground.
"Look up, my child."
Leticia's voice was gentle, yet carried an unquestionable majesty.
Katerina trembled and slowly raised her head.
She saw a fair, delicate hand, so perfect that it did not seem like a mortal creation, reaching out to her.
Leticia's hand fell gently on the top of Katerina's head.
"I have received your loyalty."
"From this day forward, you and your Sisters are no longer the Bloody Rose of the Empire."
"You are the first Templar Order of the Genesis Sisterhood, you are my—'God-Blessed Roses'."
The moment her words fell, a massive power, whose vastness and holiness could not be described in words, surged violently from Leticia's palm into Katerina's body!
That was the most primordial power of creation, mixed with [Divine Charm], [Vitality], [Intellect], and [Battle Intent]!
"Ah—!" Katerina let out an uncontrollable cry of surprise, feeling as if her body had been thrown into a furnace made of life and Hope!
The hideous claw mark on her face was smoothed and faded at a speed visible to the naked eye within the emerald-green radiance, revealing the smooth, new skin beneath. Her skin, which had become somewhat rough due to years of warfare and asceticism, regained a youthful luster. Her eyes, which were slightly cloudy from overthinking, became as clear and bright as the sky washed by rain.
More importantly, she felt that her body, which had fought for decades and was already riddled with hidden injuries and fatigue, was being reshaped and strengthened by a warm force from the level of the smallest cells!
Power! Unprecedented power flooded through her limbs and bones!
Her mind also became clearer than ever before, and countless confusions and bottlenecks from past battles were suddenly resolved in the dark blue light of [Intellect].
This was no longer healing, nor was it strengthening. This was... a miracle of a higher dimension, called "Ascension"!
The light faded. Leticia withdrew her hand.
Katerina was still kneeling there, but her entire aura had undergone an earth-shaking change. She looked at least twenty years younger, and her originally resolute face now had a touch of the otherworldly, holy beauty belonging to a creation of a deity. Her body contained terrifying power comparable to that of a junior Space Marine.
She stared blankly at her fair and powerful hands, feeling the surging holy power within her, and the tears in her eyes flooded once again.
"God... God's Grace..." She choked, incoherent.
"This is what you deserve, Katerina." Leticia declared calmly, her voice now turning into a true oracle. "This is the reward for your pure faith."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the data slate lying quietly in her other hand, her eyes becoming deep and sharp.
"Now, listen to my first oracle."
"As you command! My Goddess!" Katerina immediately straightened her body, her soul and body immersed in the ecstasy and awe of being personally blessed by the deity.
"Utilize all the networks that you and your Sisters have spread across the Empire." Leticia's voice carried an unquestionable command. "Find all the lost Sisters on this list for me. Find them, protect them, and wait for my arrival."
"At the same time," the corners of Leticia's mouth curled into an amused arc, "let your Sisters continue to 'purify' those chaotic scum in their respective war zones under the identity of Imperial Battle Sisters. All of their combat achievements will be converted into the purest power, adding bricks and tiles to our imminent, true 'genesis'."
"With this huge 'gold-farming team,' the accumulation speed of Warband Points will increase by more than a hundred times. The plan to save more Sisters can finally be put on the agenda."
Leticia thought with satisfaction in her heart.
"Yes! I will convey your oracle immediately!" Katerina's voice was full of unparalleled sense of mission and excitement.
To be able to execute tasks for a living Goddess, what an honor!
"Very good." Leticia nodded, then she turned and connected to the bridge via the ship's communicator.
On the screen, Valeria's heroic and beautiful face immediately appeared. This short-haired black-haired Commissar stood tall, and her perfectly tailored black uniform outlined her high chest and slender waist to the fullest.
"Goddess, do you have any instructions?" Valeria asked respectfully.
"Valeria, our original maintenance plan is canceled." Leticia's tone carried a hint of relaxation and joy.
"Canceled?" Valeria was slightly stunned, and a trace of confusion flashed in her gray eyes. "But, the genesis hull damage exceeds forty percent, and the propulsion system is in urgent need of a major overhaul. We are afraid..."
"We have new family members, Valeria." Leticia interrupted her, a meaningful smile appearing on her face. "Thirty-seven thousand of them, our most pious and bravest Sisters."
"So, compared to small matters like repairing the ship..."
Leticia's gaze seemed to penetrate the screen, penetrate the hull, and look toward the Imperial warships belonging to the Bloody Rose Order, painted in black, white, and red, anchored in the port.
"We must first prepare a grand 'welcome gift' for the newly joined Sisters that will surprise them."
"Notify the Engineering Department to shift all maintenance resources to the weapon production line. I need you to produce thirty-seven thousand sets of... brand-new equipment that will allow mortals to rival demons in the shortest possible time."
Her voice was full of an unmaskable trace of... amusement belonging to a deity.
"I want the whole universe to see what kind of brilliant... flowers of war, capable of burning away all darkness, will bloom when the Empire's roses are watered by God's Grace."
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