Chapter 124: The Duke’s Slow Realization
In a material world, located in a distant, unknown corner of the Multiverse, over a million professionals formed battle formations. Ten times that number of commoners transported war supplies, their activity akin to busy ants. At the forefront of the formation, a man with golden hair, as handsome as a sun god, rode a white horse. Behind him stood kings of various races.
This golden-haired man had mobilized the intelligent races of the continent to unite, forming an Allied Army Against the Gods, and was besieging the magnificent cathedral that pierced the clouds. This cathedral was the final fortress built by the united churches of the gods.
“Once it falls, the destiny of Saint Norgas Continent will be decided by us, and we will no longer be suppressed by any deity!” The golden-haired man drew the sword from his waist, its cold edge reflecting the sunlight. “Everyone, follow me and kill all the running dogs of the gods!”
“Kill!” The elite army, composed of professionals, began to advance towards the cathedral.
A bloody battle of no quarter began. The fighting continued for several days and nights without a clear victor. Even the strongest professionals showed signs of exhaustion and were covered in wounds. The golden-haired man held the corpse of an elf lady, placing her in a coffin prepared in the tent. He looked at the adjacent coffin with self-mockery. “Perhaps I will join you soon… but the Allied Army will win.” He gently touched her eyes and turned to re-enter the fray.
The Allied Army Against the Gods had already pushed the battle to the waist of the cathedral. The once unreachable tower top was finally within their grasp. Meanwhile, in the prayer room on the highest floor, the Pope knelt, calmly reciting prayers as if he had never stopped, completely unconcerned by the impending battle. The only task for sentient life was to offer devout faith; let the rebels offer their lives to the gods!
An increasingly brilliant light began to emanate from the Pope. The Allied Army Against the Gods finally reached the door of the Pope’s prayer room. The golden-haired man, covered in blood, felt an indescribable fear as he saw the light seeping from the crack in the door.
“My Lord… please judge this world full of sin!” The Pope opened his eyes, his body melting like a burning candle. Then, the pristine white stones that built the cathedral seemed to have endured countless ages, decaying and weathering. The entire cathedral began to collapse. Believers, both living and dead, had their bodies light up, melting into light like the Pope, converging into a mass of pure light in the sky.
The mass of light distorted and transformed into a colossal gate of light, slowly opening. A dual-headed dragon, a hundred meters tall, surveyed the Allied Army of the Plane below, densely packed like ants, with cold eyes, a condescending smile gracing its lips. The two heads spoke in unison: “Mere ant struggles…” “But will make death sweeter!”
Dragon God Sembes, fifth in rank among the Seven Gods, was a powerful being who controlled both space and time. He didn’t rush to act, instead opening two more gates of light beside him. From the left emerged a beautiful and alluring Naga. Her enchanting yet sinister face, eight scaled arms, and a scaled serpentine tail longer than her body gave her a unique, fallen allure. She was not as colossal as the Dragon God, standing at a normal height, but the power contained within her was no less than his.
Sea God Delia, originally a deity born earlier than Thebella, had been surpassed by Tibella. The God of Knowledge, citing “the sea of knowledge is boundless,” had snatched away too many followers and territories from the ocean, causing her development to be much slower than Tibella, who profited from others’ gains. As a result, she was overtaken and her rank slid to sixth.
From the gate on the right emerged a young boy in a simple robe, with a sunny smile on his face, who cheerfully greeted, “Good morning, Mr. Dragon God, Ms. Sea God.” The two deities merely nodded without speaking. This was Telslas, the youngest among the Seven Gods, the God of Hope, who had been overly indulged by the adoration of his followers; the Six Gods were all keeping their distance from him… Tibella was merely flirtatious, but no one had ever truly taken advantage of her. This Telslas, however, was truly unrestrained, and behind his eternally youthful mindset lay a willingness to experience anything. This included, but was not limited to, the bizarre monsters of the endless abyss… those who know, know. Moreover, his personality was like sticky candy; a small smile would entwine him, enthusiastically inviting every god to his “meticulously prepared Grand Carnival of All Worlds.” The scene… was too much to bear!
After the arrival of the Three Gods, armies from their divine kingdoms also crossed space. Angels with flapping wings, divine soldiers in golden armor, and holy spirits casting blessings engaged in combat with the Allied Army Against the Gods. Their commander, the golden-haired man, scrambled out of the collapsing cathedral, looking up at the sky with a long sigh. “As expected, at the last moment, you couldn’t resist divine descent… Fortunately, I was prepared!”
In the rear ranks of the Allied Army, the mobilized civilians pushed cart after cart, heavy with supplies, towards a huge magic circle whose patterns were gradually revealing themselves on the ground. Any mage proficient in demonology would recognize this magic circle as a direct link to the endless abyss! In those carts were the corpses of believers killed in battle, and live believers were being driven. An unprecedentedly grand sacrifice was underway. Even if they paid the price to summon demons, these powerful, inherently divine chaotic beings were unwilling to kneel before gods disguised as holy!
A bloody light rose, and from within the dark magic circle, a seductive light laugh was heard. “Is the first to arrive the Succubus Queen?” curious priests peered towards it. The bloody light suddenly turned into dazzling golden light, leaving the priests with tears of blood.
A chariot pulled by nine golden dragons broke through space. War Goddess Tibella, standing barefoot on it, smiling, threw a colossal demon’s head towards the bewildered Allied Army Against the Gods. Then, she waved to the three deities in the sky. “I’m back, prepare to be surrounded!” The holy spirits of Conqueror’s Canyon charged out, their spears and lances stained with the still-wet blood of demons.
The golden-haired man, a peerless king, knelt powerlessly on the ground, murmuring in disbelief. “How can the Abyss be connected to the gods?”
***
Eternal Night World, Maple Spirit Moon Shadow Palace. The Empress of Eternal Night, who was sleeping peacefully, suddenly opened her eyes. Her eyes, like a blue sea, were boiling with disbelief. Only after a long while did they gradually clear. “This is not a dream. This is another World. A warning made to the Multiverse in despair?” She cast a series of spells to enhance her intellect and perception, then began to meticulously recall the dream she had seen, recording it on a magic crystal. The composition of the Allied Army Against the Gods, the Incarnations of four deities, the army of the blessed, and the abyssal magic circle that summoned the War Goddess…
After a long time, the Empress of Eternal Night looked at the nearly full magic crystal, her eyes revealing undisguised fatigue. Deities were beings who had transcended the constraints of the World, possessing countless unbelievable characteristics. Even observing them from another’s perspective could lead to them sensing it and unleashing divine punishment. Therefore, in addition to recording information, the Empress had to expend great effort to conceal herself, lest she be discovered by the gods.
The Empress of Eternal Night recovered her breath, and her figure flickered, appearing in a hidden mage tower of the Arcane Society. “Send people to explore the Abyss. Report any abnormalities to me immediately, but do not act rashly,” the Empress of Eternal Night issued her command. As her subordinates departed one by one, she fell into thought. The Seven Gods intervening in the material Plane was for faith, but neither the Abyss nor Hell offered any faith. Only the ancient gods who upheld absolute order in the past had the idea of ending the chaos of the Abyss. The result was that the most powerful Angelic legion was corrupted by the Abyss, giving birth to Devils, an entirely new evil faction.
The current power of the Baator Hell can be said to be even greater than the Abyss. The Devils, while suppressing the Abyss in bloody battles, were also infiltrating the material Plane. With no faith to gain and the potential to create super-trouble, yet the Seven Gods still acted against the Abyss and achieved considerable results… Why did they do this? The Empress of Eternal Night, for the first time, began to ponder if the Seven Gods’ endless conquests were not solely for accumulating faith. What had they, and the God King above them, seen from their infinitely high vantage point?
***
Kambusack Desert, Orc King’s Tent. Duke Nankadon looked at Princess Tasika, dressed in a pure white dress, proud and confident. Finally, he connected her with the “orc slave” he had encountered by the river that night, who had been as fleeting as wild grass. He was not foolish; he had experienced the war of defending the country and subsequent numerous campaigns. He was well aware of many of the Imperial military’s tactics. Combining this with the recent rumors of the riot at Audu’s prison break, and seeing Princess Tasika, unharmed and having so quickly amassed a fighting force, he realized this was a grand play arranged by Margaret. If Tasika was now ostensibly the queen of the orcs, but in fact an imperial-modified spy, capturing him, an Imperial fugitive, would be a great merit, wouldn’t it? Moreover, he had once treated a princess as a “slave” for trade, showing no hidden contempt. Would she hold a grudge?
Thinking this, Duke Nankadon broke into a cold sweat, his back instantly drenched. He, the grain hoarding expert, the speculative king, the divine operator, seemed to have impulsively come to a place he shouldn’t have… His mind was in chaos, yet Tasika was extremely patient. After greeting him, she smiled at him, like a cat admiring a mouse within its pouncing range, treating his reactions and changes in expression as some form of entertainment?
Duke Nankadon forced a smile and bowed. “Your Highness, please forgive my lack of discernment. I only now realize your identity. I am willing to apologize for all my previous disrespectful behavior. I believe someone as magnanimous as you would not hold it against an old fool who had too much to drink?”
Tasika smiled. “I haven’t completely decided on that yet.” Duke Nankadon secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Tasika hadn’t directly ordered him to be chopped into meat paste and was willing to converse. This meant that her role as Queen took precedence over her role as Princess at this moment, and she was willing to prioritize benefits, right? So this little shrew was just threatening him, trying to extort benefits from him, wasn’t she? Take it, take it all. This was the critical moment to use his intelligence to save his own life!
Duke Nankadon’s mind raced, and his lips moved swiftly. “Your Highness, fate has brought us together. I happen to have a batch of grain that can help you gather more tribes. I am willing to offer it all to you.” He took a step forward, lowered his voice, and said with confidence, “Moreover, as an Imperial Duke and a high-ranking military official, I can help you find a way to completely break free from Imperial control and truly establish a powerful Orc Kingdom. Then, you can settle the old blood feud with that tyrannical Empress!”
Tasika asked ruthlessly, “How can Your Grace, who is now a hunted stray dog, guarantee the completion of such a grand goal?” Although her words were impolite, Duke Nankadon was overjoyed. Never mind how he would accomplish it, as long as she was interested, there was room for negotiation! He ignored the insult of being called a stray dog and solemnly declared, “The Empress of Eternal Night has already lost virtue, alienating herself from all Imperial nobles. A severe crisis has already emerged within the Empire, and this is the best opportunity for the Orc tribes to accumulate strength and achieve independence in one fell swoop!”
He pointed out that the Free Duchy Alliance that had appeared in the south was just the beginning. More nobles would come forward to resist the Empress’s tyranny and the absurd actions she undertook with that madman, Roger, in her employ! Seeing that Tasika was listening attentively without interruption, his confidence grew, and he began to speak of the scandals circulating among Imperial nobles concerning the Empress of Eternal Night and Roger. He also spoke of Roger’s persecution of nobles and his subservience as a lackey to the Empress of Eternal Night, his words filled with utmost contempt and insult.
Tasika’s expression gradually grew cold. Clearly, Duke Nankadon had misunderstood, thinking that Roger had coerced the prisoner that night into acting as her escort. Therefore, he believed that insulting Roger would earn him Tasika’s favor. But Tasika did not like hearing it at all! “The Orc tribes only need to offer a little support to the nobles. Nobles willing to overthrow the Empress’s tyranny will emerge like a prairie fire, and then Octavielle and Roger, that pair of dogs, will surely die…”
“Enough!” Tasika interrupted Duke Nankadon, her voice icy. “Lord Charles and the Empress are innocent. Their relationship is not as you slander. If he feels that you nobles deserve to die, then I would be very willing to help him catch a stray fish.”
“Ah, this…” Duke Nankadon suddenly froze, finally realizing that Tasika’s reaction was completely different from what he had expected. Something was wrong. She seemed to respect Roger greatly? It couldn’t be that on that night out, this little princess had begged her worthless younger brother to accompany her, could it? What was her motive? An orc princess, instead of overthrowing the Empire, was lusting after an Imperial Marquis? My goodness, in that case, hadn’t he just put the cart before the horse?
As Duke Nankadon’s thoughts raced, Tasika had already ordered, “Come, apprehend him!”
