"Stop playing around. You dying fellows have obtained release anyway, but those of us who still have to keep living for a while have plenty left to do on our hands."
The High Priest had originally thought these "esteemed knights" would show some propriety around Karen, but Sigman's stunt of using the God of Order like a thunder python had frightened him.
It caused the dormant memories of the previous era within him to stir, making him realize that this bunch was just as they had always been. Even after enduring a whole era of torture under the seal, their temperaments and dispositions hadn't changed one bit. It was infuriating, yet at the same time, endearing.
However, Milogal had no intention of letting it go. She continued, "Mentoring the youths of our church is our duty and obligation as elders in the first place."
Leftina's gaze wandered between the High Priest and Milogal. Clearly, she too had noticed something amiss.
Yet what exactly was off, she couldn't say.
Even with the wisdom of the Holy Light Knight, she could never imagine that one day their cohort would treat the "God of Order" like a child... no, pass him around like a toy.
"Milogal..."
The High Priest lowered his voice.
This sent a tremor through both Milogal and Leftina. Their cohort had a lingering awe of Tyrannus; quite a few had challenged Tyrannus's standing upon first joining, but all had ultimately been subdued by her.
Time and again, she had proven through action to everyone that she, Tyrannus, would forever be the most special figure by the God of Order's side.
Still, Milogal was clearly unwilling to miss this chance to solve the mystery. She opened her palm, and in the next instant, a halo of light appeared under Karen's feet.
Harnessing divine power to mark someone was as simple as could be. Moreover, she did not forcibly drag Karen away, but instead took the initiative to ask:
"Young man, are you willing to fight alongside me for a round?"
Without realizing it, Milogal did not know what intense moral coercion she had just imposed. In short, from Karen's perspective, he truly could not refuse—even injured as he was.
"I am willing."
Milogal smiled.
The High Priest's gaze grew slightly dark. Since Karen had already agreed, he did not plan to object, but he still reminded her:
"Milogal, pay mind to safety. He is the future."
"Understood. Let me take good care of our church's future, hehe."
In the next moment,
Karen's soul consciousness appeared within Milogal's domain—the Undying Divine Kingdom.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but withered, decrepit trees, each hung with corpses whose faces could not be discerned.
Karen reached up to gently press his forehead. The soul injury left from his time with Sigman clearly could not heal so quickly. Being drawn into Milogal's divine kingdom now brought an uncomfortable wave of dizziness to his soul.
The ground before him began collapsing in large swathes. Immediately after, a skeleton slowly surfaced, deep eerie green ghost-fires flickering within its eye sockets, studying Karen intently.
"Come now. To be held in such regard by Tyrannus, and to make even a fellow like Sigman act so abnormal before death... hehe, let me have a good look at just what kind of special little... God!
!
!
!"
The skeleton let out a terrified screech. In a flash, every corpse hanging from every tree in the divine kingdom wailed in horror.
In an instant, the Undying Divine Kingdom seemed to erupt into a ferocious concert themed around death.
Terrifying sound waves and the horrifying mental energy pouring forth swept wildly outward, but the Hunger Addiction sculpture had already appeared before Karen to shield him.
"This..."
The skeleton instantly ceased its madness, and the dense throng of corpses in the trees fell silent at once.
"Tyrannus, you..."
"Sigman, you..."
Milogal clearly struggled to form words, seized by complete speechlessness.
Yet in the end, countless words coalesced into the simplest, most solemn praise.
From the skeleton's mouth stepped a figure of blood webbed with veins. She walked before Karen, crossed her arms over her chest, and bowed in salute:
"Praise the great God of Order!"
Karen immediately returned the salute.
"God, I have sinned," Milogal began reproaching herself.
"No, you are an honorable knight."
Karen knew well that the respect and reverence these esteemed knights showed him were entirely projected and transferred from that God of Order; he had no right to genuinely place himself in the role of the "Lord."
"God, please choose a target."
"The God of Netherfire."
"Thy divine will be done."
Next, a scene unfolded that surprised Leftina once more.
From Order's logistical supply base, two pre-prepared bronze chests swung open. These held Milogal's two dedicated divine artifacts: one was the [Cloak of the Dead], and the other was the [Deathly Silence Scepter].
Yet under the cadence of certain mutual immolation, the enhancement of these two artifacts wasn't originally needed, for both served the same purpose: mitigating injury and reducing the mortality rate.
Donning the cloak and taking up the scepter now was solely so that she could appear more formal and solemn before her fall.
"I—the strongest knight under the great God of Order, Milogal the Undying—challenge the Master of Netherfire!"
...
Diknuo reminded him, "This one seems to have been accorded great honor as well. How will you arrange their standing?"
Earlier, Alfred had recorded Sigman as the "Strongest Knight" in the *New Light of Order*.
Alfred replied simply and airily, "Tied for strongest."
Diknuo asked again, "I doubt that Holy Light Knight won't want to experience it too. And then? How will you arrange the standing?"
"The strongest troika among the Twelve Knights of Order."
Diknuo: "..."
Alfred chuckled. "What is it? Hard to understand?"
"Not really, but you have certainly opened up many new perspectives for me."
"Since historical records are written by people, they can never be guaranteed to be absolutely objective and accurate. Besides, we can't very well set up an arena and have them fight a round-robin tournament to the death just to rank them. As long as the spirit is conveyed, that's enough. If everything were strictly measured by appraisal, the Young Master wouldn't even have awakened you."
Diknuo had been born in the late stage of the previous era, without many opportunities to wage war, and had also died relatively young, leaving behind very little in the historical records. If he hadn't met Raniedal during the assault on the Sea God Church, he would have been destined to obscurity.
"You're right." Diknuo noticed Alfred turning the *New Light of Order* to its back page and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
"I suddenly felt like writing the ending first:
'[The dawn of the Era of Order began with an idealist's endeavor; and the close of the era shall be watered by the blood of these women—no, of all of them.]'"
...
The battle between Milogal and the God of Netherfire was not nearly as elaborate. The God of Netherfire had received the least nourishment in the first place, and her divine status was the lowest among the three main gods here.
Most importantly, upon this ice plain, the isolation barrier jointly laid down by the God of Order and the God of Light above continued to function, while below, the Church of Order had prepared fully restored dedicated divine artifacts for their esteemed figures, and furthermore, Tyrannus's cross loomed in and out of sight to anchor the field...
This was never an equitable duel in the first place. Naturally, the side of Order had never intended to seek absolute fairness either. As a stage for a farewell performance, and before the new God of Order at that, it was bound to carry a strong element of display.
And precisely because it was such a one-sided showdown, Karen did not get a chance to make a move this time. Milogal shielded Karen thoroughly, not only letting Karen experience the full sensation of a divine battle, but also deliberately displaying her profound mysteries of death before him.
In the end, the magma that seemed capable of melting everything failed to halt the Undying Knight's advance; the scepter pierced through the chest of the God of Netherfire.
The final phase was the passing of their respective legacies.
"Only upon reaching this step do I realize just how shameless Sigman was earlier."
To actually presume to "bestow" her godhead upon the next God of Order—she had never realized before that a face frozen in ice year-round could have such thick skin.
Milogal exiled her godhead.
Before sending Karen's soul consciousness out, Milogal said within her divine kingdom:
"God, the will of Order shall be carried on by you."
*Weng!*
Karen opened his eyes, returning to the High Priest's side.
The High Priest settled his emotions. Fortunately, Milogal hadn't run wild like Sigman.
Beneath the scorching divine fire, two main god-level beings fell just like that.
Upon the ice plain, the Order priests saluted and mourned once more.
At virtually the same moment, the priests of the Netherfire God Church also felt waves of grief.
The High Priest inquired, "How do you feel?"
Karen looked into the High Priest's eyes and saw not a shred of grief within them. Thus, he replied, "An admirable arrangement."
The High Priest smiled. He badly wanted to reach out and pat Karen's shoulder again, but checked the impulse.
When he didn't know before, or rather when not so many people knew, he could act casually. But now, even he couldn't help feeling a touch of restraint when facing Karen.
He also finally understood Sigman's reckless antics earlier—it was probably Karen's request, and the knights could not refuse a decree from their God.
The High Priest nodded. "Elaborate."
"Three returning main gods have fallen, the foundational strengths of three orthodox churches have been buried, and three other orthodox churches have lost their returning gods. They... will have no choice but to stand in the same camp as our Church of Order going forward."
Such was Tyrannus's capability in orchestrating the board: weakening enemies to the greatest extent while bolstering her own side as much as possible.
"Well said. Karen, remember: do not always view yourself with the mindset of a lonely, brave martyr. What we pursue is the continuation of Order's cause, turning ideals into reality.
Do not constantly think of being a tragic hero—that is the mark of a coward. No matter how harsh the environment, it is never an excuse to give up striving for ultimate victory."
"I understand, High Priest."
The High Priest looked up. In the sky above, only the colossal figures of two deities remained.
Without any surprise, Leftina spoke up:
"I want one too."
The High Priest made no move to stop her.
A new ring of light appeared beneath Karen's feet, and before long, his soul consciousness arrived in the Holy Light Divine Kingdom.
A divine kingdom whose reality was utterly contrary to its name: here lay turbid rivers and rotting swamps, without a trace of holy light to be seen.
Fortunately, Karen was not surprised by this. How could a goddess capable of running multiple deities and churches in circles ever be innocent and holy?
In the swamp, a black flower blossomed. Standing in the center of its petals was a little girl in a black dress, her face covered in ghastly scars.
There was no shock, no panic. With the precedent set by her two companions earlier, she had already guessed the answer; now, she was merely confirming it one last time.
With the confirmation made, the little girl saluted Karen:
"Praise the great God of Order."
Karen returned the salute.
"God, please punish me."
"For what?"
"I once suggested to the Lord that after this era, she should choose a successor and descend anew."
Her meaning was that she had suggested the God of Order cast Hunger Addiction to select a vessel in advance along the river of time, then devour him to complete her self-renewal—and Karen would have been that sacrificial lamb.
Karen smiled faintly. "I think that was a good method."
In the beginning, Karen had harbored such doubts as well: whether his fate was to merely serve as a stepping stone for that being.
It was just that later on, he discovered she seemed to have no such intention, and he himself no longer cared so much either.
Between him and that being, contact had been sparse; their only true "meeting" had been when she briefly descended through his grandfather's body. Yet the relationship between them had been remarkably harmonious.
Such a relationship was quite nice in reality, as neither party harbored any intent to take advantage of the other.
"Please punish me."
"No, there is no need. Truth be told, I rather hoped she could descend so I could sacrifice myself and let her continue presiding over Order's new era."
The little girl pressed a hand against her chest and said sincerely, "I feel your piety, and even more so, your magnanimity as a God. You are very much like the Lord."
"You praise me too much. I fall far short of her."
"That is merely because the era belonging to you has yet to officially begin. You will lead Order in composing a magnificent new symphony."
"Thank you for your blessing."
Across the sky, Holy Light Knight Leftina spread her arms. A pure white gown appeared upon her, making her appear even more noble and holy than a lunar goddess.
She might not have liked such attire, but she enjoyed using this contrast as an amusing idiosyncrasy to entertain herself—including her knightly title.
The Goddess of the Night seemed to have abandoned all resistance, knowing it was futile and would only reduce her to background scenery for Order's final amusement.
"I cannot understand this almost pathological pursuit of you Order gods. As gods yourselves, you wish to forge a world without gods—do you not find that terribly contradictory?"
Leftina said, "To eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, sleep when tired—these are instincts virtually indistinguishable from those of beasts.
In human society, if one considers things solely from the perspective of their own class and acts purely out of class interests, that too is short-sighted and narrow-minded.
A true ideal must pierce through the constraints of one's own class; a true pursuit must illuminate a vaster sky.
You style yourselves as lofty, supreme gods, yet to this world, you are nothing more than a pack of wild beasts that know only how to act on instinct."
The Goddess of the Night: "Yet the truth is that this world was calling for us. This world cannot do without us."
"Then this world is a wild beast as well."
The Goddess of the Night: "..."
Leftina let out a silvery laugh.
"And that is precisely why we use Order to reshape this world."
...
Diknuo: "As expected of the Holy Light Knight."
Alfred: "Taken from the Young Master's notes."
Diknuo understood—so Leftina was merely passing on Karen's words. Even so, he remarked with deep emotion, "Indeed, the Young Master is worthy of being the Lord. I suspect even deities rarely possess the courage to reshape this world—or rather, they wouldn't dare even conceive of it."
"The Young Master also figured it out and came to comprehend it step by step..."
Midway through his sentence, Alfred froze, suddenly recalling the song the Young Master had sung when they first "met."
Diknuo asked in puzzlement, "What is it?"
"The Young Master mastered the truth long ago and has tested it time and again through practice."
...
"You will not succeed. I am truly curious: what kind of defeat will you feel once you all die, only to see this world revert to how it used to be?"
Leftina replied, "Death... no, sacrifice was always one of our pursuits."
"Hehe... Hahahaha..."
The Goddess of the Night began to combust on her own. The three of them had already helped Order wipe out three legions earlier; now, she had no desire to be driven around as entertainment any longer.
Leftina began burning as well. Amidst the divine fire, the two goddesses began arranging their respective legacies.
Like the ones before her, the Goddess of the Night bestowed her legacy upon the Night God Church, whereas Leftina followed the tradition of Order, exiling her legacy.
Unison mourning rang out once again.
This time, all three esteemed figures had fallen, making the grief in the mourning even heavier.
The High Priest raised his hand. Amplified by sound-magnifying arts, his voice overpowered the wind and snow, carrying into the ears of every Order priest, and soon, naturally across the entire Church of Order:
"Do not mourn, and do not grieve. Gather yourselves and put on a smile as you await our own turn, for this is the greatest romance in the lives of us followers of Order!
Be joyful, and rejoice! Across an entire era, predecessors who could enter the First Knight Order after death were a minority among minorities. How they must envy you all for arriving at such a splendid time!"
Within the logistical supply base, the dejected, sorrowful atmosphere was swept away at once, replaced by a resonant, ringing chorus:
"Praise the great God of Order!"
The High Priest turned his head toward Karen, who had returned once more. He could clearly perceive Karen's current exhaustion; he was truly drained.
The High Priest said, "Thank you."
"This is something I promised long ago. Have you forgotten, High Priest? I said that I would hold a funeral for them, for you, for her.
The divine fire sweeping across the sky truly looks like incinerators into which they are being pushed.
Those exiled godheads are just like the ashes scraped out from the incinerators."
"Hehe. So we are all your clients?"
"Yes, indeed. Caring for the departed is my duty; furthermore, we must guide the living to carry on and live well."
"What was the name of that funeral parlor you used to run? Pavaro Funeral Parlor?"
"No, it was the Inmeles Funeral Parlor."
Chapter 926