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Translator: adomman
Editor: Snorri
Amon sat in a huge mountain cave and was talking to Idu and others through the statue on the altar in the city of Salem. When he thought of Maria, something suddenly flew out from him and floated in mid-air with a soft glow. It was a Terroculus, which could be used to record various information after being refined by magic.
Amon had been carrying around this Terroculus with him for the past several years. When he was still a squad leader of guards for the Shrine of Isis’s library of records and still a sixth-level warrior, Maria decided to send him deep into the Plains of Duc after the flood receded to examine the terrain and landscape. Before he left, Maria gave him this special parangon and told him it contained some kind of information that he might be able to see in the future.
Amon could not see any information inside at that time, and at first, he thought it was because his realm was not high enough. But even after he had achieved the ninth level and became a god-like being on earth, he was still unable to read any information. However, he could distinguish that the Terroculus had been specially processed and contained some kind of subtle magic, which was the secret magic of the Adoratrice, and Amon did not understand it very well.
Today, this piece of Terroculus suddenly flew out by itself and floated in the air. Next, a hazy figure of light appeared in the cave, from which came Maria’s voice: “Amon, I have something to say to you, call Gabriel here as well.”
Amon instantly realized what the function of this Terroculus was. It did not record some kind of information but had been made into a magic formation that could transmit information from long distances. This transmission could only work in a single direction, and Maria could show him what she wanted to tell him. However, Amon could only see and hear, but not say anything to Maria.
Theoretically, the distance over which it could transmit information was infinite, but in reality, it was not unlimited. This was related to the magical power poured into it during the refining process and the achievements of the creator. If Maria could sense its presence, she could transmit a message. However, she could only do this once. When the magical power stored in the Terroculus was exhausted, the transmission would end, and the stone would also be destroyed.
When Maria gave Amon this Terroculus as a reward for his mission, she only talked about it briefly. After that, she never mentioned it again, and she did not ask Amon whether he still kept it with him or used it for other purposes. But Amon had been carrying it around with him all along, and unexpectedly received a message from Maria today.
In his shock, Amon momentarily forgot that he was talking with Idu and others. He opened his eyes in the mountain cave and shouted for Gabriel, his voice is heard throughout the Garden of Eden, and did not care to say anything more. Then he stood up and looked nervously at the light and sound coming from the Terroculus, not even noticing Gabriel’s arrival in the cave.
Amon saw Maria once again, and she was surprisingly dressed as the young girl in his memories, instead of wearing a golden crown and holding a scepter. She wore a long white dress and stood in the light as she said warmly: “Amon, I am Ichor. All these years, there are some things I can not say to you, and when the day comes that I can, maybe we will never see each other again, or maybe everything has changed, or maybe I will be at your side.
Nobody can tell what will happen in the future, I can’t imagine it myself, so I left you this Terroculus, which will allow you to see me and hear me from thousands of miles away.
When this day really came, I didn’t expect it to be such an ending. Maybe you’ll blame me for being so cruel as to let you see this with your own eyes? This is where I belong, my faith has never wavered, my beliefs have always been pure, but I have my struggles and aspirations, just as you have yours.
I know exactly what you are doing and what you will have to face sooner or later, and this is the last testimony I can leave for you. I’m not sure if I’m regretful or lucky in this life, my heart feels the same way as your heart feels, and there is no need for any more words.”
After she said these words, the scene in the light changed to Maria wearing a golden crown and holding a scepter, praying to Goddess Isis in the shrine. Suddenly, the voice of Seth came from the void: “Maria, your prayer has touched the gods, you will listen to the oracle of Seth……”
This was what happened three months ago, and Maria used information magic to recreate this scene and sent it to Amon’s eyes. After that conversation, Seth coldly said: “I am only here today to tell you the oracle that will descend, not to ask you to agree. In three months the oracle will descend on all the cities of the Empire, and the Adoratrice will marry the Pharaoh according to the guidance of the gods and become the chief high priestess of the Empire, symbolizing the perfect union of the divine and royal authority of the Upper and Lower Ejypt.
Whether you are willing or not, someone will announce this for you. Even if you die, someone will dress up as you and complete this ceremony in your capacity. In the official annals of the Empire, this event will be recorded, and in the psalms chanted in the shrine, this story will be recounted. Prepare yourself well, and I will come back to you in three months to ask you whether you will complete it voluntarily or let me do it for you; it makes no difference to the Empire.”
The light from the Terroculus dimmed, then became bright again, and the light emitted turned into another scene, which was what was happening in the distant Shrine of Isis at this moment –
Maria stood in the main shrine wearing a white dress without a gold crown but holding the scepter of the Adoratrice, which was topped by a God’s Tear that shone with golden light. There was not a single attendant around, as everyone had been sent away by Maria.
At this time, the shrine’s chief supreme warrior Ankh walked in and bowed. “Your Highness, according to your instructions, everyone has been told to leave this hall and stay two miles away, while the Isis Legion has been ordered to be on alert. The commotion is not small, is this really the oracle of the gods? Why did the gods want you to do this, the high priests are asking about it.”
Maria replied faintly: “Today right here, there will be a miracle, and it was Seth who gave me this oracle three months ago. I naturally have my reasons for ordering everyone to stay two miles away from the shrine, and this order must be strictly enforced. Supreme warrior Ankh, you must remember, no one may violate the order, so you should also hurry up and leave.”
Ankh frowned slightly. “But how long do we have to wait?”
Maria: “When the time comes, you will naturally understand, just restrain the people from approaching the shrine and wait for the appearance of the miracle! Whoever dares to disobey the order should be immediately arrested on the spot regardless of status, and I leave it to you to deal with them later.”
The usually gentle Adoratrice ordered so firmly with an awe-inspiring aura of authority, so Ankh could not pursue the issue any further and left. Shortly after he left, Seth’s voice rang out in the shrine: “Maria, I am coming today to ask you if you have made a good decision. You expelled everyone so far away, and for what purpose? No one else will hear the conversation between us.”
Maria did not look to where the voice came from, but simply looked at the statue of Isis in front of her and replied calmly: “You said to me that you were Seth, the head of the neteru. But I only heard a voice, you can’t prove your identity.”
Seth’s voice had a tone of anger: “You are a supreme mage and the Adoratrice of the Shrine of Isis, you should be able to tell who I am!”
Maria shook her head gently: “I have never seen Seth, only heard your voice, and do not know who is speaking to me in Seth’s voice. Please do not forget that you claimed last time that you could also speak in the voice of the goddess Isis. If you really want to convey the oracle to me, please show your true form. Legend has it that you are ugly and your face is that of a donkey, but your statues all look handsome, so I wish to see your true form. In order to keep idle people from spying on a god, I asked everyone to exit the shrine and stay two miles away.”
Seth snorted coldly. “You actually want me to show myself? Do you know that I came today only to ask for your decision, but will not change anything because of your decision, you only have to tell me if you are willing or not.”
Maria looked at the God’s Tear on her scepter: “I will only make an answer if I see you. If I do not see you, no decision will be made. You can disregard my thoughts, but don’t forget that the Adoratrice with the scepter in her hand also possesses great power, and if I strike with all my might, no one in Memphis will be my opponent. Your so-called plan will also become a joke.”
Seth smiled coldly. “Without the identity of the Adoratrice, you are nothing more than a supreme mage with a powerful magic weapon, do you think you are a match for the gods? Even if you possess an amazing amount of power, you will not be able to fight against the will of the Empire and will only bring destruction to yourself.”
Maria nodded. “I know, but that will come at a great cost. Seth, do you only hide in the clouds and give orders? Why don’t you show up in person, are you afraid of me?”
As she finished speaking these words, Maria suddenly turned around, and a pervasive pressure silently appeared in the hall. A person’s figure emerged in the doorway as if stepping out from the endless void. This person was a magnificent man, standing with his hands behind his back, and he had a sturdy body and a beautiful face, definitely not ugly at all. But his face was indeed a bit long, and his eyes were also a bit small, so to say that he had the face of a donkey was simply an exaggerated way of mocking him.
Maria had “seen” him many times before, and this man was Seth himself. As soon as Seth appeared, he said coldly: “The Adoratrice is the symbol of guardianship, blessing, and wisdom, and what you just did, was the most stupid thing you could do. You could have become the chief priest of the kingdom, the symbolic Queen of Ejypt, and all you needed to do was to let the mission of the Adoratrice end in your hands and complete the theocratic unification of the Empire. Isis is no more with us and this is how things should be.”
Mary just looked at him, neither bowing nor speaking, the God’s Tear on the scepter flickering.
Seth also stared at Maria, but the anger in his eyes gradually disappeared, and finally said very calmly: “You can’t be a match for the gods, and even if you are powerful, you can’t be my enemy. If I am not willing to face you, you simply cannot meet a god who truly transcends eternal life. The reason why I appeared is just to tell you one thing.”
Maria finally spoke up, “What do you wish to tell me? Is it that Isis is no longer around and that there is no need for the Adoratrice to exist?”
Seth did not answer nor deny, but instead said: “You are already a ninth level supreme mage, and you just broke through to the ninth level not long ago, right? It is indeed rare! You are qualified to fill a position in the Ennead divine clan because of your achievement and luck, which I also greatly appreciate. Now I will give you another option, which is both a gift from the gods and the result of your own efforts.
As long as you make a vow, you can be guided into the Ennead divine clan, share the secrets of the gods to become a neteru and have the opportunity to transcend eternal life in the future. I will be your guide and you only need to make a vow to me. In addition to your loyalty to the Ennead, you only need to complete one more task, which is to kill Amon. The opportunity to become a god is already in front of your eyes!”
Maria took a step forward. “I am surprised that you would change your mind and give me another option as well. What about the original choice, what are you going to do if I refuse?”
Seth said plainly: “You shall not negotiate with the gods, which is the greatest blessing on earth. If you refuse, I don’t know what else you want? Then you have only one option left, and that is the destruction of your spiritual imprint. I still need your identity to accomplish what I want to do, and regardless of whether the body without the soul is still you or not, people will only know that it is the Adoratrice.”
Maria took another step upward and said: “Are you that confident that you can do all this?”
Seth: “Anyway, it’s just you and me here, so I’ll say it plainly, even Horus is not my opponent, and now that I’ve become the de facto king of the Ennead, it’s not hard to do all this. I just saw your qualifications and courage, that’s why I gave you another option.”
Maria slowly raised her scepter: “Seeing you emerge from the void, I finally understood one thing: powerful warriors or mages can fight with the gods on earth, but they cannot enter the world belonging to the gods. The gods are in a position where they cannot be defeated by mortals, as long as they do not want to show themselves. But you have shown yourself, and are standing too close to me.”
A gray scroll appeared out of thin air, and it was the Tiamat’s Wrath she had taken from Amon. When Crazy’Ole built the iron stick, he had imitated the scepter of the Adoratrice, and the Ventussalte embedded in the scepter was also a spatial artifact. When Maria raised the scepter, the scroll in the Ventussalte was activated.
Seth shouted: “What is this?”
Maria: “You can’t possibly know about Tiamat’s Wrath, do you?”
Seth: “Tiamat’s Wrath? I know very well that the Shrine of Isis tried to make it but did not succeed, you think you can scare me with a fake scroll? Let me tell you, even a real Tiamat’s Wrath can not destroy me, the legends are just an exaggeration!”
Maria stepped forward again. “I just want to give it a try!”
Seth tried to step back and his body blurred for an instant, seemingly about to disappear into the void, only to become clear again, and he couldn’t help but ask in a panicked tone: “How did you know this secret?”
Maria replied coldly, “I am, after all, the Adoratrice of Isis, and there are some things that I know of. If you are the target of actual hostility, you can’t just leave this world as you wish. I know you can still break this law if given time, but now, it’s too late!”
Seth shouted, a staff appearing in his hands, but that gray storm of destruction unfolded at precisely the same time. A horrific aura burst forth, heaven and earth were engulfed by darkness as if the light was swallowed by a sudden appearance of an invisible monster, and even all sound disappeared. The surrounding objects were constantly swept away as if the storm swept everything into nothingness.
……
The priests of the Shrine of Isis were ordered by the Adoratrice to retreat to a place two miles away from the main shrine. As the main shrine was close to the shrine square, two nearby residential areas needed to be evacuated. Ankh sent the Isis Legion to guard the area, and nobody was allowed to enter this range while they waited for the miracle to happen. The people were all talking about it and asked Lord Ankh exactly what miracle the Adoratrice wanted everyone to wait for, but Ankh could not answer.
At this point, several high priests suddenly grunted at the same time, feeling the invasion of an unsettling horror, and they lowered their heads as they gripped their chests, as if their hearts were inexplicably strangled by something, and they all could not breathe properly. The supreme mages with the highest achievement could sense it the strongest, while the ordinary people looked up in the direction of the main shrine as they somewhat felt the horrific aura spreading from that direction.
Where the main shrine was located, the space between heaven and earth seemed to be swallowed by a dark storm that suddenly appeared, and the light seemed to disappear within a black vortex. All the while, the terrifying storm was constantly expanding with an aura of destruction. Many people let out a cry of alarm before turning to run as if there were evil spirits chasing after them.
The ninth-level supreme mage Wadj-Hotep shouted: “Ankh, quickly order the army to fall back!”
The black light swelled and engulfed heaven and earth, and it looked like it was going to spread to the people in a few moments, and both the soldiers on guard and the onlookers retreated back like a tidal wave. However, the area that the black light engulfed was not as large as they expected, and it only destroyed all the buildings around the main shrine within a radius of one mile or so before slowly disappearing. In the end, the magnificent main shrine and both sides of the supporting halls had been turned into scorched earth.
One could only hear a terrible hiss, and a figure rose up into the sky from the darkness before rapidly disappearing. No one could see who it was, but it was Seth who had fled with heavy injuries!
……
“ICHO–!!!” Thousands of miles away, a long heartbreaking cry resounded through the Garden of Eden, upon which a figure flew out of a mountain cave, directly crashed through the barrier of the spatial magic formation, and rushed out. Geshtinanna, who was constructing the magic formation, was startled when Amon flew away without even looking at where he was going, and the section of the magic formation that had just been constructed was forcefully destroyed by the crash.
What exactly happened for the usually calm and stoic Amon to lose his mind and rush out of Eden? Just as Amon left, a flash of white light followed behind. Gabriel chased after Amon and also sped away, did not even have time to say a word. Geshtinanna and Moses looked at each other, not knowing what was wrong with the two of them.
In the empty mountain cave, there was a spattering of blood on the ground, and within the blood was a broken Terroculus.
…Ichor, huh?
The blood of Maria, the virgin Adoratrice.
Seth doesn’t know it yet, but he is a dead god walking.