Chapter 580 - 564: God of Steel and Truth
Chapter 580: Chapter 564: God of Steel and Truth
Inside Gabriel’s cockpit, Allen’s consciousness calmly observed the final message relayed by Thanatos.
[Warning: Target’s soul has self-shattered and vanished. Capture failed.]
This was Thanatos’s first failure.
A Morning Star remnant who had merely touched upon a single Law—and whose spine had been broken by the Floating City a century ago—actually had the audacity to shatter his own soul and escape the moment it was seized. Witchcraft? Or had he prepared a Soul Splitting Container in advance?
Allen’s mind whirred with calm precision. Whichever it was, it proved that these Black Wizards, who had survived in the darkest corners of the world, truly had some tricks up their sleeves. However, that was all they amounted to.
In truth, Allen had never taken this so-called "Blood Sea Monarch" seriously. When Thanatos and Gabriel made their move, he had dedicated the vast majority of his computing power to guarding against another Morning Star—Kesuga’s accomplice, Sara. If she had been on this continent, she would have taken action the moment the Holy Mountain was leveled by a single shot from the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine. Since she hadn’t moved, she clearly wasn’t here.
Allen reeled in his thoughts. From beginning to end, the remnants of the Crimson Hand were never a match for him. To obliterate two Morning Stars who each possessed only a single Law, the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine and his two Level 4 Golems were more than enough. But cannonballs could not feed six hundred and twenty million mouths, let alone win over six hundred and twenty million hearts. His true objective was to make these six hundred and twenty million mortals witness the death of their god with their own eyes—and to see exactly who had killed it.
Allen scoffed at the Wizarding World’s prevailing logic of draining the pond to catch the fish through "Plane extraction." Destructive exploitation could only squeeze a Plane for a few decades at most. On the other hand, a completely subjugated vassal civilization with an established industrial system could provide for him steadily for thousands of years. This was the only sustainable long-term strategy.
At this moment, in the plaza, nearly a hundred thousand survivors knelt in pools of thick, sticky blood. Their Pseudo-God had collapsed, leaving a vacuum of faith intertwined with fear and bewilderment. This was their most vulnerable state—and their most malleable moment.
Hovering in mid-air, the white Angel once again unfurled the eight translucent, golden wings of light on its back. Holy radiance cascaded down like liquid silver, instantly enveloping the blood-soaked plaza. Wherever the light passed, the pungent stench of blood seemed to fade away.
The "Conductor’s" voice echoed across the world once more. This time, however, the impassioned incitement was gone, replaced by a solemnity and compassion that seemed to stem from antiquity.
"The Pseudo-God is dead."
These five words caused a slight stir among the deathly silent crowd below.
"But the world cannot be without a god."
At these words, countless people among the kneeling crowd raised their heads, their eyes filled with confusion. The surviving "Violinists" in particular exchanged bewildered glances. They had just chanted "There are no gods in this world" under the Conductor’s leadership. Was this resurrected leader, now incarnated as an Angel, really about to... crown a new god?
Ignoring their astonishment, Gabriel’s voice continued to ring out.
"What you pray to should not be a monster that sits high above the clouds and leeches your blood. What you truly need is a true god! One who can clothe you, feed you, shelter you with arms of steel, and guide you toward prosperity with absolute order and truth!"
Every word from Gabriel acted like a precision-cut key, unlocking the hearts of the hundred thousand people who had just endured sheer despair and betrayal. Food, warmth, shelter. These were luxuries they hadn’t dared to dream of for centuries.
Spreading its arms in a declarative posture, Gabriel introduced the entire world to the new product Allen had just improvised.
"The one I serve is exactly this kind of existence.
"He is the God of Steel and Truth!
"His kingdom does not lie in an ethereal afterlife, but right beneath your feet, on this very earth that is about to be reshaped!
"He does not demand your blood and souls, only your honest labor!
"His Oracle bears only a single decree—"
Gabriel’s voice abruptly peaked, transforming into thunder that exploded in everyone’s ears.
"—Annihilate every class that exploits you! Ensure that every single person has enough to eat, every single day!"
BOOM!
This proclamation was even more world-shattering than the apocalyptic Divine Punishment from moments ago. A ragged, heavily wrinkled old woman shakily raised her head, incredible light bursting from her clouded eyes.
"God... God wants us to... have enough to eat?"
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it acted like a single spark that instantly ignited a field of dry grass.
"Annihilate the nobility?"
"Even the King... will be annihilated too?"
"Can we... can we really have enough to eat?"
The whispers converged into a massive tidal wave of sound. The fear and awe in the people’s eyes were rapidly replaced by something more primal and far more fanatic—hope!
Allen knew that words without actions were hollow.
"God loves all mortals, and empty promises are the greatest blasphemy.
"Today, I shall act as the proxy for Divine Punishment, as well as Divine Grace!
"Let everyone present bear witness: to the King of the Alden Kingdom, Count Herman, and all the Hereditary Nobility of the remaining two great kingdoms, God grants you seven days to come to this plaza and await the judgment of the God of Steel and Truth!
"After seven days, God’s legion will trample all who refuse to submit!"
Before the echoes of its voice faded, four massive spatial ripples materialized out of thin air behind Gabriel. Deep blue Space Gates blasted open in the north, south, east, and west corners of the plaza, looking like four gigantic eyes staring down at the mortal realm. Immediately after, heavy, synchronized, and teeth-grinding metallic footsteps echoed from within.
Squad after squad of Golems marched out of the Space Gates in a single file with unstoppable strides. They were entirely pitch-black with cold, hard outlines. They were completely silent, without a single superfluous movement. Tens of thousands of Combat Golems, forming twenty Golem Legions, assembled in just a few minutes, barricading the entire plaza so tightly that not a drop of water could leak through.
That cold, unyielding oppressive aura instantly silenced the crowd that had just begun to stir, freezing them in mute terror.
However, these steel Demon Gods did not have the crowd as their first target.
The leading Peacekeeper raised its arm, aiming at a specific building inside the massive, magnificent cathedral of the Church Court not far away.
BOOM!
A high-energy beam fired, blasting right through the thick stone doors and the adjacent wall, leaving a massive crater ten meters in diameter. Golden grains of wheat mixed with pristine white flour cascaded out of the gaping hole like a waterfall!
A granary! This was the granary the Church Court had hoarded by extorting mortals, used only to dish out occasional charity to buy their loyalty!
The Golem Legions silently parted, opening a clear path that led straight to the flowing mountain of food.
"An Oracle," Gabriel’s voice rang out once more like a final verdict. "All who hunger may take and eat."
For three seconds, the plaza returned to dead silence.
A frail boy, unable to bear the gnawing hunger in his belly any longer, became the first to dart out of the crowd. He stumbled toward the golden pile of wheat, grabbed a handful, and stuffed it into his tattered pockets. Then, he grabbed the flour next to it and desperately shoved it into his mouth.
Where one led, others followed. The crowd went mad. Crying and roaring, they rushed toward the granary that symbolized their hope for survival.
They shoved and pushed one another, yet instinctively gave wide berths to the silent steel Demon Gods. Meanwhile, the steel Demon Gods simply stood quietly on both sides of the granary, maintaining an absolute deterrent force and keeping basic order as they watched it all with cold indifference.
The one-eyed burly man stood rooted to the spot, watching this surreal scene unfold. CLANG! The battle axe slipped from his grasp, splashing into the pool of blood at his feet and kicking up a small crimson blossom.
Beside him, the Minstrel’s lips trembled. The once firm resolve and lofty ideals in his eyes crumbled inch by inch, ultimately leaving only a quiet mutter.
"He... He really... gave us..."
He gave them food. For thousands of years, the needs of the lowest rung of society had always been this simple, yet they had never been met.
As Gabriel floated quietly in the sky, Allen’s consciousness looked down upon this tapestry woven from blood, fanaticism, and hope, an imperceptible curve gracing his lips.
The first cornerstone of his new world had been laid.