Chapter 102: Severing Faith
The rain gradually stopped.
As evening approached, the group finally chose a place to set up camp. They had trudged through the rain all day, and continuing like this would likely push both people and horses to their limits. Outside, the air was filled with voices, as lighting a bonfire after the rain was not easy; many soldiers could only soak their rations in water to swallow them down. However, it was impossible to go without a bonfire at night; everyone was soaked and would suffer from the cold wind all night, which would definitely have repercussions for them the next day, as these soldiers did not possess extraordinary physiques.
Sir Eden sent someone to look for dry firewood and ordered another to prepare a small stove to bring into the carriage.
Inside the convoy was a charcoal stove, a small exquisite copper stove that could directly cook something using charcoal, though it was only enough to fill one or two people. The inside of the carriage felt like a separate space, with everything outside not disturbing it, as if some invisible power made others become quiet upon approaching the carriage.
Time passed slowly.
The darkness deepened, and outside, a bonfire was lit as the soldiers cooked a large pot of meat soup.
Sir Eden casually ate some rations and then drank a bowl of thick soup, followed by arranging the sentinels for the night watch. He was a veteran who had retired from the battlefield, and the title of “Sir” was conferred by his master. After his master passed away, his loyalty transferred to the family’s eldest daughter. In the Duchy of Valoran, there was no stipulation that only men could inherit titles; both the eldest and second daughters of a family had certain rights to inheritance.
Once the night watch sentinels were arranged, Sir Eden intended to check on the carriage.
However, just as he approached the carriage, he felt it was best not to disturb it at that moment, so he turned and returned to the bonfire.
The carriage was very quiet.
Of course, this was merely something not audible from the outside.
In fact, since nightfall, the young man before Caitlyn had begun to contort his face as if he were enduring immense pain. He held his head with both hands, letting out terrifying low growls.
She felt very afraid!
Then her vision darkened, and she lost consciousness.
Crackling.
The sturdy wooden planks of the carriage were easily crushed by the young man as easily as tofu. If it weren’t for the masked woman nearby helping to calm him, the carriage would likely have been torn to pieces in an instant.
“Master!”
The masked woman pressed her hand against the young man’s forehead, softly saying, “Relax! … Relax! …”
“Let my mind merge with you! … I will help you share this pain! … My master! … You must release your mind! … Otherwise, your mortal body cannot withstand the vast information coming from the divine! …”
“You will go insane!”
“You will truly go insane! … Let me enter your mind! … Otherwise, I cannot help you sever these faith connections! … Those are the faith connections belonging to the previous deity! … Their power is interfering with you! … You must learn to reject these faiths! … You are the supreme deity! … Not a tool shackled by faith! … Let me help you sever all faith connections! … Then rebuild your kingdom! …”
“Otherwise!”
“The will of the previous deity will replace you! … They will use your body as a vessel for resurrection! …”
“Cast off these faiths! …”
“They do not serve you! … What you need is a new faith! … A new kingdom! … My master! … Let me help you sever everything! …”
“These outdated faiths should be buried along with the dead deity! …”
An invisible mental force field opened up.
The masked woman held the young man’s hands, then pressed her forehead against his. In an instant, her face turned pale. Meanwhile, the young man’s contorted features gradually relaxed a bit.
Pain.
The masked woman was instantly drenched, sweat streaming down her pale cheeks. In just a moment, she seemed to hear countless voices and see countless images; immense information crashed into her brain, even though she had once been a mind sorcerer with a profession level of over 30. At this moment, she felt an overwhelming sensation that she could not bear.
Too much!
So much!
The calls of mortals, the prayers of believers, terrifying nightmares—all of it surged into her mind like a torrent.
………………
Leaffall City.
This once-prosperous city had now become somewhat dilapidated, as the decline of White Horse City began to affect it. Furthermore, another recent incident had dealt a severe blow to Leaffall City.
The priests had lost their connection to the deities.
The restless enemies began to frequently h*rass the area. Without the power of priests, the warriors faced heavy losses; more terrifying was the fact that this news seemed impossible to hide, causing more and more people to feel panic. Meanwhile, enemy attacks grew increasingly frequent. Bad news kept pouring in; large numbers of refugees gathered outside the city. Without the protection of the divine and with no priests to provide divine techniques, towns and villages within a hundred kilometers surrounding Leaffall City were attacked.
Werewolves, half-orcs, ogres……
These monsters, once driven away by them, had suddenly returned here, seemingly wanting to reclaim this fertile land.
“Archbishop! It’s bad!”
The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and a young apprentice priest rushed to the square.
He whispered a few words in the ear of a middle-aged priest, whose face changed dramatically before quickly heading towards the temple.
The Temple of the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers.
This was the largest temple of His in the Material Plane, and it served as a center for His faith among mortals.
As the successor of the God of Thieves, the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers had lost too much power in the struggle among deities. Failing to master the field of Shadows, the worship of the Wanderer began to shift to the Lord of Shadows, the Luck Goddess, and the Lady of the Night. With only a weak divine profession inherited, he had no choice but to limit the sphere of faith to his own race, that is, the half-elves, who were awkwardly situated between humans and elves.
Thus, his primary divine profession is Half-Elf, followed by Wanderer.
Half-elves were the main source of his faith.
He once relied on the faith of half-elves to ascend to Weak Divine Power, but unfortunately, due to the failed struggle in the Wanderer domain, he was again cast down by the Lord of Shadows to Weak Divine Power.
Now, he fell to the mortal realm as one of the first deities and ultimately died at the hands of the Vampire Son.
The temple’s radiance was very dim.
As the largest temple of a deity in the Material Plane, any changes here represented many things.
The glory of divinity was in decline.
From the moment the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers fell to the mortal realm, the glory of this temple had already dimmed significantly. Fortunately, the decline gradually halted; although the temple’s power was greatly weakened, it still retained some power, giving many believers a glimmer of hope. However, not long ago, an astonishing event occurred: the divine statue of the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers serving in the temple suddenly became dull and lost all power, resembling an ordinary statue.
This process lasted an entire day.
By the next day, these statues seemed to regain some power, their divine radiance faintly resurfacing.
Though very weak.
At least it was a hope!
However.
What was now happening right before their eyes left all the believers looking ashen. In the eyes of the middle-aged priest, which were filled with despair, the divine statue of the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers standing in the center of the temple gradually lost all its divine radiance. The temple still possessed some remaining power, but the statue had not a trace of divine power; cracks appeared on it. In their frozen gaze, the divine statue that stood in the center of the temple suddenly shattered and collapsed!
Boom!
It resembled the extinguishing of a source of power.
Centered around this temple, all statues serving the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers became dull and lifeless, some even showing signs of cracks.
In the end!
In all the temples serving Him, one after another, the divine power glow on the statues disappeared, turning them completely into mundane objects!
It had fallen.
The deity had fallen!
This time it was a complete fall, leaving nothing behind!
His divine name had already perished.
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
