The Six high Priests, Leaders of the Church
The Church of Ente Isla, also known as the Church of the Divine Creed, is a major religious organization composed of followers of Heaven.
Overview[]
The Church of Ente Isla is a powerful religious group whose beliefs center around the righteous will of God and the Mandate of Heaven preached by the angels. Much like the branches of Christianity practiced on Earth, the beliefs and stories which act as the cornerstone of the faith are chronicled in an ancient text known as the Bible. The stories contained include creation myths, religious doctrine, and the tale of the Tree of Life, many of these bearing a strong resemblance to those in the Christian Bible, mirroring those of well-known books such as Genesis. Chiho Sasaki notes the resemblance while hearing the story concerning the origin of the Yesod Fragments, likening it to the myth of Adam and Eve.
Leadership of the Church rests in the hands of six Archbishops or High Priests, each having the authority to govern the institution as they wish.
History[]
Emilia Trains to become the Hero
When the Demon King Satan declared war on the five continents of Ente Isla, hoping to annex the lands as a part of his growing Demon Empire, the Church of the Divine Creed became an active force in resisting his rule. The clergy aided humanity by offering help to fleeing refugees and sending their most powerful magic-users like Olba Meyer to the front lines to fight the Demon Army. During the early days of the war a young girl named Emilia Justina was taken from her father to be trained as a Knight of the Church, the High Priests knowing that her mother's angel blood passed down to the child would make her a powerful hero. The trained her in the arts of magic and swordplay, eventually granting her with the Sacred Sword- Better Half, a divine weapon crafted from Heavenly Metal and forged from shards from the Tree of Life. Once she had mastered the power of the sword, Emilia set forth to battle the armies of darkness. The Church joined with the Allied Knights Order, a group of resisting countrymen, in order to oust the Demon Army. Working together with Father Olba, Emerada Etuva, and Albert Ende, the Hero Emilia led a siege on the Dark Ruler's Castle, defeating Satan in a fearsome duel between human and demon. The latter ultimately accepts defeat and flees to Earth with his loyal general Alciel. Emilia chooses to follow them through the portal, but her absence ultimately causes a stir among the population of Ente Isla.
Olba offers Bell a cloth to wipe away her victim's blood
In the aftermath of the battle, the Church is revealed to be a heavily corrupted entity. They seek to establish dominion over Ente Isla amidst the power vacuum left behind by the Demon King's defeat, persecuting anyone who deemed to discredit or defy their political movements as "heretics". Father Olba is placed in charge of the Inquisition, during which he tasks High Inquisitor, Crestia Bell, with carrying out assassinations. During this time, they stumble onto a plot staged by the leaders of the Allied Knights Order to expose the Church's hypocrisy, but they are subsequently poisoned by Bell, who quickly executes them with her magic hammer. The High Inquisitor expresses resentment of her duties, lamenting that she never wanted to kill anyone, but Olba coldly dismisses her pleas before handing her another list of proclaimed heretics.
Story[]
At some point following disappearance of the Hero and the Demon King, Olba Meyer joins forces with former Demon General Lucifer in order to travel to Earth and eliminate them. In his absence, the Church receives heavy criticism for their harsh and unfair treatment of innocent people by the Inquisition. The remaining Archbishops hold a meeting, during which each High Priest refuses to take the blame for the incidents, while being unable to reprimand Olba due to his status on Earth. Instead, the council rules that the Inquisition, will itself, be dissolved in order to appease the public. The decision is quickly shown to be nothing more than a form of propaganda, as the Church simply "transfers" all personnel from the Inquisition into a new organization labeled the "Doctrinal Corrections Council".
Crestia Bell is later seen issuing a report following Olba Meyer's attempt to eliminate Satan and the Hero Emilia on Earth. She alerts her superiors that both the Hero and the Devil were alive in another world, much to the surprise of the clergy members present. The High Priest Father Robertio expresses concern over the present issues, but comes close to fainting when she elaborates on Olba's betrayal towards the Church. She then questions if their former colleague should be considered a heretic, to which he reluctantly affirms. Crestia Bell also confirms to the council that both Emeralda Etuva and Albert Ende have visited Earth, and have begun spreading word of the Hero's survival. Due to the Church having officially reported her death to the public, Robertio is noticeably bothered by this new development, knowing that the institution's standing was already tarnished by the previous actions of the Inquisition. Unable to come up with a reasonable countermeasure, he then prompts the Head Inquisitor to come up with her own solution for this problem, to which she agrees. Crestia Bell is then sent to Earth with the Archangel Sariel in order to eliminate the Demon King.