The war supervisor collapsed unconscious beside the campfire the instant he stepped out of the tent. Cheng Shi and Sun Miao watched the blowhard Beast Tar leave and shook their heads with a chuckle.
In the face of what was arguably the grandest battle of the mid-Civilization Epoch — did individual martial prowess matter?
Obviously yes — if your na was Hong Lin, or Frazor. Then perhaps the entire dynamics of the Land of Hope could genuinely change because of you.
But if you weren't? Even if you were the Grand Marshal, or the true War Chosen hiding among the Torchbearers — sorry, your power would only let you rampage across a localized battlefield. Against the tide of a war waged by entire nations, all you could do was marvel at your own insignificance.
Don't forget: the Grand Tribunal, the Tower of Logic, and even the not-yet-founded Kingdom of War weren't just composed of mortals and soldiers. They were followers under the gaze of gods!
Once war escalated to the level of faith, victory wasn't determined by re mortal combat, but by how much attention the gods paid to it.
Sure, individual prowess was useful against a handful of pivotal but modestly powerful NPCs. But once the at grinder of war started turning...
Had you figured out how to tank indiscriminate teor Fire Rain bombardnts? Or an Elental Tsunami unleashed by an entire nation's worth of Elental Judges?
These forces didn't belong to mortals — they were projections of divine conflict on a certain plane. If your status didn't exceed that plane, then sorry — you were no different from the countless corpses littering this battlefield. Just a question of how much ash you'd leave behind.
So Du Qiyu's promise was a false proposition from the start. He'd rely seized the right mont to intimidate Keinlaur, constructing a mysterious persona to leverage in future negotiations, squeezing the old man until he got what he wanted.
Cheng Shi knew this trick intimately — he did the sa thing. Most Deceit followers did, in fact.
Only their targets usually weren't soone of Keinlaur's stature across the Land of Hope. They preferred ordinary people.
Still, seeing Little Seven pull this stunt, Cheng Shi could guess the reason.
Historical records were probably too unkind to this battle-loving but battle-losing Supre Inquisitor, seeding enough contempt in Little Seven's heart that he couldn't be bothered to waste words on a commander who'd lost the critical battle.
The Du family's young master would indeed be that kind of person.
And yet... could soone who'd risen to Supre Inquisitor in a nation under His gaze really be that incompetent?
Cheng Shi frowned slightly, studying Keinlaur. He felt the old man was hiding sothing. Based on his own experience with the man back in Montelani, this forceful inquisitor would not typically tolerate such blatant desecration of Order in his presence.
Endure when you can — that didn't sound like Order at all.
The tent fell silent again. Keinlaur sat motionless on his judgnt seat. The white-haired elder gazed at the tent's entrance, eyes flickering, seemingly lost in thought.
What he was contemplating — no one knew. But Cheng Shi would know soon enough.
Because Cheng Shi made his move. With no one else present, the two invisible people in the tent had clearly found their window for interrogation.
Though Cheng Shi would have preferred to stay a pure observer in this trial full of surprises, if he had the chance to personally question the person closest to Order on this continent — perhaps he'd learn sothing new about Order's stance toward War.
Rember: this trial was bestowed by Corruption, and the hint explicitly pointed toward followers of Order — because "sin" was a word that Order's believers used most.
So what hidden desires lurked within this white-haired inquisitor?
And when Cheng Shi recalled the Divinity Germination Experint beneath Montelani's Colosseum, and the man's granddaughter — Galusha, that "Folly guide" whom Fate had once arranged — he beca increasingly certain that Keinlaur was far less simple than people assud.
How would the militant Shared Law Faction achieve its vision of universal shared law? The answer might rest entirely on this man — the Grand Tribunal's last Shared Law Supre Inquisitor!
Cheng Shi's lips curled with interest. He glanced at Sun Miao, signaling her to keep watch, then discreetly touched a ring on his finger. This ti, he would personally launch a courtroom interrogation that belonged to Order alone.
But not everything goes to plan. Because just as Cheng Shi was about to shed his Silence disguise and appear before the contemplating Keinlaur — catastrophe struck!
The entire tent simply vanished!
Everything inside was suddenly exposed under the campfire's flickering glow. Firelight played across the startled faces of the three people still inside, writing an indefinite ellipsis over their not-yet-begun courtroom exchange.
"!!!"
Cheng Shi's pupils contracted. He flashed back to Sun Miao's side, then imdiately scanned the surroundings. Every tent in the camp had vanished — leaving behind nothing but countless stunned faces, all looking around just as bewildered as he was.
Then the cry of "Enemy attack!" rang out again — only this ti, far louder than two days ago on the forest convoy.
This was a military camp. A camp guarded by tens of thousands of Iron Law Knights. The instant the anomaly struck, countless patrolling and drilling knights sward into formation.
Armor clashed. Lances rose. Firelight leapt and danced across cold steel, painting every grim face a burning crimson. From a distance, those dark-red visages linked and intertwined like sparks of war on the verge of igniting.
"Civilization rises, Order endures!
All units, hold fast! Iron Law Knights enter punitive stance! War supervisors, conduct unit inspections! Guard force, shield the central tent — protecting Lord Keinlaur takes priority!
Relay to the vanguard: fall back and secure the base of the highlands! Guard against enemy camp raids! Left and right flanks, hold position — beware diversionary tactics!
Notify the Tower of Logic scholars imdiately — we have a situation tonight! They must heighten alert and reinforce the eastern front!
Elental Judges, by my command — illuminate!
Iron Law Knights, by my command — all units advance with leveled spears! Crush any who dare desecrate Order!"
Such orders echoed across every regint's encampnt, the combined roar so thunderous it felt as though battle was imminent.
But was there truly an enemy raiding the camp?
No. The mont the tents vanished, Cheng Shi knew who had arrived — and he knew the "raider" was coming for him.
Oblivion!
Because he could already sll the undisguised aura of Oblivion.
It was Lin Xi!
This Decay follower who'd fused Oblivion had finally caught up, carrying his mission of Oblivion.
Cheng Shi's gaze sharpened. 'The Fun God was right all along. Oblivion's zealous followers really are actively approaching
under the guise of devotion.'
But why hadn't he obliterated everything in the tent — including Cheng Shi — in one stroke?
That sudden attack should have left zero reaction ti!
Was he also invested in the trial and didn't want Keinlaur to vanish along with everything else? Or had the Grand Tribunal's passive defenses activated?
Regardless — since he'd narrowly escaped this disaster, then Lin Xi, your judgnt day was coming.
'You offer such zealous devotion to Oblivion — but aren't you afraid that your other Benefactor, Decay, might have opinions about that?'
'Even if He doesn't — have you asked the proxy wielding Decay's authority? Have you asked ?'
With that thought, Cheng Shi grabbed Sun Miao and charged outward.
The central command area was no place for a fight. Keinlaur couldn't die from collateral player combat, so he needed a different battleground for this reckless challenger.
As for where to fight...
Cheng Shi gazed down at the forested river valley below the highlands and snorted.
"That spot looks perfect. Burying a Decay maggot in a forest of Prosperity — now that's poetic justice."
...
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