Inland North Africa, Adus's capital Adis.
In the afternoon in Adis, thick clouds pressed down, the sky was dark, and under the gloomy sky, there was a sense of oppression. The citizens of Adis curiously looked at the dark sky, wondering how long it had been since they had seen such a sight. Many households had already taken in their clothes and prepared for the rain.
On the grand avenue leading to the Baruk Royal Palace, Mukhtar, wearing a turban wrapped like a crown, a white and yellow robe that shone like the sun, and a thick beard, sat on his magnificent palanquin, being carried towards the palace by several people. Beside the palanquin, several trusted clergymen followed. Out of sight, in the various hidden narrow streets and small woods around the Adus Royal Palace, countless fully armed Revolutionary Army temple warriors were in action. They were rapidly approaching the Adus Royal Palace from all directions, forming a hidden encirclement of the entire palace.
The highest representative of the Savior Descends Faction in Adus was currently heading to the Adus Royal Palace to participate in this third and final round of negotiations. Sitting on the grand palanquin, he stared intently at the distant, towering Baruk Royal Palace. He knew that this prolonged and meaningless negotiation would finally reach a conclusion today.
Mr. Muktar's carriage arrived before the gates of the Baruk Royal Palace. As the grand palanquin landed, he slowly stood up from his luxurious seat, then used his pupils, which had a faint halo around the edges, to scan the surroundings. Instantly, he performed a powerful extraordinary detection of the entire Baruk Royal Palace and the surrounding areas, confirming that his subordinates were in position at the predetermined locations around the palace and that his targets within the palace were present.
'The guard of the otherworld special envoy group, including the otherworld Sister, four Chalk, six Black Earth, and twelve Apprentice, are all present. Shadi's and his personal guards, including himself, one Chalk, four Black Earth, and six Apprentice, plus that strange ancient undead... The configuration is no different from previous negotiations...'
After using Spirituality to directly break through the not-so-thick "Shadow" protection of everyone inside the palace, Mukhtar instantly saw through the detailed information of the Church's special envoy group and Shadi's personal guards within the palace. After confirming that there were no additional reinforcements and no preset traps, he was certain that the two parties on the other side had not yet detected his actions.
Of course, in Mukhtar's understanding, even if the other side detected something and took precautions beforehand, it didn't matter. After all, he and the other side had a difference in rank. No matter how much they prepared, they could not resist him. All resistance was bound to be futile.
After merely performing some simple confirmations, Mukhtar continued walking forward, taking his personal attendants directly into the Baruk Royal Palace, and then proceeding all the way to the large conference hall for negotiations.
The negotiation hall was an independent building within the Baruk Royal Palace. This building with a huge circular dome had only one room, the negotiation hall. Because the space was large and the decoration was luxurious, it had always been used by the Baruk Dynasty for various important meetings, and thus it was also chosen as the location for several negotiations.
With practiced ease, Mukhtar stepped through the main entrance of the hall, and immediately he saw Shadi and Vanya waiting for him.
Unlike in the past, Shadi and Vanya were not sitting quietly behind the large round table waiting for him as before. Instead, they were both standing by the table, accompanied by their personal guards, silently watching Mukhtar's arrival. Although Shadi and Vanya's expressions were as calm as ever, their guards were tense, each of them watching Mukhtar, who had just entered the hall, with vigilance. Among them, Gaspare, who was beside Vanya, was the most wary, and he directly spoke to Mukhtar.
"Mr. Muktar, could you explain what that wide-area detection just now was about?"
Before anyone else could speak, Gaspare directly questioned Mukhtar. Such an unsolicited act of detection was a clear offense in the extraordinary world, and could even be judged as hostile in a sense, as no one wanted to be checked from head to toe without explanation.
Gaspare directly questioned Mukhtar, with a hint of hostility in his questioning. It was clear that Mukhtar's detection just now had made everyone present outside the Savior Sect feel a sense of vigilance towards the newcomer. Listening to Gaspare's questioning, Mukhtar silently scanned the surroundings, then said lightly without any emotion.
"It's nothing... Just a quick look to see if everyone has arrived. After all, today is the final round of negotiations, and I don't want the efforts of the past few days to end up with no beginning and no end because someone is missing."
Mukhtar said casually, his tone showing no ripple. Vanya, on the side, also picked up on his words, responding with a gentle expression.
"Mr. Muktar can still hold hope for the negotiations at this point, which I am extremely grateful for. Yesterday, Mr. Muktar left early, and I thought Captain had given up on the idea of negotiating, and I couldn't help but worry about the future of Adus. I am very grateful that Captain could come again today and talk with us again."
Vanya spoke quite politely. Listening to the words of the white-robed Sister before him, Mukhtar continued to respond in an unperturbed tone.
"Yes... What the future of Adus should be like, and what kind of divine grace should shine upon the land of Adus, all of this should be decided today..."
As he spoke, Mukhtar's gaze became sharp. Just then, Shadi, who was on the side, made a gesture of invitation and interjected.
"Since that is the case, then let the final round of talks begin now. Mr. Muktar, please take a seat, and let's start slowly as before..."
"No need, I am already tired of meaningless wrangling at this table. I plan to use a more practical method to continue our negotiations, so I won't sit. We'll all stand like this, and we'll finish talking about things shortly..."
Mukhtar said so, and then the light in his eyes became even more dangerous. Listening to his words, the atmosphere on the scene became even more tense. Just at this moment, a peal of thunder suddenly sounded in the distant sky, and the rolling thunder highlighted a hint of killing intent in Mukhtar's words. After hearing the words about practical methods, Vanya's guards, led by Gaspare, couldn't help but grip their weapons. Now everyone on the scene knew that the Mukhtar before them had malicious intentions.
"Mr. Muktar, what do you mean by practical methods...?"
Standing aside, Shadi looked at Mukhtar with a serious tone and slowly spoke. Mukhtar did not directly respond to Shadi's words, but instead loudly announced to Vanya's special envoy group.
"Otherworld Sister Vanya, I no longer have the patience to entangle with you over these meaningless topics. On the land of Adus, only the Light of the Lord shall shine, not the three false gods who attempt to usurp the Lord's glory! We will forever defend this with faith and swords, unwavering. The faith that the three fakes use to deceive people shall not exist on the land of Adus for a moment! Anyone on this land who still believes in the heresies of the three fakes will be personally eliminated by me!"
To everyone in the conference hall, Mukhtar declared his final statement in a majestic tone, completely expressing his killing intent to everyone before him. At this moment, the killing intent in the conference hall reached its peak. Gaspare and others drew their weapons one after another, pointing them at Mukhtar in a state of high alert. Conflict seemed imminent.
...
Just as Mukhtar went to the palace conference hall to declare the final ultimatum, within the Priory of Radiance, the remaining clergymen of the Savior Descends Faction were all gathered in the main hall. At this critical moment that would decide the future of the Savior Descends Faction in Adus, the people who remained chose to kneel before the Savior's altar and pray, praying for divine blessing on the holy war that was about to unfold.
"Lord, protect Adus to forever be under your glory..."
"Lord, revive... Please reveal the true forms of the three false gods with your Light..."
"The world has reached another time of crisis... Evil is rampant in your divine name. Please use this Adus as a ** and save the world again..."
In the ancient temple hall, the priests of the Savior Descends Faction knelt neatly, their prayers and scriptures echoing repeatedly in the vast space. Dozens of devout priests prostrated themselves on the ground, worshipping and praying fervently towards an altar that was completely out of character with the rest of the hall.
Above the hall, everyone's face showed obvious fanaticism. They all knew that today would be the official start of the Holy War of Adis, the day when their years of secret faith would be widely promoted in a country. For the Savior Descends Faction across North Africa, this was undoubtedly an extremely important day. They firmly believed that their grand endeavor this time would play a significant role in the resurrection of the Radiant Savior. Prayers and chanting mixed together, echoing between the giant pillars of the temple. The only thing that could occasionally overpower these sounds was the muffled thunder from the sky.
In the ancient temple from seven thousand years ago, devout priests worshipped a deity that did not originally belong to this temple. Each of them focused their attention on the exquisite and magnificent Savior Altar.
This was an altar erected in this temple at the beginning of this epoch. At that time, this Priory of Radiance was a church dedicated to the True Shining Lord. After the Three Saints Faction entered North Africa, it welcomed the altar of the Three Saints. After the Savior Descends Faction and the Revolutionary Army captured Adis, it was occupied by the Savior Sect. All the altars of the Three Saints inside were destroyed, leaving only the Savior's altar, returning the entire church to its appearance from a thousand years ago.
In the eyes of the Savior Descends Faction, what they did in the Priory of Radiance was an act of restoring the original source. They were to offer their most sincere prayers for the great activities of the Savior Descends Faction in the new century, in the church of their god that belonged to them a thousand years ago. The eyes of every priest looking at the Savior Altar were full of fervor, and many of them linked the fate of Adis to the fate of this Priory of Radiance, expressing loud hopes.
"Lord! Please send down your grace, and let all of Adis return to the correct path of faith again, so that Adis, like this Priory of Radiance, will return to your grace after a thousand years!"
"Boom!!"
When the prayers concerning the Priory of Radiance echoed loudly within the temple, in the dark, dense clouds of the sky, a dazzling white light fell directly from between the clouds, bending and striking the ground. It entered through the hole at the top of the temple's ceiling and struck directly in front of everyone.
Immediately, dazzling electric light accompanied by deafening thunder filled the entire temple. The priests in the temple were stimulated by the sound and light and covered their eyes and ears for a while, each with a pained expression on their face.
In an instant, the white light disappeared, and the booming sound gradually faded. The entire temple returned to peace for a while. The priests who had just been praying devoutly in the temple were all shaken and unnerved at this moment, all curled up with nervous and surprised expressions. They never expected that such a lightning bolt would inexplicably strike down in the church where they usually prayed. No one could calm down quickly after experiencing a lightning strike at such close range.
However, greater astonishment was yet to come. When the people in the temple recovered from their shock, they found that the Savior Altar they had been worshipping was now completely gone. In its place was a pile of charred ruins. From the remaining traces of the ruins, the remnants of the altar could be vaguely seen.
Looking at everything in front of them, everyone couldn't help but open their mouths wide, each with an expression of disbelief on their face.
"This... what... what's going on?"
"It's the lightning... the lightning just now..."
"The Lord's altar was actually struck and shattered by lightning..."
The priests of the Savior Sect looked at everything happening before them in surprise. They prayed wholeheartedly, hoping to exchange it for the protection of their god, but what they got was not the grace of the god, but instead this destructive heavenly thunder!
Faced with this sudden phenomenon, everyone subconsciously began to look for a suitable explanation. Some thought it was a coincidence, some thought it was a manifestation of the Save the World, some thought it was the wrath of the Three Saints, and just as everyone was lost in wild thoughts, a female voice came from above.
"This land, this kingdom, this temple... does not belong to any Lord or Save the World..."
Hearing this voice, everyone looked up, and then they saw a figure slowly descending from the sky.
On skin as deep as jade, adorned with numerous exquisite Golden ornaments, a simple white dress wrapped around a graceful figure. Beneath the Golden crown integrated with the headscarf were solemn eyes and a mysterious veil. Thus, the woman, dressed in a rich exotic style, slowly descended from the sky, standing on the ruins of the shattered altar, appearing before the priests of the Savior Descends Faction. The more knowledgeable priests discovered that the items the woman was wearing seemed to be ancient artifacts that could only be excavated from the ancient tombs in North Wu. These were items from the ancient dynasty that had disappeared seven thousand years ago.
"Who are you! Was that lightning your doing?!"
"Being able to summon evil lightning to shatter the Lord's altar, are you perhaps from those otherworld people! Do you know what great blasphemy you have committed?!"
Facing the mysterious woman who suddenly appeared, some of the priests who had recovered pointed forward and shouted loudly, while the woman spoke softly.
"Evil lightning? Heh... On this land, things that were once revered as sacred are now given the title of evil by vulgar people. It is not I who is blasphemous, but you..."
"Shut up! This is the Lord's Church! It's not a place for you to talk nonsense!" A priest on the scene angrily shouted at the woman, but the woman was completely unmoved by the reprimand and continued to speak slowly.
"I have already said, whether it is this temple, this country, this land, they do not belong to any Save the World or any Three Saints... Since seven thousand years ago, there has only been one owner here."
"That... is the god I serve! The ancient enlightenment! The teacher of knowledge! The master of thunder! The great Judge of Heaven! Born from this land, the only ruler under this sky!"
The woman said so. Hearing the woman's words, the priests in the temple were bewildered, but the woman ignored them. Then she spread her arms and spoke loudly like a declaration.
"My name is Isis, the priestess serving the Judge of Heaven! After seven thousand years of slumber, the Judge of Heaven has awakened from His long sleep. We will carry out His will and expel all foreign gods who have occupied this land from the outer seas! This land will return under the wisdom of the Judge of Heaven, and all of this will begin from Adis."
"Followers of the foreign god, return what you have occupied, and leave here! Go back to where you should go, and I will forgive your offense..."
With a feigned imposing aura, dressed in jewelry and clothing stolen from the museum last night and modified, and with a nervous heart, Naifnis spoke frankly. Naturally, her words directly angered the priests in front of her.
"Nonsense... Take her down!" With a command, the surrounding priests charged towards Naifnis, while Naifnis stood silently in place, completely still in the face of the approaching danger.
And at this moment, in the hidden space of the temple, Dorothy, who was in charge of the temple's city defense system, also made a move. With a thought, she summoned several lightning bolts from the thick clouds, striking the priests who were attacking Naifnis.
For a time, white shocking thunder fell like rain from the sky, entering the temple. For a time, deafening sounds shook the entire Adis.
...
I couldn't help but fall asleep while typing...