Grandpa's Godhead Fragment!

Raniedal threw both arms high, leaned back, and drew a deep breath. A terrifying vortex formed above his head, drawing the surrounding clouds into his chest. In an instant, the sky turned pure and crystal clear, ablaze with starlight. After maintaining the pose for a brief moment, he straightened his posture. As he exhaled, a long rumble rolled from his throat like thunder. The clouds swallowed earlier resurfaced as black thunderclouds, instantly unleashing a torrential downpour. He gave his neck a gentle roll. The sharp crack of his joints set off a cascade of lightning, enriching the stormy night. And all of this was merely a god stretching his limbs. Mankind's understanding of gods was drawn almost entirely from records and legends passed down from the previous era. Only by standing before the suffocating majesty of a god could one truly grasp what kind of existence a deity was. Much like divine artifacts, whose function and value grew with their degree of completeness, so it was with deities. A complete god, no matter how weakened, still wielded power far beyond the imagination of ordinary mortals. The most recent "rampage of a god" had been Mural God Rielsa bursting forth from the Gate of Reincarnation. But that had merely been Rielsa's decayed divine husk—formidable, yes, but only on the level of a high-tier "monstrous beast" with immense destructive power. Raniedal, on the other hand, was capable of deploying the methods of a true god in their entirety. "Long time no see, world..." A sigh of emotion broke from Raniedal's lips. In truth, he had returned long ago. But while drifting through Mink Street and residing within the body of a dog, the world in his eyes had been far too small. Even as Karen gradually loosened his seals and granted him more power, his vantage point still had not been high enough. Only now, standing here and looking down upon the four directions, did he truly see his familiar world once more. Only now did he feel he had truly returned. Compared to this, his past existence had been nothing less than living a dog's life! At a moment like this, he ought to kick up a grand racket, make some noise, and deliver a solemn proclamation to send shockwaves through all the churches. Such was human nature, and gods were no exception. Yet, when Diss's voice drifted over from behind: "Pursuant to the Order Regulations..." Raniedal instantly reined in his impending movement and swallowed the roar gathering in his throat. It was like being in an audience where one was expected to remain quiet while someone spoke on stage, so as not to interrupt or drown out their voice, nor flail about to steal the spotlight. Standing on the rooftop holding an umbrella, Old Hoffen caught sight of this. He watched the god cover his mouth, watched the god draw in his neck, and furrowed his brows. He felt a prick of regret—regret that he shouldn't have sulked downstairs all by himself, missing out on the conversation between grandfather and grandson; He regretted even more that he had died in the middle of everything, missing so much brilliance along the way. In truth, he didn't have to die back then, but at the time, he felt that living on as a book held no meaning at all. The God of Principles' private notes recorded countless stories and observations reaching back several eras. Every entry and tale was vividly lifelike, because the God of Principles had turned the individuals, beasts, and even gods involved into bookmarks, sealing them within. It was a notebook, but even more so, a prison. He had been unwilling to trade imprisonment after death for so-called longevity. Even now, he didn't feel life was joyous or meaningful. The only reasons he had crawled out of his grave were, first, that Alfred had brought those notes to his tombstone, and second, that he had sensed Diss's awakening. He was afraid his old comrade couldn't shoulder it alone and wanted to climb out to lend a hand; he was even more afraid his old comrade would handle it with flying colors, leaving him to miss Diss's finest hour. In his youth, he had been an admirer of Diss. Later, when Diss returned to an ordinary man's life to marry and raise children, Hoffen followed him to settle in Luojia City, working as a professor at the local university, marrying, and starting a family. In his leisure hours, his greatest joy was bringing tea over to share with Diss. Later, cinema emerged, giving birth to numerous movie stars with vast followings. Old Hoffen had once joked that he was the most successful celebrity stalker of them all. Therefore, he was naturally loath to miss this chance to witness Diss's majesty once again. It was just that Raniedal's appearance rubbed him the wrong way. The evil god he had personally sealed away had not only regained a great deal of strength, but had also become remarkably well-behaved. Well, well, looks like the difficulty just dropped. Hoffen had wondered if he might find an opportunity to step in and help, but that seemed unlikely now. What irritated him even more was knowing that Karen had taken that golden retriever away and Karen had brought it back. Thus, the one who subdued this evil god was undoubtedly Karen. Ever since that oversized divine descent ritual transformed that boy into a completely different person, Hoffen had seen his extraordinary nature. A body forged by an evil god, raw talent overflowing to an absurd degree, topped with the bloodline inheritance bestowed by Diss... Dammit, that was no longer just learning things fast—it meant things that took others ten or twenty years, or even half a lifetime, could probably be mastered by him while casually flipping pages over a meal. Before Karen left Luojia, he hadn't even undergone purification and wasn't even an Order servant. He was essentially a prime blank slate that every church would fight tooth and nail for. Mhm, on top of that, the "little evil god" had a sweet tongue. Hoffen had never understood why Diss was so enamored with this grandson until Karen called him "Grandpa." He tasted that sweetness, and he was hooked. Because of that, he had secretly pulled a little trick. Before "dying," he wrote down the notes of the God of Principles that he had studied and handed them to Karen. If the Church of Principles were to discover that set of notes, they would go mad with ecstasy. So when Karen left Luojia, he hadn't just taken a cat, a dog, and an alien demon—he had also carried away a treasure transcending divine artifacts. Old Hoffen had hoped to poach the boy, guiding Karen toward the path of Principles. Yet his little scheme fell flat in the end. Karen remained faithful to Order. Hoffen couldn't wrap his head around it, which was another reason he had been moping downstairs instead of heading straight up. When Diss gave his earlier praise, Old Hoffen had assumed his old comrade had simply concocted a novel way to "greet" the God of Order. Astute and erudite as he was, it never crossed his mind that the words were meant entirely literally. Had he known the truth, he would likely have let it go. If the God of Order could be converted to Principles just by flipping through notes, the God of Principles would have ruled several eras in a row by now. All along, Karen had treated Mr. Hoffen's notes purely as an encyclopedia, reading only the sections on local customs, faction introductions, arrays, spellcraft, and secret realm analyses. As for the "insights," "doctrines," and "philosophies," Karen barely touched them. Furthermore, that set of notes had largely remained with Alfred, who had begun studying them on the ship leaving Rulan. Alfred's rapid subsequent growth was genuinely inseparable from his study of those books. By this point, the Temple Elders were already retreating at top speed in the face of the suddenly materialized deity. Old Hoffen looked at the illusion of the Gate of Order still hanging in the sky. Smiling, he opened his palm, revealing several golden pages, and muttered to himself: "Diss, my friend, I just happen to have the original blueprints for the Temple of Order right here." When the Church of Order constructed the Temple of Order, they had enlisted architects from the Church of Principles. It was a top-secret affair, and all relevant backups had been wiped clean once the collaboration concluded. Even if any copies survived, they likely couldn't have escaped centuries of confiscation by the Church of Order. Yet the original version had remained hidden within the god's notes all along. What was more, the pet name for the design had been "Doghouse," a title bestowed jokingly by Tyranus himself. In the distance, Diss's figure appeared above Raniedal. With a flick of his hand, an identification card drifted down from above. Raniedal twitched his nose and sniffed it in. It was a credential issued by an Inquisitor of the Inquisitorial Office of Luojia City, Rulan Parish, Church of Order. When Old Hoffen had asked earlier, Diss replied, "She has a permit." And indeed there was a permit, for no one had ever said it couldn't be issued retroactively. Raniedal's nostrils even caught a faint scent of ink. It had just been penned; the writing was not yet dry. Though Raniedal had commanded artillery on the battlefield, that was solely as external aid. Karen had never arranged official posts for him and Purr. Strictly speaking, from this moment on, Raniedal completed his transition from Lord Evil God to a legally sanctioned, temporary alien demon worker. Raniedal didn't find it funny in the slightest. He merely thought Diss's way of doing things was strikingly similar to Karen's—both clung steadfastly to established rules and dogma, yet both were remarkably flexible. He naturally knew the true relationship between Diss and Karen; after all, he had witnessed Karen's descent. Even so, he couldn't help marveling that sometimes, the affinity and resonance between souls could transcend the bonds of blood. Diss lowered his eyes to look at Raniedal's hands. Raniedal's palms were like two small suns. The two Temple Elders gripped inside were trying every trick to break free, yet no matter how they struggled, they could not escape the god's grasp. Diss sighed and said, "Educate them properly." Raniedal nodded. He could detect a trace of reluctance in Diss's tone. When all was said and done, Diss had made a concession. Last time, he detonated the temple without truly harming a single Order priest. This time, since the temple was the first to break the pact, his second awakening meant he would no longer hold back. They were all Order believers; there was no reason he should always be the one sacrificing for the greater good. When they decided to strike, they should have prepared to pay the price. Yet even after Karen said, "Grandpa, do as you please," Diss remained reluctant in the end. These fellows were, after all, the high-end combat strength of the Church of Order. They belonged to the temple, the temple belonged to the Church of Order, the Church of Order belonged to the God of Order... and the God of Order was his grandson. Raniedal exerted force with his arms, clapping his hands together swiftly with the two Temple Elders between them. A deafening roar erupted. The avatars of both elders shattered instantly, and their true bodies were battered into bloodied figures. With a casual toss backward, he flung them into the city below, where they crashed into two massive craters. Having done this, he looked at the fleeing elders and began counting on his fingers: "One, two, three, four, five, six..." Wait, two had been taken out, which made her the fifth. Raniedal smiled faintly. His gaze materialized into substance, locking onto the fleeing Siti in an instant. Terror seized Siti's heart. She couldn't understand why, when everyone had scattered simultaneously, this deity singled her out. When she attempted to use a doppelgänger spell to break the lock, the hundreds of copies she had just condensed flowed back into her body one by one. Not only that, the distance she had flown began to shrink rapidly, as though she were voluntarily flying backward along her original path. "Hehe, meow." Purr chuckled and strolled out. Behind her was Rasma, who had been sealed against the eardrum and fallen unconscious. Stepping out of the ear, Purr flew atop Kevin's head. "Ouch, stupid dog, why is your head so slippery? I can't even get a foothold." Out of options, Purr sat down and slid smoothly as if on a playground slide. Passing Raniedal's eyes, she landed squarely on the tip of his nose. This spot was directly opposite Siti, who was being dragged back. With great anticipation, Purr laced her fingers and stretched her arms: "Siti, oh Siti, you called a whole crowd to corner me back then. I'm not nearly as shameless as you—I only brought one helper." ... Alfred's brush moved with blistering speed, capturing the scene before him. He would undermine and scheme against anyone else's presence on the mural, with a single exception: Diss. No matter what, Diss would occupy a glorious, radiant position in the future. Far from feeling any jealousy, Alfred would display Diss's majesty to the utmost limit. Besides, a specific passage would be recorded in *The New Light of Order*: *Alfred Sau and Diss Inmerais once fought on Mink Street, ending in a draw.* Even while painting, he did not forget to bark orders: "Hey, you lot with official identities, hurry down and fish them out! Don't let them bleed out from severe injuries. Move quickly—chances to play savior to Temple Elders don't come around often!" Dikno reminded him in a low voice, "Dalivenro went down too." Alfred cursed immediately, "Dalivenro, stop right there!" Dalivenro, who had been darting forward, halted and yelled back through the mental link with great displeasure: "Why? These are the Bald Faction's spoils of war!" "If you dare turn an elder into fertilizer, just wait until the Young Master finds out and buries you!" ... The retreat order had come from Ukonga. The moment Raniedal fully revealed himself, Ukonga knew the mission was doomed. A slumbering Diss had already demanded their utmost seriousness. Adding a god into the mix, how were they supposed to fight? The church was not without means to handle gods—preparations were underway in the Garden of Life—but the core of their current assignment was a gang-up of top-tier combatants. Once the balance shattered, pressing forward would simply be throwing lives away. More importantly, he recognized the deity's identity... Raniedal! After all, he had fiddled with the man's skull for centuries. The sudden advent of a deity and the upheaval here had to be reported swiftly, leaving the temple... no, leaving the church to make a decision. Midway through his breakout, he looked toward the phantom of the Gate of Order in the sky. It had originally been guarded by the Scythe of War, and no one understood why the weapon had suddenly turned traitor. At this point, however, the Scythe's betrayal was a minor issue. This gate could not be allowed to stand here. Ukonga soared into the sky, hurling seal after seal at the gate's phantom in an attempt to force it shut. Down below, Raniedal was too distracted to care, fully occupied playing a game of dog-catches-Siti. Yet Diss's aura drew near in an instant. Ukonga's eyes swept over, and his figure vanished, colliding violently with Diss mid-flight. *Boom!* A blinding burst of light erupted, followed by a black vortex of Order. Ukonga was hurled backward violently, while Diss remained rooted in place. "How is this possible?" Ukonga had not believed the gap between them would be this pronounced. In fact, before arriving, he had been confident he could suppress his opponent in raw power; his only concern had been Diss resorting to self-detonation as he had done before. His seniority was towering. Aside from those in slumber, everyone visible in the temple—including the Prophets, Temple Masters, and Oracles—were his juniors. Whereas Diss, though aged in appearance, was genuinely that young. Ukonga could not accept falling short in combat against such a junior! Raising his hands to his sides, two blue scimitars appeared in his grip. The scimitars were not divine artifacts, but the two gems embedded in them were taken from the Sea God's Crown, granting enormous boosts to space and speed respectively. The moment the scimitars emerged, two vibrant auroral bands swept across the sky. Below, Karen—who had already ordered the legion to withdraw—stood beside the boundary stone, looking up to enjoy the duel. Seeing Ukonga's twin blades, he couldn't help smiling: "Those weapons truly suit his character." Exceedingly ostentatious, utterly flashy, desperate to ensure no one overlooked him. Little Kanna sucked on her forefinger. "I want those two gems." Karen pulled her finger from her mouth. "Don't make a habit of that." "But they're so pretty! I could embed them into my bones." Little Kanna had always been dissatisfied with her pristine white skeleton, feeling it was far too plain. "That wouldn't look good. Our Kanna is already very pretty." Karen had no desire to ride atop Kanna in the future while blue light flashed in all directions, as though someone had dragged nightclub strobe lights into the heavens. Little Kanna pouted. "Hmph, I won't ask you. I'll ask Great-Grandpa." ... Below, Raniedal, who was helping Purr "tie ropes" around Siti, lifted his head as he sensed the Sea God's aura. Glancing between Ukonga and Diss, however, he suppressed his temper and went back to playing along with Purr. After Ukonga drew his weapons, Diss retrieved a wooden hilt from his clerical robes. Karen had seen that hilt long ago. Grandpa owned a briefcase in which he carried the tools he needed during his days as an Inquisitor. It was not a divine artifact, nor strictly even a sacred artifact. It was merely a tool whose carved patterns had taken three nights of careful carving by someone who was heavily pregnant at the time. The most "valuable" item Diss possessed was likely that mask. Everything else was the standard equipment of an ordinary Inquisitor, and nothing more. Ukonga's brow knitted slightly. He, too, could see that the weapon in his opponent's hand was extraordinarily ordinary. He felt insulted. Budalas and Philias could insult him; they had, after all, climbed to the pinnacle of orthodox churches. But you... what right do you have? The twin scimitars slashed outward, folding the sky in their wake. Fortunately, the clash unfolded high in the air. Otherwise, those two strikes alone would have cleaved every structure in Luojia City into three pieces. Diss raised the wooden hilt, and a black blade materialized. Facing Ukonga's terrifying onslaught, he simply parried left, then parried right. *Clang!* *Clang!* Even with the divine artifact's enhancements bolstering his body, Ukonga felt his arms go numb with intense shock, leaving him no choice but to pull his blades back. At that moment, Diss appeared above him, thrusting his sword downward from afar. His lips moved faintly, as if murmuring something. Sensing a frightening power bearing down on him, Ukonga crossed his twin blades overhead, forming an unyielding barrier. Yet before that power even arrived, a vast black swamp spread beneath his feet. "Forbidden Spell: Order—Ever-Silent Marsh Demise." Simultaneously, a towering divine phantom manifested behind him, raising a giant battle-axe to cleave into his back. "Forbidden Spell: Order—Solemn Judgment Severance." Before him, the sculpture of a siren emerged, mouth gaping to unleash a piercing shriek, crashing down like a tidal wave of mental shock. "Forbidden Spell: Order—Mournful Soul-Burying Liturgy." Even for a Temple Elder, casting forbidden spells was far from casual; instantaneous release of three in a single breath was absurd beyond belief. Every forbidden spell required methodical preparation. All three forbidden spells slammed squarely into Ukonga. "Ah!" Ukonga roared in fury. The defense of his scimitars enveloped him completely as he forcefully triggered a spell of his own: "Forbidden Spell—Order's Supreme Cage!" A cage of Order manifested, sealing his surroundings to neutralize as much of the outer impact as possible. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* A chain of terrifying physical and mental shockwaves rippled across the sky, interweaving into a surreal spectacle, like a jumble of colorful paints dumped haphazardly across a canvas. "How am I supposed to paint this?" Alfred muttered, lost in thought. Dikno grabbed the palette, preparing to splash it. "Don't, don't, don't!" Dikno asked, "Isn't this the most convenient way?" "That's being irresponsible to future viewers of the mural! They won't care about what actually happened—they'll just curse the painter for getting drunk and knocking over his palette!" ... *Pant... pant... pant...* The distortions in the surroundings had yet to fade. Ukonga stood there still gripping his scimitars. Though pushed to his absolute limit, he remained wedged before the Gate of Order. The phantom behind him was nearing dissipation, no longer capable of teleporting new elders into the temple. Staring fixedly at Diss ahead, Ukonga said, "I admit, you truly are formidable." Diss nodded. "You are a genius as well." Hearing this, Ukonga's chest heaved violently. Diss silently rested a hand over his chest, and the luminous outline of a godhead fragment materialized. The Gate of Order stood within the Temple of Order. Ever since its construction, it possessed a trait: whenever someone outside condensed an Order-aligned godhead fragment, unless they were in an extremely unique domain, the Gate of Order would resonate with them, using the temple's power to guide them in. Its actual teleportation function was negligible, serving primarily a ceremonial purpose. According to records, an elder should only ever enjoy this treatment once, since a person was presumed capable of condensing only a single godhead fragment in their lifetime. Yet, when this system reached modern times, a new aberration emerged because of one man. Who could have guessed that an elder who had just condensed a godhead fragment would use it to blow up the temple? And who could have guessed... that he could blow it up more than once? The principle behind this operation targeting Mink Street was simple: Rasma would condense a godhead fragment within Diss's range first, prompting the Gate of Order to initiate guidance, after which they would seal off the gate. A second phantom could not appear simultaneously. Blocking the gate would stall Diss's subsequent moves, neutralizing his threat to the temple, at which point the temple's forces could strike. Just now, the Gate of Order summoned by Rasma's godhead fragment had dispersed. What was reforming in its place was drawn forth by the third godhead fragment within Diss. "Then I... will block you once more." The advent of a deity meant the mission had failed. Now, it was time for damage control. He could not allow this man to enter the temple again. This time, Diss would undoubtedly wreak far worse havoc than before. If Diss took the front gates, an Order knight order stood guard outside the Temple of Order year-round, backed by the Holy See's other forces to bar his path. Diss wouldn't make it in, and neither would a god! Diss raised his sword toward Ukonga once more. Ukonga shouted, "Does it truly have to be this way?" Diss shook his head. "That is a question I should be asking you. It was you people who insisted on this." The sword slashed downward again. That horrifying power surged forth once more. Ukonga had abandoned all thought of attacking, focusing solely on defense. Yet the moment he braced himself, he discovered to his horror that the previous three forbidden spells had returned—and still in a set of three! *Boom! Boom! Boom!* The sky was churned into mush once more. *Spurt...* Deep within the churning chaos, Ukonga spat a mouthful of golden blood flecked with shards of divine artifacts. Only someone like him could endure two consecutive barrages; anyone else would have disintegrated long ago. Now, he had no time for bitterness. Glancing back, he saw that the phantom of the Gate of Order, failing to receive a prompt response from the one being guided, was already beginning to fade. Ukonga wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and asked with a grin, "Find it a bit faster this time?" A pendant appeared at his chest. "This is one of the gate's array cores. It can help maintain or dispel the effects of the Gate of Order to a certain degree." Diss replied placidly, "Oh, is that so." Ukonga said, "If you harbor grievances against the God, why not wait until the God returns to speak with Him personally? Why resort to such extreme measures?" "I was lying down. You were the ones who woke me." Ukonga licked his lips, still clinging to his argument: "I meant the first time." "The first time, I was at home. You were the ones who dragged me out." Ukonga: "..." Pausing, Ukonga lowered his head with an embarrassed chuckle: "Dammit, it seems you're right." Ukonga had reviewed the records. Diss had been living as an ordinary priest here, which failure of understanding seemed to tie into an oversized divine descent ritual that drew the temple's attention and triggered subsequent actions. After forcing Diss to retaliate, the temple, motivated by prestige and self-defense, sought to eliminate the threat entirely, sparking this second operation. In other words, Diss had never intended to blow up the temple—he had been pushed into it every step of the way. Ukonga looked down and asked, "Back then, was the one you summoned Raniedal? The evil god, Raniedal." A smile touched Diss's lips, as though recalling a fond memory. "He was merely a free gift." "Then who was the one that truly descended?" "You will find out in the future." Diss raised the wooden sword once more, pointing it at Ukonga. Just then, two Temple Elders who had retreated to the perimeter noticed the situation at the Gate of Order and began rushing back to assist. It had to be said that when the core interests of the church were at stake, the sense of duty among the Order elders was remarkably high. However, Raniedal simply leapt upward, his massive frame blocking their path. Reaching out with both hands, he snatched one in each grip. Just like before, he brought his hands together. *Boom!* This time, the avatars did not shatter, and the two elders nearly slipped away. The reason was that Siti was currently wedged between Raniedal's teeth. He had been busy sealing Siti's power so Purr could enjoy a duel on equal, or slightly advantageous, terms. This division of attention made him clumsy. Stepping on an ant and catching an ant while keeping it alive were two completely different tasks. Still, he swiftly completed a second grab. When the two elders tried to pull away, they found that flying outward only brought them closer to the god. Caught once more, Raniedal clapped his hands together with full force. *Boom!* The avatars of both elders shattered, leaving them covered in blood. Done! Raniedal casually tossed them behind him, letting them enter free fall. Fundamentally, coming in one by one without preparation or teamwork was virtually useless against a god. Below, Alfred's orders relayed swiftly: "Quick! Another chance to play savior!" ... Under Daina's coordination, the legion's communications battalion had established a broadcast array. However, due to the close proximity, the array suffered interference from divine majesty, resulting in a choppy, lagging feed. Left with no choice, Daina could only report the situation to the High Priest in real-time via text transmissions. Meanwhile, the legion that had pulled back earlier received Karen's latest orders, fanning out to intercept any foreign church scouts that might appear nearby. This civil clash within the Church of Order was best kept out of the limelight. Even now, very few within the Church of Order knew what was taking place here, as it was an operation of the highest confidentiality. Karen only needed to ensure the High Priest remained informed, for the final resolution still depended on the High Priest's push. Before that, however, the slaps had to be delivered as hard as possible—preferably hard enough to draw blood. "Hmm, is Great-Grandpa going into that gate?" "Yes." "Is Great-Grandpa going to blow up the temple again?" Karen shook his head. "This time, it won't be as simple as blowing it up." ... As Diss raised the wooden sword once more, Ukonga drew a deep breath, preparing to act as a meat shield again. This time, Diss held the sword aloft for a fraction of a second longer—just a tiny bit. Yet the resulting manifestation made Ukonga's eyes widen in sheer horror. The previous three forbidden spells appeared once more, but each was triple-layered, meaning within that brief breath, his opponent had condensed nine forbidden spells! "Hehehehe..." Ukonga let out a wretched laugh and asked: "Do you suffer no backlash whatsoever from using forbidden spells?" *Cough... cough...* Diss coughed. Then, the forbidden spells detonated. *Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!* This was no longer a knocked-over palette; an entire bucket of paint had been kicked across the celestial vault, splashing to the ends of the horizon. At the very epicenter, the magic turned thick and viscous, almost liquid. Deep inside, Ukonga's flesh hung in ribbons—or rather, only fragments of outer skin remained. A pillar bearing the texture of a divine artifact stood in his place, with Ukonga reduced to a layer of skin clinging to it. He had not died. He remained standing, but his true form had been battered into full exposure, riddled with extensive fractures and damage. *Ha... gasp... ugh...* The durability of a divine artifact had reached its true limit; this was power capable of destroying an intact divine artifact. Ukonga's face twisted into an agonizing grimace. "Are you still going to blow up the temple this time?" Having felt it firsthand, he realized with utter clarity how miraculous it had been for Siti and the other two to survive last time! He also realized the man possessed means far more terrifying than detonating a godhead fragment. The combined detonation of those nine forbidden spells yielded power by no means inferior to the self-destruction of a godhead fragment. "No. I want to ask them just how far I must go to satisfy them. I want to show them the price of disturbing my family's peaceful life." "Then why didn't you show them the first time?" "I was mistaken. I thought the self-detonation of one godhead fragment would suffice. In hindsight, laziness always demands a price and invites greater trouble." "Laziness?" A large chunk of Ukonga's lower lip dropped away. With only his upper lip remaining, his voice was reduced to a raspy shriek. "You detonated a godhead fragment just out of laziness?" Diss gave no reply, which amounted to tacit agreement. Yet this tacit agreement was the hardest pill for Ukonga to swallow. How desperately did he crave an Order-aligned godhead fragment to sustain his existence, to pull himself out of this half-dead state! And yet, the man before him had detonated one without a second thought, casually chalking it up to laziness! At this moment, Raniedal finished tying Siti up. Tracing a circle with his hand, his divine kingdom appeared, and he tossed Siti inside. Then, he looked up at the lingering chaos in the sky. "Whoa..." "Stupid dog, what level is Diss at right now?" This scale of power expenditure had exceeded Purr's comprehension. Raniedal replied, "The gap between him and other elders at this stage is like the gap between you at tier nine of the family faith system and opponents of the same rank." "Wow, meow." That was immense praise, meaning Diss had refined his mastery of power to the absolute pinnacle of this tier. Back when Purr walked in circles like Siti's under the name "Pohl Eisena," high-end enemies failed to trace her back to the Allen family because they refused to believe she was merely a family-faith practitioner. The female Progenitor Allen she manifested in battle was assumed to be an uninherited goddess of faith. Ukonga was already an exceptional figure among Temple Elders, yet before Diss, he could only passively take a beating. Furthermore, Diss didn't even appear to have gone all out. A subtle implication was hidden within that assessment: if Diss were to ascend to godhood in the future, his combat strength among ordinary deities would be terrifying. After all, what bound him was merely the tier of power, not its application. "I'm going to play with Siti, meow!" Raniedal traced another circle, allowing Purr to enter. Then, he focused upward. He could only help Diss keep external distractions at bay; he couldn't draw too close to the Gate of Order. As an outsider god, the gate would not permit his entry and would even shut down automatically upon sensing his intent to approach. Still, his presence didn't seem to make much difference anyway. Raniedal sighed internally: *A pity you weren't born in the previous era...* ... Church of Order, Administration Temple. Kred strode inside, arriving before the High Priest to report: "Your Eminence, the temple just issued directives to multiple knight orders and departmental systems, instructing them to mobilize or make specific preparations." The High Priest nodded, took another puff of his cigar, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring before speaking: "Without my decree, any unauthorized deployment by any department or individual outside the temple shall be deemed apostasy." ... Diss walked past Ukonga, who was no longer in any condition to stop him. Yet, as Diss reached the phantom of the Gate of Order, the gate shattered like glass. Behind the shattered mirror was an already faded Gate of Order, no longer capable of transporting anyone into the temple. The mirror had been part of Ukonga's true form, used to deceive outside perception regarding the state of the gate's phantom. Ukonga's body continued to peel away, yet his laughter rang out regardless: "Hehehe, tell me, did I manage to fool you?" Diss nodded. "You did." Ukonga sighed. "You are too arrogant. Arrogance breeds complacency. I'm not belittling you, just offering a modest piece of advice. After all, I've lived nearly a thousand years longer than you, so I'm somewhat qualified to say this. "Now, you've lost your chance to enter the temple directly. I suggest you choose a more pragmatic—" Ukonga froze mid-sentence. It wasn't because his injuries rendered him speechless, but because he saw Diss rest a hand against the other side of his chest, where another godhead fragment emerged. One had been detonated, one was sealed within the temple, and the third had just summoned the Gate of Order. Yet the moment this new fragment appeared, the recently dispersed Gate of Order responded to the summons, solidifying once again! This meant it was another freshly condensed godhead fragment! What, then, had been the point of Ukonga desperately holding this line? Had he stood here getting beaten half to death merely to move himself to tears? No—the entire operation, including Rasma's infiltration and inside coordination, was an utter joke! The light died in Ukonga's eyes. He gave a self-mocking laugh: "Heh... so... you didn't just have three. You hid another. You actually have four godhead fragments." Diss shook his head and replied placidly: "More than that."