Guild Wars

Chapter 1277: Pantheon Debate

Of course, Luther knew exactly what he was saying, and so did the others. The angels had been present in Supreme City for so long that many had forgotten that they were created directly by Origin Gods and instead saw them as their 'servants' just because they were tasked with the security of the city.

After all, the angels were not the only non-True God species within Supreme City, so why were they often targeted? This was the problem and terror of perception, emphasized by the history of slavery in reality.

In generation 1, the buyer understands the difference between the seller and the product, distinguishing that one was superior to the other.

In generation 2, his son or daughter has grown up seeing the product but knows about the seller from the buyer in generation 1, so their ability to distinguish exists but is limited to hearsay.

In generation 3, the progeny of generation 2 has only ever seen the product and never the seller, with generation 2 not deigning to explain due to their own prejudice. As such, generation 3 fully believes there is no difference between the product and the seller—they are all the product.

That's when the capturing by the seashore begins to occur.

The same thing was happening to the angel race, but Gabriel was unable to comprehend this. Rather than seeing it, she still viewed it as their duty to uphold the justice and fairness of Supreme City, even against such opposition, sticking to the rules.

Otherwise, despite her endless fury at seeing her own little sisters defiled, would the offending True Gods still be alive? She punished them according to the laws of the Supreme Pantheon, something she pointed out the next moment.

"I am willing to invoke an Impartial Arbitration to judge whether my handling of those criminals was against the laws of the Supreme Pantheon!" she stated with a sneer, causing Luther's smug expression to falter once more.

"Humph! Such laws are redundant and should be amended following the changes of the times! How can we be governed by ideals that existed in a peaceful era when we are so close to extinction?" Poseidon, who had been seated by the side silently this whole while, could not hold back any longer and spoke coldly.

Luther smiled and corroborated with his newfound ally. "Precisely so! I move to vote that we review the laws of the Supreme Pantheon and amend all those that do not fit the trend of this new era!"

Gabriel's cold expression became grim, and she laughed without a hint of mirth. "So that's your plan? To change the laws to allow you to rape and defile any creature you come across without punishment? Good try!"

Hearing her foul accusation, both Poseidon and Luther changed expression and glared at the woman with venom. They didn't care about such things, and they didn't need to, because there were hundreds of females willing to lay in their lap at any given time.

They were just using this as a pretext to suppress Gabriel's power, which was starting to rise more and more with the increase in deaths of True Gods on the battlefield, thereby weakening their own factions.

This was just common political posturing and maneuvering, so why was she reaching for the throat so easily? Was that how things were done at this level?!

Of course, they didn't understand how tough it was for Gabriel to suppress her fury and not use her power to torture those offending True Gods to death. Luther and Poseidon did not care about the suffering of the angels, so they would never understand why Gabriel was so obstinate.

Not to mention… she was also starving spiritually and emotionally, craving a certain person day and night but not knowing where they had gone or whether they would come back—for over ten years! Ten years!

In the beginning, it was easy to make excuses, but as time went on, there was defiance in accepting that she had been left behind. Then there was anger at being abandoned, sadness for the loneliness she felt, and finally despair at the thought of him never coming back.

Now, she was in between despair and acceptance, the last embers of her desire manifesting in her perpetual intensity and emotional instability. This too hindered her judgment, which went to show exactly how herculean it had been for Gabriel to follow the rules.

Now these two wanted to amend those rules, and regardless of the reason, Gabriel would rather die than let them succeed.

"Even if you want to change the law, you have to win a vote where the agreement of the Punishment Hall Elder and the Administration Elder are both required. How do you think you are going to achieve that?" Gabriel said with a mocking tone, her nose in the air.

Luther and Poseidon's eyes became cold, because it was this exact look and behavior from this woman that they hated so much, yet it also drove them crazy with the desire to press her down and make her beg for forgiveness.

"There is… another way."

Suddenly, the aged voice of Ulido spoke slowly, piercing the room with its vicissitudes. The faces of everyone changed—Luther and Poseidon showing pleasant surprise, and Gabriel showing grim confusion, as if wondering why this fellow of all people would speak at this time.

"There are various methods to legally change any law in our pantheon, but only three to review all the laws to be updated for any future era. The first is as Lady Gabriel stated, requiring the votes of the Administration Elder and the Punishment Hall Elder, as well as 30% of the seated True Gods in the council."

Ulido pointed to himself and then Gabriel. "As the Administration Elder, I see no problem with the laws that exist. They have existed since before I was born and will exist even after I die. So this method is an impossible path."

Gabriel seemed to relax significantly after hearing this, while the faces of Luther and Poseidon became gloomy. This old man was directly stating that he was against their movement, so why did he speak at this time? Just to make them seem stupid?

"But even though I personally disagree, this Pantheon is not run by myself alone. If the council truly feels it is time for change, I will not interfere, so it is my duty to provide knowledge of the other two methods that do have some chance of success," Ulido continued surprisingly, his voice calm.

Gabriel's happiness disappeared, and the anger of the two fellows changed into sunny smiles, like grandsons waiting for their grandpa to tell them a fascinating war story. Ulido paid no attention to the reaction of others and continued slowly.

"The second method is to have an Impartial Arbitration versus the entire Council, debating truly whether the need for change is necessary. This is a fairer option in case the Punishment Hall Elder and Administration Elder cannot come to an agreement on the first method."

"If the parties seeking change truly have an objectively passable argument, it is not difficult to win the case, but I don't think that has a high chance of success in this situation," Ulido stated while giving Luther and Poseidon a knowing look.

The two only smiled slightly, not at all fazed. They knew their intention to change the laws was not based in any form of logic, but was simply political posturing. What was important was applying pressure on Gabriel and making her concede rather than actually changing anything.

For example, if they changed the law to make the punishment for rape disappear, do you think only the angels would suffer? Poseidon and Luther, these bigwigs, had their own wives, concubines, daughters, granddaughters, etc.

As Ulido rightly said, the laws were created before they were born and would likely exist after they died, because they protected the core interests and morals of the Supreme Pantheon, and everyone was largely satisfied with them.

"And what is the last method?" Justicar, one of the final members of the Supreme Law Rank of Gods in the council, asked as he tapped the table with a look of calmness.

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"It is simply a Semi-Origin Lord using their token to enforce the change," Ulido stated simply, but the faces of everyone in the room changed.

Semi-Origin Gods... In the past, the Supreme Pantheon's council only consisted of Semi-Origin Gods, but later complaints allowed those from the True Law rank upwards to become part of it, with the Semi-Origin Gods becoming akin to Supreme Elders.

There were more than a hundred of them in those days, but their numbers had dwindled to nothing more than a mere handful after the old war. In the tens of thousands of years since then, they had either passed away at the end of their lifespan, succumbed to relapsed injuries from the fighting, or given their lives to carve out this vast territory for the Supreme Pantheon against the Grey Rot.

Now, there was basically only one left—the enigmatic Kilobar. The fellow was the strongest in their pantheon and held the highest nominal rank, but he acted more like a butler or head clerk of the pantheon, often spending his time in the Core Plane with the Origin Gods, acting as their spokesperson.

He rarely interfered in council decisions or meetings, and the last time Draco had encountered him was by coincidence. On a day like today, the fellow was nowhere to be found, so the condition Ulido mentioned might as well not exist!

The faces of Luther and Poseidon darkened, while Gabriel laughed wantonly. However, her laughter was cut short by Justicar, who stood up and glared at her coldly.

"I advise the Punishment Hall Elder to reconsider her stance on the laws of the Pantheon. Some laws need to be changed—especially the one regarding conscription for the defense of the city. Too many fellows are hiding in the city without offering any valid reason, trying to avoid the fight."

Gabriel's face, initially cold, softened as she agreed with Justicar. She was always on the frontline, which was how she had even met Draco, so her relationship with Justicar, the Military Elder, was strong. For this cause, she could agree.

Meanwhile, Poseidon and Luther's expressions changed drastically as they stood, glaring at Justicar with bloodshot eyes full of hatred. After all, they were the ones he was referring to, since it was extremely difficult for him to forcibly conscript them into battle.

However, how dare he expect them to risk their lives against that monstrous entity that knew no fear, never slept, and never tired? Gabriel was one thing—her Law of Holy Light had powerful offensive capabilities against the Grey Rot and could also heal her in case she became tainted.

As for them, they didn't have such luxuries!

One mistake, and a Supreme Law True God could fall!

Even Semi-Origin Gods had perished—were they any better?

This was no different from asking them to sacrifice their lives, and in doing so, risk the destruction of their clans, which would likely be swallowed up if they perished.

Even Ulido felt unsettled. As the Administration Elder, he usually remained behind the scenes. While Justicar was clearly not targeting him and would never call him to the battlefield—that would be foolish—the change in law could still open the door for him to be dragged into the conflict.

The tension in the room reached its peak, with Luther and Poseidon seemingly ready to strike down Justicar, while Gabriel stood poised to back him up at any moment. Ulido, meanwhile, hesitated in the center.

Suddenly, the door swung open, drawing all eyes in the council room toward it. A figure no one expected walked in, hands folded behind his back, a casual smile of superiority playing on his face.