Grandfather!

Peide lay on the ground, staring at the motionless Karen ahead of him. He was anxious and tense. To a degree, his opponent had already defeated him, but now he held onto the hope of turning the tables through the soul of his eldest uncle. He believed in his uncle, for his uncle had been a true standout among the Church of Samsara's previous generation. Had it not been for an accident that led to his death, he would undoubtedly have been groomed as a candidate for the next Gatekeeper. Even so, the pendant on his chest was already swaying gently. Through this pendant, he could contact his grandaunt, as it was a gift she had given him for his sixteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony. Yet he was reluctant to do so. Venturing out this time to find a vessel for his beloved had already violated his grandaunt's strict prohibition. He did not want to disappoint her; though she had no children of her own, she had many siblings, meaning she had plenty of grandnephews and grandnieces to choose from. Behind Peide, the woman nervously clutched the tree bark with both hands. She was deeply worried about her lover, but she knew all too well that having just occupied this ordinary person's body, she possessed no combat capability whatsoever. Behind Karen, Ophelia's gaze darted back and forth between Karen, Peide, and the woman behind Peide. She was worried about Karen, but his repeated warnings not to intervene kept her from making any rash moves. She was fully prepared to strike immediately and kill both Peide and the woman should anything go wrong with Karen. Still, Ophelia understood what Karen had been wary of. That fellow named Simosen very likely possessed a sacred relic capable of transmitting messages, and members of the Church of Samsara were still staying at the hotel in the distance. Ophelia began mapping out her attack route: how could she kill that Simosen with the utmost speed, leaving him no chance to make another move? Perhaps... She could imitate his woman—act frail, bewildered, and helpless, walk over, drop to her knees, and beg him to call off the soul attacking Karen, only to strike at that very moment? A niece favored by Tafman was bound to resemble him in certain ways; she would never show a shred of mercy when mercy was uncalled for. After all, not long ago, she had watched with her own eyes as the heads of her two older brothers were severed and kicked around like balls. In short, the once-furious battlefield had suddenly fallen quiet. The fulcrum of that silence rested entirely on Karen. And Karen had already closed his eyes. ... All around was pitch black. Karen walked out from the darkness, bringing with him the sole source of light. This was a form of "inner vision." It did not even require a spell as a medium or guide; simply entering a meditative state was enough to clearly observe the condition of spiritual energy within his own body. As Karen stepped forward, the light upon him began to spread, dispelling the darkness ahead. Looking down from above, it revealed what looked like a grayish-brown stain. A middle-aged man clad in battered armor stood there. From beneath his feet spread a vast network of grayish-brown veins; he was using this method to crowd Karen out and seize control of the body. He had already been doing this for some time, ever since invading Karen's body. Yet now, as Karen calmly walked out from the "periphery," he realized that things had not gone as smoothly as he had envisioned. He had already corrupted a wide expanse, but when Karen's light shone outward, he discovered that the corruption he had wrought was like nothing more than a blemish on the skin. "I am quite curious," the man said. "Just who are you in the Church of Order?" Karen looked at him with a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You barge into my body uninvited, and the first thing you do is demand to know who I am? No nation's laws or customs operate on such logic." "Kangmo Simosen." "Karen Silva." "I want to know: were you deliberately tailing Peide, waiting for him to make a mistake and take the bait?" "Are you implying that my appearance was instructed by the upper echelons of the Church of Order?" "I believe that is a distinct possibility." "I'm sorry, but I don't think there's any such possibility. As the victors, why would our Church of Order go out of its way to target a pack of beaten dogs like you? "What we wanted has already been secured at the negotiating table. We have no interest in childish games—by which I mean entrapment. Hm, I wonder if you're familiar with that term?" "So tonight was nothing more than a coincidence?" "Yes." "You sought justice for that girl simply because you ate at that restaurant?" "Yes." "Just that simple?" "Just that simple." "It was my failure to properly restrain my junior." "No matter. Those whom Samsara fails to discipline, we of Order will discipline for you." "Fine, we concede. Peide will submit to your arrest and confess to his crimes. Samsara will provide compensation, and on his behalf, I promise there will be no retaliation against you. "I trust that, given the strength and youth you have shown, your standing within the Church of Order is hardly low, nor would you fear vengeance from 'beaten dogs.'" Karen said nothing. Kangmo spoke again. "You want to kill us?" Karen remained silent. "You have secrets to protect?" Hearing this, a smile appeared on Karen's face once again. "Thinking back, the outer flames enshrouding you during battle were meant to conceal something, weren't they? You harbor secrets, and you cannot afford to have them exposed." Karen said, "You know, the more you say, the less likely it is you'll walk away alive." "It makes no difference; you never planned on letting me live anyway. But if you wish to annihilate my soul, that will be exceedingly difficult. The resilience of my soul is beyond your imagination." Karen shook his head. "Not long ago, I annihilated someone. I doubt I will encounter anyone harder to kill than him for quite a while." The process of killing Bernard had truly been exhausting. "The space of your soul consciousness is vast beyond my wildest imagination. I cannot suppress your soul to seize your body, but expelling me will be just as difficult. If I so choose, I could even carve my spiritual brand right here. Do you understand what that means?" "What does it mean?" "It means tearing a gash into your faith and injecting impurities. It will clog your future growth and advancement. You have a far grander future ahead of you; it isn't worth casting a shadow over it. "Even I would mourn the waste, truly." "Well... heh." Karen chuckled. "I'm not bluffing you—I really don't fear that." Karen truly wasn't afraid of impurities, because he had long since turned into a grocery store of faiths. "Sign a Pledge Contract with me guaranteeing that Peide will be delivered to Order for trial, and I will withdraw from your body immediately." "In fact, I'd rather see how you intend to wreak havoc inside my body, or leave behind a spiritual brand as you claimed. I'm quite eager to watch you make trouble in here." "You..." "I'm not being sarcastic; I mean it. When your soul broke through the barrier of purification at the cost of severe damage just to plunge into my body, I was genuinely taken aback. I didn't expect you to do that. "I see it as a game, and I'd like to play—because for me, it's a game I cannot possibly lose. "This isn't mockery. "It's the honest truth. "In my eyes, the current you could never compare to that dog." Kangmo laughed. "I truly admire your pride and arrogance. It reminds me of how I was in my youth." "Do you honestly think that would make me happy?" "You have a brighter future. Stand down. Peide can become your friend. The war between Order and Samsara is over, and the negotiations between our two orthodox churches are concluded. Moving forward, the Church of Samsara might very well become the Church of Order's greatest supporter, maintaining close ties for centuries to come. "You can use a relationship with Peide to bolster your own future prospects, and in this relationship, you will hold the upper hand. "Besides, the Gate of Samsara will open next month. Given your age and talent, you will certainly be among the candidates chosen by the Church of Order. When you arrive in Samsara Valley, we will facilitate things for you, granting you greater opportunities during the trial within the Gate of Samsara." "Is that so?" "Naturally. Every term I've offered can be sealed with a Pledge Contract. Even Peide himself—he isn't stupid. He simply couldn't let go of his feelings, but he clearly knows what is the right and farsighted choice. As the defeated party, he won't resent it." "No, what I mean is: I don't even know how to get my name onto that list yet." "..." Kangmo was speechless. "I can tell you are a very wise and composed man, but I'm sorry—I have never liked negotiating terms with anyone, especially people who give me a bad impression. "You only need to know this: "That little girl's name was Laima. Her father had already accepted that she wanted to fly off into the distance with the one she loved, and he had even prepared the boat ticket for her return trip. But her father will never see her again. "So, I cannot negotiate with you, nor will I sign any Pledge Contract. It goes against my principles as a human being. "*Phew...* "I nearly distorted my views on marriage recently, and I know how awful it feels when your emotions clash with your principles. "So, I just want to hold fast to my sense of right and wrong, and follow the *Code of Order*." Kangmo looked at Karen. "Is it possible that you are simply too confident in yourself? My soul is fused with the power of Samsara. I have yet to exert my full strength, and you have no idea what consequences you will face once we engage in a true clash within this body." "Is it possible that the one who is too confident is you?" "Then there's nothing more to discuss?" "Nothing. I've already broken a girl's heart tonight, so I should at least do something for her—like killing the guy who uttered the word 'pariah.' "Hm, it just occurred to me that ever since I met her, she's always been the one giving me gifts, and I haven't given her anything yet. "A head from the Simosen family—that ought to be a gift of sufficient value." "What a pity. I truly didn't want to ruin the rise of a genius. Your future was destined to shine with boundless brilliance." "Alright, let me give you a little extra motivation. Do you know Talina?" "You know Talina?" "I do. Of course I do. I'd recognize her even if she were burned to ashes. Although I wasn't the one who burned her to ashes, I did blow on the embers from the side. "You know how it is—dust falling on one's shoulders is always unpleasant, and I happen to be quite fond of cleanliness." Karen saw Kangmo's eyes begin to redden, and his aura shifted. This was a soul-to-soul encounter; emotions did not even need to be "seen" to be communicated with absolute clarity. He was enraged! Very good. Make your move, and stop wasting breath. "It seems you have harbored malice toward our Church of Samsara all along. A genius like you cannot be allowed to rise!" Karen nodded. "Samsara is just a bunch of offal." Kangmo's form began to swell. More grayish-brown light and shadow flowed from him, expanding outward at breakneck speed, while he strode straight toward Karen. "You could hide your soul consciousness first. That way, I wouldn't be able to attack you directly. In a sea of consciousness this vast—one that even astounds me—finding you would be genuinely difficult." "No need to provoke me. I have no intention of hiding from you. I'm standing right here. Come at me." "Very well." Step by step, Kangmo advanced toward Karen. As the distance closed to a certain point, the ground beneath Karen began to elevate, as if flights of stairs were rising beneath his feet, placing Karen at the very top. The surrounding space seemed to compress, leaving only the flight of steps. "I can lower the difficulty for you a bit more," Karen said. "Even though you killed Talina, and even though you harbor malice toward Samsara, I truly admire you. I am sorry, but I must still destroy you." Kangmo began climbing the stairs, his strides resolute. Just then, a figure appeared at the edge of the steps. The figure was blurred; a layer of ice clung to his body, yet a ring of fire swirled around him. "A family faith system?" Kangmo frowned slightly. "Does it come from that girl behind you? Did you form a symbiotic relationship with her?" Frost capable of freezing souls and lava that could melt anything alternated across the steps. With each step forward, Kangmo either endured the bone-chilling agony of bitter cold or bore the searing torment of scorching heat. Yet he continued to advance upward with unyielding determination. "Perhaps you should directly summon your faith in Order," Kangmo said. "Even if I summon nothing at all, you still won't be able to suppress or expel my soul from this body. "But I want to see—if you leave behind a spiritual brand of Samsara here, whether I can make use of it." "Didn't you say Samsara was just offal?" "Have you ever had beef offal soup?" Kangmo continued up the stairs. At that moment, a pair of eyes manifested beside the steps. The Eyes of the Dark Moon snapped open, casting down light that pushed against Kangmo like tangible hands. Kangmo braced himself, refusing to yield a step. And those eyes began to sketch out an outline around them, as if a very rudimentary figure were being drawn to frame the eyes. It was a woman dressed in native Dark Moon attire. Her eyes were the Eyes of the Dark Moon. "Dark Moon?" Kangmo froze in disbelief. "You carry the bloodline of the Dark Moon!" Karen was stunned as well. Was this woman the deity of the Dark Moon? Did the Dark Moon worshipped by the people of Dark Moon Island possess a divine incarnation? Why was there no record of this in the island's canonical texts? Literary works on Dark Moon Island would compare the dark moon to a woman, but that was hardly a formal mythical system of faith. No, that wasn't right. Karen suddenly realized: the recorded history of Dark Moon Island was not very long, and its glorious period was even shorter. Yet the dark moon hanging over this sea had likely existed long before any civilization developed on Dark Moon Island. Thus, a deity of the Dark Moon did exist, but there was a gap in the faith system of Dark Moon Island. Recalling how the Church of the Moon Goddess wanted to absorb the Dark Moon into its own pantheon—had they known about the deity represented by the Dark Moon all along? Holding out against the pressure, Kangmo pressed upward. "If you don't use your faith in Order, you cannot stop my advance! I won't even need to trigger the brand of the Gate of Samsara!" Then, Kangmo's eyes widened in horror, for at the top of the stairs, a figure radiating sacred radiance appeared. "Faith in Light?!" The power of Light bore down directly upon Kangmo. "Samsara!" Behind Kangmo, the shadow of a colossal gate materialized. The two powers of faith clashed in contention, and Kangmo could no longer lift his foot. "You are actually one of the Light remnants! Hahaha, so this is the secret you wanted to keep! You're a remnant of Light hiding within the Church of Order!" Instead of advancing, Kangmo retreated rapidly. The grayish-brown light that had spread outward now shrank back at top speed. He no longer sought to fight. He wanted to pull out of Karen's body! As long as he could escape, even if he abandoned Peide, Karen would not dare harm Peide, because Kangmo held Karen's secret. A genius of Light, hiding within Order—heh! Sensing the other party's intention, Karen was in no hurry. If they were dueling outside, Karen might have found it troublesome. But the man had voluntarily entered his body; if Karen still couldn't handle him here, he would truly be letting down the dog in his house. And so, Karen closed his eyes. Just as Kangmo condensed into a halo of light, preparing to flee the body, he suddenly discovered Karen looming above him. No, more accurately, above him seemed to be an arched dome, where Karen's figure had become infinitely towering and majestic. His eyes slowly opened, looking down upon him from on high. A colossal, majestic black chain appeared and began to whirl. This was... the symbol of Order! Kangmo let out a roar. "How is this possible?! How could someone who believes in Light still possess Order?!" As Karen's eyes opened completely, the chain of Order flew straight toward the halo. The phantom image of the Gate of Samsara manifested once more, only to shatter instantly beneath the heavy blow of the chain of Order. "No... impossible..." The halo formed by Kangmo began to disintegrate into specks of starlight. ... At that moment, a change was taking place in the outside world: on Karen, who was standing motionless, the ring on his left ring finger suddenly flashed faintly, and a silver mask materialized over his face. ... High above, behind Karen, the figure of an elderly man appeared. He was very old, yet his stature was incomparably towering. The Ancestor Allen faith system had been borrowed by Karen through his symbiotic bond with Purr, but Karen possessed a family faith system of his very own. It was Diss who, through a blood sacrifice ritual, had transformed a church faith into a family faith system, one that resided directly within Karen alone. In the Inmerlais family faith system, Diss held the stature equivalent to Ancestor Allen, while Karen was the sole second-generation inheritor. The elderly man reached out, grasping into the scattering specks of starlight. Immediately, the dispersed specks were forcibly gathered back together, and a smaller, fainter Gate of Samsara was dragged forth. Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, the old man tossed the brand of the Gate of Samsara right in front of Karen. As casually as tossing a beloved toy to his grandson. Karen stared blankly at that aged silhouette, murmuring: "Grandfather..."