Chapter 274: Praise the Light!

Chapter 274: Praise the Light!

From the dark clouds above Dolons's head, rain began to fall.

The raindrops splattered heavily against its massive frame, cascading down the contours of its body.

Seen from afar, a terrifying existence had manifested at the edge of the town; if captured in a painting, it could be titled "Despair," yet if the falling water were dynamic, it would be "Mercy."

The rain similarly fell upon Taffman and Cimal, who sat collapsed on the tortoise shell;

Taffman shifted his posture, changing from a single hand propping himself up on the "ground" while numbly awaiting the final descent of suffering, to kneeling on both knees.

His single fist was clenched tightly, and the tears in his eyes once more spilled over uncontrollably.

This Dark Moon general, who just nights ago could kill without blinking and sever his nephew's head to kick around like a ball, wept twice today.

The first time was when he caressed the top of Dolons's head with the power of Light, and Dolons had offered its warmest and most joyful response, a reaction as tender as one given to a beloved relative;

And yet, he had to comfort it while continuing to lay a formation upon its head, plotting to blow it to pieces before it could enter the town.

Light serves as a converter between other elemental powers, and simultaneously, Light acts as a bridge between emotions.

No matter how cold and cruel a person might be, it is merely that the "shell" upon their back is harder; as humans, there is always a tiny, soft corner deep within the heart, and moreover, he himself belonged to the Light.

This second weeping was because, through the rain, he perceived a profound sorrow.

Just when Taffman believed the town was about to be destroyed, with untold numbers of ordinary people trampled in this catastrophe...

Yet on the very day the negotiations concluded smoothly, Miss Elisa chose to end her life, driven to despair.

Countless nights spent standing before Miss Elisa’s tombstone were nights of scourging your own soul.

You questioned whether you had erred; you condemned your past beliefs and actions, desperate to disavow the person you once were.

Have you not noticed how sharply your temperament shifted after Miss Elisa's death, growing more severe by the day, wholly unalike the rigorous, orderly man you used to be?

You claim it was caused by me.

No,

it was not.

It was you who grew to loathe your former self and yearned to change, choosing then to lay the blame entirely upon me.

But I, Neo, have truly been dead for a very long time."

Neo fell silent.

After a long while,

Neo laughed once more, his gaze remaining resolute.

Evidently, he did not believe the words of his erstwhile self; in this confrontation, any concession could invite the most dreadful of ends.

In a raspy voice, Neo cried out again:

"Dorons, forward! I did not awaken you to witness your benevolence. Does your current hesitation and doubt do justice to our comrades of yesteryear?"

Yet at that very moment, Neo froze, for as his gaze drifted toward the distant Dorons, he "saw" a crowd of figures clad in white sacred robes upon the giant's back.

…

Taffman stared around blankly as, all at once, numerous men and women in white sacred robes materialized about him, standing together in conversation, laughing and chatting.

Some were singing, some were dancing, some were reading, and others were sketching designs.

Their faces overflowed with warm, gentle smiles; one could discern not a single speck of dust upon them, and standing in their presence, one would instinctively look down in self-scrutiny, feeling oneself unclean.

Taffman lowered his head, catching sight of his own blood-stained hand, and instinctively tried to conceal it from their view.

"Oh, your hand is dirty. How careless. Come, let me help you wipe it clean."

A sweet-faced girl bent down, holding a clean handkerchief, and took Taffman's hand, beginning to wipe away the bloodstains.

The once-pristine handkerchief, delicately embroidered, was instantly soiled.

Taffman spoke, "I have ruined your handkerchief."

The girl replied with a smile, "If a hand is dirty, a handkerchief makes it clean; if the handkerchief is dirty, a wash in the water makes it clean again."

Instinctively, Taffman asked, "And what of the heart?"

"The heart? Mr. Philias once said that the heart is the easiest thing in this world to wipe clean."

"Mr. Philias..."

"Haha, so this is the Dark Moon Island of today?"

"It is entirely different from before. When we first arrived, the town on the island was only a fifth of this size."

"Look at this town, so orderly and neat; it follows our original layout."

"No, I remain skeptical. I still believe an overly rigid town layout is a desecration of architectural aesthetics."

"But you must also consider the cost of governing a town, as well as the fact that the vast majority of the townsfolk who will live here—even a century from now—will still lack the capacity to appreciate your architectural aesthetics. What they require are simply clean streets and a comfortable living environment.

Only those nobles dwelling on the mountainsides require your sort of design."

"Architectural beauty knows no hierarchy."

"But we have already realized it. Look within the town's buildings; so many of our Light elements are integrated there, shadows of our Light are everywhere, and even their garments bear the traces of our designs."

"Oh, the harbor is grand indeed. I always said that spot was suited for a great port."

"What of the fleet? The fleet I helped build back then?"

"It should be out in the open sea. If a fleet remains anchored at home forever, that is when it is truly unsafe."

"So, the Dark Moon Island of today no longer fears the depredations of pirates?"

"Presumably so; the pirates can no longer reach this place."

"How wonderful. Ordinary people can work and earn a living without being plagued by pirates; life must be much better than before. Those warriors of the Dark Moon should have the strength to protect them now."

"Of course, we helped design their armor."

"But we were the ones who taught them the forging techniques."

"This island grows better and better."

"Yes, better and better."

Taffman remained kneeling, the continuous chatter in his ears making him intensely uneasy and restless.

As for Elder Zimal, his eyes held only emptiness; he seemed to see something, yet saw nothing at all, for he did not belong to the Light.

…

"Neo, do you see? It is they who have made Dorons halt."

"Heh heh heh..." Neo retorted sharply, "So, by what right? It is unfair. To have come this far, only to stop? They must be made to pay a price in blood; the descendants of Bernard must bear the cost of betrayal!"

"Neo, could you lend me your body for a brief moment? I will not seize this opportunity to take control of it, for I am deeply grateful to you, truly, Neo.

I know that everything you have done on this island, including awakening Dorons, was meant to aid me, and I am grateful."

"In your dreams. I will never willingly surrender control of my body to you, never."

"In truth, whether you surrender it or not changes nothing. I do not truly exist; when have my desires and your actions ever differed? Can you even tell the difference?"

A soft, white glow emanated from Neo, imparting a sense of warmth and serenity.

He turned to face Karen, offering a gentle smile:

"That young girl is quite remarkable; she is kind and resilient to her very core. Do you truly not intend to take her into your embrace?"

"Are you Mr. Philias, or are you still the Captain?" Karen inquired.

"Oh, regarding the matter of helping you leave a deeper impression in that young girl’s heart, my interests happen to align perfectly with your captain's. I imagine Jennifer, lying there at the time, would have been delighted to witness this scene as well."

"I think not."

"No, she would. She was on excellent terms with Miss Poer, but because they were so close, she would likely be thrilled to see Miss Poer’s symbiont capture the heart of another girl. She would certainly wish for Miss Poer to have one more romantic rival; what a delightful turn of events that would be. She would be driven mad with joy. Right now, she too is standing upon the tortoise shell looking this way; if you do not believe me, I shall go ask her for you in a moment."

So this was... Poer’s dear friend.

"Poer and I do not share that sort of relationship."

"A woman willing to enter a symbiotic bond with you is bound to you infinitely closer than any husband and wife. If she harbored even the slightest aversion toward you, she would never have consented to this step."

"You misunderstand, I am betrothed."

"Oh, quite so, I almost forgot. I must go tell Jennifer this, to let her know that Miss Poer has long since become someone else’s romantic rival. Haha, my Jennifer will surely laugh until her stomach aches."

"Yet I believe that Poer, who already detested Bernard, will loathe him all the more upon learning of Lady Jennifer's plight. She will even blame me for doing nothing, and I may not even find a peaceful night’s sleep."

"Miss Poer has always been a person of true feeling; this I know."

"Therefore, I should still do something. The common folk in the town can be forgiven, but there is one person who has no reason to be absolved. I have never felt such a profound loathing for anyone before."

"Is it Bernard?"

"Yes."

"But what a pity, he is already dead. If you punish a dead man, he cannot even feel it."

Karen replied, "He will feel it."

"I see. Then thank you, Mr. Inmerles.

Furthermore, I deeply admire your grandfather. He was a great man. Even if our faiths differ, it does not stop me from feeling admiration upon hearing of his deeds. I believe he will wake up."

"Thank you."

"It is I who should thank you. If given a choice, I would hope he could survive by consuming my corpse, but I do not wish for the absorption of my memories to bring him so many years of distress. Thank you for appearing; at least during this time, it gave him someone to whom he could pour out his heart."

"Between the captain and me, there is no need for anyone else to offer thanks."

With that, Karen's form dissolved into a cloud of black mist. At this moment, all attention on Dark Moon Island was focused on Dolons, and the guards had all been deployed there. The Palace of Yearning was now effectively defenseless.

Bernard,

I am coming.

Watching Karen's departing figure, a smile touched Neo's face, and a white magic circle materialized beneath his feet.

At the same time, the pool of water on Dolons's back emitted a soft radiance, and Neo's figure stepped out from within it.

He walked up to Taufman, extending a hand to Taufman who knelt there.

Taufman stared blankly at the faceless man before him; though he could not see his face, Taufman could sense who he was.

"I am guilty..."

"If forgiving you brings solace to your heart, I can tell you that you did nothing wrong. You have always given everything you could for the homeland and the people you wished to protect. You are not at fault.

Now,

Mr. Taufman,

please give me your hand."

Taufman silently raised his hand, and Neo grasped it.

Neo pulled upward, but Taufman himself was not moved. What Neo pulled away from Taufman's body was an evil spirit that had just attached itself to him—an evil spirit that was meant to completely consume Taufman's soul a week later.

The dragged-out evil spirit let out an angry roar, but Neo merely looked at it with utter calm, and the spirit began to cower.

A stream of water shot up from the pool, binding the intangible evil spirit. Though it struggled, it was in vain, and it was ultimately dragged down into the depths of the pool.

"Thank you... thank you, Mr. Philias."

"You can thank Dolons, because the evil spirit has been transferred to it. But our Dolons has a massive physique, well, besides, in its current state, hosting one more evil spirit is no big deal anyway."

"Dolons..."

"It did so willingly, because after it awoke, you were the first person to caress the crown of its head with the power of Light. It is very grateful to you, Mr. Taufman."

"No, I am not worthy of its gratitude, I am not worthy."

"You should not live with guilt; that is not what Dolons wants. It wants you to be happy."

It wants me... to be happy.

"You may disembark now, Mr. Taufman."

Taufman stood up, bowed to Philias, and then hoisted Elder Zimal, whose consciousness was already somewhat blurred, leaping down from the turtle shell with him on his back.

Neo, meanwhile, raised his arms and shouted to the surrounding gathering of believers:

"Alright, my dear big guys, we must continue our journey once more. Where is my favorite harp? Strike it up, let us dance joyfully together and head toward the next leg of our journey.

We firmly believe that our journey will always be filled with Light!"

The sound of the harp rang out instantly, and men and women dressed in white divine robes took each other's hands and began to dance and sing.

Upon this boundless sea, their voyage would never be lonely or tedious, for they possessed laughter and joyful voices.

Neo shouted, "Dolons, turn around, we are putting out to sea again!"

"Roar!!!"

Dolons let out a joyful cry, its massive frame beginning to turn, retracing the path it had taken as it began to head back.

Its body was rotting, its form was covered in corpse spots, and the aura of death permeated its surroundings, yet it was filled with joy.

The pollution within it did not spill out even a fraction during its advance.

…

"My Lord Cardinal, the giant beast has turned around."

Rodina reported to Crede.

"What is your advice?" Crede asked.

"My advice is to do nothing. Any attack on it now would be a foolish act; breaking its body would only cause the pollution to leak. It seems to want to leave this island.

Though the exact reason is unknown, the further it stays from Dark Moon Island, the better. Even if it dies in the coastal waters, the pollution will still affect this place. It is best to let it head into the deep sea."

"Then keep an eye on it. I just heard benevolence in its roar. I feel it will carry the source of pollution away from Dark Moon Island, and as far as possible."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Furthermore, Bernard is the spiritual pillar of Dark Moon Island. Since you are to represent my Church of Order in commanding the military of Dark Moon Island in the future, let us first expose Bernard's true face.

Only by crushing the spiritual pillar of Dark Moon Island will it be convenient for you, and convenient for my Order, to better control the Dark Moon.

Let us use this matter as an opportunity to let the inhabitants of the island know exactly what a shameless betrayer their ancestor Bernard truly was."

"But my Lord, if we do this, will it make the islanders even more grateful to the Light?"

"Are you implying that my Order must now fear a believer of Light who has been dead for over a hundred years?"

"No, my Lord, that is not what I meant."

"Rodina, what we guard against is the Church of Light, not the Light itself."

…

Dolons's body had arrived at the seashore, poised to enter the water.

The white light on Neo's body released, and before him, it condensed into the phantom form of Philias.

"It is time for you to disembark as well, Neo."

Neo remained standing where he was, in no hurry to leave. Instead, he looked at the phantom of Philias before him and asked:

"Why?"

"Are you still brooding over why I abandoned my revenge on the common folk?"

"I do not agree with your choice, Philias."

"I know. I believe that Mr. Karen did not agree with my choice either, because what you believe in is Order, while I believe in the Light."

"Is that the reason."

"Light, what exactly is light?

Light is born in an era shrouded by darkness, when people living in the terror of the gloom call out unceasingly, until finally, from within that darkness, they behold a single beam of light—even if it is so microscopic, so utterly negligible when compared to the boundless dark surrounding it.

Yet even as weak as it is, it pierces through the darkness.

Ultimately, under its guidance, the people united, and in the end, they dispelled the dark.

Therefore,

The question remains, what is light?

If everything around you is a vast expanse of brightness, where every corner is filled with a blinding white;

That is not called light—what difference is there between that kind of light and the darkness, when what they desire, what they aim for, is to suppress and swallow everything around them?

Light is always that faint and microscopic glimmer.

When your heart is completely engulfed, it can appear, offering you guidance.

I hated Bernard, and I still hate him now; I loathed the Dark Moon bloodline, and I still loathe it now; I wanted to destroy Dark Moon Island, and I still want to destroy it now.

I have never let go of my hatred, my fury, or my loathing;

But I choose to follow the guidance of the light.

I am not granting forgiveness, nor am I seeking redemption.

Because look,

They, including Dorons, look how happy they are now."

The massive body of Dorons had already mostly entered the sea, and returning to the waters once more, it let out an excited roar, while the people atop its turtle shell broke into cheers just the same.

Every new departure is filled with anticipation and thrill.

"Nio, get off the vessel, I must say goodbye to you now; I have already departed, taking my companions with me, far away from your body, away from your soul."

Nio looked coldly at Philias—he had fought with the man before him for a full ten years, even going so far as to tear off his own facial skin to fashion a mask for the cause.

Philias continued: "Nio, as you can see, I lost, and you won."

Nio let out a cold sneer: "Did you lose?"

"Yes, I lost."

"You were a dead man to begin with, what do you have left to lose?"

"Oh, that is true, but at least you no longer have to worry about losing yourself to my influence."

Nio stepped off the turtle shell and stood upon the shore, watching the gargantuan silhouette of Dorons gradually recede into the distance, lowering his head to let out a sigh:

"The only reason not to worry about losing oneself is that one is already lost."

Lifting his head once more, the silhouette of Dorons had already grown blurred, yet Nio still seemed to see clearly a man clad in a white divine robe, standing atop Dorons's head, facing him with hands folded before his chest;

Devoutly proclaiming:

"Praise the Light!"