473 Fate

"Constantine, today I shall bestow the Lord's blessing upon you."

The pope raised the navy holy ribbon in his hands. It was a scarf-like accessory. It was embroidered with fine and detailed scriptures in gold thread. It was indescribably majestic, like the representation of all things holy. He placed the ribbon on Constantine's hands. "Be in awe. Your contributions and sacrifices are carved into the holy throne."

Thus, Constantine reverently lowered his head. He placed the ribbon around his shoulders and replied seriously, "I am beyond grateful to receive the Lord's grace."

Now, the ambassadors and nobles under the podium could not help but sigh. The Sacred City had a new cardinal with true power and the Revolutionaries probably would not give up.

More troubles were coming…

-

Outside the crowd, Ye Qingxuan had been tense for so long for so reason. He finally let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. It seemed that Gaius truly had not come.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Hermes glanced at him while drinking and pointed at the podium. "To be honest, I haven't gone out in a while. What's going on? I didn't understand this since the start. When did the Revolutionaries and Sacred City become such good friends?"

"Boss, do you still not get it?" Ye Qingxuan was shocked. "Constantine, the deputy commander of the Revolutionaries, has sided with the Sacred City. I thought you knew him."

"Constantine?" Hermes was shocked too. "Deputy commander? Side? Sacred City?" He had a weird look of confusion. Then, suddenly understanding, he burst into laughter as if he had heard an incredible joke or witnessed the funniest comedy in history. He almost cried from laughing so hard.

And Ye Qingxuan was unsettled.

"Ye Qingxuan, I know him but that's not Constantine." Hermes hit the table, tears almost coming out. "The Revolutionaries has always been a dictatorship. There have never been any deputies! Those who represent the Revolutionaries have always been fakes and cannon fodder… You…you…hahaha…did you really think it's real? As expected, humans are so interesting hahaha…"

Ye Qingxuan gaped at him. He watched as Hermes gasp from laughter without reacting. Finally, he understood Hermes's words and shuddered. "It's not Constantine?" He turned stiffly toward the man bathed in the audience's cheers on the podium. "Then who is he?"

"Who else can he be?" Hermes clapped, applauding for this satirical play. He mocked, "The one you just turned into a cardinal is obviously the most despicable deserter, the blight of the Sacred City, and the ambitious guy that so many dream of killing. However, many also refer to him as…His Highness, Gaius!"

Ye Qingxuan felt like he had been struck by lightning. Without hesitating, he jumped down from the chair and looked at the podium.

"Wolf Flute!"

-

At that moment, Gaius opened his arms wide, bathing in the golden sunlight. Under the holy light, it was as if God's blessing had truly descended upon him. He looked so majestic, holy, and awesome. He looked down and studied the crowd but his eyes fell on the heart of the square. He looked at the young man immersed in the music score. Thus, he heard the heavy and gloomy piano music. It was not a musician working under aether but rather a pure music performance. It was like a symphony performed at countless celebrations under the cheers from thousands of listeners. However, this symphony was too cold and distant. Rather than a melody that humans could enjoy, this was a music score written by God for the world's only truth.

Fate.

This was Fate…

"Charles, you really comprehend it…" Constantine—no, Gaius—lowered his eyes and sighed. "But without the surface, what kind of empty shell would the so-called Fate become?"

But Charles could not hear his voice anymore.

-

He could not hear anything; he was so immersed in that wild melody. It was as if a voice was urging him from the depths of his soul. It pushed him forward, making him drown in the performance. He became practiced at an incredible speed until the melody finally became an instinct.

An unprecedented pain blossomed deep inside his head. It cut at his consciousness and soul like a dagger, trying to tear apart the body he had created these years to show his soul's appearance to the world. It rustled in the darkness; it was about to awaken. It impatiently wanted to be reborn in this world.

Charles only felt that he had escaped from that insignificant body. He was standing there but it was as if he was in another dimension. He had a refuge from the narrow senses. He saw colors he had never seen before, heard the echoes of material colliding with consciousness, and smelled sadness and happiness. He reached out and touched thousands of miles of land. His spirit turned and rose into the sky, joining the stars.

An illusory yet holy city hovered there. Countless spirits rested there. If he looked down, he would see the endless abyss. There, shadows squirmed in the darkness and thousands of eyes opened. It was a terrifying sight.

Strands of cold yet indifferent moonlight snaked between them. It seemed to be shapeless and nonexistent yet tangible and real at the same time. He saw countless broken worlds pacing between the three. They were attracted by the strong gravity, transforming into brilliant star clusters.

Behind these clusters of stars, some shapeless matter was emerging.

It was a giant vortex.

Everything came out of it and it destroyed everything. It contained endless mysteries but was also like a void where nothing existed. It was the essence of all, the beginning and end of all.

It was the Originator!

The intense pain could not stop Charles. He was immersed in the shocking performance. He had transformed into aether and could finally see the true nature of the world!

The pain was burning, breaking the lock on his consciousness. It pounded his soul like a hammer, recreating his entirety. It tore the membrane between his tendons, the grooves on his bones, and the weakness in his blood. It pushed them into the kiln of nothingness and made something new.

He died away during the performance.

However, the new him was reborn from the ashes.

It was the key. After waiting for so long, it finally opened the lock on his body and released the restrained nature, allowing him to live again. Thus, he poured the pain and joy through his fingertips. While playing, he pushed the melody to the climax.

Everyone heard the majestic song he was playing.

For the first time, Charles expressed the true nature through this pure performance. Even though it did not respond to aether or contain music theory, an unpreceded spirit was born from it.

All musicians present—no, all musicians in the Sacred City and even the world—trembled instinctively. They stared into the crowd as if facing their worst enemy and looked at the young man playing wildly before the stone tablet.

They seemed to see the world fall apart.

This was the first time the terrifying melody was played in public ever since the establishment of the Sacred City. Even Handel could not control the shock and…desire to kill at the bottom of his heart.

It was Fate!

Despite not having any aether waves, music theory, or even the power of music notes, no one could predict what changes the music would bring.

This was the Sacred City!

If a tiny bit of the aftershocks of Fate was leaked, it could flatten everyone present! Everyone was debating whether or not they should stop this performance!

But then they no longer needed to struggle or hesitate.

The melody had reached the climax. The spirit and consciousness trembled in the melody and fate descended!

-

At first, there was a suffocating silence.

The world froze.

Then pure terror came.

Countless people let out almost tangible wails at the same time. The wailing grouped into a music note. It pierced everyone's eardrums, shattering their sanity and pushing them into the deepest darkness.

Screams and roars of despair spread. Everyone broke down by what they saw. Their minds shattered. The flesh body that remained wallowed in this cold world.

At that moment, no one realized that perhaps it was fate that changed this world.

When Charles snapped out of his reverie, he gazed around in confusion and saw the shocked pale faces. He followed their gazes and looked to the podium. Then, he saw the shadow fallen from the podium.

It was a patch of red that had darkened.

It was dried blood.

The fall had been so short but the heavy thud had been so terrifying. The crowd retreated instinctively and shrieked in panic.

Stunned, Charles seemed to understand something and rushed forward like crazy. And so he saw the blood.

Amongst the blood was dyed red clothing. The awe-inspiring crown was on the ground. Warped, it tumbled and stopped beside his feet with a sharp yet heavy echo. It was like the echoes of a tragedy.

In the puddle of blood, the thing that had once been a human was now a distorted mess of blood and flesh. Obviously, anyone who turned into that would have no chance of surviving.

It was a corpse.

And on the corpse's back was a black dagger.

No miracle happened; no resurrections happened. None of the precautions had been used. It was just a simple stab to the back—a simple death.

It was so simple that no one could refute it. There was no possibility of luck.

He was dead.

Using all his strength, Charles tremblingly walked over. He reached out to test for the dead's breath but only felt coldness. He still could not dare to believe that…

The majestic pope, the controller of all souls, the sole agent of God, the King of Red had died so easily?

As if struck by lightning, he stumbled back and raised his head with difficulty…he looked up at the old man who looked down from the podium. He was still bathed in the glorious light like a man of justice from the Bible.

"Why?" he murmured. He could not believe what he saw. He yelled with all his might, "Mr. Constantine, why?!"

Why…why did you…do this?!

Gaius looked away. He stared at the sky and made the sign of the holy emblem before his chest.

"I shall replenish this river of souls so that it flows for eternity," he murmured with his eyes closed. "For you, my Lord, for you."

-

"Capture him!" The first to react was a cardinal. He glared at Wolf Flute. "What are you doing! Capture him!"

Instantly, dozens of black shadows rushed out from the chaotic crowd and pounced onto the podium. A heart-shaking music score rose from thin air. Countless different melodies shot out at once.

Handel was furious and his eyes reddened. The cane in his hands cracked apart. A blazing glow emerged from it. This was the true nature of the cane. It was a weapon created with the music score Messiah and given a saint's title.

No one had ever seen its true appearance through the glow nor could they describe what it was like. When it appeared in Handel's hands, it thudded on the ground.

A terrifying tremor spread.

The city that had been melded into a piece of metal also started shaking under this indescribable quake. It whirred and clanged. The cold and powerful boom swept across, piercing everyone's ears. It attacked their minds, causing the panicking pilgrims to fall to the ground, shaking.

Unless allowed, all music scores were defeated now. Perhaps the savior of the world promised by God was in this boom and had descended upon Earth.

And who is bearing the day of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing?

For he is as fire of a refiner, and as soap of a fuller.

In the Sacred City, the thousands of towers responded at once. The echoes converged and exploded in the aether sea, instantly transforming into a terrifying whirlpool. It went through the aether and material world, creating a tunnel. The majestic city deep in the aether world shone and its light fell onto Earth.

Inside the archive of sacred objects, the dull gold sword quivered and keened. Heaven's Door appeared!

There was boundless brilliance.

At this moment, everything in and under the sky was covered by the pure light. Layers of restrictions went toward the podium, sealing it off. The furious power cast punishment immense enough to destroy the world.

However, Wolf Flute was faster than him. He had started acting the moment Ye Qingxuan roared. Beastly nature broke from his consciousness instantly, transforming into a solid wolf pack. After integrating the element, the wolf pack's magnitude was unbelievable. There were hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands…

Wolf Flute's body disintegrated and moved thousands of steps in a blink. He flashed and acted without hesitation!

Behind him, the wolf-head deity appeared. He slammed his golden cane down and destroyed countless barriers instantly, digging a hole in the enemy's body.

Blood spurted out, splashing onto the faces of the archbishops and nobles. They gaped at the cold-eyed Wolf Flute and the one with a gaping hole in his chest…Handel!

No one had expected that the core member of the Silent Authority, Wolf Flute, would kill Saint Handel now. Thousands of wolves emerged from thin air and blocked the attacks flying toward the podium. In the last moment, they destroyed the dozens of bodies leaping up.

Blood rained down from the air, dying the silver wolves red.

Heaven's Door disappeared. The weapon Messiah faded and fell from Handel's hands, clattering. Handel looked down dumbly at the hand poking out of his chest.

The hand clenched, shattering the heart. Blood dripped down.

Thus, he finally accepted reality. He looked back at Wolf Flute.

"Why?" he asked, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Isn't this obvious?" Wolf Flute sighed. "I'm the spy."

Handel smiled with difficulty. It was bitter and full of self-mockery. He looked at Wolf Flute's face and the deity behind him.

"You've hid it from me for so long…"

The power that Wolf Flute demonstrated now was far beyond that of a typical Scepter. No one expected that the supposed 'weakest scepter' had kept so much hidden. Everyone thought that he was a slacker and had used the lowest level beastly element. However, this was not the element of some wild beast. It was something way beyond the upper-level elements and was practically something legendary. He had combined the jackal, death, and Hades into a new scepter…Anubis!

"I cannot believe I died in the hands of my successor." Handel finally managed a smile and closed his eyes.

He collapsed.

He was dead.

In the chaotic square, the sprinting Ye Qingxuan stopped with fatigue.

Too late.

He was still too late.

The moment Hermes revealed Gaius's true nature, the first thing he thought of was not what Gaius wanted, but Wolf Flute…