Chapter 714: Return of the God of Order!

Chapter 714: The Return of the God of Order!

The originally boundless and vast stench of the black seawater seemed capable of obscuring everything, bringing about the world's most terrifying dissolution.

Yet, before this towering, solemn statue, it was reduced to nothing more than a shallow, laughably filthy puddle.

This was the divide between god and god.

One was an artificial deity, perishing instantly after a fleeting existence, like a stillborn child that had never opened its eyes to look upon the world.

The other was the hegemon of the divine realm that suppressed the end of the previous era, leaving behind countless glorious exploits; her legacy was now the preeminent faith of the current age, and the mythological narratives of all other faiths recorded a phase dedicated to her deeds—looking back, she was a grand figure in the era that could not be eclipsed.

This was not truly a duel between god and god, nor was it a duel between Karen and Mr. Luther; rather, it was a confrontation between Order’s starving hunger and divine pollution, a clash belonging to the dark sides of gods.

Karen had been enduring with great difficulty; this polluted land was inherently a place where the starving hunger was prone to loosen and erupt, not to mention that he had previously deliberately detonated it once to save Neo.

It could be said that when Karen walked before Mr. Luther, more than half of all the calmness he displayed was merely the apathy brought about by the onset of the starving hunger.

And when Mr. Luther entered enveloped in that dense pollution, all of Karen's methods and suppression became utterly pale, instantly losing all meaning.

The outcome at this moment could not be considered Karen's victory; it could only be said that... Order’s starving hunger had won.

Divine pollution was terrifying, yet while a cup of water could easily drown an ant, it could pose no real threat to an adult.

Of course, when this adult stood up, it usually meant another person would thoroughly lie down.

This was the outcome Karen had always resisted and fought against, but at the same time, it also seemed to be an irresistible destiny.

A look of melancholy appeared on Mr. Luther's face; he suddenly understood many things he could not understand before, while simultaneously becoming filled with doubt once more about many things he had previously comprehended.

He lowered his head, looking at the red-necked boy prostrated on the ground and trembling violently.

So, it turned out that even without a dog leash, a dog could still be made to cower and submit so humbly.

Mr. Luther wanted to laugh; he was no longer afraid because he was liberated, and now he felt like a tourist visiting a scenic site, admiring ancient historical ruins.

His body had already dissipated to the point where only his head remained, the rest of him almost completely transparent.

In this world, there were a very few individuals who were simply unsuited to be judged by utilitarian standards of success or failure;

It was precisely because of their existence that civilization was granted warmth.

"Told you not to disobey me, told you not to disobey me, now look, happy?"

It was a final mockery, and also a final consolation.

Mr. Luther turned around and lowered his head; he had no speech in his hands—to be precise, he no longer had hands—but at this moment, he seemed to stand upon the podium once more, speaking with his passionate voice: "Everyone, I have a dream..."

The dream dissipated.

Leaving behind the purple-haired boy trembling incessantly on the ground, and that towering, solemn majesty that one dared not look upon directly.

"Crack... crack..."

What should have been a faint sound of friction now thundered like a sudden clap of lightning; the palm slowly closed, then gradually lifted.

Finally, the palm rose above the head and began to tilt downward.

You could not look directly at the face below, but you could imagine in your mind a mouth gradually opening; the body was steadily tilting, the slope had already appeared, and all that remained was sliding, sliding, sliding... sliding toward an ultimate destination.

One could even perceive in advance that during the descent, your body would actively develop cracks, constantly spreading, until it finally shattered to pieces.

And your end would highly likely awaken the opening of her eyes, revealing the most genuine... Light of Order.

"Woo woo woo... woo woo woo... woo woo woo..."

The red-necked boy began to sob, but its body had already taken the first step

to slide down; as it hovered in mid-air, the surrounding black seawater swept out, gathering onto its body before flowing downward.

Because it and the seawater below were one; devouring it was also devouring all the divine pollution in this vicinity.

Meanwhile, Karen remained firmly on his hands and knees, prostrating on the palm.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

Karen himself had lost the ability to think; all he could manage was to listen to his own every breath, yet it was highly likely that even this so-called "sound"

was merely a special consolation for the tiny remnant of his own self-awareness.

Your life no longer has anything to do with you; your task has been successfully completed: you are solemn, you are majestic, and you are a great existence; but the solemn one is not you, the majestic one is not you, and the great existence... is even less you.

There was one reason Karen could never bypass when he repeatedly dismissed others' suspicions that he was the God of Order: the God of Order in the eyes of others was, in his own eyes, a complete negation of himself.

Everyone else could prostrate at the feet of the God of Order, chanting ancient battle hymns.

But for Karen, holding on was not because of strength, but because he simply had no option to kneel.

When the so-called true Order arose, it would be the exact moment Karen's self-existence was thoroughly erased.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

The sound of breathing continued still.

Suddenly, Karen seemed to perceive that ahead and above him, there was a black mirror, and on the other side of the mirror, another person was performing the exact same action as him.

Between them, it felt as though they could hear each other's breathing.

Who are you?

Who... are you?

It was just like reading a book; when the author wrote these words, the feelings of some readers reading this part had already surfaced in his mind, and he smiled;

And the reader, perhaps a day later, a year later, a hundred years or even thousands of years later, read these words; though that author had long turned to dust, a kind of resonance could still be achieved, and the reader smiled too.

Sometimes, a resonance of special emotion could pierce through the barriers of time and space, allowing their souls to validate each other.

Karen desperately wanted to speak, but he could not make a sound.

Originally, he was a knight riding a fierce horse; though he had nearly thrown off the saddle time and again, he had managed to control it after all, but now, his body had been trampled into a mush of flesh and fodder mixed together.

He desperately wanted to look up, to see the one opposite the mirror, to see if he was just like him, equally pitiable, equally wretched.

But Karen could not do it.

Yet being unable to do it had its advantages; what if the person in the mirror was standing, with a relaxed and casual smile on his face?

At least this way, he would not see the contemptuous gaze cast his way.

However, what Karen did not know was how massive a storm this resonance—which originally belonged only to the tiny shred of awareness remaining in his personal soul and consciousness space—had stirred up in the outside world!

In this world, the traces of gods had disappeared for far too long, and she was the final swan song belonging to the divine realm before the end of the last era!

"Roar!!!!!!!!"

This place was originally a world of absolute tranquility, basically isolated from the outside.

A galloping path lined with ancient battle flags on both sides stretched from the ground all the way to the horizon, connecting to that colossal gate of white bones in the sky.

There lay the sole channel for this world to communicate with the outside.

The colossal gate of white bones was composed of twelve massive skeletons; the erosion of endless eons still allowed them to maintain their primordial, smooth luster, and deep within the bones, special colors could even be seen flowing.

Contained within were the most terrifying pollutions in the world; tossing out any one of them—no, tossing out a single bone—could trigger a dreadful catastrophe.

Yet here, these pollutions were entirely suppressed; they became the decorative lights upon the white bone gate, not daring to leak out

even a single shred.

For below, there lies a massive, black, pyramidal structure.

Its towering height and vast expanse render all measures and scales meaningless here.

Because it is infinitely high, and it is also infinitely broad.

It is layered, yet each layer continuously extends into the outer world, such that you can never truly reach its end, for with the passing of years outside, there are always people continuously lying down within; climbing step by step, you will never reach the topmost layer, because there are always those of an even higher tier who will, in the future years, enter this place for their eternal rest.

Rows of solemn, black coffins lie quietly here, blanketed by the passage of time.

This place is the First Knights of Order.

In history, the other Knights of Order all possessed outstanding military achievements, whether hunting down evil gods in the previous era or enforcing the "Regulations of Order" in this era; only the First Knights of Order have never truly been deployed as a full formation, yet they are publicly acknowledged as the most mysterious and powerful force among the Twelve Knights of Order, within the entire Church of Order—no... even within the entire clerical circle.

Because time is its best nourishment; unlike other powers that wither and fade over the years, it continuously accumulates, bit by bit, layer by layer.

The aging never retire; the newcomers join every year.

Perhaps even the high-ranking figures within the Church of Order do not know exactly how much foundation has been accumulated here; the high command knows only one thing: after their deaths, they too will become part of that foundation.

A millennium ago, during the most intense phase of confrontation between the Church of Order and the Church of Light, the Church of Light never once thought of relying on military force to launch a war against Order, even as they watched their own strength decline, watched the strength of Order grow, and watched the grand edifice collapse, they still did not dare to blow the horn of a church war, because even they could not estimate just how deep the strength of the First Knights really was.

Now, the divine artifact hanging at the very top of the black pyramid, the 【Harvester's Horn】, let out a sound, shattering the tranquility that had been maintained since the beginning of this era.

In the vast permafrost all around, columns of ice pierced through the surface, revealing what was actually just a tiny fraction of the topmost layer of the ice; here, there were an unknown number of such colossal ice vaults, within which were frozen ancient war engines, magical materials, array scrolls, and more...

Outside, few people know that the station of the First Knights of Order is actually also the largest armory of the Church of Order.

Many weapons that cannot be forged in modern times have their original versions sealed away here.

For the sages of the Church of Order knew very well that unless it was absolutely necessary as a last resort, the First Knights would not be awakened as a full formation, and if the time truly came to awaken them, then upon their awakening, they must immediately receive the most complete equipment.

Because the time they could "awaken" to fight for Order was generally only three days; from the moment they sat up from their coffins, they had to rush to the battlefield defending Order at the fastest possible speed, to burn out the final sparks of their lives.

Groups of Order priests emerged from the colossal gates of white bone; the main color of their divine robes was black, but the patterns on their chests were laced with dark red.

The First Knights' station possessed a grand system unique to itself; these priests were all "Awakeners," and having sensed the abnormal movement here, they immediately gathered to investigate.

At this moment, a massive star flew out from the colossal white bone gate; on the temple square atop the star stood five temple elders clad in gold-trimmed divine robes.

Beside the five temple elders were several other elderly men, who were the heads of the management office for the First Knights.

The greatest difference between the Church of Order and other churches was that for a long time, the Holy See had maintained a corresponding distance from the temple; in many special systems, among the top-ranking groups, temple elders would hold nominal responsibility without exercising concrete, nominal executive power;

Although during the era of Lathma and the long ages before it, the temple's influence over the Holy See had always been significant, it was undeniable that compared to the power of temple elders in other churches, the elders of the Order Temple truly showed the best restraint.

Thus, when the current High Priest took office and vigorously severed the temple's influence over the Holy See, there was no shortage of voices within the church crying out against the injustice done to the temple.

"

"By order of the High Priest, none shall enter!"

Mobiten let out another low growl, his attendant guards all raising their shields to form a defensive phalanx.

"Why will the High Priest not see us?"

"Indeed, with something this monumental occurring, could the High Priest truly have failed to perceive it?"

"Gentlemen..."

At that moment, a voice drifted from within the carriage, and everyone silenced themselves instantly.

In truth, the vast majority of the Church dignitaries present had no idea who was inside, but considering that two Temple Elders were driving the carriage, just how exalted must the identity of the person sitting within be?

"Let us simply wait; our High Priest will only have sensed this more profoundly than any of us."

All the dignitaries present now became as obedient as well-bred children, unexpectedly forming a queue of their own accord, then placing both arms across their chests in unison: "We reverently obey the holy decree."

"We reverently obey the holy decree."

Inside the grand office hall, amidst a pitch-black expanse, only the area around the desk held a faint, murky luminescence.

A blood-stained quill lay upon the desk, its broken half beginning to writhe slowly, gradually mending itself.

Yet blood continued to fall, drop by drop, from the brow of High Priest Norton, steadily forming a pool on the desk before trickling down the edge.

Norton's mouth hung open, gasping heavily for breath.

Though he had received no reports of the various anomalies from the outside world, it was exactly as that absolutely revered entity outside the hall had said—he, Norton, felt it deeper than anyone else.

This was precisely why, after taking the seat of High Priest prematurely, Norton could ruthlessly berate the Temple without worrying about suffering a backlash from it.

The Temple of Order was the supreme interpreter of dogma, possessing a divine authority that transcended the secular power of the Church, but when the High Priest of the Church

was the direct successor of Lord Tilannus, who had personally founded the Church of Order, everything changed.

It could be said that the current High Priest of the Church of Order was the supreme arbiter of both secular power and divine authority.

The restlessness originating from Tilannus had already been suppressed by Norton.

Yet he felt not the slightest bit of joy for having successfully subdued the entity within his body once more, because he clearly sensed the joy that the entity had transmitted.

That being did not wish to seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack and control this body.

He merely wished to... share his happiness with him.

"Heh..."

Norton let out a chuckle, his palm slapping down onto the gathered blood on the desk, slowly clenching into a fist.

He was already making preparations in advance for the return of the gods; in the worst-case scenario, even if the deities of the other churches returned one after another, he would lead the Church of Order to stand firm here.

He knew why so many people outside had rushed over in such a hurry, and he knew why they were so exceptionally excited; the return of the gods meant a reshuffling of power within the ecclesiastical circles—

no, within this very world; but as long as the great God of Order returned as well, then this world must still abide by the Laws of Order!

"Have you returned?"

Norton uttered a soft interrogation.

"Where are you now?"

Norton raised his head, looking around blankly.

"Is this era not precisely the world you wished to see, operating normally without divine intervention?

But you, why must you still return?

The one who forged this era with his own hands was you!

And now, do you intend to once again destroy everything you created?

My Church of Order does not recognize other branch gods; it is a monotheistic faith.

Yet every time I read the Light of Order, I read only one truth within its pages, and that is: above Order, no god should exist in the first place!"

Norton leaned back into his chair, his eyelids drooping slowly as he smiled: "Why did you not descend directly upon the Church, why did you not descend directly upon the Temple? Or is it that, although you have returned, you are still very weak?"

Norton's chest heaved; as the High Priest of the Church of Order, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins as he said in a deep voice: "I will find you, my great God. I will slay you, I will strangle you, in the name of... Order!"

The Church of Principles, the Church of the Dark Night, the Church of the Moon God, the Church of Samsara, the Church of Emerald, the Church of the Abyss, the Church of Galida... terrifying, shocking news was spreading through each of the orthodox churches, and soon, the large and medium-sized churches below them would learn of it shortly after.

The pontiffs, envoys, popes, and priests of the various orthodox churches fell into astonishment and silence upon learning the news; the various temple elders within the halls of each faith either revealed expressions of despair and helplessness or let out incredibly furious and frantic roars.

The series of anomalies currently occurring within the Church of Order could not be concealed at all; the mutual infiltration among the major churches was no secret to begin with.

Shouts, questionings, and hysterical roars echoed from the high-ranking circles of the major orthodox churches.

By what right, for what reason, how could this be! The Church of Order, which already existed as an absolute hegemon, was going to be the first to welcome back the true hegemon of the divine realm.

This era had already progressively developed into the era of the Church of Order.

If the God of Order were to be the first to return and descend, then this world would subsequently enter the next new era belonging exclusively to Order!

"Stupid dog, if you don't speak up right now, I'll burn off all the fur on your body and turn you into a mangy mutt!"

Purr angrily delivered her final ultimatum to Kevin.

Kevin looked at Purr; his symbiotic contract had vanished, and he was in a state of panic, not knowing why—why on earth could a power capable of erasing a symbiotic contract exist in this world?

But Kevin knew very well, for who in this world possessed the qualification to sign a symbiotic contract with a god?

Little Conna sat there in silence; logically speaking, now that the master-servant contract had vanished, she should be on more equal terms with Karen, yet she felt a sense of loss in her heart.

She vaguely sensed that something seemed to have happened to the owner of the clothes she was wearing.

"Sigh..."

Kevin let out a sigh.

"Stupid dog..."

Purr drawn out her words, while her cat paw conjured a perfectly round, blazing fireball.

Kevin opened his mouth; he originally wanted to speak, feeling he ought to speak at a time like this, but looking at Purr, his heart softened.

Because he knew Purr would be devastated, and he did not want Purr to lose him too after losing Karen.

Though thinking this way might make him seem a bit conceited, most of the time, he would place himself in that position of being needed.

"Woof, woof, woof..."

Listening to Kevin's narration, Purr's cat eyes gradually widened; by the time he finished, the fireball in her paw dissipated, and she lunged at the golden retriever instead, scratching at him frantically, leaving behind a succession of claw marks.

"Why did you keep it from him? You clearly knew, you clearly knew such a thing might happen, so why didn't you tell him? You did it on purpose, didn't you, stupid dog, you did it on purpose!

You intentionally didn't tell Karen just to wait for your God of Order to return, you wicked dog, you dead dog!"

Kevin did not resist, nor did he evade; he merely looked at Purr with a calm gaze, allowing her to claw bloody streaks onto his body.

"Woof."

Finally, Purr stopped, murmuring: "Yes, you are right. Even if you didn't say it, Karen knew it himself. He knew he couldn't go to that place, yet he went anyway."

Purr curled herself up like an exquisite ball of fluff, only now it was twitching rhythmically.

"Dis, I'm sorry, I failed to take good care of Karen.

Eunice, I'm sorry, I failed to take good care of your fiancé."

Ah, boohoo... my Karen, my Karen, kitty’s Karen!!!"

Little Kanna stepped forward, hesitated a moment, and still reached out to scoop up Puget.

She did not know how to comfort anyone, yet she felt she needed to say something to make this cat feel at least a little better, so she spoke up and asked, "Karen, is he dead?"

The sobbing cat suddenly froze in place.

Kevin: "Woof, woof." (When the divine will descends, Karen will cease to exist.)

"Why?" Little Kanna asked.

"Woof." (Because the gods cannot be resisted.)

Little Kanna extended her finger and pointed at Kevin.

Kevin: "..."

Little Kanna shook her head and said, "From the very first time I heard the word deity, it disgusted me. So, I don't see what there is to fear about resisting this disgusting thing."

Right after, Little Kanna added another line: "I can even endure taking a bath."

Kevin shook his head, his gaze turning once more toward the window as that fragment of memory resurfaced.

The God of Order had leveled the Burial Ground of Gods; when He emerged, the invincible God was gravely wounded.

He himself had been ordered to banish the Burial Ground of Gods.

In the midst of this, there had been a minor interlude.

The God said: "I am full."

The foul, stench-ridden seawater was gradually bottoming out.

The red-necked boy's face already wore an expression of despair; finally, when there was no more seawater on his body to serve as a conduit, his frame slumped downward, beginning to fracture as it entered the statue's maw, ultimately dissolving into countless glittering crystals that were sucked inside.

Karen remained in his previous posture, kneeling and prostrating upon the palm, but at this moment, the hand began to tilt at a sharper angle, and Karen’s body began to gradually slide down.

It was about to end.

This was a despair like having a mountain crushing down upon one's body.

There was no sudden rush of extensive memories, no passing montage of remembering someone, feeling sorry for someone, or failing someone.

Such things, at this present moment, were far too much of a luxury; Karen's consciousness was likely confined only to hearing his own breathing, and to that dimly perceived figure on the other side of the mirror who shared his exact posture.

I am about to end... it is going to end completely.

I really do not want it to end like this, but I am powerless.

You on the opposite side... must be the same, right?

We both resisted, we both struggled, we both tried, but we... both met the same end.

We lost.

Before it, neither of us stood a chance of winning, not even a tiny bit.

His body was sliding further, Karen had already reached the edge of the palm; the moment he left the hand, he would plunge into its mouth.

On ordinary days, when occasionally facing meals, it would grow wild and untamable; this time, having devoured the divine pollution, it had completely broken free of control.

It was the dominant entity, while he had always been an appendage—no, an insignificant, tiny burden.

It was his own blind self-confidence that had given him a false illusion, making him mistakenly believe he could truly withstand all of this, when in reality his so-called standing upright was nothing more than a structure built upon the premise that it was still lying down and asleep.

He was that... self-righteous clown, who in the end, had only amused himself.

Heh.

"Whew... whew... whew..."

Karen could already countdown his own breaths; he was even guessing whether he would completely slide off and be utterly annihilated on the next breath, or the one after that.

This body, this soul, would awaken a true existence; the God of the rules of Order would revive once more!

It was not the previous God of Order; it was the purest deity of Order.

Perhaps because of the angle of the tilt, Karen, kneeling and prostrating on the ground, saw a shadow appear beneath him, cast from the other side of the mirror.

Indeed, the one on the opposite side of the mirror was also kneeling.

The final knot of resentment in Karen's heart dissipated completely, because he had verified: so, you and I are ultimately the same after all.

Finally, the massive surface of the palm turned completely vertical, about to deliver the last piece of the most delicious and exquisite food into the mouth.

Karen's feet had already left the palm, suspended in midair; Karen