A sorcerer? I am a Warhammer psyker.

With so many worlds under the control of the Imperial State Religion, how much of that can be squeezed out is a good question.

"Frede."

Isayama Kenmei watched as groups of four, dressed in white cloth and with sorrowful expressions, from the Imperial State Church were carrying their mahogany coffins to the St. Sophia Cathedral, and couldn't help but ask.

"exist!"

Frey, suddenly called out by name, assumed she had done something to offend the judge and immediately stood at attention, her whole body tense, as if afraid he would chop her up at any moment.

"What are they doing?"

Upon hearing Kenmei Isayama's question, Frey immediately answered...

“Your Honor, those were heroes who bravely sacrificed their lives in the Eldar attack.”

"At that time, they will be sent to the Sage to pray for the return of these noble souls to the throne of the Divine Emperor, and then they will be sent to the mausoleum for burial."

Regardless of the world of Kerrigan, this is the same in other worlds governed by the state religion of the empires: warriors who have sacrificed themselves for various reasons are gathered together in front of the highest authority to pray for them, in order to proclaim that sacrificing oneself for the God-Emperor is the highest honor.

However, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry has the opportunity to receive this honor, which further raises the bar. Those who receive this honor are generally people with a certain status and who were respected during their lifetime.

Kenmei Isayama seemed intrigued; it was the first time he had ever seen it.

He asked another question.

"So, will the blessings be offered in batches?"

"No, it is after all the remains of the esteemed sirs have been placed in the [House of Saints] that the bishop will then conduct the ceremony."

"However, since Your Excellency is in this state, I don't know who will preside over the ceremony. No, my apologies for speaking out of turn."

Frey suddenly remembered that their bishop had been beheaded by Kenmei Isayama. Realizing her slip of the tongue, she immediately began to bow repeatedly.

Kenmei Isayama ignored the young nun and walked straight towards the dilapidated, enormous church. It was quite some time before the frightened nun realized that the Inquisitor had gone far away.

Kenmei Isayama already wanted to visit the resting place of the saint, and now he has even more reason to do so.

"He took care of the living, but did he forget about the dead?"

Chapter 130 The Magnificent Temple

The memories that Kenmei Isayama had previously learned from the fallen Inquisitor Tosak-Rome were about this nail buried in the Imperial Church, corrupted by the chaotic forces of Slaanesh.

The only distinguishing feature, aside from the fact that she couldn't support herself with one hand, was that she was either a battle nun or a woman of high rank and power in the state religion of the Kerrigan Empire.

However, Kenmei Isayama had already screened all the high-ranking combat nuns who might have problems. Those daughters of emperors had incredibly strong wills and showed no signs of betraying the empire.

Elena had also checked this for Kenmei Isayama, because believers corrupted by Slaanesh would often carve symbols of "pleasure and depravity" on their bodies to express their loyalty to the "Lord of Pleasure."

But there were none anywhere; instead, there were several terrifying and hideous scars that were in no way inferior to those of the Astartes.

The Inquisition's good partner, the Battle Nun, can be given face; the Imperial Church has so few restrictions, so let's go all out.

Kenmei Isayama was not so friendly to the high-ranking members of the Imperial State Religion; he basically executed all the women on the purge list.

In retrospect, Kenmei Isayama may have been too concerned about the living and his thinking was flawed. Perhaps it would have been better if he had shared some of his concern with the dead.

If Kenmei Isayama couldn't find a fighting nun like that in Kerrigan, is it possible that the nun he was looking for had already "died," which explains why he had come up empty-handed several times?

"Tsk tsk tsk, they really are rich and powerful."

Kenmei Isayama stood outside the entrance of the Hagia Sophia and looked up to see the towering spire piercing the sky. The walls were made of valuable and sturdy stone imported from outside the galaxy.

If you can't get a sense of how much money was spent on this building just by looking at the outside, then the interior is where the extravagance is revealed.

Kenmei Isayama consulted the original owner Horst Eisenholm's memories about the church buildings of these imperial state religions. Although they were all extravagant and expensive, they were all inferior to this church.

As soon as Kenmei Isayama entered the gate, the ground turned into a pure white stone tile, even whiter than milk. The large dome, hundreds of meters in diameter, was covered with exquisite murals, and there were also colorful glass windows. The glass window that Kenmei Isayama had just passed through in the corridor was a piece of glass depicting the emperor sitting on his throne, which was a full twenty meters high.

Kenmei Isayama's first reaction was, "This thing is incredibly valuable."

Sure enough, in smaller places, people pay more attention to these superficial appearances.

"I hope the Slaanesh nun I'm looking for is here."

"Your Honor, please wait for me!"

Frey, who had rushed over from behind, finally returned to Kenmei Isayama's side. She didn't know if she was frightened or not.

"I'm having a little trouble keeping up with you."

Kenmei Isayama simply said...

"Let's go, take me to the place of the saints."

Upon hearing the commotion, the passing soldiers and battle nuns wanted to see what was happening.

Because loud noises are not allowed inside a church, which is a symbol of holiness.

Frey was afraid that those people would clash with the Inquisitor, and that their Imperial State Religion would suffer the consequences, so she dared not be negligent in the slightest and hurriedly led the way.

The Sanctuary, located in the central area of ​​the Hagia Sophia, is the true resting place of the living saints who made outstanding contributions to the empire. It is usually sealed off and heavily guarded throughout the year.

Only when the Imperial State Religion begins its ritual to bless the souls of these Imperial heroes, and preparations are made, will the magnificent coffin be completely unsealed from its underground location and brought into this room for display.

Led by his entourage member Frey, Kenmei Isayama arrived at the magnificent, holy golden Great Cathedral.

Dozens of gleaming marble columns, each three meters thick and hundreds of meters high, stand on either side of the hall, supporting the massive dome above that weighs hundreds of tons.

The angel sculptures, carved from white jade and lacquered, depict figures holding swords and shields or wielding rulers—symbols of fairness and justice in the empire—are depicted hovering atop marble pillars. These sculptures appear remarkably lifelike.

The winged angels, displaying remarkable power and tension, appear to leap from the stone pillars as if to soar into the towering starry dome above, returning to the side of the infinitely loving God-King.

Kenmei Isayama recognized it as the "Return of the Soul to the Throne" painting, a replica displayed at the headquarters of the Imperial State Church.

The air was filled with the scent of sacred wood, but there was something else lingering—a strong, pungent smell of blood.

From the vast central area, which was already covered with hundreds of red coffins, and people were still continuously putting these coffins down.

Kenmei Isayama walked to a coffin, inside which was a corpse, the body of a priest of the Imperial State Church, with a very peaceful face. It was probably half a body, the lower half was missing.

Frey whispered

"This is Reverend Charles Anthony, who sacrificed himself by rushing into a building that was being attacked by Eldar fighters to save civilians."

Basically, these are people who would give up their lives for the empire at crucial moments.

Kenmei Isayama declined to comment on this.

However, what truly caught Kenmei Isayama's attention was a nun kneeling on the high altar in the center of the square, her silver ponytail touching the ground, solemnly praying before the emperor's statue.

Kenmei Isayama gave Frey a meaningful look.

“That’s Sister Brino Havel. She’s not a fighting nun; her status is a bit special.”

"There is a possibility that she may be chosen as the next saintess by our imperial state religion."

Isayama Kenmei understood Frey's thoughts. The sects of the Imperial State Religion were very complex, and they occasionally practiced the concept of reincarnation. She was probably judged to be a reincarnation of a certain savior saint.

"Hmm? I think I forgot about her."

Suddenly the door closed, and Kenmei Isayama turned his head to look, instinctively wanting to draw his gun.

"Shh, Your Honor."

Frey whispered a reminder.

"We arrived just in time; the ceremony is probably about to begin."

Chapter 131 Corpse Party

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The Holy Emperor.

Please deliver me from this suffering.

The choir, composed of novice combat nuns, led by Elder Sister Brino Havel, knelt before the Emperor's statue, their hands clasped in prayer as they sang a nunnery hymn.

From plague, deception, temptation, and war, the great emperor saved us.

The girls' pure and clear voices praised the great and benevolent emperor while also expressing their sorrow and condolences for the heroic sacrifices of the warriors.

Please grant eternal rest to the fallen, so that they may forever serve you.

Moreover, the golden dome above, accompanied by the singing, was tinged with a special glassy color and radiance, appearing incredibly sacred.

Frey clasped her hands together and looked up at the nuns with envious eyes, humming along to the melody.

Kenmei Isayama leaned against the wall, absorbing the rich religious atmosphere and quietly listening to the Battle Sisters' hymns, without making any outrageous noise.

Besides them, there were also many priests and nuns from the Imperial State Church present, and some of them couldn't help but weep quietly under the influence of the mournful songs.

Leaving aside the corruption within the Imperial State Religion, it did indeed do one good thing.

"Faith in the emperor is the only pure land in the hearts of people living in this chaotic world."

Without an emperor as a source of spiritual sustenance, 99% of the common people would fall into depravity, because this world is truly too hopeless.

Ironically, it was precisely because of the constant prayers of the empire's people that the emperor was prevented from ever rising from his golden throne again.

Kenmei Isayama wouldn't bother with a clever declaration; there's no need. Let these suffering people have a place to vent, since the empire has been rotten for tens of thousands of years anyway.

When the chorus reached its peak, the entire hall was filled with dancing golden particles, creating a sacred atmosphere in the air.

Kenmei Isayama's eyes widened as he saw a large, sacred golden coffin, about five meters long and three meters wide, gradually appearing amidst a surge of golden particles.

The coffin, crafted from the rarest and most luxurious sacred wood in the empire, was outlined by several golden threads, and beautiful, sacred ribbons inscribed with prayers were wrapped around the lid.

Kenmei Isayama thought it was a coffin slowly emerging from the ground, but it turned out to be a projection.

Moreover, the projection looked exactly like the real thing, as if it were fake. Lying in it was a woman with a serene expression, wearing power armor so ancient that even the version number was indistinguishable. The power contained within it amazed even Kenmei Isayama.

Such refined power makes it hard to imagine how magnificent and great this long-dormant living saint must have possessed during his lifetime.

High Sister Brino Havel, who had been kneeling before the Emperor's statue, slowly rose to her feet. Bathed in golden light, she seemed to glow, her golden eyes filled with gentleness, her beautiful face radiating kindness.

Without even saying a word, she possesses a sacred "allure" that can completely captivate anyone with just one glance, maximizing their favorability.

The pure white power armor, symbolizing her position as the High Priestess, added to her supreme majesty and imposing presence.

If he were to hold a chainsaw sword, Kenmei Isayama would look like a saintly figure leading people to rise up in resistance during a time of war, and there would even be a faint illusion as if he were seeing a living Joan of Arc standing in front of him.

"One can certainly doubt the character of the high-ranking officials of the Imperial State Religion, but one cannot doubt their taste."