Violence Governed by Order!

"Whether it was the me of the past, the great being once born from this flesh, or the me standing before you now, none of us were truly familiar with the faith behind you. "Yet I can sense that it must be powerful—despairingly so. Otherwise, it would never have dared organize an experiment so terrifying. "And yet, not all problems in this world can be solved through 'might.' "I imagine that is why you came here. "You do not want whatever is inside to spread outside, because York City lies not far away. Moreover, this place is situated within Wien's borders. You came to protect Wien. "In truth, I love Wien as well. I love this country's music, its poetry, its cinema, its customs. I eat a generous dish of bean paste with every single meal. "If I didn't truly love this land, I wouldn't have called upon others to reject violence. It is precisely out of love for it that I wanted to lead my supporters in building an equal society—so we could better nurture and prosper it. "I understand that you came to retrieve those two divine artifacts. Yes, I can sense what they do: they can gradually dismantle the seal you established along the perimeter. "It wanted them as well. However, because of the altar, doing so proved difficult for it for the time being. To that end, it made use of the chessboard's artifact spirit. In truth, she was not an original spirit, but a freak spawned by the spreading pollution—just like us, yet lower in rank. "You see, it is not as foolish as you might think. It knows how to manipulate and deceive. Naturally, the moment she outlived her usefulness, it crushed her without the slightest hesitation." This "it" evidently referred to the red-necked boy. "Yet you, and the vast religion behind you, have overlooked one thing. More precisely, you seem to lack any deep awareness of it. "You do not understand the 'god' you constantly praise, worship, and pray to. Even if you maintain meticulous records of that god, even if you carry scriptures of that god everywhere you go. "I majored in history at university. I, too, once sought solutions to our current problems within human history. But later, I realized there is an inevitable crux: lifespan. "Humanity invented the written word to record history, using it to offset the shackles of mortality. "Yet emotional perception cannot be shared across cold script. "I once had a classmate who was Katlan. "Seventy years ago, when the Wien Empire launched its strategy of colonial expansion, the people of Katla rose in resistance to defend their homeland. Time and again, they repelled the empire's colonial armies, preserving their independence to this day. "Yet when I spoke with that classmate, he claimed their ancestors hadn't understood the advancing wheels of civilization—that their ignorant resistance had denied his homeland the beacon's illumination, barring it from true enlightenment. "The Katlan history books clearly recorded the long list of atrocities committed by the colonizers. He had read them all, yet dismissed them without care. "His great-grandfather had lived through it and fought back; his grandfather had witnessed it in childhood; his father had been taught by both. By his generation, with no firsthand witnesses to speak to him, the written word alone could not produce genuine understanding and proper perspective. "Just like... you. "Did you think sealing this place would settle everything? "You underestimate gods—even a god that has only just fallen. "As long as she once existed, the horror of the mark she left behind exceeds anything you can imagine. "Once I have completely rotted away, I will no longer be able to suppress it, and I myself will become its nourishment. "It cannot leave this place, for I believe the faith behind you will ensure it can never breach this seal. "Yet it does not need to breach it. It can rest here in deep slumber, establishing resonance. "As long as Wien—or any other nation—still harbors supporters of Luther, people who believe in me, it can use the channels of faith to descend upon believers. It can project its power outward. "This will come at a tremendous cost. A full bowl of water carried outside might end up reduced to a single spoonful. But it can send out countless spoonfuls. The vast pool of pollution will remain here, unable to escape the seal, but smaller taints will blossom everywhere across the outside world. "It will wait, hoping the pollution outside gathers and returns here to rescue it. "It will do this. The moment it confirms it cannot break the seal to leave, it will undoubtedly do this. "So... "Even if you take those two divine artifacts away, even if you construct the most meticulous sealing system possible, you will still fail to confine it entirely within these walls. "This is the most terrifying aspect of the divine pollution you speak of. "One more thing: the concentration of pollution here wasn't meant to be this dense. The primary reason is that the faith behind you prepared far too much for this experiment—so much that even after it failed, the accumulated residue remained excessively rich. That is the true reserve allowing it to squander power recklessly and sow tainted faith outward." Having heard Mr. Luther out, Neo was the first to speak. "What about the timeframe? It should take quite a while, right?" Mr. Luther looked at Neo. "What do you mean?" "I mean, if it takes long enough—if it only erupts when I'm old, or after I'm dead—then it doesn't really have anything to do with me, does it? I won't be around to see it anyway." Karen reminded him, "Have you forgotten your lineage? Unless you commit suicide, you can outlive ordinary people by quite a margin." Neo blurted, "Oh, damn it!" Mr. Luther said, "The exact timing depends on when it falls into despair and makes up its mind. It could take a hundred years, or it could give up within a week and resort to the most extreme measure." Neo immediately turned to the red-necked boy. "Darling, you have to stay hopeful about life. Learn from me—never lose heart and go to extremes, all right?" The red-necked boy's gaze turned dark and sullen. Mr. Luther looked toward Karen and asked, "What about you? Do you share his thoughts?" Karen shook his head. "If I didn't know or hadn't run into it, that would be one thing. But since I already know and have encountered it, I must find a way to stop and resolve it." "Even if this calamity might only erupt after your death?" Karen answered, "Immediate difficulties certainly tempt people to disregard the future, but without foresight, the problems before us can never truly be resolved." Mr. Luther nodded. "I am very pleased with this answer—no, with many of your answers. It gives me the impression that while I am still groping in the dark, you already hold a clear answer in your heart. "Or rather, I am searching, while you... are verifying? "Is that how it is?" Karen offered no answer. Mr. Luther asked again, "Did he once provide guidance? Did he once... succeed?" Karen remained silent. Mr. Luther pressed on, "Is he a god?" Karen spoke: "No. He does not like others treating him as a god." Mr. Luther fell silent. Soon after, he raised a hand with great effort. "I cannot hold out much longer. Because this body gave birth to her, her fall means I will inevitably continue to rot away. "I dislike calling it a dog, but now, before I completely decay, I must find someone to hold its leash. Only then will the most extreme calamity be averted." Mr. Luther then looked toward Neo and smiled faintly. "I apologize. Does such a reward disappoint you?" Neo clapped his hands together hard and said excitedly, "No, this is the finest reward in the world!" "Heh, you truly loved your wife." "Please stop digging through my past, would you? Besides, what I feel most toward my wife is guilt." "Without deep love, how could truly profound guilt ever take root?" "Fine, fine. Regardless, I accept your reward. Let me stay behind and hold this leash, heh." "However, you are unsuitable." "I'm unsuitable?" Neo pointed at his own face. "Do you know what my moniker is?" "Hound. An old hound who never gives up." "Damn it, I told you to stop digging, and you still did!" "Staying here does not mean death. You would not even be permitted to die. Therefore, the end you seek does not exist here. Given enough time, you would become another form of existence—one where you couldn't commit suicide even if you wanted to. Do you understand?" Neo pointed at himself, then at Karen. "There are only two candidates here. If I'm unsuitable, does that mean he is?" "He, too, is actually unsuitable," Mr. Luther said. "As I told you, he is healthier than I am." "Heheheh..." Neo chuckled. "Right, that's the second time you've used the word 'healthy.' I wanted to laugh the first time I heard it, but I held it in. Now I can't help it." "His pollution is thicker than mine, and more orderly. Perhaps initially, this body was healthier than his, but the moment I was 'born,' I had already begun to rot. It is irreversible." "I'm not suitable, he's not suitable—so among all those people earlier, wasn't there anyone suitable?" "I have no room to choose. Truly, the best choice would be to have a genuinely devoted believer take my place on this seat. That way, they could hold out longer—long enough that perhaps future generations might find a way to resolve this place's problem. "Yet had it not sought to negotiate with you, and had you not seized the opportunity to injure it, I wouldn't even be able to temporarily suppress it to speak with you like this. "You were not chosen by me; you are more like an arrangement forced by reality." "What I want to know is, if we hadn't attacked it, what would you have done?" Mr. Luther answered honestly, "Nothing. I would have sat here waiting for the pollution to erupt." "That..." "At least now, I have been granted a new choice. Therefore, I apologize, but I am not asking for your consent. I will select one of you to take my place. Cough, cough..." Within the rotting flesh on Mr. Luther's chest, the crystal squirmed slightly. "Take it. Stay here, and keep it in check." "Pick me, then. You said it yourself: neither of us is suitable. Besides, you don't need to apologize for not asking our consent." Neo took a few steps forward, ignoring the red-necked boy baring its teeth at him from the ground. "I originally thought you had other motives, Mr. Luther. With all these twists and turns, I figured you were harboring some hidden scheme. But you've disappointed me." After all, surrendering that crystal meant giving up everything. One could only imagine the immense significance of a godhead fragment to a temple elder. Thus, Mr. Luther was not lying. Mr. Luther was amused by Neo. "Though I said the previous me and the current me are not the same person, there has always been an obsession—or perhaps a conviction—in my heart: I refuse to disgrace or tarnish the previous me." "I understand you. So hand the leash to me. Rest assured, I'm a Wien native; that kid is a foreigner." "A foreigner?" "Yes, and his least favorite food is Wien bean paste. Tell me, could you ever believe a foreigner who dislikes Wien bean paste would sincerely protect Wien?" "What you say makes good sense." "Right? So pick me. If you choose him, you'll likely end up layering pollution upon pollution. You said yourself that you can't see through him. That has nothing to do with your eyesight—you simply cannot comprehend him. Think how terrifying that is, with so many unknowns!" "Even so, I still wish to choose him." "Why?" Neo found it utterly incomprehensible. "The reason I choose him is that I dare not choose you." "My will is actually quite steadfast." "I fear your steadfastness. I worry that one day when you grow bored, you will take it out on a walk of your own accord, just looking for amusement." Neo was speechless. Mr. Luther looked toward Karen. "It is not that I chose you; I am forcing you. You cannot resist me here. Though I do not know how to fight, I can sense your weakness." Karen replied, "I understand." "Furthermore, I wish to see what you spoke of—violence governed by order." "Before that, I want to ask: once I agree, will my people be allowed to leave safely?" "That will depend on the outcome of your negotiations with it. Perhaps you can persuade it; naturally, you may also suppress it." "Hey, hey, hey! He can't stay here, and he can't fall here! Mr. Luther, his background isn't simple!" "I believe people should be equal. Mr. Karen, what do you think?" "You are correct." "Are equality in personhood and equality in practical circumstances the same thing, Mr. Luther? If you dare choose him to stay here, you will regret it! When the time comes, an old man will march down here and overturn everything!" "Will that truly happen?" "Of course! He isn't an orphan; he has a happy family, and he has a fiancée—he isn't even married yet! Most importantly, he has a grandfather who dotes on him dearly!" "Yet by that time, I will already be dead. Isn't that what you said, Mr. Neo?" "He just saved me, so now it's my turn to save him! Mr. Luther, you'd better choose me! I brought him into this line of work, and I'm his old superior. It makes no sense for me to walk out scot-free while leaving him here forever to rot and lose his mind!" Mr. Luther shook his head. "Fate gave me no choices. Therefore, I have no choices to give you." "Are you trying to force my temper?" Neo clenched his fists. "Do you think I won't flip the table on you right here and now?" At those words, Mr. Luther called softly, "Child." The red-necked boy raised his head at once, unleashing a fierce snarl at Neo. Mr. Luther smiled. "My apologies. The pollution here is simply too thick. Light cannot penetrate, nor can blood permeate." "I can only assume you're angry with him." "Yes, I admit it." Mr. Luther stood from his chair. Below the neck, his entire body squirmed across large swathes. The decaying matter resembled thick black petroleum, dripping down only to be pulled back up continuously, possessed of distinct vitality. This was a body once used by a god. His flesh was where the greatest portion of the pollution was preserved. The red-necked boy stared at Mr. Luther, greed and longing shining in its eyes. Mr. Luther extended his hand—if it could still be called a hand. The black liquid stretched outward, slowly reaching toward Karen. "Let's run," Neo said. "Don't believe his nonsense." Karen replied, "He is telling the truth." "So what do you intend to do? Deliberately sacrifice yourself to save the rest of us? Do you want to experience the grand thrill of soaring into the heavens with a whoosh?" Karen shook his head. "You'll regret this, Karen." Karen let out a sigh. "I already regret it now." "Good, as long as you regret it! We can still fight back!" "However, I was the one who put my name on the roster. If I hadn't acted so impulsively that day and added my name, none of this would have happened today. I don't care for the drama of sacrificing one person to save the collective either—I find it terribly cliché. "Yet there is no helping it. Cliché or not, such is life." Neo took a deep breath. Just as he moved to take action, he found a membrane blocking him all around his body. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Damn it all!" Mr. Luther stepped before Karen. "In truth, I do have selfish motives. Ever since I was born, I have endured agonizing pain. I longed for someone to take my place, and I longed to hand this burden over. I agree with Mr. Neo's words: once dead, I can pretend I never saw any of it. "Still, you are far quieter than I imagined. Could you tell me why?" "Because I am so hungry that I lack the strength to struggle, or even to speak." "Heh, a wonderful answer. Then let us begin." Mr. Luther's hand finally touched Karen's face. Layers of black lines spread across Karen's skin like a spiderweb. "You believers love to preach your god's teachings. Tell me, Mr. Karen, in a situation like today's, did your god ever teach you what to do?" "Unfortunately, you have never read the Light of Order. The God of Order, who founded our faith, once personally trampled the God-Burial Grounds flat." "The God-Burial Grounds?" "A place where countless beings like you fell." "Oh heavens, what a terrifying place. What a pity. If given another chance, I wouldn't start by reading the newspapers—I would definitely read your religion's scriptures first. "Even so, I believe the god you revere will be proud of what you do today." "You need not say that. Such words bring me no comfort." "Very well. My apologies." The black patterns continued to spread. They not only entered Karen's body, but also seeped into his soul. The process did not take long. Mr. Luther's body almost entirely merged with Karen's. Now his head hovered just above Karen's, as if Karen were carrying him on his back, while Luther's form draped over him like a black raincoat meant to ward off a downpour. Karen turned his head toward the red-necked boy and said, "Now, withdraw the pollution outside and let my companions leave." A look of absurdity crossed the red-necked boy's face. It found the demand ridiculous: on what basis did this human think he could order it around? Karen continued, "You know full well that if Mr. Luther remained seated here, he would never agree to let you out. But if I take his seat, things will be different. Perhaps everything I said earlier was against my true feelings, spoken only because I couldn't control the situation. At the very least, you gain another option." The red-necked boy merely sneered. "Mr. Luther, please pause for a moment." Mr. Luther stopped. Karen looked away from the boy and said calmly, "Release them." The red-necked boy's gaze deepened. It raised a hand and made a grasping motion. Mr. Luther spoke: "The perimeter pollution has been withdrawn. That group has already been teleported away." Karen turned toward Neo. "Mr. Luther, release his restraint." "Very well." Neo regained his freedom. He licked his lips, said nothing, and transformed into a swarm of bats, flying outward at top speed. After waiting a moment longer, Mr. Luther said, "He is out as well." "Is everyone out?" "Not all. One person refused to leave—a man wearing a mask." "No need to mind him." "All right. Shall we continue?" "Proceed." "Once again, I apologize, Mr. Karen. You must formally bid farewell to your past." Karen took a deep breath and nodded. "I tried to find some grand sense of self-sacrifice to move myself, but I failed. I find I cannot do it at all right now." "That is perfectly normal. Emotional resonance is a response bestowed from without." "No, it's that you cannot expect a starving person to care about anything else before eating. It is all superfluous." "I quite like your metaphor, Mr. Karen." "It isn't a metaphor." "Farewell, Mr. Karen." "Farewell, Mr. Luther." The red-necked boy slowly stood up, its eyes filled with anticipation and mockery. Hum! In an instant, all the darkness burrowed into Karen's body. Karen felt his vision abruptly expand. Everything in the laboratory, everything in the tunnels, and everything around the perimeter of the cavern flooded frantically into his consciousness. An aura of decay and depravity began manifesting across his form. The bodily defense constructed by Raniedal showed signs of collapse for the very first time, and the Dark Moon Bone began to detach. Collapsing alongside it was his soul. Before this overwhelming, concentrated divine pollution, his body and soul—no, the very nature of his existence—were being redefined. Karen's consciousness was being stretched and magnified infinitely. If he had previously been a solid bar of chocolate, he was now like chocolate dropped into a cup of boiling water, dissolving at terrifying speed. "Ah..." Karen let out a cry. He wasn't even certain whether the sound had truly formed; he could only perceive a faint ripple stirring the air. There was no sensation of pain, for pain had shifted into a mode of expression unfamiliar to him. His body began melting and flaking away in earnest. From within, sands of other colors began to spill out—grains that could never be seen under normal circumstances, yet now revealed their presence amidst this immersion in pure divine pollution. *** "Woof!" "What is it, dumb dog? Barking in the middle of the night for no reason?" Kevin ignored Purr's words. It turned toward the window, looked up at the moon, and began clawing frantically at the floor in disbelief. "Did something happen to Karen, dumb dog?" Kevin still didn't respond. Instead, it curled into the corner, trembling. Panic, fear, reminiscence, and... yearning flickered in its canine eyes. *** Within the sacrificial hall on Dark Moon Island, the islanders were conducting their morning prayers. Suddenly, someone noticed something and gasped. Cries of alarm broke out across the chamber as everyone looked up in terror. The dark moon above... had developed a crack. *** Inside the soul space, a foul, black tide surged violently. Thousand Phantoms flew about madly, trying to evade the encroaching waters, while other constructs were swiftly engulfed and crushed by the raging torrent. To Thousand Phantoms, this was nothing short of an apocalypse. It had never anticipated that the belly full of "earth" it had just devoured might be its final supper. It fought desperately to fly higher, striving to buy as much time as possible. Even if it was doomed to drown, it wanted to be the last to go! *** "Dumb dog, hey, dumb dog!" Purr jumped onto Kevin and clawed at it. The cat was certain the dumb dog had sensed something, and that it had to do with Karen. "Meow!" Suddenly, Purr froze, staring at its paws in shock. "The symbiosis contract... vanished?" Purr clutched its head between its paws. "What kind of power could possibly dissolve a symbiosis contract?" Thud! Little Kanna, who had been sleeping in bed, rolled onto the floor. Sitting up in dazed bewilderment, she looked at Purr and said, "The master-servant contract... is gone." *** Allen Manor, Patriarch's Study. Ever since the family had returned to the right track, Old Anderson had come to this study almost every day to converse with the ancestral portraits. In the past, he had felt too ashamed to visit, but now, it was his happiest pastime. "Rest assured, ancestors, the family members now..." Clatter! The portrait of Progenitor Allen hanging directly above the desk crashed down. *** Samsara Valley. Before the Gate of Samsara, the bones left behind from the previous battle had not yet been fully cleared away. Every day, many laborers toiled here alongside monster beasts excavating and hauling debris. Suddenly, the Gate of Samsara shuddered. Human laborers, priests, monster beasts, and undead creatures all froze. They wondered if they had misheard, yet felt an unsettling uncertainty. *** Temple of Order. Within a shrine situated upon a distant star, the Scythe of War enshrined there suddenly shifted its orientation. "What is happening? Has a war broken out somewhere, drawing upon the power of the Scythe of War?" *** Luojia City, Mink Street. Inside the church, the old priest was sipping his homemade wine alongside slices of cured meat, just as he always did. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he appeared instantly out on the street, directly facing No. 13. Though he did not enter the house, he could sense the old man lying in bed slowly raising his palm. "Damn it, Diss! The time for the final battle hasn't arrived yet! My godhead fragment hasn't even finished condensing! Are you insane? What in the world are you doing?!" Rasma looked as though he had seen a ghost. This was the first time since he moved to Mink Street that the old man he was "watching over" had reacted so violently. Then, as a thought struck him, Rasma cursed, "Damn it all... Don't tell me that kid Karen is dying!" *** Holy See of Order. High Priest Norton was handling official affairs in the grand office when every strip of light leading to his station abruptly went dark. Mobiten immediately led the guards inside, evacuating all personnel. An absolute defense array activated, enclosing the High Priest's station and completely severing it from the outside world. "Cough, cough..." The quill in the High Priest's hand snapped under his grip. He demanded in disbelief, "What are you so excited about? You were already successfully suppressed by me!" "Heheheh... Heheheh..." A smile crept onto the corners of the High Priest's lips, accompanied by chuckling. The mark between his eyebrows suddenly flared to life. The High Priest thrust the broken quill directly into it, finally forcing the terrifying impulse back down. Yet the High Priest's expression remained gravely solemn. In his ears, trailing off into the distance, he still heard Tyrannus's voice: "The first... returns... The first... returns... God..." *** The cavern. Karen's body had been completely engulfed in blackness. All surrounding pollution continued converging toward him. The red-necked boy stood up, a smile spreading across its face like a victor watching prey step into the snare. It stepped slowly toward Karen, its body dissolving into halos of red and purple light—purple representing faith, and red representing wrath. The next instant, those beams sank entirely into Karen's form. Along the cavern's perimeter, the array masters responsible for maintaining the seal cried out in unison, exchanging stunned glances. Just a moment ago, the pollution their array had been resisting suddenly seemed to have been completely drained away. *** Soul consciousness space. This realm had transformed into a foul, stench-filled ocean. Upon this ocean rose an elevated platform. Karen knelt there, completely motionless. Beside Karen stood Mr. Luther, his suit cleansed of black rot. At this moment, he looked just as he had when heading out to give a campaign speech—relaxed, radiant, and sunny. Yet he was also filled with guilt. His existence was fading; his silhouette was growing increasingly faint. His torment was coming to an end, while the young man before him would take his place, shouldering the agonizing burden for eternity. Mr. Luther wanted terribly to comfort Karen, but he could no longer manage even that. Amidst the gentle churning of the foul seawater, the red-necked boy stepped forth. Around its neck, where the crystal had been, a silver collar had formed. The other end was anchored before Karen, taking the shape of another crystal. Two crystals, holding each other in check, functioning like a dog's leash. "Karen, pick it up quickly! You must use it to suppress him!" "Karen, wake up! Remember what you came here to do!" "Karen, if you do not awaken now, it will seize total control of this place and devour you! The pollution will inevitably erupt across Wien!" "Karen, wake up! I know you can hear me!" No matter how desperately Mr. Luther shouted, Karen remained prostrated with both hands against the ground, utterly still. The red-necked boy stepped forward with a cruel sneer. Bending down, it picked up the crystal from the floor and shattered it in its grip! Crack! Crack! A cascade of shattering sounds rang out. The chain bound around the hound, the restraint that had suppressed its ferocious nature, finally snapped completely. Mr. Luther, now mostly transparent, lowered his arms in dejection. He laughed bitterly at himself. "I am sorry, Karen. It seems... I chose the wrong person." "Heheheheh..." The red-necked boy's laughter turned wild and unbridled. Even it hadn't expected freedom to come so easily, with so little effort! From this day forth, no one could suppress it, no one could lecture it. It could finally unleash its nature to its heart's content, doing whatever it pleased. Opening its palm, it allowed the sparkling dust to drift down before Mr. Luther's eyes, mocking him: "You... can no longer... control... me..." The words had barely left its mouth when the platform amidst the foul ocean began rising rapidly. This development caught both the red-necked boy and Mr. Luther completely off guard. The divine pollution should have dissolved everything by now—so what was this? The red-necked boy looked downward. As the platform surged upward, it saw that the structure beneath its feet extended down into what resembled a forearm... Then, behind the forearm appeared an upper arm, followed by a shoulder, and then an immense torso... The red-necked boy began to tremble. It finally understood where it was standing. This was... an imposing, majestic statue of unimaginably colossal proportions. Suddenly, as if realizing something, it slowly tilted its head upward. It beheld a face. It could not tell what the face looked like—even with its own eyes gazing upon it, it could form no impression or concept of its features. Yet it felt the gaze bearing down from that face. The very red-necked boy who had just crushed the dog leash dropped uncontrollably to its knees, trembling from head to toe. It began sobbing softly, looking as fragile and helpless as a real child. Mr. Luther looked up in a daze. He no longer called for Karen to stand or move. In his mind, only one phrase echoed thunderously—a phrase he had spoken to Karen earlier. He looked down at the red-necked boy prostrated on the ground. "So... this is violence governed by order."