Inland of North Ufiga, in Addus’s capital city of Yadith. It was afternoon, and dense clouds pressed down on Yadith. The sky was dark and dreary, filling the streets with a sense of oppression. Curious citizens looked up, wondering how long it had been since they’d seen such a scene. Many households pulled in their laundry in anticipation of possible rain. Along the boulevard leading to Baruch’s royal palace, Muhtar—head wrapped in a turban arranged like a coronet, wearing a white-and-gold flowing robe, his face adorned with a thick beard—rode in a grand palanquin borne by several people. Flanking him were a few trusted sect clerics. Out of sight, hidden in the narrow backstreets and small groves around the palace, countless fully armed warriors from the revolutionary army were on the move. Approaching from every direction, they quietly converged on the palace, encircling it from the shadows. Muhtar was the highest representative of the Savior’s Advent Sect in Addus. He now headed to the royal palace for the third and final round of talks. Sitting in the palanquin, he fixed his gaze on the lofty Baruch palace in the distance. He knew that this protracted, futile negotiation would at last reach some conclusion today. When Muhtar’s palanquin arrived outside the palace gates, it was set down, and he stepped out of his luxurious seat. With pupils rimmed by a faint glow, he scanned the area, performing a powerful mystical detection of the entire Baruch palace and surrounding district, confirming that his forces were in position at predetermined spots around the palace, and that his targets were all present inside. “The heretic delegation’s guard force, including that heretic nun—four White Ash, six Black Earth, and twelve Apprentice, all in place. Shadi and his personal escort, including himself, count two White Ash, four Black Earth, six Apprentice, plus that strange ancient undead… The setup’s the same as in previous talks…” Spending the necessary spirituality to break through the delegation’s not-very-thick Shadow defenses, Muhtar gleaned detailed intel on both the Church envoys and Shadi’s guard in the palace. Satisfied there were no extra reinforcements and no hidden traps, he concluded the two sides had yet to realize his intentions. Of course, Muhtar reasoned that even if they had some inkling, it wouldn’t matter. Thanks to the gulf in power, no amount of defensive preparation could stop him—any resistance would be in vain. After that quick verification, Muhtar proceeded onward, his attendants following him into Baruk’s royal palace, and from there directly into the grand negotiation hall. This hall sat in a separate building within the palace complex. A large domed structure with a single vast chamber, lavishly decorated, it had long been used by the Baruch monarchy for significant meetings, making it the natural site for these negotiations as well. Familiar with his surroundings, Muhtar stepped through the hall’s entrance. Immediately, he saw Shadi, Vania, and the others, all waiting for him. Unlike before, Shadi and Vania were not seated behind the wide round table quietly awaiting his arrival. Instead, they stood at the table’s edge with their escorts, silently watching Muhtar enter. Though Shadi and Vania’s expressions seemed calm as ever, their guards were visibly tense and on alert at Muhtar’s approach. Among them, Vania’s guard Gaspard was most wary, addressing Muhtar directly. “Lord Muhtar, can you explain the large-area scan you just performed?” Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Gaspard posed this question. In the mysticism world, forcibly scanning someone without warning is considered a serious affront—arguably a hostile act—since nobody wants to be probed head to toe against their will. With a touch of hostility in his tone, Gaspard demanded an answer. Those outside the Savior’s Advent Sect sensed Muhtar was not approaching with friendly intentions. Hearing Gaspard’s challenge, Muhtar swept his gaze around and responded in a flat, emotionless voice. “It’s nothing… I just wanted to check who was present. Since this is the last round of talks, I wouldn’t want all these days of effort to end in no result due to someone’s absence.” He spoke casually, betraying no emotion, and Vania—standing nearby—took up his words with a gentle expression. “I’m grateful, Lord Muhtar, that you still hold hope in these talks. Yesterday, you left early, and I feared you’d given up on negotiating altogether, which would have been dire for Addus’s future. I’m relieved to see you here again today.” Speaking politely, Vania watched him. Muhtar responded in the same level tone. “Yes… We’ll see what Addus’s future holds, and what form of divine grace should truly shine on this land. Let’s conclude that today…” As he said this, Muhtar’s gaze grew sharper. At that moment, Shadi gestured politely and joined in. “In that case, we can begin this final round now, Lord Muhtar. Please take your seat. We’ll proceed as before—slowly, step by step—” “No need. I’m sick of pointless drivel around this table. I plan to use more practical means to continue our discussions, so let’s stay standing. We’ll finish this soon enough…” Muhtar’s eyes grew more dangerous. Tension spiked in the room. Far off in the sky, thunder rumbled once again. The rolling thunder lent a certain edge to Muhtar’s words about “practical means,” and upon hearing them, Vania’s guards—led by Gaspard—tightened their grip on their weapons, fully aware that Muhtar was not here in good faith. “Lord Muhtar, what exactly do you mean by ‘practical means’?” Shadi, standing to one side, addressed Muhtar in a grave tone, but Muhtar didn’t directly respond to him. Instead, he turned and proclaimed loudly to Vania’s delegation. “Heretical nun Vania, I’ve lost all patience for this meaningless back-and-forth. On Addus’s soil, only the radiance of our Lord shall shine, not that of the three false gods who dare usurp His glory! With faith and the sword, we shall forever defend this truth, unshaken. Not a speck of that beguiling, trinity heresy can remain on Addus’s land! Anyone still clinging to such lies here shall be eradicated by my own hand!” Muhtar’s imperious declaration rang out through the hall, fully revealing his deadly resolve to all present. In that instant, killing intent peaked. Gaspard and the others promptly drew their weapons, leveling them at Muhtar in tense readiness, on the brink of violent conflict. … While Muhtar headed to the palace’s meeting hall to deliver his final ultimatum, those remaining in the Light-Prayer Cathedral—members of the Savior’s Advent Sect—gathered in its grand chamber. At this pivotal moment for their future in Addus, they knelt in prayer before the Savior’s altar, pleading for divine favor in the impending holy war. “May the Lord safeguard Addus, that it dwell eternally beneath Your radiance…” “May the Lord awaken… let His brilliance unmask those three false gods…” “In this hour of looming crisis… Evil runs wild under Your holy name. We beseech You, use Addus again as Your vessel to save this world…” In the ancient temple hall, the clerics knelt in orderly rows, their prayers and scriptural recitations echoing in the vast space. Dozens of devout believers bowed toward the Savior’s altar—quite at odds with the rest of the temple’s style—engulfed in fervent devotion. A feverish light was plain on every face. They all knew this day marked the official start of Addus’s holy war, when the faith they’d held in secret for years would at last take root openly in a nation. To the Savior’s Advent Sect across North Ufiga, it was an event of huge consequence—one that, they believed, would be vital to the Radiant Savior’s revival. Their chants and prayers resounded among the towering pillars, rivaled only by occasional claps of thunder rumbling overhead. This ancient temple dated back some seven millennia, yet here they were, devoutly venerating a god who originally had nothing to do with it. Each person’s gaze was fixed on the lavishly crafted Savior’s altar. At the dawn of the current epoch, this altar was placed here when the Light-Prayer Cathedral was still dedicated to the True Radiant Lord. After the Three Saints Sect arrived in North Ufiga, the building housed altars to the Three Saints, too. But once the Savior’s Advent Sect and the revolutionary army seized Yadith, the altars to the Three Saints were torn out, leaving only the Savior’s altar behind—restoring the cathedral to the appearance it had a thousand years ago. In the Savior’s Advent Sect’s view, their undertaking in the Light-Prayer Cathedral was a genuine return to its original purpose. They believed they were restoring the rightful occupant of a thousand years prior, offering their purest devotion for the great work of the new era’s Savior’s Advent. Many among them linked Addus’s destiny to that of the cathedral itself, raising their voices in earnest supplication. “O Lord! Shower us with your grace, that all Addus may once more embrace the true path of faith! May Addus, like this Light-Prayer Cathedral, return after centuries to your blessed favor!” Boom!! Just as the hall resounded with prayers concerning the cathedral, a brilliant white bolt of lightning split the heavy clouds overhead. Streaking from sky to earth, it curved through an opening in the temple’s roof, striking directly before the worshippers. In an instant, searing electric light and a thunderous roar filled the hall. Dozens of clerics, jolted by the blinding flash and the deafening crash, clamped hands over their eyes and ears, faces contorted in pain. A moment later, the flash subsided and the thunder rolled away, leaving the temple in sudden silence. The clerics, who just a moment earlier had been devoutly praying, now crouched in terror, hearts pounding. None had ever dreamed that a freak lightning strike could hit inside their place of worship. Such a close brush with lightning left them rattled beyond measure. Yet a still greater shock awaited. Once they recovered from their fright, they noticed that the Savior’s altar they’d been bowing to was gone—entirely vanished. In its place lay a blackened, ruined heap. From the few pieces of debris left, one could just barely discern what remained of the altar. Gazing at this scene, every cleric’s jaw dropped, their expressions filled with disbelief. “H-how… how did that happen?” “It was lightning… that bolt just now…” “The Lord’s altar—shattered by lightning…” The stunned clerics stared, aghast, at what had transpired. Their devout prayers for divine aid had yielded not salvation, but rather a destructive blow from the heavens. Desperate for an explanation, they lapsed into speculation—was it coincidence, a manifestation of the Savior, or the wrath of the Three Saints? In the midst of the confusion, a female voice rang down from above. “This land, this country, this temple… none of it belongs to any so-called Lord or Savior.” Hearing that voice, everyone looked up toward the source overhead. What they saw was a figure slowly drifting down from the air. Her dark, jade-like skin was adorned with an array of exquisite gold ornaments. A simple white robe draped her graceful silhouette, and a golden headdress attached to her turban concealed her face, save for a solemn gaze above a mysterious veil. Clothed in garments with a pronounced exotic flair—seemingly relics found only in ancient tombs of North Ufiga—this woman descended from the sky and landed upon the shattered remains of the Savior’s altar, presenting herself before the gathered clerics of the Savior’s Advent Sect. Those with some education noticed at once: everything she wore looked like the artifacts excavated from seven-thousand-year-old tombs of that vanished empire. “Who are you? Was that lightning just now your doing?” “You dared to summon evil thunder to destroy the Lord’s altar? Are you heretics, by any chance? Do you realize the outrageous blasphemy you’ve committed?!” Several clerics, having recovered somewhat from their shock, shouted and pointed accusingly at the mysterious woman. She only spoke softly in return. “Evil thunder? Heh… Once upon a time in this land, that was revered as something sacred, yet to the likes of you blind folk, it’s labeled evil. If anyone here is irreverent, it isn’t me—it’s you…” “Silence! This is the Lord’s church, not a place for your deluded rambling!” one of the clerics roared indignantly. The woman, however, was unmoved. She continued in measured tones. “I already said: neither this temple, nor this nation, nor this land belongs to your so-called Savior or those Three Saints. From seven thousand years ago until now, they’ve had only one true master. “That master is the god I serve! The Ancient Enlightener, the Bestower of Knowledge, the Ruler of Thunder—Heaven’s Arbiter! Born of this very land, They are the sole sovereign beneath these skies!” She spoke, and the clerics in the hall gaped in confusion. Paying them no heed, she stretched out her arms like one delivering a proclamation, raising her voice. “My name is Isis, a priestess serving Heaven’s Arbiter! After seven thousand years of slumber, Heaven’s Arbiter has awakened once more. We shall carry out His will, driving out every foreign god from beyond the sea squatting on this land. This soil will again be guided by Heaven’s Arbiter’s wisdom, and it all begins with Addus! “Adherents of these alien deities—give up what you’ve stolen and leave! Return whence you came, and I shall overlook your affronts…” Adopting a lofty air, wearing the costume and ornaments she’d only stolen from the museum the previous night (then hastily modified), Nephthys delivered those lines, her heart pounding all the while. Naturally, her words immediately angered the clerics. “Utter nonsense! Seize her!” someone commanded, and the others rushed at Nephthys from all sides. She merely remained standing, making no move in the face of their onslaught. In that moment, Dorothy—stationed within the temple’s hidden realm and controlling its defenses—took action. With but a thought, she summoned several bolts of lightning from the thick layer of clouds overhead, striking those who charged at Nephthys. All at once, a shower of white lightning rained down into the temple, ear-splitting thunder rocking the entire city of Yadith. ======================= TL Notes: 外海异神 = Foreign God from beyond the Sea. I assume the sea is referring to the Sea of Revelation.