Chapter 1300
Has he forgotten who he is?
Chapter 1300 Has he forgotten who he is?
Since then, the girl kings have embarked on two different paths. The girls of order firmly believe that human desires are not just greed, and human faith is by no means entirely selfish. As long as mortals can understand the relationship between power and responsibility, nothing is irreconcilable. The girls of chaos, on the other hand, believe that changing the world is much simpler than changing people's hearts, and that mortals' emotions will always change with the external environment. As long as the world is changed, all erroneous perceptions can be corrected.
The former approach is to create a brand new religion, with the great goddess who created the world as the object of worship, and to try to cleanse people's hearts of the acquired greed through the teachings of the goddess. The latter approach is more direct and brutal, which is to use force to eliminate all teachings that abuse the power of faith or that the gods seem to have lost control, including orthodox religions, heretical religions, false religions... without exception, none can escape.
Over the long years, countless churches and gods have been destroyed by Carabosse's hand. Many things from the past are unimportant, and the Dark Witch has long forgotten them. But she remembers the names of these enemies clearly, not because they are so venerable, but to constantly remind herself that she must not let her guard down and allow these guys to make a comeback: the evil god Night Hermit of the Hermit Church, the evil god Eternal Darkness Ruler of the Eternal Life Ritual, the evil god Dark Saint of the Black Death Tide, the evil god Sin Devourer of the Order of Innocence, the evil god Beast of the End of Chaos Twilight, the evil god Cosmic Calamity of the Order of the Abyss... She has killed so many that she is somewhat annoyed and tired.
Why are they like insects, impossible to kill no matter how hard you try?
Initially, they targeted only churches inclined towards chaos and evil, as these people's faith was the least pure, and the gods they worshipped were most prone to going out of control and madness. However, later, the god of calamity, Abraham, discovered the phenomenon of consuming extraordinary individuals through similar means to stabilize his own mental state. As a result, the order of the mortal world suddenly became even more chaotic, with even the originally law-abiding orthodox religious sects beginning to engage in corrupt practices and gradually degenerate. The witches' scope of attack thus expanded to all religions, leading to a complete break with the Orderly Royal Authority, which strongly advocated resolving the matter through peaceful means. A battle ensued, the outcome of which needs no further explanation.
However, the Chaos Witches won the battle, but not completely. They discovered that their indecisive elder sister, while perhaps not outstanding in strength, possessed a far superior understanding of human nature. She once said, "Pure violence can destroy evil, but it can never destroy the soil that breeds evil."
Carabosse refused to believe it and desperately tried to prove her wrong, perhaps the only time in her life she ever tried to prove her wrong. Before, even when she decided to entrust the power of the throne to that man, Carabosse only felt it was inappropriate, not wrong.
However, despite employing every means at their disposal—utilizing the power of witches and philosophers, leveraging the technology and systems of another world, and utilizing the shifts between magic and sorcery—the Witch Society could only barely maintain a stable religious environment in the Western Continent. To prevent the corrupting power of faith from further eroding their souls, they were even forced to emulate the Order Girls by creating a united cult. This cult, comprised of seven fictional gods and their doctrines, guided the faith of its followers. Ultimately, this faith flowed into Tentis's body, where she absorbed and absorbed it, preventing the creation of a second imagined machine god, Alexander.
As the leader of the Witch Society, Tentis rarely takes action, and this is one of the reasons why. The power of faith absorbed from countless religious relics and artifacts throughout history, as well as the power of faith offered by billions of people in the Western Continent to the Seven Great Gods… if this immense power were released, it would be enough to cleanse the soul of any witch, reshaping her into a puppet of faith. Only the real-world royal power can remain unaffected, because she fundamentally rejects and denies that power. However, she also has no way to completely destroy it, so she can only seal it within her own body.
It can be said that the reason the Chaos Witches were able to move freely in the Western Continent was entirely due to the support of Tentis, who shielded them from the erosion of faith power. Even the Order Maidens were in a similar situation in a sense. In the past, the Western Continent was home to many cults and false religions that adhered to the Way of Order. These were all defeated by the united forces of the Order, their holy sites destroyed, their followers imprisoned, and the sacred objects and relics passed down through generations, carrying the faith power of countless believers, fell into the hands of the Order and were absorbed by Tentis. Otherwise, these relics should have flowed to the seven Order Kings. Once they reincarnated, they would have been swept away by this faith power, like finding an anchor point on a vast ocean. Their memories and power would recover more quickly, but their souls and selves would also be lost even faster.
But is this ultimately good or bad? Was it a deliberate act by Tentis, or an unintentional result of implementing the Demon Extermination Plan? Carapos didn't know, nor did she want to delve into it. Whether the witch reunited with her former sisters in a sorrowful reunion or a cold battle, she never mentioned this matter. A tacit understanding between them allowed this struggle—a struggle devoid of right or wrong, but solely based on their positions—to continue.
The situation is completely different in the Eastern Continent.
As the birthplace of religion, the situation on the Eastern Continent is far more complex. Collective faith is deeply ingrained, and the Witch Society has waged numerous wars spanning over three thousand years, yet has never been able to completely eradicate the gods entrenched on this land. Therefore, whether a girl of order or a witch of chaos, the moment they set foot on the Eastern Continent, they are subjected to the cleansing power of faith, their souls and humanity eroded. For Karapos, the pain she just experienced was fleeting, but it was by no means the first time; rather, it was the umpteenth time she had ever been outside the Eastern Continent.
It's like that feeling.
Like countless tiny, barbed, cold tentacles, they tried to burrow into her mind, stir her will, smooth out the rough edges of "Carabosse," and paint it with the colors of millions of frenzied prayers from this land. The one being swept away could only grit her teeth and use all her will and faith to resist, barely maintaining her sanity, but at the cost of waves of burning pain and dizziness from the depths of her soul.
Ironically, this is a bad thing for the Chaos Witches, but not necessarily a bad thing for the Order Girls. Because so few still believe in them—so few that only the mysterious paradise of Assyria, among the spirits and otherworldly groups, still holds tales of the Creator Goddess's cult and the seven saints. That trickle of faith, though not yet enough to corrupt their souls, serves as an anchor, helping them fight the curse and regain their past memories.
The dominant theme of the Eastern Continent is chaos and disorder, so the Chaos Kingdom will inevitably suffer a stronger backlash. The Witches' Society clearly values this colonial war so much, so why has it only allowed the Witch of Conflict, Fafrena, to guard the seas for centuries, instead of easily setting foot on land and attacking other nations? The reason lies here: of all the witches, besides Tentis, only Fafrena, wielding the Crimson Sword, is in her intact state and can somewhat resist the erosion of faith's power.
But let's not forget that back in the Heavenly Sanctuary, Fafrena's capacity to withstand the power of faith was the weakest, and she was the first among her sisters to experience nightmares and nearly collapse. Moreover, what was her kingship? Conflict. So, what is the current state of the Eastern Continent? War raging, chaos reigning. The more mired in war, the more people crave the favor of the God of War, and the more fanatical their faith in Him becomes. Although Fafrena is not the God of War, and the essence of conflict is resistance rather than war, the world's ignorance, or rather greed, leads them to distort doctrine based on their own needs, ultimately turning against the gods.
Therefore, Fafrona, wielding the crimson sword, could only gaze upon this sinful continent from afar aboard the Nidhogg, not daring to let anyone know the truth. Once she learned that the twisted and blasphemous power of faith could actually become her shield, preventing that terrible witch of strife from setting foot on land, given the madness of the gods of the Eastern Continent, they would likely only do even more insane things. Vainos, Abraham, and especially Solomon… their intuition should not be underestimated, and it's unthinkable that they would hesitate.
Without waging war, the plan could not be implemented; waging war meant certain erosion by the power of faith. Caraboss knew that when Fafrona volunteered to become the main person in charge of this war, her resolve was no less than his own at this moment. And now, having dared to disregard the erosion of the power of faith and set foot on this chaotic land, he was already prepared to stay here.
Before this, no one could stop me. Not even the invincible Grand Knight, let alone those lurking, scheming little insects.
Caraboss looked up into the distance, a contemptuous sneer gradually forming on his lips.
That creature probably thought it was hiding well, having followed her ever since entering the Gray Hills, unaware that the putrid stench emanating from within was so strong that even a fish swimming in the Ansers River couldn't escape it. But self-deception is a common tactic of these evil gods and false gods. How long would it follow her? Caraboss didn't care; she knew that the creature's purpose in following her was to devour her soul, repair its damage, and perhaps even ascend to a higher realm.
But the soul of the young queen is not a tonic for mortals, but poison.
Long ago, in ancient times, the human gods, led by the madman Abraham, had similar thoughts. They had all ascended to the first rank of godhood, yet they could not see the path ahead, causing them great anxiety. Abraham suddenly had a whimsical idea: since humanity's extraordinary power was derived from the power of royalty, was its upper limit already fixed by royalty? Only by devouring royalty could one advance further, or even... replace it.
But neither the gods of ancient times nor the one following behind them today know the true extent of royal power. It is the embodiment of the world's laws; anyone who attempts to seize it will be assimilated by those laws and ultimately become a part of them. The reason the power of young female monarchs remains unaffected is because they are protected by a higher power—the power of goddesses.
Aside from the Goddess of Creation, no one could have given human emotions to the selfless laws, even though it may not seem like a good thing that the laws possess emotions now.
Let it continue to follow, like a reptile, wriggling in the shadows, lurking greedily.
I need to get going, I don't have time to deal with this kind of guy.
If it dared to step forward and challenge her, the Dark Witch would be astonished by its madness and admire its courage. Unfortunately, as far as she knew, the evil gods and false gods of this continent lacked similar qualities. They had neither the courage to delve into the mists nor the resolve to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs; their spiritual stature contrasted sharply with the power they wielded. Therefore, you would find that at any moment, on any battlefield, those who fearlessly stood up to resist the invaders were always those below the demigod level, mortals whom they regarded as ants and firewood.
Not only are those born with divine abilities assimilated, but even those who come to this continent later in life are assimilated; Solomon is a prime example. As the colonial wars have progressed to this point, except for the initial few years, the Axis forces have never spotted this "father of modern magic" on the battlefield.
Both are tragic.
Karapos coldly withdrew his gaze, calmed himself down, and waited for the effects of the erosion by the power of faith to gradually subside before slowly taking off and flying back towards the defenses of Suarez, the city of Gray Hill.
The night deepened, and the wind howled hollowly across the gray hills. The murky waters of the Ansès River gleamed with an oily, lifeless light under the moonlight. Long after Caraboss's departure, a massive object, resembling both silt and thick fog, silently crawled out of the night. A foul-smelling, black abscess almost completely covered the river's surface, making one want to vomit. Its enormous, amorphous body slowly crept across the riverbank, instantly scorching and decaying the withered meadows in its wake, leaving viscous, shiny traces of corrosion on the rocks. It had no fixed form; sometimes it resembled a churning mass of thick oil, sometimes its edges radiating a foul-smelling miasma, the outlines of twisted, broken limbs or organs vaguely visible at its core, only to be swiftly swallowed by the churning silt.
A pair of empty eye sockets stared blankly into the surrounding darkness, and a muffled murmur came from within: "Food..."
"Food...where...find...eat it..."
Amidst a chilling rustling sound, the massive, terrifying, and repulsive mud-like mass gradually receded into the distance and disappeared from sight. If anyone had seen it both before and after this time, they would have noticed that its sound was not only much weaker but also much more monotonous.
It's like... they've forgotten who they are.
Give me some cats