701 The Land, the Sky, this World

The sky was dark. Grim black clouds gathered together to form an iron curtain that spanned across the sky, covering the land and ocean of Asgard. The foul smell of sulfur filled the air, leaving the people with bloodshot eyes and pain their chests.

"Detonation formation is in place."

"Final inspection has been completed."

"Communications are clear for all teams."

"Preparation for process number six has been completed. Lucas, report your status."

With all sorts of mixed signals blaring at his ear, the tall and muscular musician finally managed to climb to the top of the mountain. He leaned against the sharply protruding rocks and relied purely on the locks and shackles on his waist to be hung by the rope. When he lowered his head, he could see the huge hole, never seemed to end, underneath his feet.

That was the cracked opening of the tip of the mountaintop. It was like a scar that ran across the terrain, as the gigantic hole resided quietly in darkness. Within the darkness, there seemed to be voice that was singing and it was of such a high pitch that he could not help but be distracted. If he was to fall, how long would it take before he would finally hit the ground and become smashed into pieces?

"Lucas? Lucas?" The commander of communications continued to ask, "Do you hear me? Report your status."

The musician suddenly broke out of his daze. With a thick and heavy mask on his face, his voice sounded blurry and deep, "Lucas, in position. Awaiting order."

"Very good. Proceed with the final inspection process."

The communications and signals were mixed and chaotic but in the end, there was only one last command after a period of silence, "Detonate."

"Received."

Lucas removed a black box on his waist and began to carry out the alchemist's instructions. He verified the direction of the music notes and as the black box slowly cracked open, red fluorescence came pouring out.

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

There was an ear-piercing sound from within that accompanied the counting down of every second. Remove the safety catch, activate the timer, then… release. The box, that was shining with red fluorescence, fell out of his hands and into the darkness. That sharp beeping sound fell through the cracked opening of the mountaintop and sank into the depths of darkness.

But Lucas had no time to observe everything carefully. In the instant that the box was released from his hand, he removed the safety rope on his waist and an incredible force dragged his body outwards in an arc. In this chaotic zone of aether, his body slid quickly towards the safety zone.

Just as he was in mid-air, the beeping sound seemed to be catching up with him. It was almost like a living thing as it climbed out of the cracked opening and revolved around everyone's ears. Shortly after, the ground shook and there was a terrible roar from the cracked opening of the mountaintop.

The ground trembled like waves as dust and crushed rocks began to pour out of the cracked opening. Soon after, there was a flaming-red light. The light flowed like water and it was also boiling as it rose from the depths of the darkness. It roared and puffed before gathering at a single point and shooting up into the sky. It was as if the entire metal-grey sky was being ignited.

Lucas fell onto the ground and only managed to stabilize himself with the help of his comrades. He turned back and his black mask was completely lit up by the flaming red light.

"Oh God…" He no longer dared to look and could only look down. He prayed softly, "Please forgive me."

That was a volcano. The volcano had erupted. After lying dormant for a century, the volcano finally erupted once again, thanks to the prompting of the musician.

Boundless heat poured out of the depths of the ground and burst through the cracked opening, widening the surrounding rocks in the process. Shortly after, the alchemy formations lit up repeatedly around the volcano so that the latter was completely surrounded. The hot flaming lava were guided by the formations, such that hundreds of tributary flows merged into a single mainstream. They would be converted to new sources of energy even as they flowed towards a faraway city.

Very soon, the volcano quietened down once again. Lava was no longer being shot out. Only the top of the volcano resembled a huge bowl of boiling magma that was being held by a furious God. The glow of the lava lit up the sky. Thick black smoke rose like a huge pillar and merged with the clouds that covered the entire sky.

If one was to look down at this world, it would seem so cruel, almost resembling hell. The silence was broken by another huge explosion that had occurred far away in the north. The ground trembled and the mountains shook.

"It's in the direction of the Asmo mountain ranges." Someone looked in that direction before cross-referencing with the list of names in his hand, "The second phase is about to be completed. We will be able to relax for a while. One full month of overtime has been really tough."

Beside him, a group of musicians, that were covered in black soot from head to toe, leaned back against the chair and started to smoke. They were laughing unabashedly as they talked about taking a good bath once they were home, before discussing about what kind of beer would be best to drink.

Lucas said nothing. He was praying.

---

Within only half a month's time, Asgard has completely changed. With the powers of the musicians, volcanoes have been ignited one after another. Flames appeared on land once again, becoming an endless supply of energy, pushing thousands of soldiers into producing war resources at an insane rate. Countless workers along the assembly line have been working non-stop without sleep.

The foul-smelling sulfur filled the air. The ocean was no longer blue and had turned into a thick greyish-black due to all the ashes. Thick smoke rose and covered the entire sky. Stars could no longer be seen and the sight of sunlight was as rare of seeing gold. The only source of light came from the burning lava of the volcanoes.

140 wounds have appeared on the land. These wounds flowed with red blood and once the blood had been consumed by the humans, they became a source of power. Now, humans possessed power. But how could they possibly survive in this hell?

---

The Golden Palace of Asgard. Under the protection of the volcanoes and hidden on the mountaintop that was eternally freezing, the gigantic palace, that had been constructed from gold and metal, reflected light so much that it looked like it was being consumed by light. Beneath the Golden Palace, countless roars could be heard.

Those were the sounds of countless gigantic machines in operation. Tens of tributaries of lava came together to merge into a river, evaporating the sea water that had filled the harbor, and turning it into a sea of boiling lava. Within the ocean, there was a pitch-black giant that was silently bathing in the flames.

The metallic giant was motionless as it silently absorbed the energy of the lava. Amidst the six pairs of dim eyes, there were flickers of flames that suggested intelligence and thought. On the huge and wide chest, there were layers of gigantic metallic boards, resembling bones and flesh and blood, that bloomed like flowers due to the tugging of wires. They revealed countless complicated-looking wires and metallic internal organs. And the heart of lightning that was constantly beating.

Amidst the dull beating of the heart, tens of musicians carefully descended along the wires. They bypassed the alchemy formations that protected the heart and carefully guided this incredible power into this non-human body. This was the proof of God's existence, the power that flowed out of the nature of God – Odin.

But now, the Golden Palace was wide open and the God has been removed from the altar to be disintegrated. The meaning of its existence has been denied by the new Emperor and its godly nature has been split up into 16 portions to be gifted to each clan. Its power has been molded into a heart to be inserted into the chest of the giant. The puppet would be given a soul and metal would be given life.

And now, in the cold and chilly Golden Palace, the new Emperor leaned against his crutch as he stared quietly at the metal giant that was bathing in lava. The expression on his face was one of indifference.

A month ago, when this cripple was undergoing his coronation, he had declared to all his loyal clans, "Asgard does not need catastrophes. We only need the northern wind."

Now, the northern wind was blowing across the sea. It lingered between heaven and earth, bringing with it the aura of war. Clouds rose from Asgard and covered its surroundings. At the very top of the Golden Palace, the layer of clouds broke open like a wound, revealing the universe and constellations of stars behind them.

Shortly after, the stars were covered up by a darkness that seemed to be of physical quantity. The darkness wriggled like living things gathering together. One could briefly see countless stars, as if they were opening their eyes, only to close again one by one as they were extinguished.

"That's the abyss." The shrunken old musician stood behind the Emperor. His face was pale, "The abyss is being rewritten."

"Have you completed the remodeling of your will" The Emperor turned back and looked at him, "Looks like you are recovering well."

The old musician laughed bitterly as he looked at the broken stone plate that he was hugging. The wedge-shaped music notes on the stone plate were glowing with fluorescence very gradually.

"Your Majesty, strictly and logically speaking, I am already dead." The old musician sighed, "I am but just a duplicate that I had left behind beforehand."

"In that case, continue to serve your empire as a duplicate, on behalf of your original self." The Emperor continued, "You are still of use to the Empire. You are not allowed to die yet."

The old musician bowed. Behind the cracked opening of the dark clouds, countless eyes within the darkness have already been shut and have vanished completely.

"Every single trace that Hyakume had left behind has been erased." The old musician described to the Emperor what he had observed through the lenses, "With the immense supplies from Caucasian, the Orthodox Church has launched a holy prayer ceremony of the biggest scale that anyone has ever seen. They would convert the abyss and transform the godly nature and status of Hyakume. After today, Hyakume will be replaced by the new God and all of its powers will be inherited by the new godly nature. The structure of the Three Pillar God will be changed forever."

With that, the dark ancient night came to an end, and the holy light lit up the night sky.

Amidst the praises of countless musicians and priests, the sounds of hymns filled the air, lit up the gloomy clouds and poured out onto the land. From east to west, from south to north, the entire world was bathed in this sacred light. Above the vault in heaven, a world, that shone with everything that was good, appeared. God's throne gradually appeared amidst the countless beams of light and on the throne sat a blurry figure that looked down at the world.

On the other hand, the Emperor was raised his head with difficulty, and stared sharply at that blurry figure that was looking down at him. It was as if he had deemed the God to be his enemy. The Emperor never shifted his gaze until the light vanished and the night sky reverted back to peace and quiet once again.

"What was that?" The Emperor asked.

"Eden," said the old musician. "That was the heaven that the Orthodox Church had created. It was made from the netherworld and the abyss. It is a place where all souls will eventually return to."

"Hmm." The Emperor nodded, "That makes them our enemy."

"Your Majesty, please think twice." The old musician lowered his head and prayed softly, "Now that we have already lost Odin, it may not be wise to go against Caucasian."

"I thought that Asgard has always valued dying with honor and courage in battle?" The Emperor's face was grim. He leaned against his crutch and shuffled his body back onto his throne, "For the past few centuries, we have always chased after the northern wind. Now, the northern wind has brought war back with it, and so we shall fight."

"Many people don't think this way, Your Majesty. There is more than just one voice in Asgard." The old musician shook his head, "Now, many people are saying that 'that lunatic will only be satisfied when everyone in Asgard has become a cripple like him'."

The Emperor smiled and patted his deformed leg. He looked at the old musician, "That may not be a bad thing either, don't you think? Then, all of you understand that when a cripple wishes to walk, he must rely on his crutch."

The old musician was stunned.

The Emperor stretched out his hand and drew out a bronze pipe and threw it to the old musician, "Take a look at this."

He opened the bronze pipe and took out a scroll from within. At the end of the scroll was the national seal of Asgard and the seal of the King of Red. As the old musician read the clauses on the scroll, he became silent.

"Since the enemy has their own God, then we must seek a God for ourselves." The Emperor continued quietly, "From this day on, Asgard will embrace the Church as the national religion. We will form an alliance with the Sacred City and renew the third, fourth and ninth Amendment Acts. The Sacred City will be part of our power! Even though a new era has come, the honor and glory of the Empire will never be lost. I will wait for the heroic spirits of our ancestors to be with the stars! As long as the northern wind continues to bless us, Asgardians need not fear any of our enemies!"

With that, the night sky was lit up once again. It was the holy light from the Sacred City. Thousands of iron towers rang and light poured out in all directions. Beams of light pillars shot up into the sky, sweeping away all the haze. Under the command of the King of Red, the gigantic Iron City was booming with melody once again.

The door to the room of relics, which had been sealed up for a hundred years, suddenly whipped open. In the middle of every major church, countless believers and priests were praying and amidst the hymns of the countless musicians, artifacts glowed and rose up from the altar, one after another.

With the collapse of the abyss and the rise of Eden, the turbulent realm of aether welcomed another new sun. Stars rose from nothingness. Saints that had already passed away were being conferred titles once again.

For the past few centuries, the Church's multitudes of reserves were activated again and again as armies from all over would come over on iron whales. The tolling of the bell would summon the Knights Templar, Guardian Knights, Merciful Knights, Southern Allied Knights, the Monastic Order of Gladiolus, and the Knights Templar of Hospital, who have risen once again after not being heard from for many years.

The automated and armored metal boots stepped on the metal ground of the Sacred City. Metal against metal signified the beginning of war.

---

At the same time in Anglo, on the ninth satellite island on Avalon, there was a voice that was counting down in the silence and darkness.

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four…"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

In the instant when the countdown was complete, there was a roar from the middle of the island. Countless beams of light of Firebird lit up the night sky. Flames shot out in the darkness in all directions as terrifying power gathered within to push the gigantic metallic structure up into the sky. Bit by bit, it overcame the pull of gravity, as it rose higher and higher. It tore through the darkness and layers of clouds as it rose above the storm and land. It kept rising up into the sky. It was like a giant's bow that was shooting at the sky with arrows with no return.

Golden beams of light poured out from the 'arrow' and hung in the sky miraculously. It started out slow before progressing into such a high speed that a naked eye could not catch up, and after tens of seconds, that metallic structure had already flown so high that it was difficult to determine where exactly it was. Then, it rained down beams of light that were even brighter than the stars!

Amidst the dead silence in the central command room in the Royal Institute of Research, Newton was gripping so tightly on the arm of the person beside him that his fingers had already practically dug into the poor fellow's flesh. But the atmosphere was heavy and solemn, so no one seemed to be aware. They were all staring at the changing icons on the wall that would calculate the path of that arrow. The voice that was reporting updates was dry and tired. Breathing was heavy and eyes were filled with blood vessels. In the end, even the voice that was reporting updates stopped.

The silence was hot and humid. Beads of sweat fell onto the ground. All of a sudden, there was a hoarse voice, amidst the background noise, speaking through the comms set.

"Hello? Test, test. Can anyone hear me?" The hoarse voice coughed and reported, "I have reached the end of the path. The location has been set. Everything is normal. Please acknowledge if you hear this. I repeat, please acknowledge if you hear this."

"We hear you, Your Highness." Newton could barely contain his excitement as he snatched the comms set over, "We hear you loud and clear! Please report the height, Your Highness, please report the height!"

"Height… height… let me see…" There were some ruffling sounds before the hoarse voice read out the figures on the altimeter, "940 miles, everyone, I'm currently 940 miles in the air. The clouds are beneath me and the land is a circular shape… We did it, everyone, we did it! We have succeeded in fixing a gigantic instrument of harmonious melody at a height of 940 miles! We have reached the vault in heaven!"

The silence was finally broken by wild cheers. Everyone in the Royal Institute of Research was absolutely overjoyed. They were dancing, cheering, hugging each other, screaming, crying, and even tossing the papers in their hands up to the ceiling. The moment to witness this miracle had arrived.

Newton kept his composure. He only smiled and lowered his head to rub his nose, which was rather red by now. He stretched out his hand to the burly man beside him, "Thank you so much for your help, Patriarch, thank you for the technical expertise and cooperation provided by the Chainsaw Fraternity. Without your help, this man-made star would not have succeeded so quickly."

"This is all because of how talented you and His Highness are. All we have done was just to provide some old information and techniques." The old and burly Patriarch shook hands with Newton and continued, "In that case, as according to our agreement, the Chainsaw Fraternity will now form an alliance with Anglo. I hope that we will be able to create a real future for mankind."

Newton laughed out loud, "That's the way to do it."

---

It was 940 miles away from earth. The vault in heaven was dark and there was no air. Even the gravitational pull has become insignificant. The metal star hung high in the universe and gradually spun around the earth until it anchored itself up in the skies of Anglo. It formed a resonance with the Net of Aether and rained down the beams of light of Firebird.

Above the stars, the white hair of the young man flowed like river. In the silence, he lowered his head and looked down at everything. The land, the sky, this world. So beautiful.