Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 556: Sol City Falls
Chapter 556: Sol City Falls (3)
Carter Sy held up the statue.
Like a thug, he slashed open the great doors of the shrine with his sword.
With a loud “boom,” all attention inside was drawn.
The priest was leading the followers of Order in prayer.
Seeing the doors burst open, his eyes turned cold. He put down the Book of Order in his hand and roared in a deep voice, “Who dares trespass into the Shrine of Order!”
“Truth! Hahaha! Truth! Behold!”
Carter Sy laughed maniacally, and the warhorse beneath him was as frenzied as he was. He charged in on his horse amidst the frightened cries of the followers, swinging his long sword left and right. The followers looked at Carter Sy in terror, shouting for divine protection, but how could a god far away stop the blade just inches away?
In an instant, many followers lay tragically in pools of blood. The walls of the shrine were smeared with blood, prayer lamps were extinguished by panicked limbs, and a deep gloom spread through the shrine with the blood.
When a god’s divine radiance cannot protect the world,
Divine servants must act on behalf of the gods to protect their followers from harm.
And the priest did just that.
As the priest of a small shrine in a Border City, he didn’t even have a bishop, nor was he strong. But when he needed to offer his heart, he would not hesitate.
Besides, Carter Sy was only a Great Knight.
He was not a particularly difficult opponent.
“Stop!”
The priest did not know how Carter Sy had become like this.
But Death had appeared.
Carter Sy deserved to be punished.
He took out a holy chalice from his gray robe. White flames rose from within the chalice, imbued with the power of Order. He straightened his body, and the chalice emitted a faint glow. A woman, shrouded in a silver robe, appeared behind him.
The woman pointed forward, and a radiant silver light shot out, instantly piercing Carter Sy’s head, leaving a bloody hole the width of a little finger on his forehead.
“Kaka, Truth!”
Carter Sy did not fall as expected.
He stumbled a few steps, muttering incomprehensible ravings, his whole body convulsing as if having an epileptic fit. Black blood flowed from his nose and mouth. His once full skin was drained by an unknown force, becoming as rough as tree bark. His muscles tensed, even splitting the surface skin.
He continued to wriggle forward, shouting “Truth” in his mouth.
A mouth opened on his neck, emitting a strange “yawn.”
His arms twisted like a rope, gradually transforming into two bloody, fleshy tentacles.
The warhorse beneath him let out a pained whimper.
It turned out that Carter Sy’s transformed feet, now tentacles, were rooted in its body.
“You, what are you!”
“Get out! Get away! Die!”
The priest clutched his head, struggling and kneeling on the ground in pain. The holy chalice slipped from his hand and rolled among the bloodstains and benches. Darkness spread along the walls, and Carter Sy’s silhouette on the wall stretched into a giant monster waving tentacles.
“Truth! Truth! Keke…”
The surrounding followers knelt on the ground as if in a trance.
They gazed fanatically at Carter Sy.
Or rather, at the statue in Carter Sy’s hand.
They chanted “Truth!” in unison.
Black mist spread in their eyes.
Under the erosion of corruption, ordinary followers had no power to resist.
The priest held on until the last moment through his Belief.
He held on until Carter Sy wriggled to his feet.
“Truth.”
Carter Sy lowered his head.
His facial features had completely disappeared.
His head shrunk into his chest, and a faint semicircle could still be seen. As time passed, this semicircle would also disappear. His skin was a deathly gray-white, dried out, with all nutrients seemingly channeled to the four tentacles.
These four tentacles were glossy and plump, like oiled baby arms. If they were put into a pan and stir-fried, they would be a rare delicacy on earth.
But now, these tentacles were the priest’s nightmare.
They wrapped around the priest’s neck, lifting him up.
“You mortals, why do you not gaze upon Truth?”
Carter Sy’s voice was distorted,
Like a broken tape jammed in a sewer.
The priest gasped for air, controlling himself not to look at the statue. At the same time, he drew a dagger from his waist and stabbed at the tentacles around his neck. However, in the next second, the tentacles tightened abruptly, his hand fell limply, and the suffocating sensation began to overwhelm his brain.
“Carter Sy” would not let the priest die so easily.
Because the priest was the only one in this small shrine who could establish a connection with the divine.
He forcefully lifted the priest’s head and used his tentacles to pry open the priest’s tightly closed eyes.
“Now, gaze upon Truth!”
He dangled the statue before the priest’s eyes.
The statue was so bizarre and grotesque.
The priest felt something in his mind rapidly collapsing.
Gradually, he suddenly felt that the terrifying statue possessed a unique beauty and rhythm.
This beauty surpassed everything in this World.
The disgusting mumbling in his ears also became as melodious as celestial music.
After a while, he understood.
Because he had understood “Truth.”
“Praise Truth!” he shouted fanatically.
“Truth is eternal!” Carter Sy released the priest.
Because he knew the priest had become a part of Truth.
They were now of the same “kind.”
After a while, in the depths of the shrine, standing before the statue of the Goddess of Order, the priest with pitch-black pupils picked up the Book of Order.
He had not forgotten his Belief.
He fanatically believed in Truth.
But he still believed in the Goddess of Order.
There was no conflict between the two.
He was willing to offer everything for Order, including the invaluable Truth.
That’s right, he would offer “Truth” to the Goddess.
The Book of Order opened, and a faint light appeared.
The priest clasped his hands and prayed for a moment, then placed the statue of “Truth” on the Book of Order.
…
…
The Sleeping Land.
Among the myriad of “lenses.”
The Goddess of Order sensed a strong calling.
Her shrine was adorned with dense Books of Order.
Each book corresponded to a divine servant.
The size, thickness, and splendor of the Book of Order’s cover reflected the strength of the divine servant.
Suddenly, one small Book of Order began to shake violently.
The Goddess casually beckoned, and
The Book of Order fell into her hand.
She opened the Book of Order expressionlessly.
“Boom—”
Endless terrifying mumblings poured out of the Book of Order as if dumping garbage. It let out a piercing shriek like a broken radio.
[Truth! Truth!]
[Keke…]
[Gaze upon Truth!]
A grotesque phantom gradually appeared before the Goddess of Order.
With a “snap—”
The Goddess of Order calmly closed the Book of Order.
All the grotesque sounds and terrifying phantoms disappeared, everything coming to an abrupt halt.
She picked up this “broken” Book of Order.
Turning, she walked into the room behind her and threw it into a jar sealed by divine power. She saw that there were already more than ten “broken” Books of Order in this jar.
“The predetermined disaster cannot be escaped after all.”
“I cannot wait any longer…”
She sighed, dug out her eyes and ears, and threw them into the jar together. These organs turned into wriggling, twisted ashes and disappeared. Soon, new eyes and ears grew back.
Returning to the shrine,
She looked up at all the Books of Order, took a deep breath, and her silver divine light flickered in her eyes. She announced loudly, “I decree that wherever my radiance reaches and my citizens reside, sight, smell, and hearing shall be separated as individual entities from the soul!”
“This is the new Order!”
“Buzz—” The rules reorganized.
A new Order was generated.
Changing the rules of the World requires a heavy price.
This was the limit of what she could do.
The Goddess of Order knelt on the ground.
The divine light drained from her body, becoming nourishment for the formation of the new Order. In the shrine, she slowly closed her silver eyes.
