Lord Dal sank into deep thought. He was pondering who that ultra-standard god descent ritual had truly summoned, while his true self seemed merely to have seized—no, freeloaded on—the opportunity to slip out.
Karen also sank into contemplation. He suddenly realized something: the dog at home was still hiding many secrets from him. For instance, if even its avatar could deduce and grasp the key points in this matter, could the dog itself have missed them?
Even if its emotions had fluctuated wildly for a time at the beginning because of its canine turn of fortune, after spending so long as a dog with ample time to think, it couldn't possibly have failed to review everything in hindsight.
It seemed his dog had only ever looked honest on the surface.
However, Karen felt no surge of excitement regarding the "implication" in Lord Dal's words.
The one summoned by that ultra-standard god descent ritual was himself.
Even according to the principle that whoever arrived first took precedence, he was the one who had seized the body of "Karen"; Raniedal could only rank second.
And this was by no means the first time Karen had encountered hints regarding his identity. It felt as though threads constantly appeared in his life at certain moments, linking him to that God of Order.
Yet he knew all too well that he was not that God of Order.
Even so, with these hints and coincidences mounting, Karen was compelled to give the matter serious thought and prepare to cross-check whether some common thread truly existed between himself and that former God of Order.
It was precisely this commonality—or points of similarity—that repeatedly caused his actions and experiences to "collide" with that most powerful existence from the end of the previous era.
There were three possibilities in total.
The first was that, like the God of Order, he walked the path of Order. Yet the world teemed with countless believers of Order; if living men were not enough, there were still the dead of the First Knight Order to make up the numbers.
The second possibility was that the God of Order, like him, had returned from the dead.
An early edition of Light of Order recorded: The God of Light awakened the God of Order.
When Karen had first read that line, he had wondered: what state had the God of Order been in before Light awakened Order?
Consider the period of "silence" following the God of Order's awakening. In the tales of conflicts between deities that erupted during that time, the God of Order was nowhere to be seen. In the ensuing divine wars and other major events, the God of Order displayed an increasingly active presence, with more and more deeds recorded and ever-stronger guidance exerted over events and warfare.
Ultimately, toward the end of the previous era, the God of Order's divine majesty reached its absolute zenith.
This implied one thing: the God of Order had continually been growing. It also indicated that what Light had awakened back then was not the God of Order in his complete form.
It might be framed more fittingly in another way: the God of Light had awakened a young man, who subsequently became the God of Order and founded the Church of Order.
The third possibility was that both he and the God of Order were people returned from the dead, and both had embarked upon the path of Order.
Karen sighed inwardly. It seemed he could no longer choose self-evasion on this issue. He needed to take the initiative to unearth more secrets recorded from the previous era and examine the commonalities between the God of Order and himself in detail.
This was not because Karen wished to take the God of Order as a role model, but rather because if this hypothesis truly held, the problems the God of Order had encountered might also be problems he would face in the future.
In fact, certain issues were already manifesting—such as the "hunger" brought on after being thoroughly ordered by the Throne of Order.
"All right, my matters can be set aside for now. Let's speak of yours," Lord Dal said. "You want my protection. Of course, here I can guarantee your safety and that of your companions, but I know that isn't all you're after."
"I want to reach the sacrificial altar—the teleportation array. I want to lead my companions safely out of the world within the Gate of Samsara."
"Ah, that edge location. I know it. That place was once the freight ladder the God of Samsara ordered subordinate branch deities to use when ferrying primitive souls into the Gate. You want me to protect you all the way there?"
"Yes."
"Impossible. I cannot leave this Scorching Valley. Rielsa is awake now. You should know how she will react once she detects my presence."
*I know. She marked me while slumbering and plans to kill me the instant she wakes up.*
Karen asked, "She will seek revenge against you?"
"Of course. I was frightened awake by her."
"You're remarkably blunt."
"Nothing to be ashamed of. The moment I woke, my priority was sealing off this area before having a meal. So, I cannot escort you to the altar in person. The instant I step out of this valley, Rielsa will surely sense my aura.
"Besides, heading to the altar now is meaningless anyway. Rielsa is almost at the door. Do you think you can teleport back right under her eyes?
"Once the gate is blocked, nothing will get out."
"Then all I can do now is wait?"
"Yes, that's right—wait. Either wait until Rielsa steps outside, or wait until Rielsa gets blocked and suppressed. Whichever outcome it is, it won't take long. You won't have to wait for very long at all."
"Understood."
"Besides, you won't be waiting in vain. Right after I woke up, I knew what Rielsa intended to do, so I dispatched a puppet to go take a look."
Lord Dal swept his arm, and a clear scene materialized on the ice surface ahead. Within the image, the towering female giant strode through the sea. Ahead of her lay an island.
"Ah, she's practically at the door already. The inner gate of the Gate of Samsara is actually on that island. According to the memories I consumed, that should be the headquarters of the Church of Samsara in this inner world."
Karen spoke up. "Someone will move to stop her from stepping outside."
"Naturally, there certainly will be. Even if the God of Order were to return, the other churches would do everything in their power to stop him. No matter the era, once enough time passes, the rules of the game become fixed. Whoever tries to break those rules will naturally face resistance."
"Do you think they can stop her?"
"I don't know. Most of the memories I swallowed pertain to the inner world; I know little of what lies outside. But no need to rush—a process with an unknown outcome is the most interesting part, isn't it?
"There's still a little time before she reaches the island. Come, let me invite you to view my collection. The body I'm using now is the first-generation puppet, hardly modified, so I'm just making do with it for now. But into this next version, I poured a great deal of effort."
Lord Dal snapped his fingers. A patch of dark ice ahead rose and cracked open, revealing the body of an adult male. It appeared to have been crafted through a special technique, though its facial features remained blurry.
Lord Dal looked at Karen, then at his new puppet. "Originally, I didn't know how to design his appearance. Just like the puppet I'm currently using—I couldn't decide on a face, so I simply carved a bunch of scars over it to save myself the trouble. Now, I have an idea."
The moment his words fell, the body's face shifted into Karen's likeness.
"Mm, looks much more pleasing to the eye this way. Don't you think?"
"I feel that using my appearance..."
"Are you truly that petty?"
*No, I'm just afraid you'll bring me bad luck.*
Karen replied, "No, I simply wonder if that isn't a bit too casual."
"I never thought about such things before, but now I realize that sculpting a face is the hardest thing in the world."
"Such a choice is indeed rather difficult."
"Originally, I intended to do some more detailed research—to dismantle each of you to see if I could piece together useful components or design concepts. Alas, that opportunity is gone now."
Karen offered a polite smile, his gaze drifting once more toward the three ice pillars, especially the two on either side. The Raniedals sealed inside them represented the past and the future respectively.
Suddenly, a faint doubt stirred in Karen's mind: *Did Grandfather's method also follow a similar theory?*
*His young self, his middle-aged self, his present self...*
*No.*
*It seemed to be missing a future self.*
...
The Church of Samsara believers within the inner world had completely evacuated their headquarters. From the Mourning Pool all the way to this place, Rielsa had advanced without encountering the slightest resistance.
Sumir stood high in the distant sky, watching the giantess's advance with utter calm.
Lango's figure appeared behind Sumir. He reported, "My Lady, everything on the island that could be relocated has been moved."
"Mm. Can you guess what I'm feeling right now?"
"Right now, you feel regret and heartache, but there should also be excitement and anticipation."
"Anticipation?"
"Because whether we resist or not, Rielsa will tread upon our headquarters, and the ancient ruins there can never be preserved. But now, Rielsa has the chance to pass directly through the gate and descend upon Samsara Valley.
"If Samsara Valley is also reduced to ruins, how wonderful that would be."
"'Wonderful' is hardly accurate. For a long time, the joys and sorrows of the two churches—inside and outside the Gate of Samsara—have never been shared. This is a rare opportunity for both sides to share an experience, enhancing communication and mutual trust. Taking the long view, it will benefit our shared commitment to the cause of Samsara in the future."
"You are entirely right."
...
*Roar!—*
Rielsa arrived before the island and let out a low roar toward what lay ahead.
The dark storm clouds above her began to spread, gradually blanketing the entire island. As the black rain poured incessantly, the vegetation on the island rapidly withered. At the same time, amidst the deluge, a colossal gate became visible.
The gate was not fully open, yet it was wide enough for the Mural God to slip through sideways.
This was the Gate of Samsara.
Yet just as Rielsa continued forward and her massive body crawled onto the island, that colossal gate suddenly faded until it vanished entirely.
The Mural God did not fly into a rage over this. She merely raised her right hand and made a circular sweep overhead; the originally red feather instantly absorbed an immense amount of black rainwater before she dipped it into the pool cradled in her left hand, saturating it with pigment.
Promptly, the Mural God began painting in front of herself with the feather, right where the Gate of Samsara had previously manifested.
Before long, a new "gate" was drawn.
The illusory gate seemed to resonate with the one that had vanished. Gradually, the Gate of Samsara materialized once again, as though anchored firmly in place, its doors remaining opened to the same angle as before.
The Mural God began walking toward the great doors.
...
"This crisis does not concern our Church of Samsara alone. If she steps through that gate, it will be a catastrophe for the entire church community. I believe everyone here understands the consequences.
"And I had thought this would be a mobilization that required no rallying speeches at all. I truly never expected that even at this hour, I would need to convene a meeting specifically to plead for unity and coalition."
Gatekeeper Romir spoke in an unyielding tone.
Around her stood twenty-one chairs arranged in two concentric circles, occupied by projections representing the orthodox churches and a select few large denominations.
Normally at such a juncture, even if full consensus had not yet been reached, the vanguard forces of each orthodox church should already have arrived.
Yet the problem lay in the fact that the moment they learned the deity awakening inside the Gate of Samsara was the Mural God Rielsa, the other churches instantly turned cold and indifferent.
Romir knew full well the reason for this coldness: in this rallying effort, the Church of Order, which was supposed to shoulder the primary coalition responsibility, had announced it was washing its hands of the matter.
Over the past millennium, the various churches had grown accustomed to the Church of Order stepping forward to organize forces and resolve shared public crises. That was the origin of the Code of Order.
The Church of Order had established its supremacy through sheer strength, but the reason other churches yielded ground before the Code of Order also owed something to that shared duty and obligation.
Moreover, the Church of Order had just defeated the Church of Samsara in war; its standing was at an absolute peak, and no church dared deny it face.
Conversely, once the Church of Order chose a passive stance toward an issue, the other churches had to consider whether being overly enthusiastic might incur Order's wrath.
It was never an appealing task to begin with. Fighting a god offered no profit and carried the risk of immense casualties. None of them wanted to deploy their forces, so they naturally preferred to follow Order's lead and acquiesce to how things unfolded.
Romir looked toward Cardinal Kred's projection and asked, "I wish to know Order's stance."
Kred had kept his eyes closed, as though asleep. Only several minutes after the question was asked did Cardinal Kred appear to wake, speaking at last:
"The Church of Order has never favored intervening in the internal affairs of other churches."
"This is no internal affair. This is an impending catastrophe that will engulf the entire church community."
There was another sentence Romir left unsaid: *And what of the Church of Pamires? Did your Church of Order not intervene there? You have infiltrated and controlled it to the core, yet you dare claim you do not interfere in other churches' internal affairs!*
Kred's eyelids twitched faintly. "The Church of Order believes the Church of Samsara possesses the capability to properly resolve its own internal problems."
"So, Order has firmly decided not to provide assistance? I do not believe this reflects the responsibility expected of the Church of Order."
"Then pray allow me to ask the Gatekeeper a question first."
"Ask."
"Very well. Tell me, who suppressed the Mural God Rielsa?"
"Does that even need asking? Every church's mythological accounts record it alike. The Mural God Rielsa prophesied the end of the God of Order in the form of murals, and in the end, she was sealed and suppressed by the God of Order.
"Therefore, the Church of Order bears all the more responsibility to step forward and resolve the descent of this evil god."
Kred nodded. "Then pray tell me: why is it that Rielsa, who was clearly sealed by my God of Order, is now awakening within the Gate of Samsara?"
"That is a matter between gods."
"Heh, that is not how this works. I refuse to believe that in all these years, no one in the Church of Samsara ever noticed or discovered this. Yet you have maintained your silence all along.
"This is equivalent to stealing a chicken from my home, secretly cooking and eating it yourself, and then, upon getting an upset stomach, brazenly demanding that I take responsibility.
"I believe that my Church of Order choosing not to hold Samsara accountable for stealing an evil god's seal is already the greatest concession and greatest support we can offer you under the present circumstances."
"Has the Church of Order forgotten who this evil god hates most of all?"
"Then by all means, let the Church of Samsara clear the path. Allow this evil god to walk out of the Gate of Samsara, cross Samsara Valley, and finally come before my Church of Order. When that time comes, my Church of Order will certainly act to suppress this evil god once more."
"Does the Church of Order mean to make my Church of Samsara shoulder everything alone?"
Cardinal Kred stood up, glanced around the room, and spoke:
"Of course not. In the name of Order, the Church of Order will assemble a joint expeditionary corps with the other churches. However, so as not to disrupt Samsara's own dispositions and plans, our church intends to deploy the joint corps outside Samsara Valley."
"Yet the true battlefield lies along the perimeter of the Gate! The people within Samsara Valley have not even completed their evacuation!"
"When something happens in one's own home, isn't it only right to take the initiative and shoulder the responsibility of resolving it?"
"Then there is nothing more to discuss," Romir said.
"Indeed. From the moment we learned that the one awakening within the Gate was the Mural God Rielsa, events were destined to unfold this way."
For a church, matters concerning its god took absolute precedence. Samsara had stolen the seal of the God of Order; had it remained unknown, that would have been one thing, but now that it was exposed to the light of day, the Church of Order could not possibly fail to respond.
If a church would not even defend the majesty of its own god, what purpose did its existence serve?
"Yet the Church of Order still has twelve youths remaining inside the Gate of Samsara as trial participants. If our church chooses to shut the gate entirely to hold off this evil god, there is no telling when those youths in the inner world will ever return."
"Whether we retrieve them now or not is completely meaningless. Even if we wanted to bring them back, it is already too late. In any case, there will ultimately be an outcome, and our church can afford to wait."
Romir looked around the room. "Do the other churches feel the same?"
"Our church abides by Order's arrangements."
"Our church trusts Order's arrangements."
"Our church follows Order's arrangements."
Cardinal Kred smiled faintly. "I trust the Church of Samsara will handle this crisis well and keep the evil god bottled up inside the Gate."
Then he added:
"For at least a day, that is."
Chapter 376