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Chapter 525: I’ve Decided
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Tears welled up in her eyes.
She wasn’t used to standing strong like this. She was a gentle soul, not used to the slightest bit of any aggressive behavior or loud yelling, or even the slightest hint of anger. And yet, she just had it enough already.
Not only this Grand Paladin time and time again did not acknowledge Siva, he actually tried to ask her to get angry at Siva for this whatever “Supreme Pontiff’s” behalf.
Not only did it not acknowledge anything that Hugo and Gaia spoke of about her earlier, it also insulted her presence… especially now that this Grand Paladin had already acknowledged the fact that she was indeed Terra’s Saintes.
For what?
—because in this person’s eyes, everything is below the name and dignity of their Theocracy?
Scion wasn’t stupid. She could at least see that in this Grand Paladin’s perception, nothing is above the decision of the Supreme Pontiff, that every person must acknowledge the Theocracy, that the Supreme Pontiff’s decision is the decision of the entire Terran Civilization.
She was sure now, with how this Grand Paladin had acted in front of her that they have no idea of the real enemy lingering just outside their walls.
—or perhaps inside it.
This was the first time she had met this obsessive and stubborn kind of belief in a single system of authority on a person.
It’s like a cult, a fanaticism of some sort, but it was not disorganized. Rather, it was as well-ordered as it was methodical that it frightened her deeply.
What more, this person actually tried to implore her to become enemies with Siva?
It made her angry. She just had to explode.
“Saintes… you…… you’re on Siva’s side?” the Grand Paladin was unable to accept it. Shouldn’t a Saintes of the Goddess of Time be standing on the side of the Theocracy?
———SLAP!!!
It was another resounding slap on the face.
“Did you not hear me just now or are your ears unable to register anything at all? If so then let me drill it into your brain. First and foremost, I am his woman before I am your so called Priestess of a Church I don’t even know existed. Secondly, you have no idea of the real hierarchy of the Gods in this Universe…”
When she spoke, she stood tall in front of the Grand Paladin and looked down at him.
Just like how it had in their first meeting, nary a tiny strand of [Divine Blessing] or any amount of [Authority] came forth when the man called it while Scion stood in front of them like this like a Lord or a Goddess of beauty and might.
She didn’t let the man react at all and went on to continue, “…the lowest kinds of Gods are the Chaos Gods, then the Elder Gods, and then the Primordial Gods. Mother Terra… is a Trinity God, an existence above the Primordial Gods who are nothing more than children in front of her. She was one of the only three of her class! I am her body in this Universe and I keep her legacy safe and intact. You… are in the presence of a Trinity God’s inheritor and yet you dared to order me around, even as much as making me seem like a property of your so called Theocracy? If there’s actually something, your Theocracy should be the one crawling on the floor and begging me instead to set foot in your unworthy piece of land so how dare you demand anything of me!? How dare you actually speak as if I am your property? You ought to know your damn place!”
SLAP!
When these words were spoken, Scion pulled out the [White MOD] and an aura of holiness erupted from her body, making the Grand Paladin tremble as the “blessings” he received in his body shook at the presence of this holy light.
It was so shocking, in fact, that the third slap was felt lesser in significance than the first two.
He couldn’t be more wrong as he thought of what she had just said just now.
Is that really the case? W-What have I done…
THUD! THUD!!
Two resounding sounds echoed and Lady Gaia and King Hugo uncontrollably knelt on the floor and respectfully lowered their heads. As the ones closest to the perfection of their legacies, they’re more than able to not only feel Terra’s presence but actually feel the sublime ratification of their souls’ existence in this light’s presence.
It was more than enough proof of Scion’s identity.
These two were High Seats of the Terran Alliance and nobody else should have the right and ability to make them lower their heads in respect and awe.
And yet Scion did and not only that, the blessings on his body are also shaking, they wanted for him kneel at her feet as to signify their submission to the presence of [Terra].
But she wasn’t done yet.
“Thirdly, and the most important part… of all the Trinity Gods, there is one God whose name your Gods that you all pray for and worship are afraid to even as much as utter a single letter of…. and yet you actually declared him as your enemy?”
Hugo’s body trembled and his breathing became short, realizing it this late. He recalled why those Alliance Seats earlier in Bardavon reacted that way when he appeared later… and now he knew.
…and he felt frightened.
In the War Council in Jeremiah, he actually tried to clash with Siva. Good thing he had read the old records in his family’s archive and had faintly read a name that had a connection to the Gods: Siva.
56 years ago, the invasion of the Demon Armada should have spelled the end of Terran Civilization because the attack caught them unprepared that it lasted only a day but the planet faced its doom.
And yet, all of a sudden, it ended. They won. The world only knew about the “Nine Braves” but no one else knew about another secret.
The real reason how and why they suddenly won.
In the core of that event, his father included, was a dark secret. There was a record of a name that was branded as a taboo no one must know about.
But his father, unable to keep this secret until his grave, left a puzzle for his descendants to solve that led to the secret of their victory in that war.
Hugo, being smart… had solved that puzzle.
It was a name, he found out, that ended the war, 56 years ago, but the [Teacher] warned them that if they don’t want him to end their civilization with his own hands himself, they must forget his name or at least forget his identity, or they will pay the price of knowing it and unable to live in peace.
Terroa had a secret no one must know. It was the secret connected to the disappearance of all the Gods in the Universe.
Terroa, a small planet in the standards of Gods, is [his] sanctuary. Events followed and happened, the sanctuary was disturbed and the Demons had attacked, disturbing [his] peace, awaking the wrath that he had long wanted to forget.
He killed the last of the Devil Gods and ended the war, and in the end, he killed himself…
….or so the [Teacher] said.
But he prophesied: “our civilization was supposed to end but he postponed it and so the fate of the end will now lie upon his hands. Everything that has a beginning must also have an end. He will return and by then, you must all be prepared and not antagonize him. Praise him or worship him if you must, but never become his enemy. It is better for him to be our savior than for us to be his enemies. I will arrange it all but your jobs will be to not arouse his wrath in the future. It’s enough to tell your descendants to never forget his name but never know his identity. For your sakes, for our sakes, that is all we need to know.”
History created, the Inner Continents established the Terran-Human Alliance. The war with the Dragons still went on.
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The Naturals were absorbed into their society.
And almost nothing changed to the Terrans.
They thought that the mission to not antagonize the returning [God] must be carried out eternally but only a decade past, trust on the Teacher was already waning since, well, who was the [Teacher] anyways? He just suddenly appeared and then he vanished without a trace.
Factions were made and many agreed to make the name taboo. And so a pact was made and the core of this pact included Hugo’s father. They all have decided to forget about this ominous name and not take this news seriously.
With the technology of the Humans and the Magic of Terrans, they became invincible and they were still becoming strong by the day.
Only, they were limited by resources and so no matter how much they develop, they were limited by the amount of resources they can use. Thus, a war with the Dragons must not be prolonged. But who would have thought that the Bloody Church will also arise? Everything became a mess and the attention of the Terran Alliance on Siva waned as the years passed by.
But now, Hugo confirmed it.
Scion’s existence and her words proven it all as a fact: [Siva] was the last [God] and he was not just any God at that… he was a Trinity God!
And yet why…
…why should the Gods be afraid of him when the Gods of Terroa loved and worshipped Terra?
The [End]…? Is Siva the end?
Sustainer… Terra was the sustainer…
Then who was the beginning?
No. it doesn’t matter.
Siva was connected to the end. And the Gods are afraid of him. If so… then the Teacher’s warning about not being able to live in peace is… GASP!!
By the Gods... could Siva really be the [End]?
We were told that he will come back and were all warned not to antagonize him but we….
Romano… what have you done…
As Hugo thought of these, his body trembled in both excitement and horror because earlier, he’d also felt that suffocating murderous desire Siva had unintentionally emitted was real and a true threat that it was painful.
That wasn’t the kind of murderous desire that will come from someone respected by the Gods.
It was something that should have come from one who had slaughtered Gods and Immortals!
Hugo, like a thunder that struck his mind, realized why Scion had explained it the way she did.
Siva… wasn’t someone benevolent.
He ended the war 56 years ago… Siva was a God who slaughtered everyone… he wasn’t a God that was meant to be revered and worshipped, he was a God meant to be feared!
Romano you bastard… if he snaps again, then…
“Mandy.” Siva’s voice rung, stopping all thoughts of the people in the room to continue further into a path no one wants it to go. “They are not worthy to know of me. You can stop now. I am not angry anymore.”
While Siva spoke, he stood up and hugged her and the stiff body began to tremble and like a weak kitten, she buried herself into his embrace as she cried.
“They have no idea of your sacrifices… they have no idea of what you are going through and yet he dared to… dared to…”
“It’s okay. They are just Mortals.” Siva’s voice was calm and he patted her back. “Mortals are meant to commit mistakes. You must not blame them of their ignorance. These are matters that must not be told to them so you don’t have to burden your mind trying to prove anything. They’re unworthy.”
Prove anything to them…
—Right, why should I prove anything to them?
Siva also rebuked himself.
These actions, these preparations, it was all for his brother’s sake and not for anyone else. These Terrans, being able to survive, will just be results of his actions on saving Baron. If they won’t make efforts to cooperate with him then he would just have to double his own efforts and protect those that chose his side.
So what if the rest of the Terran Civilization fall? It wasn’t his problem anyways.
The rest heard these ‘mighty’ words and felt the cold water pour into their souls.
Such words were only spoken by those who are seeing the lives of these Terrans as nothing more than trivial entertainment, a passersby’s life, like a TV commercial or an autumn leaf…
….nothing more.
………nothing else.
But the meaning behind Siva’s words was scary.
If Siva won’t care about them, then who would?
If he really was a [God], and he didn’t care about the Terrans, then those neglected, no, forsaken, would have to fend for themselves from now on.
Siva won’t care one bit to their business.
“I’ve decided.” After crying, Scion spoke.
The Grand Paladin was yet to wake up from this painful realization that he had triggered and when Scion spoke, he felt the consequences of all of his actions weighed more than a mere ton.
Because he realized, that he had just made a true and genuine living [God] forsake his own people.
And he couldn’t blame Romano because he was a victim of that thing called ‘ignorance’.
There are times that he had to rebuke it but this is one of those times that ignorance wasn’t bliss. It was stupidity that led to a sin. A huge sin. A sin that could lead to their entire civilization burning.
Scion stood in front of him and said, “I want you to relay my message to your Theocracy. I want Terra’s Church relocated to Asgard within a week and if you are unable to accomplish this, you can expect no help from us. In whatever help you are going to need us for in the near future.”
Near future… it was an ominous phrase.
One word entered his mind —cleansing. Siva was on a campaign to cleanse the spies of the Bloody Church out of the Terran Society but because of his blunder, because of his pride, ego, and his trust to the Supreme Pontiff’s words, he had just made a sin that was worthy of a hundred deaths.
“P-P-P-Please…. please… forg—”
“I don’t want to hear anything else. I want you out of my sight this instant. I want you to deliver my words directly to your Supreme Pontiff. Tell him, that if he has something to say, he must crawl his way in front of me. Only then will I listen to what he has to say. If he can’t, then he’d better forget about any cooperation happening between your Theocracy and our Asgard. But don’t forget, I am ordering you to relay my words to Terra’s Church as well. I want them prepared for migration within the next seven days.”
Scion’s attitude was like Siva when he speaks of his declarations. She may have actually picked up this fiery spine on her back from him.
Even Siva felt like swallowing his spit as he gazed at Scion’s back. He actually felt scared at her fury when it exploded like a volcano.
And yet he also couldn’t deny the fact that Scion just now was indeed cool. This “strong Scion” in front of him had its own cuteness and he couldn’t help feeling proud that this was his girl who was all snuggly with him whenever they were alone.
Perhaps he hasn’t rewarded her enough for all of her sacrifices for him?
He took note of this, mentally.
“What are you still doing here, then?” Scion was keen on dispatching them out of her sight.
The Grand Paladin reluctantly glanced at Siva who released his junior and threw an item at his face.
“Give it to the High Priestess of Terra’s Church, and remember that aside from that person, no one else is allowed to have this item.”
Siva spoke like a real authority and although he did not emit the same kind of suppressing holy aura befitting of a God like Scion, the balefulness of his own presence and the lingering murderous desire in the air was enough to remind the Grand Paladin that this was a man who was capable of lifting the [Safe] status of a supposed Safe Zone and dealing them pain inside a Walled City.
Just why did he do what he did earlier?
Why did he have to commit this mistake?
The Supreme Pontiff was the ruler of the entire Theocracy and many Terran Countries are under their thumb, respectful towards the Paladins and the Crusaders whenever they were out on a task.
Siva didn’t show the slightest respect nor sincerity when he met the Supreme Pontiff and he is also declared enemy of their Theocracy.
It all started… when Romano declared it so. They, as the arms and legs of the Theocracy, believed in the Supreme Pontiff so in essence, they’ll also believe that his words are laws.
Years of indoctrination embedded that ideology deep into their bones and because of it, this very situation itself was birthed.
They were too used in lording over those minor Terran Countries that they forgot that there was always a sky beyond even the highest sky.
In the first place, the Inner Continents didn’t have a sky so they became conceited, frogs trapped in a well, only believing what they are seeing.
With regret he took out a T-Device and nodded at Siva’s words. He didn’t even dare to look at him in the eye. His junior was trembling in fear. He had just made to suffer and was lucky that he was still alive and is able to return to his home.
Just before he pressed the button, Siva spoke to them again, “Since you have already destroyed my carefully established plan, you can still amend what was still unbroken. Send troops to protect the Walled Cities in Tiara and help the Immortal Emperor defend his territory against the Bloody Church. Here, take this. This is a contract. In my name as [Siva] and my identity recognized by the Heavenly Laws, I hereby declare that I’d extend my protection to those who will swear a Heavenly Oath with this contract as witness, that they are of their real identities and are not spies, or willingly acting in behalf or not in any sense in accordance to the will of the Bloody Church or the Demon Armada, or else, if the parties involved in this contract are to break the oath taken herein, they shall be struck by Heavenly Lightning until death and their souls dying with no chance of rebirth.”
Thunderclap followed the oath as soon as Siva swore on it.
“Now swear the oath.” He ordered to the two.
Of course, the paladins were shocked. They were within a barrier-sealed space and yet there came a sound of thunder that seemed to ignore it. If this wasn’t Godly power, then what is it?
This was the first time they’re hearing about this Heavenly Oath but with this phenomena, it would seem that it’s more powerful and wide-reaching than an Unbreakable Vow.
They took the oath and felt the binding power of it tighten on their souls. It couldn’t be felt by weaker mortals but Quasi-Immortals can as they were all nearing the Mortal limits.
It wasn’t something that can hinder their everyday lives, but they were made aware that they were bound by an oath and that as soon as they break it, they’ll be punished by the heavenly wrath.
Lightning! Who else could invoke the wrath of the heavens if not a [God]?
As such, this only made the Grand Paladin regret all his earlier words and actions. No amount and form of apology could make Siva forgive him now.
In his heart, he wanted to die already but he was given a mission so perhaps… perhaps there was a chance that he could be forgiven if he did a job worthy of praise.
“I shall do so.” he bowed at him.
“Go.” Siva didn’t have any notion to be ‘good’ at this man who was blinded by idiotically closed ideological doctrine of the Theocracy. “And I don’t think I should remind you but I might as well. I do not want anyone else knowing about the things that happened in this room. Is that clear?”
The two nodded. They’re really afraid now.
“Good, then, so scram.”
Although there was nothing wrong with them that their words and actions are for the sake of their Terran Civilization, sometimes though, being shut so tight they do not accept anything else thrown at them was just as wrong as it was right from the inside and out.
Because of their doctrine, they’re unable to admit the fact that aside from the Gods of the Churches of Divine Crown Theocracy, there are still those other Gods outside.
And so they committed this blunder.
Not only they lost his willingness to extend his protection to the Theocracy, they also lost any chance for Terra’s Legacy to touch the soil of the Divine Crown Theocracy.
The Grand Paladin wordlessly pressed the button and exited the scene full of regret. Perhaps by now, he was even thinking of cursing at Romano but that wasn’t Siva concern anymore.
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What will be the Theocracy’s reaction?
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Next Chapter: Classic Gamers will know…