"This is …"
"Sh * t!"
Upon witnessing the golden runes that enveloped the sky, Amon was bewildered, while the other saints tried to retreat in a fluster.
But it was too late. The golden runes that emerged out of nowhere formed one circle after another, trapping the nine saints within.
At the same time, everyone on the ground, including Nola, couldn't move an inch as though they were cast with a group immobilizing spell.
They could only watch helplessly as the boundless runes shrouded the entire sky. Then, they coalesced rapidly and a blurry, illusory figure emerged from the horizon. It was an enormous gear vaguely emerging from the clouds, as well as an endless thread of fate.
"This is your end!"
Along with a snarl, the vines that shrouded Klein withered instantly and the silver arrow that pierced his body vanished without a trace.
Even though Klein looked battered from head to toe, his tone and tone were as firm as ever.
Klein raised both of his hands high up, as if responding to his actions. The summoning beacon that shot up into the sky behind him also let out a "woo woo" sound at this moment.
Then, a series of golden light rays erupted from the beacon and arrived before Klein.
The golden threads shuttled along the golden runes and gradually, a strange pattern took shape in the sky.
"Now is the time for judgment, mighty gods."
With a malevolent gaze, Klein gazed at the gods who were completely imprisoned before him. Then, he lifted his head and gazed at the sky.
Then, Klein raised his right hand.
"Stone of Fate, please listen to my request. Give these futile attempts to stop my judgment and revenge the corresponding punishment!"
Along with Klein's words, the symbol that resembled a gear in the sky began to spin slowly.
Shortly after, a series of dazzling golden threads spun and extended downward. It seemed like they had just started, but they ended in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, nine golden light pillars weaved from the golden threads descended from the sky and shrouded the nine saints entirely.
If it were an ordinary confinement spell, it wouldn't have rendered the nine gods helpless.
But the problem was that it wasn't an ordinary imprisonment spell.
It's not even magic, it's just a part of fate.
Fate itself was a winding river. Be it gods, demons, elves, humans, or even the ugly and evil goblins and orcs, even a deer or an ant, they were all part of this river.
But that was all there was to it. Although the 'fish' in the river might have different sizes depending on their strength, regardless of whether it was a god that was as huge as a whale or other existences that were as tiny as microbes that could not be seen with the naked eye, they could not go against the river of fate. Even if they used all their strength, they could not think of going against it. Apart from going with the flow, they had no other choice.
The only thing he could do was to give himself the strength to choose a more stable and safer path.
But when the River of Destiny was about to change its direction, nothing could change its decision.
And now, even the high and mighty gods were just a big fish trapped in the shallows of the River of Fate.
"So, is this your plan?"
The Saint of the Sun God Amon spoke again, but there was no sadness or joy in his voice, and nothing unusual could be heard.
"You want to use the judgment of fate to take revenge?"
"That's right, and all of you are the sacrifices that I have chosen."
Klein let out a sinister and terrifying laugh from under his pitch-black helmet.
To be honest, if he had targeted the nine saints, then the Fate Tablet would not have activated.
As the saying goes, there's a cause and there's an effect. In reality, the nine saints were gods and would not bear any responsibility for Klein's death. Even if they were responsible, Amon would be the only one who would be held responsible.
The other gods did not need to be implicated.
That was why Klein chose to attack the Holy White City.
Because this was where the Church of Holy Church was located, and the Church of Holy Church obviously had to take responsibility for attacking him from behind.
That was why he could borrow the power of the Fate Tablet to suppress the restriction of the holy land and open the dimensional passage to the lower world to summon the Demons to attack.
Because this was the 'revenge' that was recognized by the Fate Tablet.
The problem with the nine saints was that they should not have appeared.
It was like a case where the court made a judgment and the defendant was declared guilty. Naturally, the punishment would have to be carried out.
If everything went smoothly, the punishment would be carried out at the market outside the Meridian Gate.
But now, the nine saints were more like criminals who came out to rob people during the execution.
This way, even if they had nothing to do with Klein's death, they would still be implicated. Not to mention anything else, they would definitely not be able to escape the crime of breaking out of a prisoner.
It was also because of this that the Fate Slate responded to Klein's prayer and imprisoned the Saints of the nine Gods.
The nine saints were also very clear about this, so they did not choose to act immediately. But now, they seemed to have no other choice.
"Even if you do this, it won't change anything."
The Forest Goddess's voice was a bit hurried, but she seemed very calm.
Hearing her words, Klein scoffed.
"I don't hope to change anything, I only hope to obtain what I deserve."
As he spoke, Klein lowered his head and looked at the clerics in the distance.
"The Holy Church deceived me. They used my devotion to the faith and gave me an impossible mission.
Not only that, but they also gave up on me at the end.
And all of this was just to protect their own power.
The Archbishops were unwilling to see me continue, so they made this decision.
They chose to sacrifice me and bury me in the darkness … And in the end, they succeeded. "
Klein sneered and looked at Nora disdainfully.
"Nora!
This is what you want to do!
You want to destroy me completely!
And you have also succeeded, this is really great!
Isn't that so?
Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking!
You old bastard!!
Who are you trying to fool by pretending to pity the people?
To put it bluntly, aren't you also greedy for power, which is why you are unwilling to move away from this position? "
"I only want the faith to be passed down."
Hearing Klein's roar, Nora let out a long sigh and replied in a low voice.
"I have no doubt about sacrificing my life. If necessary, I can sacrifice my life for this world at any time.
But, the inheritance of the faith can't be cut off … "
"What a nice way to put it, but you didn't say that in the past.
What did you say to me back then?
We belong to the past, and this world belongs to the present and future.
We have our own responsibilities, but one day, someone will take over our responsibilities and continue to pass it on … Didn't you say that you were so sanctimonious?
But now?
Why don't you just die and let your rotten corpse lie in the mud to pave the way for future generations? Why are you still shamelessly occupying this position?!
How many years have you lived?
Nora?
How many clerics have you abandoned because they threatened your position?
Come?
Tell me!! "
"…"
Nora didn't speak. He just stood there, closed his eyes, and didn't say a word.
But at this moment, the clerics and believers widened their eyes in shock and couldn't believe their ears.
They looked at the silent figure standing on the balcony with confusion and confusion in their eyes.
After a few moments, Nuo La slowly opened her eyes and answered.
"For the sake of righteousness, sometimes I have to make a choice."
"And now, you have to pay the price for your choice."
Klein let out a snort. Then, he lifted his head and gazed at the sky.
"Alright then, let fate be the judge."
Along with Klein's words, another light column descended from the sky and enveloped the White Tower and Nora.
Looking at this scene, the believers and clerics below couldn't help but look at Nora worriedly.
Then, they widened their eyes in horror as they witnessed a scene that they couldn't believe. Under the shroud of the light pillar, the Holy White Tower began to tremble and crack.
Meanwhile, the saint who stood on the balcony and preached to the believers gritted his teeth. His face was flushed as though he was enduring some kind of pain.
Shortly after, Nora's skin began to peel off layer by layer, revealing the bloody flesh underneath.
"Sir!
Sir Saint! "
Looking at this scene, many clerics screamed in horror. They wanted to do something, but there was nothing they could do.
However, there was nothing they could do. The air seemed to have solidified, completely restricting everyone's movements. They could only watch as the old man before them gradually aged. His sturdy body began to rapidly shrivel up, and time seemed to have returned to its original trajectory on his body.
In just a few moments, the healthy old man had almost turned into a withered corpse. But even so, Nora didn't make a single sound.
He just stood there and gazed at Klein.
Looking at this scene, Klein let out a gentle laugh.
"It seems that fate has given you your ending."
As Klein's voice fell, Nora's body lost its support and turned into a pile of bone dust on the balcony. The robe he wore also rapidly weathered and disappeared into thin air in the blink of an eye.
Following that, the sacred white pagoda that had stood for over a thousand years suddenly collapsed in front of everyone's eyes.
"No — —!"
Looking at this scene, many clerics howled in agony. Their eyes were bloodshot as they looked at this scene, but they couldn't do anything.
Many turned their heads and looked at the gods on the other side, feeling incomparable sorrow and pain from the bottom of their hearts.
Why? Why do our noble saints have to be treated like this?
Why isn't the evil demon king punished?
Could it be that everything we've done isn't right?
Could it be that everything we believe in is completely meaningless?
"It seems that this is fate's decision."
Klein let out a snort as he watched the Sacred White Tower collapse. Then, he turned his head and looked at the nine saints before him.
"Alright then, it's your turn.
Let the humans see how ugly you gods are in the face of death.
Let them see that this is what they've always hoped for and believed in.
A bunch of arrogant, conceited trash. "
Along with Klein's words, the radiance flickered again. Then, several light pillars shrouded in the direction of the nine saints.
Looking at this scene, the believers below shrieked in horror.
If the collapse of Saint Nora had left them in disbelief, then now, when they saw the pillars of light shrouding the nine Saints, they couldn't help but feel astonished.
Only then did they truly feel fear.
These people didn't understand or understand what fate was, let alone what judgment it was.
In their simple values, the high and mighty gods were all righteous.
And the demon kings below were all evil. Justice would destroy evil, and the gods would defeat the demon kings. This was a matter of course.
But now, the saints who had been guiding them had been eliminated.
And the demon king who brought death and darkness was actually going to judge the gods they had always believed in?
Why did the world become like this?
Could it be that what they had been doing all this while was wrong?
If Jenn were here, he would definitely scoff at this.
To the world itself, whether it was wrong or not was never a question, much less an answer.
In the eyes of fate, there was no right or wrong in this world. Everything came from subjective judgment, and there was no objective evaluation.
To the world itself, whether it existed or not was the only standard to judge it. Other than that, nothing else existed.
The light pillars descended from the sky and shrouded the bodies of the nine saints.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the bodies of the nine Saints swiftly disappeared into the light pillar. They didn't even make a sound like Nora, only leaving behind a pile of wreckage. It was as though snow had melted into water, completely disappearing under the light — it wasn't surprising, as they weren't the actual bodies of the deities. They were merely Saints formed from the condensation of energy.
Back then, Klein could stop the Goddess of the Forest from appearing on the Main Plane by cutting off her divine presence.
Then, the Fate Slate could, of course, cut off and shut off the power of the gods, causing the bodies of the saints to disappear completely.
Obviously, this was the punishment that the Fate Slate had for those who tried to cut it off.
However, the believers below weren't aware of this. When they saw the figures of the nine gods vanish into the light pillars, almost all of them burst into tears.
They had never felt such unparalleled sorrow before. The sorrow of being abandoned, forgotten, and abandoned, as well as the doubt and denial of their own beliefs, were completely reflected at this moment.
Even the most staunch believers began to doubt themselves.
"Argh …"
"Waahhhhhhh!"
For a moment, cries could be heard from all directions. After witnessing the death of the Saint and the disappearance of the Nine Saints, the believers could no longer hold back their emotions and burst out completely. They began to cry without restraint, like children, completely losing the face and dignity that they should have.
Even the paladins and priests put down their weapons. Their expressions were stiff and blank. They allowed tears to flow from their eyes, but they couldn't find a reason to explain this.
At this moment, everything seemed to be unimportant. Justice, evil, and everything that they followed seemed to have been completely shattered.
"Hahahahaha!"
Looking at this scene, Klein couldn't help but lift his head and let out a burst of joyous laughter.
He heard the collapse of faith on the surface and was incomparably sure that everything that the Holy Church had managed in the main plane had come to an end.
He once fought for them, but now, it was time for him to personally bury everything that he once believed in!
"The final judgment. Oh, fate, please give them the appropriate punishment!"
As Klein spoke, he raised his right hand and extended it to the sky.
He could almost foresee the scene of this city being completely destroyed.
At the same time, suddenly, the golden runes that covered the sky emitted a dazzling brilliance.
Looking at this scene, Klein was taken aback. He turned around hurriedly and looked in the direction of the summoning beacon.
Klein was clear that this wasn't part of the ritual. Someone interfered with the ritual of fate!
Who was it?
Who disrupted the ritual of fate at this moment?
And as though in response to Klein's question, a leisurely voice sounded from the direction of the summoning beacon.
"Klein, that's why I said that if you don't change your habit of not using your brain, you'll be finished sooner or later."