"Roar!"
The Frost Giant Dragon's mountainous body soared above the frozen plains. The environment here filled Augie with ease and delight.
She threw back her draconic head, built up power, and exhaled toward the ground below. Amid a violent rumble, a churning glacier surged forth, pulverizing the surface in a magnificent, crushing advance.
The entire motion resembled a little goldfish happily blowing bubbles upon returning to its bowl—except Augie's bubble was rather oversized.
Having done this, Augie proudly turned her head to look at Little Kanna perched on her back, flaunting her display.
"Humph!"
Little Kanna planted her hands on her hips and scoffed disdainfully. "Come on, big dumb dragon, let me show you the power of homework... no, the power of knowledge!"
With that, Little Kanna leapt from the dragon's back, transforming into her dragon form mid-fall.
Augie jumped in surprise. She hadn't anticipated Little Kanna's draconic form had grown so massive, forcing her to shift aside to make room.
Though Little Kanna was pure white, she was far from plain. The bone dragon's claws were embedded with gleaming gems, each extraordinarily precious and imbued with unique elemental laws. Karen had wheedled them out of Ukonga for her, which had resulted in Ukonga's favorite pair of scimitars being smashed to pieces to extract the stones.
Upon the bone dragon's right arm was an austere, ancient shield—the true form of her schoolbag, the Guardian's Shield, which provided absolute physical defense.
Her left arm looked as though it wore a bronze bracer, and bronze it was—its true form was a Lax bronze coin. Though Loya and Purr didn't get along that well, Loya still considered herself Kanna's big sister, and this coin bracer provided the bone dragon with immense mental defense.
Flowing golden ribbons wound around the bone dragon's body, looking ethereal and graceful. Kevin had personally refined them from his own dog hair to grant a boost to her speed.
Karen did not care for this sort of gaudy getup; he vastly preferred a clean, refreshing style.
Yet Karen also knew better than to force his own aesthetic onto a girl of Kanna's age. Doing homework was miserable enough; he didn't have the heart to strip away Little Kanna's few remaining joys.
Little Kanna didn't unleash a breath weapon. Instead, she gently swiped her skeletal claws, dragon chants sounding like incantations. In the next breath, a massive expanse of ground caved in, and rising in its wake was a majestic, towering palace of ice.
It was a colossal feat combining both spells and arrays, serving a purpose much like Black Prison Castle.
Everything suffers by comparison. Next to this colossal palace, Augie's earlier handiwork looked like a little girl's casual doodle—not remotely on the same level.
Augie bristled with shame and irritation, yet had nowhere to vent it.
"Big dumb dragon, you need to read more!"
Little Kanna circled merrily in the sky, from time to time stealing glances at the carriage in the distance.
Outside the carriage, Karen and Foden sat opposite each other. Vegulin was personally preparing shaved ice. As for Philomena, far from helping, she stood off to the side, closely watching which cup would be hers.
Foden said, "Regarding the ban on the Light remnants, it's still inconvenient to lift it openly for now. A thousand years of inertia isn't something that can pivot overnight, and it's hard to justify historically."
"You are right," Karen replied. "However, my thought is not to lift it openly, but to secretly untie their shackles. The Light remnant organizations are too loose now; a millennium of dispersion has fractured them into numerous gatherings and heritage sites. We should unify them first.
"As for announcing the reconstruction of the Church of Light, we can leave that until an opportune moment."
"I'm curious," Foden mused. "Supporting a few puppets for fun to watch them fight among themselves to pass the time is one thing. Why do you want to unify them?
"The entire church circle spent a thousand years hunting them, yet they still retain vigorous vitality. If we truly let them rebuild, this fire of Light will inevitably spread back to scorch us."
Karen raised his head, looking toward the sky. "Compared to the meteors about to fall from above in waves, this little flicker of a flame no longer amounts to much. My Lord isolates the era, and standing beside Him right now is Light itself."
Foden shook his head. "Matters of gods have no absolute bearing on churches."
Karen nodded, conceding the point.
Foden continued, "Still, I won't oppose your methods, no matter how hard they are to understand. Do as you wish. I'll help you manage the rumors."
"Thank you, Whip-Wielder."
"No need to be so polite. The fact that you went out of your way to discuss it with me already gives me plenty of face. After all, nowadays, you could easily imply that it's the High Priest's will.
"Sigh, anyway, whatever bizarre decision our High Priest makes now, none of us will be surprised."
"The High Priest is in fairly good shape," Karen said. "I think he is still Norton."
Hearing this, Foden's hand holding the cup of shaved ice paused for a fraction of a second. Then he sighed.
"That's good. That's good."
These people shared deep, profound bonds. If forced to choose, they would far rather have Norton than Tyranus.
Vegulin handed a cup of shaved ice to Philomena. Philomena wasn't shy at all; taking it, she immediately began to eat.
Just then, traces of flying monster beasts appeared on the distant horizon—an advance scouting unit of the allied church armies.
Foden frowned slightly and shook his head. "Spoiling our appetite."
Karen remained silent.
The next instant, Augie, who had been bottling up a bellyful of frustration, received an order. She surged toward the beasts, unleashing a one-sided slaughter with the terrifying might of a Frost Giant Dragon.
"Go play," Karen gave his permission, and Little Kanna promptly joined in. Two giant dragons swept through the sky, bursting into plumes of blood mist while massive frozen sculptures plummeted down.
The advance scout squad was wiped out just like that, without granting the Three Churches the slightest shred of face.
Not long after, a colossal, silver-furred lion appeared on the distant plains. Three people in armor stood upon its back.
The middle-aged man leading them shouted using a voice-amplifying spell:
"Commander of the Storm Guard, Storm-Tempered One, inheritor of God Walf—Siberain Pompey, here to request an audience with Secretary-General Karen of the Church of Order!"
Corps commander, divine talent, Child of God, plus the Pompey family name—this man had stacked virtually every top-tier label imaginable.
Within the Church of the Storm, he was undisputed as the leading figure just beneath the old men.
Foden remarked, "Now they only recognize the bone dragon and ignore Augie."
With two giant dragons in the sky, the other party only asked to meet the secretary-general. This showed that the outside world's perception of Karen's standing in the Church of Order had shifted yet again, far exceeding even Karen's own assessment of himself.
Karen smiled. "Whip-Wielder, that's just an enemy's attempt to sow discord."
"Hehehe." Foden chuckled as well, pointing at Karen. "You rascal."
Foden didn't mind such things; no matter how small Little Mhm-Mhm was, he was still Mhm-Mhm after all.
"Whip-Wielder, what do you say? Should we meet them?"
"You decide. I only came along to admire the scenery and get some fresh air. The High Priest entrusted these arrangements to you."
"Then let's not meet. There's no need."
Karen waved his hand casually.
Up in the sky, the bone dragon let out a thunderous roar toward the giant lion below:
"Not meeting!"
Siberain froze. Behind him, the commanders from the Church of Black Rock and the Church of Crystal were equally stunned.
Clearly, their scouting squad had been annihilated by the two dragons, yet rather than treating it as an act of war, they had personally come forward to request a parley upon recognizing the identities. Their sincerity and the face they offered were beyond question.
And yet, the other side couldn't even be bothered to meet.
This was no longer just refusing to give face—it was trampling their face into the dirt!
Yet faced with such an attitude, the three of them didn't dare drop all pretense and lash out.
At least so far, not a single Order knight order had appeared on this vast ice plain.
Although the Church of Order had set up a supply base here, projecting more than a single knight order's worth of personnel and equipment in a short time remained difficult.
As long as the Order knights didn't interfere with the situation here, the loss of an advance scouting squad was entirely negligible.
Siberain said to the two commanders behind him, "Let's head back. Accounts can be settled later."
The two commanders nodded in agreement. The priority was still welcoming back their respective chief gods.
...
"The preparations this time are far lighter than last time. Will Mink Street send anyone?"
"Long-distance teleportation array routes have been reserved. Also, just like last time, a knight order has been kept on standby as a precaution, but unless an accident happens, they won't be deployed."
"You're that certain?"
"I trust the High Priest."
"I trust him too. It's just hard on Daan and the others. They've been holding back for several rounds now, their thirst for deicide thwarted again and again. Those knight order commanders are probably smashing things and throwing tantrums in their command tents every day."
"The situation is better than we anticipated because the 'Elders' have created a step-by-step environment for us. In the end, we are still being carefully protected."
"Go tell that to Daan and the rest yourself. I reckon after this, those commanders will come find you en masse."
Foden stood up, stretching lazily. "Alright, I'll head back first."
"Take care."
After Foden stepped into the carriage, Augie circled down, assumed human form, and followed him inside.
Once the carriage departed, Karen glanced at Philomena, who was still eating her shaved ice, and asked, "Full yet?"
Philomena shook her head. "How could shaved ice make someone full?"
Karen pointed at the several flavored syrups on the table—condiments Vegulin had deliberately left behind for the shaved ice.
"Then keep eating. Eat more. Hollow out that ice mountain in front of us."
"Uh..." Philomena finally caught on. Putting down her cup, she pulled out a black crow and released it.
A moment later, Dickno and Alfred appeared before Karen.
Alfred reported, "Young Master, according to the latest intelligence, the Church of the Storm, the Church of Black Rock, and the Church of Crystal have completed their defensive contraction."
Dickno reported, "The Storm Guard, the Black Rock Praetorian Guard, and the Crystal Icon Legion—even in the previous era, these three legions were the absolute elite of those churches."
Deploying their elites to the ice plain to receive their chief gods while completely pulling back from the periphery to fiercely defend their core regions back home—one had to admit, after being roughly trampled several times by the Church of Order, these orthodox churches had finally learned their lesson.
Karen shrugged. "Unfortunately, their caution this time is entirely in vain. The Holy See has no corresponding military plans."
Alfred asked, "Young Master, there have been rumors recently that Acting High Priest Kreid proposed handing over the Cardinal position overseeing warfare to you."
"It's a false rumor; it can't be taken seriously. As long as High Priest Norton lives, Kreid's position as Acting High Priest is nothing more than that of a mascot.
"Under that premise, the High Priest would never permit Kreid to surrender his original post. It doesn't align with the transition of Holy See authority he envisions after his fall.
"As for Kreid himself, he is even less likely to give up his Cardinal seat; otherwise, he'd be hollowed out from on high, and once the High Priest falls, he wouldn't have the leverage to make his acting title permanent.
"As for me, I'm just a secretary right now. Until matters regarding the first batch of 'Elders' conclude, I won't reach into the Holy See. Priorities must be kept straight."
"Yes, Young Master."
Karen turned to Dickno. "Although the High Priest holds the capabilities of those 'Elders' in high regard, and Augurev and the High Priest's coordination in the Garden of Life was indeed formidable and effective, I'm still worried whether those three churches might employ special methods to hasten the breach of the barrier hindering their chief gods' return."
Dickno answered, "Theoretically, it can be done. Last time, it was also because the High Priest ordered Thelma's legion to bombard the Black Sea that the breach was forced open prematurely."
"Within the membrane, even if they're separated by a mere hair's breadth, those chief gods remain trapped inside, making them manageable and minimizing the impact on the outside world. If they truly manage to break through, the variables multiply."
"That is why I cannot understand the High Priest relinquishing battlefield initiative this time."
"It's natural you don't understand. You're a military strategist, not a politician." Karen lightly tapped his forehead. "Perhaps this matter shouldn't have been approached from a military angle in the first place."
Alfred chimed in, "Indeed, that is Tyranus, after all."
Karen smiled. "Indeed, that is our Ah Fu, after all."
"Young Master, you flatter me."
"Still, we have no choice. A superior can just wave his hands and act as if everything is well in hand, but those of us doing the legwork have to do our job even knowing it's futile.
"Dickno, I need a more detailed battlefield forecast."
"Please give me a little time, Young Master. I will find a way to scout the dispositions of those three legions."
"I'll save you some time." Karen raised his head and shouted up at Kanna, who was still having fun building palaces: "Alright, stop playing! Time to work! Since we came out on an official trip, we have to do some real business, or that homework excuse won't hold water."
"Mm, coming!"
Little Kanna immediately descended. She deeply treasured opportunities to go on official trips with Karen now, because back home there were two people assigning and checking her homework—"double the joy."
Next, an utterly bizarre scene unfolded.
The giant dragon that had just wiped out a scouting squad boldly flew over. Not only did it ignore the perimeter attempts to drive it away, but it also brazenly smashed through the aerial barriers, conducting a genuine close-range reconnaissance over the elite legions of the Three Churches.
Upon seeing the bone dragon, everyone knew who was standing on its back, and they knew his current status as the designated successor to the High Priest of the Church of Order.
Yes, though the Roundtable Conference had officially appointed Kreid as Acting High Priest, it did nothing to diminish Karen's status in the outside world. Quite the contrary, this arrangement practically telegraphed that Kreid was merely a transitional High Priest, and Karen, this young man, was the true heir personally chosen by High Priest Norton.
Initially, the mana-crystal cannons below swivelled to track the bone dragon's flight, but soon, such threatening behavior was stopped. Not only did no one dare give the order to fire, but commanders were terrified that some green gunner might discharge accidentally.
Siberain stood at the entrance of the command tent alongside a host of commanders, staring up at Karen's brazen arrogance.
"Pass down the order: as long as that dragon doesn't launch a wide-scale assault, even if its tail sweeps a few men to their deaths, we are not to retaliate in the slightest. Continue as planned and let it fly. Let it fly to its heart's content!"
...
Dickno observed the ground below, marveling, "This is my first time observing enemy movements so clearly and at such close range."
Alfred remarked, "They dare not make a move. Striking at our Young Master would force the Church of Order to intervene on the ice plain. For churches, their gods always come first."
Karen reminded him, "Not for the Church of Order."
Karen was certain that with Daan's temper, under identical circumstances, he would have ordered him blasted to cinders long ago.
Pausing, Karen chuckled:
"People used to say the Light remnants were madmen, and the mural believers were madmen. Looking at it now, we believers of Order are the real madmen."
A church that didn't even care about its god—could any church be madder than that?
After surveying the area, Dickno said, "Young Master, these three churches have brought out their core assets. I see many war machines that only existed in the previous era, unsealed and brought to the ice plain for this."
Karen nodded. "These allied forces of the three churches—do you think we could take them with three knight orders?"
"Not with absolute certainty. After all, this is neither a war of maneuver nor an ambush."
"Mm." Karen wasn't surprised. Having served as a corps commander himself, this inspection made it abundantly clear what kind of terrifying scale the allied forces possessed below.
In truth, if normal orthodox churches scraped together their heritage and foundation, none could be taken lightly. That was why the Church of Order had always prevented them from uniting.
"Young Master, over there, over there, and there—those formations and apparatuses are meant to break boundary barriers. Furthermore, in areas deliberately cloaked in fog of war, I suspect divine artifacts and even higher-level arrangements are concealed.
"They know our Elders are very likely to step in and stop them—perhaps even dragging them down together like Lord Augurev did last time—so they will do everything in their power to complete the reception ahead of schedule."
"Seen enough? Then let's head back."
Karen waved toward the military formations below, like a marshal inspecting his troops bidding farewell to loyal soldiers, even using a voice-amplifying spell to greet them:
"Good work, everyone!"
...
On the day following the 'inspection,' Karen, situated in the logistical supply base, felt the intense resonance of spell arrays. The allied forces of the Three Churches were accelerating the process, just as Thelma's knight order had done previously.
On the third day, three massive black holes appeared in the sky.
Beginning that night, the rumblings and tremors grew several times more violent than at the start.
By the fifth day, the three massive black holes began to merge into a singular, colossal breach. The darkness inside was gradually being smoothed away, giving it a polished sheen when viewed from below.
With it came an intense leakage of divine might, several times denser than what had occurred in the Garden of Life.
Karen picked up his iced water, took a sip, and kept his gaze fixed on the three mural rubbings before him:
Ice-Sealing Knight—Sigman;
Undying Knight—Milogar;
Holy Light Knight—Leftina.
All three knights were recorded in detail within *Light of Order*, though Karen's security clearance granted him access to the original version, supplemented by Old Hoffen's accounts.
Ice-Sealing Knight Sigman was a fallen ice deity from two eras ago, awakened by the God of Order.
Undying Knight Milogar had originally been a powerful aberrant demon, once on par with the bloodthirsty aberrant demon ancestor in Neo's mind. Later, to follow the God of Order, he had gone so far as to commit suicide to gain recognition and awakening through Order.
Holy Light Knight Leftina had once been a deity of the Eternal camp. During the early divine wars, she had sacrificed herself to cast a psychic delusion that successfully deceived the Light camp, precipitating their catastrophic defeat. The God of Order had personally awakened and subdued her.
In truth, from the origins of these three knights, one could see that a rift between the God of Order and the Light camp was inevitable, for the God of Order's conduct was fundamentally at odds with the stable divine framework advocated by Light.
After becoming knights, the three received the God of Order's blessing, their power and might swelling to terrifying heights. They had been minor gods in life, yet in the twilight of the previous era, they helped the God of Order reign supreme across the divine realm.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The rumbling continued unabated.
Dickno pushed open the door and entered, saying, "It looks like it's just about done. The eggshell has shattered; only the inner membrane remains."
Karen stood up and smiled. "If they didn't blast it open soon, I was going to feel anxious for them. The war resources consumed over these days could have funded ten major campaigns."
Roughly converted, it was enough for all of Order's knight orders, fully equipped and manned, to launch three major offensives against the Church of Life.
Dickno said, "To them, this is nothing more than an offering to their gods."
"Let's hope they get what they wish for."
Dickno paused, then asked, "Young Master, have you guessed something?"
"I've pieced together a few things."
"It seems I wasted a great deal of mental energy for nothing."
"It was *my* mental energy you wasted. Every night when I sleep, I can hear your prayers to me. It's left me completely drained during the day."
Dickno offered an apologetic smile, though he made no promise not to do it again.
Karen had always suspected that his identity as the God of Order hadn't played that large a role in winning over this military fanatic—after all, the fellow even ran simulations in his head of attacking the God of Order.
The primary reason was probably that by following Karen, he could play his mental war simulations far more happily and freely than before, without burning through his lifespan.
"Since we've reached the critical juncture, I should go prepare to receive the High Priest."
Karen arrived before the teleportation array inside the base. He didn't have to wait long before Mobiten stepped through the portal, followed by ranks of guards, and finally, the High Priest in his wheelchair.
As the High Priest appeared, every priest within the base bowed in salute.
Karen stepped forward and took hold of the wheelchair's handles.
The High Priest said, "It has been hard on you, watching over this place these past days."
"It is my duty. Besides, it wasn't truly that hard."
The High Priest pointed ahead. "Let us go out to the front and see."
Mobiten advised, "High Priest, for your safety, I do not recommend leaving the base. The allied forces of the Three Churches may well drop all pretenses and strike at you at this moment."
This was mainly because in the Garden of Life, the High Priest had invited temple elders from nearly every orthodox church to observe. Now, foreign churches understood that Order's High Priest could influence Tyranus's true form to help Order's branch gods suppress returning deities.
If Karen could stroll above their heads on Kanna before while they swallowed their anger, now the pivotal moment had arrived. To welcome back their gods, they were capable of anything.
Furthermore, Order's knight orders had not deployed here; across the entire ice plain, the Church of Order possessed only this logistical base.
Before the High Priest could speak, Karen said to Mobiten, "Captain of the Guard, there is no need to worry. Nothing will happen. It will be very safe."
The High Priest in the wheelchair chuckled. "Hehe."
Mobiten hesitated, but seeing the High Priest wave him off, he stepped aside.
Soon, Karen wheeled the High Priest out into the falling snow.
By this time, organized formations of aerial monster beasts in the distance were already watching them intently, and a ground phalanx began advancing in their direction. Evidently, the allied forces had made prior preparations.
If the High Priest acted as he had last time, the allied forces would launch an immediate assault.
The High Priest looked as calm as ever. He asked Karen, "Do you find it boring?"
Karen replied, "Once I figured it out, I actually found it rather amusing... and unimaginable."
"Unimaginable? It's not difficult, really. With the transition between eras imminent, the oracles and manifestations from the gods to their respective churches have grown increasingly frequent. Against such a backdrop, it becomes quite simple.
"Especially for her. Clearly the most mischievous trickster of them all, yet she insisted on begging my Lord to bestow upon her the title of 'Holy Light.' We all laughed at her: *Where is your holiness? Where is your light?*
"Hehe..."
A look of reminiscence crossed the High Priest's face.
Karen had seen a similar expression on the faces of dying clients. As their time drew near, people were always most prone to slipping into memories.
Above, the black breach billowed terrifying black mist. The mist spread at blistering speed, followed closely by waves of distinct, overwhelming divine might crashing down.
At this moment, every living creature on the ice plain felt an absolute, merciless crushing force stemming from a higher plane of life.
Towering silhouettes emerged from the black mist.
Ice-Sealing Knight Sigman, Undying Knight Milogar, Holy Light Knight Leftina.
Behind them loomed the silhouettes of three majestic chief gods.
Among the allied forces, mid- and high-ranking commanders not tied to active posts fell to their knees in prayer, while priests and soldiers at their stations couldn't help weeping tears of joy.
Gods! Gods! Gods! They were about to witness the return of their own chief gods with their very own eyes—how could their hearts not surge with overwhelming fervor?
"Pass my command: bring out all our remaining reserves! Quicken the pace, shatter the barrier of the era, and welcome our Lord's return! Furthermore, notify the unit watching the Order supply base—the moment the divine silhouette of Tyranus's crucifix appears in the sky, launch an immediate assault on the base!"
Once the order was issued, Siberain knelt, raising his arms. As a Child of God of the Church of the Storm, he prepared to welcome his supreme deity's return, hoping his Lord would see him first upon descending.
Yet as the descent unfolded further, the devout, ecstatic expression on Siberain's face froze solid.
Immediately after, that frozen horror swept across the entire allied army like the fiercest blizzard of the frozen plains.
"How could this be... How could this be... No... Impossible! Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
...
Dickno had a sudden realization. "So that's how it is. Worthy of Lady Holy Light Knight, worthy of Lord Tyranus, worthy of... our High Priest."
Alfred cleared his throat.
Dickno smiled and added, "And worthy of our Mr. Ah Fu."
...
At this moment, above the ice plain, divine might surged majestically amid relentless, apocalyptic rumbles;
Upon the ice plain, accompanied by the lonely howl of the wind and snow, an eerie, dead silence fell.
At this moment, within the Church of the Night, the Church of Netherfire, and the Church of Thunder—across their holy grounds, temples, and sees—violent and unmistakable disturbances erupted. Oracles descended frantically in waves, leaving their believers utterly bewildered.
...
Behind Sigman stood the Goddess of the Night, not the God of the Storm;
Behind Milogar stood the God of Netherfire, not the God of Black Rock;
Behind Leftina stood the God of Thunder, not the God of Crystal.
Most striking of all was the Holy Light Knight, Leftina, a vivid smile gracing her face as her voice echoed from above:
"Tyranus, what do you think?"
Below, seated in his wheelchair, Tyranus shook his head, feigning disdain:
"Trifling parlor tricks."
...
Within the allied armies of the Three Churches, Siberain and the other senior commanders stared blankly at the heavens, numb with shock.
They had labored so bitterly, prepared so meticulously, and paid such an exorbitant price—who could have imagined that things would end like this?
Siberain's eyes rimmed red. With a tone of utter mockery toward the world and even more so toward himself, he choked back a sob:
"We... welcomed the wrong gods."
Chapter 921