Infused with divine power, the Light finger soaked into Neo's body while forming a unique arc of radiant light, like a miniature sun rising over the sea.
This forced Little Kanna to reinforce the Shield of the Guardian once again to prevent its aura from leaking out.
Purr muttered somewhat begrudgingly, "Ugh, it stayed with me for nearly two hundred years, meow, and I never saw it shine this bright."
It was like a child one had painstakingly raised into adulthood who, the moment his real parents stood before him and crooked a finger, trotted off with them without a second thought.
Philomena retorted, "If they offered it to you now, would you dare take it?"
"I'd be instantly purified—no, turned into pure Light," Purr replied frankly. "Only Karen can get anywhere near it."
"Why is this awakening taking so long?"
"Barring any surprises, something went wrong, meow."
Unlike his previous, effortlessly smooth "awakenings," this time, though Karen could sense the presence of spiritual power, he couldn't ignite it. It felt like finding the lamp oil, only to discover there was no wick.
Yet pulling out halfway was impossible; the awakening ritual had to continue.
Karen consciously submerged his awareness, intent on seeking out that wick.
It felt like an inundation of seawater overturning completely from above, sinking rapidly and endlessly until his mind gradually grew numb to the passage of time.
When calm returned to his surroundings, Karen found himself standing on a mist-shrouded sea.
The texture of a mental realm was often tied to the level of the host's soul. Here, Karen felt an uncanny familiarity.
This wasn't Neo's mental realm—at least, not right now.
In the distance came a burst of cheerful singing.
Karen saw a colossal sea beast swim forth. On its back, a group of people wearing divine vestments of Light were singing and dancing.
Young Philias sat in their midst, playing an accordion.
Then he caught sight of Karen.
"Hey, everyone! Allow me to grandly introduce you—this is the Lord Minister of the Whip of Order from the Church of Order!"
The believers of Light immediately rose and bowed toward Karen:
"Greetings, Lord Minister."
"Greetings, Lord Minister."
Curiosity filled their eyes, but not a shred of fear.
Among all the believers of Light Karen had ever encountered, Young Philias was without question the purest.
He couldn't fully represent Light, yet he embodied Light's finest qualities to perfection.
In the era he lived in, the remnants of Light could only scrape by under the crushing suppression of the Church of Order, forcing him to lead a band of followers wandering across the vast sea.
Their stances should have been naturally opposed, yet neither he nor the believers he led harbored any animosity.
Instead, it was Karen who felt slightly uneasy—flustered, even—facing their bows.
Karen couldn't identify with the noble character that could let go of deep-seated vendettas. Even if given a hundred chances to choose, he would still firmly choose to make his enemies pay the most agonizing price, leaving behind not a sliver of mercy.
Yet he couldn't condemn Young Philias as "hypocritical." Hypocrisy usually referred to exploiting others' interests to satisfy one's own selfish moral vanity, but Young Philias wasn't like that; he had truly transcended it.
Perhaps that was precisely why the Silencers had bypassed the other remnants of Light and targeted him specifically.
Just as the government of the Wien Empire would rather see the purple-haired people riot and loot than watch them don sharp suits to fight for their political rights through civilized means.
A person like Young Philias was suited for missionary work, capable of becoming the first spiritual totem of a new Church of Light.
Karen asked, "Where is Neo?"
"Aha, I guessed as much! You must have come for him. He's inside, my dear friend!" Young Philias pointed deep into the thick mist. "This is a new environment. We're going to explore it; a new journey has begun."
"Carry on, then. Have fun."
"May everything go smoothly for you as well." Young Philias hesitated a moment before adding, "My advice is: you can be a bit more direct, and a bit more selfish."
"I understand. I will."
"Oh, right, I forgot. You're better at manipulating hearts than anyone."
The instruments struck up, the singing resumed, and the sea beast emerged from the dense fog only to drift back into it.
Karen remembered Neo telling him that had the first persona he developed not been Young Philias, he probably would have gone mad long ago.
He held the lowest status among all the personas, yet served as the most indispensable lubricant.
"Manipulating hearts, huh..."
Pondering those words, Karen flew forward.
After flying for quite a while, a massive legislative chamber appeared beneath Karen. The chamber had no roof, and the assembly members seated below were engaged in fierce debate, many of them sporting purple hair.
Mr. Luther raised his head and waved to Karen above. "You should congratulate me, Mr. Karen, for here, I've obtained what I wanted."
Karen replied, "Is what you wanted the process, or the outcome?"
Mr. Luther shrugged. "I know you share Neo's view and don't approve of my choice and persistence."
"Indeed, I don't."
"Yet I still cannot agree with your radical ways of doing things."
"That is because we know compromise will never bring victory."
"Can peaceful dialogue truly never achieve the desired results?"
"It can, provided the people sitting across from you aren't pirates who are inherently unreasonable."
Karen pointed outside the chamber, where a swarm of vermin had already crawled ashore. Perched atop the largest centipede stood Rotini.
Only, Rotini seemed never to have been granted independent "persona thinking" by Neo from the start; he was treated merely as a simple tool. Thus, even now, his eyes remained dull and vacant, like a puppet.
The vermin converged on the chamber almost instinctively. The closer they drew, the fiercer their aura became, while one vermin after another morphed into human form, holding high banners bearing all manner of noble ideals.
The "freedom" spoken of by pirates was a nightmare to every islander.
Mr. Luther's naivety was about to be shredded;
and this cycle would likely repeat itself endlessly here.
This place was simply too vast—vast enough for every persona to have a place to reside and act, pursuing whatever suited their whims and instincts.
Karen looked up. Though heavy fog blanketed the realm, light still seeped down through the cracks from above. That was the source here—Light.
The thick mist didn't have a negative effect; rather, it acted as a shield.
Mankind yearned for light, but the most scorching light would incinerate everything.
"Is this the source of divinity...?"
In the past, having no frame of reference, he could only look to the hunger addiction. Now, with a counterpart of the same rank, the sun above the dense fog was likely an existence akin to the hunger addiction.
A god possessed two sides: one operating mechanically without emotion, and the other bearing the traits of human selfhood.
Kevin had once said that founding a church made a god stronger, but also tightened their constraints.
Was this the sort of constraint he had meant?
*Gurgle... gurgle... gurgle...*
Waves surged across the sea beneath the thick mist. The water parted, exposing the contour of the seabed, where a colossal white skeleton was pinned below.
It was the ancestor of the bloodthirsty aberrant demons.
Karen noticed the seawater in this particular stretch was peculiar: distinctly jet-black, yet murky and dense, as if mixed with countless invisible impurities.
In the sea's reflection, the illusory images of divine temples faintly surfaced, accompanied by angels acting as haulers trudging through the reflection.
The ancestor of the bloodthirsty aberrant demons was dropping him a hint.
Karen said, "Order will honor its promise to you."
The sea instantly regained its calm.
That single sentence was enough. In the previous era, even the enemies of Order had no choice but to trust a promise from Order.
Continuing forward, Karen saw a magnificent complex of structures—evidently the architectural splendor of the former Church of Light. The tallest spire at the center had to be the Tower of Light.
At the very top of the tower sat the Mad Pope.
His gaze was majestic as he looked directly at Karen flying toward him, and he asked:
"Will Light ever fade?"
Karen replied, "The darker the hour, the more people yearn for Light."
"So, with Order around, Light is no longer needed."
"The return of the gods will plunge this world into turmoil and darkness once more."
The Mad Pope shook his head. "That seems to have nothing to do with Light."
"No, it does. In a time like that, even Order will need Light."
"It seems you've already prepared your justification. But while this reason can convince me, it cannot convince him."
"This is merely the reason I offer you."
"Heh." The Mad Pope waved a hand, signaling Karen to continue. But as Karen flew past, he suddenly asked in a distant tone, "Are they... doing well?"
"Who are you asking about?"
"What do you think?"
"I think before long, we can organize a gathering—a class reunion."
"I look forward to it."
"So do I."
Deep in the heart of the mist, Karen saw an island.
The island wasn't large, bearing only a single, isolated building that looked remarkably familiar.
When Karen touched down at the entrance, he saw the sign above: Pavaro Funeral Home.
This was the place where Karen and Neo had first met.
Karen stepped inside. A casket rested on the catafalque, and before it stood several rows of seats.
Neo sat there, all alone.
This was Miss Eliza's funeral... and at the same time, Neo's.
Karen's arrival didn't startle Neo. He silently unwrapped a candy, popped the soft sweet into his mouth, and chewed slowly.
When Karen sat down beside him, Neo said placidly:
"Did you forget? I said that after I die, if you dare awaken me, I'll kill myself."
"I didn't forget."
"Yet you didn't listen."
The reason the wick couldn't be found... was that Neo refused to be awakened.
"There are two reasons. The most superficial and meaningless one is that I'm not awakening you; I'm attempting to awaken the inheritance of Light. So I haven't broken our agreement. Besides, when you made that demand back then, I never agreed to it."
Neo didn't reply. Instead, he picked up another candy from before him and peeled away the wrapper.
"The second reason is the main one." Pausing, Karen leaned back, his gaze falling on Neo's back. "I need your help right now."
"Heh, what bullshit."
"I still remember the Hound Squad's oath: never abandon a teammate."
"Hey, can't you put yourself in my shoes and consider things from my perspective for once?"
"No, because I'm a selfish person. Before, I didn't want you to die because I was afraid of being bored;
now, I want you to die even less, because the situation I'm about to face will be far tougher—tough enough to drive anyone to despair. I need you to stay and help me."
"Do I have to help you?"
"Please, Captain."
"I didn't say you had to beg me."
"Please, Captain."
"I said, I never asked for that."
"Please, Captain."
Neo: "..."
"Plea—"
"Why don't you just drop dead!"
"Actually, my time isn't far off either."
Neo held out the unwrapped soft candy to Karen.
Karen didn't open his mouth; he shook his head instead.
"So this is your attitude when begging someone?"
"That's disgusting, Captain."
"Attitude."
Karen nodded, picked up a candy of his own, unwrapped it, and held it out to Neo.
Neo frowned. "Dammit! That's revolting."
With that, he tossed the candy in his hand straight onto the floor, stood up, and walked over to the coffin.
His hand gently caressed the lid. "Eliza, I finally found a decent reason to die, but I'll have to wait a little longer."
Having said that,
Neo closed his eyes
and spoke:
"Awaken."
It was a simple exchange; neither required intense emotional swings, much less a long speech.
Just as Young Philias had told Karen: you can be a bit more selfish.
Because as long as you begged him, he wouldn't be able to refuse.
Karen stood up. Beneath his feet, golden chains materialized, blanketing the surroundings.
Many more chains bound themselves around Neo. Neo didn't spare them a glance, keeping his gentle gaze fixed on his wife's casket.
"Thank you, Captain."
"Don't mention it." Neo waved dismissively, speaking as if it were only natural: "As captain, it's my duty to die before my squad members."
"Order..." Karen chanted anew. "Light... awaken."
...
Deep within the cluster of micro-worlds in the Temple of Order.
Ukonga asked, "Why was it placed here?"
"You're asking me? Who should I ask? I only know it's here, but I have no idea who placed it."
"Do you truly not know, or do you just not dare say?"
"I don't know, and besides, it isn't convenient to say."
"Indeed. If our Lord placed the head of Light in the deepest recesses of the Temple, how are we to account for our decision to bring about the demise of Light?"
"The God of Light is the God of Light, and the Church of Light is the Church of Light. What does the business of the God of Light have to do with the Church of Light?"
Hearing this, Ukonga shuddered, staring at the Temple Head in disbelief. "Do you even know what you're saying?"
Could a god and their church truly be separated? If one could say such a thing about Light, did the same apply to Order?
The Temple Head sighed. "Those aren't my words. Our High Priest once came here, and right to my face, he uttered the very words that have horrified you."
"Truly?"
"Truly."
"Hah, our High Priest really is something else."
"Only he could say such a thing. Had any other High Priest dared say that within the Temple, right to my face, I would have organized an impeachment against him."
"Heh, you only dare talk big in front of me."
"He suppresses us, but our existence serves as a check on him as well. I hope your venture succeeds—that you retrieve a godhead fragment of Order and return to the proper rank of elders."
"I will."
Right at that moment, however, the head of Light, which had previously fallen still, suddenly stirred with fluctuating aura once more.
Those tightly shut eyes actually parted a sliver.
This sight threw both the Temple Head and Ukonga into panic, for the gaze about to project outward could very well pierce straight through the Temple of Order!
They couldn't comprehend why such a perilous thing had been placed in so critical a location, yet they didn't dare harbor resentment, for this was very likely the Lord's handiwork.
The Temple Head once again mobilized all nearby arrays to intercept it, even preparing to sacrifice all surrounding micro-worlds to absorb the impact of that gaze upon the Temple.
Deep inside the Temple, three mysterious auras showed signs of stirring as well—the last time they had awakened was when that Inmerse had blown up the Temple.
Yet the gaze of Light carried no destructive force, nor was it directed at them. Instead, it looked toward the boundless starry void.
At that moment, the head of Light began to dissolve, turning into the purest radiance and projecting alongside that gaze toward an untraceable distance.
It all happened too abruptly—so abruptly that the Temple Head and Ukonga exchanged an instinctive glance, and so abruptly that the three reviving mysterious auras froze in place.
A single question rose in everyone's heart:
*Where... is she looking?*
...
A solitary silhouette had sat there for an entire era, utterly exhausted and already decaying.
Before her, from the vertical river of time, countless hands, feet, and limbs reached out. Withered or pale, they bore none of the sanctity of gods, resembling instead evil specters about to crawl out of hell, burning with primal, instinctive hunger for this world.
Just then, a towering figure appeared beside Order.
She looked down at Order seated there.
Order remained motionless; she was too tired.
There were no words exchanged, not even a glance.
In the next instant,
the figure of Light took a step forward,
and stood before Order.
In the previous era, Light had awakened Order.
In this era, Order had awakened Light.
Chapter 874