Chapter 519
Yuki stared at the imposing man, at his magnanimous smile, and even with his exceptional intelligence, he couldn't discern the truth in his words.
Death is all too familiar to players; who hasn't experienced a brush with death? But the stronger you are, the more afraid you are of death. Just like the Judge, who faces death with such dread, he can't imagine facing death with such boldness.
Shouldn't we be making a last-ditch effort? Shouldn't we be trying to find a solution quickly?
He didn't understand, and looking at the smiling Isaac and the others, he didn't dare ask about their attitude. He simply asked, "So, do you have any last words?"
The warlord leaned closer mysteriously and whispered, "I'll send Hathaway over tonight. If we do it a few more times, maybe I'll see my grandson before I die."
Yuki looked at him, then at Hathaway, whose face was flushed red. His mind went blank for a moment, and finally, his lips twitched.
"Roll!"
After this little incident, it's time to get back to the main topic. The situation is bizarre. Zhan Shuai had just woken up and wanted to find Yuki, but his wife knocked him unconscious on the spot. Only two days have passed, but the situation is getting stranger and stranger. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer.
However, Yuki was methodical and, despite Zhan Shuai being so frustrated he was scratching his head, he first asked who the woman next to Isaac was.
The woman was dressed in silver leather armor, wielding a longbow and carrying a broken spear. She had white hair and a blue face, and looked very heroic. Isaac had finally managed to get a word in edgewise, quickly introduced her.
"This is the 'Goddess of Hunting' Ternia, from the Conflict Pantheon, my, uh, good friend," Isaac introduced quietly. He had brought several divine friends with him this time.
The Yuki had already been told to me by Mebius: Isaac's attempt to see the Sky God failed, so he led a group of friends out of the City of Gods, and even clashed with the Demon-Hunting Army along the way.
If nothing happens to Abyss Fortress, he will definitely be punished when he returns, but if something really happens to Abyss Fortress, no one can do anything about it.
The strange thing is that there was neither reward nor questioning; the gods acted as if they had done nothing. Unable to contain themselves any longer, the gods returned home, leaving only Ternia behind.
The goddess seemed rather aloof, giving Yuki a slight nod in greeting. Yuki, somewhat uneasy, returned the greeting.
"Let me explain, this is my stupid son's lover, she's planning to give me a grandson," Dias added quietly.
"Father! Gods cannot have offspring!" Isaac flushed red.
"Nothing is impossible in this world; it's just that you haven't tried hard enough." Dias looked around and, unable to find a single place in the city that could be called a rooftop, simply said, "Enjoying nature is quite nice too; the starry sky will bless you."
Blessings, but what blessings?
The goddess, whose face was as white as snow, blushed slightly and coughed lightly, "Uh, I'll go help clean up the city."
"Sister Ternia, let me help you." Hathaway glared at her father and quickly tried to smooth things over.
Yuki watched a scene straight out of a family comedy, stared at Zhan Shuai with a speechless look, and before he could say anything, the wine bag in his hand was snatched away.
"What are you looking at? Pfft, now you can drink properly." Zhan Shuai, looking like he had everything planned out, kicked Yuki. "Now you can finally relax, right? Sigh, I'm too lazy to explain that goddess's stance. She's just afraid of spies, so she made me do it."
Yuki's expression changed slightly; he finally understood what it meant to be rough around the edges yet meticulous—seemingly crude but with a heart as sharp as a feather.
"Aren't you worried about Isaac's happiness?"
"What are you worried about?" Zhan Shuai glanced at his son and chuckled. "He already won her over. This girl isn't stupid. If she's just a friend, one visit is enough. Why would she stay?"
"Hey, are you still a virgin? Men from Abyss Fortress never hesitate. This kid's not agreeing because he's married."
"I... well, let's not talk about that anymore, let's get down to business!" Isaac chose to fast-forward through the plot; if he continued, he would have to receive a lecture from his father.
"Yes, yes, let's get down to business. There are plenty of troublesome things to deal with." Yuki felt that if this continued, he would also be implicated, so he quickly tried to smooth things over.
Zhan Shuai first tossed a report into Yuki's hands, who glanced at it and saw a thick list on it.
The battle of Abyss Fortress was a devastating one. Apart from the walls riddled with cracks, not a single intact house remained in the city. More than half of the personnel were killed or wounded, with thousands dying in action.
Even with the reserves, Abyss Fortress's total strength is less than 20,000, and it has lost almost a third of its troops. No wonder the war commander, who was just smiling, now looks like he's about to chop someone up.
The Abyss Fortress is not afraid of death, but Abomination why it died. This battle was mysterious from beginning to end, and the afterglow of victory has faded, leaving behind a sense of confusion.
It's certain that they've been betrayed by the gods, because the City of Gods has remained silent, offering no explanation or reinforcements. It seems they've even given up on pretending. Is it really possible that Abyss Fortress can even go to the City of Gods to demand an explanation?
"I've thought about this carefully these past few days. What happened in the northern mountains was no simple matter. Connecting the dots with what followed helps answer some questions." Yuki closed the report and said calmly.
"I initially thought it was because the Sea Demon appeared that Morgas acted out of fear of his secrets being exposed. Now it seems the mastermind behind it all feared a Sea Demon might reveal the true state of the Abyss Grade, prompting Morgas to act quickly."
At first glance, there seems to be no difference, but upon closer examination, the issues are significant, as it relates to the question of who the mastermind is.
At the time, Yuki didn't understand, but after the rewind was completed, the answer became very obvious.
How did Morgas know about the Northern Mountains? Why did the Sea God's miracle protecting Abyss Fortress fail? Why was the exit blocked, and why did Isaac retreat before arriving? And why this strange attitude after the war?
Putting these issues together, even a fool would know that the Divine Race were involved, and not just any ordinary gods.
"I still can't Tido why His Majesty Tidor would betray Abyss Fortress. It doesn't make sense!" The War General covered his head; the wavering of his faith was extremely painful for him.
"There is definitely a problem. Every conspiracy has an ulterior motive. I can tell right now that the Supreme God has no intention of eliminating the Demon Race, at least not now."
Isaac and the War General nodded in unison. If it meant betraying the Abyss Fortress by eliminating the demons, they would be unhappy, but it was acceptable. After all, war comes at a price, and whether or not the demons should be completely wiped out was not something they could control.
But the truth is quite the opposite: the City of Gods did not lay an ambush, did not besiege the city to attack reinforcements, and did not even question the Abyss Fortress.
"They are nurturing enemies to enhance their own power."
"There's no need for that. The Divine Race are the absolute overlords." Isaac immediately shook his head.
"It's unnecessary, so the Sky God's reasoning is false. Igniting the war wasn't about eliminating the demons and forging a new order at all." Yuki refuted this point, saying, "Don't listen to what others say, watch what they do."
"Actually, I have good news. Perhaps Tido, God of the Sea, hasn't betrayed you."
"What do you mean?" Zhan Shuai seemed to have grasped a lifeline and immediately perked up.
"It's fine if the divine magic works, but the miracles haven't completely failed, which is inconsistent with his stance."
Hmm, it seems so.
The War General frowned immediately. Miracles borrow the power of the main god, and he and Elfi had used them more than once. If His Tido betrayed the Abyss Fortress, there was no reason for him to still have some power left.
"What about the exportability and the barrier issue?"
"I don't know, but I don't think a god would be so indecisive. What kind of person would be half-hearted?" Yuki couldn't answer the question, and then looked at Isaac: "You've been contacting the God of Conflict lately, haven't you? Has He awakened? Even for a moment?"
"No, His Majesty Niels has been asleep."
Are you sure?
Isaac paused for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Absolutely certain, I am His subordinate god, second only to the Hand of God."
That's strange.
Yuki thought of Snow Demon Shan Jing. If the God of Conflict hadn't intervened personally, Snow Demon would probably still be alive by now. As for why he intervened, he had figured it out.
Fearing that the unknown Sea Demon would leak the information, the supreme god wanted to help Morgas kill someone to silence them, thus igniting the fuse of war.
Since the god of strife hasn't woken up, he can't possibly be carrying out his schemes in his sleep.
Either Isaac was deceived, and the God of Strife never slept at all, or...
"I have a terrible suspicion."
Gurgle.
Isaac and War General swallowed hard at the same time. This man's every horrible speculation was terrifying. Last time he said that the Supreme God might be the mastermind, and now it seems that it really was.
"Do you think it's possible that the god of conflict and the god of the sea are dead? That's why they haven't responded, and that's why these strange things are happening?"
"Absolutely impossible! The fall of a supreme god is a momentous event; there must be some reaction at all!"
The two spoke in unison, knowing that Yuki liked to say shocking things, but this was too frightening.
The supreme gods are the fundamental rules that construct the world. Even if one of them falls, it won't necessarily cause the Earth Collapse, but it will at least cause the world to change color.
They're right. If the God of Conflict were to die, Isaac would be the first to react.
But Yuki didn't give up on this thought. Besides this, nothing could explain the unpredictable workings of the Hunting Beacon and the Abyss Fortress. And there was something even more important:
He killed a god, knowing that Godslaying could take away the rules.
Yuki didn't force an explanation; all speculations needed to be verified by reality, eventually leading back to the starting point.
If the supreme deity wants to instigate a war, then what is the objective of that war?
Allowing the demons to run rampant, escalating the war, and causing massive casualties—what good would that do?
The three stood amidst the ruins, frowning, racking their brains, but still couldn't come up with an answer. They proposed one hypothesis after another, only to have them rejected in the discussion.
The biggest question is whether Morgas's cooperation with the chief god was a short-term collaboration between enemies for a specific purpose, or if there was a deeper secret involved.
But there must have been contact, otherwise why would he have withdrawn so quickly, and why wouldn't the City of Gods have been furious enough to settle scores with them now?
At this moment, a Pegasus descended, carrying the latest orders from the City of Gods: Isaac and Ternia were to garrison Abyss Fortress, strengthen its defenses, and guard against the Sea Demon, and so on.
That's it?
"Yes, these are His Majesty Sorion's instructions."
Yuki waved the messenger away, then turned around with a smile on his face.
"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and tell me." Zhan Shuai completely regarded Yuki as his strategist.
"Vulgar. Now I'm pretty sure the Sky God is the mastermind." Yuki seemed a little more relaxed, pacing back and forth. "He's cooperating with Morgas. What 'guarding the Abyss Fortress '? It's clearly an exile, to keep you from going back and causing trouble."
"This... it can't be that bad, can it?" Isaac was a little afraid of Yuki's analysis; every sentence would overturn his worldview.
"Why wouldn't it be that serious? If Abyss Fortress were so important, would you have been sent back to report? When fighting an enemy, intelligence is paramount. Since it's the Sea Demon causing trouble, why not send the Demon-Hunting Army to the Eye of the Abyss to check the situation, or even just have Abyss Fortress send someone?"
Yes, knowing the enemy is Sea Demon, the most urgent thing is to go to the deep sea and check the situation.
"How about we contact the dragon clan? They almost got blamed this time."
How can I contact you?
"Let's go."
"No, no, no, that's suicide! Assuming the Sky God and Morgas have made a deal, they wouldn't let you come into contact with the dragons." Yuki quickly shook his head. He had already guessed that the sea beneath the walls was fraught with danger. No, to be precise, he dared not leave the Abyss Fortress even for a moment.
Yuki had already figured out what was going on in the Northern Mountains; it's just that he had built up his reputation in the Abyss Fortress to such a high level that he was now a world-renowned hero, so no one dared to force him.
If I dare to go out, I'll be caught in a trap.
However... this could be an opportunity.
With a quick glance, Yuki discerned something from the Sky God's strange attitude towards the dragons.
Morgas's plan to massacre the city and frame the dragons failed, so the plan should have been a failure. However, the report from Abyss Fortress went unanswered, and almost all the gods were kept in the dark, with no one being sent to investigate the dragons for their negligence.
What are you going to do?
Yuki licked his lips, sensing a hint of conspiracy. He felt an urge to go to the Eye of the Abyss right now and see what was going on.
You can't go. Even if there is a deal, it's a trap.
Just then, a celestial horse flew by, its rider looking anxious. The three of them simultaneously felt a jolt, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.
"Report--"
"His Majesty Sorion, the God of the Sky, has issued Oracle: the demons are inherently despicable and beyond redemption for millennia. He has resolved to punish them. All city-states and the entire Demon-Hunting Army shall be mobilized."
"From this moment forward, wipe out the demon race."
Accompanied by hurried and excited sounds, Yuki's breathing became heavy.
The Great War has begun.
His heart skipped a beat, but while Zhan Shuai and his son were still staring at each other, Yuki had already regained his composure.
"Find out the information on the dragon race for me by any means necessary. The Divine Race are deliberately trying to diminish their presence, but I'm determined to find it."
"No problem. Abyss Fortress is the most knowledgeable about dragons in the whole world. Every War General goes to inspect Abyss Fortress." Dias nodded immediately, his expression turning strange. "Didn't you forbid me from going? What, you want to go now?"
I don't want to die.
Yuki gazed at the shimmering sea, knowing that beneath the surface lay turbulent undercurrents, and approaching the Eye of the Abyss would surely mean certain death.
But not being able to go now doesn't mean there won't be a chance in the future; he has a rare advantage.
I like to do all the preparations in advance.
Chapter Fourteen: Kalpas felt like he was finally getting a brain.
The war has begun.
Theoretically, there is no problem with this. The Sea Demon besieged such a sensitive location as Abyss Fortress, leaving the city-state devastated with nearly 100,000 casualties.
Even if Morgas didn't manage to massacre the city, it was more than enough to ignite a war.
Because of the cover-up, the entire Hero Continent was unaware of what had happened at Abyss Fortress, let alone the many unpredictable events of this battle. In any case, Abyss Fortress lived up to its reputation as the most powerful city-state, defeating the demons at a heavy cost.
It's true that the demons did it, and it's also true that all the demon gods defected.
As the losers, they were given ten thousand years to atone for their sins, and even granted the right to undergo trials. This is how they are repaid. From a strategic perspective, who can oppose going to war?