Amidst the undercurrents of worldly power and schemes, there are still places that seem to lie beyond the vortex of conflict. They exist as eternal witnesses to time, where sanctity and antiquity seem to have frozen all change. The majestic Genesis Mountain Range is one such place, home to the Pantheon Church, one of Tehra's three largest and most ancient religions.

Here, a Ziggurat of gleaming golden sandstone rises proudly amidst a sea of white clouds, like a sacred ladder connecting the chaotic earth to the divine realm of the ancient gods. Its beauty comes not from a display of power, but from its antiquity and its harmony with heaven and earth. The seven towering tiers of the Ziggurat symbolize the seven heavens, and at its highest peak, where thick clouds perpetually shroud it, stands the main temple built of deep blue Lapis Lazuli.

Today, the Ziggurat's age-old tranquility was suddenly broken. Bahm, the supreme leader of the Sanctuary Enclave, a brilliant golden aura, slowly ascended the ancient stone steps, followed by hazy energy entities carrying dozens of chests filled with priceless treasures.

At the top of the Ziggurat, Enhil, the supreme high priest of the Pantheon Church, a formidable Trinity, was already waiting. He sat upon a throne of white stone and ivory, clad in a solemn, ivory-colored robe, his long hair and beard as white as snow. Enhil's eyes were like a starry night sky, serene yet containing the profound wisdom of a thousand constellations. His aura was as vast as the cosmos, a latent, unpredictable power that no one could fathom.

"You have finally arrived, Bahm," Enhil's deep voice echoing like rolling thunder, without a hint of surprise. "So, matters in Aerion have temporarily settled. You arrive bearing such tribute, which can only mean you intend to settle the remainder of our... unpleasant arrangement."

Bahm's golden aura bowed slightly in a gesture of respect. "Venerable Enhil," Bahm's notion resonated, carrying respect but also a shrewd cunning. "Your support in the recent event was truly invaluable. Thanks to your intervention, Lucifer was unable to interfere, and the most important pieces in our grander plan have been set in their proper places. This is a small token of our most sincere gratitude from the Sanctuary Enclave. Please accept it."

The chests were placed before Enhil. He glanced at the treasures within, then a faint smile appeared on his aged lips. "Your Sanctuary Enclave," he began slowly, his voice sharper, "always acts in unpredictable ways. Daring to stir up an entire capital like Aerion, and even daring to use a Trinity like myself to restrain another. You, who proclaim yourselves protectors of Tehra, have always been reckless, stopping at nothing, have you not?"

He paused, looking directly at Bahm's aura. "Never forget the tragedy that occurred in Caelvorn, Bahm! Never forget the day when 'protectors' like you brazenly destroyed the sacred ritual of the Pantheon, causing the annihilation of one of our loyal nations, all for the sake of your selfish and bloody 'balance'! The shamelessness of your Sanctuary Enclave truly knows no bounds!" Enhil's fury made the entire Ziggurat tremble.

The golden aura of Bahm remained serene and solemn before Enhil's wrath. Bahm's golden aura remained unperturbed. "Caelvorn was not a tragedy. It was a consequence, Bahm's notion resonated, cold and absolute. "It was a demonstration of what occurs when any power, even the great Pantheon, threatens the fundamental equilibrium of Tehra. We do not act on whims; we act only to prevent irreversible cataclysms."

Bahm replied, his demeanor casual but containing an iron-clad resolve. "Laurent's plan in Aerion, though brutal, was a necessary move in a much larger game. If Lucifer had been able to intervene, the consequences would have been exponentially worse."

Bahm continued, his aura seemingly shining brighter: "We understand that for lower-level plans to be executed, there must be stability at the top. My personal mission is to, at all costs, prevent intervention from the Trinity. Enhil, you have the ability to help us maintain that stability, for the common good of all Tehra. And we believe that the benefits the Pantheon Church will receive from this cooperation will certainly not be small."

Enhil snorted coldly, but the anger in his eyes had subsided, replaced by clear calculation. He looked at the chests filled with priceless treasures. Each chest here was worth no less than ten cities; if all the chests were counted, they could be exchanged for an entire nation. The words of his counterpart, though hard to swallow, were not without reason. And the terms of the exchange were indeed difficult to refuse.

"You are right, Bahm," Enhil finally spoke, a mysterious, unreadable smile returning to his lips. "The power of the Trinity can indeed crush all your strategies. But you should also remember, the balance of power between us is as fragile as the fate you are trying to change. Today, I agree to help you restrain Lucifer, partly because of this 'sincerity,' and partly because I want that arrogant Lucifer to taste what I once had to endure from you. But tomorrow, it is possible that I will be the one standing in your way."

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"We are always aware of that," Bahm replied, his voice confident. "Our goal is not to dominate, but to maintain balance. Project Obelisk, though it may seem extreme, has the ultimate goal of ensuring Tehra can overcome the coming great catastrophe, a catastrophe that even the Trinity may not be certain to survive."

At the word "Obelisk," Enhil's millennia of wisdom and serenity seemed to shatter. He slammed his hand on the arm of his white stone throne, and a terrifying fury erupted from the ancient Trinity, causing the colossal Ziggurat to tremble.

"MADNESS! YOU ARE UTTERLY MAD, BAHM!" Enhil roared, his voice no longer warm and deep, but the rolling thunder of an angered god. "Do you know what you intend to do? You intend to reactivate the apocalyptic catastrophe that we sacrificed everything to seal away!"

In an instant, the horrifying memories of the genocide at the end of the Second Epoch, a nightmare he had tried to bury for millions of years, resurfaced, vivid and clear in his mind.

He saw again a dying Tehra. The continent was nearly torn in two by colossal, bottomless fissures from which lava erupted, turning rivers into fire and fields into seas of ash. The sky was not blue, but a gruesome, bloody red.

And amidst that destruction was an indiscriminate slaughter. Demons, angels, and gods alike were killed without mercy. The corpses of angels with broken wings lay piled upon the corpses of horned demons. Their power was crushed with ease. It was absolute chaos, a destruction that followed no rules.

Enhil recalled his own helplessness, and that of the other two Trinities. The three of them were nearly powerless before that cataclysm. Everything became meaningless, as feeble as candles in a raging storm.

Until the final moment, when Tehra was on the verge of total annihilation, they made a desperate decision. They used a part of their souls, a part of their life force, gathering all their remaining power to create three great artifacts.

From the sky, three colossal Obelisks plunged straight down into the earth, creating eternal scars on Tehra's surface. However, the Obelisks truly worked and ended that apocalyptic catastrophe, closing the deadly Second Epoch.

The horrifying memory passed, leaving a fear and indignation in Enhil's eyes that could not be concealed. He looked at Bahm, his voice trembling with rage. "Do you understand the price we paid, Bahm? You want to unleash that thing once more?"

They sealed the worst catastrophe, something that could plunge all of Tehra into absolute destruction. And now, the Sanctuary Enclave, an organization that has always claimed to be the protector of the world's balance, dared to break the seal of hundreds of thousands of years—a crazy, unacceptable act.

"Because the Obelisks are not a satisfactory solution," Bahm replied, his tone as casual as if stating an obvious truth. "They are a temporary measure. A bandage on a festering wound. The seal is weakening. Sooner or later, it will fail on its own. When that day comes, all of Tehra will be scoured to bedrock, and not even the Trinity will escape."

"You are too confident in your judgments, Bahm!" Enhil roared, no longer maintaining his usual scholarly demeanor. "As long as the Trinity continue to reinforce it, that seal cannot be broken! The fact that your Sanctuary Enclave deliberately wants to remove the three Obelisks is a declaration of war against all of Tehra! It could lead to me and Lucifer, and even the Gods in the Pantheon, the Archangels of the Radiant Angels, and the Guardians having to unite to stop you!"

Enhil's threat carried a grave weight, a warning of a total holy war that could engulf the world. But Bahm, the leader of the Sanctuary Enclave, only replied gently, his notion carrying a sarcasm, a harsh truth that Enhil could not deny. "You would only unite at the beginning, wouldn't you, Enhil?" Bahm said.

Enhil was speechless. Bahm's words were like a sledgehammer striking his pride and faith. He was right. His plan was monstrous, the method unconscionable. He was forcing all the major powers of Tehra to face a common enemy, a threat that surpassed all trivial disputes and conflicts. He was using the survival of the world as a hostage, to force everyone to participate in his game.

"You... your shamelessness and madness truly have no limits, Bahm!" Enhil was furious at his opponent's cruel calculations.

The conversation between the two continued for a while longer before ending. Enhil knew that what Bahm was doing was not entirely wrong. The threat imprisoned under the Obelisks was real, and letting it escape on its own was far more dangerous. But Bahm's method, the way he manipulated and forced all powers into a corner to cooperate with him, the way he was willing to sacrifice millions of lives to achieve his goal, was too dangerous, too extreme.

In the end, he still accepted the agreement, accepting the "sincere gifts" that Bahm brought. It was a bitter choice, a trade-off between maintaining a decaying order and accepting a life-or-death gamble that could bring either disaster or true rebirth for Tehra.

When Bahm's aura had vanished, Enhil still sat there, motionless on his throne. He stared into space, his heart heavy with thoughts. He sighed softly, carrying all the worries and anxieties of a man holding the fate of an entire religion, and perhaps, a part of this world, a world standing on the brink of great change. He knew an unprecedented war was coming. Whether he wanted to or not, he had been drawn into this fateful game.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.