Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH671 Twilight Adjudicator I

***

’The Twilight Adjudicators?’ Alex’s eyes flashed with curiosity.

When the BattleBane Guild Master mentioned a dark history erased from the records by the deities, Alex had initially assumed it referred to something from the Era of Sorcery. However, this was a name he had never encountered before.

’Is this a part of the Era of Sorcery that One Heaven never told me about? Or is this an entirely different piece of history hidden by the deities, separate from the era?’

Whatever the truth was, Alex listened with rapt attention.

”The history of the Twilight Adjudicators dates back more than six centuries. At that time—contrary to the false peace we have now—the deities openly competed... and fought amongst themselves for believers.”

The BattleBane Guild Master’s opening words caught Alex by surprise.

After all, ever since arriving on this plane, everything he had read—from Juror’s scripture to historical records—had led him to believe that the Navi did not compete against one another.

Clearly, that had not always been the case. Or perhaps, it had never truly been the case at all.

The BattleBane Guild Master continued.

”These competitions often escalated into wars between temples, dragging nations and the various organisations allied to them into devastating conflicts.

”On at least three separate occasions, every major nation in the world was pulled into wars so vast they could only be described as great wars—conflicts that claimed the lives of tens of millions.

”During these great wars, even the deities themselves descended from their divine kingdoms onto the battlefield to fight one another in person. These descents not only strengthened the faith of their followers... but they also made the deities vulnerable.”

He paused and turned his gaze towards Alex.

”Many people fail to realise this and assume that all deities are equal, differing only in the dominions they govern. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Even amongst the deities, there exists a clear hierarchy based on strength.”

Alex nodded in understanding.

’That much is obvious. Deities or not, at their core, they are still cultivators,’ Alex mused inwardly.

The BattleBane Guild Master continued, ”At that time, there existed a War Deity. Because of the endless wars, the dominion of war expanded, and with it, so too did this deity’s power.

”The War Deity sought to use that power to subjugate the other deities beneath him. Naturally, the remaining deities united and opposed him together.

”Eventually, the War Deity was defeated—but not before stealing an artefact that had been guarded collectively by all the deities, and grievously injuring many of them in the process. Some were wounded so severely that they fell from divinity itself, forced to undergo mortal reincarnation in order to recover before they could one day reclaim their godhood.”

”Whatever it was that the War Deity stole, in order to evade the pursuit of the other deities, They used it to secretly create a new Deity—one meant to divert the attention of the rest of the Pantheon. By the time the old deities had recovered enough to wage war again and realised what the War Deity had done, the dawn of a new generation of deities was already upon them.

”The new deity was not welcomed by the Pantheon. Instead, the old deities sought to destroy Them. Realising this, and fully comprehending the scheme the War Deity had set into motion, the new deity devised a daring plan of Their own.

”Before this new deity’s apotheosis, knowledge of how deities were born was virtually nonexistent. The path to divinity was a secret sealed away from mortals. This deity shattered this blockade by spreading that forbidden knowledge to the Popes of the old temples—individuals believed to stand at the pinnacle of the Combat Sage rank... or perhaps even beyond it.

”The Popes—as well as the other Combat Sages and higher-ranking powers who served beneath the old deities—came to a terrifying realisation; they, too, could ascend and become deities.

”They could either forge a divinity for themselves... or seize the godhood of an existing deity—one much easier done than the other.

”With this revelation, the new deity gathered supporters from within the leadership of the old temples themselves, as well as from nations and organisations long exhausted by the endless cycle of divine wars. Together, they formed a bold and dangerous conspiracy.

”While the old deities were still occupied with healing their injuries, the schemers moved to halt all wars across the world, thereby starving the War Deity’s dominion and slowing Their recovery—ultimately forcing Them out of hiding. At the same time, the Popes used their authority to subtly distort the worship of the old deities, contaminating the very faith networks that sustained Them.

”By the time the old deities realised what was happening and emerged to stop it, the stage had already been set. Whether they wished it or not, they were dragged into yet another divine war as they struggled to reclaim the artefact stolen by the War Deity.”

”What happened next remains unclear, because anyone close enough to witness that battle perished within it. What is known, however, is that the artefact shattered and exploded during the conflict, directly killing three deities—including the War Deity.

”The surviving deities fled back to their Temples to recover. Their divine kingdoms had been severely damaged by the explosion, making their mortal Temples the safest place for healing and restoration.”

”Unfortunately for them... the Popes had been waiting.”

”The Popes killed the very deities they once served and usurped their godhood, achieving apotheosis and ascending as the new gods of the world.

”And thus, the Pantheon of Verdantis was reset—the old generation swept away, and a new Pantheon rising to take its place.”

Alex was visibly stunned. He had not expected that the traitors from the Era of Sorcery had themselves been betrayed by their own clergy—the Popes, no less.

The irony was impossible to ignore.

It made Alex wonder just how terrible the old deities must have been for even the leadership of their own Temples—the very people who should have been their most devout followers—to betray them en masse like that.

Perhaps it was simply the nature of traitors— those who betray others often fear betrayal most of all. Their own distrust poisons every relationship around them, and in trying to prevent treachery, they create the very conditions that make it inevitable.

Whatever the truth was, Alex was not shedding tears for them. It was their greed that had plunged this plane into the dangerous tribulation of destiny it now faced. Had their ambition not consumed them, Verdantis might have already passed through its tribulation by now.

Still, he was not celebrating either. The betrayal and rise of this new generation of deities carried terrifying implications for Verdantis and the fate awaiting it.

A storm of thoughts flashed through his mind in that brief moment, one after another, but eventually he forced them down. This was neither the time nor the place to lose himself in such speculation.

More importantly, while the BattleBane Guild Master’s account carried enormous implications, it had yet to address the true matter at hand.

’So far, everything he has said explains the shift in divine history... but nothing yet explains the curse the BattleBanes carry, or why they bear it at all,’ Alex thought.

He looked back at the man encased in cursed armour with an expectant gaze, silently urging him to continue.

And the man did exactly that.

”However, while the new deities settled upon their divine thrones, the battle for divinity was not yet over.

”Not all of the old deities were killed during the betrayal by the leadership of their Temples. Two deities managed to survive the assassination attempts,” the BattleBane Guild Master suddenly revealed.

He paused, then slowly shook his head.

”No... rather, I should say their assassination was prevented by a third party, allowing them to escape,” he corrected himself.

”Who?” Alex could not help but ask.

”The new deity—the very one who set this great upheaval into motion,” the BattleBane Guild Master revealed.

”Why would he stop something he himself planned?” Alex pressed.

”Because,” the BattleBane Guild Master said, his voice carrying a chilling weight, ”he wanted their godhood for himself.”

***