CHAPTER 1050: CHAPTER 1047: THE OLD GOD RAISES THE SCEPTER

"Cheers to this victory!"

"Cheers!"

Under the dazzling lights, Su Ming’an raised his glass, signaling to the people.

It’s the ninth day of the instance, and the front line has extended to the second tower. He has already rushed to the front line, settling near the second tower in the Nei Democratic Union. This is a celebration banquet for a victorious battle.

"Deity." A woman in a richly adorned red dress held up his hand, kissing the back of it through white gloves, her eyes soft and reverent: "May I have the honor of dancing with you?"

She is Princess Anna of the Drawde Principality, also one of the earliest to form an alliance with Su Ming’an’s kingdom.

Just as Su Ming’an was about to speak, Yang Qi, who was steadfastly guarding Su Ming’an’s side, said, "No! How can a deity dance with mortals?"

Yang Qi’s voice was cold, his appearance like an old tree. Princess Anna was frightened by this and stepped back in a fluster.

"Deity, why did you come here?" Shangqing also immediately approached: "Since you command the world by the name of the Old God, you must maintain your divinity and not get too close to people."

Lu quietly said, "Su Ming’an, you shouldn’t let people get too close to you. If someone hides among them and tries to assassinate you, it would be a severe blow to your prestige. In this world, faith is more important than anything. You don’t need to participate in this celebration banquet."

Looking at the reverent yet slightly distant gazes of the people, Su Ming’an was aware that this war was different from before—this was a divine war, not merely a territorial war. The "God" must convince the people that he is a "God," so the faith can have a foundation.

So, he left the banquet, standing alone under the night sky.

The orange juice in the glass shimmered with light. Su Ming’an stared at his elaborate and luxurious outfit; it was unexpectedly well-fitted.

The scepter made of gold and gemstones was tossed aside by him; this scepter had no ability, just a magnificent stick. But the "Old God Myth" he had personally fabricated bestowed a sense of reverence from the people toward him, making it impossible for him to let go of this stick.

"Su Ming’an..." came a voice from Chang Ge.

"Hmm."

"We can’t delay any longer. If the Exotic Species King doesn’t resurrect soon, we’ll be unable to hold on without allies." Chang Ge said, "You haven’t found anyone else with a ’fresh scarlet snake’ on them, which means the only vessel that can resurrect the Exotic Species King is Alice. We have to sacrifice Alice."

Su Ming’an swirled the orange juice in his glass. He once thought he could find another way in the "Witch’s Epic," but unfortunately, he couldn’t find one.

"I always feel... this shouldn’t be the way." Su Ming’an said.

....

[Su Ming’an allowed her to bite his shoulder, watching the colors in her eyes—a fresh scarlet snake, it seemed something was sealed within her.]

[Alice’s pupils trembled: "I’ve been frequently hearing about the imminent birth of the Exotic Species King; does it mean... that what’s sealed inside me is the Exotic Species King? Is that why I’m losing my rationality?" ]

....

Is her destiny predetermined?

Destined to be the vessel for the Exotic Species King?

She wasn’t very smart, nor did she possess any significant talents, and her swordsmanship was only enough for self-defense. Even becoming a Goddess was a trap laid by the deities for Su Ming’an. Her life hadn’t gained any Luck, and her various values were quite poor.

He saved her on a snowy night, believing she could undoubtedly play an extremely important role in the future because she was the protagonist, and the protagonist could hold back the collapse of a crumbling house. But the system didn’t tell him—"extremely important role" referred to becoming the vessel for the Exotic Species King’s revival.

Is a protagonist, whose mission is to sacrifice, truly the protagonist?

"We can’t delay any longer, the war situation is unstable. Awakening the Exotic Species King allows us to penetrate deep into the ancient ruins, retrieve history from a thousand years ago, and crush the deities. More than half of the time to clear the instance has passed," Chang Ge said, "I’m just making a suggestion, I defer to you."

"I still find something amiss; let’s wait for half a day, and I’ll look for other possibilities," Su Ming’an said.

It’s not due to emotional factors; he keenly felt that sacrificing Alice seemed inappropriate. Moreover, he did not trust Chang Ge either.

"Alright." Chang Ge’s voice faded away.

....

The second special medicine rain is about to descend, this time with the army delivering Immortal’s Talismans and special medicines deep into enemy lines.

This is also the first direct war between the Old God Army and the Deity Army; previous brutal battles were mere skirmishes in comparison. Because "awakening history" is something the deities despise, this time the deities will not show mercy, and they will do their utmost to dispatch their armies.

Su Ming’an also understood the importance of this war. If they win, it means history can be awakened hundreds of years further, and much information may emerge. If they fail, the awakening of history would end at this juncture.

He stood on the city wall, supporting it with both hands, suddenly feeling dizzy.

—A dense crowd stood below the city walls, their numbers so great it made one’s scalp tingle. Their features were visible to the naked eye, but they extended into shadows that couldn’t be seen, like layers of overlapping thick black clouds.

Golden-red flags fluttered in the wind; this was the Lighthouse flag designed by Yuanyuan. Upon seeing this flag, it was known that the army belonged to the Old God.

These three years, many prosperous modern cities were sealed off, becoming areas similar to the abandoned Dao Ya City. Besides, the number of casualties was sharply rising, occurrences of cities being destroyed by Exotic Species were frequent, and small-scale wars revolving around faith and territory were incessant. Fear and despair spread every moment, with displaced people forming waves of refugees that spread across the entire world.

—The sword Mizushima Kawa Sora struck in the sky against the Old God three years ago was the start of everything.

The special medicine rain calling back history, the steam age leading to divine war, the awakening of Exotic Species brought by relics unearthed... several fuses were ignited at that instant, as if abruptly transitioning from one era to another.

In the beginning, the military tried to stabilize order, even allied with the Union Government to save those large cities invaded by Exotic Species. However, three days after the operation ended, the large city fell once more. Even Prince Bivis of the Lailuo Empire could only watch as the city fell again, weeping aloud.

Thereafter, the military attempted to recruit more soldiers to expand military force. But inconsistent public sentiment made obtaining strong rallying power difficult. Consequently, under the instigation of Li Yuxuan and others, the military and Union Government, among other large forces, were completely split into two factions.

—One faction believed in the deities. They believed, "Deity will not destroy the world. It’s the Old God who calls back history, leading to the susurrection of Exotic Species and heavy casualties." This was their oracle.

—One faction believed in the Old God. They believed, "The Old God strives to call back history to gain great power to prevent the deities from destroying the world. The Old God loves humanity." This was their oracle.

Perhaps, both sides were correct.

Perhaps, what divided them was merely an invisible "Tower of Babel" lowered by a hidden hand.

Since then, a billion people split completely into two factions, either believing in the Deity or the Old God. The Holy Alliance Army, under the steam age, became increasingly frenzied; anyone who spoke slightly ill of the Deity would be executed by fire, causing countless people to leave their homes and flee to cities supporting the Old God. At the same time, many, feeling fearful, chose to stay safely under the dominion of the Deity.

The Union Government has become merely nominal, having already lost its appeal and coercion. It now serves more as a mascot, assisting some countries in managing affairs. Many politicians and generals have defected to the Twin Deities, hoping to ascend to positions they could never reach in their lifetime under the changing order.

Just like Evelyn, the "Ancient God Attendant" beside Su Ming’an, who used to be an inconspicuous council member with no voice, but now can serve as a military commander, above many yet below only one. This war gave her the opportunity to rise. There are many people like her.

Su Ming’an looked at the countless number of people below the city wall, their military uniforms were not uniform, with colors of all sorts. These troops came from all over, many belonged to various countries, many were part of the scattered alliance, and many were independent soldiers.

They looked at his gaze with reverence, with faith, with respect, with jealousy...

Even with the name of the Ancient God, not everyone wishes to participate in the war. Many are merely displaced and forced to enlist. Many hope to gain fame and glorify their ancestors. Many more are because their cities were destroyed, and they must win the war to let their loved ones survive. More know the deities want to destroy the world, thus they fight desperately.

But no matter what, they chose him... Him.

"God, microphone." Someone handed over the voice-transmitting tool.

Su Ming’an took the microphone. He always felt like he was treading through an endless dream, with every speech followed by another. Every war followed by another.

Sunlight pierced his pupils, and he blinked slightly sourly, brewing sentences from his mouth. No one would have thought that this Ancient God, who is giving a speech before millions of military and civilians, was nervous about a class lecture half a year ago.

"According to statistics, over 2.1 billion people have participated in this large-scale war... revolving around the Ancient Gods and Deities, exotic species and humans, black mist and land." Su Ming’an spoke:

In an instant, people quieted down.

Yamada Machiichi raised the banner for him, the flag fluttering in the wind.

"Twenty-three countries, twenty-seven independent cities, a total of fifty independent entities participated in this war. Participants include, but are not limited to, the world’s military forces, the Union Government Guardian Army, Dream Patrol Family members, City Guardian Department members, Self-Salvation Alliance members, Holy Alliance Army, Old Cathedral Faithful, spontaneously organized independent soldiers, Louyue Talisman Corps, mercenaries, City Defense Army, and ordinary people... the scale is enormous, spanning the world, and has risen to the level of a ’war of civilization.’"

"Many wars have no clear purpose, merely to survive. Special Medicine downpour brought many forgotten historical legacy issues of various countries, some allied nations futilely attacking each other, disintegrating. Some wars are just to fend off attacks from exotic species. But many more wars are for one reason – whether you believe in the Ancient Gods."

"Whether you believe – in me."

Su Ming’an pointed to his chest.

"Over the years, I’ve seen many people, many things."

"The numb and rigid order persisted for a long time, many had no choice or power to ascend from the moment they were born."

"Abandoned cities for a long time, a girl student with a stained dossier jumped off, constrained not because she did not work hard, but because her ancestors abandoned the deities."

"A naturally optimistic Dream Patrol broadcaster, clearly with lofty aspirations, yet trapped in a small town. Even forced to swallow excessive medication daily due to the policy that allows only laughter, not crying."

"A teacher born as an exotic species, despite never harming anyone, must retreat into darkness, never seeing the light in this life. His last lesson revealed people’s desires showing the viciousness of ghosts."

"An upright and determined council member, pushed to the high platform for execution merely because of a nonexistent crime and a Demon Hunt Order."

"A mother waiting for her son’s homecoming with a broken heart, personally killed her beloved son due to the Ark Project’s supposed ’Special Medicine that cannot awaken history.’"

"And many more... people and things I have not seen."

"I dare not assume if choosing me, I can do better than the deities. I won’t promise you each a certain amount of bread or milk daily. I will only promise, I will do my utmost to lead you into an era without ’Destiny.’"

"The era of rigidity has passed, the world torn into fragmented lands. If you defy your past life and want to create new legends, then naturally — here is your starting point."

"You can laugh, you can cry, you can sing, you can paint. Whatever you want. If you desire to be the last Nightingale in the iron forest, I promise you’ll sing under the sun."

"I promise you — a soul free and uncontrolled by anyone."

"I promise you — a Destiny no longer manipulated, held by yourselves..."

Su Ming’an’s speech lasted for twenty minutes, until his Emotional Value reached its peak.

He raised the Scepter, gold and gemstones dazzling in the sunlight, his eyes glimmering like gemstones too.

In an instant, people shouted his name.

They shouted —

Asasto leads us.

...

Ancient God, Asasto.

This was a name Su Ming’an came across in an ancient book, the text in the book was already very blurred and fragmented, likely part of the Ancient God’s true name.

Yet he combed through ancient texts, unable to find the true name of the deity. If the deity is the usurper, there should be someone by Asasto’s side named the deity. But found nothing, as if the deity appeared out of nowhere, suddenly obliterating everything about the Ancient Gods.

Thus Su Ming’an closed the ancient book, heading to the smoke-filled battlefield.

The heavy Divine Rod grasped in his palm, the Ruby pulsed like the hearts in people’s chests.

...

["General Qin."]

["Hmm?"]

["Why don’t you continue playing? I really like your melody."]

["But I don’t love playing. It always reminds me of Him."]

["You will meet Him in a thousand years."]

["We shall meet in a thousand years’ era, fulfilling millennium myth wishes."]

[——"Chao Yan Diary"]

...