Chapter 660: 228: Holy City and Chessboard_2

Chapter 660: Chapter 228: Holy City and Chessboard_2

“Only on the day he dies will I walk out from here. I won’t leave alone, I will receive the ‘divine oracle’ and then inform the people throughout Egypt that it is precisely because of the Pharaoh’s arrogance that the gods feel discontent. Thus, Sub-Gods should belong to the priests, and City-States should be governed by the Pharaoh.”

“At that time, the successor of His Majesty Ramses II will have to face a choice—the turmoil from the departure of the deities won’t have subsided, and aristocrats who are discontent with him may use this as an excuse to oppose him. Tell me, does he have the courage to declare that I have falsely proclaimed the divine oracle and then send troops against me on that day?”

Chaos chuckled softly, his movements in worship remaining meticulous.

“If it were Ramses, I think he’d dare, but Merenptah, I don’t think he has the capability.”

The great hall fell silent for a moment, and Aibu didn’t know what to say. He was shocked by his teacher’s plans—to separate sovereign power from divine authority, to strip the Pharaoh of any significance in faith… it was simply too startling.

Even if he wasn’t aware of his unique identity, Aibu might even think his teacher intended to silence him by killing him.

But he knew very well that in such matters, a teacher might kill a student to keep a secret, but a father would not kill his son.

Yes, they were not only teacher and student, but also father and son.

The exchange came to a temporary halt, but Kasim was in no hurry to immediately instill these thoughts into his heir. After all, there was still plenty of time, and he merely continued with his worship.

Time passed by every second as sunlight streamed into the great hall, with the shadows slowly shifting direction.

The worship of the God La was so meticulous that by modern reckoning, it would take place between eleven o’clock and one o’clock at noon. However, Kasim didn’t feel bored at all as he proceeded bit by bit.

However, just as the ceremony was nearing its end, a cry of surprise from Aibu broke the silence in the great hall.

“…Teacher, look, what is that?”

With a frown, Kasim didn’t respond but continued to complete the final prostration before lifting his head to search for the reason behind his student’s outcry.

He planned to take this opportunity to teach his student that one must remain calm, and consider any situation with the coolest head…

“—This is!”

His pupils contracted, and an energy seemed to burst forth from his aged body.

In front of Kasim, the deity statue that had been silent for years began to shine.

The deity seemed to communicate again through its own statue, and the next moment, the entire great hall lit up.

“Divine oracle, this is a true divine oracle!”

With hands raised high, a stream of light fell into his palm. At that moment, all of Kasim’s previous plans were cast aside from his mind.

No matter what the divine oracle stated, he was now the only priest to receive an oracle since the deities’ departure, and he was the deity’s most devout believer!

“Aibu, worship the God La with me!”

With a low shout, Kasim’s expression was one of devout faith.

Having served the deities for so long, he knew God well. He was certain that before descending with the will, La probably didn’t know what he had been saying, but perhaps he could see what he was doing.

Therefore, as the most devout believer of the deity, he felt extremely proud at this moment.

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Boom, boom, boom—

Higher than the sky, heavier than the earth.

It’s hard to say exactly where this is, or perhaps from another perspective, this seems akin to a place similar to Chaos’ “Sea of Origin”.

This is the most critical place in the world, much like the heart and brain of a person, or the marrow that produces blood.

For any world, this is the most tightly guarded place, a place where even the strongest deities among the natives can only sense changes with their will. Each ripple here represents the rise and fall of the world’s Laws.

However, at this moment, if someone could compare the before and after, they would see that this most precious place had drastically changed, as if the whole ‘sea’ had been split in two.

Black and gold interweave, ocean currents collide, they crisscross yet remain distinct. It’s like the grandest of sights, yet it’s the most terrifying thing in this world.

For it means the world has been thoroughly infiltrated by someone, its staunchest outer shell shattered. Whether or not the Outsider can be repelled, it’s destined to be greatly weakened.

“God of Sun, just now…”

Standing on the turbulent waves, surrounded by golden swells. A sense of closeness constantly emanates, yet Hemenu’s Hades, the God of Agriculture Osiris, doesn’t feel safe at all.

In the original mythology, he and Isis were husband and wife, once ruled the Mortal Realm and All Gods on behalf of the God of Sun, then murdered out of jealousy by his brother Set, the god of deserts and storms, and finally entered the Underworld after his Resurrection to become the principal god of Hemenu’s Underworld.

In this timeline, however, he simply incurred the wrath of the God of Sun because of ‘God of Punishment Isis’ and was directly cast into the Underworld, resulting in a good relationship with his brother Set but a sense of discontent towards the God of Sun.

But discontent aside, when a few years ago the world underwent a drastic change and All Gods were forced to leave the Mortal Realm, moving in their true forms to the Sea of Origin that symbolizes the core of the world following the link of Divine Authority, all grudges were put aside. What remained in his heart was nothing but Fear.

Don’t be fooled by this golden liquid that’s the ‘blood’ of the world. It may seem to bring a sense of closeness and longing, but Osiris knows that for any deity, the only outcome of direct contact with Source Power is one.

To be assimilated by Source Power, losing personality and consciousness.

“Osiris, I just tried to communicate with the outside world,” La said. “It was difficult, but barely successful.”

“That source of sin has come to Memphis, the assault from the Alien Realm has thus intensified, but this also increased its losses, allowing me to find a slight flaw— the one who caused all these changes, he must die. Only with his death will we have a chance to breathe!”

Clenching his fists, atop the rolling Golden Ocean, the falcon-headed deity, the God of Sun, looks off into the ‘sea’s’ horizon.

La doesn’t know what’s so special about that mortal, but he’s sure that it’s the wild, reckless corruption from the Alien Realm that was provoked because of him.

Killing eight hundred of the enemy at a cost of self-harm by three thousand, even a world driven by instinct shouldn’t do such a thing. Although victory would ultimately mean a world could compensate for these losses, if only a little more time is needed for a greater gain, then why should a world refuse?

Yet the other world did refuse. The power of the interface relentlessly attacked this world, targeting that mortal. La doesn’t know what will happen if the two come into contact, but whatever the enemy wants to do, he is determined to stop it.

“Not just that mortal, Your Majesty, but It as well…”

Shu’s voice reaches his ears, and the God of Sun La knows what the other is referring to.

On the opposite side of the interwoven black and gold is the Abyss-like Darkness. And just as the Alien Realm’s aggression surged sharply, taking the opportunity to pass divine decrees to the Mortal Realm, in that boundless Darkness, it seemed like some existence had also made a move.

…and the result of that move…

The keen eyes of the eagle scanned the surroundings, and for some reason, La suddenly felt the environment around him seemed to have changed.

A ‘game board’ above the Sea of Origin, slowly unfolding.

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