"The power of Law? Arbiters and judges? I never expected that there would be a day when this would become a reality. "
When the Light of Order reenacted its glory from more than 1,700 years ago, and when the power of Law was added to the Order faction, that forgotten loser in the Underground suddenly became the focus of everyone's attention.
No, calling it "everyone's attention" would be an exaggeration. After all, only the Gods and powerful individuals would have the chance to learn these secrets. In their eyes, the creator of the power of Law was the former God of Holy Light. It would only take a single thought for him to ascend to Godhood.
Considering that the Son of Nature (who had already died, but had children), Mother Earth, and the God of Holy Light, the creators of the power of Order were already Main Gods, the crazy lich from back in the day who had gone crazy in the Underground City was now viewed by these Gods as a candidate to become a Main God. No, it should be said that he would become a future Main God.
In the entire Order Faction, there were only seven such existences. Such a position was probably second only to the Creator Goddesses of Order. This was an unparalleled honor, supreme glory, and a stairway to eternity.
The Main Gods of the Chaos Faction would have to worry about dying from fighting each other. As for the Main Gods of the Order Faction, although there were many restrictions, as long as they followed the infrequent instructions of the Source of Order, it was basically impossible for them to die.
"… Congratulations. When do you intend to ascend to Godhood? Perhaps we'll become allies in the future. Perhaps the arrival of the Holy War will also be an opportunity for you to ascend to Godhood … "
Although he didn't know why Roland knew so much about the secrets of the Gods, as a rare drinking buddy, Aillé also sent his best wishes and an invitation to form an alliance.
"What? Ascend to Godhood? Isn't that the day that 'our plan' began? "
Hearing that Roland intentionally emphasized the word "our", Aillé finally recalled the "plan" that he had long since forgotten in his mind. That unrealistic and insane plan. He continued speaking after a long while.
"Are you certain? With my help and the power of Law that you created, perhaps you'll soon become an existence equal to me. On one side is the eternal Order Main God, and on the other side is that insane plan with an incredibly low possibility of success? Can you still make a choice here? "
Even if the Creator Goddess created a new world and a new generation of residents after her destruction, even if all mortals were wiped out, even if she created a new world from scratch, the Main Gods would still be supreme existences. In the eyes of the mortals, their very existence was eternal!
If news of this got out, in everyone's eyes, Roland would be a complete lunatic, treating the easily obtainable undying as a joke, instead throwing everything into a pitifully low chance of winning a gamble.
However, Aillé still remembered that the skeleton's face was filled with shock and disbelief, looking at him as if he was a fool.
"Sovereign? So what? Is there any meaning to 'eternity' that is like a zombie? "
What was the point of being a walking corpse? Even Aillé paused in surprise for a moment when he heard Roland's arrogant words. After his astonishment, he became furious.
Without a doubt, the lich's blasphemous words were a denial of the meaning of all Gods' existence. But while Aillé was furious, his past memories flashed before his eyes. The devils in Hell, this ridiculous endless Holy War, mortals dancing on the Gods' palms like puppets, and of course, the soul wheat that would be harvested in the end.
"The Gods treat the mortals' lives and pursuits as a joke and a flawed stage play. Then, in the eyes of a higher-level existence, aren't the Gods' arrogance nothing more than clowns pulling strings in a puppet play? Even if these puppets are of a higher level, isn't such arrogance laughable if they can't even control their own fates? Wouldn't this kind of eternity and undying be even more valuable than the mortals' lives? "
Aillé's anger vanished when he noticed that the lich before him actually viewed fate and the truth even more clearly than he did. What came next was a question after a long period of contemplation.
"You're serious?"
"Hey, hey, boss Aillé, I've always been serious, alright? Don't tell me you're quitting at such a time. I've had a hard time all this way, alright?"
The lich's snickering smile was as ugly and frightening as ever. But only now did Aillé realize that beneath this frivolous face, he had long since seen through everything.
Roland knew that Aillé had always treated his plan as a joke, but he had always been working hard in secret, making all the necessary arrangements to turn this "joke" that everyone didn't think highly of into reality.
Right now, when the Light of Law illuminated the entire world, and when the Gods were waiting for their new ally to ascend to the Divine Throne, the lucky one who created the path of Law suddenly fell silent. The Gods had been unable to see the God of Law ascend to the Divine Throne for a long time, so of course there were many discussions.
"Only a flash in the pan."
"An incomplete soul probably isn't enough to ascend to the honorable Divine Throne."
"Perhaps, this Divine Concept will only benefit a certain junior in the end. Ha, could it be that he's just doing good deeds? "
Not only the Gods, even the undying and Follower Gods began to ridicule the lich who was unable to ascend to the Divine Throne. But as long as Aillé knew the reason why Roland hadn't ascended to the Divine Throne yet, it was because he wasn't satisfied with the newly born Light of Law.
"No, no, no. Right now, the Light of Law is too similar to the Holy Light. It's meaningless to only represent punishment. What's more important is the redemption of sinners and the forgiveness of the innocent. The Church's teachings are like this: 'There's an invisible eye observing your actions. All crimes will be judged in the end, and the Purgatory of the Dead awaits you. No one can be an exception.' "
"Did I make a mistake again? Why don't we try polarizing the Church's teachings? We'll have higher requirements for the God of Law's believers and executors, and we'll have the most basic restrictions for all mortals. Yep, in order to make it more convincing, we'll use God's Law. "
"No Purgatory or Heaven? Heh heh, isn't that our next plan? "
In Sulfur Mountain City, which was mostly shrouded in darkness, Roland patiently revised his own plans and Church's teachings. The Church of Law's teachings actually went through several hundred revisions. The Light of Law, which was originally far too blinding, became polarizing and gentle under the guidance of its creator.
"The Law itself shouldn't have any will. It's simply a bottom line that everyone has to follow. Only those who cross the line will be punished."
The Law would save and protect the weak, but would mercilessly judge and punish those who did evil. Unlike the Holy Light, which was naturally hostile to the undead, demons, and other creatures of Chaos, the newly born power of Order actually didn't have any natural enemies.
Later on, different people would have different natures of power. Looking at the completely different Light of Law, Aillé even suspected that Roland also had a crazy dual personality.
However, Roland hadn't wasted a hundred years of time. Compared to the original Holy Light, the power of Law that had been polished for a hundred years was much more modest. Its silver glow was just like the moonlight, calming the hearts of others. But, the moment that the Law's bottom line was touched, it would be as merciless as the cold gleam of a guillotine's blade.
"… Perhaps this newly born power of Law, this new boundary, will finally be able to make both factions stop."
Perhaps Roland's determination finally moved him, or perhaps the highest Death God had accumulated enough dissatisfaction, but Aillé finally made his decision as he watched the gradually perfecting power of Law. And right now, the success rate of this plan was no more than 20%.
"Yep, there are far too many unpredictable factors. I can't guarantee that it'll definitely succeed, but now it seems that it's possible to take a gamble. Compared to doing nothing at all, at least it's possible to try. "
Roland was quite honest, and he had no choice but to be honest. The truth was right in front of everyone, and no one here was an idiot. Nobody would willingly board a ship that was destined to sink. It was impossible for him to promise that he would definitely win.
"At the very least, it's not completely hopeless."
That's right, compared to the entire mortal plane's soul harvesting and the destruction of the Gods that would follow, this seemed like a path of survival that had been found in a hopeless situation.
While searching for a path of survival and exploring for a long time, more and more companions boarded Roland's "Roland's ark," which seemed like it would sink at any moment.
Roland didn't try to hide the pitifully low chance of success, but Adam and Marguerite unhesitatingly boarded the ark after learning the truth. The Northlands Knight from the Northlands couldn't even be chased off the ark, and the gentlemen from the Northlands also boarded the ark at an unknown time. The Church of Law itself was a part of the ark.
Sulfur Mountain City's residents boarded the ark. The Underground City Alliance boarded the ark. The Northlands countries also boarded the ark. The Mage Country was tricked into boarding the ark, and the wood spirits also joined the ark. Even the fairies, who had always been neutral, used their actions to express their stance.
Unknowingly, the "grand plan" was no longer just Roland's personal actions. More and more people started walking down this path of their own volition. Some of them had righteous intentions, some had personal conflicts of interest, and some simply wanted to survive this Holy War. But no matter what the reason was, since they boarded the ark, they indeed became a power on Roland's side.
More and more like-minded people started walking together. This difficult path of salvation became much easier to walk. Of course, compared to the two factions that occupied both ends of the world, the "neutral" side's strength was still nothing.
Did they not notice anything at all? At the very least, the Chaos Faction had obtained plenty of information. Their enmity with the God of Holy Light was a fact that was obvious to all. No, it wasn't that they didn't notice anything, it was that they couldn't be bothered to care. Both sides still viewed each other as the number one enemy. As for the third party that tried to do something …
"Aren't those the clowns that have always appeared in every Holy War? Let us see what kind of performance you sinners can put on. "
From the perspective of the two factions that occupied both ends of the Chaos Faction, these people who were secretly conspiring with each other would naturally be considered traitors. They would be the pinnacle of conspiracies, the worst of the most basic order in the entire world. They would be clowns that would be easily crushed!
And now, most of the holes in this ark had been fixed. It was almost time for the ark to set sail. The most important passenger … no, the helmsman should board the ark, even if that would mean directly breaking off relations with both the Chaos Faction and the Chaos Faction.
"Accomplices? Ha, Roland, you've truly chosen an appropriate term. "
Aillé's memories from his time in the wilderness gradually surfaced in his mind. He had seen far too many changes in the world. The main characters of this world were constantly changing. Ancient humans, Gold Elves, Haletdam generation, Middle Ages humans, Great Demons, Superior Elves, and so on. So many civilizations and their glory had even caused the Gods to exclaim in admiration. But in the end, these glorious civilizations and their buildings were all reduced to rubble in the flames of war.
In this cycle of creation and destruction, civilization was advancing? Civilization was retreating? Civilization was at a standstill? Civilization had reached its peak? Or …
"Or, in the eyes of the Creator, mortal civilizations are nothing more than sand castles on the beach, completely worthless to begin with?"
All undead had perished due to their unwillingness to fall into eternal slumber. The most ancient and original undead were no exception. The long passage of time had caused him to forget his very first obsession. However, there was one thing that he still remembered.
In the very beginning of the Aichy Era, Gods and humans had lived together. Although the natural environment was extremely harsh, with famine and vicious beasts everywhere, and dimensional laws were broken so that dimensional invaders were common, at the very least, the strong wouldn't look down on the weak as if they were ants. Weak lifeforms wouldn't be so desperate, and civilization wouldn't be broken so many times due to man-made reasons.
It was quite difficult to reclaim the lands in the Dark Era. The Sages and tribal leaders raised their banners high, while the Gods and SemiGods used primitive totems to protect the mortals. There was no such thing as the power of belief, but the tribesmen sincerely worshiped and respected the Gods who protected them. Aillé had returned to the past countless times in his dreams.
As an undead, he crawled out from under a tombstone. Wasn't it because he was worried about his own tribesmen? At the very least, the Ancient Gods of that generation were trustworthy. They would use their own hands and feet to protect and help mortals, rather than sitting high up in their temples, reciting false teachings, and waiting for the chance to harvest souls.
"Ha, just who's the devil that's stealing souls?"
But now, generation after generation of Gods had become nothing more than decorations on their thrones because of their so-called Divine Concepts and beliefs. The tribesmen of the High Mountain Tribe had become demons cursed by the mortals, repeatedly serving as cannon fodder and puppets in the eternal Holy War. Was this the fate that the first generation of humans should have? Was this the world that the Creator Goddesses desired?
"Mother Goddess, is this the order and unity that you desire to see? Sister Cynthia, is the evolution that you desire to see the endless destruction of the Cycle of Reincarnation? Since you don't give us the right to live, why give us hope? We aren't your puppets or toys. It's time for this boring war to end. It's time! "
Red, black, and gray. The Death God held a three-colored rose of death in his hand, transforming it into a storm that swept through everything. The undying Death God made his decision.
"From today onwards, we shall break away from Order, and no longer belong to Chaos …"
The moment that he said this, the entire world shook violently. As one of the strongest existences in the world, his words were tangible power. When he announced this, countless responses echoed in every Divine Domain.
"From today onwards, we shall break away from Order, and no longer belong to Chaos. We …"
More than ten gods were chanting in their own divine kingdoms. In every corner of the world, one could see the burning sky and the shaking space.
"From today onwards, we shall break away from Order, and no longer belong to Chaos. We …"
Perhaps the Source of Order's mistake was that it didn't start instilling its own beliefs like the Chaos Faction did from a young age. Instead, it gave the hearts of the Gods who had started out as mortals. Not every mortal who became a God would forget their roots. When truth and hope were placed in front of them, they would make a choice.
"… Belong to the Hades!"
"… Hades!"
"We are the Gods of the Hades!"
Countless gigantic meteors tore through the sky. These gigantic meteors broke the common sense of mortals. In the eyes of mortals, when a true God died, their Divine Kingdom would transform into a meteor that tore through the sky. But now, what did this meteor shower represent? Every meteor was even more powerful than the meteor shower that Rose had just died. Could it be that more than ten powerful Gods simultaneously died? This was absolutely impossible. Not even the entire mortal plane had that many powerful Gods!
"They didn't die. They betrayed us."
The Cloud Tower's astrology archmage Salo's face was covered in cold sweat. His legs were trembling, but he was able to make a professional judgment in front of his peers.
These Gods hadn't died. They were currently pulling their Divine Kingdoms away from the Source of Order's control and into an unknown plane. If this wasn't betrayal, what was? More than ten True Gods in the entire Order Faction had betrayed us all at once!
The mortal believers were completely stunned. However, the Gods who had died together with their Divine Kingdoms were all excited and excited. They had waited far too long for this day.
"Sigh, I won't be able to make any money for several years. I hope that I can do business in the Netherworld."
Beyana was quite displeased. Her business had been getting better and better recently, but she was about to leave.
"Ha, even if you reach the Hades, your 'Contract Warrior' system has long since entered a self-sustaining cycle. It can still be used, and your main business won't be affected. We're only leaving for a few years. Or, do you intend to stay here and face the attacks of those old fellows? "
"Shut up. I need to sense the existence of that plane. What should I do if I get lost in the void?"
Unlike her usual silence, the Moonlight Goddess was now quite excited. She had waited far too long for this day. Even though she had the Divine Concept of "Guidance" and had to take on the role of navigator, she was unable to suppress her joy.
"Finally, I'm free …"
Even before leaving, the God of Fate didn't forget his mission. He viciously shook the stars in the sky, causing all the stars to fall into chaos.
The Traces of Fate once again became chaotic, causing all prophecy abilities to become useless. It made it even less likely that he would be able to track the Hades plane.
And even if he didn't take action, the truth wouldn't have made a difference.
Aillé no longer needed to hide his full power. The entire Dragon World (Hades) plane was now completely separated from the mortal plane. Soon, the Dragon World would completely lose contact with the other planes. The Holy War had already begun, and the angels and demons were about to fight. The Order and Chaos Factions' anger would never be able to reach the Hades Gods.
That's right, the Hades Gods. The new plane would become the main base for the neutral Gods. They would create a self-sustaining new world there, completely breaking the Order and Chaos Factions' monopoly on the mortal plane.
At this time, the Aillé Faction had completely fallen out with the Order Faction. But considering the difference in power between the Order Faction and the Order Faction, the neutral Gods would disappear into the depths of the Hades before the Holy War reached its climax. However, they would still be able to infuse their Divine Power into their believers through the backdoor they left behind.
Just like the Evil Gods living in the Chaos Abyss, the Source of Order would no longer be able to control them. If this was a time of peace, the Source of Order would naturally organize a crusade against the Evil Gods. But now that the Holy War was imminent, the Chaos Faction wouldn't miss out on this period of weakness. As long as both sides entered an all-out war, they naturally wouldn't have any spare energy to track down the neutral Hades Gods.
And according to the "grand plan," when the Hades Gods reappeared on the battlefield of the Holy War, they should have the ability to completely stop this war.
All the signs indicated that the Order Gods were divided. Even the Gods were at a loss, and all the divine job class members were naturally in a frenzy. And at this moment, another meteor suddenly fell from the sky. This meteor was tearing apart the entire sky. Its mass far surpassed any of the previous Gods!
"… Main God, which Main God is it?"
"Holy Light above! This … "
"Main God Anslo! He actually betrayed us at such a time! "
Don't misunderstand, this Main God had fallen in a different direction from the other Hades Gods. He had fallen into the lower planes, the bottomless Chaos Abyss where the demons resided. This Main God of the Elves had long since wanted to betray the Order Gods, so he unhesitatingly took this opportunity to betray them.
Obviously, he had chosen an excellent opportunity. Aillé's betrayal was now obvious, and the Source of Order would definitely send out assassins to hunt down the other Hades Gods. Naturally, they wouldn't have the spare energy to send out Main God level existences to hunt him down.
While the Main God of the Elves successfully hitched a ride, and the other Aillé Side Gods were all heading towards the Hades Gods, the "main culprit" Aillé was currently standing quietly by the River Styx.
The murky River Styx kept lapping against the banks of the River Styx, and demons' pitiful howls could be heard in the nearby ruins of the Sea of Fire. More than one hundred years ago, Aillé and Roland had come up with their "grand plan" here. And now, the most important page of their "grand plan" was about to be opened here.
"It's time."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
