For any religion, heresy was more disgusting than the enemy. In the eyes of the traditionalists, their interpretations of doctrines and inventions of new things would make the religion lose its "purity and orthodoxy" and cause the believers to fall into discord.
This was just like how the scariest incurable disease was cancer. However, the mutation of normal cells would spread far and wide. Once the mutation reached a certain degree, it would be impossible for a person to survive. And even if the person could be saved, the part that was cut off would greatly damage their vitality.
And in this world where True Gods existed, heretics in churches would make their own interpretations and interpretations of the True Gods' teachings. This would even cause changes in Divine Concepts and beliefs. Some changes would be permitted by the True Gods, and some would even be the True Gods' own explorations and interpretations of Divine Concepts. However, this would also cause major and minor internal divisions within churches.
Some would directly cross the True Gods' bottom line, angering the True Gods and directly sending down divine punishment.
Back in Sulfur Mountain City, a certain villainous disciple had conducted an experiment. He successfully brainwashed a demon into believing that he was a Holy Knight who believed in Holy Light, so the demon cultivated according to the standard Holy Knight procedures. In the end, the demon actually succeeded in summoning Holy Light.
Although the very next instant, the Holy Light burned the God of Holy Light from the inside out and turned it into ashes, this phenomenon alone was more than enough to make even the most devout believer toss the God of Holy Light's teachings into the trash.
"Holy Light is a gift from the God of Holy Light? Even his mortal enemy, demons, are given Holy Light? The God of Holy Light must be either an idiot or blind. Perhaps the other Gods are the same … "
Gods wouldn't make mistakes. That was because making mistakes would show that they were foundationally no different from mortals. Gods were venerated, far superior to mortals. Mortals would only be able to understand God's will from a few words of divine prophecy. That was because as long as mortals got closer and saw the Gods clearly, they would naturally lose their respect for them. In that case, so-called pure faith would no longer exist.
Most people in this world were unable to simply believe in a certain Concept or belief like Roland. Their faith would always revolve around a certain God. Even though they were mortals who would definitely make mistakes, they hoped that their God wouldn't make mistakes and would always be correct. Only a God who knew everything would be worth entrusting everything to.
"On the one hand, you entrust everything to an existence that you can't even see clearly, while on the other hand, you're clearly a mortal who pretends to be holy. Just which is more laughable?"
This was Roland's mockery at the time, but it did make some sense.
As for the information about the True Gods, only a small number of powerhouses were in possession of it. When it came to the level of ordinary people, they would always know what the priests said.
"True Gods are wise and great. They watch over the mortal world from high above and protect the mortals …"
The "Shameful Incident of Soros" in the Northlands only proved that there was no foundational difference between Order and Chaos. It was precisely this opposition that caused the Holy War to never end, which shook the foundational faith of the church members. If even "True Gods could be easily fooled, and they might not necessarily be smarter than that idiot Li Goudan next door" was known to the world, the foundational faith of mortals would also be shaken.
It was foreseeable that if this information was thrown into the light of day, it would lead to destructive consequences. In the worst case scenario, meteor showers (Divine Kingdoms falling) might be seen every few days.
The reason why Roland hadn't thrown this information into the light of day yet was because he wasn't sure how great of an impact it would have after a crisis of faith occurred. If more than 50% of the human population lost their faith in Order, a large number of Gods would fall like dumplings being dropped into a pot, and the Holy War wouldn't even need to be fought.
But when a certain female Elven Holy Knight under his command fell into a crisis of faith, Roland gave her the relevant information after much consideration. He hoped that she would be able to walk out of her over-reliance on the Gods and create her own path. In addition, he also gave her some of Roland's personal understanding of Law and the mysteries of the True Gods.
There was a famous saying that went like this: "I only told one person, but one person told ten, and ten people told a hundred, and it became a secret known to the entire country." Cough, it should be "If you tell this secret to anyone, that secret will no longer be a secret."
In this world, knowledge represented power. However, this didn't only apply to mages. But for a Holy Knight who used her faith and faith as her weapons, knowing more might not be a good thing.
After Diana learned too much knowledge, she suffered a serious crisis of faith. She began to doubt her own life and future path. Diana's Soul Imprint shattered with a crack, and she directly fell from the Legend rank.
But the most important thing was that a certain someone casually told her.
"Actually, I'm the most pious of them all. At the very least, I've never expected the Gods to do anything for me. I don't even believe in the True Gods themselves. I only believe in the concept of Law, and I'm trying to use Law to improve our world. "
Every night, this short sentence kept repeating in her mind, pounding on her past life like a bell. And with this knowledge and her "younger sister"'s help, Diana reflected on her past life and came to a conclusion. Finally, she made up her mind.
"… My disappointment in the Dark Elf society, where even blood-related families would kill each other, made me abandon Rose and choose the path of Holy Light. I hoped that the Holy Light would be able to save me and my tribe, allowing us to walk under the sunlight.
"… When I discovered that the path of Holy Light was only 'cleansing' and would only bring about the destruction of my tribe, I saw that Law allowed all the species in Sulfur Mountain City to live in harmony. That was when I gave up on my pursuit of Holy Light. I longed for Law, the new power of Order, to bring us under the sunlight.
"… When my faith wavered, I once again studied the teachings of the Moonlight Goddess in order to find peace in my faith, as well as to return to the surface. Although I managed to bring myself under the sunlight this time, my heart was even more lost."
Diana's silver Holy Light sword kept flashing with the constantly changing power of Order. Her Soul Imprint shattered, but it also allowed her to break free from her previous restrictions. Her pure and innocent soul allowed her to resonate with the power of Order.
Perhaps, from a certain standpoint, this "subordinate" who always watched from the sidelines was the true disciple who had inherited Roland's understanding of the mysteries of the world.
Being able to become a future Epic-ranked hero and the leader of the dark elves was already proof of his extraordinary talent. And after I removed the veil from the real world for him, his achievements in the game's "history" far surpassed what he had achieved in the game.
"Ha, Milord is correct. Every time I believe in a God, it's because I want to fulfill my desires. It has long since become unrelated to being devout. Giving one's own expectations and goals to others is no different from throwing one's responsibilities to others. It's a type of escape."
In her confusion, Diana mysteriously recalled what that man had said in the past.
"… It's better to rely on yourself than on others. The Gods can't even finish dealing with their own troubles. Rather than worshipping the Gods and Buddhas, it's better to worship yourself. There are indeed many problems with the current world, and it's incredibly difficult to change even a single one of them. But there are some things that you won't have any hope of changing if you don't try. If you try, there's at least a chance of success. "
That was what that person said, and that was what he did.
The Underground World was the most chaotic place in the entire Aichy world. Yet, he established the paradise-like Sulfur Mountain City there. In this barbaric society where the strong preyed on the weak, he used the rules of the law to allow all species to enter a state of equality.
The Dark Elves had always been viewed as an inherently evil species. Even though they had already become Holy Knights, they were still doubted. Yet, that person unhesitatingly accepted this group of Dark Elves who had nowhere else to go and gave them the heavy responsibility of protecting the city and its citizens. This was the first time that the Dark Elves had ever felt trust.
This was a mystical place with an even more mystical master. He developed engineering technology that was viewed as a plaything, a mystical religious view that allowed many True Gods to spread their teachings, and a new law that was based on equality for all living beings. His actions were always arrogant and domineering, even going against tradition. Perhaps this would seem insane to ordinary people, or perhaps many of his actions were incomprehensible, but in Diana's eyes, there was one thing that was quite obvious — he was trying to make this world a better place. He was trying to change it. He wasn't willing to accept the current situation!
"If you feel that this world isn't good enough? Why don't you try to change it? What's the point of relying on the Gods? They're nothing more than a group of clay Bodhisattvas who can't even protect themselves. They're nothing more than pitiful worms tied to their Divine Thrones. "
The Gods were supreme, and mortals were nothing more than ants in the eyes of the True Gods? In that person's eyes, the True Gods weren't any more noble than mortals. As time passed, he used actions to replace words.
Rose, who had been suppressing the Dark Elves for tens of thousands of years, had finally fallen. Even the supreme God of Holy Light had been exposed on that day as a hypocrite. If it wasn't for the fact that Diana had long since been prepared … or perhaps it should be said that she had long since been suspicious of the God of Holy Light, it was likely that she would have been one of the Holy Knights who had lost their Holy Light's favor.
"I was abandoned by the Holy Light? No, I was the one who abandoned the Holy Light, I … "
Her Soul Imprint's golden glow was no longer present. Her past beliefs had been shattered. Her Soul Imprint, which had been shining brightly the day before, was now in tatters.
At this moment, Diana recalled that on that airship, that person had revealed the truth about the Apocalypse to her, as well as his almost impossible desire to save the world.
"… The world is so difficult. Enduring and praying is meaningless. Is it foolish to do something that you know is impossible? Is it noble? Is it possible? No … "
Diana's memories had returned to the past hundred years when she had been searching for the Apocalypse. She had once despaired and cursed, hoping that this world where all life was bitter would come to an end. But now that she thought about it, she realized that she had been far too selfish.
Ending everything sounded great, but wouldn't that be far too cruel to the newborns who had just arrived in this world and hadn't yet experienced any happiness? Wouldn't that mean that the living creatures who were still struggling bitterly had to suffer? Wouldn't that be too cruel to the person who had sacrificed everything in exchange for a chance to change the Apocalypse?
Since she had made up her mind, the next instant, her old Soul Imprint shattered into pieces. However, a silver light shone from within as a new soul path was formed. This new Soul Imprint was in the form of a fist holding a sword.
"… We just want to continue living so that the mortals can live with more dignity and safety. Is this also wrong?"
A silver light flashed. After Diana had fallen from Legend rank, the moment she entered Legend rank again, she actually directly entered Saint rank. Now that she understood her own path, all of her past accumulations transformed into actual power.
Her understanding of the Gods and divine power, Holy Light, Moon God's power, the power of Law, and the Dark Elves' natural resistance to magic were all mixed together. But, the most important part was her own beliefs. This caused the turbid divine power within her to undergo a mysterious change. When all the colors of her divine power became turbid, all that was left behind was pitch-black like the night.
"We want to continue living, we want to make the world a better place, even if the undefeatable Gods are standing in our way. Awaken, my Soul Imprint … 'The Fool Who Opposes the Gods!' "
Diana was far more intelligent than anyone knew. From the things that Roland had revealed to her, she faintly sensed that Roland had always treated the True Gods as his imaginary enemies. And when she learned the truth about the eternal Holy War, she even pointed her finger at the two God Factions that were high up in the sky and were constantly causing new waves of despair.
Who didn't know that it was foolish to make the Gods their enemy? Who didn't know that it was impossible to save the world? But, since mortals also had the right to live, there were some things that had to be done. Since smart people weren't willing to do foolish things, then let us fools do it.
"The Fool? That's really suitable for me. "
Diana inexplicably recalled the man who always called her a big foolish girl. She laughed self-mockingly, but this only strengthened her resolve. As long as she could achieve her goal, so what if the world didn't understand her and laughed at her as a fool … At the very least, the person who also chose the path of a fool and a fanatic would definitely understand her choice. This path might be difficult, but it wasn't as if there weren't others who shared the same path.
And that was indeed the truth. Not long after, the Knight who also chose this thorny path also donned black armor and wore the medal of "Blade of Resistance." But how many people knew the determination of the founder of this path, the "big foolish girl", and the true name of the Anti-Holy Knight, the homonym of the Anti-Holy Knight — the Anti-God Knight!
They were the Knight of mortals. They opposed the interference of the existences high up in the world. They believed that mortals' fates should be decided by mortals themselves. They believed that the Gods and demons should stay in their own territories. They dared to wave their swords at anyone who crossed their boundaries.
And at that moment, in the Ottoman Empire's aquatic battlefield, when the first Anti-Holy Knight in history stabbed her holy sword into the water, perhaps even the True Gods would be astonished.
"I hope that this world belongs to mortals."
After this simple statement, the sound of rain and the flames of war continued as if nothing had happened. However, what silently spread out was Diana's Soul World — the world of mortals.
The Soul World kept expanding, but it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. The next instant, the rain clouds in the sky suddenly vanished along with the entire aquatic battlefield.
In this "world of mortals," the special powers of demons, angels, demon kings, and even Gods would all disappear. And the Anti-Holy Knight's signature abilities were all sorts of anti-magic and anti-divine powers. They were the protectors of the mortal plane, the mortal enemy of existences from other planes.
If the will of the mortal plane truly existed, perhaps this was a miracle created by Diana in order to save herself. After all, only a mythical Knight who had experienced numerous trials would have the "Fool's Will." Yet, only the Dark Elves who had the natural talent of anti-magic were able to use this natural ability. Perhaps it was the saying that heroes are born in troubled times. It was fate that allowed Diana to fuse everything she had under countless coincidences to create this unprecedented path.
And on the battlefield right now, after the divine power forbidden spell was removed, there was no longer any suspense. The humans already had the advantage of timing and manpower. Now that they had the geographical advantage, the Sea Tribe's battle line was destined to collapse. Kagesi, who had been shrouded in dark clouds for one and a half years, finally saw the first ray of sunlight.
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