Descent of a God!

Karen looked at Gaitanbert. Ever since their first contact earlier, Karen had found it strange—why did this former guardian of the gates of the Temple of Order now give off such an impression of being fierce in look but faint of heart? This was precisely why he was convinced Gaitanbert was definitely not the Gaitanbert of old. There was no reason someone who had once held such a high position, executed vital covert missions, and whose likeness had appeared in murals within the church would turn out to be this sort of character. When communicating with patients, one needed to observe and analyze their psychology through language, micro-expressions, and minor gestures. In a soul-to-soul, conscious-level confrontation like this, however, those steps could be bypassed entirely, because their exchange right now was carried out directly through ripples of conscious intent. Gaitanbert seemed to have guessed a few things—such as what the method of ordering bloodline inheritances truly signified. And so, he was panicked and terrified. The timidity and helplessness radiating from him were unmistakable and raw. Karen even suspected that if Gaitanbert still possessed a physical body and were still in that lion form, he would probably be cowering in a corner like a frightened dog, shivering from head to toe. Even if he was not the true Gaitanbert, as an external consciousness who had entered later and occupied Gaitanbert's identity, he still shouldn't be acting like this. Karen couldn't help wondering whether he had been broken and domesticated by someone. Some people and animals appeared normal under ordinary circumstances, but the moment a stimulus breached a critical threshold, they instantly reverted to a completely different state. Karen spoke up. "Now, release your hold on that round shield." Gaitanbert immediately replied, "Of course." The round shield slipped from Gaitanbert's control and was drawn over by Karen. The chains of Order manifested once more, completing its purification just as they had done with the short blade. Upon closer inspection, one could notice a faint trace of purple clinging to the chains Karen used for "purification." "Ugh..." From the depths of his soul came another intense surge of hunger, and Karen's soul aura instantly grew far more aggressive. When people first fell into starvation, they tended to become volatile and irritable. Gaitanbert blurted out at once, "Whose inheritor are you, Great One?" Karen knew Gaitanbert had mistaken him for the inheritor of some supreme entity, much like Mavaglio, who had taught them the Black Prison Castle and was a fragment inheritor of Marchettini, one of the Twelve Knights. In other divine religions, this was equivalent to being the Holy Child of a branch god. The Church of Order had no concept of a Holy Child simply because it lacked branch gods, yet in the ancient system under the God of Order, there had actually been a branch god hierarchy that rivaled or even surpassed those of other orthodox religions—they merely lacked the formal title of gods. In Gaitanbert's eyes, only an inheritor who had received the unique abilities of those supreme beings could wield such terrifying means, and only someone like that could make an existence at the level of a Temple Elder leave a bloodline essence inside his body! Faced with this misunderstanding, Karen chose not to explain. Instead, he said, "Hand over the portion of memories belonging to Gaitanbert." Gaitanbert responded, "I can give them to you. Even though severing them will leave my soul fractured and terribly weakened, I only beg that you grant me a way to live." "As long as you hand them over, I will not kill you. I swear upon my loyalty to the God of Order." "Understood." Gaitanbert immediately reached out and thrust his hand into his own chest. Slowly, a glowing yellow orb was drawn out from within him. Karen watched the glowing orb intently. This was the very thing the upper echelons of the Church of Order needed. As long as he brought it back, the leadership wouldn't care even if Gaitanbert and Furnites failed to return. However, did this mean that with one orb already here, the situation on Furnites's side was entirely dispensable? Even if that was the case, a plausible excuse was still needed. Claim they were ambushed by the Church of Samsara during the contract ritual? That the two revered figures, in order to protect him and Muri, fought to the death against the Church of Samsara to cover their retreat, entrusting this glowing orb to them so they could rush it back to the church? Then why would the Church of Samsara get involved? They certainly wouldn't dare openly offend today's Church of Order. For the sake of this glowing orb? No, the Church of Samsara shouldn't know about it. Otherwise, it would make no sense why they hadn't taken it all these years, only to strike now. Furthermore, Karen had no idea what was inside the orb. By the looks of it, deciphering its contents would be exceedingly difficult and would inevitably leave traces behind. Building the event's motive around the orb without knowing what it contained was ill-advised. Then what excuse should he use? The Church of Samsara had already controlled the two figures and placed restrictions inside them. To deliver the orb, the two had played along with the Church of Samsara in the early stages; later, when Samsara noticed something amiss and attempted to intervene, the two covered their retreat, protecting Karen's group and fulfilling their ultimate loyalty to the Church of Order. Yes, that reason was sound, comprehensive, and thoroughly plausible. ... "Why is it taking so long?" Watching from a distance, Sumir couldn't help feeling puzzled. By all accounts, a soul contract ritual should not take this much time. Moreover, the one called "Karen" had clearly been bound by a keepsake beforehand, his soul suppressed in advance; it should have been far easier. "Did something go wrong?" Sumir frowned, unable to make sense of it for the moment. "Could escorting them back just be a pretense, and the Church of Order arranged this for some other reason? Did Gaitanbert hide something from me as well?" Sumir desperately wanted to find out, but she couldn't show herself directly. Nothing in this matter could bear the slightest trace of Samsara. Long having grown impatient, Thousand Charms began circling around Sumir. She cast a glance at it. This was a creature she had spent nearly half a year capturing deep within the River of Unjust Death inside the Gate of Samsara. It was conceived from resentment, born from deathly stillness, and grew by devouring the lost souls at the river bottom. It was still in its infancy, yet it had already displayed rare savagery and brutality. Once it reached full maturity, its prospects would undoubtedly be boundless. "Go inside and take a look." Receiving the command, Thousand Charms let out an excited screech and darted downward. When it reached Muri and Karen, it circled a few times around the two motionless figures. Next, it flew toward Muri's body. Just before entering Muri, it veered back, ultimately plunging into Karen's body instead. ... Gaitanbert's extraction of the glowing orb was exceedingly slow. He wasn't stalling on purpose; the process of severing something from deep within the soul inherently required extreme caution and involved agonizing pain. However, the hunger on Karen's side was already bordering on uncontrollable. Just then, sensing that things on his own end had reached a turning point, he said to Muri, "Keep an eye on him. I'm heading back first." "Yes, Captain." "Heh." Karen gave a soft laugh and crossed back through the mental bridge to his own side. The moment he returned, he saw the three-headed python still looming there. The two outer heads hung limp and severely withered, while the middle head was held high, the woman's face within the serpent's maw looking remarkably enchanting. Seeing Karen appear, Furnites said, "Release your soul barrier. I require replenishment of soul power." Her words sounded as though she were asking him to wash himself clean, light a fire, pour water into a pot, and lie down inside it. Furnites continued, "It is time for you to dedicate yourself to Order. Make haste. Once I return, I shall submit a commendation on your behalf to the church." Hearing Lady Furnites say this, the two snake heads on the flanks jolted in sheer terror. Forgetting their exhaustion, they cried out: "My Lady, you cannot speak to him like that! This priest is no ordinary person!" "My Lady, you are going to get us killed!" Furnites had been the brothers' final hope, but Karen had returned just after they awakened her, before they could even explain the situation. This left Lady Furnites somewhat... blind to the reality before her. Karen replied, "I don't want to die. I want to live." "To sacrifice yourself for Order is your glory. You shall be guided into the ranks of Order," Furnites urged. "Be quick. Do not delay." Karen activated the Dark Moon Eye to inspect the giant three-headed python before him. The two outer heads had withered auras, and their soul composition was chaotic and impure—clearly the result of consuming countless other souls. The soul in the center belonging to Furnites, however, was exceptionally pure, which meant her soul was genuine. She differed from Gaitanbert next door. Gaitanbert had passed down his memories generation after generation, whereas Furnites had preserved the purity of a portion of her soul all along. The problem, though, was that it was a little too pure. A very, very long time ago, at the end of the last era, Raniedal had come here to dump trash, and Gaitanbert and Furnites had been among that trash. Falling from prominent figures of Order to discarded garbage was undoubtedly a long story, but there was no need to delve into it now. What was noteworthy was that both had tacitly sought to preserve and pass down vital information. Gaitanbert had chosen memory preservation—in short, using himself as a medium to craft something akin to a sacred relic, the yellow glowing orb, and pouring his memories into it. Thereafter, whichever soul obtained the relic would be influenced by its bloodline, gradually aligning with Gaitanbert, acquiring part of his memories while ensuring the core message was passed down. Furnites had taken a different path. She opened up her body, allowing souls seeking entry and takeover to constantly invade, slaughter, and vie for her vessel. Meanwhile, she placed her own soul into a deep slumber inside, sustained by the subsequent possessors of her body. Yet neither had found an opportunity to transmit the information outward, as it was not until now that trial candidates from the Church of Order finally entered this place. The vast expanse of time eroded everything. The name Gaitanbert had become little more than a symbolic mantle worn by successive generations. The soul Furnites preserved here was like a cabbage: when the outer leaves rotted away, they had to be peeled off. Layer by layer, the soul grew increasingly pure, but in truth, it also grew smaller and smaller. She likely retained only the most vital fragments of information, having discarded almost everything else. People usually grew more mature as they aged, but Furnites had undergone the exact opposite; she had become increasingly naive. In other words, she had truly grown numb and oblivious to many things. For instance, upon awakening just now and sensing the dense aura of Order all around, she could only offer devout praise to the God of Order, giving no thought to why the church would ever sacrifice such an exceptional priest as a vessel. "Brother, I think she's really going to get us killed." "Lady Furnites, please speak politely to him! Plead with him!" Furnites ignored the brothers' warnings entirely. Seeing Karen remain silent, she pressed on: "The longer you hesitate, the weaker your loyalty to the God of Order proves to be! You will feel ashamed of your hesitation right now!" "I want to live. I don't want to die," Karen replied. "To become my nourishment is your honor! The church will hold a grand mourning ceremony for you, and the monuments will record your contributions to the faith! Now, show your loyalty—hurry!" "Brother, we might as well just drop to our knees and beg for mercy ourselves." "Lady Furnites, our lives are entirely in his hands right now!" Furnites ignored them once more and snapped at Karen, "Do not bring shame upon your elders and mentors!" Karen was hungry—famished. Seeing Furnites awaken earlier, he had initially intended to lay some groundwork, but now, that step could be omitted entirely. She wanted him dead, and she was actively urging him to die. What was left to negotiate? Nothing. No justification for retaliation was more legitimate than the other party demanding your death. Karen raised his hand. The next instant, the Fire of Light began to blaze, Ancestor Allen and the armored figure surged forward on the attack, and the Gate of Samsara expanded... Previously, they had merely followed Karen's standing order to pin down the three-headed python and prevent its escape. Now, Karen issued the command to slaughter it. "As an Order priest, how dare you strike at me!" "Look closely—I am Furnites, your superior!" "Are you not afraid of the church's punishment and the wrath of the God of Order?!" "Stop talking, please stop talking! You're going to get the two of us killed!" "Brother, I was wrong... I shouldn't have decided to wake her..." Furnites kept hurling accusations at Karen. Even as the Fire of Light incinerated her serpentine form, even as Ancestor Allen's arrows repeatedly pierced her soul, even as the armored figure struck her body again and again... She did not fight back. More accurately, she had long forgotten how to fight. She merely persisted in her naive, stubborn accusations, rebuking Karen and warning him over and over that if he stopped attacking and offered his body and soul to her now, it was not too late to atone. Even more absurdly, because the brothers had poured most of their strength into Furnites, control of the three-headed python had fallen to her, leaving the two powerless to steer the body. As a result, the giant serpent was now standing completely still, taking the beating. Finally, the snake's body began to crack and crumble. Chains of Order rose beneath Karen's feet, wrapping around the collapsing serpent form. A profound pleasure and satisfaction born of feeding instantly flooded Karen's consciousness. It took tremendous restraint for Karen not to let out an overt sound of bliss. This sensation was far too unforgettable, far too intoxicating. Even experiencing it once was enough to imprint it on his memory for the rest of his life. Karen keenly realized that he could no longer "orderize" others carelessly in the future. The toll it took on him was immense, and the available supplements were far too scarce. Even if he found one, he would have to make them abandon their physical form and enter his body as a soul. This feeling was very much like the girls standing at the doorway of a pastry shop, beckoning with their fingers and calling out tenderly: "Young Master Aisen, come inside and have some fun." Moreover, the sensation was this intense on the very first try. Karen was certain that if he indulged a few more times, he would become utterly addicted, unable to pull himself away. Anyone who had quit smoking understood the terror of having their willpower dominated and enslaved, even when cloaked in the name of pleasure. As intense as Karen's satisfaction was right now, the guilt weighing upon him was equally profound. The snake's body completely disintegrated, and the consciousness within vanished along with it. Karen did not gain any soul power replenishment from it, but he noticed that the purple marks on his chains of Order seemed slightly more prominent than before. This indicated that devouring while in a state of starvation could trigger an evolution in his chains. The method he had been searching for to sustain Old Saman and Count Rekar's awakenings lay within these chains—most likely once they turned entirely purple. Just as the chains of Order were retracted, however, a tiny gray speck of light suddenly appeared where the serpent's body had collapsed. Karen's eyes narrowed instantly. "A restriction?" A restriction had been placed inside the three-headed python's body long ago! *Snap!* Having lost its host, the restriction dissipated on its own. ... In the distance, Sumir's expression changed. "Wasn't it a soul contract ritual? Why did my restriction vanish?" Sensing that something had gone terribly wrong, Sumir showed no hesitation, decisively activating the other restriction. Failure was acceptable, but leaving traces behind was absolutely forbidden. ... "Done, it's done!" Gaitanbert finally extracted the yellow glowing orb, which floated into the air. Right at that moment, a gray mark surfaced across Gaitanbert's body. The mark flared brighter and brighter, igniting into gray flames that began burning Gaitanbert's soul from the inside out. "No, no, no—!" Amid a shrill, agonizing scream, Gaitanbert was incinerated. More than half of the exceptionally pure soul power released from the burning was absorbed by the round shield and short blade before Muri, while the rest scattered in all directions. Overwhelmed by the suffocatingly dense soul power, Muri was left dazed, his consciousness instantly lapsing into a swoon, as if oxygen-drunk. Karen had just been about to return to Muri's side to check the situation, knowing that if Furnites had a restriction inside her, there was no reason Gaitanbert wouldn't have one as well—especially given how heavily domesticated Gaitanbert appeared. Yet Karen found that the mental bridge had snapped. He could no longer cross over to Muri. Just as Karen was preparing to wake up and check on Muri in the real world, his gaze snapped toward a certain direction. The chains of Order before him, not yet fully withdrawn, lashed out in an instant, dragging a slender, pitch-black creature out of the darkness. It writhed and thrashed frantically. It was now full of regret—why had it chosen to enter this person's body, only to witness him "devouring" Furnites the second it came in?! "What on earth is this?" ... "Thousand Charms, return!" Sumir's summons received no response whatsoever. Her eyes locked onto the frail Order priest beside "Karen"—the one she had initially dismissed as mere dead weight. Furnites had perished inside him, and Thousand Charms had lost connection after entering his body. There had to be some secret hidden within that man! To Sumir, the plan could fail, and Gaitanbert and Furnites could both perish, but she was unwilling to give up Thousand Charms, for she still looked forward to the surprises it would bring once mature. Sumir rose to her feet. Just as she was about to make her move, her body suddenly stiffened, and she turned toward the northwest—the seat of the Church of Samsara's inner headquarters. "Why would the true body cast the Avatar Recall Technique at a time like this?!" Sumir could only cast a parting glance at "Karen" and the mysterious young man before transforming into a streak of light and darting away. When the true body awakened and used the Avatar Recall Technique, all summoned avatars were bound to rush to the true body's location without condition, forbidden from delaying for any reason. At this very moment across the world within the Gate of Samsara, numerous avatars of Sumir were converging toward a single location from all directions. A single question echoed in every one of their minds: what had happened? Inside the inner Samsara Temple, Sumir's true body stood before a radiant gate. Within the gate was her elder sister, Romir, the contemporary Gatekeeper of the Church of Samsara. "The worst possible outcome has occurred. I can already feel the trembling of the earth and an aura that chills my heart. I hope you outside the gate are prepared." Romir shook her head. "I am sorry," she said. "Faced with a god, no one can say they are prepared." ... At the Pool of Sorrowful Remembrance; The earth began to fracture, and the Pool of Sorrowful Remembrance detached from the ground, floating upward. Beneath the pool, an unimaginably colossal hand was holding it aloft, followed by a wrist... a forearm... an arm... A female titan, whose size defied human imagination, was climbing out from the depths of the earth. Blood dripped from every inch of her body, and wherever the blood struck the ground, it turned into searing magma capable of incinerating all things. The accumulated blood had already formed rivers of lava, spreading outward and melting everything in their path. She finally stood upright, despite being covered in wounds so severe that stark white bone was exposed in many places, and despite the desolate aura of death cloaking her entire form. Yet when she raised both arms, parted her lips, and unleashed her own roar at the world, both the world inside the gate and the world outside trembled in unison! The Wall God—Rielsa, had awakened!