Eye of Order, Open!

Ventura, Muri, Vic, Leon, and even Philomena were all clutching their chests with expressions of sheer shock. They had known beforehand that they would witness something extraordinary, but that did nothing to soften the overwhelming impact hitting them now. Leaving aside the majestic, holy aura of Light from earlier, the questioning roar bellowed simultaneously by their own Section Chief and the black silhouette behind him alone... would be counted as an "oracle" in any other religion. An oracle: a response obtained by a church when reaching out through a specialized religious rite to a deity who had long since vanished. Most of the time, receiving even a single coherent sentence was exceedingly rare; more often, it was only scattered words or vague, indistinct syllables. A dedicated circle of scholars within the church would then dissect and study them, trying to divine the true meaning of the oracle. Sometimes they would misunderstand it entirely, only realizing the truth in hindsight when the predicted event finally unfolded. Moreover, obtaining an oracle almost always required an exorbitant price. Now, everyone present had heard it with unmistakable clarity. If admission could be charged for the performance hall today, the Church of Order and even other churches would gladly pay sky-high sums just to hear that single line. Alfred, however, was frowning slightly, a look of worry showing in his eyes. He did not care whether it was an oracle. In Alfred's mind, only what the Young Master said and what the Young Master wrote in his notebook could be called true oracles. He did not even care about the previous God of Order. As for the other deities, Alfred's view was thoroughly "Order"—namely, that they were all evil gods whose standing was roughly equal to a household dog. Alfred was worried that if this purification failed to achieve its intended effect, the Young Master's path of setting sail anew might very well be strangled in its cradle. What meaning was there for the Young Master in becoming an ordinary servant? Even if the Young Master continued to advance rapidly and returned to the realm of an Adjudicator, or even a step higher, what difference would that make before Lord Rasma? Only by walking a path like Old Master Diss—one where rank did not have to be high, but foundation and practical strength had to be immensely powerful—would he be qualified to brave the storms of the future. Advancing in status and advancing in power were two vital priorities that had to be pursued hand in hand, for only these two things would serve as true capital once Lord Rasma returned. Was one of those legs about to be broken now? No, it couldn't be, absolutely not! Alfred's gaze darkened as he began searching for a remedy. [Light, where on earth are you hiding!] The question had long been cast out, yet it still received no answer. Karen drew a deep breath, the irritation in his eyes worsening. Yet reality seemed to be playing a joke on him. No, not reality—the so-called "divine will" seemed to be simply mocking him. The voice of the God of Light had appeared last time, but this time, he simply refused to show himself. There was a theory in the Church of Principles, used to explain the warping of laws derived after analyzing countless cases, called "God's Joke." It meant that when a god looked down upon the mortal world and saw humans, tiny as ants, trying to dissect the essential laws of things, the god would find it amusing or irritating. The god's invisible hand would descend and alter the very "rules" you thought you understood. The principles you painstakingly pursued were merely a god's plaything. Purr was exhausted. Holding out until now had pushed the cat to the absolute limit; its body had begun to tremble. Neo had already dropped his saluting posture. Watching the scene before him, he wanted to help, yet he had no idea what he could possibly do. This was not a fight; there was no concrete enemy. And besides... "Ah, hiss..." Likely influenced by the radiant illumination of Light from earlier, the power of Light within Neo was exceedingly active, which in turn sent the Mad Pope residing inside his mind into a frenzy. Unlike Neo, who found the dense aura of Light comfortable, the Mad Pope was filled with palpable rage. After all, he was the lunatic who had once stood atop the Tower of Light and shouted, "I do not believe a God of Light exists!" Fortunately, the Order "self" in the "reading room" was responsible for keeping things under control. The Mad Pope merely threw a tantrum within, unable to affect Neo on the outside. Though the Order Neo had "died," he had been "reborn" inside the reading room and had resolved Neo's greatest headache from before. Neo raised his hand, looking at Karen in the center, and quietly began biting his nails. "Meow~" Purr had reached the limit. "Little Karen, kitty can't... hold... on... anymore..." Purr had somewhat bourgeois tastes in daily life, but when it came to serious matters, it was never pretentious. When it said it could not hold on, it was truly drained to the last drop. Purr closed its eyes and lapsed into unconsciousness from severe exhaustion. Karen reached out and grabbed Purr's tail, preventing that finger from pulling away from his forehead. Yet as Purr fell unconscious, the dense aura of Light rippling all around began to dissipate. Karen's eyes narrowed. His hand gripping Purr's tail tightened, and the finger of the God of Light, which had previously only rested against his brow, began driving deeper into his flesh. The fingertip had already penetrated the interior of his forehead. Blood trickled down from between Karen's eyebrows, dyeing his eyes red before tracing the bridge of his nose, passing over his lips, and gathering beneath his chin. It dripped steadily, forming a pool beneath his feet. With eyes flushed increasingly crimson, Karen let out a low growl, and the black silhouette behind him assumed a roaring stance once more: [Light, where are you!] Following this demand, not only did the aura of Light continue to drain away, but even the black silhouette behind Karen began to fade. Right at that moment, Karen suddenly felt a will welling up within his heart. It uttered no clear words, conveyed no text or images, yet the sensation was unmistakable. It was like a devil tempting you to enter his kingdom. It came from the depths of his soul—from that statue of Order. "Do you desire power?" "Do you desire power far greater than that of others?" "Do you desire a starting point higher and sturdier than who you once were?" "Bow your head to me, surrender to me, pray to me, and I shall bestow upon you... the true beginning belonging to Order!" Karen's eyes grew even more bloodshot, making it impossible to tell whether it was from emotion or the blood itself. Nor did he know whether this failure stemmed from Light failing to keep the appointment or from the interference of the hunger-addiction statue deep within his soul. Yet he was furious! You thought that after going through so much, struggling to survive countless brushes with death, after your resolve had hardened through trial after trial and your understanding had grown clearer through repeated cleansings... In the end, you were still just a pawn toyed with by those high-and-mighty gods. The laughable part was that they had not even returned yet, yet across who knew how many barriers, they still possessed the ability to flick away an ant like you trying to climb up from the foot of the stairs. As for the temptation from the hunger-addiction statue, even in an emotionally unhinged state, Karen would not entertain it for a fraction of a second. What he wanted was his own strength, not to prostrate himself at the feet of another being to beg for mercy and handouts. Alfred turned his head immediately toward Little Kanna, who had been standing at the very back, and ordered, "Go to the Young Master's side right now!" Little Kanna was baffled. Unlike humans, who held an instinctive sense of worship toward divine auras, she felt a revulsion toward anything related to gods. That was why, even though she had come, she had stayed huddled in an outer corner, like someone keeping her distance from a friend eating durian. "Me?" Little Kanna pointed at herself, but without hesitation, her figure appeared beside Karen in the central area. Alfred shouted, "Hurry, do as Purr did!" During the purification process to become a servant, pairing it with a sacred artifact could provide tremendous support if conditions permitted. In the beginning, Diss had told Karen: Purr was one of the finest sacred artifacts in this world. At this stage, after following his young master for so long, Alfred understood the role of sacred artifacts even more deeply. In his young master's unique situation, external stimulation during purification was needed to draw out a response from the God of Order. Since it had failed on Purr's end, they would switch to someone else. Didn't the little bone dragon possess the legacy of the Rebel Dragon God? Though the Rebel Dragon God was ranked countless tiers below the God of Light, right now they had to try every available method. This was also thanks to how "wealthy and well-supplied" their group had become; they possessed more than one divine relic. Even if it was merely a desperate struggle, at least they had the means to make one. Little Kanna tilted her head slightly, mimicking Purr's earlier posture, and raised her left hand. The flesh on her left arm receded, transforming into a dragon claw that gleamed with a translucent, pearl-like radiance. This proved that her high-standard meals lately had indeed fostered excellent development. The dragon claw extended cautiously, touching Karen's cheek. Karen, whose purification process was on the verge of terminating, suddenly trembled. The black silhouette that had been about to disperse coalesced once more. Before Karen's vision, a hell of lava appeared. He hovered above a massive volcanic crater, where a bizarre monster beast of unimaginably colossal proportions writhed in the molten rock. At the center of this beast's head lay a man with severed legs, who roared: "Order, I am willing to follow your rule! Please leave me my legacy and godhead!" "The God of Lava has violated Order and is judged an evil god, to be suppressed." "Order, you mad god, you butcher! When the God of Light returns, you will inevitably suffer retribution at the hands of Light!" "Light will not return." "Hahaha, do you think Light has truly fallen? Do you think Light is utterly extinguished? No, let me tell you, Light has not dispersed!" "Did you think I would worry about that?" "Order, one day the God of Light will return to take vengeance upon you! Your betrayal of the God of Light on Mount Anraminde will certainly be reckoned with!" "Lava, you may die now." Karen "raised his hand." The firmament above warped instantly, and a bolt of Order lightning, thick enough to purge the entire realm, crashed down with a deafening roar. "Roar!" The colossal monster beast inside the volcano roared, crawling upward to resist—no, it had lost the courage to fight; it was trying to flee. Right then, a dragon roar rang out. A giant dragon with mottled scales and a terrifyingly powerful aura appeared, slamming its equally mighty draconic form directly into the beast, ramming it back down into the volcano. Boom! The collision of their massive bodies shook the entire space, and web-like cracks tore across the ground as though the world were ending. And at that very moment, the Order lightning struck. The volcanic mountain range vanished, leaving only a bottomless crater in its place. A triumphant gleam shone in the eyes of the Rebel Dragon God as it threw back its head, letting out an exhilarated roar. The fall of every deity stirred profound joy from the depths of its heart, for those high-and-mighty gods truly sickened dragons! Karen "looked" toward the dragon and "spoke": "Take this shattered space away. Carry it to the subterranean world to settle the kin who followed you out." The Rebel Dragon God swept its claw downward, tearing open a spatial rift as terrifying turbulent currents began to sweep up everything around them. "Great God of Order, I do not want it all. Splitting it down the middle is true equality." Karen "lowered his gaze slightly." In an instant, the temperature throughout the magma-strewn space plummeted. His might was so immense that his mere mood could alter a world. The Rebel Dragon God stubbornly kept its head raised, doing everything it could to maintain its proud dignity. Yet aside from its head, its body was no longer hovering horizontally; it hung vertically downward, resembling a galaxy suspended across the sky. Karen "spoke": "When you drop the prefix 'Great,' then come speak to me of equality." "Yes... I will, Great God of Order." ... Inside the performance hall. The new wave of reaction triggered when Little Kanna touched Karen with her dragon claw had rekindled hope in nearly everyone present—except Alfred. "Not enough... still not enough... it won't do... it can't be done." Alfred gritted his teeth. The Eye of Order had not appeared. Compared to the time when the questioning voice of Light had provoked it, causing the Eye of Order to manifest and prepare to open, this was not even on the same tier! Moreover, the opening phase was usually when the reaction was strongest. If the Eye of Order still had not appeared by now, it essentially meant failure. The only effect it had achieved was prolonging the purification process slightly, delaying its end. Karen slowly raised his head and looked at Little Kanna before him. Though Little Kanna had not shared Karen's "first-person perspective" just now, she had vaguely sensed something. She said: "You look down on me." Karen parted his lips, but he had no heart to comfort the little girl right now; he no longer had the energy to maintain his usual composure. Besides, Little Kanna was stating a fact. It was not that Karen looked down on her, but that the rules of Order looked down upon the Rebel Dragon God. In other words, the Rebel Dragon God was not even worthy of making the rules of Order "open their eyes." With a thud, Little Kanna slumped to the ground. She felt her stomach grumble and desperately wanted to eat something, even those medicinal pills. In short, though she had not passed out like Sister Purr, she was thoroughly depleted. With her disengagement, the purification ritual began to fade once more. Alfred called out immediately, "Philomena, there is no Dark Moon Bone left in the Young Master's body! You represent the Goddess of the Dark Moon—go stimulate the Young Master!" The Dark Moon legacy on Dark Moon Island was broken. In this world, only two people had originally possessed the genuine legacy of the Goddess of the Dark Moon. They were Karen, who had inherited the divine bone of the Goddess of the Dark Moon on Sacrifice Island, and Philomena, who had received the Dark Moon imprint from the bone spirit. Karen's portion had been dissolved by divine pollution in the cavern, leaving only Philomena. Even so, Karen still cultivated the Dark Moon warriors as his own faction. Though he had lost the legacy of the Goddess of the Dark Moon, he had not forgotten his promise to her: if an opportunity arose in the future, he would help her seek revenge. Called upon by name, Philomena looked at Alfred in confusion. Was she supposed to try as well? She harbored no disrespect toward the Goddess of the Dark Moon, but wanting the Goddess of the Dark Moon to awaken the Eye of Order... the disparity between the two was simply too vast, wasn't it? Unless the Goddess of the Dark Moon and the God of Order had shared some past history... Yet that seemed even more improbable. If that were truly the case, given the God of Order's conduct, he certainly would have helped Dark Moon take her revenge. After all, the God of Order had once suppressed the Sea God over a dog. Still... since she had been told to go, she would go. Philomena's figure dropped before Karen. Placing her left hand on his shoulder, she spoke: "Enter the dream." Karen's vision shifted once more, but it was blurry. In the distance, among a host of bowing deities, there seemed to be a silhouette of dark red. Then, Karen's vision returned to normal. In the previous era, the God of Order had barely shared any interaction with the Goddess of the Dark Moon. The gulf between a main god and an ordinary deity was simply too immense, let alone a main god of Order's caliber. Even Moon Goddess Artemis had to serve cautiously before Order, going so far as to let rumors circulate of an ambiguous bond between herself and Order; yet when facing a challenge from Dark Moon, the Moon Goddess had suppressed her effortlessly. No effect—none whatsoever. Philomena felt dizzy and instinctively pulled her hand back. Perhaps Mr. Alfred had merely wanted to make one final attempt, but as expected, it was useless. Yet there was no surprise or disappointment in Alfred's eyes. He shouted at once, "Pick up the dog!!!" Philomena looked down at the golden retriever below, who was still frothing at the mouth and twitching. As an evil god, his perception of divine auras was countless times sharper than that of ordinary people. Thus, what appeared as shock to the others was sheer terror to Kevin. The sense that the God of Light was standing right before him had been far too overpowering. Philomena scooped Kevin up. "Use the dog! Use the dog! Use the dog!!!" Alfred roared, not even bothering to call him Kevin or respectfully address him as Lord Raniedal. At a critical juncture like this, fewer syllables were naturally better. Philomena nodded, seizing a paw immediately to place it on Karen's shoulder. At that moment, Kevin, who had been in a daze, was startled completely awake by sheer terror! His dog eyes widened, and he began struggling wildly! Are you insane?! You want me to wake Order?! Yet Kevin's struggles were futile against Philomena. She was obedient, doing whatever Alfred told her to do. Ignoring the golden retriever's resistance, she forcibly planted the dog paw onto Karen's shoulder. The instant it touched, a reaction sparked immediately! In a flash, not only did the vortex of the dying purification ritual reignite, but finally, above Karen's head, an enormous eye actually appeared! Though it remained shut, the majestic aura it radiated was still terrifying. Kevin, who had been struggling with all his might, ceased fighting upon seeing this. Tears welled in his dog eyes and trickled down. "Woof, woof~" The God of Order actually cared about him, and seemed willing to grant him a glance. Before Order, he had always been humble. He had prostrated himself at Order's feet, witnessing the God of Order's hegemony at the end of the previous era. His feelings toward Order were complicated: he was grateful for Order keeping his promises, and even though the God of Order had suppressed him, he had never truly hated that towering presence. It was not that he did not dare to hate... but that he did not want to hate. Ventura, Muri, and the rest prostrated themselves, chanting in unison, "Praise be to Order!" Though the pressure was unimaginably suffocating, the rich aura of Order still brought them comfort. "Fuck!" Neo cursed under his breath, dropping to one knee before his other leg slowly gave way as well. As a "heretic," the intense intimidation he felt facing the Eye of Order was simply overwhelming. Just as Order believers had been forced to kneel when the aura of Light appeared earlier, one's own leader was naturally more familiar, while the oppressive pressure on outsiders was far harsher. Neo wanted to resist, to fight back, but suddenly he felt confused—why should he fight against the majesty of Order? At the same time, in the reading room deep within Neo's soul, the Order priest persona of Neo bowed quietly, no longer paying heed to the Mad Pope's furious roars beside him. The momentary confusion and conflict in his core consciousness caused the Order priest Neo to temporarily lose control over the other personas. Kneeling on the ground, Neo's facial muscles twitched faintly—a sign that his personas were swapping. Alfred, too, looked with delight at the manifesting Eye of Order. Hehehe, it really worked; it really worked. Open, open, open! Once Kevin's paw made contact with his shoulder, a green landscape appeared in Karen's vision. There was a small castle, unicorns, and various adorable spirits. Karen had been here before. In the small world sealed inside the Temple of Order, he had even grilled fish here, though his tour guide from back then had now been banished. On the steps sat an adorable little girl, smiling sweetly as she toyed with an exquisite bookmark. Traces of tears still lingered at the corners of her eyes, suggesting she had just cried, but her mood had brightened now. Just then, a voice came from behind: "Great one... the task you assigned to me has been completed... Great one... may I... may I..." Karen "frowned slightly." He disliked this tiresome manner of speaking. Ankara stuck her tongue out at the kneeling figure and asked, "What is your name, little deity?" "My name is Raniedal... respected Lady Ankara." "Raniedal, hehe, how about I write your name on this bookmark? It's a gift my father just gave me." Thud! Raniedal pressed his forehead directly against the ground, trembling from head to toe. "No, no, Lady Ankara, please don't, please don't..." That bookmark was meant specifically for recording the names of gods; every deity whose name appeared upon it was doomed to fall. Just then, sunlight spilled across the area, gleaming brightly on that shiny bald head. "Hehehe, fun, how fun," Ankara giggled. "Raniedal, your bald head is so fun. Why don't you grow hair?" "Because it pleases you, Lady Ankara." "Hehe." Karen "did not even turn around" as he "asked," "The assigned task is finished?" "Yes, Great One, I... I have completed it." "And then?" "Did... Great One... did you forget?" Karen "said in dissatisfaction," "Did I promise you something?" "You..." Raniedal drew a deep breath, not daring to remind him further. A superior might merely be warning him; as a lesser deity, how could he be qualified to negotiate conditions with a main god—especially... this terrifying existence before him? "No... I merely came to report that the task you assigned has been completed. Is there anything else you require of me?" "What did I promise you?" "You... you didn't. To serve you is my honor, my glory!" Ankara giggled. "Just say it. Father dislikes people like you the most, hehe." Karen: "Speak." That single word was laden with weight, making Raniedal's mind buzz. The stellar wisdom carried within his brain fell completely out of alignment, causing his bald head to bulge and cave inward erratically. "Pfft... hahaha!" Seeing this comical sight, Ankara burst into laughter once more. Perhaps it was his daughter's laughter that granted Karen a bit more patience toward this deity who "could not even speak clearly." Raniedal composed himself at once and answered truthfully, "The Great One once promised me that after I completed those tasks for you, you would help me... help me teach a god a lesson." Karen "asked," "Teach a lesson, or kill?" Faced with this question, Raniedal drew courage from somewhere, threw his head back, and declared: "Kill her!" "Who?" Raniedal's voice dropped subconsciously once more: "She is a main god, governing..." "Who?" "The Sea God." Karen "reached out and patted" Ankara's head, saying, "Play on your own for a while." "Okay, Father." Ankara nodded obediently, though when Karen "saw" those deep, amber eyes of hers, an unsettled feeling stirred faintly within him. Karen "stood up," walked toward the bald head kneeling there, and as he passed by him, said: "Let's go." Raniedal: "Ah?" "It is time for her to fall." ... Karen's vision cleared once more, returning to reality. During those scenes, he had occupied the "first-person perspective," yet neither the actions nor the words had been under his control. Above, though that majestic Eye of Order had appeared, it showed no sign of opening. In short, compared to the urgency and intensity from the last time, when the questioning of the God of Light had nearly forced it open before the ritual concluded, there was no comparison at all. In the eyes of Order, there was perhaps only Light. The purification ritual was entering its final stage once more. Raniedal was completely spent, his tail drooping, dog eyes closed, and nose twitching faintly. "Sigh." Alfred let out a sigh. Looking at the scroll before him, he had no idea how to set pen to paper again. Perhaps this was a trial that had to be endured on the great path? Karen knew as well that there was no way out. Not only could he not achieve the more complete and robust purification he had envisioned, but he could not even replicate his previous result. Karen bowed his head and closed his eyes. The faded black silhouette behind him lowered its head as well. Man and silhouette both let out a sigh: "Light, where on earth are you?" Right at that moment, Neo's neck snapped swiftly to the left, then to the right, and his expression shifted into something both solemn and maniacal. Hum! At blistering speed, he flashed into the central area and arrived before Karen. The severed finger was still pierced into Karen's brow, and blood continued to drip. Neo grabbed Karen's shoulders with both hands, and in a manner resembling a hysterical hymn, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Where is he? He's nowhere! Because in this world, there is no longer a God of Light!" The moment the words fell, the finger at Karen's brow suddenly blazed with light once more, a surge of Light far more intense than the first time rushing forth violently. Karen's body began to tremble. In that instant, he wanted to open his eyes, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he could not force them open. Instead, the fading Eye of Order above coalesced once more, bearing down with an aura of Order several times more powerful than before, causing even the twelve coffins to rattle. The defensive array shrouding Allen Manor came under immense strain, its core shaking violently. Like an actor upon a stage, Neo shouted in an exaggerated voice: "You can't find him! You'll never find him again! The God of Light simply doesn't exist anymore! Hahahahaha! You can't find him! No matter how hard you look, you'll never find him!" Karen's trembling grew more violent, and the lids of the Eye of Order above fluttered frantically. "Stop looking for him! The God of Light is no more! He doesn't exist, don't you know?! He's gone, haha! He's dead! He's dead! He's never coming back, you'll never find him! He's dead, dead!" Karen sprang up from his chair. Though his eyes remained tightly shut, the Eye of Order above snapped open with a fury, glaring downward! A boundless power of Order's rules engulfed Karen. If the previous purification had been a small stream trickling beneath his feet, this time it was a breached dam, a roaring river surging with torrential force. At the same time, Karen opened his mouth, yet another voice of supreme majesty boomed solemnly across the entire performance hall—no, across the entirety of Allen Manor—detonating like an enraged thunderclap: [I do not permit her to die!]