Chapter 581: The War Escalates

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The raging tempest slowed to a halt, restoring peace and quiet to the battered earth. Archangel Baal, who was responsible for the natural disasters, raised his sword to his chest and lowered his head, watching Arfin City from afar. One would think he had been defeated.

The Fourth Walker had revealed himself to be Nehemiah, the God of Fate* and Future, after which he forcefully restored peace to the city and declared it his sacred abode. Arfin City was now off-limits to the angels, if they did not wish to suffer divine punishment.

Baal could no longer carry out his lord’s orders, as Archangels were forbidden from entering the sacred abode of other gods without permission. Baal also had to fly at a lower altitude whilst watching the floating island with humility.

Archangel Paimon was even more terrified. “Why has a forgotten god — someone who vanished from the Divine Realm long ago — suddenly appeared here? Does this mean that everyone branded sinners by our lords were his followers?” Paimon murmured fearfully. “Are they really no different from you and me? What about that man that caused our fallen brethren pain; was he Nehemiah’s Vassal all along?”

“Enough! Discard that seed of doubt, Paimon; you’re treading a dangerous line of thought,” Baal coldly said. “If you do not wish to suffer Noirciel’s fate, then you’d better heed my warning, and remain faithful to your lord. Just wait for further orders, as the nature of this war has changed…”

Judging the vassal and direct subject of a god was something that could only be done by other gods, so the angels could only stay their hands. Baal was right; things were not out of their hands, so they could only stand by for further orders.

Baal knew their next order would be one of two things: retreat or advance. If the gods ordered the angels to advance still, then the battle would no longer be about punishing a bunch of arrogant heretics.

It would escalate into a full-blown holy war.

Even Baal had never experienced such a war. Although small disagreements and skirmishes between gods occasionally happened, a full-on war was unheard of. ‘If things were to escalate into a war,’ Baal wondered, ‘Would I live to see the end of it? Or, would I fall?’ He also wondered if his lord would perish, and what the victors of this war would do to the losers.

These questions made Baal horrified, so he quickly discarded them and patiently waited for his orders.

The Voidwalkers, on the other hand, were not aware that the scale of this war could be escalated to unprecedented levels, neither did they know that they were now being considered ‘Vassals’, who were considered equals with angels. The Archmage, who had no idea that the enemies now considered him an Archangel, was heading to meet the Fourth Walker; he wanted to warmly welcome this Voidwalker, who he had not spoken to before.

However, when the Archmage got there, he was greeted by a heap of charred metal. Since the armor the Fourth Walker chose to inhabit was of poor quality, the Archmage was not surprised. Such a crudely-made armor could not hope to withstand the tiniest bit of Divine Energy, even for more than a few seconds.

The black cube — the micro-realm in which Noirciel’s Divine Energy was stored — was now flaccid and about to disappear. The Divine Energy within it was almost fully depleted.

“Nehemiah, the God of Fate and Future,” the Soul Armature Practitioner, who had just landed beside the Archmage, softly said. “I never realized that, for thousands of years in the Void, I was in the company of a true god!”

“That can’t be right,” the Archmage said, shaking his head. “If that is true, considering he has been with us for six thousand years, he would have slipped up, even if it’s just once, no matter how good he is at keeping secrets! Even if we had no idea he was a god, my apprentice must have known! Those perverts from the Church, they would have sniffed him out long ago.

“It is impossible for such a powerful god to end up in the Void — a sphere of darkness.” After speaking, the Archmage stomped in confusion. “Look around; he remade this world with just his words! That is insane; such power can only be seen in comic books on Earth! Here we are, though, witnessing the impossible. A god that powerful has no business being in the Void.”

“Only Sir Hope can provide an answer, when he returns. He did tell us to summon the Fourth Walker,” the Soul Armature Practitioner said. “Sir Hope always made fun of the Fourth Walker, whose prophecies only served to fuel the arguments of others. Although Sir Hope is asleep, I believe he knows something.”

“I concur. I also think my apprentice knows the Fourth Walker best. I always believed that he underwent something profound and unimaginable. He has become unrecognizable to me. Whenever he spoke, I felt fear and respect,” said the Archmage. He shook his head a second later, though, and said, “Now is not the time for this; we have more pressing issues at hand.”

The Archmage looked at the angels in the distance. The Archangels raised their head, and, at the same time, thunderous voices echoed in their minds: “Proceed!”

Both Archangels turned to stare through the blinding white light, to the golden gate hidden within, patiently listening to the orders of their lords.

“The end of this seemingly-endless war is nigh. We must end it this way…”

“…Even if it comes at a heavy price.”

Both gods took turns speaking, completing each other’s sentences.”

“A fallen god has no right to resurface…”

“…His overreaching power should not have resurfaced, especially to interfere with our affairs!”

“By my divine name, Krachlon, God of Nature — I declare unto ye…”

“By my divine name, Tylemus, God of Time — I declare unto ye…”

Without pause, both gods jointly announced their decision: “We declare war on the fallen God of Fate and Future, Nehemiah!

“We fight under the just and watchful eyes of Dalos, the God of Power, and Cantalonia, the God of Life, as stipulated by our ancient oath.”

“Go forth, O’ valiant warriors — on our honor, for our victory!”

Suddenly, the kneeling believers below began to glow. Pairs of wings appeared on the bag of each believer, and in seconds, these believers soared into the sky — as angels! The number of angels had increased! In the blink of an eye, hundreds of new angels had joined the war!

This did not happen only in Shamshire. In a cathedral several miles away from Holy Canningham, a congregation of believers hid from the Steppe barbarians. Despite being in danger, these believers prayed piously, yearning for their god to answer them. Screams could be heard outside the cathedral.

The praying believers suddenly began to glow, and wings quickly grew on their backs. A wave of holy fire gushed out of the cathedrals and incinerated the barbarians outside. The Voidwalkers that led these barbarians were shocked, gawking at the charred remains of their barbarian allies.

“Can someone tell me what happened if Arfin City for angels to be here?” the Sorcerer Walker said.

“Didn’t we just destroy the Angel Summoning Circle in Canningham? How are they still descending into our realm? This can’t be the result of a hidden curse placed on the Papal Tomb that I’d desecrated, right?” The Explorer Walker asked, feeling guilty.

“You idiots! Less talking, more running away!” The Hitman Walker snapped. Without waiting for a response, the Hitman Walker utilized his best stealth techniques to flee the scene, but before he could go far, he found himself being pursued by three angels.

To the south of the Templar Fort, four angels appeared out of nowhere, to the cheers and applause of the believers. After countless battles against their demon enemies, their mental states were bad. Their fort was still undamaged, but it had taken a lot of effort to keep it that way — enough effort to wear down even the most elite of soldiers.

When the Lich Walker spotted the angels, he shrieked, “What the hell did they do in that goddamned city?! Wasn’t our job — distracting the Church — supposed to free of threats to our lives?!”

The Lich Walker and the Devil Walker were on the back of a black mountain goat. The terrified beast was desperately fleeing from the golden light.

“Well, well, well! What did I tell you, Numbskull? Did I not ask you not to do anything unnecessary? But, no — your ‘superb intellect’ made you turn some clergymen into undead priests!” The Devil Walker sneered. “Why should we be surprised that divine retribution has arrived?!”

“Shut your piehole, hypocrite. It was you that commanded a group of succubi to tempt the paladins there! What did you say you wanted to do again? Oh, yea — you wanted to ‘sow the seed of lust in a place of chastity.’ My Undead Priest scheme only took after your scheme!”

The army of angels greatly increased after the gods declared war. Paimon’s lord has bestowed him with multiple blessings, but he had not yet charged at the enemies.

“Sire, please forgive my disrespect; may I be gifted with your Arbiter’s Right once more?” Paimon quietly and fearfully asked. “Our enemies are not mere mortals. They have a god with them, and their power equals ours. If we proceed without sufficient preparation…”

This was no lie. As an Archangel who had, on occasion, had access to his lord’s Arbiter’s Right, Paimon knew how powerful Law-altering power could be. Nehemiah had used his ‘arbitrary prophecy’ to change the Law, forcing the angels to comply. Furthermore, the enemy Archangel — the Archmage — was strong enough to harm angels.

Paimon’s lord was silent; it was clear that he was hesitant. However, after some time, Tylemus replied, “Yes; it does not go against the ancient oath. With blessings from Dalos and Cantalonia, you have nothing to fear.

Paimon was exhilarated by that answer. “I understand, my Lord. Please, wait for my good news,” he replied. With a smile on his face, Paimon raced his sword and issued a loud battle cry. Without wasting time, he charged into a battle he never imagined he would participate in. The floating island was quickly surrounded by an army of angels with glowing wings.

This battle was sure to decide the fates of both parties!

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