Chapter 402: Chaos

Chapter 402: Chaos

Queens District, Sodrak Palace.

Wearing a crown, his face resolute, and sporting a small mustache, George Iii sat on his throne, handling state affairs. He noticed the surrounding light dimming and weakening, and he abruptly looked up, only to see darkness beyond the glazed tiles.

George Iii frowned slightly. Even though he, as the king, was monitored by the three major churches and couldn't systematically study mysticism, he was still a Sequence One "Prince of Sequence" and naturally knew what this phenomenon indicated.

The "Goddess of the Night" had somehow managed to bypass everyone and obtain the "Uniqueness" of the "Death" pathway, and had already begun the integration.

Before he could fully grasp the implications, the encroaching darkness and the chilling aura of death suddenly weakened. In just a few breaths, the dark shroud that had covered the sky collapsed.

Sunlight once again illuminated the earth, the light streaming through the glazed tiles as brilliant as ever, making what had just happened seem like an illusion.

Failed?

The thought crossed George Iii's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Impossible. The "Mother of Secrets" wouldn't act without a plan.

After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to realize something. His furrowed brows relaxed, and a smile spread across his stern, cold face.

Then, with barely concealed urgency, George Iii asked the person below.

"Sir, how is the construction of the mausoleum progressing?"

At the foot of the steps stood a young man, tall and handsome, with eyes as blue as the sea and a distant expression. It was clearly the youngest son of the Emperor of Rossel, the "Divine Blessed" of the Steam Church, Benoit Gustave.

He glanced at George Iii indifferently, his voice steady. "It will be completed today."

"Such a massive project in less than a month?"

Benoit answered without much expression. "Science is the primary productive force."

"The words of the Emperor of Rossel always hit the mark."

George Iii laughed heartily, his gaze becoming sharp and cold as he stared northward.

Chaos is about to begin. The conditions for the "Black Emperor's" ascension ceremony are almost met!

"Send out the order. I will hold a grand speech tomorrow, one in which the people will participate."

His authoritative and cold voice echoed through the palace.

The herald bowed and left, and soon, the king's command would spread throughout the Rune Kingdom, awakening the dormant giant.

George Iii's eyes burned with a fierce flame, filled with boundless pride and ambition.

The final step of the "Black Emperor's" divinity ceremony—driving the people to build nine mausoleums, entering one of them, and participating in the corresponding rituals spread across different cities, consuming the Sequence Zero magic potion!

...

Fersac Empire, Saint Milon.

This legendary nation, said to be founded by the descendants of giants, had an average adult height of nearly three meters, and everything appeared unusually large to the average person.

Amid the strong aroma of alcohol, two figures clad in heavy coats, their heads covered by hoods, stood quietly, gazing up at the towering "little giants" who passed by. Their significantly different heights seemed to go unnoticed, as if they were concealed by some "secrecy."

An elderly man and a young woman.

Saint Anthony of the Church of the Night and Hugh Dilca.

"What are your thoughts on this city?"

Saint Anthony smiled and looked at the petite, endearing young woman beside him, like a teacher asking a student a question.

"Rash and quick to anger, the people here generally favor violence and alcohol to solve problems. They place little emphasis on order, which is terrible, but it also allows them to avoid some of the pitfalls of order. In essence, they have developed their own unique behavioral logic."

Hugh thought for a moment, then calmly gave her assessment of the city.

At this moment, a faint divine aura radiated from her, making her presence more authoritative. Her delicate features hadn't changed much, but she no longer seemed as inexperienced.

In the early stages of becoming an "Arbiter", she needed to find a "significant" criminal and personally handle all the procedures to rapidly advance.

Before leaving, Lu Ke had "helped" her through a special method, allowing her to play the roles of "interrogator", "judge", and "punishment knight" in advance.

After Lu Ke dealt with Ammun's avatar and provided the corresponding Extraordinary Trait, Anthony timely provided the necessary auxiliary materials, making her ascension particularly smooth.

A few days ago, she had "accidentally" encountered the head of the Night Monastery, Lady Arianna, a "Servant of Secrets", who helped her crush the "Command Pin" given by Lu Ke, revealing the Sequence Four "Commander Mage" Extraordinary Trait within.

Just yesterday, she had completed her ascension ceremony, officially becoming a demigod.

"You answered very well."

Saint Anthony’s white beard trembled as he smiled with relief, speaking gently, "From Barkeland, passing through various provinces and regions, crossing the Intermar, arriving in the Fersac Empire, and then moving through several cities to reach here, you have seen the laws, customs, and 'arbiters' of each place."

"You have witnessed rulers who are weak and incompetent, allowing corruption to run rampant. You have seen rulers with courage and wisdom but constrained by objective conditions. And you have seen rulers who benefit the common people and refuse to be corrupted..."

"Now, has your goal wavered at all?"

Hugh lifted her head slightly, her delicate face showing determination as she shook her head earnestly.

"I still believe the world needs a 'Judge.'"

Saint Anthony sighed with a smile, "I don’t want to criticize you, but the coronation ceremony allows no room for error. Possessing divinity merely qualifies you to approach the crown of the 'Judge.' To truly wear it, you will face many trials, even with your unique qualities."

"Lady Hugh, everything you have comes from the gifts of a certain existence. Your uniqueness, your Sequence, and even the entire coronation ceremony. Compared to others who have endured great hardships and possess more wisdom and ability, do you think you can be a good 'Judge' by taking a shortcut?"

This time, Hugh paused briefly before bravely meeting Anthony’s gaze without flinching.

"I have never thought of myself as particularly outstanding. In fact, becoming a demigod was a height I never dared to dream of in the past. Even now, when I think about it calmly, it still feels like a dream."

"I don’t have the confidence to be a good 'Judge,' but I have the courage to sit in that position."

Anthony nodded with a smile, saying nothing.

At that moment, a figure appeared before them.

It was a woman, dressed in a simple linen robe with visible patches, a belt made of twisted bark tied around her waist. Her long, black hair cascaded down freely, and her feet, bare and covered in dust and scars, were unmistakable.

Arianna, the Abbess of the Church of the Night and the 'Servant of Secrets.'

"Let’s go, the coronation ceremony is about to begin."

She took the lead, walking forward toward the center of Saint Milon—the Twilight Cathedral, the headquarters of the Church of the God of War and the heart of the city.

...

"This is both a conspiracy and an open move."

Lu Ke looked up at the dissipating darkness, and when he looked down, the graceful figure by the fountain was gone.

He didn’t pay attention to the disappearing black-clad Chik, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head with a smile.

The sudden darkness that had come and quickly retreated had the unmistakable signs of a failed integration of 'Uniqueness.'

This was a normal phenomenon. Integrating 'Uniqueness' was difficult even for true gods. From an outsider’s perspective, and even from his own, Amaneithis had only recently obtained the 'Uniqueness' of the 'Death' pathway, so a failure was quite normal.

But who could know the true state of the 'Mother of Secrets'?

Lu Ke could only probe the depths.

The Church of the God of War would definitely be on edge. If the 'Goddess of the Night' failed to integrate, she would now be suffering from backlash and in a weakened state, making it a good opportunity to attack.

If the integration was successful, Amaneithis, already a dual-pathway true god, would be even more formidable and should be attacked before she fully assimilates the power of the 'Death' pathway.

Regardless of the outcome, the only choice was to counter now.

Such a significant disturbance must have another purpose besides luring the God of War.

Lu Ke pondered for a moment, seemingly recalling something, and his expression became intriguing as he vanished from his spot.

...

The Twilight Cathedral stood in the central area of the imperial capital, constructed from massive gray stones. Statues of knights, each over two meters tall, surrounded the building, adding to its grandeur and distinctiveness.

The main structure of the cathedral was over ten meters high, with walls covered in moss, the uneven stones bearing the weight of history and casting solemn shadows in the morning light.

Deep within the cathedral, the Grand Patriarch of the Church of the God of War, Larion, was praying devoutly.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped the sky, bringing a sense of death. The entire Twilight Cathedral was shrouded in dense darkness.

No one understood the implications better than those on the 'God of War' pathway, who were adjacent to the 'Night' and 'Death' pathways.

Larion’s expression turned extremely grim. He was about to pray when he suddenly felt a deep, dark tide surging toward him.

Larion felt as if all his senses were stripped away. He couldn’t see, hear, smell, or feel anything. In the pitch-black darkness, not even his Spiritual Energy could provide any information.

"Secrecy"!

This sudden, rapid, and unprepared 'Secrecy' made even an angel like him feel as vulnerable as an infant!

For a few seconds, devoid of sensation and thought, the dense darkness and death rapidly receded, seemingly unable to sustain itself any longer.

Larion, now back to normal, cautiously examined himself, only relaxing once he confirmed he was unharmed. His face showed a mix of emotions as he walked toward the palace of Saint Milon, intending to exchange information with the current Emperor, the head of the Einhorn family.

Suddenly, his body froze, and a familiar, divine voice echoed in his ears.

"‘0-02’ is missing."

Larion's face turned pale as he realized that during those few seconds of sensory loss, the most important "0-Level Sealed Object" of the God of War's church, '0-02', had been stolen, and his face drained of color, overcome with a mix of shame, anger, and regret.

Just as he was wallowing in guilt, almost wishing to atone with his life, he heard the second, cold sentence from the majestic voice.

"Launch a full-scale invasion of the Rune Kingdom."

...

The night was like a curtain, with a faint mist enveloping the surroundings. In the space where ancient buildings stood, a large, sacred red moon hung in the sky. This was the Realm of Secrets, the domain of Arianna.

The lady dressed as a nun took out a thin brass book, its cover and pages exuding the unique cold hardness of metal, and placed it before Hugh.

0-02, the Trensost Bronze Book, the Uniqueness of the Arbiter pathway.

"From here on, no one can help you. Prepare yourself to accommodate it."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the space, leaving no trace behind.

Hugh felt her heart begin to beat wildly, a mysterious yearning growing in her chest. She could sense a special connection between herself and this brass book. This connection gave her a chance to accommodate the Uniqueness, despite the significant risk. For a Sequence 4, this was already quite extraordinary.

Hugh examined "0-02" for a moment, then slowly exhaled, as if expelling all her confusion and weakness. She showed a determined expression and reached out hesitantly.

Just then, a burning body suddenly wrapped around her from behind, and a familiar voice spoke before she could react.

"Long time no see, Hugh. Did you miss me?"

Hugh's struggle stopped as soon as it began. She turned her head to see a face that, though slightly changed, was still easily recognizable.

"How did you get here!?"

"I missed you."

Lu Ke laughed and leaned back, his size making it easy to pull the 1.5-meter-tall girl into his embrace, falling down with her.

"Why did you come at such an important time? I'm nervous!"

Hugh pushed away from the embrace, straddling Lu Ke, her face a mix of anger and frustration. She finally expressionless, raised her fist, and forcefully punched his solid abdomen.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Ouch!"

Lu Ke let out a pained gasp, showing a pitiful expression. Noticing that the girl still had an expressionless face but her eyes instinctively looked at where she had hit him, he gauged her emotional state.

She was still angry, but not too much.

He chuckled, shamelessly pulling her into another embrace, saying nothing, just letting them feel each other's warmth and breath.

Her stiff body gradually softened, and Hugh felt her tense heart slowly relax. The resentment that had been building over time gradually dissipated.

"Let go, I need to start accommodating ‘0-02’."

"Just a little longer."

Hugh said with a mix of amusement and frustration, "Didn't you arrange for me to accommodate ‘0-02’? Why are you holding me back now? If I change my mindset, the chances of success will decrease."

Lu Ke extended his right hand, and "0-02" seemed to be drawn to it, flying into his grasp.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help you accommodate it."

Lu Ke chuckled, extending "0-02" toward Hugh.

"Help me? But Lady Arianna said that accommodating Uniqueness can only be done by oneself..."

Hugh's words trailed off. The moment she touched "0-02", she felt her senses numb, and a cold, unfeeling, and absolutely fair consciousness began to invade her.

She closed her eyes, focusing all her consciousness on resisting the cold, unfeeling presence, only vaguely feeling a sense of weightlessness and a slow descent.

In a daze, she seemed to hear Lu Ke's praise and a profound warmth. The cold consciousness actually began to change, no longer resisting fiercely but becoming docile, merging with her.

How did he do it?

Hugh couldn't understand. In this state, she couldn't think clearly. She seized the opportunity, calming her mind, and began to integrate the cold consciousness...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end