Ten Great Saints

Ten Great Saints (十大聖人) are the paladins or holy knights at the top of the organization known as the Western Holy Church. Only the strongest soldiers can enter the group, and their hierarchy is decided by strength and ability. As the name suggests, being an Enlightened is a minimum prerequisite, and it is expected for the members to continue to improve themselves so they can attain Saint and even Hero level.

With the death of Garde and defection of the Three Battlesages, the Ten Great Saints is practically defunct. However, most of the Crusaders are still active in service.

History
Originally created by Luminous Valentine as a division of the general forces among the Holy Knights, she hand picked the strongest fighters with the greatest potential for evolution with the intention of encouraging the creation of heroes under her command. The role of the Clerics of the Seven Luminaries or Seven Luminaries for short, on the other hand, was to act as mentors to train this potential to the fullest.

Organization
The Church is further subdivided into two big groups: the Crusaders; Holy Knights under the direct command of Hinata Sakaguchi, and the Rook Geniuses; under the direct command of the Holy Emperor, with the top Three among their ranks being the Three Battlesages. The line between the two was blurry, especially as the Holy Emperor tended to not give any orders that would interfere with the Crusaders.

To further prevent misunderstandings and friction, a meeting is held once a month between all members of the group to discuss events and clarify actions.

Hinata Sakaguchi, being the strongest fighter, not only held the title of Chief of the Crusaders, but also defeated Saare and took his title as Head Knight of the Rook Geniuses. This made her the defacto leader of both subdivisions, effectively unifying both groups so long as she was in charge.

Trivia

 * All of them were shown in the first opening, despite the fact that Hinata wouldn't have a role until Season 2, with the rest not appearing until even later on.