In the evening.
A bright full moon quietly climbed up the yellow treetops.
The dry night wind blew as if it didn't contain a trace of moisture.
However, Uruk City was still decorated with lanterns and colored banners. Compared to the humans outside, the citizens who had bigger eyes walked out of their houses.
They gathered around the towering [Tower of Babel] in the corner of the city and the magnificent [Sky Garden] at the top of the tower.
Looking at the man-made building that rose from the ground like a miracle, every pair of eyes that seemed to have experienced countless hardships were filled with boundless pride.
Although the annual floods and droughts had already occurred twice, most of the taxes, offerings, and countless rare treasures of the entire country were still concentrated in this place.
The [Sky Garden] was filled with the rarest and most beautiful flowers and plants, as well as the most precious … water source during the drought.
There was only one purpose for all of this.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Hundreds of strongmen beat the giant leather drum with all their might.
Beep!
Fifty priests wearing golden crowns stood in two rows and blew the horns in their hands.
Nebuchadnezzar, who was wearing a solemn robe and a thorny "crown," walked barefooted like a "sinner" begging for forgiveness. He walked up the spiral staircase around the tower step by step to the [Sky Garden] at the top of the tower.
Behind him was the Crown Sorcerer, Paracelsus, who had been appointed as the kingdom's "sage" due to his magical "potioneering technology" and strange witchcraft.
Other than them and a group of priests in white robes, there was no one else in the entire "Tower of Babel".
Gold and silver, precious stones, colorful clothes, treasures from the mountains and the deep sea, mature male goats, lambs, musk, harvested plants, white figs, beer, honey, butter …
The entire huge circular altar was piled up.
In the Muria civilization's human god system.
Although the gods were mighty beings with unlimited power, their basic needs were no different from the mortals. Clothing, food, housing, transportation, and even marriage were necessities for them.
Therefore, other than faith, the best offerings were also indispensable.
In this year of drought where not a single drop of rain had fallen since the new year, there was not a single person in the entire kingdom who dared to be careless about this sacrificial ceremony.
When the sun and moon converged, the sacrificial ceremony officially began.
The priests lit the best spices and walked slowly around the altar. They chanted honorifics silently and respectfully invited every god worshipped by the Muryans to cast their gaze here.
On top of the altar, there were also stone tablets engraved with the holy names, holy statues, and holy emblems of every deity. There were at least twenty of them, big and small.
Among them.
The most honorable one was the all-inclusive God of the Sky, the Father of the Gods, Anu. "His" image was a luxurious triple crown placed on a throne.
In all the myths and legends, this Main God had never left the Kingdom of Heaven to descend to the mortal world. There was no doubt that he was a great True God!
Below him, there were also the three pillar gods with the highest status.
Enlil, "Master of the Wind", "King of the Air", was not only the moist spring breeze that nourished the growth of all things, but also the God of Hurricanes. Floods and strong winds were his weapons.
Although they had both good and evil sides, most of the time, they showed the violent side.
Marduc, "King of Kings", "Lord of Life", gathered the power of the gods.
He was the great god who gave birth to the gods, the spellcaster who resurrected the dead, the wise man who saw through everything, the protector of justice and law, the creator of all things, the King of Kings …
Inanna, "God of Love, Blood, and War", was the most beautiful of the gods and had many admirers and followers.
There were also many other auxiliary gods, Kibir, the God of Fire who rode a firebird, Adad, the God of Water who rode a bull and held a stone arrow with both hands, Marduc's children, Ram and Laham, the God of Sludge …
Even the divine fire used for the sacrificial ceremony was also a god called Nusku.
Boom!
The flame was burning, representing that the gods were willing to accept the offerings of mortals.
A group of priests in white robes, after washing their hands, respectfully threw the offerings on the altar into the divine fire one by one.
At the same time, they chanted, "Divine Fire Nusku, without you, there would be no banquet in the temple; without you, the great gods would not be able to smell the aroma …"
All kinds of high-quality offerings that even the king could not enjoy, as soon as they touched the divine fire, they immediately turned into green smoke and rushed into the sky, entering the kingdom where the gods lived.
However, the offerings were so rich.
A group of priests worked together from dusk until the bright moon hung high in the sky. Only then did they complete the sacrificial ceremony of the last exquisite wine set made of gold.
Compared to the dry world below the "Tower of Babel", it was a bit ironic.
Boom!
Immediately, the divine fire rose a few meters in an instant, representing that the gods were very satisfied with the offerings.
At the same time.
The noblest king in the world looked at the dry riverbed under the tower, the shriveled seedlings, and the eager eyes of his subjects. He took a deep breath and suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, not caring about the thorns that pierced his forehead.
He raised his hands high and shouted:
"Gods in the sky, everything of mankind is bound and controlled by the great gods. With our most loyal faith, we built the tower, built the garden, and offered the most beautiful offerings for you …"
But countless sufferings still surrounded the devout people of Muria.
Between the two rivers, sometimes the river overflowed, sometimes there was drought, sometimes there was a storm, and sometimes there was a thunderstorm that turned the world into a swamp.
I! Nebuchadnezzar! On behalf of all mankind, I beg you, gods, please open your eyes and show mercy to the people on the earth! "
Perhaps the gods in the sky who were enjoying the offerings did not expect that there would be a human king who dared to negotiate with the gods.
The whole world was quiet for a moment, even the air stopped flowing.
Then, a thunderous voice reverberated in the air above Uruk City.
"Mortals have no right to negotiate with the gods.
Humans were created by the gods. Humans were given a small life just to carry out the will of the gods in the mortal world. You have to worship the gods, believe in the gods, and worship the gods!
All the disasters are to train your will, test your piety, and mold your heart.
Whether it is a blessing or a disaster, it is a gift from the gods. You should accept it and believe in the gods more devoutly, instead of bargaining with your father!!! "
Many people in the city had already knelt on the ground in horror and begged for mercy.
"However, for the sake of these rich offerings, I, Marduc, the Lord of Life, can forgive your nonsense for the time being.
But! On the next full moon, you have to offer three times the offerings, or I will destroy Uruk and choose a new king who respects the gods and is qualified to be the king of mankind. "
However.
After hearing the ultimatum of the divine punishment, the bearded human king, Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar, did not remain silent. Instead, he stood up from the ground.
He threw away the "crown" of thorns on his head that was stained with blood, lowered his eyes and said to himself:
"Maybe … I shouldn't have expected anything from you …"
This action was unforgivable for the gods.
It was the rebellion of the mortals, the blasphemy of the gods by mere ants!
However, the gods who saw this scene in the sky were not angry. They just found it funny.
It was like an ant trying to compete with a human to see who was stronger. In front of the insurmountable gap, it was like a joke that made people burst into laughter.
A mere overconfident human being could be easily crushed to death by any god.
However, King Nebuchadnezzar's "crazy" action was not only this.
Clatter …
He kicked down the stone tablet engraved with the holy name on the altar, raised his head and looked at the sky, and said word by word:
"Greedy gods, from today on, the rules of the game have changed! The so-called gods must serve the people. If you don't obey, as the king of all mankind, I don't mind … "
The king looked at the sky and spat out two deafening words:
"Swing the sword … to slay the gods!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
The King of Muria took a "black cross halberd" hidden in the [Sorcerer's Garden] by the Crown Wizard.
Buzz!
His perfect muscles, like a marble sculpture, bulged up high, and the majestic psionic energy in his body burst out.
Obviously, this was also a Level Four [Psionicist] who relied on himself and not the power given by the gods.
"Ha, I said … this halberd will hit!"
[Spell-like Spirit Language]
Whoosh!
A black light shot out of his hand, like a poisonous dragon that was about to devour people, rose into the sky, but suddenly disappeared into the void.
"Ah!"
Along with a painful cry from the sky.
Golden liquid sprinkled down like raindrops. Where it landed, there was immediately a spring gushing, flowers blooming, and fruits everywhere …
However, it was not rain, but … divine blood!
Woo woo woo …
Only for a moment.
Suddenly, there were dark clouds in the sky that seemed to be about to collapse the sky, and the dark clouds stretched for thousands of miles.
With the Tower of Babel as the center, the dark clouds suddenly split into two halves, and a figure that seemed to be composed of thunder and hurricane appeared in the sky.
It was Enlil, the "King of Air" of the three pillar gods.
He held a lightning spear that was several kilometers long in his hand, and with burning anger, he threw it down from the sky.
Boom!!!
For a moment, the wind and clouds were stunned, and everything was sobbing.
The masterpiece of mankind, the towering Tower of Babel, was easily split in two like straw and fell into the city.
Then.
The wind and the stones sang together.
"The great city of Uruk has fallen! It has fallen! It has become the residence of ghosts, the prison of all kinds of filthy spirits, and the nest of all kinds of filthy and abominable birds. "
This was obviously the great power of Marduc, the "Lord of Life", and also the unlucky one among the gods who was injured by the mortals.
Then, all the residents of Uruk heard a melodious female voice in their hearts.
"My people who are still loyal to me, come out of the city, lest you be punished with it and suffer the calamity it has suffered.
No matter how glorious and luxurious Uruk is, it will still suffer and be sad!
So in one day, its calamity will come together, which is death, sorrow, and famine. It will be burned by fire again, because the god who judged it has great power! "
Obviously, King Nebuchadnezzar had prepared for today's ceremony, and today's ceremony was also his last effort to seek peace.
The high-level [Psionicists] had safely teleported the citizens out.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! …
In the broken Tower of Babel, the locust-like "flagellates" had already soared into the sky with black cross-shaped halberds.
.....
Boom!
In the "Shattered Stars Islands" formed by tens of thousands of islands, which was named by Elvin as the second eastern island, a group of four jumped off the [Sea Spirit] that quietly docked.
They also dispelled the fog of war that shrouded this large island with their eyes.
"According to the population of the [Sorcerer's Garden – Great Temple of Uruk], the Muria civilization has a total of about 35 million people.
According to the records, the power of the inheritors of this civilization comes from nature, and their people also have the ability to communicate with nature.
They revere the gods and believe that all things have spirits. Their basic necessities are all controlled by the gods. What we saw in the secret realm should be an accident … "
Jeros, who knew the situation of the destination the best, was still explaining the general situation of this civilization to his companions.
Suddenly.
Kaboom!
A huge figure of nearly ten meters tall fell from the sky and crashed on the ground in front of them, splashing blood all over Jeros who was at the front.
Then, with the figure as the center, a long river with rolling waves "grew" from the ground. It was the power of a demigod overflowing.
Elvin and the others raised their heads and looked at the sky where the fierce battle was taking place. Their mouths slowly widened.
"This time … it's a battle of the gods at the beginning?"
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.
