Chapter 501 (1): Summit of Pride x Saigner, the Judge

Subjected to Rognes’s praise, even someone as thick-skinned and shameless as Wayne felt embarrassed. The former knight was such a paragon of virtue that he seemed to be glowing, dazzling Wayne so much that he couldn’t keep his eyes open. While Rognes was telling the truth, emphasizing it too much would make the praise sound like sarcasm.

Seeing Rognes gearing up for more compliments, Wayne raised a hand to stop him and skipped the topic. “I didn’t come to the Underworld to hear those harsh truths from you, Rognes. The clock’s ticking. Run me through your plan and tell me how I’m supposed to cover you.”

Agreeing, Rognes led the way to a treehouse. It consisted of several sizable gnarled trees, with vines woven into a spiral staircase. Pushing open the wooden door on the second floor revealed a modest interior. The furnishing was simple: a table carved from tree roots in the center, a few cushioned chairs around the table, a bookshelf embedded in the wall by the window, and a map of the Underworld hung on the opposite wall.

Wayne studied it for a moment. The situation was rather murky. “Rognes, you said earlier that this forest is called the Heart of Nature, and that it connects to the Underworld’s first ten levels, making it no less important to the Underworld than the One Universe of the eleventh level. It’s strange. Where did all those natural elements come from?”

As the rebels’ home base, the Heart of Nature could conceal the energy of undead creatures and stood independent of the twelve levels, allowing them free passage in and out of the first ten levels with no risk of detection. The three subordinate gods could not locate this place.

This was beyond Rognes. It had to be the handiwork of a deity. That raised the question: which?

Elian, the Goddess of Nature, who had hollowed out the Underworld? Or Aztimor, the master of the Underworld?

Wayne leaned toward the latter. Aztimor had long foreseen that She would fall into slumber, and that Nature, the antithesis of Death, would be Her formidable foe. To break the impasse, She sent Her thoughts and incarnations out of the Divine Realm in advance, waiting for the moment of reunion.

Suffice it to say, falling into slumber was part of Aztimor’s plan. In fact, since Nature coveted Death’s knowledge, and Death coveted Nature’s knowledge, the two goddesses needed each other’s power to advance further.

The road to evolution narrowed as it progressed; so narrow that no company would be allowed!

Wayne made a daring hypothesis: Nature and Death had faced off for years, and Aztimor, lacking the confidence to defeat Elian, went for the Heart of Nature as a shortcut of sorts.

Hearing Wayne’s question, Rognes revealed everything he knew in a low voice: “The goddess created the Heart of Nature with Nature’s Law while the three traitors were none the wiser. She entrusted the key to me. This is too important for you to tell anyone else. Keep it to yourself.”

I knew it!

Wayne nodded. “The goddess wants to advance further through Nature, doesn’t She?”

“I don’t know.” Rognes shook his head. Perhaps the Goddess of Death did intend to do that, but the results would suggest a failure. “I need you to draw Sizorn’s attention while posing as me, and make it big. That’ll make it easier for you to march into the first ten levels with the whole army. I’ll hand you this key.”

“Is that really right?” Wayne said stiffly. Every time he met Rognes, Rognes kept giving him gifts. Those who didn’t know that Rognes had a terrible eye for people would think that Rognes was the Underworld’s number one traitor.

“There’s nothing wrong about it. The pressure you’ll face is far greater...” Rognes said solemnly. “Remember, avoid conflict when possible and don’t take unnecessary risks. The three traitors have gained the blessings of the Underworld, so they’re no longer just subordinate gods.”

“Fret not,” Wayne reassured. “I’m only providing cover. I’m not going to charge ahead of you in the heat of the moment.”

He looked at the map of the Underworld before him. The core regions were the One Universe of the eleventh level and the Temple of Eternity of the twelfth level. Both strategic locations were now Sizorn’s territory. If Rognes wanted to enter the Temple of Eternity to carry the goddess’s coffin out, he would have to deal with Sizorn. There was no way around it.

Rognes pointed to the map, explaining the current state of the Underworld to Wayne, as well as the plan to lure the tiger from its den. At the end, he said with a sigh, “You’ve come at the right time. I’ve completed the preparation. The only thing missing is a powerful enough demigod to hold the line. You don’t need to defeat the three traitors. Just make frequent appearances so that they believe I’ve been commanding the army all along.”

“What if I defeat them?” Wayne asked.

“That would be ideal...” Rognes patted him on the shoulder, offering reassurances from the standpoint of a senior. “Don’t give yourself too much pressure. Just by coming, you’ve already been a great help to me. My life and glory have all been bestowed by the goddess. This is my mission and duty.”

The lack of belief in his ability bothered Wayne. “I’m really strong. How about a spar?”

“Not now, but there will be plenty of chances later.” Rognes guffawed. He liked Wayne’s confidence. Young people should believe in themselves, or they wouldn’t be young people.

Wayne fell silent and started studying the map before him carefully. He knew nothing about military strategies, so commanding an army would be a tall task. After some deliberation, he concluded that it would be safest to employ a deep battle strategy[1].

The strategy was simple: focus on one’s advantages and just charge in!

Seeing the thoughtful look on his face, Rognes said, “Don’t worry. You’re only playing me. You don’t have to give commands. The nine Night Gods will assist you.”

“Night Gods?!”

“You met one of them before, Ryza...” Rognes gave Wayne a rundown about Night Gods.

They oversaw the Underworld’s night, consisting of Aztimor’s most trusted disciples. They weren’t Her vassal creations, but popes and Holy Maidens from the Chosen Land. Through level upon level of screening, their loyalty was ensured.

Then, Rognes listed the nine Night Gods’ names and identities. Four were popes, and five were Holy Maidens, Ryza being one of them.

Wayne was beyond disappointed. Sukra’s master, Ryza, was a Holy Maiden, but Ryza’s master wasn’t. Among the five Holy Maiden Night Gods, Ryza was the most inexperienced. The other four Holy Maidens weren’t masters and disciples. Wayne could forget about bagging Sukra’s master’s master. There was no family meal offered.

Why that was could be summarized as two reasons: first, the cruelty of the War of Faiths, and second, the seal the Heavenly Father had put on the Chosen Land in the later stages of the war.

During the War of Faiths, the Underworld was either fighting or soon breaking into a fight. Holy Maidens were a high-risk profession, often meeting premature deaths without warning.

Over the prolonged war, the Underworld had welcomed a total of four Holy Maidens, who became demigods and took their posts at the Temple of Eternity to serve Aztimor. As ladies in waiting, the Night Gods had a transcendent status.

Once the war concluded and Elohim conquered the Chosen Land, the five goddesses could not contend against him. They could only watch as he sealed off the Chosen Land, gradually diluting the concept of magic in the mortal realm.

The five churches saw a rupture in their history, the Church of Death included. During that period, the popes and Holy Maidens couldn’t even manage a single spell, let alone master magic.

It was precisely during that period that the divine authority of the Church of Heavenly Father experienced challenges from the Crowns of various nations. Science supplanted magic, and the Chosen Land underwent an industrial revolution.

Later, Elohim lifted the seal, allowing mages to resume their training. The churches picked up the thread and developed their faith in the mortal realm once more, making a comeback and growing stronger.

Starting from scratch, magic was no longer monopolized by the churches. The royal families of different countries founded their own ministries of magic, forming the world of magic that Wayne had come to know after his transmigration.

Ryza had been a Holy Maiden in that era. When she entered the Divine Realm, she passed the mantle to her student, Sukra. Unfortunately for Sukra, she barely enjoyed a few days before Aztimor moved into Schrödinger’s box and started alternating between life and death.

“Wayne, this is the key to the Heart of Nature. Keep it on your person and guard it closely. You must not lose it.” Rognes pressed his palms together before his chest. When he pulled them apart, there was a blood red crystal hovering between them.

Wayne took the key. It felt like a Philosopher’s Stone, but it tasted far better.

The eyeball of Nature grew brighter. The Book of Greed decided it was decent enough and prompted Wayne for more.

Just look around and see if you find more Philosopher’s Stones. This was what Aztimor had secretly saved up behind Elian’s back. You think it’s too little? I think so too!

Wayne weighed the Philosopher’s Stone Plus in his hand. “Rognes, the Underworld is split into twelve levels. Is there a key for each level?”

Rognes always answered Wayne’s questions. He shook his head and responded, “That’s not the case. The Heart of Nature is special, existing independent of the Underworld. The twelve-level Underworld is a single entity, forged by the goddess Herself. There is no separate key for each level.”

“Alright.”

***

Later, Wayne met the nine Night Gods and, following Rognes’s introduction, shook each of their hands.

There was nothing much to say about the four popes—all crusty old men—nor was there much to say about the five Holy Maidens—all stunning ladies with long silvery grey hair.

After Aztimor fell into slumber, the nine Night Gods, refusing to submit, had been cast into the Great Prison of the Forgotten. They only regained freedom through Rognes’s rescue. That was the beginning of the resistance. Then Rognes, with the key to the Heart of Nature and considerable charisma, attracted more supporters. The army snowballed in power.

If the three subordinate gods had not stolen the Authority over the Underworld, Rognes and the demigods would have been able to pick the three traitors off one by one, wiping out their forces. But an unwinnable fight was unwinnable. No amount of talking would change the fact. What mattered was whether the subsequent plan could go smoothly.

The nine Night Gods trusted Rognes deeply. With Rognes vouching for him, Wayne received a warm welcome.

Ryza pursed her lips. When shaking hands with him, she couldn’t quite hold back her eye rolls.

She had gotten the full story.

Under the interrogation of the assembly of Holy Maidens, Sukra confessed everything. She wasn’t a kept woman of the sexual nature. She had lain down without moving, but Wayne hadn’t moved, either.

The whole arrangement had been strictly vegetarian. No meat had ever been consumed, and their relationship was unseasoned. It was Wayne’s deliberate phrasing that caused the misunderstanding that Sukra had lost her purity.

It turned out that Sukra was right. Wayne really did have a knack for deceiving women. He hadn’t been in the Underworld for long before he had Ryza thoroughly fooled. If she demanded an explanation, he could even counter the question by asking why the Holy Maiden had her mind in the gutter.

The plan to lure the tiger out of its den wasn’t complicated. All it lacked was a Death Knight who could impersonate Rognes. Wayne had once played the Headless Knight in the underground catacombs in Palis. In that faceless, skinless form, playing Rognes would only require him to exercise restraint...

He just had to stay silent.

1. Deep battle is a military theory developed by the Soviet Union for its armed forces during the 1920s and 1930s, emphasizing destroying, suppressing or disorganizing enemy forces not only at the line of contact but also throughout the depth of the battlefield. ☜