The Sentence!

This was a detailed investigative report, opening with an executive summary and written directives. It was evident that it had passed through several pairs of hands. Though there were no visible signs of redaction or alteration, the contents clearly exhibited different tiers, perspectives, and even opposing stances. What Norton had given him was likely a comprehensive, consolidated version. First came what was presumably the directive from the Temple of Order: [This incident marks a grave dereliction of duty and oversight by the Holy See in the routine administration of religious affairs, sounding the alarm that the devotion of the faithful has begun to decline.] [The Holy See must engage in profound self-reflection over this incident and remain vigilant against a recurrence of the past fall of Light within our church.] [The deepening reform of faith-related matters brooks no delay; the Light of Order should shine upon every believer as broadly as possible.] Next was another set of directives, likely from the Holy See—or rather, from that select circle of the Roundtable Conference: [The trigger for this incident was improper handling by the Temple; the Temple should reflect on the legitimacy of its own operational model.] [Had this incident been led by the Holy See, such an extreme outcome would never have occurred. The 'priest' in question had worked quietly in his post as an Inquisitor for decades; it was the Temple's reckless interference that disrupted this state of affairs.] [The Temple should place greater focus on its primary duties and refrain from exerting excessive detrimental influence on the administration of church affairs. Only thus can a repetition of this incident be prevented.] It was precisely because the Mink Street Incident had such an enormous impact that it became a catalyst for confrontation between the Holy See and the Temple, neither side willing to shoulder the blame. The following directive, Karen felt, was likely left by Norton himself, as it could never have appeared in any document meant to be viewed publicly, regardless of how high one's clearance was. However, because Karen was being sent to carry out his will and participate in this matter, there were certain things the High Priest had to let him see. This was by no means special favor or trust from the High Priest, but sheer necessity. Setting aside the fact that Karen bore the surname Inmeralls, what the High Priest was doing was essentially taking a young man who currently held a high position with a bright future ahead of him and sending him on a suicide mission between two rival factions. Karen would most likely meet one of two fates: either be swatted to death by a temple elder, or be crushed to death by that terrifying old man in his slumber. And whatever happened, the High Priest would never admit that Karen's actions had been authorized by him. Still, this was not the same as a conventional superior sending a subordinate to take the blame and die. For what the High Priest was doing conformed to Order's tradition: I may send you to your death, but I will tell you why, and then allow you to go willingly. Karen couldn't help but breathe a quiet sigh of relief inwardly: It seemed his standing and value in the High Priest's mind were nowhere near Grandfather's. Fair enough. After all, who told him to be just the grandson? [This incident is the harbinger of Order's collapse in this epoch.] [Dissatisfaction with the god must not escalate into betrayal of Order.] [Once the gods return, the world's restrictions will dissipate. If he could condense three godhead fragments by himself, then in our church's new epoch, he is the person most likely to attain godhood!] Reading this, Karen's eyes narrowed. That final line was likely the High Priest's true motive for intervening. In truth, after finishing this opening section, the report's appeal to Karen largely ended. Karen was, after all, one of the participants in the incident, so the remainder of the text merely allowed him to review the events from the perspective of the Church of Order. Yet in the notes following the account of events, three points caught his attention. First, when Grandfather blew up the Temple, the three most extraordinary existences within it had "awakened," and one of them had seemingly intervened; otherwise, the destruction of the Temple of Order would have been far more catastrophic. Karen had been to the Temple of Order before. Back then, it had looked like a massive construction site, with even the stars that once hung in its sky fallen down, and numerous giants clearing debris. And that was already the cleanup long after the explosion, which showed that the destruction caused at the time... had been far more severe than imagined. Grandfather must have been genuinely furious back then, not merely setting off an explosion for show. Of course, the harder he bombed it, the more the Church of Order would treat Mink Street as a forbidden zone, and the safer his grandson would be out in the world. The second point was that Grandfather, using an avatar, had traveled to many places through the Church of Order's teleportation arrays. When the Church traced his movements afterward, they found he had visited the Holy See, the Hall of Honored Elders, several forbidden grounds, and even a few frontier development zones... Yet there was one place that felt rather unfamiliar to Karen... the Extreme Cold Forbidden Zone. What kind of place was this? Reasonably speaking, any region reachable through the Church's internal teleportation arrays ought to fall under its sphere of influence, yet Karen had never even heard of this place. Like Augurev's inheritance grounds, it likely belonged to affairs within some closed system inside the church. If he hadn't known its name, there would have been nothing he could do, but now that he did, he would have to investigate it thoroughly once he returned. The final point put Karen on high alert. It was written very simply: [The Church of Principle was involved in this matter.] Did this refer to Mr. Hoffen? Given Mr. Hoffen's abilities and his involvement in the super-standard divine advent ritual and the sealing of Raniedal, he certainly warranted such a statement. Yet Karen felt it might not be that simple. He had read plenty of official documents and knew that in papers of such gravity and importance, fewer words often indicated greater sensitivity. If the Church of Order had merely detected Mr. Hoffen's activities, they could have simply provided a detailed analysis and account; there would have been no need for such brevity. It could only mean that the Church of Order had discovered deeper, more complicated signs of the Church of Principle's involvement behind the Mink Street Incident, but because of the relationship between the two churches, it was inconvenient to elaborate too much here. Although the two churches occasionally experienced competition and friction, in the broader picture, Order and Principle had been allies and partners since the previous epoch. Having finished reading, Karen closed the scroll, shut his eyes to adjust his mental state, and walked out of the room. In the original sitting area, the High Priest, dressed in formal attire, was still seated there reading his book, while the Norton who gave off the air of an attendant stood beside him with a smile. A hole had appeared on Norton's forehead, blood gushing out and gradually spreading across the floor before gathering at the High Priest's feet. The blood seemed to be absorbed by the High Priest. Soon, Norton's body withered away like a dying plant, and the blood on the floor dissipated as well, as though none of it had ever happened. The avatar... was absorbed? At this moment, Karen finally grasped the terrifying oppression the Whip-Wielder had to endure in his position. Who could calmly serve a superior who, when bored, would casually kill his own clones for amusement? Moreover, Karen had seen many avatars. In his view, the most exquisite avatar should have been the mental imprint Raniedal left inside the Gate of Samsara, but now, Karen felt that the High Priest's avatar was the most bizarre of all. Not only did his avatar possess self-awareness and thought just like Raniedal's, but... it was entirely willing to die while fully conscious. He had developed his avatar into his own follower... believer... No, from the smile lingering on the avatar's face before it vanished, it felt more like a voluntary sacrifice chosen for the sake of a shared purpose. The High Priest set the book down on the coffee table and asked, "Finished reading?" "Yes, I have finished." Karen answered calmly, acting as though he had seen nothing. "Your mission is, first, to communicate with him; second, to find a way to rescue him; and third, preferably to obtain his instructions. Do your best in all three aspects, in no particular order." "Instructions?" "His choice to slumber there must have a purpose." Karen nodded in realization. "I see." "That is all I have to instruct. When the time comes, act according to the circumstances. You have done very well in your past tasks; I hope it will be the same this time." "Yes, this subordinate understands." The imperial carriage slowed down. Ukonga's figure appeared at the doorway. After glancing at Karen, he walked up to the High Priest. "Hey, I say..." It was an extremely casual opening, but right at that moment, the High Priest looked up at him. In an instant, the sitting area of the carriage was flooded with a terrifying pressure. In the unseen realm, an invisible pair of eyes seemed to part slightly. "Are you ready?" Ukonga's tone was instantly reined in. This was not him backing down out of cowardice, for Karen noticed Ukonga's consciousness echoing ceaselessly around the space, seemingly searching for tangible traces of those eyes. He likely knew full well who that was; though he appeared respectful on the surface, he was still acting brazenly underneath. "You should learn from your student... what rules are." "If I had lived my life always following rules, I'm afraid I wouldn't be standing before you talking to you right now." "Are you feeling fortunate?" the High Priest asked. "I—" "Are you living a very happy life?" "It's decent enough." The High Priest smiled and said, "All I see is a pathetic little worm that refuses to die." Ukonga nodded, then pointed outside and said, "The gatekeeper, I brought her." "Mm." Ukonga turned and walked out, vigorously flicking the sleeves of his divine robe. Karen could clearly sense the subtle relationship between Ukonga and the High Priest. It did not stem merely from their dynamic as High Priest and temple elder, but involved other dimensions as well. Ukonga was constantly restraining himself; he was terrified, yet he felt compelled to provoke and act as if he didn't care at all, almost begging for trouble. Before long, a woman appeared at the doorway. The woman wore a black veil and a yellow gown, looking poised and elegant. Yet in accordance with etiquette, she paused and removed her veil first. Her face was pitted and scarred as if covered in sores, with white pustules swelling from time to time. Karen bowed to her. "Gatekeeper." The newcomer was none other than the Gatekeeper of the Church of Samsara—Romir Simosen. Karen had interacted with her quite a few times: on Dark Moon Island, she had stepped in to rescue a junior of her clan from Karen's hands, and inside the Gate of Samsara, he had snatched Qianmei from her. Oh no, the Gatekeeper inside the Gate of Samsara seemed not to have been her, but now... it was her. She had fused with the Gatekeeper inside the Gate of Samsara. Nowadays, many Samsara priests had become neither human nor ghost due to fusing with priests from inside the Gate. Romir first bowed to the seated High Priest. "High Priest." The High Priest nodded and gestured to a seat to his side. "Gatekeeper, please have a seat." Romir sat down, and only then looked at Karen, smiling. "The young man from Dark Moon Island has matured quite a bit now." As the subordinate party, it was only natural for her to initiate conversation. The High Priest played along, asking, "You two have met?" "We have. Two juniors were fighting for fun back then; haha, I played favorites and took sides." "Who else was present then?" the High Priest asked. Romir replied, "Cardinal Kred was sitting with me, chatting at the time." The High Priest nodded and said to Karen, "Did you hear that? You ought to thank Kred properly." Between churches, as long as absolute secrecy could be ensured without discovery, likely no one could resist the temptation to casually eliminate an outstanding member of the other side's younger generation. Even between two churches on excellent terms, that was no exception. And Karen, who had nearly been eliminated, poured tea for the Gatekeeper who had nearly dealt with him. Romir sighed with emotion. "Still so young." The High Priest said, "Yet his wings have already hardened." "Indeed. They can no longer be broken, nor would anyone dare to try." Just as when Karen had ridden in the Whip-Wielder's carriage and dined in his office in the past, his presence in the High Priest's imperial carriage today was itself another form of acknowledgment of his status. Outsiders had no way of knowing that the High Priest was preparing to send Karen on a mission with an exceptionally high mortality rate; even Romir saw this merely as the High Priest nurturing and promoting the most prominent young figure in the Church of Order in recent years. Once or twice might be fine, but if it happened more often in the future, Karen's perceived role might very well shift from successor to the Whip-Wielder to successor to the High Priest. Romir said, "On our side in Samsara, however, fewer and fewer young people can catch the eye." A war between Order and Samsara, compounded by Samsara's war with the Moon God Church and the complex internal friction within their church, had cost the Church of Samsara a vast number of young priests over these past few years. Far too many people who should have shone brightly in the future had fallen prematurely on the battlefield, their corpses unrecoverable. The High Priest shook his head and said, "Exceptional eaglets are tempered in harsh conditions, not sheltered under protective wings." "Order can naturally say such things, but for us in Samsara, it is very difficult." The High Priest picked up a cigar and said no more. Romir raised her teacup and fell silent as well. Karen attended to refilling tea and offering the ashtray; in a setting like this, there was no need for him to liven up the atmosphere. Still, Karen couldn't help feeling a sense of unreality. Perhaps it was because Ukonga's earlier intrusion had disrupted the solemn atmosphere he expected of this environment. Yet upon reflection, Ukonga's seniority ranked among the very highest in the Temple of Order, and the two figures currently sitting here drinking tea held dominion over two orthodox churches. This tea gathering was, in truth, of the absolute highest tier in the clerical realm. The first to break the silence was Romir. She spoke up: "I worry that after Order finishes dealing with Life, the next target will be us in Samsara." "There is no need to worry about that problem, because Samsara has already been struck by Order." Romir frowned slightly, a wry smile surfacing on her face—an expression suited rather well to her current features. Karen steadily refilled the tea, but couldn't help smiling inwardly. Was this truly a conversation between two church leaders? Romir sighed. "Is Order's objective not aimed at deities?" "How could that be? My Lord is also a deity." "Very well. In truth, I have no room for choice. Samsara needs to prepare in advance for the return of our Lord and offer up the tributes our Lord will need most urgently upon returning. Regardless of whether Order's next target becomes Samsara, my church must do this. But... in truth, my Church of Samsara is willing to accept Order's world framework. I believe our great Lord would also be willing, upon the arrival of the new epoch, to join the camp of the God of Order." The High Priest lightly tapped the ash from his cigar and asked, "Since when is it our place to decide matters of the gods?" "You are right." The imperial carriage seemed to be descending. Just then, however, another figure appeared at the doorway—an elderly man who looked remarkably "young." Hierarch Sivus of the Church of Principle. Karen had seen him at the memorial service held by the First Knight Order, where he had stood beside the High Priest. The High Priest stood up, and Romir rose along with him. Sivus grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Picking me up before setting out, or having me go to your office hall so we could ride together—either would have been fine. Why invite me, only to have me board the carriage right before we arrive? What a hassle." The High Priest replied, "Certain conspiracies must be kept behind your back." "Behind my back?" Sivus looked at Romir and chuckled. "Seeing the Gatekeeper here, I understand." Sivus took a seat, glanced at Karen, and said, "Coffee." "Right away." Immediately following that, Sivus looked across at Romir and asked, "Has Samsara still not approved the Church of Principle's research request?" "It insults our church's dignity." "It's a transaction. Whatever dignity is insulted, Principle will compensate with tangible benefits." The High Priest blew a smoke ring and asked, "What are you doing?" "I asked them to send a thousand priests who have fused with souls from inside the Gate to our Church of Principle's research institute for physical examinations." This was treating Samsara priests as test subjects. Yet even when faced with such an unreasonable and humiliating demand, Romir did not lose her temper. Samsara no longer possessed the qualification to flip the table. Sivus looked toward the High Priest and said, "Everyone present should get a share. Many materials in the Garden of Life possess immense research value." The High Priest shook his head. "Without investment, where do you get the nerve to demand dividends?" "Aiya, listen to you! In recent years, who has been helping Order refine and upgrade its war implements? Our Church of Principle has been a tremendous help." "You also obtained the blueprints, did you not?" "What are blueprints worth? You can't cash them out." "Then who, pray tell, leaked the new types of war implements that have appeared among the various churches in recent years?" "Rumors." Sivus took the coffee from Karen's hands and took a sip. "Utter rumors." The imperial carriage touched down. The High Priest walked in the lead, Sivus followed behind, and Romir donned her veil and followed; were it not for Karen, she would have been at the very rear. On the ground was a red carpet stretching exceedingly far into the distance. Flanking the red carpet were clusters of buildings, magnificent yet exquisite. It took Karen quite a while to recognize that this was likely the heart of the Church of Life—the seat of its Holy See. In the sky, flocks of falcon knights patrolled alongside giant dragons; below, flanking the red carpet, knights stood guard. Further in the distance, enormous dharma bodies could be seen towering into the air—temple elders who had marched with the legion. The buildings showed little sign of destruction, which meant no severe skirmishes had occurred here. In truth, once the Order knight orders invaded the Newnas Subcontinent, the Church of Life could no longer muster any decent counterattack or defense. Because the opponent they faced was simply too formidable, and the other sacred grounds had failed to reinforce the center in a timely manner. Thus, they had even abandoned the seat of their Holy See, retreating to defend inside the Garden of Life. One could say... they were truly paying homage to their two principal deities through practical action. Romir remarked, "After this battle, I fear no one will mock Samsara anymore." Sivus glanced at Romir and agreed, "In truth, Samsara has already shown great tenacity." Samsara's defeat and plea for peace in the "First Day War" against Order had been driven by substantial objective factors; losing that one battle had not prevented them from waging an intense war against the Moon God Church immediately after. Even with sharp internal factional conflicts and the fallout of the Rielsa incident, the Church of Samsara still stood firm, not only refusing to collapse but continuing to prop up the framework of an orthodox church. Look at the Church of Life—they had been beaten into fracturing outright. If those two principal deities of Life failed to return in time, the Church of Life might well follow the old path of the Sea God Cult in the future. At the end of the red carpet stood a massive, rainbow-like curtain of light, resembling an enclosure wall so towering its top was invisible, hemming in an entire area. At the same time, massive vines wrapped and covered the rainbow, creating an even tighter defense. Nearby, traces of attempted assaults could be seen, but evidently, none had yielded results. Stroking his beard, Sivus pointed forward and said, "Since they already conceded the Holy See, why not take one more step back and retreat directly into the Tree of Life? They're terrified, yet still desperate to preserve a bit more of their family assets, boxing in the entire Garden of Life for fear it might be trampled. The Tree of Life could have protected itself, but now it has to divert a large portion of its power to reinforce the outside. Utterly foolish operation." Immediately, Sivus looked toward Romir and continued, "How enviable. It seems the first meal for your Lord is already prepared." *Buzz!* A colossal dharma body rose—it was Ukonga's form. Raising both hands, he appeared to be conducting a summoning. To the rear, Karen saw Rohan, the temple elder skilled in arrays, leading a large group of knight order array masters in activating the formation. In the sky, the first black circular void appeared, followed by a second, a third... Soon, densely packed black voids appeared on all sides of the Garden of Life, riddling the firmament with countless holes. Romir began to chant, a phantom image of the Gate of Samsara appearing behind her. Karen immediately sensed that this gate had formed a connection with the black voids in the sky. Undead creatures crawled out one after another from the edges of the black voids, peering cautiously outside. Within every black void, massive writhing could be seen, the sheer numbers staggering. Yet their dread of the Order knight orders outside was palpable. This was only natural; undead creatures were not brainless, and they still remembered the terror of being crushed when facing the knight orders not long ago. Still, this sheer quantity was truly terrifying. Karen couldn't help sighing in wonder: Had Samsara Valley... been temporarily relocated here? Sivus clicked his tongue and said, "Back in the day, the God of Order asked my Lord how to breach the Tree of Life. The method my Lord proposed was to drain the life force of the Tree of Life, and it would naturally wither. What desires life force most? Naturally, it's these undead who have lost life. A pity the relationship between the God of Order and the God of Samsara was not good; in the last epoch, the God of Samsara certainly wouldn't have helped. But in this epoch, the Church of Samsara has lent a hand. Heh." While manipulating the phantom Gate of Samsara, Romir looked toward the High Priest's back. "High Priest, may we begin?" At this point, because there were so many black voids, undead creatures plummeted down incessantly. Upon touching the rainbow and vines, they instantly dissipated into black smoke. But that was only because their numbers were not yet sufficient; once there were enough of them, it would be anyone's guess who would wear down whom, or who would devour whom. The High Priest slowly raised his hand, and a copy of the *Light of Order* appeared in his palm. "Begin." In the next instant, a sea of undead poured down like a torrential deluge. Though massive numbers of them were vaporized, it did not change the fact that more and more undead were able to cling to the vine walls and gnaw away. Moreover, this rain stretched on ceaselessly, showing no sign of stopping. The accumulation of several epochs of the Church of Samsara was completely poured out here at this moment. Though their original intention was to harvest life force to bring back, in reality, they were paving the way for Order's conquest of Life. The High Priest turned open the *Light of Order*, his majestic voice resounding in all directions. It not only reached the ears of every Order priest present, but also resonated deep inside the eroding Garden of Life: "The Church of Life has disrupted the order of life's ethics and violated the Code of Order. "Now, in the name of the High Priest of the Church of Order, "I pronounce sentence: "Life shall wither."