To be honest, when Barrian first brought out those two things, I was really surprised, you could say I was shocked: the energy those things emitted was so familiar, the level of it was just as Barrian said, beyond the realm that the world could understand, even reaching the level of a "True God." It’s not that those two things had trendous power; actually, their energy reaction was quite ordinary, but their energy level definitely reached the standard of interfering with worldly truth: they were not products native to this universe, their very existence constantly warped everything around them.
I instantly thought, this might be a Divine Artifact lost from the Star Domain Divine Realm, now falling into Barrian’s hands. If he fully grasped the power of these two Divine Artifacts, then perhaps this old rebel would indeed be hard to deal with: he might have a way to amplify this power, and what we’d be facing could very well turn from a rather strong mortal directly into a knockoff version of a Star Domain God.
However, Lin Xue quickly sent a ssage from outer space; she witnessed sothing interesting, so she asked everyone to hold their horses: hearing the tone of Miss, I knew things were getting interesting, so I led a group to watch from the sidelines, intending to see what spectacle Barrian would make. But you know, no matter how much planning was done, I truly didn’t expect that inside the Sighing Wall, they summoned that misguided sibling pair of gods...
"See that old man?" I pointed to Barrian, "Bash him, beat him to death and it’s on ."
Yelsen was montarily stunned, just noticing the fossil standing behind him, confused about the situation, he scratched his head and said, "Who is this? Did he commit so cri? Hey, how co he has my stuff..."
"That’s Barrian," Lilina said, "You know, we’re just fighting a war with him. Don’t worry, the war is over now, feel free to hit him, it doesn’t count as interfering with internal affairs..."
Upon hearing this, Yelsen’s eyes glead, he exchanged a look with his precious sister, then they both rolled up their sleeves, and what happened next was rather hard to watch. I must say, luckily there was that Sighing Wall, Barrian had no place to run, and got cornered against the wall for a beating. But this old rebel had quite the hard bones, Yelsen and Monina didn’t even use any real power, yet the casual moves from their fingers were beyond what a mortal could endure, and yet Barrian managed to hold on for nearly ten minutes without falling, standing straight—because he was pinned against the Sighing Wall being beaten.
Once the Sighing Wall was shut down from the inside by that silly sibling duo, Lilina cautiously swept up the scattered Barrian with a broom and took him for treatnt—it’s possible it was for resurrection, since I couldn’t actually tell if Barrian was still alive now—I an if his main body was still alive.
"How could it... how could it..." Monts later, Lilina completed the treatnt, Barrian draped in a tattered "Divine Robe," appeared on the brink of collapse, sitting on the ground, repeating those four words over and over. I stepped forward to examine this old rebel, who never showed weakness and always appeared arrogantly confident, now finally lowered his head.
It was simply a farce.
"Being a God requires more than just possessing power," I shook my head, knowing this man probably couldn’t hear it, yet couldn’t help but say, "From the start, you never took the right path, no matter how much power you acquire, it has nothing to do with God."
"From the start... from the start..." Barrian wobbled as he stood up, "No... no! I’m correct! I am the great leader leading the people to freedom! I can’t make mistakes! You bastards destroyed everything! Just one step, just one step, the lowa people could truly achieve Divine Power, we will be eternally immortal, understand, eternally immortal! You’re going to..."
Barrian’s words were abruptly cut off mid-sentence, he froze like a sculpture in place, even the fluttering hem of his clothes stilled, Qianqian looked coldly at this statue, shaking her head disdainfully: "Why waste words with him, you should get to business. Lilina, put him into a half-dead state and send him back to the spaceship, I’m afraid I’d accidentally kill this thing."
Lilina shivered all over, nodded hastily, "Ah—right, Big Sister Qianqian!"
Barrian had a large amount of Life Force extracted, imdiately weakened like a living dead on the brink of death, then got bound with a set of Restraint Chains and personally escorted back to the Mother Ship by Lilina. I finally had a chance to understand the situation with Yelsen and his sister. The siblings, seeing no one paid attention to them earlier, went over to the two stands that Barrian brought out, retrieving their own items first, then curiously studying that odd setup.
"Seems like it’s using external Energy to forcibly impact the Divine Artifact, the Divine Artifact automatically defending, then using another set of apparatus to detect the information flow generated during the artifact’s defense, simulating it," Monina expertly tinkered with the setup, placing her black Divine Canon on the stand, inputting her own power: although clueless about technological apparatus, she could analyze what changes occurred to her artifact during this process, "Perhaps they wanted to counterfeit sothing resembling Divine Power... but they got it all wrong from the start, the power of God isn’t any kind of specific Energy or entity, the ability to directly control worldly laws can’t be simulated by this apparatus, the sole purpose of this thing is... to notify and my brother."
"And you two were summoned this way?" Everything seed dramatically theatrical to , though it did indeed happen, it still felt a bit surreal and astonishing. I an... how could Barrian be so unlucky?
"Pretty much, these two things were lost during our expedition awhile back, they’ve probably been drifting around in the Void for a long ti, then got picked up by this guy nad Barrian... tch, he didn’t even know to take good care of them."
I curiously picked up the black-covered book, feeling its weight, flipping it open to find only the first two pages had content, while the rest were all blank: "What is this thing? Your Bible?"
Monina waved her hand, "No, this is the notebook I used when I was taking the Destruction God qualification exam back then."
"Notebook? Why does it have stuff only on the first two pages, the rest are all blank."
Monina flashed an embarrassed smile, cutely stuck her tongue out: "Otherwise, why did I retake the Destruction God qualification exam seven tis? This is the notes from the first attempt..."
I: "...Then Yelsen, what does your little shield do?"
"Do I look cool wearing this?" Yelsen attached the little shield to his forehead, resembling a Forehead Protector Mirror, I instantly understood the function of this thing: roughly equivalent to those roadside bracelets and pendants costing three yen fifty. Frankly, Yelsen’s crazily handso yet silly face paired with this Forehead Protector, really is...
"Looks stupid as hell." I couldn’t betray my conscience, and could only speak truthfully.
Yelsen casually threw the little shield into his pocket: "My sister said the sa back then, so I threw it away..."
I: "..."
"There’s nothing left to do here, right?" Yelsen glanced around, "Wow, this place is really tackily decorated."
"Uh..." I barely managed to keep a serious expression, "It’s definitely not about you guys. The war here is over now, we have so aftermath to deal with, but you can head back first if you want..."
"Great, I’m leaving then—I’m watching TV, and it’s rare that the Boss isn’t hogging the TV today."
"I’m heading back too, still got two dishes to cook."
The siblings each said sothing before opening the Teleportation Gate and disappearing before everyone. We were left looking at each other: the entire event concluded here, but why did this last little developnt turn out like this...
With various subtle emotions, we returned to the Mother Ship.
Miss was waiting for everyone in the command hall, standing next to her was Sandora, who had just returned as well. As soon as she saw us appear, Miss ran over with a carefree smile: "How do you feel now?"
"What do you think? I’m fried on the outside and tender on the inside," I casually pressed Miss’s head back and went up to Sandora, "Thanks for your hard work this ti. Uh... I guess you’re quite full."
Just thinking of the scene where Sandora, with her gigantic figure of a seven-thousand-kiloter radius, was humming a little tune while devouring the Asteroid Belt, made shiver from the heart. But Sandora, with a bit of resentnt, furrowed her brow: "No way, you know I can’t eat anything in Glory Form, my whole body is just light, everything passes right through . I just went for so ntal comfort, waiting for the cafeteria to finish cooking... I’m still hungry now."
Everyone: "..."
The war, lasting nearly a month and spread across thirteen universes, is finally gradually subsiding. The conflict ultimately ended in a complete defeat for the lowa. Although there were various twists and turns at the end, everything generally proceeded as per our script. The Imperial Fleet suffered a certain degree of losses, including damage to several main units as well—this was unavoidable when going to war with a civilization of lowa’s level—but the losses were entirely acceptable; compared to the major battles against the Fallen Apostle, this war’s damage can be described as negligible, and the fleet is likely to fully recover after a few days of repair upon returning ho.
The Third Fleet has already set out to return to the Imperial District, along with them, a large number of lowa prisoners of war. These prisoners were captured in the later stages of the war from various key military nodes in the lowa Capital Star System. According to the list provided by Tulazo, we captured every single lowa Radical leader above the mid-level. Ordinary rebels may have ended their story by dying on the battlefield, but for these Radical leaders, who controlled everything with one hand and caused various tragedies with the other, death cannot be the end. They are to be sent to the Imperial Military Court to face the most just trial, and many of them will probably be thrown into the Fourth District—it’s likely that usually quiet zone will beco lively because of this, and Lilina is quite pleased about it.
As for the Conservative lowa—although they did earn considerable rit this ti, and their cri level is lesser than the radicals, this does not indicate they are innocent. They too must face trial. However, for now, they are not considered war criminals, so they do not need to be escorted back with the Radical prisoners; they can wait for the second batch, then return to the Imperial District with us.
The Royal Fleet and a few of us cannot leave yet, as there is still a pretty important matter to resolve here:
Among the equipnt stolen by the lowa in the past, there was a prototype communication device ant for the Deep-diving ship. That device was the main reason we embarked on this expedition, and it’s presud to be hidden along with other stolen equipnt on the lowa Mother Star. Now that the Divine Country has been occupied, we’re sending out a large number of personnel to locate that device’s whereabouts.
In addition to seeking out that ancient device, so manpower must also be left to handle the remaining affairs of these worlds. Each fleet division should proceed to the major war zones to confirm the battlefields, assist the local slave races who are in a difficult situation due to war and suppression, and incidentally confirm the major traumas suffered in each region. Because a large number of superweapons were used by both sides in the conflict, the laws in so severely damaged areas are chaotic, mathematical rules are unbalanced, and in severe cases, these even affect the stability of the universe, so an expert team may be needed to repair these worlds.
Every slave race needs help. After Sandora’s influence ended, eighty percent of the slave races were in a dazed state: the brainwashing effect of the lowa people had dissipated, and without the nerve poison’s effects, these slaves were no longer trapped by illusions and fanaticism. Yet, they fell into chaos due to the aftereffects of brainwashing. They didn’t know what to do, having lost clear goals and showing no concern for their lives. They suddenly seed like primitive people sitting in the skyscrapers and modern cities, with no hopes for the future, the most serious only retaining the basic instincts for eating and drinking. Each slave race has its own resistance organization and awakeners. These awakened individuals are trying to help their people to prevent their compatriots from falling into another dangerous slump just after gaining freedom. But, in the resistance organizations, those who were truly never affected by brainwashing are the minority, so we have to take the initiative to lend a hand.
First, help them restart the infrastructure of their cities and restore the normal life of a civilized race while ensuring everyone is alive, researching how to completely eradicate the effects of brainwashing. After all, Sandora can’t just hang in the sky like Pac-Man forever, right? We need to find a thod that addresses both the symptoms and root causes to make the shadow of the lowa people completely disappear from the hearts of these slaves.
Honestly, there are many things I hadn’t thought about at first: many generations of the slave races were born slaves. To them, freedom is a foreign feeling. The freed ones will need long-term guidance to readjust to their identity as free people and to restart their severely distorted civilization process.
On the second day after the war ended, the Imperial Admiral arrived at a place not visited for nearly a month: the planet we first landed on when we ca to this world.
This planet was once unusually peaceful and serene, although primitive and backward. However, it at least possessed clear skies and lands. Nonetheless, after the outbreak of war, it inevitably suffered the ravages of the lowa people. Despite the fact that the lowa people’s bloody suppression was stopped in many places, they caused great casualties in the early stage of suppression. From space, one can see several horrifyingly blackened blotches over the northern hemisphere and near the equator of this native planet; those are the marks of suppression. The natives on the planet, after breaking free from mind control and being stirred up by the resistance organization, refused to serve the lowa people any longer. They paid a huge price to kill a lowa "saint" who happened to land on their planet and began fierce resistance against the disciplinary police sent by Barrian subsequently. Upon realizing that their suppression was utterly ineffective and that the slaves could no longer be subdued, the disciplinary police frantically requested orbital bombardnt — resulting in the blackened areas currently on the planet as the result of the first round of bombardnt. Fortunately, the Imperial Army intervened tily enough to pull this planet back from the brink of destruction, yet still, it suffered heavy losses.
Anu Lili’s village still stands, fortunately undamaged by the bombardnt, although it was perilously close: the village was located in the peripheral zone of the first wave of orbital bombardnt.
A number of large escort ships separated from the Imperial Admiral, landing near the village where we first set foot. Lili, Qianqian, Pandora Sisters, and I ventured back to this place. Lin Xue didn’t co along; she’s still in the Divine Country, for one thing, to personally oversee the retrieval and search efforts of Imperial facilities there, and for another, I heard there’s sothing important she wants to confirm personally: I guess it’s related to her prediction, so I didn’t ask much about it, but we’ll soon find out what’s happening with Miss anyway. Sandora remained on the flagship, rrily enjoying her seventh al of the day.
The great plains remain vibrant and full of life. Lucky enough to be right at the edge of the bombardnt zone, this area preserved its original appearance. But looking far into the distance, at the ends of the horizon, the clouds in the sky are unnaturally distorted— the scorched ground from the orbital bombardnt remains hot, with toxic hot winds ravaging the other side of the horizon, delineated by the rippling clouds in the sky. Although the explosion center of the orbital bombardnt is quite distant from this region, the geological disasters induced by it stretched nearly all the way into the line of sight before finally coming to a reluctant halt. There’s even a faint sharp sll in the air, showing how treacherous this place is.
Just because it’s close to the bombardnt zone, this originally small village has now beco an ergency point for rescuing the injured and bidding farewell to victims. As we enter the village, this once primitive and pastoral village is now a place crowded with the wounded. The unpaved roads and open areas of the village are repurposed, piled with temporary beds and small tents, spreading across several kiloters of the open ground outside the village. Wounded individuals of varying severity fill the vision, most suffering from severe burns and injuries inflicted by fighting the disciplinary police. There might be a few warrior mbers from the resistance organization among these people, but the majority are those previously numb and indifferent slaves. These awakened and resistant individuals, who were once numbly resigned, are now finally free.
This place needs help.
Of course, the people in the village noticed our arrival too—our presence did stir a bit of commotion. Although Imperial spaceships are quite astonishing to these people, they’re not completely unfamiliar with them. They generally know what these ships are. The escort ship landed beside the village, and one can see the formation flying over from the village. So as we walked into the village, we were practically being watched the whole ti—not with those indifferent gazes anymore, but with eyes full of emotions from their hearts. Curiosity, inquiry, fear, gratitude, all kinds of emotions were mixed and cast upon us. I’m not soone who enjoys being the center of attention, but recalling the gazes that once filled this village, I surprisingly feel the current situation isn’t too bad.
Out of so sort of reverence or nervousness, no one ca to greet us along the way, until a familiar girl appeared before us: Anu Lili. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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