Many believed that the Temple was seizing this opportunity to strike at the miracle boy, Rody, using Lord Warren's revelation to prepare for another trial against him.
There must be some secret about Rody that they hold, which, once revealed, would lead to a crisis of trust among the people. If the Temple used this to strike, expelling or judging the miracle boy, then humanity would have no choice but to rely once again on the protection of the Temple and angels. Not to mention the demons and orcs, if the centaur legion truly colluded with the angels and the Cover-Up Gate incident was real, then humanity's fate would inevitably fall into the hands of the angels.
Now, even a blind person can see that Rody definitely stands on the side of humanity.
Why must the Temple insist on his destruction?
The reason is simple: because Rody is too outstanding, enabling humanity to be proud and independent, becoming a threat to their control over humanity.
Although people still don't know what the Temple wants by controlling humanity, from the initial assassination attempts against the miracle boy Rody, it's clear that the Temple and angels do not judge him simply because of his necromancer identity.
Kings and influential people from various countries have sent messages to the Temple, hoping that they would postpone this matter until after the demons and orcs are repelled.
However, the Temple firmly refused.
On this point, many strategic thinkers understood a truth: the Temple is not worried about the demons and orcs; from beginning to end, they are only concerned about the miracle boy Rody, and in their hearts, he is the only enemy.
Apart from countries that absolutely support the Temple, kings from various countries sent magical messages to Rody, stating that no matter what happens, they would absolutely support him. The Queen of Mille and William II of Camaron issued a "Letter to the Nation," stating that the miracle boy Rody is about to be slandered and defamed by enemies, and the citizens must resist in their hearts, maintain trust in Rody, and completely deny all enemy rhetoric. The people of Camaron's capital gathered all night, repeatedly broadcasting Rody's moving deeds through magical broadcasts.
King Norn also pointed out that people should soberly judge and understand the upcoming revelation, and not blindly believe it.
Supporters of Rody surged towards Saint Song Fortress like a tidal wave, including representatives from various countries, spontaneously formed civilian organizations, school groups, professional unions, and business alliances...
The hundred thousand slave soldiers, war correspondents, and Rody's fan clubs from Rody City, led by Tommy and others, went to the Saint Song Alliance.
The entire world was in an uproar, with over a hundred kings and royal representatives invited by the Temple.
Most of them, despite declaring their neutral stance, actually sided with Rody. Their attitudes did not necessarily reflect their true thoughts. The Queen of Mille and William II of Camaron, kings who absolutely supported Rody, went directly to Rody City.
The King of Galle and kings from Redlands and other countries stood with the Temple. Surprisingly, the King of Great Frey did not attend due to ill health.
Prince Vincent represented his father, firmly supporting the Temple, and was granted the title of 'Knight of Holy Loyalty' by the Temple. With fifty thousand newly dispatched soldiers from Great Frey, he was responsible for protecting the kings and maintaining order. Joining him were Holy Lance Knight Holly, Holy Pupil Sariven, and others, including the previously silent and newsless Demon Slayer Sword Lot, who reappeared. The entire Templar Knights mobilized, along with Saint Song's elite hundred thousand soldiers, gathering over two hundred thousand people beneath Saint Song Fortress to prevent Rody's supporters from disrupting the order and stop Lord Warren's revelation.
On Rody's side in Rody City, there were also over one hundred and fifty thousand people.
This included the one hundred thousand slave soldiers that Rody had saved, along with magic reporters from various countries, representatives, supporters from all walks of life, and Rody's fan clubs, totaling over one hundred and fifty thousand. This time, Rody City also dispatched twenty thousand soldiers. If the Temple dared to judge Rody, Chris, the Son of Elves, would fulfill his vow to send troops to conquer Saint Song Fortress and expel all the Temples from the world.
Surprisingly, the demons specifically supported this human movement, retreating a hundred kilometers back and vowing not to attack Rody City.
As for the orc army, they also opened the gates of various fortresses along the way, allowing soldiers and slave armies from Rody City to come to Saint Song. The Temple seized these two points, accusing Rody of being an evil necromancer, conspiring with enemies, and betraying all of humanity.
People had no interest in these reports, and except for countries like Galle and Redlands that absolutely support the Temple, other nations refused to publish negative news about Rody. Initially, Camaron and Mille empires were reluctant to broadcast live the revelation ceremony at Saint Song, but Rody felt that whether it was good or bad, there was no need to hide it. Tired of living in the shadow of being called a necromancer, he saw this as an opportunity for liberation, stating that broadcasting was fine. Only then did the Queen of Mille and William II of Camaron agree to broadcast the revelation ceremony at the foot of Saint Song City.
Those who could accept that Rody had once studied necromancy would certainly be his staunch supporters later.
Conversely, if they could not get past this, then everything else was in vain.
Rody felt that the struggle between himself and the Temple had reached its end, and it was time to decide who would prevail. According to the support he received from the world, he might overturn the Temple's millennia of prestige and become the sole reliance of all humanity.
In some ways, Rody felt that his purpose was not much different from that of the Temple and angels; all sought to gain the faith of all humanity.
There can't be two kinds of faith in one world, and this collision must decide the victor.
...
Almost everyone in the world knew about this, everyone except one person — Rody's mother.
For fear of the enemy attacking Rody City and abducting her, Rody and Chris secretly sent her to the Heavenly Opera House in the capital of Camaron, protected by powerful figures like the Snow Queen Victoria, the Elven High Priestess Night Moon, the Naga Grand Commander Gabo, and the Orc Princess Martina. Of course, Rody's mother thought she was invited to watch a performance by the child star and had no idea that her husband was about to reveal to the world that her beloved son was an evil necromancer.
Rody specially brought Gill, Alice, and Mitty from the Land of the Seven Tribes because they were the apples of his mother's eye.
Although the King and Queen of Felic did not return, the beauty tutor, Dean Buk, and the drunken swordsman were sent in their place. The King of Felic feared that the situation might be unfavorable to Rody and that only a few high-ranking individuals like the beauty tutor could persuade him in case of his anger.
Before this, Chris repeatedly asked Rody to promise not to give up his beliefs, to persist no matter what, until victory tipped in his favor.
She even personally discussed with the Queen of Mille for a long time, who seemed to have reached some agreement with her, indicating she would sit beside Rody with Pandora, fully prepared to prevent any impulsive outbreak from Rody.
Rody, seeing everyone doing many unnecessary things for him, sighed inwardly.
If I only had the memory of one lifetime, I might impulsively destroy everything, but now my mindset is excellent. After all, I am the former King of the Underworld Gods, one of the two main gods in the divine realm, and have been reincarnated dozens of times. Moreover, my most recent reincarnation was among the Yanhuang clan. Having experienced so much, how could I possibly care about a little setback? When it comes to cunning and strategy, what could be more formidable than the Yanhuang clan? In the long history of the Yanhuang clan, many people live their entire lives amidst strife, where a glance or a gesture holds special significance, especially in the officialdom, where the least cunning person is a hundred times more complex than the most sinister here.
Having been tempered in such an environment, with the entire Demon Abyss and a part of the Seven Tribes' territory as my backup, and now with the majority of humanity on my side, why should I be impulsive?
This moment is merely an opportunity for the world to accept me more deeply.
However, these thoughts are something Rody dares not to voice. Otherwise, everyone would think he's gone mad. Even to Chris and the others, Rody has never revealed that he is somewhat of a transmigrator, to avoid explanations. With the help of the Starlight Girls like Xingqing and Xingyu, Rody returned to the Demon Abyss once more. The Star Goddess, although comforting with kind words, did not care about Rody's current predicament. In her eyes, Rody is a God King, and the actions of humans and angels against him are as laughable as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
To protect her lover, the Star Goddess still sent over a hundred 'daughters' back with Rody to protect him closely.
Rody's primary goal in returning to the Demon Abyss was to understand the path to the heavens.
He felt that if he could bring down the Temple's power in the mortal world as soon as possible and immediately launch an attack on the heavens, of course, he would first need to clear the obstacles of the Demon Clan and the Centaur Legion. Therefore, he did not reject the assistance of the Starlight Girls.
Beneath Saint Song Fortress.
Over half a million humans gathered here, with more than two hundred thousand being soldiers from the Temple and Saint Song, and over a hundred thousand were Rody's supporters.
Additionally, over a hundred thousand were commoners from Saint Song or nearby cities, who hoped for a reconciliation between the Temple and Rody, gathering to petition. Sadly, their wishes were destined to be in vain. Moreover, tens of thousands of representatives from various countries remained neutral.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
A huge magical screen was set up, allowing magical broadcasts to be received everywhere in the world at the same time.
Rody's father, accompanied by the Pope, Cardinals, Holy Law Kings, Galle's Great Sword Emperor, Redlands' Sword Emperor, and other strong figures, arrived.
In the final moments before he was to reveal everything to the world, King Norn and leaders from dozens of countries made one last attempt at persuasion. However, the attitude of the Temple and Lord Warren was firm and unshakeable. King Norn and others then turned to Rody's side, urging him to temporarily avoid the situation, not to make it too big, and to stay calm as there might still be a chance. But Rody and Chris politely declined.
Rody City and the Temple could never coexist, this was their first and last conversation.
Under the direct gaze of hundreds of thousands of eyes and watched by millions around the world, Lord Warren, with his full head of white hair, stepped forward.
His hair was neatly combed, his eyes devoid of any emotion. Although people called him 'the most heartless and venomous father who ever lived,' this description seemed to have no impact on him. Lord Warren first bowed slightly to all sides and then proposed to have a final farewell with Rody.
Rody agreed.
Father and son, under the gaze of the world, walked towards each other step by step.
Lord Warren's steps were steady, his eyes devoid of any emotion. His recent proposal seemed more like a show.
In Rody's eyes, there was a faint, indelible sadness. He looked at the father in front of him who was about to condemn him to hell, feeling neither hatred nor pain, but rather a sense of reminiscence. This man had once loved him so dearly, often getting up in the middle of the night to tuck him in, always thinking of him first when it came to delicious food or fun things. The way he looked at Rody was with the most sincere and profound love of a father for his son, even with an uncontrollable pride... But all that was in the past.
The Lord Warren who used to let Rody ride on his neck as if he were a great horse... had disappeared.
Now, there was only this man with gray hair and bland, emotionless eyes.
He looked at Rody as if he were a stranger.
...
The short yet seemingly long distance of several meters they walked towards each other seemed to encapsulate a lifetime of a father and son's relationship.
When the two stood face to face, people couldn't help but sigh.
Why?
Why must a father treat his own son this way? Lord Warren used to adore his son so much, but in a blink of an eye, he became heartless and merciless, determined to put his son to death. If Rody were truly an evil necromancer, people might not hate him as much. But Rody is the miracle boy, the hope of humanity.
Could it be for power, for money, or for some unspeakable reason that one would betray their own son?
Through the magic screen, seeing the slight sorrow in Rody's eyes and the faint, almost imperceptible self-mocking smile on his lips, people felt heartbroken for him.
"I have nothing to say to you... What about you?" Lord Warren was indeed just putting on a show; he had nothing to say to Rody.
"Father, this is the last time I call you father," Rody said softly, lowering his head.
The head of the miracle boy had never been lowered.
Not even under the heaviest blow, the cruelest battle, the most despicable assassination, or the most venomous slander. He had always held his head high, even when the demon army charged at him, even when the angelic legions judged him, even when Temple believers accused him of all sorts. Rody always represented humanity's victory and resilience.
Never bowing, never giving up, never compromising – that was the miracle boy, Rody.
But, facing the father who abandoned him, he lowered his head.
It was not a plea, but sorrow, not wanting people to see his reddened eyes, not wanting them to see the tears secretly sliding down his face, falling on the blood-stained ground. In this moment, he was no longer strong, no longer the strongest of humanity, but a weak, pitiful, abandoned illegitimate child...
Lord Warren heard this but showed no reaction.
He surely saw his son's weakness, but his fatherly heart was like stone, his expression unchanging, completely unmoved.
Rody watched him walk away, his hand stretching out as if to call him back, but in the end, he let it fall.
People's hearts also shattered.
Many mothers wished to open their arms and tightly embrace this pitiful illegitimate son, giving him the fullest and most satisfying affection. The miracle boy, Rody, had given the world so much, but the world couldn't give him even a little in return.
Everyone could only watch as he was abandoned by his heartless father.
"Rody, my former son, is a liar. He was born a liar, and everything he does is to deceive the world. Any random act of mine can prove that he is an anti-human evil child, not the hero in people's hearts, not the miracle boy, and definitely not the savior of humanity. He is absolutely a devil deeply hidden among humanity!" Lord Warren stated emotionlessly.
"..." People simply couldn't believe that these words could be a father’s evaluation of his son.
At that moment, Rody still stood between the two camps, looking at Lord Warren, neither returning nor rebutting.
Like a child begging for his father's forgiveness, he was utterly unaware that his father had long abandoned him, still naively hoping that his heartless father would change his mind, embrace and kiss him again after the scolding. Looking at Rody's lonely figure, his pale and bloodless face, his unwavering gaze, his deluded waiting, people wanted to rush out and embrace him, crying loudly.
How they wished to have such a son, yet Lord Warren discarded a son akin to a deity.
At the time when the miracle boy needed his family's support the most, he was the first to come forward, casting his son into hell. This was the tragedy that people witnessed...
Lord Warren's words, of course, were backed by evidence, and plenty of it.
Through magical recordings, people saw Rody's childhood and his extraordinary aspects. These were not shown by Lord Warren and the Temple to praise Rody, but rather to prove that he was possessed by a demon. No child, they argued, would use mud to build a battlefield sandbox at the age they usually play with sand, a skill not even veteran generals could necessarily achieve.
Rody's childhood was presented in fragmented clips. What people saw was a shattered childhood but also glimpses of Rody's astonishing nature.
The critical evidence emerged when Rody was twelve years old.
Once, Rody visited the Temple, and upon his departure, the priests found Father Cedo’s body, still warm, fallen in the graveyard behind the Temple. Before that, aside from him and Rody, no one else had been there.
Thus, Lord Warren conceived the idea of surveilling Rody.
A few days later, the servant Marcus followed Rody into the forest. Rody hid in a cave, and when Lord Warren and his guard Ais came to search, they found Rody in a secret chamber, transformed into an evil necromancer summoning skeletons. At that time, Rody did not notice Lord Warren. He used the summoned skeletons to dig a tunnel and escaped back to his mother’s cottage.
But the next day, he murdered the servant Marcus, and then Marcus’s wife, Emma.
When he went to the town, he encountered the blacksmith and a group of people he had injured before. He deceived them with money and manipulated the corpse of Marcus to protect him. When leaving the town, he also encountered his brother Lot and Father Nari.
Facing Father Nari's suspicions and the holy light, the necromancer Rody once again resorted to deceit, using the corpse of Marcus to knock himself out.
All of this was recorded by Lord Warren's guard Ais.
"Father, mother is sick! Please, save her... Father, you can disown me, but mother is innocent! Mother is dying, please save her! Father, save mother..."
In the magic recording, Rody was seen carrying his mother with difficulty to the castle, shouting desperately.
But Rody didn't know that even his act of secretly feeding his mother a sleeping potion was observed by Lord Warren, so his deception did not succeed. Finally, Rody, controlling the corpses of Marcus and Emma, knocked himself out, leaving a trail of blood, then fled his homeland, the Koro territory, under the cover of a rainy night.
During the pursuit, Lord Warren sent his personal guard Ais to chase after Rody, but by then, a dark elf from Felic was already there to receive Rody.
“Everyone has seen, because this demon was once my son, I made a mistake in letting him go. Today, he has become a traitor colluding with the demons and orcs, a human hero who deceives the world, and the miracle boy of humanity. In fact, he is just like those apostates from Felic, a scourge to the world… During Rody’s training in the Iron Blood Cavalry Camp, a poisoning incident occurred there involving corpse poison, known only to evil necromancers. Rody helped to detoxify, using this incident to gain General Quentin’s trust, but in fact, it was all his own doing,” Lord Warren’s words silenced hundreds of thousands of listeners.
“Why do we repeatedly try to assassinate Rody? Because we want to eradicate evil kin. We are not heartless, but we absolutely cannot allow a devil to live among people, deceiving everyone’s trust,” the Demon Slayer Sword Lot also stood up and roared righteously.
“Rody, do you have any rebuttal? Is all this true?” The Pope, who had always been low-key, finally stepped forward and asked.
“...” Rody did not deny, merely nodding his head slightly.
...
The people on the side of the Saint Song Alliance immediately erupted in uproar, cursing vehemently, with a storm-like sound of judgment, as if they had been trained for it.
“Judge the evil, judge, judge, judge…”
“Down with Rody, down with the liar!”
The soldiers of Rody City remained silent, each tightly gripping their weapons.
They didn’t care whether Rody was a necromancer or not. What does it matter to kill a few people? Clearly, it was Marcus who tried to strangle Rody first, so at most, Rody could be considered to have acted in self-defense. Even a blind person could see that Lord Warren's magical recording was edited, certainly hiding unknown facts. Otherwise, how could a child, who had taken a magic forbidden potion, have the strength to kill someone like Marcus, let alone Father Cedo?
Perhaps the common people might be deceived by this magical recording, but shrewd old men like King Norn would never believe it.
And even if Rody were a necromancer, how many enemies did he kill in the great battles against the orcs and demons? What contributions had he made to humanity? How could his entire existence be denied because of one identity?
The soldiers of Rody City felt even more mixed emotions. Seeing Rody, a small figure, carrying his mother and fleeing in the rainy night, they were almost moved to tears.
If Lord Warren’s family hadn’t abandoned Rody first, why would he have to flee with his mother?
Many people in the world were confused, unable to discern the truth. They thought the miracle boy Rody was indeed a terrifying necromancer, using evil magic to kill people, even continuously using self-harm to deceive others. Such a terrifying person indeed deserved judgment and execution. But then again, he was the miracle boy – what if he was being slandered and was innocent? Wouldn't they be wronging him?
He had always been accused by others, but in the end, it was always proven that he was right.
What would they do if the miracle boy was burned to death?
With the demonic and orcish armies pressing on, who could people rely on to save the world if he died? Without Rody, they would be without hope!
"All friends from countries around the world, hear me out. No matter who Rody is or what his identity may be, we cannot allow an evil devil to continue colluding and deceiving the world, perhaps one day even betraying us all to the orcs and demons after gaining our trust. What are you all worried about? The angelic army has already descended, tens of thousands strong. They can easily crush the demons and orcs and help us humans achieve victory!" Cardinal Saint Duri stepped forward, releasing a magical recording.
In the recording, tens of thousands of angelic troops were seen continuously passing through a spacetime portal, arriving in the capital of the Galle Empire.
In the capital of Galle, countless people knelt down, cheering incessantly for the arrival of the angels.
In the sky, divine light shone brilliantly, bathing the entire capital of Galle in holiness. Among them, a golden six-winged angel descended, radiant like a deity, even the King of Galle knelt before this heavenly angel.
"Burn him, burn Rody, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn…"
The soldiers of Saint Song chanted in unison, their morale high as if they were the embodiment of justice. The clergy shot pillars of holy light into the sky, adding to the sanctity.
The soldiers on Rody City’s side all looked towards Tommy.
Tommy’s hands were trembling, not out of fear, but anger. With just a gesture from him, everyone would draw their swords and launch a long-prepared attack on the enemy. Earlier, Chris had issued a strict order that in this battle, they must listen to him, not Rody. Regardless of Rody’s wishes, if things turned dire, he would give the order for Tommy to lead an attack on the Saint Song troops.
No one would be allowed to judge Rody again, not even angels, let alone gods.
The sky, unbeknownst to anyone, had darkened, and droplets of rain began to fall, like the tears of the people.
Rody reached out, catching the raindrops from the sky, looking upwards. The rain fell on his face, staining his cheeks. Rody did not cry, but people could see that his heart was shattered, more painful than crying. At this moment, Lord Warren’s mercilessness had completely broken him down. No matter how strong he was, he was just a lonely, helpless child.
King Norn and many other neutral kings were stomping their feet in anxiety.
But what could anyone do? Should they comfort Rody or deny Lord Warren's revelation?
They knew it was impossible to burn Rody alive. The soldiers of Rody City would not allow it. The Temple's real goal was to turn this last hope of humanity against the people, to make him fall completely on the opposing side.
The Temple knew they couldn't kill Rody; the conspirators' aim was only to tarnish his reputation, making it impossible for him to stand in the human world.
"Burn him, burn him!"
"Judgment, judgment!"
Excited individuals from the Saint Song troops rushed out, furiously roaring at the solitary Rody.
Tommy's hand gradually rose.
The soldiers of Rody City didn't need to shout or roar; they were all like silent volcanoes, waiting for the moment to erupt. With just a glance from Chris, Tommy would immediately signal the attack…
Rody, in the center of the two armies, was in the heart of the brewing storm of war.
Countless killings and bloodshed would soon envelop the battlefield beneath Saint Song City and even the whole world, all because of him.
King Norn and the others were sweating profusely in their urgency, but in their desperation, they couldn't think of a way to stop it. Once the tragedy erupted, Rody City would undoubtedly win, but Saint Song and the Temple would seize this to label Rody a devil against humanity. These passionate young men would ultimately be forsaken by the world, and the consequences were unimaginable.
"Does someone want to burn my son? Is that so?"
A pleasant yet slightly angry female voice cut through the battlefield's shouts, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
The world was taken aback. Who was this?
Hearing this voice, Rody himself was greatly shaken. He roared, like a wounded beast, his roar deafening, silencing all the enemy's screams like thunder. People saw the usually calm and strong Rody, trembling like a scarecrow in a storm.
"Mom... No, you can't come here! Chris, did you do this... No, Mom, you shouldn't be here!"
Rody turned around, shaking his head and gesturing as if pleading with someone not to appear.
However, in the midst of the drizzling rain, a woman's figure gradually became clear.
It was a young mother with raindrops on her face, wearing a simple white robe, barefoot, her beautiful eyes full of tears, taking steps towards Rody... Rody, however, kept retreating, as if he couldn't accept this woman's appearance. People saw the strong Rody, tears uncontrollably streaming down, vulnerable like a pitiful child.
"Why can't Mom come? Mom wants to come!" This young woman was Rody's mother, and her appearance shocked everyone.
She was younger and more beautiful than people had imagined.
In this woman, people could see the most holy and purest motherly love, the most beautiful maternal radiance in the world. She could make the most beautiful woman in the world feel inferior, for her beauty was natural, like the tender moonlight, a rainbow after the rain, or a tranquil lake, a gentle breeze brushing the face.
Seeing Rody's mother appear, people couldn't help but tear up.
He wasn't a completely abandoned orphan. No, he still had his mother, this young and loving mother.
"No, Mom, you shouldn't be here!" Rody weakly knelt down, one hand stretched out as if trying to prevent his mother from coming closer.
"Lowly whore, your son you're so proud of is an evil necromancer. He's not only a bastard but also a murderer, a deceptive scum, garbage, scum of humanity!" the Demon Slayer Sword Lot jumped out, shouting venomously at Rody's mother.
"No, no, I'm not." For the first time, Rody refuted for himself, shaking his head: "Mom, I'm not!"
"Rody, my dear child, no matter what you are in the eyes of others, in Mom's heart, you will always be Mom's good baby, always my little one in my arms, always my heart... Rody, Mom is here, be good, don't be afraid!" The young mother walked up to Rody, opened her arms, and deeply embraced her trembling son.