Chapter 734: Lockdown of the Era

Chapter 734: The Blockaded Era

The God of Order, exiled the Hunger to the future?

Divine descent rituals often require a sacrifice; the grander the scale of the ritual, the greater the price the officiant must pay.

What Dis officiated, however, was an [Ultra-Scale Divine Descent Ritual] of the Order faction.

Yet Dis had told Karen that the God of Order did not take anything in return.

So indeed, what is free often carries the heaviest cost.

Because the God of Order had simply cast aside his most agonizing problem, throwing it right here.

No wonder he possessed the ability to "awaken" even before being purified into a divine servant, and no wonder Ranedal failed to wrest this body from him—even the very reason why Ranedal descended alongside him through that ritual now took on a distinct, plausible clarity.

Ranedal had once immersed himself in researching the taboos of time, and a portion of his research remained within the Church of Order, which had consistently attempted similar experiments, but his true, core achievements could only ever be mastered by that singular existence.

Thus, when that entity exiled the Hunger into the future, perhaps out of a lingering mindfulness of Ranedal, he casually loosed the dog leash, or perhaps the process itself triggered a certain catalyst that resonated with Ranedal; in short... Ranedal was thereby liberated from the suppression and confinement of the God of Order.

Though the specific details remain temporarily unvouched for, the overarching logic has now surfaced.

He himself was a "sacrificial victim" bearing the weight of a problem.

Yet, even knowing this, no resentment stirred in Karen's heart; he did not even blame the God of Order.

Because, quite simply, he had no reason to harbor any aversion.

To put it bluntly, this life of his was borrowed time anyway, a chance to live anew, and upon waking he had met the Inmerels—he felt immensely grateful to fate for this arrangement.

Though the Hunger had now become Karen's greatest and most perilous tribulation, it simultaneously afforded him boundless possibilities.

True, roasting one's own soul with the Flames of Light was akin to the world's most cruel torture, and forcibly tearing oneself away from the shackles of the Hunger time and again was an indescribable agony;

Yet dialectically speaking, without the Hunger, he could never have walked this far today.

To be grateful for hardships is not to thank the hardships themselves, but to thank the past self who conquered those hardships and grew stronger for it.

Therefore, Karen felt no hatred toward the God of Order for dumping this "terrible problem" on him; instead, a part of him wished to thank the God of Order for the gift.

The artifact spirit of the Spear of Eternity had been observing Karen intently, his gaze seemingly capable of piercing through all obstructions to stare directly at the essence.

Consequently, his expression underwent three distinct shifts, moving from amusement to astonishment, and finally to a profound bewilderment.

"It seems you know what the God of Order's problem is?"

"No, not only do you know what it is, you are intimately familiar with it?"

"You have already grown accustomed to it, lived through it, and you even believe it is nothing too severe?"

Blue light flooded the dormitory, rendering Budalas and the others completely motionless; Karen fared slightly better, but only marginally so, able to move only with extreme, sluggish difficulty, as if mired in a swamp.

"So, just why is that?"

The artifact spirit seemed to mutter to himself, then bent down, bringing his face close to Karen's.

His gaze, like a spear, pierced into Karen's body and thrust deep into his soul.

Above Karen's sea of consciousness, a collapse appeared, and immediately following, two beams of blue light broke through, beginning to patrol and search the area.

Finally, the two blue beams converged, right over the puddle below.

Right at that moment, within the reflection of the puddle, a black eye manifested, exuding an ancient, majestic aura.

Now, even as the master of this body, Karen rarely entered his own soul space as he used to, because he knew all too well that this place was now the domain of the Hunger.

At this moment, the existence within the puddle felt violated by the presence of this blue gaze.

While that gaze continued to peer into the depths of the puddle, above this soul space, the phantom of a colossal statue was silently taking form.

Like a master discovering a thief who had broken into the house, approaching him step by step from behind.

Until the distance was close enough, and the timing ripe.

"Hum—"

The massive hand of the statue reached out, seizing the pair of beams mid-air, causing the gaze to warp as if it were a physical substance.

Black flames of Order spilled from the giant palm, instantly clinging and igniting across a vast area, followed by countless pitch-black chains of Order that spread from the palm, binding and devouring the gaze.

"Ah!!!"

The artifact spirit shrieked in agony, stepping back repeatedly until he finally broke free.

Karen was shaken to the core; this artifact spirit of the Spear of Eternity had actually broken free from the clutches of the Hunger after breaking into his soul space!

This had never happened before; it seemed that no matter how powerful a soul was, once it entered the depths of his soul and was locked down by the Hunger, its only fate was to become fodder.

The artifact spirit removed the hand covering his eyes, two streams of fresh blood spilling from his sockets and trailing down his face.

Then, with an exceedingly complex expression, he looked at Karen.

"You..."

The words had barely begun before the artifact spirit swallowed them back down.

Then, appearing to make a definitive resolve, he pressed his left arm to his side, placed his right hand over his abdomen, and bowed to Karen.

Straightening himself back up and raising his head, he spoke:

"Do you know what etiquette that was just now? That is the etiquette used when facing a deity; however, you are not yet a god, so having bowed to you, I will continue to act somewhat casual hereafter. This does not count as irreverence to a god, understand?"

Understand what?

Was it because of the loneliness of endless epochs that the artifact spirit of every divine weapon felt somewhat unhinged?

"My master bestowed upon me the name—Michios; I am the guardian artifact spirit of the Spear of Eternity."

The artifact spirit introduced himself first, then raised his hand, completely dissolving the constraint on Karen, allowing him to move normally.

Having glimpsed the statue of Hunger deep within Karen's soul, the artifact spirit's attitude toward him underwent a subversive transformation.

Michios sat down on the chair opposite him and asked, "Do we need to change the setting for our conversation? I know you must have many questions in your heart right now."

Karen shook his head: "I don't think that's necessary. It's all fake anyway."

"Fixating too much on reality makes it easy to overlook the meaning of the false." Michios smiled, reaching up to wipe the bloodstains from his face, though he could not wipe them away no matter how he tried, "I offended the majesty of a god; this is my deserved punishment."

"What exactly is going on here?"

"What is going on? That question of yours is actually a bit difficult to answer."

"Is it because it's too broad?"

"No, not because it's too broad; quite the contrary, it is too small. I originally thought you would ask me directly about those great deities, yet you seem more interested in the affairs of this dormitory."

"I want to know if it was because of me that the present time, one thousand years ago, was affected."

"Has it already been a thousand years?" Michios expressed some surprise, "Time truly flies; the matter of these boys disturbing me feels as though it happened only yesterday."

"Didn't you say you were going to answer my question?"

"Heh, you could say it was influenced by you, or you could say it wasn't, because you are a person of the future, not of the present. Since a thousand years have passed, you and they are destined not to exist in the same era."

"I want to hear the main point."

"It seems your current status is very high, hence your requirements for a subordinate's report are also very demanding. Unfortunately, though I am an artifact spirit, I am different from the kind you imagine; I am a bit special, and my thoughts and memories are reset every so often.

Well, you probably don't have much interest in me either.

"Let us resume answering your question; you did not actually influence this place a thousand years ago, for the simple reason that you do not exist here."

"But I played a part in this. Without me, they would have had no way to summon you."

"No, no, no."

Michios walked up to Budaras, examined his face, then moved over to the Mad Pope, observing him intently. Immediately after, he reached out and patted Dicalost on the shoulder, before finally coming to a halt in front of Ukonga.

One of Ukonga's hands still gripped the Spear of Eternity. His palm had been cut open and blood was flowing, though it was now frozen in absolute stillness.

"They are a group of exceptionally outstanding young lads. Standing here, I can already catch the scent of their future glory. What do you think?"

"They truly are."

"Mhm." Michios pointed a finger at his own forehead. "This particular memory is very clear to me, yet there has always been a shadow upon it. For a very long time, I did not know what that shadow actually was. Now, I know.

In my clear memory, it was these four young lads who summoned me in this dormitory. What you just claimed to be your doing was, in truth, not so.

Had these four lads each contributed just a fraction more of their own secrets, and wrung out just a bit more of their own latent potential, the feat would still have been accomplished.

Your role was not irreplaceable; you merely made things a little easier for them."

"So, in the events that transpired in this dormitory over a thousand years ago, I did not exist?"

"Indeed, you did not. It was just the four of them who summoned me. Of this, I am certain."

"Then what was it that I just experienced?"

"Because out of those four people, one has never died. You mentioned it has been over a thousand years... ah, he truly knows how to live, but live this long he did."

"Ukonga?"

"Yes, exactly, it is he. I know his story. Would you like to hear it?"

Karen hesitated for a moment, but nodded nonetheless. "You may speak of it."

"Later in his work, he frequently required the assistance of a certain divine artifact, and subsequently fell in love with the artifact's spirit. He once intended to elope with it, and was nearly condemned as an apostate by the Church of Order.

Later, presumably after a fair amount of mediation, his family intervened. Coupled with his own innate talent, and... well, at that time, the Grand Pontiff of your Church of Order happened to be his roommate—this gentleman right here."

Michios pointed toward Budaras.

"He was not deemed an apostate, and the matter was quieted down. However, he was dispatched to the expansion spaces of the Church of Order, which, I suppose, is where your Church exiles people.

Yet he survived crisis after crisis, advancing at a staggering speed.

Ultimately, he succeeded in condensing a shard of godhood, and the Gate of Order manifested before him, ushering him into the Pantheon.

On his very first day in the Pantheon, he ignored the welcoming ceremony the elders had arranged for him, and went straight into the celestial body where that divine artifact was enshrined, reuniting once more with its spirit.

The ending was a happy one, quite fitting for a fairy tale romance. They lived happily ever after."

"Then why is he still alive now?"

"Because when his lifespan as an elder of the Pantheon was drawing to its close, the artifact's spirit, in order to prolong his life, voluntarily fused with him. He has been able to live this long because he is no longer human, nor is he an elder of the Pantheon, but rather... a special kind of artifact spirit."

Karen instinctively cast another glance at Ukonga. It was truly difficult to imagine that such a grand stallion in his youth could later orchestrate such a romance.

No, the most unimaginable part was that he actually fulfilled his youthful boast, for he truly did bed an artifact spirit!

"Then, what is the matter with the shadow?"

"The shadow is your existence, which did indeed leave an impact. When people gaze upon ancient divine temples, they can resonate with the emotions of those who came before them. The reverse is also true; if you walk onto the construction site of a temple currently being built, you can resonate with the emotions of future generations when they behold that towering temple.

You do not exist, yet you left a trace.

Ukonga returned here many times afterward. He did not actually come to reminisce about his past camaraderie; he was searching. He was searching for the traces of that shadow. He was... looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Karen nodded. "So that is how it is."

If Ukonga's subsequent behavioral pattern could be defined this way, then the logic behind Teacher Sidrod's behavior became entirely clear.

An elder of the Pantheon who had lived for so long would bound to possess immense influence within the Church of Order. Although the current Grand Pontiff was dedicated to severing the Pantheon's influence over the Curia, everyone knew it could not be completely eradicated overnight.

Did Sidrod bring him here to "explore the secrets" of this dormitory merely because he appreciated his extra lessons?

Did he hypnotize the students with spiritual force as soon as class began merely to give them a good night's sleep while allowing himself to slack off?

Could this be a screening process?

To filter out young students with sufficiently powerful spiritual force, and then bring them to this dormitory to see if they could trigger the spiritual imprint left here?

Therefore, Sidrod had always carried a certain duty.

Michios smiled and asked, "Are you worried that Ukonga will remember you?"

Karen inquired, "Is there such a possibility?"

"You need not worry about this, because even I did not remember you before setting eyes on you. There was only a stretch of shadow. His sensation should be similar to mine. At most, he might vaguely recall that when they performed that deed back then, there seemed to be another person by their side, yet he cannot remember this person's appearance, voice, or name.

It is blurred and indistinct; he only knows that the person back then was likely around his own age, a student.

Originally, this matter should have faded in an instant, dismissed as an illusion. But who asked him to become an elder of the Pantheon, and who asked him to live for so long?

He possesses sufficient capability, and sufficient time, to repeatedly chew over this fragment of memory, and thus, slowly taste the traces of the shadow.

However, it is limited to this.

Do you know the reason?"

Karen did not answer.

Michios said, "Because, one cannot look directly upon a god."

"But, as you said before, I am not yet a god."

"Yet this is a unique domain formed by the leakage of the Spear of Eternity. When you enter this place and merge into it, it is not actually in your capacity as Karen. Furthermore, in fact, look into my eyes..."

Michios pointed to his own injured eyes and continued, "I have already paid the price for looking directly upon a god."

Karen knew Michios spoke the truth, because if Ukonga truly possessed a clearer impression of him, then what Sidrod needed to do would be much simpler. There would be no need to hypnotize class after class; he could simply consult the freshman registry every year, find those with the name "Karen," and bring them here for testing.

Michios continued to wipe the blood from his face, smiling as he said, "In order to find you, Ukonga returned here many times, deliberately deepening the spiritual imprint he left behind. And precisely because the spiritual imprint he left was powerful enough, it generated subjectivity, actively inviting you into this 'experience.' Then, to explore the nature of you, who entered this experience but remained unexpectedly blurred, he returned here multiple times afterward, deliberately deepening the spiritual imprint he left behind.

He, you see, has been running in circles, trying to catch his own tail."

Karen spoke up and asked, "Can I leave now?"

"Do you no longer wish to know about matters regarding the gods?"

"Can you tell me?"

"I am waiting for you to ask me, so that I may answer you: 'I cannot.'"

"Heh."

"You seem to have known all along that it would be so."

"The thoughts of an artifact spirit are sometimes not difficult to guess."

Karen stood up. He walked out of the bedroom, descended the stairs, and arrived at the entrance of the dormitory building.

He looked back and saw Michios appearing behind him, having followed him the entire way.

"Are you truly not going to stop me?" Karen asked. "Here, you possess the power to trap me forever."

"A thousand years ago, I must have let you go. Now, I shall let you go just the same. I will even offer you my blessings, hoping you will remain safe and healthy forever, and that your journey ahead will be prosperous.

Regrettably, because of what happened a thousand years ago, I was removed from the sealed space by the Church of Order to be imprisoned alone. If you can find me in the future, I will grant you all the assistance within my power."

"This is my promise to you."

"Why?"

Karen could not bring himself to believe that a strange artifact spirit would suddenly treat him with such kindness; in this world, love never bloomed without cause.

Michios smiled faintly, offering no reply.

Only after Karen stepped out from the fissure and his figure had completely vanished.

Michios suddenly burst into uproarious laughter, as the surrounding blue aura surged and rippled in a frenzy:

"God of Order, you never could have anticipated this, could you? That being you banished has actually fallen into the hands of another in the future, and he is retracing the very path you once walked. When he ascends to godhood, will it mean the downfall of your divine authority?

Hehehe,

Incredible,

It truly is too incredible.

The era sealed away by the predecessor God of Order.

Shall be ushered open by the hands of the successor God of Order."