Chapter 205: Celebration, Ritual, Descent of God

(This may be the longest chapter ever written, ten thousand words, and the book has likely surpassed a million words now, haha.)

"Oh, oh, oh, oh! We have won!"

"Seuwentan has been defeated, how wonderful! Those damned wretches, the war they incited meant my goods barely sold this year, and the royal family even bought a batch at a pittance. At least that’s finally settled."

"Hey, I’m actually a bit regretful. The war with Seuwentan made my alchemical potions sell like hotcakes. Even though they were bought at low prices, the volume made it quite profitable. Now that the war is over, who knows how long it will take to sell a single unit."

"I’m more concerned about what will happen to Seuwentan now that we’ve defeated them. Will they be annexed into our kingdom? I find that unlikely. The Church of Light and the other human kingdoms wouldn't agree to it. Perhaps they’ll pay us tribute every year? In any case, we should benefit from this, right?"

"Who cares? Today is a celebration. The properties of the royal family and those newly inducted into the Council of Elders are all half-price. Let’s just think about what to buy today."

"Hooray!"

In the capital city of Alestler, in the central district at the Kingdom’s Eye Plaza, a multitude of residents wandered about, discussing the victory in the long-drawn-out war against Seuwentan and sharing in the jubilation.

News that the Seuwentan capital had been breached by the Alestler army and that the defenders had completely routed under the assault had been delivered to the royal family via long-range magical communication devices.

The news then spread rapidly from the top down to the city’s residents; though their attitudes toward the war had varied, the joy felt in this moment was universal.

The celebration, originally prepared to mark the re-election of the Council of Elders, officially commenced the moment word of the victory reached the city. Seats and stages had long been prepared in the capital’s largest plaza.

The innermost area, reserved for the families who had secured seats on the Council, was not open to the general public.

However, the food and drink stalls set up around the perimeter of the plaza, along with performances held only on holidays, were more than enough to entice the jubilant residents to come and partake in the festivities.

"Bang, bang!" Celebration fireworks burst in the sky, and colorful streamers drifted down, blending with the bustling crowd below to create a truly festive atmosphere.

Only those families who had secured seats on the Council were invited to the celebration; those who had failed to do so naturally did not come to invite ridicule upon themselves.

The city residents, however, cared little for such political intricacies, content to enjoy the dual delight of victory and celebration.

Amidst the pre-arranged seating for the nobility, aristocrats in fine attire clinked glasses, chatting spiritedly about their future plans.

Many of them had never expected to secure a seat on the Council, and now, invited to a celebration the likes of which had never been seen before a re-election, they were naturally riding high, indulging in the festivities that signaled their entry into the true upper echelons of the capital’s power circle.

With coy smiles, elegant bows, and slow sips of fine wine, the social graces of these nobles were impeccable. Their wealth and insight truly marked them as the city’s elite, and their excellent lineage and education gave them a dignified air.

Accompanied by music and dance from the court theater performers on stage, the atmosphere was both lively and refined.

"It certainly has a festive air... quite nice. My last shift, though in an occasion like this, even if the royal family were fools, they would surely use all their strength to prevent any trouble. I feel a bit redundant here."

Perched atop a high building near the plaza, Wang Yu crouched, watching the bustling scene below and reflecting on the success of the celebration.

"The news of victory and this celebration should dampen the previous chaos. It will give the royal family plenty of time to handle things. I must say, a masterstroke."

Pondering the significance of the event, Wang Yu genuinely believed it was a sound choice.

"How is it on your end..." Wang Yu asked his colleagues, pressing the magical communication device to his ear.

"Situation normal."

"No problems here."

"No abnormal information detected."

"I’m right below you. Would you care to look at me?"

...

Brief reports from members of the Night’s Edge poured in. Wang Yu was, after all, a captain of sorts, though he was about to resign and slip away. With Captain Shugin and Zieg absent, the Night’s Edge was effectively under his charge.

The royal family had requested the Night’s Edge to assist in maintaining security for the celebration. It was a major event, and any sabotage would have grave consequences.

Stronger figures like Shugin and Zieg were responsible for the overall perimeter security, preventing infiltrators from entering the city, while Wang Yu, Sharl, and the others were tasked with hiding within the venue to maintain order.

The message below that stood out from the others was from Sharl.

Wang Yu glanced down and saw Sharl waving at him. The man blended into the crowd seamlessly; though handsome, his slacker demeanor and slightly disheveled clothes made him look like a common tavern loafer.

Seeing Wang Yu look over, Sharl pointed in a direction. Wang Yu followed his gaze and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

Edward, dressed in plain clothes and with his appearance slightly altered to avoid recognition, was strolling around the perimeter of the celebration with Miss Sufang, a cat-folk whose tail and furry ears were swaying quite happily.

No wonder this responsible son of a Duke had asked for leave from Captain Shugin for the first time; he was making up for the time he usually lacked to take the cat-folk lady out to enjoy herself. It was nice. With the royal family and the Night’s Edge providing dual security, Edward’s absence would hardly be felt.

Rubbing his chin, Wang Yu thought of Avia, who should be packing her bags in the cottage on Red Maple Street. Once Garcia and Father Fang returned to the city, he would tell them and then depart.

The celebration proceeded in an orderly fashion. The nobles enjoyed their glorious moment at the banquet, while the residents experienced rare relaxation and simple joy in the bustling plaza.

The atmosphere was truly excellent, rich with the scent of life, showing Wang Yu once again the wonderful side of this world.

"Ha, if the whole city were like this, it wouldn't be bad. But how could it be? These are, after all, just appearances."

Shaking his head, Wang Yu muttered with a self-deprecating smile, refocusing his attention on the plaza to check for any suspicious individuals.

While other Night’s Edge members chose to blend into the crowd for close-range reconnaissance, Wang Yu had chosen a high vantage point, utilizing his field of vision for meticulous inspection—a task aided by the new alchemical firearm at his side.

With a thick barrel and a body nearly two-thirds the height of an adult man, it was loaded with heavy bullets the size of a thumb, tipped with high-strength alchemical alloy.

This was Avia’s latest work. Unlike the Furnace’s Fury alchemical revolver, it was crafted from common, less precious materials.

Yet, its range and destructive power rivaled that of the Furnace’s Fury, even surpassing it in single-target penetration and devastation.

Because it was ten times the size of the Furnace’s Fury, the internal heavy bullets were large enough for the girl to engrave three or more enchantments—such as piercing, explosive, and hardening—onto them. Most importantly, this weapon was a sniper rifle.

Though it lacked the intricate structure of modern firearms and suffered in stability and precision, the world’s unique metallic materials, proprietary runic science, and alchemical propellants more efficient than gunpowder gave this massive sniper rifle terrifying lethality within 3,000 meters.

Armed with this rifle and his vantage point, Wang Yu could provide effective strikes and support for the entire plaza.

The performances on stage continued. As the final court performer finished a routine mixed with magical light effects, the celebration for the new Council members moved to its next phase.

Members of each family walked onto the stage in a pre-arranged order, speaking of what they would do for the Kingdom of Alestler and the capital now that they held seats on the Council.

These were mostly platitudes meant for the residents and other nobles, though some families chose to outline their business arrangements.

For instance, the father and son of the Hahn family, who had died mysteriously after being attacked by a black-smoke humanoid upon leaving the palace after using Wang Yu, would likely have done the same had they been present.

Alas, they were dead, and the matter had been dropped for lack of leads. Much of the chaos in the city at the time had stemmed from the deaths of several nobles.

However, as the war intensified and the properties of the deceased nobles were swallowed by others, the chaos had gradually subsided.

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Wang Yu refocused on the plaza, watching the lively and chaotic crowd, his hands adjusting the aim of his alchemical rifle, alert for potential danger.

A noble finished his speech on stage and stepped down amidst applause. As another noble prepared to take the stage, he was tapped on the back.

The noble turned in confusion to see a boy of fourteen or fifteen, delicate and refined, looking at him with a hint of apology.

"Sir, may I go up and say a few words first? My father is temporarily unable to attend, so I am here to finish what he was meant to say, and then I shall leave. Is that alright? I will be very quick."

The young boy with gray-white hair and a polite, pitiful expression was indeed likable.

The noble didn't mind, smiling and patting the boy on the shoulder, signaling for him to go ahead.

After all, their statuses were considered equal, and nobles rarely displayed arrogance toward one another; besides, children were always afforded some leniency.

The boy bowed to the noble, walked onto the stage, and stood before the residents and all the nobles. He paused, lowered his head as if in thought, then lifted it, and with a faint smile, opened his mouth. "I think..."

.........

"Boom!" A dazzling golden radiance tore through space. The blade forged from the divine power of the God of Light, swung by Father Fang, severed and dissolved everything in its path.

The massive rock upon which the three stood in this strange space was split in two by Father Fang’s single strike, the cross-sections as smooth and flat as mirrors; it was hard to imagine it was stone.

"Hoo, hoo..." The legendary knight, whose body was covered in beast-like features, reappeared panting beside the legendary knight named Rhode, who harbored a black sun within, looking at the quietly standing Father Fang with lingering fear.

Too fast. With his physical prowess, and speed and reflexes enhanced twice over by the inner-sun on top of his legendary knight foundation, he had still nearly been struck by Father Fang’s attack without mercy. Had it not been for a last-second burst of battle aura, he might have been severely injured.

"Is this the power of a High Archbishop of the Light? It is truly unimaginable, like something out of a dream. You certainly possess the strength to fight alongside the two of us. My name is Galie, and you are the first person I have ever encountered whose speed can keep pace with my own."

Galie stared unblinkingly at Father Fang before him. This man exerted immense pressure upon him, even though he himself was a legendary knight.

He could not sense Father Fang's power, but judging by his performance, even without divine grace, Fang's physical capabilities were at least at the legendary level.

And once the divine power of the Light God was invoked, Father Fang’s speed and destructive force surpassed them both.

"What an unfair power this is. To gain such formidable might simply by believing in a deity—what does that make us knights who have climbed to the legendary realm step by arduous step?"

Rhode narrowed his eyes, his words laced with a hint of self-mockery.

"Before I held the title of High Archbishop of the Light, I was at least a legendary knight myself. Moreover, the God of Light is generous; as long as you are willing to acknowledge Him and your actions are rooted in justice, you, too, may receive His power."

Father Fang spoke calmly, and having forced back the legendary knight Galie, he did not strike again.

"Hmph... easy for you to say. You call your actions justice? Helping Alastair destroy our Seuintan? And now you intend to finish us off as well? What a joke." Galie let out a sneer of disdain, as if he had heard something absurd.

"Do not forget, it was Seuintan that provoked this war. Furthermore, even if Alastair triumphs, Seuintan will not be destroyed. I will not permit it, nor will the other kingdoms. Besides, I am merely containing you two, not killing you."

Father Fang’s tone remained peaceful and firm, not wavering in the slightest despite Galie’s taunts.

"Ha? And why do you think we provoked this war? Are you unaware of what Alastair has been doing to Seuintan in the shadows all these years? Blocking our external channels of communication, hindering our magical development—what else could we do besides start a war? Perish in silence?!"

Galie seemed to grow extremely enraged after hearing Father Fang’s words, shouting a demand to know whether the actions of this High Archbishop could truly be called justice.

"The choices you made were wrong. You could have disseminated this information through the Abyss Gate organization; those of you capable of causing such chaos in our capital would surely have been able to do that."

"Yet you chose only to go to war. I do not understand why you made that choice, but if I were to guess, it was for your so-called dignity of Seuintan?"

"I do not understand it, but I feel this was absolutely not the correct course of action. You fought for glory, but what of the commoners of Seuintan? The suffering they endure is merely because they were dragged into this. Who bears the burden of their pain? Did they consent to this?"

"Ending this war early is, without a doubt, the correct path."

Father Fang was not refuted by the seemingly reasoned and fierce questioning. His goal was clear, his will resolute; this was the guarantee that he had long remained unlost.

"But is there no selfishness in what you do? Is it truly just for your so-called justice?" After a few seconds of silence, Rhode asked his question.

"No, I have my own selfishness in this as well. But to borrow the first half of a phrase from a friend of mine: my heart and actions are as clear as a mirror. I am indeed biased toward Alastair; after all, it is the kingdom where I live, but I do not see anything wrong with that."

"Can justice tainted by selfishness still be called justice?!" Galie, who had been silent for a long time, roared again.

"I merely used the word 'justice' to express the convictions in my heart. All that I do is what I believe to be right. I have no intention of debating the definition of justice with you, but I firmly believe that my actions are absolutely correct."

Father Fang spoke indifferently, the corners of his mouth suddenly curling slightly.

"Besides, the God of Light is not so pedantic. He has never said that His followers cannot have selfish desires."

"..."

"..."

Father Fang’s final words left both legendary knights in silence. It was true; the Church of Light was such a strange religion.

They always performed "just" deeds, yet they almost never labeled themselves as justice. They simply carried out what they believed to be right with an incomparably firm conviction.

"You are an opponent worthy of our respect, and so we do not wish to exploit your sense of justice any further. We, too, believe the King’s actions were flawed, and we see the suffering of the kingdom’s people. It is just that we cannot bring ourselves to defy the King’s choice; it is our Seuintan tradition."

Rhode spoke slowly, the hostility and feigned anger gone, replaced by a sense of respect.

"Perhaps you are right. Please, Father, strike with all your might; do not hold back. Our purpose here is to stall you. The war between Seuintan and Alastair is not yet over, and I hope you understand that."

Galie also shed his mask of rage and madness, calmly stating his thoughts.

Father Fang paused for a moment, then nodded. The holy light around him flared intensely. After a brief lull, three powerful forces collided wildly within the space.

...

"This is truly a wretched capital. What have the Seuintan people paid for this war? Is all of this really worth it?"

Kevin followed the Alastair army into the breached capital of Seuintan. As they marched toward the inner city, Kevin witnessed the decay of the Seuintan capital.

An atmosphere of depression lingered over the city, and Kevin was certain this was not caused by the Alastair army’s breach.

The cracked ground and crumbling buildings were clearly the accumulation of years of neglect. This city had begun to decline long ago, perhaps shortly after the war with Alastair began.

"How terrible. War truly brings nothing good, for anyone."

Muttering to himself, Kevin watched as the Seuintan commoners, faced with the advancing Alastair army, either fled in desperate tears or brandished crude weapons in a futile charge, only to be crushed. He turned his head away, helpless.

An aura of despair hung like a dark cloud over the city, obscuring all other colors—gloomy, gray, and silent.

Kevin felt a sense of suffocation. The city was filled with a wordless despair, much like the border sanatorium of the Night’s Blade, desperately maintaining a facade of peace and normalcy while rotting from within.

Shaking his head to cast off these thoughts, Kevin began to consider other matters.

"Strange. According to Mr. Garcia, Seuintan’s utilization of faith in deities should be far superior to ours. If my memory serves, they worship many gods, so why haven't I seen them use any divine arts?"

Kevin frowned in thought. Seuintan’s performance in this war was quite odd. Although they resisted fiercely and caused Alastair significant losses, and their two legends nearly broke the Alastair army, their divine powers seemed to have remained unused. That was very strange.

"Captain Kevin! It’s strange—there is no one in the palace, or rather, no living soul. The ministers and the like have all committed suicide. Oh, right, we didn't see the King; he might have escaped!"

The words of a team member interrupted Kevin’s thoughts. He looked up to see that, unknowingly, the army had reached the Seuintan palace and breached it.

"Is that so? Investigate further. Actually, there is no need to worry about the King. Our goal is not slaughter; once we confirm Seuintan poses no threat, we can withdraw. We can deal with the rest later."

Not particularly concerned with the situation in the palace, Kevin remained clear on the purpose of this battle.

"Understood!" The reporting soldier saluted and went off to continue the investigation.

"Hmm, was suicide necessary? It hardly seems meaningful." Kevin muttered. He didn't think suicide was a good choice, but he had no interest in how others acted.

Some sounds suddenly caught Kevin’s attention. He heard murmurs coming from the roadside. Turning, he saw a Seuintan commoner clutching his head, muttering something, his body trembling incessantly.

Feeling a bit curious, Kevin walked over, wanting to know what the commoner was chanting.

"...God of, Lady of the Night Eunice, Source of Life Elfin, Infinite Greed Capus, Eternal Despair Sidney... I remember now. When did I forget the names of so many gods? How could this be? If, if I had remembered sooner, with their power, how could Seuintan have been breached... ah!"

"What?!"

Kevin was shocked. The information revealed by the commoner was horrifying. Those gods—they had been forgotten. Wait, Lady of the Night... what did this mean?

"No, no, there is still a chance. I feel it. They were one, they were always meant to be together. I, I, I remember now. My great Lord, Master of Fear, Hyberius, please descend! Our King shall be your vessel on earth, a kingdom of gods on earth. Please, grant me a place to stay."

Kevin’s pupils contracted. The commoner’s words were becoming increasingly deranged. What was he talking about? Something terrible was happening—he had to stop him!

He rushed forward without hesitation, but halfway there, he saw the kneeling commoner slump over and fall flat. Life faded; he was dead.

"What is that?!"

"The scent of the Void? It’s weak but spreading! And there is another power, not of the Void!"

"A Seuintan contingency?"

"That vortex in the sky—it’s astonishing!"

The voices behind him made Kevin stop. He looked up at the sky. A massive black vortex had appeared, dark and abyssal, expanding as it slowly rotated.

Something in the surroundings was changing. An indescribable aura was gathering and spreading. It was... despair? Tangible despair. No, it was fear.

Having once had his soul invaded by that black, viscous substance and eroded by fear, Kevin was highly sensitive to it. He could feel the aura of fear, now almost physical.

It came from the desperate Seuintan people. The fear born of their despair, anxiety, and panic was being drawn upward by the black vortex, merging and growing, making the vortex larger and deeper in color.

"What kind of ritual is this?!" Kevin watched the scene, his mind racing through possibilities, finally arriving at the most certain conclusion: this was a ritual, one the Seuintan people had been preparing for a long time.

The dead commoner’s final words seemed to reveal the ritual’s purpose: a divine descent, a ritual for the God of Fear. That was a fallen deity—how could it be Him?!

And the vessel for the descent—the King? But the Seuintan King was missing. Where was he at this moment?

"No!" Kevin's heart hammered against his ribs as a terrifying possibility bloomed in his mind. He snatched his magical communicator with frantic speed, desperate to warn the Royal City of what was to come.

Yet, it seemed too late. The vortex in the sky, having gorged itself on enough terror, shuddered once before collapsing inward. Within seconds, it shrank into a black sphere, barely visible to the naked eye, before vanishing into the ether.

"No!" Kevin let out a hollow, meaningless murmur. Why was he always left so powerless to stop it?

...

A fair-skinned youth with ash-gray hair stood upon the stage, gazing at the nobles below. He offered a smile and parted his lips.

"I believe that all of you present are beings who deserve to taste the grace of fear in the Kingdom of God for eternity."

His words were swallowed by the clamor of the square; only a handful of nobles caught them. The bizarre statement left them bewildered. They wondered which noble house this boy belonged to, and what nonsense he was spouting.

"Who is he? Which family’s brat is spouting such drivel? Is it that reckless Charles from the Lyde family?"

"I don't recognize him. It can't be Charles; the hair color is all wrong."

"Forget it. Let him ramble. This is just a formality anyway. Does anyone actually care?"

"True enough."

The nobles who heard the boy whispered among themselves, indifferent to his true purpose.

"Perhaps you are unaware of what Alestler has done to Sewintan behind the scenes. We have no desire to provoke war, but your actions have left us no choice. Even now, we have no wish to contest your claim to mortal lands."

"Perhaps you already deem yourselves victorious. That is fine. At least you will now be able to perceive my Lord’s Kingdom of God on earth more clearly. This shall be the continuation of our Sewintan. We will never permit another nation to trample our dignity; we would rather perish than change our allegiance!"

His voice grew fervent, his expression twisting, and a strange aura began to permeate the air. It was the scent of fear.

The nobles below began to sense something amiss, calling for guards to drag the boy down.

High on the platform, Wang Yu watched with a puzzled frown. What was the boy doing? Why was there a commotion among the nobles? He was too far away to hear what had caused such a stir.

"Wang Yu, take down that boy on the stage immediately! He is the King of Sewintan. This is a divine descent—stop him!"

The sudden communication left Wang Yu stunned. The King? A divine descent? This was madness, something far beyond any expectation.

Below, Charles was equally horrified. The moment he saw the youth on stage, his head felt as if it had been struck; a flood of buried memories surged into his mind—the Dark Tide Project, the prophecy, Unit One...

Before he could even process these memories, his body was hijacked. Using the communication device, he transmitted that message to Wang Yu.

Without hesitation, Wang Yu’s body moved even as his mind reeled. His rifle barrel drifted, locking onto the boy’s head, and he pulled the trigger.

"Boom!" A searing flash erupted from the muzzle. A heavy bullet tore through the air with terrifying force and speed, crossing the distance to strike the ash-haired youth.

"The Kingdom of God shall descend, that is the new Sew—splat!"

Like a bursting watermelon, the boy’s head was shattered by the alchemical sniper round before he could finish his sentence. A spray of crimson flesh and bone fragments erupted, and the spark of life vanished along with his fervent, unfinished prayer.

A special 20mm-caliber bullet, reinforced with triple enchantments, was never something a mortal body could withstand.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Wang Yu fired again, his alchemical rifle pulverizing the corpse until it was unrecognizable.

The sudden, gruesome display plunged the surrounding nobles and the citizens watching from the perimeter into a state of panicked chaos.

"Well? Was it in time?" Wang Yu’s brows were knit tight. To be honest, he didn't fully understand what had happened, but Charles’s message told him it was dire.

He didn't know if this would stop the so-called divine descent, but it was all he could do.

"Damn it!" The curse that escaped Wang Yu’s lips provided the answer: it was ineffective. It was too late.

Above the mangled remains of the boy, a pitch-black sphere emerged. The moment it appeared, it shot into the sky at an impossible speed, leaving no time for anyone to react.

The small black sphere expanded in the blink of an eye, recreating the exact vortex Kevin had seen over Sewintan, now manifesting over the Royal City of Alestler.

Then, under the gaze of all, seven chains shot out from the vortex at speeds impossible to track, extending toward unknown destinations.

The chains bypassed all obstacles. The first pointed toward the Abyss of the Fallen, the prison holding the "God of War" contained by the Night’s Edge.

The second plunged into the Stevenson Academy of Magic, where Wang Yu had once pushed the Source of Life into the deep void, tearing open a rift and diving into the darkness.

The third, the fourth, the fifth... the chains extended infinitely, seeking the gods who had been forgotten by the Sewintans but were now being remembered once more.

The targets of these chains were almost all Alestlerians who, for some inexplicable reason, had begun to worship a certain entity.

They were the victims influenced by the special artifacts Sewintan had once planted within Alestler.

Much like the metal spike and divine emblem Wang Yu had used to befriend the Goddess of Night, these people lacked Wang Yu’s unique qualities; they had become hidden, fanatical believers.

The seventh chain extended straight toward the Shadow of the Royal City, the base of the Church of Night. Outside Avia’s alchemical workshop, the Lady of Night, who had been sitting on her lounge chair, opened her eyes. A second later, a chain pierced her body.

The chain dragged her toward the black vortex with irresistible force. With lowered eyes, the Lady of Night offered no resistance; she seemed to have foreseen this day.

"So, I still want to be myself, after all... I am Darkness, I am not some other thing..."

The low words escaped her, tinged with a sense of liberation mixed with regret.

Yet, the next moment, a multitude of smaller chains extended from various locations, binding her. One was particularly unique; it had no source, acting like a nail that pinned her in place.

Before that nail-like chain appeared, the smaller ones could not resist the pull of the vortex, but once it struck, the black chains could not move her an inch.

Those smaller chains came from the believers Wang Yu had found for her behind the Royal City.

Whether they were the demi-human followers of the Shadow or the human members of the Night’s Edge, their perception of the Lady of Night was singular: she was a kind and benevolent goddess.

This perception was built entirely upon the fabricated scriptures Wang Yu had written, and it had absolutely nothing to do with Eunice, the former Goddess of Night.

The Lady of Night was herself; she was Darkness, not some Eunice.

The black chains tugged at her for a long time, but they were powerless against that single, nail-like chain. Finally, a phantom image was ripped from her body, and the chains retracted. The Lady of Night remained, looking up at the sky.

"Ah... thank you all."

She looked at her own hands. The "self" of the past, which had known no freedom, had been torn away. Now, she was a completely new existence—a free goddess?

"All who can hear my voice, please..."

This was the oracle of the Lady of Night.

.........

The seven chains returned, dragging their respective burdens. It all happened in an instant. Human souls possess power, especially those in the throes of extreme emotion, and despair is a potent fuel.

The energy driving this massive black vortex came from the desperate souls of every commoner in the Kingdom of Sewintan. This vast power made the ritual—prepared long before the war began—impossible to halt.

The process had begun and ended before anyone could even react.

The giant vortex in the sky began to writhe, stitching together the things the seven chains had dragged back. Just as the devil "One" had once told Wang Yu, they formed their complete shape: the God of Fear...

He had no fixed physical form; he was the embodiment of all fear. And now, the fear born from the despair of the Sewintan people had become his strength.

The sky plunged into darkness. Endless, viscous black matter rained down from the vortex. This was the God of Fear, the Unseen Covetousness, the Shadowed Terror. As long as fear existed, he was omnipresent, eternal, and unkillable.

"I don't understand. What the hell is the Royal Family doing, letting the King of Sewintan slip in like that!"

Wang Yu’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. Under his gaze, the God of Fear descended upon the Royal City of Alestler.

The pitch-black substance engulfed everything in a vast radius, dragging the souls of everyone within into an abyss of endless terror.

This was the Kingdom of God of the God of Fear...