Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Deception, Major Deception
Qianqian’s shocking statements left three top mortal warriors in a complete daze, hero-worshiped as inviolable gods by mankind, yet in the mouths of people from another world, they seemed as familiar as Uncle Wang next door, which made them suddenly feel the madness of the world.
I suppressed my urge to laugh, feigning surprise, as if I had just discovered that Uncle Wang next door also had worshippers, which was utterly astonishing, making these peerless warriors reveal expressions that filled me with a sense of achievement.
“You… you just mentioned gods…” Vinoa’s mouth twitched, clueless about how to fully express his thoughts.
“Yes,” I nodded, “the Empire has tight connections with the Divine Realm. You must understand that the Abyss is not a simple enemy. During the long years of battling the Abyss, we established a firm friendship with the Divine Race…”
Seeing the expressions on Muller and the others change from shock to awe, I knew my bluff had achieved its purpose.
Seizing the right moment to stop was my principle, so I wisely chose to leave before getting entangled.
If I had stayed longer, I might have messed up my bluff, not to mention seeing Mu’s increasingly excited demeanor, I was genuinely afraid he might drag me to find the Life Goddess…
Everything went as we predicted; the Auduo Empire didn’t hesitate to reject our support intentions conveyed through Modis III and arrogantly claimed that with the protection of the God of Light, they would conquer all filthy evil forces.
If they were facing ordinary demonized creatures, such a haughty declaration wouldn’t be inappropriate. Humans wielding Holy Light could easily eliminate demonized creatures. However, now the enemy included Leader Level Abyss beings, and without external aid, the Auduo Empire was more likely to face misfortune than fortune. Many empires that have long combated Abyss powers were destroyed when they faced the true Abyss, regrettably, the Auduo Empire didn’t know what kind of enemy they were up against this time.
“Sooner or later, their arrogance will bring about their destruction.”
Modis III sat in front of me, indignantly speaking, his gaze inadvertently filled with some awe as he looked towards Alaya standing behind me.
The intelligence from Muller had sent this exceedingly able Emperor into disarray for the first time. Divine beings coming to the mortal world was something only found in myths and legends, yet now, he unexpectedly faced such an occurrence, and the old emperor truly didn’t know whether it was good or bad.
Perhaps it was a good thing. As a ruler, having divine beings descend to the mortal world during his reign seemed like a matter that would be proudly inscribed in history—provided his previous attitude towards the Xyrin Empire had been friendlier.
Modis III was well aware of his stance towards the Xyrin Empire; although he had outwardly shown a generous attitude towards these mysterious races from another world, claiming to be allies, he had done plenty of disgraceful things behind the scenes. Surveillance and spying aside, he even tried to capture a Xyrin Warrior to study the secret source of their formidable power, although that mission inexplicably failed. Modis III was certain his actions were completely known to the other party.
Now, an astonishing fact lay before him: these otherworldly Xyrin Apostles were a powerful race capable of standing on equal terms with gods, and their relationship with the gods was as close as siblings, evidenced by seeing an Angel feeding a Xyrin young girl earlier.
Modis III had completely dismissed any plans to research how powerful the Xyrin Apostles were or what their intentions might be. All he could do now was show as much goodwill as possible and try to make amends for his previous grievances in an almost flattering manner.
Although it seemed that Chen Jun, the Xyrin Emperor, was easy to talk to, the problem was that, apart from him, almost all Xyrin Apostles were clear warmongers. The young female Emperor named Sandora even openly expressed her ambition to conquer the world. If he couldn’t mend his relationship with the Xyrin Empire now, no one could tell whether the descent of Heavenly Gods would be a blessing or a curse. One misstep, and he might not only face threats from the Xyrin Empire but also the wrath of the Divine Race.
I might guess what Modis III was thinking, but that wasn’t my concern. Right now, I just wanted to eliminate that troublesome Caesar. According to Bubbles’ latest calculations, eliminating Caesar would weaken this world’s Abyss power by at least thirty percent, enough for the Legion Transmitter to relocate Earth’s temporal coordinates, meaning, if we win the next grand battle, we can return home. The remaining enemies can then be dealt with by the natives of this world.
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The capital of the Auduo Empire, Leidun City.
The most prominent and significant building in this grand city isn’t the Emperor of Auduo’s palace, but a Grand Cathedral almost equal in size to the Imperial Palace, built entirely of white marble. This is the headquarters of the Auduo National Church: The Light God Sect. It is also the spiritual pillar for all Auduo citizens. Just being near this majestic white building, the abundant Holy Light power around even gives one the illusion that the God of Light is right beside them.
In the largest private prayer room inside the Grand Cathedral, Melon Pope had just finished praying.
This was a wise and learned old man who possessed great power. Although he was so powerful that he could have maintained his youth indefinitely, he had not changed his already aged appearance because he had dedicated his entire being to the God of Light. As long as he could fulfill his duty of dispelling the evil of the world, he truly did not care about appearances.
Melon Pope was kind and benevolent, but like all the others in this cathedral, he was a steadfast believer in the God of Light. Therefore, he had not hesitated to refuse the offer of support from the Vedis Empire yesterday, even though he himself had already sensed the evil energy that was gradually gathering at the border.
He was deeply worried about the mysterious Xyrin Empire.
Although the intelligence obtained so far suggested that they had come to help this world eradicate demon power, the formidable strength displayed by the Xyrin Empire, along with their unsettling approach to military expansion, sent chills down one’s spine. Being a fearsome warlike Race from the Otherworld capable of sweeping across the world with the speed of a plague, Melon could never allow them entry into Auduo for reasons beyond religious considerations.
He firmly believed that he was doing the right thing.
“The tolerant God of Light will surely understand my actions,”
Melon made a cross over his chest and murmured softly.
“Even though he understands your actions, your behavior has caused God to feel embarrassed,”
A majestic female voice suddenly resonated within the prayer room, followed by an overwhelming surge of Holy Light Power enveloping the area.
The old Pope instinctively assumed a defensive stance, shocked that someone could infiltrate what was arguably the most secure prayer room in the entire Empire of Auduo. However, the sight that appeared before him instantly overwhelmed his ability to think, and he did not even notice his prayer book falling to the ground.
Under the bright yet not blinding Holy Light, an angel with silver hair and golden eyes, wings sprouting from her back, slowly descended from above, then hovered a few meters in front of him, half a meter above the ground. A gentle halo concealed the angel’s face, preventing him from looking directly at her, but Melon could clearly feel a pair of eyes filled with authority and kindness watching him.
Alaya had remembered what I had instructed her: to either fly or hover, but never to land because I simply couldn’t imagine what a disaster it would be if this naturally clumsy Angel Sister were to fall flat on her face in front of devout followers of the God of Light.
Five seconds later, Melon finally realized what was happening. He threw himself to the ground, exclaiming excitedly, “Praise the God of Light! Honored Divine Envoy!”
While Melon was bowing in tribute, Alaya quickly pulled out a piece of paper from her bag, glanced at it, then, mustering emotion, said with authority, “You refused the aid of the Xyrin Empire?”
At that moment, she felt a bit envious of her Xyrin counterparts who used systematic memory systems—if her memory were better, the monarch wouldn’t have laughed himself to stitches…
Melon naturally couldn’t see Alaya’s actions; he was just confused and said, “Honored Divine Envoy, you just mentioned… the Xyrin Empire?”
“Yes, the Xyrin Empire. I… they crossed countless planes to come to assist you, yet you turned them away—this has embarrassed God.”
“Could it be… has the Xyrin Empire…”
Melon felt cold sweat beading on his forehead.
“The Xyrin Apostles from the Otherworld are a powerful Race widely associated with the gods, and one of their emperors is well acquainted with the God of Light. That’s why they came to help you—and yet, you turned them away!”