CHAPTER 1051: CHAPTER 1048: DEITIES AND GODS

[The Witch Age Year 335]

[His Majesty Blackberry Kennit, nineteen years old that year.]

[In the midst of war, he would temporarily hand over political affairs to his trusted confidants, board the airship, and attempt to find angels.]

[He piloted the airship, traveled to many places, and heard many voices.]

[The fires of war had spread across the land, and he heard people curse him as a "tyrant," saying he instigated wars between nations and drove civilians to flee, causing countless knights and soldiers to perish.]

[But he knew that in this ignorant age of chaotic battles, merely shouting without using blood and fire to subdue them was futile. Only by gaining the power to govern the people could he forcibly keep them away from the church.]

[People of this era would hate him, but once unification was achieved, people of the next era would be grateful to him because he brought peace.]

[Therefore, he did not care about infamy.]

[If the dead resented him, then so be it. Although known as a tyrant, his name was Blackberry.]

...

Blackberry went to many places.

He sometimes transformed into a merchant vendor, traveling through the streets. Other times, he disguised as a traveler from afar, listening to news in taverns. Occasionally, he became a minstrel, telling stories about angels. Sometimes he took on the role of a priest, browsing ancient books in churches.

He traveled for a long time but did not find any angels.

...

[The Witch Age Year 336]

[His Majesty Blackberry Kennit, twenty years old that year.]

[Whenever the war situation seemed somewhat stable, he would pilot the airship to patrol various places.]

[During sporadic travels this year, he met an interesting girl.]

[The girl’s hometown was beautiful and had not yet been touched by the fires of war. He stayed there for quite a while.]

...

Blackberry liked this town because the scenery was reminiscent of his long-destroyed homeland.

The girl seemed to come from a well-off family, often wearing thick clothes while strolling the streets. From a distance, Blackberry watched her as if seeing a version of himself that did not suffer the destruction of home and family. If the knights had not broken into his house that day, perhaps his life would have been this comfortable as well.

A few days later, Blackberry returned to his country, still not giving up on finding angels.

...

[Year 830 of the Old Day]

[Old God Su Ming’an Asasto, nineteen years old that year.]

[On the second day of the First Month, the grand army fell in the Canselor region, 243 km away from the second tower.]

"—We are entering the Canselor region, and there is a road collapse ahead."

A voice came through the earpiece as Su Ming’an walked in the vast army.

The grand army paved the way, and the team he was in was responsible for delivering the Immortal’s Talisman and Special Medicine near the second tower. This journey was particularly arduous, like ants marching through flames. However, his position was the safest.

Throughout this journey, others kept a distance from him, fearing to collide with him. Even when catching his gaze, people would immediately lower their eyes.

Su Ming’an once thought being a "God" and a "City Lord" were not much different, both leaders of a civilization. But now he realized, the difference between these two was like a chasm. The former is a gap in the essence of life, while the latter could bond with everyone.

Even Yamada Machiichi and others acted with feigned respect when reporting situations. This made him feel as if something cold and fine was sticking to him, gradually distancing him from others.

"—Su Xiaobai!"

At this moment, a young soldier suddenly rushed in front of him: "Su Xiaobai, I can’t believe I see you here, do you remember me?"

"God...Your God, he didn’t mean to offend you..." The chief, who was over fifty, was so frightened that his hair stood on end.

Su Ming’an recalled from the depths of his memory who this young man was. He waved his hand, stopping the chief.

"Wang Mingming... you’ve joined the army?" Su Ming’an said.

In three years, Wang Mingming had grown much taller, his round eyes looking wide.

Wang Mingming leaned close to Su Ming’an: "Yes. Not just me."

"Han Han also joined the army, she loves painting. She knows that if we win, everyone will be free to paint, so she’s already working in logistics. As for me, I’m a bit more capable and made it to the frontlines."

"Shang Qi, that guy, is still working in the City Guardian Department. He’s been promoted and is eradicating exotic species in various cities. In the future, he wants to get involved in politics, and he’ll help you with your work!"

Su Ming’an slowly recalled them, on that pouring rainy afternoon, they once sat around a pot of prawns. It seemed only a few days had passed, yet his memory was blurred. Too many faces occupied his mind.

Watching Wang Mingming’s exaggerated expressions, Su Ming’an simply smiled faintly:

"Hmm."

Like a true deity.

"Su Xiaobai, you..." Wang Mingming was a bit stunned. He still remembered events from three years ago, though now Su Xiaobai was an Old God, perhaps they could greet each other like before, but...

It seemed completely different now.

"I...I’ll return to the unit now." Wang Mingming said softly. The chief’s gaze almost burned through his back.

"Go back." Su Ming’an said.

Too many gazes were converging here; Su Ming’an could no longer be a young man casually embracing friends.

Wang Mingming turned back, but with every three steps, he looked back, hesitating before merging into the crowd: "Then... does our old promise still stand?"

Su Ming’an pondered for a moment, then said: "The stars?"

Wang Mingming’s father was still shouting "The stars—the stars—" as he was dragged away by the Holy Alliance Army.

Su Ming’an still remembered that story.

"When the war stabilizes, I will have those dust-covered observatories reopened." Su Ming’an said. It was just a simple statement for him, yet it could fulfill Wang Mingming’s cherished wish of twenty years.

Wang Mingming nodded his head.

At this moment, he just stared at Su Ming’an for a long time.

Su Ming’an didn’t understand what he was looking at, while Wang Mingming kept watching until the sounds of artillery filled the air around them, indicating the outer defenses had broken and the enemy’s attack was drawing near.

It was only when Su Ming’an turned his head that Wang Mingming withdrew his gaze. His round eyes seemed to shine a bit brighter, as if a fireseed ignited within his pupils.

"...I will fight for you, Su Xiaobai." He slowly placed his hand over his chest, where there was a commemorative medal from the Star Observatory, a relic from his father.

The grown boy seemed to understand the chasm between them at this moment, as well as the weight beneath civilization. His former colleagues were leading the destiny of the world in the name of the gods. Meanwhile, he slowly returned to his own squad.

Soon, Su Ming’an could no longer see him. Like a drop of water blending into a river, the soldiers all looked nearly identical from a distance.

And stories like Wang Mingming’s could be counted in the millions within the legion.

"..."

Su Ming’an silently withdrew his gaze, examining the military map in his hand. The red dots representing numbers densely populated the tablet, the vast number "510361823" searing his pupils. These numbers represented people spread across different regions.

Where he currently stood was just one of the many major battlefields. Encircling the second tower and the frontline skirmishes were countless skirmishes far beyond his vision. This was a war enshrouding the world, not just a battle between two cities. Simply put, wherever he was, that place became the most crucial battlefield.

The deity factions’ armies began bombing the barrier, and flames blossomed outside it.

Black soldiers collided densely, accompanied by the explosion of talismans. Red, blue, flames and dust, water waves and wind blades, like decaying floods. Since the deity knew the location of the ancient relics, it armed the Holy Alliance Army with various props, arrays, beasts, and sludge weapons. They could even drive some exotic species, causing casualties to increase dramatically.

"Find the Old God! Kill him!!"

"——The most important is the Old God; he has not yet revived, we must kill him!"

"And the Immortal’s Talisman, everyone advance with me! Destroy the Immortal’s Talisman!"

Du had already invaded the enemy’s communication channels, the enemy’s shrill shouts echoed incessantly in his earpiece. Su Ming’an listened quietly, hearing the enemies’ hatred and murderous intent towards himself.

At the end of the army, he spotted Mizushima Kawa Sora at a glance. She stood on a hill with a group of players, gazing distantly at him.

The battle continued from afternoon into the evening.

Day and night seemed to reach a critical point at this moment, scorching flames ignited in the distance, instantly turning into a sea of fire.

"Report... energy load exceeded by 25%..."

"The use of frequency weapons has exceeded the load limit by 10%..."

"The energy transmission device has been damaged, estimated repair time is 12 hours..."

Even at night, the sky remained as bright as day. In addition to the all-covering barrier, there were explosion signals, flares, brightening spells, and sparkling talismans, casting the ground in light hues.

The horn sounds grew ever longer, the air filled with the scent of haze and dust. Wars of this era were different from ordinary wars, involving spells, talismans, and hot weapons combined. Even the most experienced old generals found it hard to determine how to confront the enemy, let alone with the enemy having the help of exotic species, merely contacting them could easily spread mental contamination.

Su Ming’an sat in a mechanical wheelchair, his index finger pressed against his forehead, as the last ray of sunshine slid away from his brow. He had maintained this posture for a long time. His location could not progress, thus the Immortal’s Talisman and special medicine could not reach the designated place.

In the distance, on a slightly elevated hillside, Mizushima Kawa Sora stood with her personal guard. Even with the distance between them being extremely far, Su Ming’an could always see her. She was wearing a crystal crown, holding a holy sword, and watching the battlefield just like him.

They both did nothing.

Once one side acted to help the battle, the other side would begin to act as well. The speed of slaughter on both sides was nearly the same, ultimately leading to heavy casualties on both sides. Like mutually restraining nuclear weapons.

"Have the flamethrowers been activated?"

"(582, 192) request support! Need healing ability! Isabella is injured!"

"Golden Eagle squad signal has been interrupted, location northeast Sai Region (482, 192)..."

Su Ming’an took off his earpiece.

He had been listening to the channel communications for nearly ten hours, his mind buzzing incessantly.

"... Su Ming’an." Yuanyuan walked over. She wore heavy mechanical gear, the blade in her hand resembling an icy blue electric light.

"Hmm."

"I’m going to assassinate Mizushima Kawa Sora. You have to advance." Yuanyuan said.

"Is there a plan?" Su Ming’an did not refuse, only inquired.

Yuanyuan showed him the plan, which involved her, Li Yuxuan, Yi Zhongyu, Mo Yan, and others forming a spearhead unit to assassinate Mizushima Kawa Sora. This would allow Su Ming’an’s group to proceed unrestricted.

"Alright." He did not interfere much. In such large-scale warfare, he only needed to contribute combat power and symbolic meaning, not interfering with the decisions of the generals.

At 10:40 PM, the spearhead team successfully transferred Mizushima Kawa Sora using teleport props, allowing the escort team to advance.

At 11:20 PM, the road suddenly collapsed, caused by the enemy’s gravity trap. At the moment of falling, Su Ming’an was held up by several talismans, but many could not save themselves, falling into the abyss.

The population number on the tablet dropped by two digits, Su Ming’an’s fingers slightly flexed but abandoned the idea of restoring the state. There were too many such traps along the way, if he restored every time, he would fall before dawn.

"The deity..."

The deity would not care about these lives. As long as Su Ming’an restored once, the deity would profit. The deity knew him too well, every trap, every assassination, happened at the most unexpected moments for him.

At 11:42 PM, Su Ming’an encountered the sixth trap. This time, it was his personal guard Yang Qi who first noticed and pushed him out of the blast range.

"God..."

Silent as an ancient tree, Yang Qi left only a call.

"Boom—!"

The firelight swallowed his eyes.

At 12:20 AM, a landslide occurred on the mountain. Bu Xiuwei from the Dream Patrol Family immediately lit the talisman, withstanding the falling giant stone on his shoulders until Su Ming’an and other key figures retreated to the safe zone.

When Su Ming’an reached out to him, the remaining giant stone fell completely. Bu Xiuwei’s last remaining was a smile.

"... Deity..."

"Boom——!!"

The intense sound drowned everything.

At 2:30 AM, thirty-two priests teleported beside Su Ming’an, stabbing at him with sharp blades, but all were blocked by the general Yi Tiezheng beside him.

Although Su Ming’an killed these priests, Yi Tiezheng’s body was covered with black spots. The swords held by these priests were deadly as soon as they drew blood.

"As long as I didn’t harm you... it’s fine... Your Highness." Yi Tiezheng closed his eyes.

The population figure on the tablet flickered with a dim light.

At 4 AM, rain fell.

Su Ming’an stood by the heaps of corpses, gazing at the increasingly dazzling starlit sky. His black hair completely drenched by the rain, the casualty list in his hand became blurry and unreadable.

His body remained clean, without blood or wounds, but his surrounding tragedy was suffocating.

In the heavy rain, a delicate green leaf flower swayed among the heaps of white bones, as if waiting for the silent dawn to break.

Not a virtual screen, nor an illusion.

This was the first flower to grow from the ground... since the history was sealed by the deity.

In the rain, he saw a blurred figure.