The storm had stopped.
The once glorious imperial capital had been reduced to rubble, and there were no survivors at the source of the explosion.
The entire city had been reduced to rubble by the bombardment of the Pyrocrystal Cannons and the subsequent advance of the ground forces. The citizens and civilians of the city had all mutated into monsters, and after the death of Emperor Berentine, they had all disappeared. The heavy rain had not only washed away the bloodstains in the ruins, it had also cleansed the battlefield of smoke and blood, and as the light shone through the clouds and shone upon the land, only the word "new" could describe it.
The surviving soldiers began to regroup under the orders of their commanders as they tallied up the casualties, but their progress was not ideal, as even their commanders could not help but be distracted by the scene in the sky.
In the clear blue sky, countless massive starships floated, and there was a sea of armed droids shuttling between the starships, and those starships had clearly just been through the flames of war. Many of the ships still had sparks on their surface, and some were even billowing smoke, and some had completely lost their mobility, and were being held in the air by their allies using some sort of traction device to prevent them from crashing to the ground.
As the mutated dimensional structure returned to normal, the echoes of the past also disappeared, and the fleet that was originally hidden on the other side of the world was naturally exposed to the L 'Haronneans.
In fact, the fleet that the L 'Haronneans saw was only a small portion of the total forces on the battlefield. Most of the warships had already left the atmosphere when the dimensional structure returned, and they were now hovering above the planet's high orbit, and due to the presence of the divine barrier, the people on the surface could not even see them with their eyes, not even detection magic could find them.
Fortunately, the existence of this interstellar fleet did not cause any chaos or panic, or at least Constance's soldiers were relatively calm, as they had seen the same ships up close, and although there were only three of them.
Constance stood in front of the ruined palace gates as she looked towards the direction of the city. Dust was rising from the collapsed buildings, and quickly dissipated under the sunlight.
She heard footsteps behind her, and before she turned around, she heard Rheia's voice, "He's gone, and he left peacefully. From now on, nothing will disturb him."
Constance was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "That's good."
"What are you thinking about?"
"… Actually, I don't know either." Constance turned around with a rare look of confusion on her face. "I can't even believe that it's all over … So many cycles and reboots, we've been fighting this war for so many years, until the universe reboots again and again, and it's all over in a single day. All the power of annihilation, the process of the universe rebooting … Is it really over?"
"There are still some loose ends to deal with." Rheia laughed. "But that's not your problem."
"You … are really …" Constance looked Rheia up and down. "The memories I saw after I touched the armlet were real?"
"We have said it from the start, we are from the Basilica of the World Tree," Rheia looked up with a mischievous smile on her face, "I didn't lie to you, I am now living in the Basilica of the World Tree. Of course, the other people might be a little more complicated, but that's a matter of another world, and it's too much of a hassle to explain it to you. So just treat us as a team. "
"… Is that so?" Constance said softly before turning around to look at the soldiers who were resting on the ground and the officers who were walking among them. "Actually, I've never believed in god."
"I can see that. I still remember what you said in Eagle City. Back then, I knew you had a strong opinion of god."
"Because in so many Turns of the Eras, the heritors have all come through on their own, and we have relied on the power of men, and god … has never appeared before. The heritors do not believe in god, and are even against him. I am like that, and so is my father. "
"But there are temples in your empire."
"Because to the people, their existence has its value," Constance said. "The heritors do not believe in god, but if faith can be used to maintain order, we will use it. That is our way of life."
At that moment, a teleportation beam lit up behind the two, and Hao Ren's voice rang out. "You are right, and this is the reason for the existence of churches in the mortal world."
"I already know everything you have done." Constance bowed down at Hao Ren solemnly, "You are in a place where we cannot see, fighting against the enemy for the sake of this world, and you do not have to do this."
"Don't say that. This is really my job." Hao Ren quickly helped Constance up. "And to be honest, you've seen it for yourself. It's not that God doesn't care about you, it's just that she couldn't before. So, do you want to think about promoting a church or something? At least a real one. "
Constance had a troubled look on her face. "That … I have not thought about it …"
"You can give it a try. It's free anyway," Hao Ren chuckled. "And if you think Rheia is not easy to promote, I can recommend you another one. That's my boss. While she cannot manage you now, she will eventually expand her business here."
The troubled look on Constance's face turned into one of confusion. "… Huh?"
Rheia's eyes immediately widened. "Why would I not be easy to promote!"
Seeing Constance's troubled look, Hao Ren could not help but laugh. "Alright, it's just a joke. You guys, for the time being, it's better if you don't get involved in this matter. Furthermore, if possible … just use the excuse of a hidden organization to explain us. "
Constance was really surprised this time. "Why?"
"Some civilizations need a god, and some don't." The one who answered was Rheia, and she too had a serious look on her face. "You have excellent qualities, and you are the most tenacious mortals I have ever seen. Even if your civilization has declined to this extent, and the only inheritor left is you, the 'half'. But I have seen those soldiers, the reinforcements from Izzo, and their qualities have not changed. Believe me, Constance, you do not need a god. You can rely on the strength of men to survive, and under such circumstances, if a god were to appear to protect you, it would be a waste of your talents and a disgrace. "
She then continued, "But if you need a powerful friend, I am more than happy to help. I will listen to your voices, and if you have any trouble rebuilding your civilization, you can come to me, I can hear you. But do not believe in me, and do not worship me, lest you end up tying your own hands and feet. You should know, once I become your faith, it will not be so easy to topple the altar.
"In this war, the God of Day did not appear, and the God of Night did not appear. Not a single god appeared, understand?"
"I … understand," Constance said blankly as her gaze focused on Rheia. "I just did not expect to hear the suggestion of promoting atheism from a god. You actually reject the faith of humans, this is very different from what I imagined … Are you all like this?"
"More or less." Rheia shrugged. "Just like the inheritors' pragmatism, we are actually pragmatism as well. Some races are naturally strong-willed and stubborn, and an altar is a slow-acting poison to them. Others, on the other hand, need faith to gather power and rely on the name of the gods to grow — but that's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's just a difference in civilization. "
At that moment, Hao Ren took out the MDT and opened the holographic projection. He then waved his hand. "I think we can discuss religion in the future, and for now, let's focus on our respective tasks. Constance, I would like to borrow something from you. "
"Borrow something?" Constance asked curiously. "Borrow what?"
"The Scepter of Command," Hao Ren said. "It is actually the control component of the 'Heart of God'."
Constance's eyes widened in shock.
The platinum scepter that had been circulating through the many restarts of the eras was taken out, and under the power of the scepter, it quietly floated before everyone.
"… We had always thought that the Scepter of Command was an item used for the Turn of the Eras ritual," Constance looked at it in a daze. "The ancestors created it, but everyone later forgot its true purpose …"
"Because it has the Ultimate Protection Protocol, and in the final battlefield of every Turn of the Eras, the Scepter of Command is part of the final line of defense, and after the line of defense collapses, the world restarts. As time goes by, it is not surprising that you have treated it as an item used for the Turn of the Eras," Hao Ren said slowly as he held the scepter in his hand. "Although I am the one who asked to borrow it … is it really alright to hand it over to us?"
"The Turn of the Eras has ended. Whether it is the Scepter of Command or the Heart of God, we no longer have a need for them," Constance said calmly. "And there are countless layers of technological difference between it and our era. Now, we do not even have the ability to reach the Heart of God, and even if we were to develop it one day, we would be on a different technological path. An ancient relic that cannot be studied … It is better to hand it over to those who truly need it."
As she said that, the corner of her lips curled up. "Furthermore, you have saved the world, do we have any other gift to give?"
"Then I shall not stand on ceremony." Hao Ren kept the Scepter of Command, "We will make the Heart of God even more useful."
Constance smiled, and then said with a hint of emotion, "The Heart of God … I can't help but be curious. When the ancestors created it, what kind of mentality did they have when they gave it this name? Perhaps they were so desperate that they wished for a god to help them … "
"Although it is a little late, at least it has come." Hao Ren chuckled as he said, and then disappeared in the light of teleportation with the rest.
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