With a nod, Alfred summoned shadows to extract several dozen Lamwolite stones.
Despite removing so many, the soft glow in the corridor remained unchanged—so densely were the crystals embedded.
Both Miaomiao and Marcus beamed with delight, proudly admiring their new treasures.
Even Michael was handed a small handful, about ten stones.
"A belated engagement gift, if you will. I'll prepare a proper one on the wedding day, of course. Ha ha."
Michael accepted them with care, his thoughts drifting to Astrid's elegant neckline.
He imagined crafting something beautiful with the pearls he'd acquired from the lake temple and these Lamwolite gems.
"Thank you, Grandfather."
Alfred chuckled contentedly.
To think—they had arrived at the resting place of the Radiant One, dismantled the sacred system painstakingly built by their enemies, and now even taken the divine ornaments.
Nothing could be more satisfying.
At the end of the long descent, they arrived at a vast, dome-shaped chamber.
Between the round arches and towering pillars, a massive sarcophagus lay in solemn repose.
Michael approached it as though in a trance.
The power radiating from within seemed to beckon him.
Miaomiao, her expression suddenly grim, reached out to stop him.
[Michael! Wait—it's dangerous…?]
But Alfred stepped in and blocked her.
"Let him be. The boy, as he is now, can handle it."
And Alfred was right.
With the strength Michael now possessed, he was confident he could fully claim the power sealed within this frail corpse.
He fixed his gaze on the body of the man inside the coffin.
The face looked as if it belonged to someone who had only just fallen asleep.
The pale skin still seemed vivid with life.
Faded golden hair spilled gently across a narrow forehead, and slender hands—fitting for his small frame—were crossed over the chest.
In them, he clutched a relic shaped like a cross with perfectly equal lengths on each side.
The power was emanating from that relic.
"So this is… the Radiant One? He's smaller than I expected."
Alfred sneered slightly.
"Yes. That's the Radiant One. For now, he sleeps—having lost his divine body."
Michael asked with a puzzled look.
"He lost his body, but the corpse is still perfectly intact. Shouldn't a god be able to resurrect from this?"
He pointed at the Radiant One's forehead, which looked completely unblemished.
Not a single scar was visible.
"That's just a discarded shell," Alfred replied. "Look closely—you'll see fine cracks. His priests forced the remains to hold together."
Realizing his oversight, Michael leaned in to inspect the corpse more carefully.
The entire body was on the verge of crumbling—like sand barely holding its shape.
Alfred continued calmly.
"Not just the physical form—he's long since lost his true divine body as well. That's why Agrippa was so desperate to find Julius, the Radiant One's descendant."
"Divine body versus physical body… I don't really get it, but I guess they're different?"
Alfred looked at his grandson with pride.
Like a grandfather sharing an old story, he explained with warmth in his voice.
"A god is not merely flesh and bone. What remains here is just a shell. For a god to exist in full, three elements must be present."
Raising his hand, Alfred curled one finger at a time as he began to explain…
"First—the physical body. As you see before you, it refers to a tangible form. But the body is only one part. The disappearance of a body does not mean the god ceases to exist."
"Second—the divine body. This is where divine essence is contained. The divine body holds the core of a god's power and existence. Without it, a god can no longer act as a god."
As Alfred explained, a shadow extended from him, reaching toward the Radiant One's forehead—
It hovered there, as if ready to pierce, but stopped just short.
"Look. If his divine body were intact, there would've been a reaction by now. The reason the Radiant One has not appeared in the continent all these years is for the same reason. We call this 'the god's slumber.' At this point, the Radiant One has lost nearly all his divine power and authority."
Michael looked again at the pale corpse before him.
Is that why more power seems to radiate from the relic than the body itself?
"Then, what's the third component, Grandfather?"
Alfred's lips curled slightly.
"That would be the will of the soul. The soul must retain its will, or the divine and physical bodies cannot reunite. It's not just about memories or personality—it refers to the immortal spirit that makes a god a god. Does that make sense?"
Michael's face stiffened.
If that was the case…
"Then… the Radiant One's will must still exist."
Alfred silently nodded.
At the same time, the atmosphere around them shifted—heavy, dark.
As if something unseen was holding its breath, listening in from the shadows.
"Exactly. That's why the Radiant Church held on to a faint hope—protecting the descendants of the Radiant One, generation after generation. Bloodlines could serve as vessels for the god's return."
Michael bit his lip unconsciously.
"If that descendant is so important, why leave him in such a dangerous place? Shouldn't they have hidden him deep within the Papal Sanctum?"
Alfred patted his grandson lightly on the shoulder and replied,
"That's what we call fate. The fact that a descendant of the Radiant One was placed here—in this very place—speaks volumes. It means the Radiant One… was preparing to awaken."
He swallowed the rest of what he wanted to say.
There was no need to burden the boy with such thoughts—
Not yet… Not like it was for me. And her…
With a sigh, Michael reached toward the Radiant One's corpse.
"Then if I absorb all the power contained here, I can delay his return. Let's end it now."
The faint divine energy that lingered in the Radiant One's body began to flow into the relic—
and from there, into Michael.
It was powerful, yes—but compared to the barrier they had destroyed earlier, it was nothing.
Or… has his own strength grown that much?
Alfred watched Michael with a pleased expression.