When the plot-skips players into the game world-Chapter 1040 - 379: The Rebirth of the Heaven Defier

Chapter 1040 -379: The Rebirth of the Heaven Defier

The military aristocrats of Black Hawk received a warm welcome upon their arrival in the Narcissus Duchy.

Inside the cozy Mage Tower, upon witnessing their arrival, the Mage Lords who had been waiting on site took the initiative to greet them enthusiastically.

Several middle-aged tough guys dressed in pure black military uniforms, smiling, exchanged hugs and cheek kisses with the handsome men and beautiful women in light robes across from them. It was hard to tell that they had been at war for several months.

“May Holy Blood bless you, brother. Congratulations on founding your nation… and congratulations on your newfound youth.”

“May Holy Blood boil day and night, dear sister. You are free now.”

The Black Hawk nobles extended their sincere congratulations one after another.

They called each other brothers and sisters, which was the most intimate appellation among the Sons of the Moon. It was generally used only among those of the same faith.

Although the faith of the Sons of the Moon within the Black Hawk and the Narcissus Duchy differed slightly… the Black Hawk nobles themselves were not direct subordinates of the Red Chancellor and were often involved in wars. Their faith in the Banquet Master wasn’t steadfast; they simply followed orders—or rather, followed the popular belief in the Banquet Master due to Star Antimony’s mainstream faith.

Now that the Red Chancellor was dead, they were not barred from converting to the Blood Celestial Marshal’s faith.

In such circumstances, being called “brothers and sisters” was quite heartening. It gave a feeling that one’s own faith was recognized.

——It was like how pagans respectfully greeted each other in the way of the other’s sect.

The leading male Mage, likewise, nodded with a smile: “Thank you, General Miller, General Hepburn.”

He seemed very happy, enthusiastically embracing each of the Black Hawk nobles in turn.

He was Lord Youlan, the most powerful among the Mage Lords of the Narcissus Duchy.

He was also the only one, the Old Mage who had lived from the era of the last Duke Dacula until now.

Major Miller speculated in his heart.

The first time he came here, Lord Youlan was a frail old man who seemed as though he would die after taking just a few steps.

When he last came here, Lord Youlan had become a Son of the Moon. And he had returned to his middle-aged state of around forty or fifty years old.

And now, he had regained the youthful appearance of his twenties or thirties, striding with vigor!

——As Sons of the Moon themselves, why couldn’t they rejuvenate as well?

Was it because… of the ritual and Divine Arts that Blood Celestial Marshal bestowed upon his believers?

And their change was not just that.

Normally, these Mages should have been physically frail and weak.

Their souls were too strong—The power gained during the ascension ritual was all used to transform the soul while neglecting the body, which could easily lead to “Spiritual Dissonance Syndrome.” The result would be a headache every morning.

A headache every day, the head throbbing day by day. Only daily consumption of secret medicines could maintain their condition.

But now, these Mages were all robust, their Blood Qi boiling. The burning temperature like that of a feverish person, the untrained yet strong physical strength became evident to the Black Hawk aristocrats during the hugs—unlike the Sons of the Moon from Star Antimony, they did not share this characteristic, and their body temperature was no different from ordinary people, heating up only during excitement.

…Was this the Divine Arts of Blood Celestial Marshal?

The biggest difference between them and the Sons of the Moon on the Star Antimony side was… their pupils were bright red, shimmering like rubies. But the pupils of these Mages were dark red, closer to black-brown, like dried blood.

Just staring into them would evoke a sense of fear… for ordinary people, they would likely shiver uncontrollably.

——That was a lesser Aura of Fear.

Major Miller recognized this ability.

It was not a spell, but a special ability that always existed within their bodies.

“It’s also thanks to you, Generals,” said Lord Youlan gratefully, nodding: “Without your help… without your brave warriors daring to charge in at all costs, my students might have encountered quite some trouble.”

“Students… Lord Youlan really dotes on them,” General Hepburn laughed.

“There’s no helping it. Just as children are always children in front of their parents, to a Mage Lord, even if those students have graduated from us decades ago, they are still our students,” Lord Youlan said with a laugh: “It is our tradition. It has been so for hundreds of years, without change.”

Only then could one see a trace of aging in his smile and tone.

The Mage Tower was essentially an academic oligarchy. It resembled the teaching model of the Spirit Summoning Tower, but with an essential difference.

Because all the senior officials of the Narcissus Duchy were Mages, and could only be Mages.

In the Narcissus Duchy, an official without the Path of Wisdom is directly considered incompetent.

Without a mainstream Path, one cannot become a ruler. But in the Narcissus Duchy, this prejudice is even more severe than Avalon’s preference for the Path of Authority. Because lacking a level in the Path of Authority would, at most, prove you are somewhat rebellious, unwilling to be managed or to manage others.

Young Mage apprentices study in different Mage Towers under the same group of teachers, and they naturally exhibit arrogance and xenophobia—after all, being from the Path of Wisdom, they have intellectual dominance… generally they don’t get along with other Paths.

Their seniors, who are on the same Path and in the same profession, have closer relationships due to the mentorship, and such teacher-student traditions are more trustworthy and the responsibility could be more easily traced than kinship or fellow townsmanship.

Consequently, all officials favor and promote their juniors from the same lineage. And as the heads of the Mage Towers, the Mage Lords, even though they are not officials or actual “Lords,” have much greater control than foreign lords and naturally gain control over local affairs.

It was precisely for this reason that the Stibnite people couldn’t manage the Narcissus Duchy. With Black Hawk Domain in between, they eventually let these Mages govern themselves.

Faced with the seemingly humble and friendly words of Lord Youlan but still laced with some arrogance, the two Generals had no reaction.

After all, they had dealt with these Mage Lords many times before.

Even before they became Sons of the Moon, it was thus.

Now having achieved immortality and acquired strong bodies to compensate for the gravest weakness of mages, it was only natural for their arrogance to grow. After all, they were once Adapters—and though the definition of the Path of Adaptation has changed, they have not forgotten how to speak to people in their own language and to ghosts in theirs.

“Following our previous agreement,” Lord Youlan said with a smile before nodding formally, “you clandestinely helped us establish our nation, and now we will begin to assist you in founding yours.”

“Thank you for your trustworthiness, brother,” Colonel Miller said with gratitude, nodding his head.

“It’s nothing, General. The Mage Tower is not known for breaking faith. Besides, in the long run, those who don’t keep their promises will be targeted by everyone. Once trust is broken, it will lead to endless denunciation. It has always been this way.”

Lord Youlan nodded slightly, speaking with composure, “The Stibnite are exactly that—they have never fulfilled their promises of the past. Now played by those despicable goblins in economics, they would rather let those foolish ministers mess things up than let us intervene. Little do they know that the seemingly alleviated situation is merely quenching thirst with poison… Now that a crisis has arisen, they expect us to fill the financial gap.

“The downfall of Stibnite, alienated by all… In the grand scheme of history, it was inevitable. Balance, Transcendence, Twilight, Love… these four great powers, but none skilled in governance. If they do not have the Eye of Wisdom, at least they should wield the Sword of Authority—but they have none.”

“The Stibnite boast of their direct lineage from the Empire, trying to learn the ways of the Empire, but they haven’t managed to learn them completely. Little do they realize that learning only halfway is most harmful. In the Imperial Era, advisers, Prime Ministers, and ministers were mostly of mage background, and there must be sound reasoning for this. Eight hundred years ago, there was an Imperial Prime Minister who hailed from the Path of Balance. Do you know what he did…”

As Lord Youlan spoke, he cited numerous examples without pause.

Both generals, being simple-minded, found the talk headache-inducing. But they could not afford to disrespect the lords, especially since they would need the help of Narcissus Duchy in the future.

So they had no choice but to brace themselves and stay here, sincerely agreeing, “Indeed so…”

And as their alliance was formed within the Mage Tower,

The Dream Realm also underwent changes—

In the Dream Realm, amidst the snowy Crystal Mountain Range,

A silver-haired Knight in silver armor knelt on one knee, holding his helmet and announcing his departure to the Silver-Crowned Dragon in the distance.

“The Warrior’s Nation has already begun the prelude to rebellion. I must leave now, my king… I shall never forget your grace.”

The Silver-Crowned Dragon sighed slightly, turned its majestic head, and spoke in a deep voice.

“Go if you wish, Ranmarock. I will not stop you. Remember your oath—you are to fight for justice, and your rebellion conforms to the will of the people.

“Therefore, from now on… [You are no longer my Knight].”

With the Silver-Crowned Dragon’s voice falling, it seemed as if invisible chains shattered with it.

The Silver Armored Knight, Ranmarock, took a deep breath, bowed to the Silver-Crowned Dragon for the last time, and then placed his helmet on his Sword.

He lifted the fragmented Deep Red Giant Sword from the ground.

That was the Weapon once wielded by Antaeus of the transcendence, the Heaven Defier—a Giant who fought for justice, defying his own destiny and lineage, and battled the Supreme Heaven without retreat, ultimately smashed into pieces by the Supreme Heaven. He became the only Celestial Marshal to truly fall in that divine battle.

Afterward, he fiercely cleaved with the sword, severing the helmet and Holy Sword once given to him by Arthur!

As sounds of breaking and reassembling rang out, the silver flame burning in his eyes fell into a purplish-black fire. At its core was the Celestial Marshal Shard, the power of the Path of Authority within him continuously transformed into the strength of Transcendence.

In the next moment, his silver armor was engulfed and burned by the ferocious black flame, morphing into a pitch-black armor.

Though the transformation of paths results in loss of strength, the massive rebellions simultaneously occurring across nations of the Material Realm left a great deal of strength unclaimed.

Rather than allowing some ambitious Transcender to receive this power and ascend to become a Celestial Marshal…

—It was better for him, who had already obtained the Shard of the Heaven Defier, to accept it!

Power surged within him, his long silver hair fluttering without wind.

“I shall provide the power of vengeance for avengers! Vengeful Knight, follow my path!”

Ranmarock raised the deep red short sword in his hand and loudly proclaimed: “I swear to fight for the rebels!

“My path is the Path of Rebellion, risen from Authority—and fallen to Transcendence!”

Then, he took the Celestial Marshal Shard left behind by the Heaven Defier Antaeus—that broken sword—and fiercely stabbed it into his own chest.

The ascension of the Serpent Father started casting deeper impacts on the world.

The resistance faced by ascending Celestial Marshals was incredibly fragile at that moment—Ranmarock leapt over it.

At that moment upon the earth, a slight desire for rebellion stirred in the hearts of all people at once.

And Pope Evas of the Holy Nation sensed it immediately.

Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.

This was the third Celestial Marshal to ascend in March…

In the midst of a heavy snowfall, a new Celestial Marshal of the Transcendence pathway was born.

Different from his memory.

Perhaps due to the reemergence of the warrior vocation in the world, Ranmarock did not become a “Warrior Celestial Marshal,” but instead became the new Heaven Defier. The new vocation he created for himself is called “Black Knight”. It is a vocation earned only by those who rebel for justice against authority, the true close combat vocation of the Transcendence pathway.

—History once again underwent a significant change.

And with this change, even Celestial Marshals have become different…

Therefore, Pope Evas quickly decreed to all the Cardinal Archbishops.

“—Knight of the Round Table, Ranmarock has ascended. The Heaven Defier of the Transcendence pathway is born.”