The grand hall was dominated by black tones, yet it did not feel in the least gloomy or dark; instead, it gleamed with an unusual, polished luster.
Twelve entrances led into the hall, each opening onto a path of black stone bricks that converged at the center. Each path was divided into left and right lanes, stretching a full three thousand meters in length.
On foot, three thousand meters was by no means a short distance, but embedded along the paths were circular, dark spots. The moment a person stepped onto one, there was no need to walk—it carried them smoothly toward the central area.
At that moment, crowds were moving toward the center along all twelve paths, while just as many were heading out.
Some held files, some held reports, and others carried nothing at all, having come merely to deliver briefings or answer a summons.
It was quiet, yet extraordinarily busy.
At the focal point of the twelve paths stood a desk.
Seated behind it was the current High Priest of the Church of Order, Norton.
He reviewed documents with swift efficiency, issued directives, handed down judgments, took briefings, and assigned tasks. Everything proceeded with blistering speed and meticulous order, leaving the twelve paths completely free of congestion.
Cardinal Kred ascended the steps.
"Greetings, Cardinal."
The surrounding guards all placed a hand over their chests in salute.
The captain of the guard was an elderly man clad in ancient, weathered armor. A buckler hung from his left arm and a short sword was strapped to his waist. Standing there, he resembled an imposing mountain towering before the grand hall.
He was Mobiten Benda, captain of the High Priest's guard, having overseen security for four successive High Priests.
"My lord, allow me to announce your arrival."
"No need. I'll simply go in to see the High Priest directly. Don't close the hall on my account—after all, everyone is here for business."
"Very well, my lord."
Mobiten turned. The buckler on his left arm released a beam of light, and a new path opened ahead, its flagstones gleaming with gold.
While the High Priest was handling official affairs, meetings above a certain clearance could have a dedicated path forged for them.
"Mobiten, if I remember correctly, your grandson is inside the Gate of Samsara right now."
"Yes, Cardinal."
"He must be an exceptional child."
"He is. He was chosen as the vessel for Lord Gaitanbert's return."
Hearing this, Kred's gaze sharpened slightly. "You could bear to part with him?"
"Whose child is not someone's child?"
Kred nodded. As the golden path fully materialized, he stepped onto it.
Watching the steady stream of people moving along the other twelve paths and looking at the High Priest methodically resolving every matter behind the distant desk, Kred couldn't help letting out a long breath.
"The High Priest's work really isn't meant for a mortal."
"Oh, is that so?"
Kred heard the voice and turned his head. Beyond the path he stood on, he spotted a small, secluded circular bar recessed into the floor, surrounded by rippling waves of water.
High Priest Norton sat inside. To his left was a cup of tea, and to his right rested a lit cigar, both drifting with white vapor.
An open book lay across the High Priest's lap.
Kred looked back at the distant desk where the High Priest was still diligently at work, then looked back here. A look of sheer shock instantly seized his face.
"You're right, Kred. It really isn't meant for mortals, which is why High Priest Rasma quit so early. Heh, have a seat."
Kred took a step forward. A ripple of patterns parted as he passed through a boundary. Once inside, he found himself enveloped in bright spring sunlight, standing in the middle of a gentle brook lined with lush green banks, fluttering birds, and white rabbits.
High Priest Norton closed the book on his lap. The cover read *Solitude of Dawn*.
"Kred, do you usually like to read?"
"My lord, I prefer ancient texts."
Norton tapped his temple with a finger. "Reading only ancient texts will rust your brain. I like contemporary works. Naturally, in your eyes, contemporary writings lack depth and the test of time, but I like finding a sense of freshness in them.
"The church can hardly avoid rotting the longer it exists, so I need to seek out these fresh thoughts and impressions to counteract the stale decay clinging to me."
"You speak wisely, my lord. If you give me your reading list, I will read them as well."
"Start with this one. I just finished it and was reminiscing over the brilliant parts." Norton placed *Solitude of Dawn* on Kred's lap. "By the way, the author hasn't finished the series. Since you're going to read it, don't forget to drop off some nalu at his house next week."
"Deliver nalu?"
Nalu was the secular currency circulating within Saint Antis, not point coupons.
"Yes. Don't give too much. He owes a large debt to the bank, and his current royalties are barely enough to cover the interest. The nalu you deliver should just cover his monthly living expenses. Remember, only barely enough—no surplus."
"Why is that?"
"Haven't you noticed? Most authors produce their greatest works while they're still broke. So long as he can survive, but not luxuriously, he will reliably produce outstanding work."
"So that's why. I understand. Rest assured, I will handle it personally."
"Heh." Norton chuckled. "Making our Cardinal run such an errand is truly a bit shameful of me."
"A cardinal's duty is to assist the High Priest. Your needs are my responsibility."
"All right, all right, don't be so formal. How did the meeting go?"
"I rejected the Church of Samsara's request to form a joint ecclesiastical coalition to resolve Rielsa's awakening. The other churches followed our lead and will offer no assistance to Samsara."
"It's only natural they follow our lead. Rather than paying a price to help Samsara, any sane person would rather stand on the sidelines and watch the show."
"My lord, do we need to awaken a sleeper from the First Knight Order? My recommendation is to make preparations early: select a commander who lived through the God War era to awaken at an appropriate moment, placing him in charge of any operational plan regarding the Rielsa incident."
"No need."
"No need?"
"I believe the Church of Samsara can resolve the Rielsa incident on their own, though it will cost them dearly. But that is precisely what we wish to see—especially this time, when we happen to hold the moral high ground to stay out of it.
"Of course, I understand and appreciate your prudence. But commanders from the God War era are an exceedingly precious asset to our church. Awakening one under these circumstances would be a colossal waste, not to mention disrespectful to them."
"My lord, but Rielsa's presence... if something goes wrong..."
"It seems the appearance of a god has indeed put tremendous pressure on our Cardinal."
"My lord, I find it difficult to understand. If even the emergence of a god brings you no pressure, then what kind of matter possibly could?"
"There actually is one. I just received the findings of an investigation. In a small country under the Sosteland Region, several contamination incidents were recently caused by a rogue organization of bloodthirsty aberrant demons. The region dispatched raw materials for synthesizing anti-contamination serums, which were supposed to be formulated by the local Inquisitor's office to purge the blight from the townsfolk. Instead, three Inquisitors secretly sold the materials on the black market."
"That matter..."
Norton glanced at Kred. "Are you wondering why such a thing landed on my desk? Or do you think it absurd for a High Priest to concern himself with the misconduct of two or three Inquisitors?"
"That wasn't what I meant, my lord."
"Kred, you are the cardinal in charge of military affairs. In the entire church, no one understands our martial might better than you."
"Yes, my lord. In my view, no single church in this world can match our Church of Order in military strength."
"And a god?"
"A god... is unfathomable."
"Would you like to hear my view?"
"Please enlighten me, my lord."
"The force capable of destroying our Church of Order will never be a god high above; yet those three ordinary local Inquisitors could sever our very roots!"
***
"What would you like to drink?"
"Is there actually a choice here?"
"This was my true self's resting chamber, after all. He stocked plenty of delicious food and drinks. What will it be? He has every sort of liquor—he'd never mistreat himself."
"Ice water."
"Heh, you know, when I offer you all kinds of delicious drinks and you ask for ice water, it really makes someone want to hit you."
"My apologies."
*So this is what Kevin feels every time he watches me drink water?*
"Fine, ice water it is."
Lord Dal picked up a cup and tapped a chunk of dark ice before him. A piece fell into the cup. With a gentle swirl, the ice halfway melted, leaving a mixture of ice and water.
"Here."
"Thank you."
Karen took the cup and took a sip.
It felt unremarkable in his mouth, but the moment he swallowed, a bone-chilling cold swept through him, making him shudder involuntarily. This ice was completely unlike ordinary ice.
"Your body is rather strange," Lord Dal remarked. "It looks frail, and it truly is frail, yet it possesses unexpected resilience. How did you manage that?"
"Elders in my family once tempered my body."
"Ah, I see. That must have come at quite a cost."
Talking about bodies was dangerous. Although Karen currently bore no trace of Raniedal's aura, Lord Dal needed only to touch him and send an awareness inward to inspect him, and the truth would be exposed.
Even with a changed label, it was still the same design.
Karen took the initiative. "If you'd like, you can inspect my physical structure so you can apply it to your new body."
"Forget it, forget it. I don't care for frail bodies. I'll just copy your face. Heh."
Lord Dal poured himself a cup of something resembling milk wine, then raised a hand. Two large blocks of ice rose to form two chairs. Sitting down, he gestured for Karen to do the same.
"I don't know much about the outside world right now. What state is the Church of Order in out there?"
"It is the greatest of the major churches."
"Oh, is that so? Hmm?" Lord Dal leaned forward with curiosity. In the projected scene before them, Rielsa stood upon the island, having forced the Gate of Samsara to manifest through her painting.
"It seems the Church of Samsara inside the gate offered no resistance whatsoever. That defies my expectations. With Rielsa facing no delays, Samsara Valley outside likely hasn't had time to finish its preparations either, heh."
"Do you think the Church of Samsara outside can stop Rielsa?"
"Kid, I know even less about the outside than you do. Aren't you putting me on the spot by asking that?"
"Holding a drink and watching a live broadcast just naturally makes one want commentary."
"Hard to say. The major churches today are vastly different from the past, both inside and outside the gate.
"In the earliest days, the soul creatures inside this realm truly possessed immense pride and ambition. Thanks to the first batch of souls sent in, there was a high proportion of powerhouses.
"So, if we take the present as a single point in time, the early Gate of Samsara was truly lively. Elites from every church, along with beings you could and couldn't imagine, were all gathered here.
"They weren't satisfied with remaining trapped in this world behind the gate. They wanted out, and they actually executed plans to achieve it.
"The Simonsen family was one of the organizers of that endeavor. Later on, they actually succeeded. Many families from inside made it out under the guise of trial-takers and established themselves, and the Simonsen family even became the royal lineage of the Church of Samsara outside.
"But once they were out, their stance changed. Previously, they were all pigs in the pen. But after leaping over the fence, they weren't about to open the gate to let the other pigs out—because they wanted to eat meat themselves.
"After that first wave of elites escaped, the world inside gradually quieted down with the passage of time. No one can withstand the erosion of years, and it slowly evolved into what you see today.
"This scene before us brings back the feeling of watching spectacles back then. Only this time, it's no longer the realm's natives trying to break out; the Church of Samsara inside clearly wants to use this opportunity to supplant the Church of Samsara outside, merging the two factions with themselves in command."
"I didn't expect you to deduce so much."
"If you live long enough, you'll find that everything happening and about to happen in this world is merely casting into molds of the past. There's nothing novel about it.
"Look, she's about to step out. Next comes the agony. Even for a god, slumbering here for so long means her body inevitably suffered the influence of this realm's environment. Leaving requires shedding a layer of skin."
"Was it like that for you back then as well?"
"You should put it this way: my true self left so many Voss family puppets here precisely to avoid suffering through that, which is how I came into being.
"Never underestimate the Gate of Samsara, and never underestimate those chief gods.
"Back then, the God of Samsara had conflicts with the God of Order, yet have you ever seen a myth describing the God of Order suppressing the God of Samsara?"
"No."
"Exactly. At the end of the last era, having conflicts with the God of Order without being suppressed was proof enough of Samsara's power."
"My understanding of the power tiers among gods is somewhat vague..."
"That's normal. When ordinary people look up at the stars at night, it's hard to tell which one is the largest, isn't it?"
"One more question..."
"Ask."
"Do all gods return in a weakened state?"
"You haven't asked my true self that question?"
"I felt that in terms of gathering information and perspective, you've already surpassed him."
Although Lord Dal had slumbered here, he wasn't blind to external information; otherwise, how could he have been startled awake the moment Rielsa stirred? Compared to Kevin, who had been suppressed by the God of Order and turned straight into a dog upon release, it was only natural that Lord Dal possessed broader knowledge.
"Heh, hahaha..."
Lord Dal laughed, thoroughly enjoying the compliment. But as he laughed, his face grew solemn, and his voice dropped low:
"If you were a hunter and learned that a desolate winter was approaching, what would you do?"
"Hunt more game and store plenty of meat."
Lord Dal smiled and pointed at the scene unfolding ahead. "That is one of the Church of Samsara's three divine beasts—the falcon Amisido, once the God of Samsara's right-hand helper in capturing the souls of the strong."
"It's still alive?"
"That is its descendant."
***
Rielsa turned sideways, her hand already reaching out past the Gate of Samsara.
Yet that hand began to melt at that very instant. Flesh sloughed away, blood evaporated, and the pool in her palm gave way to bare bone. Below, puddles of foul pus gathered.
Within the pus, unknown organisms writhed as if gestating.
Next, Rielsa's arm and shoulder forced their way out. But just as her head was about to emerge, a massive depression formed in the northwestern waters of Samsara Valley, and a gigantic falcon with iridescent feathers soared up from beneath the sea.
Its speed defied reason, carrying it above the Gate of Samsara almost instantaneously. The moment Rielsa's head emerged, the falcon dove, crashing down like a bolt of iridescent lightning.
*Boom!*
When the terrifying shockwaves and sparks cleared, the falcon's neck was gripped firmly in Rielsa's skeletal hand. She drew it to her mouth, opened her jaws, and tore into it.
The divine beast's agonized shriek rang out, instantly echoing across the entire Samsara Valley as its blood sprayed over Rielsa's frame.
At that moment, a cohort of priests in Samsara vestments brandishing wands began to chant.
The blood pouring from the falcon ignited into blazing fire, burning furiously across Rielsa's body.
Yet Rielsa paid it no heed. Still gnawing on the prey in her grasp, she swept her eyes across the land before her. In that instant, every living creature throughout Samsara Valley, regardless of race, felt a wave of absolute terror.
This was her designated... hunting ground!
Chapter 377