TBR CH70

Chapter 70: Crown and Scepter

When Edwin opened his eyes, he was completely awake, so awake that he knew he had just been indulging in a beautiful dream, and realized that he was not in his familiar room at this moment.

At first glance, he had already keenly sensed that the scepter that was almost inseparable from him was not by his side, so he reached for his boot without hesitation. His fingers brushed past the sharp corners of the metal decorations, but he did not touch the sharp knife that could serve as a weapon.

His light gray eyes looked out from behind slightly trembling eyelashes. Edwin stood up from his leaning position against the wall, his spine straight. His gaze was as cautious as a hunting falcon, scrutinizing everything around him without blinking.

No power, no weapons. More composure was needed.

He soon realized he was standing on an open and flat field. Under his feet were white and rough rocks, the resistance just right. He could walk crisply without worrying about slipping. Around the field was a milky-white mist, blocking the view to further places. The Bishop paused where he was, not walking towards the edge. He seemed to have a feeling and looked up at the high dome of the building.

Tar was there.

The low hum of his soul resounded so, telling him this without a doubt. Edwin curled his fingers into a loose fist, as if he had grasped something with this action. He raised his head, and words broke from between his lips and teeth, like a question, and like a believer receiving an oracle, waiting to do anything for Him.

Right there, high above, his god sat on a throne, looking down at him with bright and gentle eyes.

“Edwin,” the mist gradually dissipated. The full view of the dome was gradually reflected in his eyes. It was like a balance scale, one side pure white, the other as dark as ink. Tarksius sat on the divine throne. He raised his hand. His slender knuckles, though tens of meters away, seemed to be right before his eyes as they lightly tapped on the Bishop’s forehead.

The god called his name, a strange light flashing in his eyes. Suddenly, flames illuminated the color of blood. It was a sparkling, dangerous desire. “I grant you power.”

A scorching heat spread from his forehead. A strange power suddenly surged into Edwin’s soul. Its source was different from any gift the Bishop had previously accepted, yet it easily merged with him, as if he were born with the skill to control it.

The Bishop suddenly had an intuition. He opened his palm, and as if born from thin air, a scepter gradually revealed its form from nothingness, appearing in his hand.

The staff was made of cold obsidian, with complex patterns winding to the palm, dangerous and mysterious. The head of the staff was inlaid with a carnelian as red as a heart. With just a few slight carvings, it took the shape of a rose. Tar’s shape.

Edwin had never seen such a large ruby. It was so beautiful that humans seemed to have no chance to glimpse it, like a ripe, fragrant fruit, endlessly emitting an aura of magic.

The Bishop tightened his grip on the scepter in his hand. The wantonly growing power was like a surging wave, but in the end, it obediently bowed its head under his will. The mist on the field had dissipated by more than half. Edwin could see the faint figure of another person on the opposite side, and also guessed the figure with the holy light sitting on the throne opposite Tar could only be the deity familiar to humans.

At this moment, the other’s mood was not good. The god was furious. Thunderbolts forged from holy light shattered beside Him, erupting with a sharp brilliance that could shake heaven and earth. To anger such a god would invite the greatest disaster. This was clear just by looking at old Bart.

Edwin should have felt fear.

But he suddenly realized he was disdainful of this thought. Even though he knew that with the other’s power, killing a human was like crushing an ant, even though he had “piously” recited the classics of revering gods countless times. Edwin’s gaze flickered. His inorganic gray pupils only stayed for a moment before landing on Tarksius again. At this moment, he didn’t care about anything else.

The Bishop was very smart. He guessed this must be the bet Tar had told him about.

Tar had said he would win, so he would definitely win. He did not hesitate or doubt this at all. He only trusted his Tar, and was only driven by the Dark God’s command, willing to do anything for him. The rose tip of the scepter was already blooming with a cold and dangerous light, just waiting for its prey to approach.

The deity lowered his head, looking at his arrogant and greedy believer, and curled his lips. “Come, my dear Bishop,” a slyness only Edwin could see flashed in his eyes as he said softly, “I grant you the power of a believer. The more pious, the more powerful. I have no doubt at all, have long known the result, and have already decided on the reward. —Use the weapon I have given you to kill the favored one of the Light.”

Noah woke up from a beautiful dream.

If the nightmare of losing everything had made him feel desperate, then the subsequent dream was so splendid and beautiful. The feeling of possessing everything fascinated him, like a hallucinogen flowing through his veins. He opened his eyes, a smile still on his face, but found before him an empty and open field, a place he had never seen before.

The Holy Son subconsciously called out to the system in his mind, but there was no answer.

He didn’t know that the system was currently in the prayer room of the Holy See, anxiously and confusedly trying to wake his sleeping body by its ear. Two dreams, great joy and great sorrow, then suddenly disappearing into thin air. This made Noah dazed for a short while, trying to figure out if this was still a dream. However, this question could not find an answer for the time being.

But the mist around him gradually dissipated.

The white rocks under his feet faintly revealed a pure and bright white light from the cracks. Noah looked across the misty expanse and vaguely saw a figure. The field was clearly divided into two parts. Unlike the holy and beautiful side he was on, the person’s side was surrounded by a gloomy black mist. The rocks under his feet cracked, emitting a slight whining sound.

However, when he subconsciously looked across, the other person was not looking at him.

The mist dissipated more thoroughly, revealing his face, and those light gray eyes. Noah’s heart sank heavily.

At the ceremonies held in the Holy See, he had seen this face countless times. He looked pious and humble. Only Noah knew that he had signed a contract with the Dark God who had crossed the torrent of time. This fact had once reassured him, because the Bishop was ambitious, and such ambitious people would always abandon everything for their ideals. Yet at this moment, all the mysteries converged. Everything he had overlooked, the final answer, seemed to fall on this person as well.

Whether this was a dream or not, Noah had already become vigilant. He dug his nails into his palm, forcing himself to wake up.

Then, he followed Edwin’s gaze and looked up. With just one glance, his nails dug into his flesh, seized by intense shock. Noah pursed his lips, trying not to let a surprised cry escape from between his lips and teeth, while commanding his brain to process the scene before him. However, his brain was blank.

Under the dome, two divine thrones.

The Dark God gently twirled his fingers. His pitch-black hair, with his forward-leaning movement, brushed against his cheeks and scattered. The black hair was like a spider’s web and a blade, making one feel danger and willingly be bewitched. Noah had to admit that in terms of appearance, Tarksius’s power to bewitch people was hard to reach, as long as one didn’t look at his eyes. Those eyes were always as indifferent and cold as blood.

Wait a minute.

The Holy Son didn’t have time to notice what Tarksius’s gaze was like at this moment. What he noticed was that as the Dark God gently extended his knuckles, a power sufficient to destroy heaven and earth obediently swirled at his fingertips, then purposefully flowed towards the figure on the ground who was slightly looking up.

The distance was too far, or perhaps the god intended it so. He could only vaguely hear the Dark God’s last sentence to the Bishop, with a hint of a careless smile: “…Use the weapon I have given you to kill the favored one of the Light.”

Before he could react emotionally, Noah immediately looked away, like a panicked fawn returning to its nest, looking at the god above his area.

The God of Light sat on his eternal divine throne, wearing a crown condensed from holy light. He had the face Noah was most familiar with. And at this moment, thunderbolts exploded beside Him. The scorching bright light illuminated his expression. His golden pupils reflected the Holy Son’s image.

For some reason, Noah felt a weakness in his heart, his feet feeling a little unsteady. He composed himself, making sure his expression and body language were perfect at this time. He once again called out to the system in his mind, but still heard no answer.

Be calm.

The God of Light’s expression became more and more uncertain. He looked at the Holy Son he had chosen and did not speak for a long time. Noah did not hear the system’s answer. He saw from the corner of his eye that Edwin on the opposite side was walking towards him slowly, the scepter in his hand shining brightly, like a rabbit feeling a falcon gradually approaching.

And he had no retreat.

At that moment, the great fear of death suddenly swept over him again, like frozen pond water soaking his body. Noah was incomparably clear that the system was not by his side. That is to say, he really could die.

It was like this last time. The last time the Dark God had attacked him, he had been close to death.

Noah retreated step by step, looking at the high and mighty god with pleading eyes, while Edwin pressed closer step by step. The scepter in his hand changed its form. The ruby at the head of the staff gradually elongated, becoming sharp, like a fatal blade, like a crescent moon.

His light gray eyes looked at him, emotionless pupils, not moving, just staring at his prey with focus and cruelty.

Noah had no power to resist at this time.

He felt anxious. Wasn’t this a god’s trial ground? Wasn’t this a fair fight? The last time he had met the God of Light, He seemed to have mentioned this matter and was full of confidence in him. But if that were so, as the favored one of the Light, how could he have no power until now?

He knew he couldn’t go on like this. The only one who could save him here now was the high and mighty existence. Although His attitude was strange at this time, it was obvious that compared to Tarksius, who was clearly watching a show, he had long been confirmed by the god to stand on his side.

Sacrifice a pawn to save the king.

Noah didn’t know if he could use this term, because he seemed to have never seen through Tarksius. If there was still a capture mission at this time, with both deities present, he would of course have to give up one and choose the God of Light.

What’s more, he was really afraid he would die at this time.

The peerlessly beautiful youth, like a panicked little fawn, was forced into a dead end and knelt down in the direction of the God of Light, wailing. He prostrated himself on the ground, his voice seeming both desperate and helpless: “Did I do something wrong to offend you? Otherwise, please grant me strength. I love you so much and do not fear death. But, if you would allow me to fight against the darkness with your glory, I will do my best.”

The Holy Son thought this speech was flawless. He had even cleverly changed the purpose from protecting himself to defending the god’s reputation. But the God of Light’s face twisted, looking even more sinister.

No good. Edwin had already raised his hand. The scepter, as a medium for releasing magic, was overflowing with incredible power at this moment. And that hair-splitting blade was about to cut through the air.

He let out a final sharp cry: “My god, I beg you, I beg you to give me strength. Please believe me, I have always been by your side. You have to… you have to be quick, or everything will be over—”

His hands frantically pressed against the wall behind him. The cold and smooth wall seemed to be made of a single piece of marble. His nails scrabbled on it, but couldn’t find a foothold.

At the very last moment, Noah heard the God of Light’s heavy sigh. Then, the deity also raised his palm. The Holy Son finally felt power flowing down from the God of Light’s palm. That power was like a warm spring, flowing into his limbs and bones.

Great.

Noah’s chest, which had been heaving from intense panting, finally calmed down. He now possessed the power of the God of Light, so, at least at this moment, he could protect himself.

Comparing Tarksius’s and the God of Light’s power, there shouldn’t be too much of a difference. He had always been confident in his own intelligence and response. Maybe—

Noah’s face was slightly distorted with joy, so he did not see that under the dome, the God of Light had already looked away. Then, the sentence struck his ear like cold thunder. “You’d better not embarrass me.”

It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head. Before Noah could think about the hidden meaning behind the God of Light’s attitude, he subconsciously raised his hand to block Edwin’s attack. The power of Light in his body surged.

The Holy Son felt his palm scorching, as if the weapon the God of Light had bestowed upon his favored one was about to come out—

However, it was far from that easy.

In that split second, Noah suddenly felt those majestic powers flowing in his body, but they were not in harmony with him at all. Along his fingertips, most of the power did not follow his will, shaping the weapon he had imagined, but instead dissipated from his fingertips without a trace of reluctance, like a tide surging from the sea and disappearing on the beach.

The God of Light withdrew his hand.

According to the rules of the trial ground, the power a god bestowed upon his favored one was entirely consistent. Even if he intentionally wanted to prevent Noah from being too embarrassed, there was no way. Only a pious believer could fully utilize this power.

The power on Noah’s body was continuously draining away, and he hadn’t even understood the true rules of this competition. He immediately looked at the God of Light with pleading eyes, shouting for help, confused about what had gone wrong. The God of Light looked away, his original intention being not to see his own miserable defeat. But Noah’s shouts echoed throughout the building. Even if he didn’t want to know the process, he was now well aware of the result.

What angered the God of Light the most was that with the Holy Son’s clamoring, Tarksius couldn’t help but look at him mockingly, arrogantly raising his chin and giving him a meaningful smile.

“This is really unexpected,” Tarksius calmly added salt to his wound. “It’s a real pity. If it weren’t for being here, you could still help your little lover.”

The gods’ conversation was clearly transmitted to Noah’s ears. He was not stupid. At this moment, he knew he had probably misunderstood the rules of the competition.

But, Edwin’s blade had already condensed into a shimmering silver thread, about to pierce his neck. He could no longer make a decision after thinking at this time, and could only act on instinct.

Noah gritted his teeth. Before his power completely dissipated, he recited the few church canons he was more familiar with in his mind over and over, barely managing to gather his power. A long, slender scepter vaguely took shape between his palms.

Great. He couldn’t help but feel a little hope in the end. He tightened his grip on the scepter condensed from the power of Light. The scepter blocked in front of him, and Edwin’s blade finally fell unstoppably.

Noah had originally hoped the scepter in his hand could at least block for a short while.

However, like a bamboo knife cutting through thin paper, the moment the dark red blade touched his defense, his defense collapsed, breaking apart in the air. Noah held the scepter blankly, until the weapon turned to dust in his hand. He was just holding an empty fist.

What… how could…

The glint of cold steel magnified infinitely in Noah’s eyes. Edwin’s right hand was very steady. Even when it was about to collide with the Holy Son’s scepter, there was still no hesitation.

He should have been merciful and forgiving, humble and pious. A bishop should not kill, because killing was a grave sin in the doctrine.

Edwin’s blade did not waver in the slightest. Gray flames and storms rolled in his eyes. He even slightly curled his lips. The scepter in his hand could only exert its full power. Even the edge of the blade was淬 with poison, shining brightly. He did things without leaving any room for maneuver. Even if one blow could not kill the enemy, it would lie in wait like a venomous snake and eventually take the other’s life.

The blade easily cut across the Holy Son’s neck, like cutting butter. Blood gushed from under the human’s skin, flowing on the blade. Edwin slightly tilted the edge of the blade downwards. The blood flowed down with gravity, forming a small dark mark on the ground, without a single drop staining the Bishop. He was neatly dressed. The blade at the top of the scepter spun and retracted, once again becoming a large carnelian.

The Holy Son’s final gaze was still filled with shock and disbelief. Noah’s eyes widened in unwillingness, as if asking loudly: How could he stop here? How could he possibly stop here?

Then, his body began to break apart little by little. In this space created by a deity, there was no longer a place for his soul. The God of Light finally retracted his gaze. His brows were tightly furrowed. In this duel, he had not expected to fail so completely.

It was just one blow—

At least it wouldn’t be that fast. At that moment, he had the same thought as Noah, and then this thought was completely shattered. Now, he didn’t want to stay here for another second. The entire dome was engraved with the marks of his failure. The two clearly divided areas slowly faded with the Bishop’s footsteps, and finally only one color remained.

His Holy Son was actually a hypocritical liar, with not a shred of loyalty to him.

And his mouthpiece in the mortal world, the Great Archbishop of the Church of Light, was standing below the stage at this time. Even the God of Light had to admit at this moment that this human had an incredibly brilliant soul. However, Edwin curled his lips. He quickened his pace, walking in the direction of Tarksius.

The Bishop was walking in a direction away from the light.

In the face of a painful defeat, the God of Light could not help but be enraged. He knew he had lost the bet at this moment. The god’s oath bound him tightly. He could no longer lay a hand on this human before him. But he still angrily threw down thunderous words from under his throne: “Aren’t you afraid the Dark God is just toying with you? Betraying the Light, you must understand, this means a complete end for a human, even if you change your mind at this moment—”

“I won’t.”

Edwin heard this sentence echo under the dome, resounding from his vocal cords. He did not stop his steps, walking from one side of the trial ground to the other. Not only was he answering this sentence, but Tar also spoke at the same time. The voices of the fragile human and his powerful god overlapped.

Tarksius extended his hand towards him. The god’s dark red pupils moved imperceptibly. The words he spoke became an oracle. “Come to my side.”

A silver-white heavenly ladder suddenly descended before Edwin. The Bishop paused for a moment, lowered his eyes to check if his body was stained with dirt and blood from the battle just now. His scepter was no longer dripping blood. After confirming there were no problems, his light gray eyes finally brightened a little.

At the end of the steps was the god’s throne.

And he was about to, before his god, demand the reward he deserved.

In fact, the trial for the believers had come to an end. At this moment, it was time for the believer’s soul to return to his mortal body, and for the gods’ covenant to take effect. The God of Light had long wanted to leave. He could no longer continue to sit in this place of shame. But he was still shocked by Tarksius’s actions and asked in disbelief, “You actually let a human—even if he is your believer, you actually allow him to ascend from the trial ground and come to our domain? This is a domain that belongs only to gods!”

Even though he was a god of great might, no one on the field cared about his question. Tarksius extended his hand, and Edwin straightened his spine, walking up the steps one by one to the god’s side. His gray eyes greedily stared at every part of the god. The god’s slender knuckles wore the ruby ring. That was a rose. The god was his rose.

It was not until he was in front of him that Edwin knelt on one knee. The human with light gray pupils boldly reached out, pressed Tarksius’s arm, then lowered his eyes and kissed the back of his hand.

“Sit up here,” the corner of the Dark God’s mouth curled up slightly. He pressed his palm down slightly, and the moist heat from between Edwin’s lips and teeth wet the back of his hand. At this moment, they separated with a tacit understanding. The supreme divine throne was reflected in the Bishop’s pupils. The throne was very spacious, enough for two people to sit. The throne was surrounded by the god’s divine pressure. Terrifying power pulsed on the seat. Various gems that did not exist in the world adorned Tarksius’s seat. Just this power alone would make people dare not approach, only daring to worship with reverence from where they stood.

Edwin paused for a moment.

He leaned forward, his hands touching the armrests of the throne, and then his whole body. He must be the first human in history to sit on a divine throne, yet a gentle and comfortable aura enveloped him. In this position, he smelled the fragrance of roses.

Edwin pursed his lips, not in a cramped way. He knew that with his current strength, he was not yet sufficient to sit firmly in this position. But the god’s action was like a bold hint: “Do you dare?” Or rather, “Do you believe you can sit here, at least one day, completely on par with me?”

In the slightly farther distance, the God of Light watched the scene before him with incomprehension. A human was transgressing, and the god had undoubtedly indulged his transgression, even single-handedly created his transgression. This was absolutely wrong. This world had its order. A believer could only ever be a believer. A human was forever inferior to a god.

Even if he had once had the thought of bestowing divinity on Noah, his expectation of Noah was that he would be like a believer, piously and unreservedly loving the god, not partitioning any part of the throne for him.

He thought so, yet he could not pretend not to feel a momentary fear in his heart when he saw on the opposite throne, the fragile and small human holding a scepter looking at him. Edwin’s gaze was more godlike than a god’s. In his eyes, as noble as the God of Light was, he was just an object reflected in his emotionless, inorganic eyes.

—This position looked so suitable for him.

It was this thought that made the God of Light feel panic. He decided to withdraw immediately, at least to exert his dominance in other places, to regain the might of a god in control of everything. Before he left, he tried to issue a warning to the Dark God. A god’s authority should not be offended. The Dark God did not understand what kind of subversion of order could be caused by pouring his power into a believer.

“If he wants to,” however, Tarksius didn’t care at all. He had transformed into the appearance of a demon. At this time, he was close to Edwin, his arms wrapped around his Bishop, even his voice became light. “Then let him subvert this world however he wants.”

Edwin held the scepter in one hand, and with the other, he gently pressed the demon’s back, letting him playfully and gently bite his neck, leaving a series of ambiguous marks in the shadows no one could see. Power was growing vigorously in his hands, and an incredible wish was personally planted in his heart by Tar.

“You’d better be on your own then.”

Knowing this sentence was meaningless, the God of Light still hastily threw down this harsh word, pretending it gave him back a little face. He was a little confused at this time, about what had made him, a god, helpless against the human before him, how everything had come to this point. But the answer was there, and it made him feel ashamed.

Noah. The god chewed on this name, almost tearing it apart between his lips and teeth. Noah.

Noah suddenly opened his eyes in the prayer room.

The sharp pain of his neck being cut by a blade still lingered in his nerves, making him subconsciously reach out to touch his neck. Fortunately, the skin there was smooth and fair, without a hideous wound. The air in the sanctuary was filled with a sense of peace and tranquility. Noah called out to the system, and the system responded with a buzzing mechanical sound in his ear, telling him he had just suddenly fallen asleep.

The Holy Son caressed his heart. The organ made of flesh and blood had not yet recovered from the aftershock of the fright, and was now beating in panic. He forced himself to calm down and subconsciously chose the best possible explanation to convince himself: “It was just a dream.”

He thought so, without much confidence, because those dreams were too real, and his slumber, which even the system could not wake him from, also seemed unnatural. Noah bit his lip tightly, looking at the statue placed before him. Had there been any change in the statue’s expression? It looked exactly the same as usual. The God of Light showed a benevolent smile to all believers equally.

The system beeped a few times continuously. Even the mechanical sound could be heard with suspicion and caution: “Did something happen?”

“No,” Noah replied. He controlled his speed just right, making himself seem not anxious to refute out of guilt, but as if he were genuinely confused by the system’s question. “I mean, I accidentally fell asleep. Maybe I’ve been too tired these past two days.”

As he spoke, he rose from the silk kneeler and began to walk towards the door. “System, do you remember I have an appointment with Edward today? I think I might have to leave the Holy See for a while—”

The Holy Son’s footsteps suddenly paused unnaturally. An ominous clamor came from outside. It seemed a group of people were heading this way, with Holy Knights and priests. Then, it suddenly became quiet again, as if realizing Noah might be listening, so they lowered their voices. Out of intuition, Noah understood that those people were coming for him.

Something had inevitably fallen. But the question was what he should do now.

“There are people in that direction,” the peerlessly beautiful youth seemed to be talking to himself, only Noah knew he was speaking to the system. “I have to be careful. I’ll go out through the secret door. If I get entangled by the people of the church, it won’t be convenient to leave.”

After speaking, he withdrew the foot he had stepped out from the front and went around behind the statue. This was a secret passage known only to the high-ranking members of the Holy See, and it was rarely used, leading directly outside the church.

He left in a hurry.

Therefore, he did not have time to see that as he passed by the statue, a furious and terrifying golden light lit up in its pupils.

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