I wonder if the faceless woman is Eidelweiss, or if it's meant to be a fakeout. Their appearance is very similar, and the staff that Takeru finds with Fia looks like an upgraded version of Eidelweiss' as well. Fia herself resembling the Saintess of Takeru's past feels like another clue, and the fact that she was as important to that world as she was, to only seemingly vanish in the interim of Takeru's death/disappearance, has me grasping at every clue and hint as to what became of her.
Also the fact that I don't think we know how much time has passed (since timelines between worlds seem like they're not congruent), so who knows what all has been going on since he was executed. But I imagine the bigger mystery we're gearing up toward beyond this Lotus/Lilac fight is the ultimate fate of Eidelweiss, and answers as to what all has happened since the defeat of the last demon king.
Plus, it would seem that Lotus is on a timer of some sort. But, he and Lilac both care about Cardinal, clearly, as Lilac requested that Takeru "defeat" her, not "kill" her, and with the express purpose to save her. And Lotus was more containing Cardinal than trying to outright defeat or destroy her, and that flashback clearly shows that he cares about her dearly.
This really does feel like a long-spanning misunderstanding or miscommunication (or, perhaps, a withholding of information) that has spiraled out of control into long-standing enmities with new characters being introduced since the initial schism, and it'll be up to Takeru to try and bridge the gaps and bring them all together in some form of reconciliation.
And, given he was the original Messiah of this world, it's kinda his job in a sense, so.
Thanks for the TL.