Chapter 581 - 565: Shatter the Old World
Chapter 581: Chapter 565: Shatter the Old World
The fanaticism in the square was still boiling. Starving commoners clutched the golden wheat grains mixed with white flour tightly to their chests, as if holding the most precious treasures in the world.
Suspended in mid-air in the form of Gabriel, Allen looked down upon this absurd yet very real tableau. He didn’t give these people, who had just tasted sweetness, much time to catch their breath. He knew perfectly well that if fanaticism wasn’t constantly stoked by continuous stimulation, it would soon ebb away in the trivialities of reality.
Gabriel’s voice once again overpowered the clamor of a hundred thousand people. The square instantly transitioned from a boiling uproar to a dead silence.
"The old filth has been swept away. A new holy land shall rise from the ground right here."
Allen raised the white Golem’s arm, pointing toward the distant Holy Mountain, which had already collapsed into ruins under the orbital cannon’s bombardment.
[Fortress Workshop: Full Deployment]
BOOM!
The earth began to tremble violently. The hundred thousand people in Holy Blood Square turned their heads in terror, looking toward the direction of the Holy Mountain.
The space above the ruins suddenly twisted and tore apart, like a mirror shattered by a tremendous force. Deep blue spatial rifts spread wildly like spider webs. Immediately after, an endless torrent of metal surged out from the void!
Massive metallic structures descended out of nowhere amidst deafening roars. Thick, solid armored walls sprouted from the ground, while giant python-like energy conduits swiftly interlaced throughout the colossal architectural complex. A towering Steel Fortress, brimming with absolute order, now dominated the original site of the Holy Mountain.
Inside the fortress, a gigantic Earth Vein Magic Furnace roared to life. A profound blue radiance shot into the heavens, illuminating the entire sky in a brilliant azure.
In the square, the crowds who had just stood up after receiving their rations felt their legs give way. Once again, the dark, dense mass of people fell to their knees. If the food just now was a blessing from a deity, then this city of steel manifesting out of thin air was a genuine miracle—one that completely shattered their worldview and left them too terrified to even harbor a sliver of doubt.
"God of Steel and Truth..."
Someone was the first to cry out in a trembling voice. Soon, those words converged into a tsunami of faith that swept across the entire Pope’s Kingdom. Within the next few days, it would spread to every corner of the continent.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Allen finally issued his true command. "Occupy the Three Great Kingdoms."
[Command confirmed. The Celestial Net System has locked onto the entire territory of the Three Great Kingdoms. Combat plan established.]
Around the square, the four deep blue Space Gates expanded once more.
Heavy, uniform, and teeth-grating metallic footsteps merged into one continuous rhythm. Tens of thousands of Combat Golems poured onto the main roads leading to the Three Great Kingdoms, marching with an unstoppable stride like a silent, black tide.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the crowd, Allen found the pawn he needed.
"First Violinist, Reyno, pays his respects to you."
Guided by Allen’s will, a weather-beaten middle-aged man with resolute eyes approached the space beneath Gabriel and knelt respectfully on one knee. He bowed his head deeply, not daring to look directly at the "Angel" radiating holiness and majesty in the sky.
Just a few hours ago, he had watched with his own eyes as the "Conductor" returned from the dead, transforming into a twenty-four-meter-tall Divine Envoy who flattened a mountain with a word and slayed a god with a thought. And now, this Divine Envoy had created a Steel Divine Kingdom out of nothing. In Reyno’s heart, there was nothing left but pure awe.
"Rise," Gabriel’s voice boomed with majestic authority. "Is our underground intelligence network still operational?"
Reyno stood up and pulled a parchment booklet stained with dried blood from his coat. Raising it above his head with both hands, he spoke with palpable excitement. "Across the Three Great Kingdoms, we have one hundred and twenty-seven branches. The roster of all hidden agents and contacts is right here. A total of one thousand, three hundred and twenty-one core members await your command at any moment."
"Excellent." Allen didn’t take the booklet. His Celestial Net System had already scanned everyone and established their files. "As of today, the Violinist Alliance is disbanded. The ’Continent Temporary Supervisory Council’ is established, and you are appointed as its Chairman."
Reyno froze on the spot. He snapped his head up, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Dis... disbanded? Continent? Chair... Chairman?"
"You will understand in a few days," Allen said, ignoring his shock. The condescending pressure radiating from him prevented Reyno from asking further questions. "Now, I want you to mobilize all the power of the council to immediately accomplish three tasks.
"First, propagate that the Pseudo-God is dead and the Blood Tax is abolished. Within the borders of the Three Great Kingdoms, no one is allowed to extract blood from commoners under any pretext. Violators will be deemed enemies of the new God.
"Second, coordinate with the God’s legion to disband all of the Holy Order Army, Noble Private Army, King’s Army, and Enemy Armament. Confiscate all weapons.
"Third, assist in auditing all assets, mineral veins, and granaries belonging to the Church Court and the old aristocracy. Register everything and appropriate it all into the Church of Steel and Truth."
"Yes... Yes! Lord Divine Envoy!" Reyno no longer hesitated. He bowed deeply, the fanaticism in his eyes practically overflowing. He knew that an old era had just been completely pulverized by this Divine Envoy, using iron and fire.
The speed at which news traveled could never match the advancing pace of the Golem Legion. Less than twelve hours after the incident in the square, twenty standard Golem Legions split into three routes. Guided by the Celestial Net System, they practically dropped straight into the royal capitals of the Three Great Kingdoms. Allen left the old power structures with absolutely no opportunity to catch their breath or collude.
Alden Kingdom, Royal Mage.
The King was sitting on his throne, listening to the terrifying intelligence brought back by spies regarding the earth-shattering events near the Holy Mountain. Startled, he dropped his golden chalice, which hit the floor with a sharp CLANG.
"The Pope is dead? The Holy Mountain is... gone? What God of Steel... Iron lumps have already entered the city?"
Before he could even issue the order to assemble his private troops, the palace’s heavy doors, crafted from three-hundred-year-old oak, were instantly vaporized by a high-energy beam. Two Peacekeepers stepped over the molten threshold, their electronic eyes scanning the shivering nobles in the grand hall.
"Alden Royal Family, accept the judgment of the God of Steel and Truth. Surrender, or die." The booming synthesized voice echoed clearly through the hall.
Staring at the two pitch-black cannon muzzles, the King’s knees went weak, and he collapsed onto the shredded red carpet.
The exact same scene played out simultaneously in the other two kingdoms. In the face of an absolute generational gap in military might, so-called royal authority was more fragile than a sheet of paper.
However, there were always those who failed to grasp reality.
Count Herman’s Territory.
"What God of Steel and Truth! They’re nothing but a bunch of wicked heretics!" Count Herman drew his ancestral Cross Sword and roared at the three hundred fully armed Heavy Armored Knights assembled behind him. "Glory belongs to the Knights! Charge!"
With a thunderous rumble that shook the earth, the three hundred Heavy Armored Knights launched into action. As the strongest land force of this era, they initiated a suicidal charge toward a small squad of only ten Golems positioned ahead.
SIZZLE!
A rapid succession of subtle sounds marked Energy Weapons piercing through flesh and blood.
Three seconds later, the charging knights and their armored warhorses were reduced to a smoldering field of minced meat and scrap metal. Half of Count Herman’s body hung from a scorched tree trunk nearby. His eyes stared blankly at the sky, as if he couldn’t believe his martial prowess had been so utterly defenseless.
In the distance, commoners hiding inside their houses peeked through the cracks in their windows at this Hellish scene. In their eyes, there was only sheer ecstasy.
"Good riddance... Good riddance!"
A bold blacksmith slammed his door open, gripping a pitchfork tightly in his hands. He shouted at a Golem that was currently scanning the battlefield to confirm the threat was eliminated. "Lord Iron God! The tax collector on the east side of town! He’s hoarding a whole cellar of grain in his house! It’s enough to feed our entire town for a year!"
The Golem’s crimson electronic eyes slowly turned toward him, flashing with red light.
[Intelligence confirmed. Lead the way.]
The blacksmith paused for a moment before an unparalleled burst of joy erupted on his face. He threw away the pitchfork and scrambled eagerly to run ahead and guide it.
Over the next five days, the Three Great Kingdoms experienced their most thorough and efficient reshuffling in three hundred years. There were no complicated political negotiations, nor were there lengthy tugs-of-war. The Golem Legion operated on only one logic: Submit and live; resist and die.
Meanwhile, the remnants of the Black Wizards, who were hiding deep within major churches and attempting to flee amidst the chaos, met with absolute disaster. The high-altitude Demon Eyes of the Celestial Net System observed the Magic Power fluctuations of the entire continent. Not a single Magic Source bearing the signature of a "Blood and Flesh Rune" could escape Jarvis’s lockdown.
At the border of the Eastern Kingdom, a Cardinal who had just packed his valuables and prepared to escape through a secret passage suddenly felt a palpitation in his chest.
In the sky, a "Storm Falcon" drone roared past. A "Final Interpretation Rights" high-explosive bomb plummeted from the heavens, trailing a slender wake.
BOOM!
The church, along with the Cardinal in the tunnel, was instantly vaporized into flying ash.
[Global sweep is 98% complete. Confirmed kills: 412 Black Wizards. Destroyed churches: 273.]
[The major cities of the Three Great Kingdoms have been preliminarily brought under control. The Temporary Supervisory Council has taken over grassroots propaganda and statistical work.]
Allen stood at the top of the Steel Fortress, looking down at the land that was being completely reshaped by his will.
The foundational labor force of this continent had been stabilized. With a population of six hundred and twenty million, as long as they were fed, they would soon explode with astonishing industrial production capacity.
In at most three months, he would be able to establish a comprehensive Magic Stone mining and primary processing system here, continuously channeling the value of this Plane straight into his own pockets.