Karen's Strength!

Neo had originally wanted to laugh out loud and throw back at him: "See? You've finally admitted you're him, haven't you? Kept claiming you hate Wien bean paste, but look at you now—sauce smeared all over the corners of your mouth!" Yet after swirling in his throat, the words were swallowed back down in spite of himself. To the inner-circle believers represented by the likes of Muri and Count Rekar, their perception of Karen largely overlapped with the God of Order. At another level stood Alfred, who knew with utter clarity his young master's true attitude toward both the pantheon of gods and the God of Order. And standing right alongside Alfred was Neo. Neo understood very well that Karen's refusal to accept that he was the God of Order wasn't mere posturing or false modesty. Karen drew a razor-sharp line between "himself" and the "God of Order," never once blurring or confusing the two. This meant that Karen's words weren't born of him comfortably draping that silhouette, that identity, that veneration, and that glory over his own shoulders. What he embraced was the responsibility. Why would one need to whisper secrets to oneself? If they both shared the same magnificent ambition, the same grand aspiration... What else was there to say? Neo's emotions instantly grew immensely complicated. He was deeply shaken by the caliber of Karen's divine revelation, because he knew he wasn't looking at some lunatic charlatan. Through some unseen fate, the person before him truly had been granted an audience with the legendary God of Order. Even more staggering was that the God of Order had had nothing to say to him. Such silence was, in itself, an acknowledgment. Neo's molars ached. He was jealous. Yes—jealous once, twice, yet again. He dreaded the thought of Karen having it rough, but if Karen did too well and left him trailing far in the dust, that made him feel wretched all the same. Neo never hid this sentiment: you could do slightly better than him, though the ideal scenario was still for you to do extraordinarily well while remaining just a tiny bit behind him. In a sense, Daliwenluo seeking out Neo to shave his head hadn't been a random gamble to recruit some gullible accomplice. Daliwenluo knew full well that if there was anyone whose addition could shake Mr. Alfred's standing to the core, that person was Neo. Because no matter how high Alfred's status climbed or how formidable his methods were, he was ultimately a subordinate. Neo was different. Neo was a peer. If Neo shaved his head, the Bald Party would instantly become the preeminent faction under Karen's banner, completely overshadowing the "Establishment" led by Alfred. Yet the pride in Neo's mind forbade him from doing so—in the literal sense, for there were simply far too many proud figures dwelling in his mind. More importantly, Neo found this dynamic of equality amusing. Helping out when needed gave him that gratifying feeling of acting like an indulgent father, a feeling he thoroughly relished. What fun was there in being a subordinate? Hah. He'd rather drop dead and stay dead. Among everyone Karen knew, Neo was the only one who had specifically stated that if he ever died and Karen dared to "awaken" him, the very first thing he would do upon being awakened was commit suicide. Neo sat down, lit a cigarette, drew a long drag, and let out a sigh along with the puff of smoke. "So, do you fully understand which path you want to walk now?" Karen pointed toward the Life Forbidden Net and the Wall of Weeping ahead. The Church of Earth's legion had already been routed, but the Wall of Weeping still stood, as there hadn't been time to dismantle or destroy it. "Human thought rarely transcends the confines of what one experiences in reality," Karen said. "When I was still in Rulan, when I first arrived in Wien, and when I faced the corrupt priests within our church, I once believed that what I saw was all there was to this world. I once believed that what I touched was the world's true essence. "I felt smug about it, and I was pleased with myself. My mind was brimming with confidence, critique, and a laughable sense of composure and wisdom. "It wasn't until I stepped outside Order and saw the world beyond it that I finally realized the world I had always seen and touched was enclosed within a protective eggshell. "Even now, I still can't comprehend why the Church of Life would devise a formation like the Life Forbidden Net. "Nor can I comprehend why the Church of Earth would construct something like the Wall of Weeping. "Shouldn't the Church of Life champion the cherishing of life? Shouldn't the Church of Earth urge people to give devout thanks to the Earth Mother who nurtures all living things? "I couldn't understand it... truly, no matter how hard I racked my brain. "But then I realized why I couldn't understand. "It was because my very mode of thinking was one nurtured under the protection of Order. Naturally, using the logic of someone inside an eggshell, I could never comprehend the world outside. "Set that mindset aside and switch perspectives, and everything becomes clear. "Tell me—does the Church of Life truly understand life? "Does the Church of Earth truly understand earth? "They understand it all too well. Their comprehension, their perception, their application—they have driven them to what can only be called the absolute extreme, which is why it manifests in forms like these. "It was my mistake. I was burdened with preconceived notions... always thinking too highly of them. "Fortunately, because Order exists, they are forced to curb their greed and temper their rapacious appetite during normal times. Because Order is powerful, they have no right to speak from a position of strength... to force their twisted understanding onto me, or onto this world." Karen's eyes flickered with anger, his expression gradually growing cold. With Little Kanna in flight, they were now soaring above the Earth Legion's former encampment. Looking down, the corpses of Earth priests and kneeling captives could be seen everywhere. What Karen said next took Neo slightly aback, for he had never expected Karen—who had always been gentle, soft-spoken, calm, and objective—to voice such radical sentiments: "They deserve to die. They deserve to be erased from this world. The gods, the churches behind them, and even the 'civilizations' they represent should not be allowed to remain in this world any longer!" Neo opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words. In the end, he could only offer a faint smile and say: "You really do see yourself as someone cut from the same cloth as the God of Order. If you placed what you just said into the mythic texts of the various churches at the end of the last era and prepended it with 'Thus spake the God of Order...' "Heh, it wouldn't feel out of place in the slightest." Karen nodded and said: "In the past, I resented him, questioned him, criticized him, and mocked him. Later, I gradually began to understand him and learn from him. Then, I realized I fell far short of him. And now..." That weathered silhouette surfaced in Karen's mind once more. He began to realize that the specks of light he had seen in the vision were likely simplified and blurred representations. After all, those were mighty deities—how hideous and furious must they have looked when facing the man who had imprisoned and trapped them? At present, following the demise of Light, the Church of Order was indeed the foremost church, but this preeminence was grounded in strength and foundation. Whenever it wanted to act, it still had to find excuses, manufacture justifications, divide factions, and engage in political tug-of-war. In truth, it could not compare in the slightest to the hegemon God of Order at the end of the last era, who had slaughtered deities with unbridled madness. "...Now, I find myself missing him." Neo blew another smoke ring, licked his lips, and asked, "So, have you forgotten what your grandfather said?" Without a second's hesitation, Karen said, "The God of Order raised by a whore." Neo: "..." Karen smiled. "He is the God of Order raised by a whore. Is that wrong?" Neo said, "Have you lost your mind, or have I turned stupid?" "I agree with his vision; he was magnificent. But for the sake of his ideals and grand ambition, he sacrificed countless people—including my grandfather. He blocked the return of the gods and created an era where gods cannot walk the world, barring even the deities belonging to Order and its collateral lineages from returning—people who were his loyal followers and comrades-in-arms. "He hungered. To sustain his own existence, in the past—and perhaps even in the present—he fed. He treated his believers as fruits to harvest, as pigs fattened in pens. That is fact. "He betrayed the responsibility he should have borne toward the followers of his own church as the God of Order. He ignored the questions my grandfather demanded answers for back then, looking on as my 'parents' died in the agony of corruption. "As a believer, Diss had every right to curse him. "Mr. Hoffen once said that if this weren't an era where gods cannot emerge, Diss's talent gave him a real chance to vie for the rank of a branch deity in the mythic records. "Yet precisely because of the God of Order, the ultimate destination of Diss's growth was merely to serve as food for him. "From Diss's standpoint, no insult hurled at the God of Order could ever be too harsh. "When Diss was besieged, he didn't kill a single follower of Order. He detonated a godhead fragment to blow up the temple, yet ultimately handed over another while retaining one to negotiate with the temple. He chose compromise rather than fighting to the bitter end. "Because from start to finish, what Diss believed in was Order, not the God of Order. Perhaps in my grandfather's eyes, he had long separated the deity from the faith, drawing that distinction just as cleanly as I have. "Just like the many factions within the Holy See—they surely have their own factional interests at stake, but can you say every faction in the Holy See struggles purely for self-interest? "Before Theisen died, he never bowed his head or admitted fault to the High Priest, because he didn't believe he was in the wrong, nor did he believe the High Priest was in the wrong. Both were believers of Order, and both wished for Order to flourish. They simply held different views and convictions regarding the path to take. "Diss viewed the God of Order as a forerunner. Because this forerunner stepped out early and walked far, he then led all subsequent believers astray for the sake of his grand ambition... "No, for his own purposes, this forerunner went ahead and sealed off the road for everyone who followed. "You played your game, you had your fun, and then you forbade anyone else from playing. Worse, you turned everyone behind you into poker chips so you could keep playing. "You never asked for their opinions, let alone whether they agreed, because you didn't care. "Heheheh... "Sigh. "Given my grandfather's proud temperament, calling him someone raised by a whore was already remarkably gentle." Neo shrugged and asked, "If your grandfather knew you interpreted him like this, do you think he'd be so pissed off by his grandson that he'd sit right up from his deathbed?" "It's fine. A sweet call of 'Grandfather' to coax him would sort it out." "Pfft—" Neo choked on his smoke. "Bwahaha..." Karen laughed along with him. Wiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, Neo swore, "Karen, I swear, after that divine revelation of yours, you've suddenly gotten so damn high and mighty." "Have I? Heh." "Hell yes! First it was 'Rasma isn't much,' and now it's 'Grandfather's easy, just coax him a bit.' Hahahahaha..." Karen pondered for a moment, then replied: "Perhaps it's because I've seen the wider world." Neo: "..." Immediately, Neo flipped Karen the bird, offering his praise: "Fuck you!" "I think Grandfather would understand, and wouldn't be as angry as before." Neo chimed in: "Right, right, right. After all, he never got the chance to play before, but now his grandson does. "If I were your grandfather, I'd understand too." Little Kanna halted her flight. She had reached the very front of their formation; flying any farther would carry them beyond the protection of their battle lines, and just ahead stood the intact Life Legion. Karen said, "Certain things must be expedited. The objective of using this battle for troop training must be achieved swiftly. At the same time, this battle should conclude as soon as possible. We still have other preparations to make." "Now that Rasma has become 'not much,' you're actually in more of a hurry." "I saw the gods yearning desperately to return. Neo, do you know how ravenous they are right now?" "I..." "When they return, this world will instantly transform into something beyond your or my imagination. In the mythic accounts of various churches, descriptions of the last era are almost entirely from the perspective of 'gods,' because in that era, mortals... were not treated as people at all." "You telling me all this doesn't really move me much. Do you know what I'm thinking inside?" "I can guess." "Yeah, exactly. I'm actually looking forward to how this world will change after the gods descend. Hell, just thinking about it makes me a little excited. Imagine how much fun that'll be." Karen nodded in understanding. "Of course, if you're willing to beg me, I might just forgo this rare amusement and see if I can help you lock those deities back in." "Neo, I beg you to help me." Neo: "..." "I'm begging you." "Fuck you, that was way too fast! You didn't give me a single second of satisfaction!" Karen pointed below just as a messenger crow flew up, reporting that offensive preparations below were complete. "Shall we launch the attack?" Neo rose to his feet, slipping back into his role as commander. He shook his head. "No rush. Let's see how the Life Legion across from us reacts first." "Will they retreat?" "They know that with the Earth Legion wiped out, their single legion can't hold out against us. The Earth Legion's destruction didn't even cause us significant losses. "If the Life Legion digs in, it'll just be another pitched battle where defeat is a foregone conclusion. But we would suffer casualties in the process, which I'd rather avoid. "After all, once the war ends, the people in this legion will return to their posts throughout the Whip of Order. With the pedigree of this wartime experience and their own caliber, they'll climb to high positions soon enough. "They're the cornerstone for your future bid for supreme authority over the Whip of Order, Karen. Keep as many of them intact as possible." "Then what is the Life Legion waiting for? Why haven't they retreated yet?" "They're hesitating. If they fall back, they'd be ceding the rear of this entire front to us. Keep in mind that although we broke through Chia Grand Canyon, the coalition still holds four strongholds along this front that are putting up a good fight. "Once they pull back, our legion can sever the supplies to those four strongholds. Pincer attacks from front and rear will collapse their entire defensive line." "Do you think their commander will retreat?" "Depends on whether he has a brain. If I were him, I'd retreat. Because if he doesn't retreat soon, I'm ordering the full assault." "Oh—hss..." Karen clutched his chest. "What's wrong?" "It's Purr." "Huh?" "Purr is praying to draw power from me." "They haven't been extracted yet? No, that's not right—I saw the falcon knights returning to rank. When we launched our assault, both the Earth Legion and the Life Legion should have halted their attack on the decoy. She ought to be safe by now." "Hss..." Karen gripped his chest tightly, his expression twisting in pain. "Hey, hey, hey, it's not like she's never drawn on your power before. You've even undergone a divine revelation now, so your power should be vastly greater. Why are you suffering like this?" "This time... she's taking quite a lot." "How much is 'a lot'? Actually, what level is your power at now after the revelation?" "Not entirely sure yet." "Give me a rough idea. Pick any benchmark so I can wrap my head around it." "Roughly..." "Yeah?" "Three of you." Neo: "..." "Ptui." Neo spat his cigarette butt onto the ground, rubbing his chest. "Not bad. A power of three of me isn't insurmountable." "Even if three of you came at me together, I could still beat you. And..." Neo abruptly clutched his own chest, his facial expression turning just as agonized as Karen's. Little Kanna tilted her head curiously, watching both men on her back mirror the exact same posture, as though gripped by a collective heart attack. "Can't you finish your fucking sentence in one breath?! 'And, and, and' what?! No, forget it, I don't want to hear what's after 'and'! Shut up, don't say it!" "...And it wouldn't be very difficult." "You bastard!" "Let's switch benchmarks then..." "Gee, thanks." "Next time the guardian of our region steps in to stop me, Grandma won't need to lift a finger."