Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 804: God and God

Chapter 804 -804: God and God

The burst of golden light lasted only for an instant before disappearing. The Vampire God squinted his eyes slightly:

“What a surprise, Innocence… weren’t you already in slumber…”

The God’s eyes finally noticed the brass fishhook in the right hand of the Red Butterfly:

“So that’s it, the power attached to the divine artifact… even in slumber, you still seek to trouble me!”

“I am the protector of the children, it’s my duty to do this.”

[The Creator of Innocence] – the owner of the toy shop – the protector of children, shouted loudly in front of Shard. The brass-colored metal hook, made of the same material as the [God’s Gift Box], had little power left, but Shard already knew what to do.

“This is just a trace of your power left on the fishhook. Do you think your true self is here?”

The Vampire Deity asked solemnly. The shadow wearing the Jester hat under the Blood Moon answered seriously:

“It’s enough, Blood God. Even a trace of power, while unable to make you leave, can at least enable this fishing rod to serve its purpose! Cowardly, timid Evil God, you don’t understand what sacrifice means!”

“What do you intend to do!?”

The Miracle Element suddenly erupted. The golden light exploding into the sky finally caught everyone’s attention over Midshire Fort, at the abnormality in the woods at the foot of the mountain. The barrier set by the Vampire God was completely shattered, the intertwining blood and golden light breaking through layers of white mist, revealing the images of the Star Ocean Whales soaring in the starry sky.

“Oh my God, what is happening?”

No one had anticipated this scene. Meanwhile, at Bena Lakeside, the terrifying power forced even the Vampire Deity to momentarily release the Red Butterfly’s left hand.

The source of the golden light was the hook piercing her right hand. The fishhook tried to bring her back to Shard’s side, but the Evil God would not let Shard have his way: freёwebnoѵel.com

“They are my prey!”

The huge shadow of the Vampire Abomination appeared at the God’s feet, instantly swallowing half of the Red Butterfly Maiden’s body like a shadow. However, the fishhook, which should have been in her right hand, had somehow already pierced through her entire body and was swallowed by the vampire shadow.

In the blood and golden light, Shard lifted the fishing rod and pulled back most of the Red Butterfly’s body from the air above the blood lake before the rod shattered. Along with her, a new power was reeled in:

“Thank you…”

He looked at the disappearing silhouette of the God in the light. The young man, wearing a Jester hat, smiled as he bid farewell:

“Why thank me? I should thank you. Protecting the children is my responsibility, but you have no obligation and still came to protect them. To the children of the future, I wish you safe travels ahead!”

The transparent figure tried to place his hand on Shard’s shoulder, but vanished into the light before he could touch it.

All the power left by the [Creator of Innocence] dispersed, and Shard didn’t have time to mourn the loss of his old friend again. He saw Grace Helen painfully falling from the sky, and watched as the fishhook with golden light came before him.

The [Soul Fishing Rod] completely shattered, but the conveyed power had already transferred to Shard’s hand.

The golden orb was held aloft in his right hand, as if he were holding a blazing sun. Looking at the starry sky and the earth, his soul void from yearning for divinity, he cried out his desire from his heart:

“Power!”

The light illuminated the blood-colored lakeside. Familiar golden cracks spread from his right hand, creeping across his entire body until reaching his right eye. His right eye, laced with golden fissures, seemed to burn with golden flame, and those eyes looked up at the startled Deity overhead.

“Help me master the power of divinity.”

[Do you remember what to say?]

The whisper in the blood mist resounded.

“Of course.”

Holding the divinity aloft and covered in golden cracks, Shard gently leaped, catching the girl who had lost half her body. They split into two people in his hands. Despite Grace White and Helen Black both lying unconscious with pallid faces.

Even with the help of the [Creator of Innocence], the Vampire God had still devoured almost a quarter of their bodies and souls. Fortunately, they were no longer human and had experienced countless deaths and rebirths; thus, their severely injured forms could still maintain their bodily shapes.

Shard held them and placed them at the bank far from the lakeside. Then, he took out Mia’s doll, turning the cat back into a real cat and letting it jump to the ground:

“The upcoming battle will be very dangerous. Last time, I had no experience fighting the Lord of the Blood Feast. This time, I won’t bring you… Don’t run around, watch over them, I will definitely come back.”

After the Godfall, all the Vampire Kind in the vicinity had vanished, either turned into sacrifices or unable to get close to the Deity. Hence, leaving them here was not dangerous. But Shard still used the power he held in his right hand to draw a golden circle on the ground to protect the Red Butterfly Maiden and the cat.

“Meow~”

The cat emitted a forlorn cry inside the circle, licking the golden light on Shard’s fingers before lying between Grace and Helen, gazing pitifully at Shard as if it knew what he was about to do.

The Outlander patted the cat’s little head, stood straight, and turned to face the Deity under the massive, real Blood Moon again. The mountains lay behind the Deity, with the boundless Star River further beyond.

The injured Vampire God had retreated to the center of the blood lake, covering its mouth in mid-air while looking at him:

“Unexpected guest, have you really decided to take me on?”

Shard did not answer, instead, he held the golden orb high in his right hand and stepped towards the blood lake.

The earlier burst of elemental impact had completely broken the blockade at Bena Lakeside, and now a splendid upside-down Star River was exposed overhead.

“Yes, I had already made up my mind before climbing this mountain.”

Shard stepped onto the crimson water, his golden-fissured eyes meeting the Deity in the air:

“I expended all my power in death to fight Joey Barton, knowing that if I didn’t, you wouldn’t easily appear before me.”

“Are you so certain that the Creator of Innocence will help you?”

The God of Vampires hung high above the blood lake, with massive evil beings seemingly writhing within the red celestial body.

Shard’s eyes were stained red by the blood moon. He nodded slightly:

“The day I saw the Red Butterflies again in this era, God’s gift was delivered into my hands. If I couldn’t guess what that represented, I would have no right to stand before you now.”

He stopped, holding up the golden light orb and looked up towards the God. The God of Vampires lowered the arm that was covering his mouth:

“Gods belong to gods, and humans to humans.

In that city not far away, the epic of the Sixth Era continues along the trajectory of fate. That is a mortal epic, so I won’t interfere, and that’s why you aren’t there. For you and me, Child of the Moon, the fate of the Red Butterflies is what concerns us. Mortals will die eventually; everything has its final end. Tonight is the final end for the Red Butterflies.”

The title “Child of the Moon” was a new one Pith gave Shard, though its meaning was unclear.

“Everything indeed has its final end, and the Red Butterflies will indeed leave one day. But I believe their final end will not be today, and they will not be devoured by you.”

Shard said firmly.

The blood mist diffused around, and the blood water rippled; overhead, the Star River hung upside down, with more and more translucent blue Star Whales swimming in the Star Ocean; behind, the crimson forest and the God’s power corrupting the land; the mountaintop spewing black smoke, dragging a trace into the bright blue starry sky under the night wind.

On the other side of the forest, the city was ablaze, and the undead abominations above the city were in fierce combat with human Circle Sorcerers. Even without observing, Shard knew the Battle of Midshire Fort would have a tremendous impact on the future.

The dense night inked this scene, while Shard stood upon the blood lake, holding the divine essence, gazing at the deity before the blood moon.

But the God was right; gods belong to gods, and humans to humans. That is the epic of the Chosen Ones, not the epic of Shard, the outlander outside fate. Now, he only wanted to save Grace and Helen, he only wanted everyone he knew to be safe and sound.

“Unexpected guest, then please, come!”

“You are me…”

He murmured softly, immediately hearing that gentle laughter in his ears.

Silver light appeared on his body as Shard stepped forward again. This time, however, he was not merely walking but as if stepping on invisible stairs in the air, ascending towards the starry sky.

The late autumn night wind couldn’t disperse the blood mist corrupting the forest, but it could blow the holy silver light from Shard’s body backward. The light grew brighter, as if Shard had grown a head of silver hair or wrapped himself in a silver cloak.

[…I am you…]

It seemed as if a pair of hands embraced Shard’s neck, and he could even feel the warm and moist breath on his ear as the gentle voice whispered.

That voice, still so melodious, still so enchanting to Shard.

[…My dear, outlander.]

Shard closed his eyes.

Ding!

The golden light orb he was holding melted completely into his hands, and a silver light descended from the sky, instantly bathing the entire blood lake in silver brightness.

The God of Vampires instinctively retreated towards the mountains again. Behind Shard, the blood mist dispersed, and the huge blood moon behind the God of Vampires gradually rose into the sky, shining together with a silver moon disk that had appeared sometime, alongside the roaming Star Whales in the Star Ocean.

Consciousness kept ascending until it reached heights unimaginable by mortals. Fine silver light climbed along the muscle fibers, altering the most basic rules of this body, making the physical form sublimate under the divine power to the extent that it could contain divinity.

The travel-worn outer garments that had been on him due to continuous fighting disappeared, and in the holy silver light, a silver robe covered his body.

It was the outlander Shard who stepped into the blood lake, but now, facing the God of Vampires in the air, was the outlander deity with rekindled divinity. In his opened eyes, the red and silver twin moons were clearly reflected.

[You have absorbed the divinity of the Old God, Vampire Duke Lowell.]

[The Crimson Moon hangs high in the night sky, the deity ruling the Red Moon, craving countless times the bloody brew, only to revel in the joy of blood before everything ends. God against God, Moon against Moon, as the twin Red Butterflies that delight the deities flutter between them, the crimson Vampire God desires to possess everything.]

[You have participated in the story of the Old God, Vampire Duke Lowell. You have learned the profanity of the Old God, Vampire Duke Lowell.]

[Outlander, you have inscribed the Silver Profanity Spirit Rune – Red Moon.]

The sacred song intertwined, and the light of silver and blood illuminated everywhere.

In that light, [Impermanence: Balance] was flung to the center of the blood lake:

“Gods belong to gods, and humans to humans. In the name of the Ancient God, The Upside-Down Judge, let us duel once more. The winner takes the Red Butterfly, the loser leaves.”

God and god gazed at each other across the blood lake, and even the lake water beneath their feet was changing. One side was blood-colored, the other a transparent hue sparkling with starlight.

The cards spun, transforming into the Balance of ancient godly power amidst dark golden light. The Vampire God slightly hesitated, not expecting to see this:

“Fine.”

High above Midshire Fort, people sensed the presence of a new deity at the foot of the mountain once again.

Though this night wasn’t a full moon in the lunar phase, a silver and a blood-colored moon, seemingly projected from another world in the Star Ocean, were so complete and clear. They heard the intertwined sacred song and felt the higher-dimensional power present in this space, which had nearly altered the fundamental rules of this forested region.

The original sounds of battle and explosions had entirely ceased. The world’s focus seemed to concentrate on that small area at the mountain’s foot, where only the surging silver and blood light reaching the sky could be seen. This light pierced through the white mist covering the air, revealing the brilliant Star Ocean.

No one knew what was transpiring there, but everyone’s face was illuminated by that light.

More surprising than Joey Barton, more shocking than the turmoil in the Interstice, more unexpected than the undead aggregation born from the giant cocoon, this was the most unforeseen event of the night.

The Earth trembled, the sacred song echoed, twin moons spanned the sky; under the starry curtain, the deep autumn night began to stir—

“So, what exactly is happening?”