Chapter 722: Inmmoles Family Tradition!

Chapter 722: The Inmeles Family Tradition!

One step, another step, and another...

With every step Karen took, a furious roar and howl echoed from below.

This was Mount Anraminde.

Here, the God of Eternity had once led the gods to raise their torches, igniting the prelude to modern civilization.

By modern civilization, it meant the narrative clearly and completely recorded in church historical materials, an era where later historians possessed relatively comprehensive data to trace back to.

Though many other legends still circulated in the world, and ancient ruins were unearthed from time to time—and even the lineage of certain special families and predecessor churches could be traced back three epochs if one went far enough—the mainstream records of the era before the God of Eternity remained fragmented, severed, and chaotic.

If ordinary people heard the stories within church circles as myths, then the events before the God of Eternity were the myths that the people within today's church circles listened to.

Beneath each step of Mount Anraminde lay sealed a demon that had once plagued the world. The God of Eternity had used them to lay the foundation for climbing the mountain; anyone who wished to ascend had to tread upon their bodies and personally experience the achievements of Eternity.

Later, the God of Eternity fell, and the Eternity camp was defeated in the war against the Light camp. The God of Light took possession of Mount Anraminde, personally dissolving the demons sealed beneath the steps one by one with holy light.

Yet, the steps inevitably retained the soul imprints of those demons, so that walking upon them now, their roars still resonated in one's ears.

On both sides of the ascending path lay scalding golden divine blood and severed divine bodies, while fractured pieces of divine artifacts reflected miserable rays of light.

However, due to the unique nature of Mount Anraminde, the fallen gods and other powerful creatures here did not cause pollution to overflow, for the tiers of steps could automatically absorb the nearby new residents.

Their remnant souls would be locked here, ground down to absolutely nothing over endless ages of containment.

Karen continued up the mountain, paying little heed to the scenery on either side of the road, as if completely uninterested.

Finally,

He reached the summit.

This was a platform, its top connecting to the stars, its north and south binding the vast ocean to the continent, and its east and west linking radiance to darkness.

The one who built this place was the God of Eternity, who possessed the power to turn things that even gods found inconceivable into reality.

The God of Light had once held a banquet of the gods here to celebrate the defeat of the old gods and the official rise of the new gods.

Today, the original fine decorations remained, and the divine banquet table, from the periphery to the highest seat of honor, still strictly conformed to its proper regulations.

Only the seats below were empty;

But the main seat above was occupied.

He wore the crown of holy light, was draped in the robe of the rising sun, his eyes revealing a profound depth, his lips bearing his usual kind smile.

Karen slowly turned his body, observing his surroundings once more.

Compared to the path up the mountain, this platform appeared exceptionally clean, as though it had been swept deliberately.

Karen stepped up to the main seat and stood before that entity.

He was his teacher, his comrade-in-chief, his partner, his... dearest friend.

Even though he had now led the gods willing to follow him to split away from the Light camp, he would never deny that for a very long time, the entity before him had been his guide.

He was... the God of Light.

Karen reached out and grasped the edge of the robe of the rising sun. Scorching flames instantly rose from his fingers, born from the high temperature of the sun.

It stung slightly, like touching a newly extinguished match with a bare hand, leaving a bit of soot that could easily be wiped away.

With a rustle,

The robe of the rising sun was pulled away, and the God of Light who had been sitting on the main seat was revealed to be entirely empty inside his robe.

A massive black sword stood upright there, impaling his severed head at the top.

As for the rest of his body, it could not be found here, and its whereabouts remained unknown.

Karen recognized this sword. It had appeared countless times in the murals of the Church of Order—the Sword of Amogana, also known as the Sword of Chaos.

Amogana, the God of Chaos, was a powerful chief god belonging to the Eternity camp.

During the long war of the gods, he had masterminded three internal rifts within the Light camp and had routed the Light camp on the battlefield several times.

Later, he was slain by the God of Order, and this sword of his fell into the hands of the God of Order.

Unlike other ordinary gods who each had a famous signature artifact, it was difficult to recall what a powerful chief god's exclusive artifact was. This did not mean they did not need the power of divine weapons, but rather that they possessed quite a few powerful artifacts in their hands.

However, many depictions of the God of Order showed this Sword of Chaos by his side.

According to the mythical narratives in The Light of Order, before the God of Order defeated Amogana and prepared to execute him, Amogana questioned the God of Order:

"Do you truly believe you can bring any change to this world?"

The God of Order replied:

"I will have you witness with your own eyes the order I bring to this world."

Later historians of divinity believed that the God of Order wore the Sword of Chaos on many formal occasions afterward precisely to display his unique achievements.

The official discourse of the Church of Order explained it this way: The God of Order ended the age of chaos and brought forth order.

Other churches would not refer to the era of the gods as chaos; only the Church of Order made no secret of it. As the greatest church in the world, the Church of Order naturally believed that the current global structure best suited the aesthetic of order.

Now, Karen witnessed with his own eyes the head of the God of Light impaled upon this very sword.

So, the God of Light had not gone missing; he had... fallen.

His body had even suffered dismemberment and scattering, which explained how that divine finger of light could ultimately end up lost to the Allen family, and subsequently into the hands of Purr.

So, was it the God of Order who killed the God of Light?

Otherwise, how could one explain the appearance of this sword here?

Karen lifted the Sword of Chaos, bringing the head of the God of Light before his eyes.

Karen reached out, gently touching the face of the God of Light. Light—even after death, his body remained warm and serene.

Karen turned and began his descent.

On his way down the mountain, powerful auras manifested one after another in the distance. Those were the powerful chief gods of the Light camp.

Yet Karen seemed entirely unconcerned and without any reservations, continuing down the mountain while still holding high the great sword bearing the head of the God of Light, like a champion flaunting his exploits in war.

The succession of a hegemon was often accompanied by blood and violence, for the predecessor would not allow their position to be surrendered, and the successor could even less endure the predecessor's suppression.

The conflict between the old and new hegemons existed naturally and was irreconcilable; there was absolutely no room to take a step back, because once one reached that status and that position, no one could afford to lose.

Above, the thoughts of the various chief gods received no response from Karen as he walked below.

The rule of the winner takes all found no expression here either.

For the new hegemon seemed to have no interest in inheriting the legacy of the old one.

Finally,

Karen arrived at the foot of the mountain. Stepping past the final tier, he raised his head and cast a glance upward, his eyes carrying unmasked revulsion, his aura projecting a supercilious defiance.

In all the mythical narratives of the orthodox churches of later generations, there was no record of Mount Anraminde on this day. Thus, the disappearance of the God of Light was defined as a missing person case.

In truth, on that day, the thoughts of many powerful chief gods had arrived here, and they had witnessed the God of Order descending the mountain with the head of Light impaled upon his sword.

But this record could never be allowed to appear, for once it did, it would cause the reader to ask a question:

Why did our Sovereign God look upon it yet choose not to strike?

……

"Buzz!"

This passage of experiential visions was read by Karen for an immensely long time, though in reality it was merely a fleeting instant.

Yet relying solely on this fragment of vision, Karen remained unable to determine exactly how the God of Light had perished; though all signs pointed to the hand of the God of Order, something still felt somehow amiss.

It was that emotion… it felt entirely unlike the sentiment of a victor, but was filled instead with a kind of lamentation.

And the God of Order was absolutely not the sort of person who would weep bitterly while holding the one he had slain with his own hands.

Karen opened his eyes and looked around; he was finally able to move now, yet he was still not within reality, because around his body was a ring of black, exquisite, mysterious, and carrying a peculiar majesty.

One could not help but want to reach out and touch it, yet it felt as though one's touch would be an unforgivable desecration; a presence so perfect, even the slightest speck of dust upon it would be an intolerable, monumental sacrilege!

Casting his gaze further, Karen saw a second ring enclosing the first, both of them rotating, followed immediately by a third, a fourth, a fifth…

The exquisite, orderly rings, like the most precise apparatus in the world, disregarded all resistance, operating in the most primitive yet purest manner solely according to their own rules.

What was this?

The laws of Order?

Karen turned around, and in an instant, a colossal eye appeared, its eyelashes seeming like towering skyscrapers in Karen's sight.

As it moved further away, Karen finally beheld its full form; it was a person, a grand and majestic existence clad in a black divine robe.

He walked upon the path of the laws of Order with his eyes closed, gently scattering remnants of starlight with both hands as he moved.

God of Order… we meet again.

During his last purification, Karen had seen a nearly identical vision; later, after flipping through the books of the Church of Principles, he learned that this was a mechanical deity inertia.

Only, last time he had stood far below in the distance, watching the God of Order above as if stepping across the galaxy, scattering starlight with closed eyes;

This time, although he was minuscule—so minuscule that comparing himself to an ant would be an immense exaggeration—what his feet trod upon was the solid, tangible law of Order.

Suddenly, Karen discovered that the figure of the God of Order, who had already walked to an unknown distance away, had unexpectedly vanished.

Karen slowly raised his head,

Looking above himself,

He saw a colossal, majestic figure right in front of him, himself like a speck of dust beneath his feet, yet those eyes that had been tightly closed were now open, looking down at him.

In that instant, the black ring beside him suddenly contracted, but instead of binding him, it dissolved into his body.

"Ah!"

At this moment, the Statue of Order deep within the space of Karen's soul was gradually undergoing a metamorphosis; everything upon the statue became more delicate and lustrous, and he could clearly perceive a certain vitality coursing within its body.

Beneath the soul space, a black liquid appeared; it was not foul-smelling, it was very pure, like a translucent mirror gradually expanding.

The Statue of Order slowly submerged into this liquid, its original towering height gradually vanishing, seemingly dissolving completely into this black fluid.

The soul space was gradually filled by it, yet it did not burst, nor did it even overflow.

Because after reaching its maximum volume, it began to contract once more.

Ultimately, it formed a small puddle within the soul space.

Karen's consciousness, for the first time since the cavern incident, returned to his own soul space.

He walked to the edge of that small puddle and lowered his head; he saw that what was reflected in the puddle was not his own shadow, but a black ring, and it was rotating.

"Hehehe……"

Was that laughter?

Karen looked around; in the empty soul space, this laughter should have been obvious, yet it remained ungraspable.

This was actually not laughter, but an emotion of delight.

It came from the depths of the puddle, from the laws of Order.

Though not a single word of communication was exchanged, Karen already understood its meaning.

The hunter slowly raised the muzzle of his gun, because he discovered that the prey he wished to shoot had brought back a new harvest for him.

The Hunger Addiction had not disappeared; it had actually grown stronger.

But the change in his level of existence gave it a higher "primitive pursuit."

Like… parasitism.

But in the end, was it the Hunger Addiction that parasitized him, or was it he who parasitized the Hunger Addiction?

Karen knelt on one knee, wanting to bring himself closer to observe this puddle.

After the last successful purification, what appeared in his body was a massive pool, which laid the foundation for his spiritual energy accumulation to exceed that of ordinary people several times over in the days that followed.

Though it was only a small puddle this time, even dipping a fraction of it with a finger would not be something an ordinary cleric could easily endure.

Suddenly,

Karen discovered that in the reflection of the puddle, another figure appeared indistinctly; that person seemed to be kneeling on one knee as well, leaning his head close to observe the situation in the puddle.

This feeling… had it come again?

Karen did not look up to see the opposite side, because he knew clearly that there was no second person here, yet he knew very clearly who "that person" was: he was the previous God of Order.

Just like the person he saw kneeling down together with him in the cavern when he was about to be swallowed by the statue of Hunger Addiction.

He had already "seen" more and more of his past memories, and through documents, records, and the philosophy of the Church of Order, he understood him more and more.

Only because of this would the "resonance" that occurs only at a specific moment manifest.

Just like an archaeologist discovering a fingerprint left by a craftsman beneath the eye of a thousands-of-years-old terracotta figurine, moved to tears.

A smile appeared at the corner of Karen's mouth,

This time,

I must climb up first!

Karen immediately stood up, and as a result, he saw the blurry figure in the puddle move just like him.

As if, the other party's thoughts were identical to his own.

"Hehehehe……"

Karen could not help but laugh; this tacit understanding made him break into a smile.

By his ear, there seemed to come a faint, ethereal laughter as well; he was laughing too.

But gradually, Karen's laughter subsided, his eyes gradually widening, because he felt that while for himself, this was a resonance produced by a descendant toward the traces of a predecessor from an era ago…

Then, for the predecessor, what did it mean?

If even laughter could be resonated with, what did this indicate? Did it mean that back then, his gaze could cross the span of an entire era to "see" his present self?

Karen suddenly recalled the scene in the cavern upon the palm of the Hunger Addiction statue, where he and the other knelt facing each other across the mirror.

In the end, he had suddenly stood up, very effortlessly.

Was it a coincidence?

Was it out of sheer necessity that he forced himself up against the staggering weight of starvation, only to deliberately put on an affectation of ease?

He had no reason to do such a thing.

But if he wasn't merely amusing himself, did it mean that back then, he truly was playing a deliberate trick on his own self?

Karen's mouth fell open,

and in an instant, a colossal wave of dread wrapped tightly around him.

The God of Eternity had lost himself to the pursuit of time's power, allowing the eternal camp he built to be supplanted by the Light;

Ranyedal had once violated a taboo and been suppressed by the God of Order, and Ranyedal's domain of research had been the forbidden mysteries of time;

as the hegemon of the previous era, could the God of Order truly have remained unmoved by the forbidden secrets of time?

Therefore,

was there a possibility that his own journey retracing the path of Order, his desire to usurp her position and overturn his church—that all of this was being watched from across an entire era...

by a pair of silently observing eyes?

...

"Oh no, the altar is about to collapse!"

Vick cried out at the top of his lungs.

He was responsible for operating the altar that channeled the divine artifact, allowing the Harp of the Goddess Mils to project its power and generate a sufficient quantity of high-grade holy water.

Initially, it had seemed destined for failure, as if their director's purification had not succeeded.

However, this did not diminish the awe everyone felt toward their director's mystique; the mere utterance of that divine oracle was enough to shake them to their core.

Yet, the moment Neo grabbed the director's arms and the director stood up, the Eye of Order snapped open above them, and in a flash, the sacred aura that had been swirling about the perimeter was devoured by their director as if it had gone mad.

It even formed a visible vortex of consumption.

The Harp of the Goddess Mils began to accelerate its production of holy water without pause, but the output fell drastically short of the demand. Gradually, the vortex vanished, turning into a straight line of unilateral extraction... no, a straight line of unilateral plunder.

The power of the Harp of the Goddess Mils was pouring directly into Karen.

This spectacle stunned the onlookers yet again.

The proportion of people here from illustrious families was remarkably high; save for Ventura, almost everyone boasted an extraordinary background. Even Ventura had earned the appreciation of his principal early on at the church academy, and a decent sacred artifact had been requested to assist him during his purification. As for Philomena's grandmother, Muri's Benda family, Chief Bishop Leon's household, and Vick's mentor, their purifications had all begun with the grandest of standards.

But compared to what was unfolding before their eyes... it truly amounted to nothing at all!

Who had ever seen someone absorbing enough sacred aura to nearly drain a divine artifact capable of generating it, all just to purify into a divine servant!!!

Was this a divine servant?

Such an extravagant scene, such a terrifyingly vast sea of high-grade sacred aura, just to forge a single... divine servant?

By this time, Neo had successfully reined in his personality. Having recovered himself, he took several steps backward, for the Karen before him resembled a colossal, ravenous mythical beast devouring everything in a frenzy, instilling even him with a tinge of fear.

Then,

"Smack!"

Neo slapped himself across the face.

Why had he switched his personality back so quickly, only to force himself to witness this and drown in jealousy!

Purr was still unconscious, cradled in little Canna's arms. Looking at the current Karen, little Canna asked in slight bewilderment:

"Why aren't you taking your medicine?"

Karen's "whale-like gulping" posture made little Canna feel as though she were looking at one of her own kind. Didn't they say she had to eat so many expensive pills every day if she wanted to mature fully?

But you... you seem to be eating even more than me.

Little Canna pouted her lips: "From now on, when I take my pills, I'll have to stuff some into your mouth too. That's only fair."

Kevin's twitching had just subsided, and he was preparing to salvage his image before the artifact spirit of the harp, but the moment Karen initiated his devouring mode, Kevin began to twitch anew, a profound horror leaking from his canine eyes.

Many had mistaken Karen for the return of the previous God of Order, yet Kevin had never been confused. It was true that he was sometimes struck by fearful memories triggered by certain traits Karen displayed that closely resembled the former God of Order, but he had always known with absolute clarity that they were two entirely different individuals.

Now, he was no longer sure; he was confused, because the two figures, from the perspective of his canine eyes, were beginning to overlap.

He suddenly felt an urge to move his dog bed out of Karen's bedroom. He could not bear the thought of sharing a room with "that existence" in the future—it was simply too suffocating, woof!

Previously, the most ecstatic and unhinged had been Alfred; now, the calmest and most elegant was also him, Alfred.

Picking up his paintbrush, he began to sketch, doing his utmost to reclaim the composed demeanor he had momentarily discarded.

"Alas, I must reflect upon myself. Serving by the side of a great existence, I must maintain absolute faith and tranquility at all times."

Alfred first sketched his young master as he appeared now. The second figure he drew was not himself, but Neo.

He desperately wanted to title this painting *The Light Awakens Order*.

Yet he felt that merely repeating a classical historical trope was a bit too deliberate and cliché;

most importantly, the Light here did not seem like a conventional Light, and the Order here was a more advanced, sacred New Order.

So, what should the title be?

Alfred felt that he would lose sleep again tonight due to these new layers of contemplation.

While the jealous envied and the shocked marveled, the only one truly "wounded" was the artifact spirit of the Goddess Mils' Harp.

She felt herself being plundered, being drained dry. She felt like a hand-pumped water well, but what she pumped out could not match the speed of the one drinking; the counterparty had practically overturned her and jumped into the well themselves.

Yet, agony notwithstanding, she did not move to stop it. She was willing to offer up everything she possessed to this existence, even though she would erase her own memory afterward.

For she knew he was the "Brother Karen" Luo Ya had spoken of—the one who promised to lead their group of artifact spirits out of the sealed space in the future. Most importantly, the aura upon his body... though it left her feeling nothing at present;

she felt she ought to do something for that dog, for that dog stood on his side.

Finally,

at the very brink of the altar's collapse, the frenzied plundering of the sacred aura came to a halt.

Vick collapsed to his knees in exhaustion, drenched in sweat:

"Teacher, what a pity you are not here to see what your student has just witnessed. But please rest assured, Teacher, you will surely be proud of your student's choice in the future."

The spirit woman first bowed to Karen, and then, before the eyes of everyone present, she reached out and wiped away her memories of this day. Subsequently, she looked around with a bewildered expression and asked:

"Is it over? I feel so weary; I wish to slumber."

"It is over," Vick replied. "You may return."

"Very well."

The phantom of the harp began to ascend, dissolving into the black hole above.

Once she had departed, the long-overburdened altar finally caved in.

Standing at the absolute center, Karen gently turned his head, surveyed his surroundings, and then lowered his eyes to look at the palm of his hand.

Neo kept his face dark and remained silent.

In his heart, he chanted: Endure it! Endure it! Endure it! Do not go up and ask how it went, do not build a stage for him, do not give him this opportunity!

It was just like when an exam ended; you must never ask the top student in the class how they fared. The moment you asked, you would just be waiting to watch their performance.

Philomena was also standing very close. As the others began to crowd around, she spoke first, asking, "Director, how... how are you?"

Neo's ears perked up instantly.

Kallen smiled slightly and replied, "Quite well."

Immediately following that, Kallen leaned down and lifted Purr from little Conna's arms, giving Conna's head a gentle pat in passing, while his foot brushed against Kevin, who was still twitching on the ground.

The great golden retriever convulsed even more violently in an instant, nearly losing control of its bladder as it strained to endure the sensation.

For within its mind flashed vivid imagery of the previous God of Order using his foot to nudge it, a memory terrifying enough to truly scare the dog out of its wits.

It realized it would have to completely restructure its psychological foundation and cognitive perception, lest its future days become utterly unbearable.

Alfred did not step forward at this moment; instead, he remained focused on his painting, a country folk song humming softly from his lips.

Yes, he was playing along to harmonize with that "quite well" atmosphere.

Kallen offered no further elaboration regarding his current physical state, turning his gaze instead toward the coffins.

Now that his successful purification had rendered him a Divine Servant, spiritual power once again flowed within his body, meaning it was time to begin granting a second life to the occupants resting within those caskets.

He was merely uncertain how long his current capabilities could sustain them after a single infusion of energy.

He hoped the duration would be as prolonged as possible, though he naturally did not harbor the extravagant wish that he could immediately match the level achieved by the God of Order with his Twelve Knights of Order.

Once Count Recar was awakened, this manor, already fortified with an advanced defensive array, would possess a truly powerful figure to stand guard.

As for old Saman, he was a "highly skilled artisan."

As long as he was awake, there would never be a shortage of opportunities to utilize his talents.

These were two exceptional pillars of support.

Furthermore, the lady residing as a reserved occupant within the undersea vault would need to be "relocated" back here when time permitted, fulfilling the promise he had made to her early on.

Regarding the skeleton of the Archmage of the Undead brought back from the Crypt Cult, Kallen still did not intend to rush her awakening, choosing to wait until a critical moment arrived, for that woman had once been a member of the High Priest's team, and her actions would introduce far too many variables.

A new starting point had already begun, and with the overall situation looking so bright, Kallen truly had no desire to take unnecessary risks.

"Alfred."

"Present, Master."

Alfred set down his paintbrush and stepped before Kallen.

"I will likely require about a day to rest and settle myself. In twenty-four hours, I shall attempt to awaken Count Recar and old Saman. Have the others prepare accordingly."

"Understood, Master."

Cradling Purr in his arms, Kallen walked toward the exit of the performance hall.

Ventura asked in bewilderment, "But what kind of preparations are necessary?"

After all, was the act of awakening not something their Minister could accomplish entirely on his own?

Alfred glanced at Ventura and replied, "A birthday party, for instance, because tomorrow will mark the day of their new birth."

Ventura dawned upon the realization, "Oh, then we certainly should prepare well. We should bake a large cake; my grandmother is finest at that."

"You may bring your grandparents over to live here," Alfred suggested.

"Truly... is that alright?"

"This manor is secure enough now. It is a perfect place for the elderly to spend their remaining years, and it will leave you with nothing to worry about while you work outside in the future, will it not?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Alfred then surveyed the surroundings, announcing, "Everyone, remember to write a reflection essay on your observations tonight when you return. I trust your impressions this time are profound. At the next learning and exchange symposium, each of you will take the stage one by one to read and share. You must execute this diligently; a passage might very well be quoted in *The Light of New Order*."

"Yes, Mr. Alfred."

"Understood, Mr. Alfred."

What on earth was this nonsense?

Damn it! I truly cannot hold back any longer!

Neo barred Kallen's path out of the room, "Hey, hey, hey, you're just going to leave like that, simple as that?"

Kallen nodded, "I believe there is no need for expressions of gratitude between us. You used to owe me many secrets, and now I owe you many favors. Rest assured, I keep track of them all."

"Heh, heh, heh," Neo let out a dry laugh, then reached out to clutch Kallen's collar, pulling his face close to Kallen's, "Well, I have recently gained insight into a few new moves, and my hands are itching a bit. Shall we go exchange pointers right now?"

"Alright."

The expression on Neo's face shifted instantly; his neck jerked back to distance himself from Kallen, his finger pointing at Kallen's face in sheer disbelief:

"Damn it, does that mean that even at your current realm of a Divine Servant, the power you can wield is already comparable to when you were an Inquisitor before entering the cavern?"

"Did I ever say that?"

"Heh, as if I don't know you. If you hadn't recovered to your previous level of strength, you absolutely would never have agreed to fight me!"

"Oh, is that so."

"So what exactly is your current level, my esteemed Divine Servant Minister?"

"Though I have lost many things that I have yet to reclaim—and some that I wish to reclaim but temporarily cannot—I feel within myself that the accumulation of spiritual power and the abilities I can deploy... are, in terms of combat effectiveness, roughly equal to when I was an Inquisitor.

The only drawback is that I can currently only employ the spells of Order, which feels somewhat monotonous."

"What a ridiculous notion!" Neo's eyes widened, "If you possess such power even as a Divine Servant, then your future objective, damn it, how terrifying is it actually going to be?"

Kallen pondered for a moment before responding, "My requirements are not high; enough to suffice is fine."

"Such as?"

"In accordance with family tradition, a Judge, perhaps."