Chapter 25: The Seven Gods of Humanity
A bare-chested black-haired man holding a silver greatsword stood in the center of a street that was battered and broken, with not a single intact brick remaining.
The battle was over. The elements and arcane power that had been churning violently due to the fight between Joshua and Mozer had gradually settled back into calm. The dust and smoke had also dispersed. Under the warrior's perception, there was not a single person within several hundred meters who dared to watch—neither the local residents nor the private soldiers of the Wilson family.
Accompanied by a bright yet non-dazzling glow of arcane radiance, the silver greatsword transformed its shape, turning into a silver-haired, green-eyed girl. She looked somewhat dazed, her expression clearly asking: Who am I? Where am I? What's for dinner?
"Master... is it over already?"
"Correct." Joshua nodded succinctly. "Whether it was that uncle of mine who wanted to steal my title, or the Gold-rank warrior of the Wilson family who orchestrated this whole scheme, I've completely dealt with them both!"
He looked immensely satisfied, even speaking more than usual. "I know that behind this plan to prop up a puppet count, there are definitely many schemes, many conspiracies, many backup plans, many countermeasures—but screw all that!"
Glancing sideways at the corpse of the silver-haired Gold-rank warrior, who had died with his eyes wide open in disbelief, Joshua sneered. "They thought they were clever, but in reality, their thinking was still too shallow. I killed them all. What use are a thousand schemes and layers of conspiracy? A bunch of idiots!"
"No, Master... I don't really understand things like schemes and tricks... I mean, finishing in just two minutes, isn't that a bit too fast?"
The silver-haired Divine Mechanism girl shook her head firmly. She truly didn't understand such things. Ying simply stared at Joshua with a battle-hungry, dissatisfied expression. "I waited for so long, and you only fought for two minutes?"
"Huh?"
"I waited for so long!"
"...I have to say, Ying, this time I owe it to you." Joshua's tone returned to its usual low, serious pitch. "If it weren't for you, facing the enemy's Glory Force would have been very passive. Without any equipment to withstand Wind Form, the outcome of my fight with Mozer would have been hard to predict."
"R-Really?" The silver-haired Divine Mechanism girl seemed to be hearing praise for the first time, looking somewhat surprised.
"Of course!" Joshua gave a firm affirmation.
Hearing such a definite reply, Ying immediately responded instinctively: "To fight for my master is my honor!"
Then, the Lady Divine Mechanism's lips curled slightly, as if she wanted to smile but forced herself to maintain composure, happily following behind Joshua.
(...This is good.)
Nodding to himself, Joshua, having settled things with his own weapon, no longer lingered. He looked around, confirmed his bearings, and immediately set off. "We're going to the church next. We need to be quick."
"To ring the bell and inform the people?"
"No. To treat this hand of mine."
This was indeed a very serious matter. Because the skill [Rage] could suppress eighty percent of the pain and greatly enhance the user's strength, Joshua currently didn't feel much pain from his left hand, which was nearly crushed into pulp. But his experienced self knew that once the skill's effect wore off and the adrenaline stopped secreting, the sudden onslaught of pain would be enough to make even a hardened warrior break out in cold sweats to the point of collapse.
Although he could endure it, why suffer that torment?
Ying naturally raised no objection, so the two quickly made their way toward the nearby grand cathedral.
Saint Lawrence Cathedral.
The Seven Gods of Humanity were: the God of Might and Justice, the God of Love and Decay, the God of Order and Destruction, the God of Law and Freedom, the God of Protection and Transformation, the God of Technology and Conspiracy, and the chief god, the God of Life.
The Seven Gods were equal in rank, but in sacrificial rituals, the God of Life was always given precedence. No one knew the reason, and many players had researched and speculated, but no clear answer had ever been found.
The Seven Gods had no true names, nor any form. Whether in statues, murals, or even stained glass, there was not a trace of their appearance—only the symbols of each god. Aside from responding to people's prayers and giving answers, they essentially did nothing, as if they did not exist in this world.
But Joshua knew that before long, one of the Seven Gods, the God of Justice, would join forces with the Metal Dragon God to strike down the Five-Color Dragon God from the Order Barrier, casting it down from the Boundless Heaven outside the world, thus unveiling the prelude to the Great Magic Tide's arrival—the world-class epic event [Mad Dragon Calamity].
Now, standing before the warrior was the largest gathering place of the Church of the God of Justice in the Northern Lands, the Saint Lawrence Cathedral, named after His first saint. The holy emblem of the black ring hung high atop the bell tower, flickering with a dim radiance.
At the foot of the steps in front of the entrance stood a massive stone tablet, engraved with an inscription:
[Justice without light requires might to proclaim.]
It sounded extremely solemn, but in reality, it was just that. After all, it was a church open to the public. No matter how serious the exterior, it had to be approachable. Joshua turned to look at the other side, where another stone tablet stood:
[Monday to Friday: Closed in the morning, afternoon hymn service, evening doctrine lecture]
[Saturday afternoon: Group dinner; Sunday morning: Prayer, afternoon gathering]
Below was a line of small text: [Bring your own utensils.]
After all, it was just a church; one couldn't demand too much in terms of solemnity. Joshua remembered that when he was a child, he often came here to listen to the sacred music. The old priest here was quite familiar with him. He wondered if the man was still around and whether he would recognize him.
Crossing the steps, he arrived at the door. The cathedral's entrance was tightly shut. The thick wooden doors, made of fine stone and wood, once closed, let no sound through. Presumably, this was also the fault of his now-dead cheap uncle. Since the people didn't dare to go out, why keep the church open if no one came to gather and pray? They had no choice but to close the doors and refuse visitors. And even if Danier and the Wilson family had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on a church bearing the saint's name.
Simply shouting would certainly be useless. Helpless, Joshua had no choice but to use his Battle Qi to knock heavily on the door.
A crimson radiance touched the gray-brown door surface, immediately causing a milky-white light to rise. This light flickered incessantly, rippling like the surface of a lake disturbed by a small stone. Not long after, the stone-and-wood church door slowly creaked open bit by bit. Greeting Joshua and Ying on the other side were a combination of four vigilant guardian knights and two Silver-rank priests.
"Saint Lawrence Cathedral is currently not receiving believers," said the first knight coldly.
"Nor is it receiving worshippers," added another knight.
"Whatever your purpose, please... no, wait. Who are you?"
Before finishing the usual script, the third knight to speak paused, then said hesitantly to his companions: "Wait, everyone. This one... seems to be the heir to the lordship of our territory."
And Joshua, whose [Rage] state was about to end and whose arm was beginning to throb with intense pain, sighed and said helplessly, "That's right. It's me."