Loading
month record rogue 5 1 3
The young general has led his troops to this place.
A pool of stagnant water above, nestled between quiet peaks. Yan's former 'god' is near death, no difference from Its kin.
It has lost.
Yan had seen through Its ruse to foment war, dispelled Its conspiracy to take advantage of all parties involved being distracted, and shattered Its plot to establish Itself as this land's one and only 'god'.
Now all that awaited It was Yan's judgment.
The young general draws his sword, pointing it toward a massive, ancient eye.
'If you bow your head and pledge eternal, unending loyalty to Yan, then in consideration your past meritorious deeds—'
'Hah... Haha...'
The laughter arising from between the peaks is rife with madness, as if a cold fog has swept across a battlefield bathed in blood. The pool ripples, and dust spills from the peaks in endless streams.
'Why do you laugh?'
'I laugh at myself. I believed myself the mastermind, but now it has come to this. I also laugh at you, as arrogant as I was!
'You claim time and again to stand united against a common enemy, but in truth? Even with a mighty enemy before you, you still have your blades at each other's throats, happily killing your own kind! Those deaths outnumber battlefield casualties more than a hundredfold! You speak of treachery and cunning, barbarism and brutality, but it is you mortals who have mastered those traits, not we!
'Admit it: it is in your nature. Once this hunt ends, lacking some foe from without, you will start slaughtering one another until none are left!
'I had not seen clearly before, but now, I understand... I am eager to see you all—
'Tear yourselves to pieces.'
'......'
The young general's sword hand trembles slightly as he grasps the hilt.
The great beast before him is near-crazed, Its incisive questions deep and booming. The young general never thought that Yan's quarry could have a mind so close to a mortal's.
He looks back at the soldiers behind him—Yan's final, and most elite, warriors. Their comrades, hundreds and thousands of them, have been buried in the churning earth of the battlefield.
The entirety of the great hunt was rife with conflict. A victory in name only. One nobody dared claim was due to anything but sheer luck. None knew exactly what price Yan had paid, whether on the battlefield or off of it. He too could not help but wonder—
Would Yan have to experience this calamity once more in the future?
After a long, long period of contemplation, the young general's sword hand no longer trembles, and he sheathes his sword. Seeing him do so, his soldiers sheathe their arms as well, but remain vigilant.
'Heh... You claim to understand mortals? Alright then...
'I shall spare your life, but you must bow to Yan.
'With your power to take lives on the battlefield, help me build vast shelters to protect all people. With your strategic mind that renounced your kind and plotted against humanity, help me enlighten the masses.
'If you are loyal, you will live, so that you may make things right. And if you ever change your mind, Yan's soldiers will tread atop your back once more!
'Once we begin our... grand undertaking, you will see with your own eyes if Yan truly is as you say.
'We shall prevail over ourselves.'
With those words, he turns to leave—
He spies 'himself' leaving, an aged man, head held high as it bears a tasseled crown, walking step by step. What he sees and hears is true, his thoughts and understandings clear and knowing. This is no illusion... yet the sight gradually fades away.
'Hmm, his brows are twitching, so he must be dreaming... Should I wake him up, Mr. Liang?'
'Should you really be using electricity to awaken Zuo Le, Tianshi Lin...?'
'No need. 'Rest on stone, heed thy dreams.' When the heart has doubts, they will enter one's dreams. Once things are settled in dream, one will naturally awaken. Not long has passed, so give him time... From the look of things, he should be up soon.'
