Devour to Your Heart's Content!

In truth, Karen still had one option left: to reach a compromise with the epochal hegemons. The fallen deities had conveniently vacated ample room for the returning hegemons, allowing them to preach their doctrines or establish their divine kingdoms on earth. Karen would only need to retreat to the Church of Order and sit within the grand temple to deter the gods. No matter how turbulent the storms of the new epoch might rage, he could still shelter the Church of Order. Yet regrettably, followers of Order seemed inherently incapable of choosing the path that maximized self-interest. Perhaps it was because the height of their faith was simply too lofty—so high that even the keenest survival instincts of intelligent beings could never look up and reach it. And even if it were sheltered, that Church of Order... though existing, would already be dead. Thus, after ascending to godhood, Karen issued a declaration of war to the epochal hegemons without hesitation. The new God of Order would inherit the previous Order's ideals and stance. Either there is no Order, or there is no you. "Your return violates the Code of Order." Whether the Code of Order contained clauses concerning epochal hegemons, whether epochal hegemons could be equated to ordinary hierophants or demonic aberrations, whether they transcended the concept of ordinary deities, whether corresponding binding regulations existed... None of this mattered in the slightest. The pen was in Alfred's hand; he could amend it at any time. In the early days, Karen had studied the Code of Order many times, memorizing it fluently, and when enforcing the law, he would recite the specific volume, chapter, and clause. Gradually, Karen began citing only Volume One, Chapter One, Clause One—the all-encompassing first clause. Now, the first clause was far from sufficient; simply invoking the book's title was enough. There was no helping it: the true Code of Order could hardly be captured in written words. If actually written down, not only would outsiders think the Church of Order was insane, but even the followers of Order themselves might find it hard to accept, feeling... embarrassed. Yet all of this would completely change today. The Code of Order did not have to be written in books, but it had to be carved clearly across the epoch. Karen raised his hand. The Sword of Chaos left behind in the previously shattered space returned, once again held in the grasp of Order. The blade slashed forward, cleaving open space. Karen stepped inside. The spatial countercurrents that had once been terrifying now brushed against him like a gentle riverside breeze in late spring, carrying a touch of tenderness. The void beasts that were supposed to be vicious and menacing fled into the distance in terror the moment they sensed Karen's aura. Boom! The colossal bone gate of the First Knight Order radiated a sacred glow, forming a teleportation portal. This was a passage reserved solely for the God of Order. Unfortunately, eroded at its foundations, the gate stood teetering on the verge of collapse. As soon as Karen's divine form stepped through, the colossal bone gate collapsed, shattered divine bones scattering all over the ground. "Praise the great God of Order!" Within the garrison, all the Awakened hierophants bowed in devout veneration. Tears streamed down Zhongtasen's face, yet as he offered his prayers and praises, he suddenly felt this sensation was surprisingly familiar. The first two tiers of the pyramid had already opened. Karen extended his hand, and countless chains of Order spread inward. "Rise, devout followers of Order." In the second tier, peak powerhouses who had fallen in the past awakened one after another. "Praise my Lord!" "Praise my Lord!" Without excessive ceremony, once the salutations concluded, these temple elders from their prime began attempting to condense godheads. To raise the chances of success, they burned themselves en masse—not to genuinely attain godhood, but to gain the fleeting power of "pseudo-gods." They were consumables, and they were acutely aware of their role; this was their own choice. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! More than half failed to condense a godhead after burning themselves, dissipating directly into nothingness. A small fraction successfully condensed illusory godheads, briefly commanding divine power. Many had slept for untold ages only to become the denominator in a probability fraction. Yet this seemed to be the Church of Order's regular way of being. Not long ago, when the elderly legion was on the verge of sacrificing themselves, the God of Order had descended and declared that they, too, were part of this world's scenery. In hindsight, that appeared more like an excuse. Karen pointed toward the highest tier of the pyramid: "Rise, and fight." The Betrayal Knight revived. In the gaze he directed at Karen, there was little reverence; nevertheless, his divine consciousness was already locked onto the returning epochal hegemons. Karen did not know the true entanglements between the Betrayal Knight and the God of Order. He only knew that had his allegiance not been certain at this juncture, the God of Order would never have arranged for him to slumber here. The God of Chaos awoke. Looking at Karen, he seemed to conflate him directly with the previous Order: "Order, the world you desired seems to be overturning." Karen released his grip, and the Sword of Chaos flew back into the God of Chaos's hand. The God of Chaos smiled. "I shall help you bring an end to this chaos." Upon waking, the God of War began summoning his weapon. He could sense the Scythe of War's presence, perfectly preserved as a result of regular consecration. Yet no matter how he called to it, the Scythe of War simply refused to come. "Heh..." A pair of powerful hands held fast to his weapon, and at the same time, his own weapon—that very scythe—had chosen to abandon him. "Loya," Karen called. Ahead, a black vortex materialized, connecting directly to the containment space. Loya, having completed her repairs, stood in the depths of the vortex. Behind her, Sisa, the supervisor of the containment space, immediately ordered all restrictions here removed. Within the Church of Order, the will of the One True God stood above all else; indeed, the containment space was essentially the God of Order's treasure vault. The beast responsible for monitoring the divine artifacts glanced over, then shrank back immediately with a whimper, looking like an aggrieved child who had done something wrong. Karen looked at the God of War and the crowd of pseudo-gods behind him: "Choose your divine artifacts from within." The God of War had no choice but to accept this reality. He asked, "Now, we just wait for them to descend?" Karen shook his head. "I need you to take the initiative and meet them head-on." This was what the God of Order and the previous generation of Order's lords had always done: they not only resisted the gods' return, but also strictly contained the scale of the battlefield. The God of War seemed to grasp something and asked, "Order, do you need us to buy you time?" "I simply do not wish to see this world smashed to pieces." The Betrayal Knight transformed into a thick bolt of black lightning, streaking up into the sky. The God of Chaos, wielding the Sword of Chaos, followed closely behind. The newly elevated pseudo-gods soared upward together. The God of War gave Karen a deep look. "Order, I hope you won't disappoint me." With that, his form expanded upward. Karen remained where he was rather than following them. Closing his eyes, he sent a call through the symbiosis contract that still bound him to Purr. If before it had been only a faint, hazy sensation, Karen now clearly sensed Purr's exact location—the realm of Heaven. It was just that the distance was exceedingly vast; even for a god, crossing it would take considerable time. Yet at present, none of this was an obstacle. Karen reached out, seized the war banner at the very summit of the pyramid, and pulled it free. The midsection of the pyramid began sliding down, and soon, an even sturdier pyramid teleportation gate appeared before Karen. Fixing his gaze upon it, Karen used his localized sense of Purr to configure the coordinates. And at this moment, the epochal hegemons finally made their official return. Epochal imprints reactivated one after another, and divine powers across the world began awakening and boiling. Because so many deities had fallen in this world over the past year alone, the divine remnants lingering here were exceedingly rich. A small portion had been harvested in advance by these epochal hegemons to serve as their first nourishment upon returning. Possessing far greater might and methods than ordinary gods or even main gods, they could arrange grander schemes. Yet the place holding the greatest concentration of divine power remaining in this world was right there—the place where all things reached their end. Otherwise, that elite expedition team wouldn't have been nearly wiped out trying to cross it, Dicarost and Count Rekal wouldn't have fallen there, and even Raniedal wouldn't have lost his godhead in that place. The epochal hegemons stirred all the divine power in this world to empower themselves, eager to drag this world—kept "clean" for an entire epoch—back into the age of myth. As a god, Karen had only one sensation now: ... the water had boiled. All the steps were advancing in accordance with the God of Order's design. It was hardly a sophisticated plan; indeed, it could be called ridiculously primitive, propelled by just two principles: First, be strong enough. Second, be ruthless enough. The two complemented each other, inseparable and indistinguishable. Mink Street. Diss held the Scythe of War and took flight toward the starry sky. Rasma stood in the church vegetable patch, looking up at the sky with sheer envy. Alfred began calling roll with his quill. The godheads exiled by the lords of Order before their fall began returning one by one. "Augurev! Augurev!" Daliwenluo shouted excitedly. This time, Alfred did not deliberately suppress him, truly bestowing the bald godhead upon the bald man. Gods elevated not purely by their own strength were all pseudo-gods, plagued by flaws of every kind, yet this was already the best available method. Karen's Order Knight rules, paired with the legacy of the previous generation's lords, formed a favorable resonance and complementarity, minimizing the drawbacks as much as possible. Ventura, Daliwenluo, Vic, Muri, Leon, Madam Gandiluo... One after another, they received godheads, becoming vessels for the previous generation's lords, and flew into the sky like a swarm of moths. Richard watched Philomena grow immensely colossal and fly off toward the battlefield. He paced back and forth in frantic agitation: "Hurry up! Hurry up! Why are you so slow? Why are you so slow?!" Neo sat where he was, quietly chugging spirit potions meant for colossal beasts, bottle after bottle. Emptying one, he smashed it to the ground, cursing: "Dammit, why does this crap make me even calmer the more I drink?" Finally, a ring of light appeared at Richard's feet. The God of Eternity was indeed the first epochal hegemon to officially return! Richard closed his eyes, and after a moment, slowly opened them: "I am going to settle the score with Order." In the sky, the divine form of Eternity had already risen; he had officially returned—not merely as divine intent, but in his entirety. Neo had not yet received the possession of Light, but that didn't stop him from mocking an epochal hegemon: "You actually have the gall to pick on a junior? Where's your shame?" "It was Order who deceived me first." Neo pointed upward, tilted his head, looked at Richard, and shrugged teasingly: "Aww, it's fine. If you're scared, just say so. It's totally normal. A huge pack of hegemons is coming, and some people who can't live up to their reputation just have to find an excuse to run." It was the crudest form of provocation. Yet combined with Neo's identity, it was remarkably effective, for Neo added: "I will let them see with their own eyes that eternity is merely another kind of transience, whereas Light is true everlastingness." Flames of Light surged up around Neo. The divine form of the God of Light slowly descended. Richard spread his hand, and the Spear of Eternity, which Karen had deliberately brought and placed in his grandfather's study, flew into Richard's grasp. The colossal divine form of Eternity flew into the air; in the end, he did not choose to fight Karen first, but headed straight for the battlefield. Neo stood up with a grin and stretched: "Come on, Light. Possess me. I'm ready." Within the Church of Light, all hierophants began chanting hymns of praise to the Light, and this power of faith poured entirely into Neo. As he merged with the divine form, universal benevolence and profundity welled in Neo's eyes. Yet after that fleeting moment of solemnity, the essence in his bones remained unchanged. The corners of the God of Light's mouth curved into a faint smirk: "Cute little quails still need an experienced old hunting hound to protect them, after all." ... Eternity truly lived up to his name. Not only was he the first epochal hegemon to descend from the heavens, but after taking a brief detour in the mortal realm to claim his successor, he was also the first to return to the battlefield. His divine form radiated a towering blue majesty. Any entity attempting to draw near was sealed by eternity, frozen in stasis. "Eternity, are you truly betraying us?!" "Eternity, you overestimate yourself!" "You will fall, Eternity!" The Spear of Eternity whirled; every downward thrust obliterated a vast swathe of stars. His fury toward Order needed vessels to vent upon—no, one wasn't enough, he needed many, many more! "Come! Let me see whether you past hegemons are truly as formidable as the legends say!" Boom! Boom! Boom! With three consecutive thrusts, the God of Eternity parried three epochal hegemons, each hegemon showing shock and dread. And so it was: even among epochal hegemons, disparities in strength existed. Unlike those forced to withdraw, Eternity had voluntarily exiled himself, bowing out while at his absolute peak. The mountain of Order had just crumbled, and the mountain range of Eternity was erected anew. "Eternity Barrier!" The God of Eternity spread open a massive grid, forging a barrier across the hegemons' path of return. "Order could hold you back for an entire epoch—why can't I?!" Diss rushed onto the battlefield, the Scythe of War sweeping out to intercept the epochal hegemon Benawis, igniting a fierce clash; yet this insect progenitor god could do nothing against the newly risen Diss. The God of War, the Betrayal Knight, the God of Chaos, and the pseudo-gods of the Order's First Knight Order held back two epochal hegemons, struggling hard and clearly at a disadvantage. On another flank, the current generation of Order knights and retainers led by Alfred also held back two hegemons; though their coordination was superb, they were still being battered and suppressed. Most critically, compared to the sheer number of hegemons, this force of resistance remained far too minuscule. "I say, let there be light." The God of Light descended, soft radiance washing over all allied deities, focusing primarily upon Eternity. The God of Eternity fought like a god of war among epochal hegemons—one god constituting an entire defensive line, forcibly dragging those hegemons into his combat zone. With him absorbing the vast majority of the pressure at the vanguard, the remaining deities on Order's side could focus on providing assistance and support. Even Diss, after fighting Benawis to a standstill, reined in his pride and fell back into the battle line. However, as more and more hegemons joined the fray, the God of Eternity's situation deteriorated. Though he still did not yield a single step and showed no sign of flagging, his divine body suffered continuous damage, and dense fractures spread across the Spear of Eternity. Yet his fervor only mounted with the battle, the gloom of having been stood up by Order thoroughly swept away. Fighting on, he roared at the top of his lungs: "Faster! Bring on more! Come all at once! You are far too weak, far too many! Mythology... truly is nothing but lies!" ... Above, the battle was sliding toward its most perilous turning point, yet Karen—the pillar of this ultimate clash—did not choose to join the fray. The pyramid's teleportation was fully set, and the gate opened. Karen silently stepped inside. Before his divine form was teleported away, he lifted his head to gaze upward. In truth, he did not care much about the outcome above, because the outcome had long been decided. "So Tyrannus was right after all. It really exists... the elegance of Order." ... "Karen!" On the steps of Heaven, Purr's mouth dropped wide open. "Whoa, Karen, you're so big right now, meow!" Kevin wagged his tail like crazy. Though stripped of his godhead, he remained no ordinary golden retriever—at the very least, an ordinary golden retriever couldn't hover off the ground on all fours just by wagging its tail furiously. "Thank you for your hard work." "Thank you for your hard work." The first was spoken to Purr and Kevin; the second was addressed to the explorers buried in the mire of divine corruption ahead. Karen turned around and looked back at the Heaven behind him. Then Karen froze, but soon, he smiled again. "I see the ancestral cemetery, haha meow! Do you know what the stupid dog sees? A giant dog cushion! Hahaha, isn't that hilarious, meow? Little Karen, what do you see?" "Me? I don't see anything. There's nothing at all." Purr: "..." Karen reached downward, his massive divine form beginning to miniaturize. Purr felt a hand gently stroking her back, and out of habit, she extended her tail to wrap around that invisible finger. "How could that be? You have your kitty! You can come with me to the ancestral cemetery, or kitty can be buried with you in the public cemetery." Kevin also felt a hand rubbing his bald head. He instantly stuck out his tongue, offering an honest, warm smile. It felt as if everything had returned to that winter when they boarded the ship for Wien; oh, how he wished everything could truly return to that winter. Step by step, Karen walked down the stairs. Ahead lay the boundless mire of divine corruption. Dicarost had once reached Heaven, but this time he couldn't make it, perishing within. Too many deities had fallen recently, accumulating a horrifying amount of divine corruption here. Now, fueled by the return of the epochal hegemons, this corruption was boiling over. The God of Order had slaughtered gods madly in the previous epoch, then shut them out for an entire epoch afterward, wearing untold numbers of them down to withered husks, before causing them to fall one after another through divine wars. He had been prepping the ingredients. Now, the ingredients were prepared, and the pot of water was boiling hot. It was his turn. Karen gazed into the boundless void, seeming to reminisce about the God of Order who had fallen and departed: "All those encouraging words you said to me after descending were just to mask the guilt you felt toward me, weren't they? You wouldn't feel that way toward any other person or any other god, but you and I are the same. That final scene of tender father-daughter affection was so cumbersome. How could you possibly be the kind of person who reminisces and seeks warmth before falling? You were hinting at what I ought to do. Why are you so hypocritical? You could have just told me straight out. Tell me what I must sacrifice myself for, and then I will choose to sacrifice myself. Did you forget? This is our rule as followers of Order." Karen closed his eyes. He entered the depths of his soul and stood before the colossal sculpture of Hunger Addiction. Karen raised his hand. In the next instant, all the chains of Order binding the sculpture came undone. Karen spread his arms. Chains of Order manifested once more, but this time, Karen voluntarily bound himself here. The sculpture of Hunger Addiction stared at Karen, and Karen stared back. After a long silence, seeing that Hunger Addiction still showed no reaction, Karen asked calmly: "What are you still waiting for? I have removed all restrictions and shackles on you. This time, no one will stop you, suppress you, or control you ever again. Be a good boy. Go, to your heart's content... devour."