Chapter 405: The Audience

Chapter 405: The Audience

Dusk and darkness descended simultaneously, signaling the official commencement of the divine war.

All the speculators, participants, and onlookers lifted their heads at this moment, countless eyes turning toward the sky where light and darkness intertwined.

Most of them quickly averted their gazes, for they were not worthy to participate in this battle.

...

In the forsaken land, the abode of the Titan King.

After the "Primal Witch" Quake summoned the power of the "Chaos Sea", the "Chaos Sea" that had enveloped the area and prevented invasion began to recede.

In the deepest part of the palace, behind a faint curtain, the tiers of steps belonging to the giants were revealed, leading up to an iron-black throne at the top.

Seated on the throne was a man with shoulder-length, slightly curly black hair. His eyes were obscured by shadows, and his features were exceptionally blurred. Behind him, layer upon layer of dark, ethereal wings drooped, as if he were in a deep slumber.

At this moment, a tide of shadows surged into the place, which seemed to have remained unchanged since ancient times, bringing a force that would corrupt all living beings.

Amid the dim shadows, a massive cross rose, and the figure hanging upside down opened its eyes, looking at the man. Mad ramblings, tinged with a touch of sanity, echoed through the palace, breaking the silence.

"Sasriel."

With the endless malevolent ramblings echoing, the man seemed to be disturbed, slowly opening his eyes.

He quietly gazed at the "True Creator", said nothing, and silently rose to his feet.

Sasriel, the "Dark Angel", the left hand of God, the vice-ruler of Heaven, and the king of all angels.

But here, he was merely a malevolent spirit, a remnant of his mind and consciousness.

As if the protection had reached its end, Sasriel's body began to dissipate, revealing a weathered and ancient stone tablet on his right side.

The first "Blasphemy Stone" born from the "Chaos Sea" after the fall of the "Primal God"!

Once Sasriel's figure completely disintegrated, a giant arm emerged from the tide of shadows, snatching the "Blasphemy Stone."

...

In the astral plane formed by countless abstract entities.

The tranquil darkness was endless, filled with moonflowers, night-scented herbs, and other plants. In the central area, there was a scorched mark.

Beams of orange light illuminated this realm, restoring parts of it to dusk, causing the flowers and grass to wither and fade.

Amid the desolate dusk, a towering figure emerged, as if a mountain.

It had disproportionately long limbs, clad in silver armor that exuded a sense of decay, and its face was concealed behind a visor, revealing only a faint orange glow.

The "God of War" Baderhel stepped into the realm of the night!

This "Warlord", "Dusk of All Things", and "Great God of Knights" wielded an exaggeratedly long sword, the tip of which naturally drooped and touched the dark "ground."

As He took each step forward, the sword dragged through the darkness, splitting the ground, solidifying the dusk, and causing the night to wither.

From the depths of the darkness, another massive figure emerged, floating with a long scythe.

She wore a layered yet simple dark dress, adorned with countless sparkling stars, like the night sky embedded in her attire. From her ribs and waist, two additional arms sprouted, covered in dark fur.

In her six hands, two held the heavy black scythe, two cradled a crimson "moon", one was empty, and one clutched a golden bird-shaped ornament.

The "Goddess of Night" Amaneisis!

Their eyes, one a deep orange and the other a profound darkness, met for a fleeting moment.

Without any unnecessary words, Baderhel's steps quickened, gradually turning into a charge. His sword, dragging through the darkness and dusk, sparked with the pure light of dawn.

The contradictions of their paths could not be reconciled.

The end of days was upon them, and only the victor would have the chance to ascend to the status of an Elder God, becoming the "Eternal Darkness." He was already far behind.

Fortunately, He was not alone!

The moonflowers and night-scented herbs suddenly enlarged, growing wildly and quickly reaching the size of ancient trees that had lived for thousands of years in primeval forests, densely covering the "sky."

From among these trees, a figure entwined with deep green vines and adorned with various herbs and flowers emerged.

She was equally massive, her figure plump, her dress flowing, and she cradled an ethereal infant.

As soon as this figure appeared, she followed the dusk giant, half floating, half flying, approaching the humanoid wolf dragging the black scythe.

...

George Iii's face was filled with intense frustration and anger. He struggled to divide a portion of his power, using the pre-arranged setup in the mausoleum to distort space, preventing Ammun from getting close.

This could not stop the "Blasphemer" for long, but he was only one step away from divinity, and he was not willing to abandon any hope, no matter how dangerous.

"Have you been here all along?"

"Hah, that's what you think?"

Ammun made no comment, instead reaching forward as if to show off, and a concentrated mass of violent thunder, with silver snakes dancing within, materialized in his hand.

"This is something I just stole, an attack from a deity. The power of the 'Lord of Storms' is indeed astonishing. No wonder His Sequence 0 is called 'Tyrant.'"

George Iii's heart contracted uncontrollably once more.

The fact that Ammun could produce an attack from the 'Lord of Storms' indicated that He had indeed just arrived. However, even as the 'King of Angels'—even at the first tier—Ammun shouldn't have been able to so easily counter a deity's attack, even if it was weakened by being cast from the Astral Plane.

"You... how did you do it?"

He asked with great difficulty.

Ammun's eyes lowered, and He chuckled softly, "The 'Hunter' pathway is quite interesting. Individually, it's not particularly strong, but the upper limit when combined with other pathways is exceptionally absurd."

"An almost divine physique and strength, various powerful and bizarre abilities, and most importantly, a higher rank than a true deity."

"Even if it's just a small taste, it's a qualitative leap for a 'theft' that's judged by rank. I used to think the 'Hunter' wasn't strong, but it was a misconception. It's just that Medici is too weak."

"Ah... I'm getting sidetracked. And there's this."

Ammun spread His hands, and a book with a bronze hue, translucent and ethereal, appeared. It bore a short sentence:

"All 'Laws' in this place are invalid!"

"The fastest way to deal with a Sequence 1 Archangel is to have a deity of the same pathway handle it; 'Uniqueness' should be sufficient, even if only barely."

"From the beginning, I was never stopped by the 'No Trespassing' law."

"I pretended to be delayed to ensure you could become a deity, causing a 'vulnerability' in your mind during the ritual, waiting for an 'error.'"

"Someone as desperately desiring the throne of a deity and with no inner weakness like you would never cooperate with me voluntarily."

As He spoke, Ammun seemed to think of someone, and a faint, more genuine smile appeared on His lips.

"I know you're just stalling by listening to me, but I am too..."

"The ascension ritual for a 'Thief' at Sequence 0 'Error' is quite troublesome, especially when the victim doesn't cooperate. But... all ascension rituals are troublesome."

The ritual for a 'Thief' at Sequence 0 'Error' is:

Taking His place during someone else's ascension ritual!

Ammun adjusted His monocle, and a faint glow enveloped Him before He vanished from the spot.

When He reappeared, He was right in front of George Iii, and the distorted space had no effect.

George Iii's face contorted, and he screamed inwardly.

It shouldn't be like this. That... He should be helping me. Adam, the 'Imaginary Angel,' should be helping me!

Without my ascension, how could He complete the strict ascension ritual of 'making the era develop as He expected and taking a Magic potion in the predetermined tide'?

Ordinary people, numerous as insects, are the witnesses and weavers of history, the main body of the tide of the era. Without me to lead them, without a war...

Is Adam's plan such that I am irrelevant? Or... has He changed the direction of the tide?

George Iii's pupils constricted, feeling his blood slowly turn cold. His face twisted with a mix of despair and anger, but he couldn't move much.

The ascension ritual was nearing its end, and the shadow was already covering the face of the 'Prince of Disorder,' spreading to His eyes, about to turn Him entirely into the 'Shadow of Order.'

He felt his consciousness rising, and images of every place in the Rune Kingdom appeared before his eyes, quickly converging on Barkeland, the capital.

Then, he saw Benoit Gustav, the youngest son of Roselle Gustav, approaching a massive, unknown machine.

He took out a round bead and placed it into the machine. The screens in the square and all over the Rune Kingdom changed.

Instead of George Iii's speech, they showed a secluded ruin.

In the ruin, there were three people: a hooded Aurora Society divine envoy, A Mr., the 'Despair Witch' Pannadia from the Witch sect, and a demigod dispatched by the royal family to liaise with the two.

"…We need enough people to build the mausoleum… advance it by a month… no! It's impossible!"

"…The Aurora Society… the Witch sect… the Runen royal family doesn't have to cooperate with you…"

"…Use 'Laws' to drain their lives; they're just commoners anyway…"

Heart-stopping words were uttered, revealing the royal family's collusion with the cult, the secret trafficking of large numbers of people, and the plan to cover it up by killing even more.

The image froze on the face of the royal demigod, cold and inhuman. He spoke indifferently, his voice echoing in the room.

"After the tomb is built, these people will be needed to keep the secret through their deaths."

Not only that, but after this scene ended, a new one began.

The new scene showed a nobleman unfamiliar to George Iii. He was dressed simply, his face pale and haggard, with a look of struggle and helplessness. His tone was bitter.

"I am Baron Griya. I admit the truth of the scenes shown and confess my crimes. I once poisoned my brother to seize his title, and I have committed multiple unlawful murders..."

The scene shifted, and another noble appeared.

"I am Viscount Monet. I admit the truth of the scenes shown and confess my crimes. I used my position to smuggle goods, forcibly increased taxes in my territory, and violated the wives of others..."

"I am Viscount Gerlan. I admit the truth of the scenes shown and confess my crimes..."

"I am Baron Ster. I admit the truth of the scenes shown and confess my crimes..."

New scenes kept appearing, with countless nobles confessing their heinous crimes on the screen, crimes that would make any ordinary person shudder in fear.

George Iii's heart was shattered. He watched helplessly as the people in the square, who had once looked at Him with admiration and hope, fell into confusion, and then finally, despair and anger!

The higher they were raised, the harder they fell.

As the cheers of His subjects turned to curses and resentment, He realized that the ruling class of the Rune Kingdom had been utterly destroyed.

The old order had collapsed, and a new era was dawning.

The lighthouse that anchored Him had been extinguished. Just as He was about to touch the throne of the Black Emperor, the force that had once propelled Him to divinity now turned into invisible arms, tearing Him down, and He was powerless to resist.

Even His identity as "King" was denied by all His subjects!

"Ah, the 'error' has been achieved."

The Blasphemer's light laughter echoed in His ears, and George Iii watched with extreme anger and frustration as the throne of the Black Emperor grew ever more distant.

In the next moment, all His expressions froze, and He raised His hand to His face, putting on a monocle.

Ammun's lips curled into a slight smile, and the monocle in His right eye glowed, illuminating the entire world!

At that moment, all the errors that had been sealed were corrected, all seemingly normal actions became erroneous, and all clocks skipped several seconds.

The "error" was born!

...

At the same time, in a small, unnoticed chapel on the outskirts of Barkeland, a devout priest with a simple white robe and a light golden beard opened His eyes, revealing a childlike clarity and innocence.

He calmly took a bottle of golden potion from His chest, unscrewed the cap, and drank the liquid inside.

Then, He took out an ancient, weathered stone tablet and silently gazed in the direction of the forsaken land.

His body vanished from the spot.

...

"It seems it's done."

Luke stretched lazily, casually moving his neck.

Behind Him, dozens of light orbs composed of an unknown substance floated, gradually overlapping, each one enhancing His aura.

The seals of "Secrecy" and "Unknown" were simultaneously lifted, releasing a formidable aura that seemed to conquer everything and look down upon the heavens, shocking all the gods.

Luke's figure suddenly appeared in the Astral Plane, three crimson lights glowing on His body, and a shadowy figure appeared above His head.

It was a deep, ancient well, with black chains carved with countless demonic souls, and at its center, a massive shadow emitted a thunderous roar.

The Sin Dragon, the Essence of the City of Catastrophe!

Luke spread His arms in an embrace, and a terrifying force of "Unification" emanated from Him.

At that moment, all "Hunter" path practitioners outside of Medici felt their "Extraordinary Traits" begin to rebel, the higher their Sequence, the stronger the rebellion.

A mournful cry echoed.

A massive bronze dragon, larger than a city, composed of countless books, let out a tragic scream, its belly torn open, and a blood-red banner charged toward the center of the "Unification."

"0-01", the Salinger Blood Flag.

The Uniqueness of the Red Priest!

Countless crimson lights surged toward Luke, forming a sea of blood and fire that enveloped Him, weaving a blood-red coronation robe and a throne of blood and fire around Him.

Luke, wearing an iron and blood crown and a blood-red robe, with red hair cascading down, turned and sat on the crimson throne.

In His right hand, He held the blood-red banner, which fluttered with a defiant air as He lifted His head, His voice echoing throughout the Astral Plane.

"Come and pay homage!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end