Chapter 1253: Chapter 1253: New Character Card Ability (Large Chapter for Monthly Votes)
“I was already dead,”
He Ao sat beside him, looking up at the sky overhead, and said calmly, “I just ca back to life again.”
He paused for a mont and said slowly, “My parents gave life, and you pointed out the direction for my future. Now, everything I owed you is repaid.”
Upon hearing this, the Old Gardener fell silent for a rare mont. He sighed hoarsely, “I don’t think sending people to kill you was a wrong decision, but I truly didn’t want to kill you.”
He slightly withdrew his gaze, speaking softly, “You inherited your parents’ traits—intelligence, sharpness, and decisiveness. You know, I had no children, and for a long ti, I saw you as my own.”
He Ao quietly listened to his words, neither responding nor interrupting, remaining silent.
The Old Gardener’s voice carried a hint of reminiscence and sentintality, “Before you defected, I had actually prepared to bring you into the core of the Order Church to take over my position.”
“But in these decades,”
He Ao said calmly, “you never truly allowed to access the real core of the Order Church.”
“Indeed,” the Old Gardener sighed lightly, “I was afraid. Afraid that once you got close to the Order Church, you’d uncover sothing, learn the real truth. You’re that smart, that perceptive.”
He gently dusted off the dirt on his attire. “Sotis, I’ve even considered directly killing you, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I couldn’t find a reason to convince myself. Many tis, I would wake up from a dream, seeing you standing before , questioning .”
Looking at He Ao, he suddenly chuckled quietly, “But when this day truly arrived, I realized I was calr than I thought I’d be.”
“When you decided to send people to execute ,”
He Ao responded calmly, “you had already made your choice. Everything we face now is simply an inevitable consequence, so you feel no anxiety or fear—only the composure of confronting the outco of your decisions.”
He turned his head to look at the Old Gardener. “Criminal psychology—you taught that.”
“If I really had children, they’d probably be as smart as you.”
The Old Gardener rose slowly, brushing off the fallen leaves and dust on his clothes.
“Thirty years ago, you asked , ‘Don’t you want to know the truth of your parents’ disappearance?'”
He Ao gazed at the Old Gardener’s slightly hunched back and softly asked, “Can you tell now, Teacher?”
“Haven’t you already learned everything you wanted to know?”
The Old Gardener’s movents paused slightly, and then he continued brushing off the dust from his clothes. “Concerning your mother, your father, Motoc—all of it—you’ve pieced everything together, haven’t you?”
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Starlight Worshipers file contains a visitation record from thirty-four years ago,”
He Ao spoke calmly, “That record’s access level is higher than mine. The visitation date was July 19th, and I received the news of my mother’s disappearance on July 17th. In other words, he ‘investigated’ the Starlight Worshipers only after my mother disappeared.”
He looked up at the Old Gardener, whose movents had now ceased, and continued, “Your ‘collaboration’ with the Starlight Worshipers began thirty-four years ago, didn’t it?”
Upon hearing He Ao’s words, the Old Gardener remained silent for a mont, apparently surprised that He Ao could deduce this much. Following a brief pause, he hoarsely spoke,
“You’re incredibly smart, child,”
His body stiffened slightly, as though lost in so mory,
“When the news of Stars Pharma’s convoy attack reached Ains, the entire high-level of the Order Church was shocked.
“The Church didn’t know whether those who hijacked the convoy were aware that it carried ‘the Sacrant,’ nor did they know their exact motives.
“And so, the Federal Bureau of Investigation specially assigned to Lin City to investigate this matter.”
While speaking, he had already risen and was once again looking at the flowers around him.
“The purpose of sending you to investigate wasn’t just for that ‘Sacrant’ you ntioned, was it?”
He Ao brought the last bite of chocolate to his lips, gently biting into it, allowing the bitterness within to dissolve in his mouth.
“For the Church, while the ‘Sacrant’ in Lin City was of high quality and large quantity, over the years, the Church has accumulated plenty of sacrantal offerings. This loss wasn’t irreparable.”
The Old Gardener picked up the nearby shears and began trimming the branches. “More important than the ‘Sacrant’ itself was ensuring it remained hidden from the public eye.”
He knocked away the fallen leaves from the branches and continued,
“Uncovering the specifics of this case wasn’t particularly difficult for . Soon, I found traces of the Starlight Worshipers and identified the spy who had infiltrated Lin City’s Order Church—Motoc.
“Motoc wasn’t formally educated, but he was sharp-minded. Although he hadn’t accessed the core of Lin City’s Church, he deduced that the convoy was carrying sothing extrely important.
“The Starlight Worshipers, generation after generation, have thrown themselves at their obsession—to open the starry sky above and glimpse a new ‘sky.’ Under the endless ravings of the Lord of the Starry Sky, most of their minds are not normal.
“Upon receiving intelligence from Motoc, they believed the convoy carried sothing beneficial to their plans and thus made their move. But in essence, they had no idea what the convoy was transporting.
“By then, I had already tracked down Motoc and used the power of Order to shield him from the ravings of the Lord of the Starry Sky, bringing him under my control.”
Snap—
He stretched out the shears and snipped off another branch.
“You sent him back to the nest of the Starlight Worshipers and lured the nearby Church of Chaos to attack the worshipers, eliminating their original leader and severely hampering their forces,”
He Ao took over his narrative, continuing, “Motoc then smoothly beca the new leader of the Starlight Worshipers, leading the group according to your instructions, leaving their original base and becoming your ‘private army.'”
Speaking of this, his voice trembled slightly, lowering as he said, “During all this, you had many opportunities to save my mother and those other kidnapped people.
“You could have staged an attack on the Starlight Worshipers’ hideout—an act, alongside Motoc.
“That way, you could’ve claid to have subdued the Starlight Worshipers in the process and freed the hostages. It would’ve provided an explanation to both the Church and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and you’d have earned credit for the mission.
“anwhile, the remnants of the Starlight Worshipers would conveniently leave their base, sparing you the trouble of covering their tracks and location.
“During all this, you could’ve completely removed yourself from the equation. By simply addressing the Federal Bureau of Investigation or leveraging the power of the Order Church to fake an assault, Motoc and the others could’ve still ‘pretended to die.'”
“Child, you’re absolutely right. This would indeed have been a ‘perfect ending,'” the Old Gardener stopped his movents, looking up at the moonlight above, hoarsely asking, “But, do you rember what I once taught you? When executing a mission, the first thing you must determine is…”
“Determine for whom the mission is executed, understand your boss, your superiors, your affiliated organization, and their standards for evaluating success…”
He Ao followed up his words.
“In that mission, the organization I was responsible for was the Order Church,”
The Old Gardener continued hoarsely, “I said it at the very beginning—what the Order Church’s goal was.”
“To prevent any exposure of the ‘Sacrant.'”
He Ao rose slowly, brushing off the dust on his clothes, his voice turning colder.
“The Order Church doesn’t actually object to cultivating my own forces externally,”
The Old Gardener said calmly, “You’re intelligent, child, and so is your mother. From the docunts she left behind, she beca suspicious of the cargo she was escorting early on.”
“So you had to keep the matter known to as few people as possible. Even when striking the Starlight Worshipers, you had to use the nearby, uninford chaos factions,”
He Ao shifted his gaze, shoving the remaining chocolate into his mouth entirely. He stared at the Old Gardener, his voice flat and emotionless. “So you chose to ‘sacrifice’ my mother and everyone else kidnapped alongside her. You even deliberately ordered Motoc to kill her—to execute every uninford witness beyond your control.”
“Child, I taught you before,”
The Old Gardener put down his shears, turned slowly, and looked at He Ao. He spoke calmly, “Sotis, to maintain the proper functioning of Order, sothing must be sacrificed.”
“Whose Order are you maintaining?”
He Ao stared at him coldly, his gaze icy. “And whose sacrifice is this?”
The Old Gardener gazed at the blood-soaked man before him, falling silent once more.
He raised his head, casting a glance at the surrounding ruins and the towering buildings beyond them, “Sotis I think, if you’d just stayed in Ains and quietly continued as deputy chief of staff, how peaceful things might have been.”
Returning his gaze to He Ao, he slightly raised his hand, dazzling yellow brilliance gathering in his palm, “That Old Geezer shouldn’t have brought you to see the President, shouldn’t have dragged you into these affairs, shouldn’t have let you encounter ‘K.'”
He looked at He Ao, his voice rasping, “Do you think that ‘K’ is anything good? Everyone who left records connected to Them—and apart from Christos—they’re all lying in graves now. You borrowed power from Them; what good ending do you think you’ll have?”
“You’ve aged, Teacher, your mory is failing. We just ntioned it earlier—I’ve long been dead,”
He Ao lifted his hand, letting the yellow-emblem packaging flutter into the nocturnal wind. “On the night you sent the Church of Chaos to kill .”
“Are you truly intent on stopping ?”
The Old Gardener lowered his gaze, asking calmly.
“I have two lives. One is the flesh and beginning given by my parents; the other, the future and growth you offered . That second life—I’ve already returned it to you,”
He Ao gently gripped the ruby-encrusted hilt, slowly drawing the blade—a crimson brilliance like jade erged from the sheath on his back. “Now, I am rely repaying the kindness owed to my parents.”
Suote indeed appreciated the Old Investigator’s guidance, but the debt was already settled.
“I’ve seen your strength,”
The Old Gardener stared at He Ao. “I don’t know where the one behind you managed to find remnants of the War God’s power, but you won’t defeat with it.”
He slowly levitated, hovering in midair. His gaze shifted to the surrounding hazy orange light. “Ellenska’s barrier is troubleso to overco, but bypassing it to execute those hiding inside is simple.”
Returning his gaze to He Ao, he said, “Initially, I didn’t wish to involve myself in these matters—it complicates the cleanup. But now that Dick is dead, and Motoc’s gone too, none of it matters anymore.”
The hazy brilliance enveloped his body as he gazed at He Ao. “If your ‘K’ is so capable, then let’s erase all Their Favored—including Christos, and including you—from this world entirely.
“After tonight, I will travel across the Federation, wiping out every unstable factor, restoring the Federation’s Order, and setting this world back on track.”
“Alright,”
He Ao looked at the Elder hovering midair and spoke calmly, “but you’re still not an Angel yet, are you?”
“Tonight, I will be,”
Upon hearing He Ao, the Elder shook his head. “At my current stage, under the Divine Being’s support, there’s not much difference between and an Angel already.”
He raised his hand, “Let teach you one final lesson—see what the true power of an Angel looks like.”
The dazzling yellow brilliance flowed, gleaming like the texture of gemstones, gathering at his forehead, forming an intricate symbol—the shape seed both a three-dinsional object and a flat plane—the perfect dodecahedron, pulsing as if it were alive.
And in that instant, He Ao leapt, wielding his crimson blade, striking at the Elder suspended in the air. A massive, blood-red figure lood behind him.
Bang—
The blood-red blade clashed against an invisible barrier of brilliance, issuing a sharp and crisp sound. He Ao trembled, the impact hurling him backward, crashing to the ground, rolling together with the three Secret Silver Boxes he had just placed down.
“I have seen,”
At this mont, the Elder hovering midair spread his arms wide and proclaid loudly, “Eternal darkness constructs the cradle; countless stars birth Order.”
Beyond the boundless and towering Firmant, a terrifying gaze pierced through space and ti, descending upon this land.
Twisting and explosive ravings erupted within He Ao’s mind like a bomb, nearly tearing his entire body apart.
This was different from the ‘Divine Inspiration’ he had encountered in his dreams—this ti, it was a true Divine Being focusing Their attention and gaze here.
But such levels of ‘pollution’—he’d grown used to them by now.
Bang bang bang—
And at this mont, amidst sounds resembling bamboo joints exploding, the Elder floating midair visibly grew younger. Wrinkled skin smoothed out, the hunched figure straightened, and his graying hair turned into lustrous golden-brown locks.
Ti seed to press rewind on his body, making him appear even younger than when Suote first t him.
Simultaneously, a violent surge of pollution spread outward from the high-rise underfoot, rushing in all directions.
A soft orange glow shimred around, trying to block this pollution.
However, in re monts, this soft orange light was shredded with countless fissures. He Ao watched the surging, spilling pollution, raising his gaze to the text lingering in his field of view.
[Usurper God]
······
[Blessings of Life]
······
[Dayti City Building]
Bang bang bang—
Next to him, the locked Secret Silver Boxes snapped open one after another, revealing translucent, glowing cubes inside.
Reviews
All reviews (0)