Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 672: Twilight Adjudicator II

CH672 Twilight Adjudicator II

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"What?" Alex’s astonishment was palpable.

The BattleBane Guild Master didn't let him linger in his confusion, quickly resuming his explanation.

"Upon achieving apotheosis under the War Deity’s guidance and observation, the newly ascended deity discovered an astonishing possibility: they could usurp and absorb the godhood of other deities," the armored figure stated.

A glint appeared in Alex’s eyes as he recalled that the War Deity had utilized an item or artifact to mentor and elevate this so-called new deity.

"This new deity then concocted a scheme to undermine the existing gods. They manipulated the leaders of the old deities’ Temples into betraying their divine patrons. Through these traitors, a trap was sprung, forcing the old gods into open conflict amongst themselves. This devastating infighting weakened them sufficiently for the new deity to seize their godhood, one by one.

"It is believed that the new deity had strategically placed a divine restriction upon the final battlefield of the old gods prior to the conflict. Their intention was to ensnare them all in a single, decisive blow when they were at their most vulnerable. However, the old deities proved more resilient than anticipated. The more perceptive among them managed to destroy the very artifact responsible, using the resulting cataclysm to shatter the restriction."

"Who uncovered this plot?" Alex inquired, his brow furrowed.

"The Twilight Adjudicators," the BattleBane Guild Master responded.

"Then, pray tell, who precisely are these Twilight Adjudicators?" Alex pressed, a note of clear exasperation creeping into his voice.

The BattleBane Guild Master finally recognized his oversight.

"My apologies. It has been quite some time since I last engaged in such an extensive conversation with someone outside the BattleBane. I fear I may have become somewhat too verbose... and rather disorganized," he confessed.

"Please bear with me. I am now approaching the core of your inquiry."

"Very well," Alex assented with a nod.

The BattleBane Guild Master continued, "Once the deities broke free from their confinement, the new deity understood they could no longer pursue all of them. Consequently, they assembled their most elite soldiers and dispatched them to hunt down the two deities who had survived in the weakest state. This dual objective was to salvage their compromised plan and to prevent anyone else from gaining an advantage at their expense.

"Utilizing the meager divine power they had remaining after maintaining the divine restriction—all while still reeling from its destructive backlash—the new deity personally moved to ambush the Popes of those two particular deities.

"They executed them before they could finalize their own assassination plans, thereby allowing the two deities to escape demise at the hands of their own clergy... only to fall instead into the clutches of the new deity's handpicked elite force—their chosen hunters."

"Although severely weakened, a deity remained a deity. As long as they retained their faithful followers, they proved extraordinarily difficult to extinguish. However, empowered by a fragment of the new deity’s divine energy, their carefully selected elite soldiers succeeded in slaying these two diminished deities. This left behind two further battlefields, monuments to utter devastation. In this manner, the new deity managed to claim two additional godheads for themselves.

"Yet, before they could fully capitalize on this triumph, the recently ascended generation of deities uncovered their treacherous machinations. They united, forcing the new deity to abandon their ambitious pursuits.

"Realizing the opportune moment had passed, the new deity ceased their plans to target the other newly ascended gods—plans intended to be executed while these gods were still vulnerable, in the process of consolidating their newfound godhood.

"As the new Pantheon gradually settled into the current equilibrium of power, the paladins and priests who had undertaken the bulk of the work—particularly those who had served the new deity directly—were all condemned to death, accused of blasphemy against the divine.

"The entirety of the Pantheon, including the new deity, collectively issued global execution orders against them," the BattleBane Guild Master revealed.

Alex’s lips twitched subtly.

To claim he was entirely taken aback would have been disingenuous.

Discarding or sacrificing valuable assets once their utility waned—or employing them as scapegoats to obscure one’s own reprehensible actions—was a commonplace tactic among nobility, aristocrats, and the powerful across every conceivable world. Such behavior was a familiar specter, whether in the annals of Pangea or here in the lands of Verdantis.

Even disregarding the ancient kingdoms and empires of his prior existence, the supposedly modern nations present during his transmigration were no different. They had merely cloaked this practice with a more refined appellation: plausible deniability.

Given that these new deities had once occupied positions as the world’s preeminent political and military figures prior to their apotheosis, Alex found little cause for surprise that their methods remained unchanged.

’In truth, that would provide a reason why the history currently espoused by the temples feels so remarkably… progressive for a Navi religion. It’s because these chronicles were authored by deities who were, in essence, politicians prior to their ascension,’ Alex mused internally.

’Leave it to politicians to construct the flawless narrative—one that appeases the populace while discreetly bolstering their own standing. Whether deity or mere mortal, certain traits remain immutable.’

’The most detestable aspect of it all—whether among the nobility or the divine—is that both factions invariably frame their actions as righteous,’ Alex thought, a silent shake of his head conveying his disdain.

Meanwhile, the Guild Master of BattleBane continued his account.

"These paladins and priests constituted the most formidable forces at the disposal of the nascent Pantheon during their seizure of power from the ancient deities. Specifically, those who pledged their allegiance to the new divinity were directly imbued with Their divine might, enabling them to dispatch the two weakened elder gods.

"Furthermore, upon the demise of those original deities, these warriors absorbed fragments of their divinity, thereby acquiring a portion of the powers left behind by the very gods they had vanquished."

"When these paladins and priests recognized their abandonment, and understood that the new generation of deities they had aided in ascending had left them without any means of survival, they embraced the sole remaining recourse.

"They chose to resist."

"A total of three hundred paladins and priests opted for rebellion—each one a high-ranking elite among the elite. They waged war across every dominion of the plane for years, consistently shattering fatal encirclements and emerging victorious from countless major and minor engagements alike.

"It is said that the pursuit of these three hundred evolved into a monumental conflict in its own right—one that potentially rivaled the grand divine wars of antiquity. Only after the final one among them had fallen could the new pantheon solidify the era of order that prevails today… and even then, the cost was staggering.

"Before these betrayed paladins and priests were ultimately subdued, as many as five Combat Sages and individuals of higher cultivation levels perished at their hands, alongside an incalculable number of Combat Saints—so numerous that a precise count could never be compiled."

His voice took on a more somber tone.

"Due to the residual divine power they carried into every battle, these three hundred warriors—the heralds of the most significant era of divine dissent—became recognized as the Twilight Adjudicators."

’As anticipated,’ Alex reflected silently. ’If the Navi deliberately erased this history, then the only entities who would retain knowledge of it… would be those positioned on the opposing side of these events.’

His gaze sharpened, a flicker of realization in his eyes.

’This must then imply…’

"These Twilight Adjudicators inflicted terror and judgment upon the forces of the new Pantheon. They became an intractable thorn, lodged so deeply within their side that it could never be fully extricated. And even in death… that predicament persisted.

"Even after all three hundred Twilight Adjudicators were ultimately vanquished, their animosity towards the new Pantheon remained undiminished. Instead, in their final moments, each of them shielded the very wellspring of their power—the fragments of fallen divinity they bore—and permitted them to coalesce into seeds.

"Following a period, those seeds disseminated throughout the entire plane, transmitting their battle of vengeance and animosity to subsequent generations through sacred rites, lineage, and destiny itself.

"Even now, well over five centuries later, individuals occasionally awaken the power of the Twilight Adjudicators, inheriting not only their strength but also their inherent mission—the paramount heresy in the estimation of the new deities.

"Some choose to fully embrace this directive, becoming infamous apostates pursued relentlessly across the plane. Others safeguard it covertly, discreetly transmitting the legacy while conserving their might and awaiting the opportune moment to retaliate."

The Guild Master of BattleBane’s tone grew noticeably colder.

"The new Pantheon eventually became cognizant of this development. Fearing the calamitous repercussions that a new cadre of Twilight Adjudicators might unleash upon the established order they had meticulously constructed, the deities convened once more and, at considerable expense, inflicted a divine curse upon all who inherited the power of the Twilight Adjudicators.

"Should such an inheritor falter in their resolve or fortitude for even a fleeting instant, they would be irrevocably consumed by that very power—plunged into utter madness and compelled to indiscriminately slaughter all in their vicinity."

"I comprehend…" Alex murmured. "The deities likely intended for that curse to ensure the next generation of Twilight Adjudicators would be annihilated by their own comrades, while simultaneously portraying them as dangerously unstable deviants who could never be trusted."

"Your assessment is accurate," the BattleBane Guild Master affirmed. "Such is the profoundly deceitful nature of the divine."

"So, my assumption holds true then, that the BattleBane Mercenary Guild is actually a convergence of those who inherited the power of the Twilight Adjudicators?" Alex inquired.

"That is correct," the Guild Master of BattleBane affirmed with a deliberate nod of his head.

"We are, in essence... the Twilight Adjudicators."

***