Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 1039: The Prelude to the Second Horizon War

The period of closure lasted for three months in the second year.

Five months have passed since the end of the First Horizon War and the arrival of the [Constant Law Circle].

These five months are enough to completely change the landscape of Abelio.

The ruins of the Storm Alliance have long since cooled, the banners of the horizon hang on every newly built Law Tower, and the shadow of the Golden Tree looms over the entire Southern Territory.

According to the Universal Scripture published by Horizon, the war was sparked by the legendary Sword of Abelio.

The text states:
"The great Lord of the Horizon descended with his sword on the day the sky was torn apart."

The gods did not recognize his name, and the three Storm Kings rejected his laws;
Then the powers of wind, cloud, and thunder ignited their fury, unleashing a violent surge throughout the long night.

The Lord of the Horizon, seeing its disobedience, drew his sword and struck.

On the battlefield known as the Battle of Rift Valley, the three Storm Kings were personally slain by the Lord of the Horizon.

Their divinity was stripped away, their authority was rewritten, and the Sword of Abelio became the core node of the new world.

On that very day, the sky split open, and a huge and sacred ring descended from the etheric layer—that was the miracle later known as the "Ring of Constancy."

According to the interpretation of the Universal Scripture, the Dharma Ring is a gift of constancy and is the core algorithm of the cosmic order.

It governs life and death, determines the fate of souls, and even the course of cause and effect and civilization are within its calculations.

Scholars and clergy at Horizon call that moment "the beginning of the New Law Era".

They claimed that when the ring of law covered Abelio, the old laws were deleted, the Golden Rule took its place, and the world entered a new constant cycle.

However, outside of official channels, dissenting voices are also circulating.

They believe that the Dharma Ring was not complete when it descended.

Its operational logic has a gap; the missing part is the fragment of rules caused by the [dead light].

Those fragments, which failed to be absorbed by constancy, fell to various parts of Abelio, becoming disordered "wandering rule entities".

These roving rules are not bound by laws, nor protected by the Golden Tree; they move freely in the depths of the world like parasitic data ghosts.

According to the Horizon Theological Division, those wandering rule entities were supposed to be part of the Law Circle, an extension of the Golden Law.

Now they have been stripped away, becoming anomalies that [constancy] cannot control.

Chapter 7 of the Bible states:

"Beyond the light of the law, shadows still linger."

That is light that has not been accepted by constancy, an existence that has not been compiled.

They circumvent the law, refusing to become citizens of order.
Then the heavens and earth trembled, and the golden tree wept.

This is the light that has died, and the ghost of order.

Five months after the end of the First Horizon War, Abelio's fortunes completely reversed.

Before the flames of war had completely cooled, a new order had already taken root on the ruins.

Lupercal, the son of the First King, the man who personally led the Terrorist Mobile Company to the front lines during the Battle of Rift Valley, has now been appointed Warmaster, directly in charge of military and law enforcement in the Southern Territory.

He led his wolf pack from Far East City, expanding westward along the golden tree's light belt, a torrent of iron and law sweeping across the entire Stormlands.

Far East City became the frontline base of the horizon.

As the Legion advanced, the remaining forces of the Storm Alliance were completely wiped out in just a few weeks, and those groups that still organized resistance in the name of the Old Gods were surrounded and annihilated by the Horizon mechanized forces.

The first enforcement order of the Horizon Law was officially issued after the war—the "Order for the Complete Confiscation of Devil Fruit Abilities".

Thus, wherever the horizon extends, Devil Fruit users become targets for hunting.

They were escorted by the Terrorist Mobile Company to the Golden Tree, which is the core area of ​​the projection of the [Constant Law Ring].

The golden tree stands tall, its branches reaching into the clouds, its roots sinking into the earth, radiating endless light.

Each Devil Fruit user brought in is fixed inside a pillar of light, and the flowing rule entity within their body is ritually extracted.

Those capabilities were stripped away, analyzed, and purified, and ultimately sent to the Ethernet network under the roots of the Golden Tree to become part of the [constancy] operation.

Their power was recycled and transformed into fuel for the Dharma Ring.

Horizon calls it "Order Archives".

To protect the central area of ​​the Golden Tree, Xia Xiu summoned a spiritual legion from his shadow. These beings came from the abyss of his soul; they were inhuman and formless, yet capable of crushing the will of gods.

These spiritual legions are also known as the Beasts of Constancy.

They linger in the shadow of the tree roots, becoming a living firewall of the Golden Law. No one dares to approach them. Even the wolf packs within the horizon, when patrolling the Golden Tree, must first bow in the direction of the Beast of Constancy.

Under the light of [constancy], the entire southern region of Abelio was completely transformed into the territory of the horizon.

Shortly thereafter, the Queen of the Fermi Ants in Jawbone City formally bowed down to the horizon.

The ceremony was completed under the golden tree. She led the army of ants to prostrate themselves and connect the control frequency of the ant colony's main brain to the black wall system of the horizon, thus becoming a biological subsidiary network of the horizon.

With this, Horizon had completely taken control of the Southern Territory.

Far East City became the core of the law, Jawbone City became the energy hub, and the roots of the Golden Tree extended to the entire continent of Abelio.

However, Abelio's system of governance was not completely unified.

In the northern highlands, the dwarven city-state of Mount Krangtin remains semi-independent, and their forging council openly refuses to connect with the Horizon's legal system.

In the western wilderness, the Church of St. Cuthbert still claims to be the orthodox clergy and refuses to acknowledge the sanctity of the "Circle of Constantity".

Meanwhile, in the port areas along the East Blue coast, the remaining forces of Devil Fruit users regrouped and established an anti-Horizon alliance called the Harmony Society, vowing to resist the tyranny of the Lord of the Horizon.

In the shadows, there is another organization relentlessly pursued by the horizon—the Fifth Church.

They are the remnants of the Old Gods' faith, the earliest heretics to rebel against the Golden Law, and the only force in Abelio that still openly opposes the Horizon.

Thus, a new world order was completely defined.

Southern Reach – the Horizon Law-ruled Territory.

The Western Frontier – the Church's defensive line in Saint Cuthbert.

The North – the land of iron and furnaces of Crangerdine.

The Eastern Territory – A network of wandering Devil Fruit users.

In the shadows—the shadow network of the Fifth Church.

Whether they were allies or enemies of the horizon, all of Abelio held their breath, and all factions were on high alert for the danger lurking beneath the calm.

They all knew that the Second Horizon War was only a matter of time.

The Golden Tyrant's ambition cannot be restrained by the gravity of the earth; the Second Horizon War is bound to come soon.

However, no one expected that the Second Horizon War would come so quickly.

……

……

Golden Tree Royal City. This city, which originated from the roots of the Golden Tree, is the true heart of the Horizon Laws.

From the air, it looks like a flowing golden maze.

The roots, like blood vessels, run through the entire royal city, and every branch is constantly flowing, with golden light spreading from the heart of the tree to every corner of the city.

This city wasn't built, but rather grew out like stacked blocks.

The Golden Law drives the logic of city generation through the "world modulation" model. Buildings are not just piles of bricks and tiles, but the result of information materialization.

The dome is extremely high, reaching directly to the sky. The morning light shines through the transparent veil into the hall, refracting countless golden rays, like the flow of a sacred hymn.

Beneath the ground, the roots of the golden tree sprawl and meander through the marble layers.

Each root pulsed with symbols, and the energy flowed from the heart of the tree into the earth, nourishing the entire royal city.

This is now the new political center of the horizon.

Xia Xiu's office was also moved from the Governor's Mansion in the Far East City to the heart of the city.

But today, he was not in the temple handling state affairs. He wore a white robe, similar in style to the traditional priestly attire of Abelio, except that the emblem on his chest was the constant ring of law. The white robe fluttered in the breeze, and sunlight filtered through the leaves of the golden tree, falling on his shoulders and shimmering with a gentle light.

He stood in the courtyard, with soft grass at his feet and a small bamboo basket in his hand.

Yes, Lord of the Horizon, Enforcer of the Golden Law, Bearer of the Constant Law Ring...

I'm feeding the chickens right now!

Several plump poultry with feathers shimmering with a faint golden light surrounded his feet, gently pecking at the scattered feed on the ground.

The feed was a pure substance prepared by law, without decay or odor, yet capable of sustaining the physiological functions of all living organisms.

Even more strangely, when he raised his hand and lightly touched the air with his fingertips, the scene in the courtyard began to change.

An ordinary fruit tree was instantly cut into neat geometric shapes, each leaf transformed into a square pattern; the ground was also instantly divided into neat squares, each patch of grass defined as a growth unit; even the flock of chickens, under the refraction of light, exhibited a slightly structured outline, like a three-dimensional array composed of energy.

Xia Xiu's [World Modulation] has received another update, and he can now modify life.

He took a step forward and gently clenched his fist.

One of the chickens froze in time, its body shattering into pieces of meat in the light—cut into neat chunks.

"Snapped--"

Xia Xiu snapped his fingers, the chicken disappeared, and his gaze turned to the wheat field he had planted.

His wheat field was located behind the courtyard.

Rows of crops are neatly arranged, each plant perfectly equidistant, with straight stems, plump ears of grain, and a soft golden hue in the sunlight.

These wheat grains are free of impurities and pests; even the rustling of the wind carries a fixed rhythm, like a perfectly calculated harmony.

Sunlight filtered through the branches of the golden trees, bathing the entire farm in warm hues. The air was filled with the scent of wheat and psionic energy, and the golden waves of wheat rolled in one after another, like a heavenly ocean.

Under the protection of the Golden Law, this land was no longer barren.

Crops grow on their own, cattle graze with their heads down in the grid-like pastures, sheep doze in the light of the French Ring, and even the air is as docile as a sentient being.

At this moment, the southern border of Abelio is—"a land flowing with milk and honey".

This is the world under Xia Xiu's rule—constant, orderly, abundant, and without decay.

He stood by the wheat field, holding an ear of wheat in his hand. He gently stroked it with his fingertips, and the grains turned into a point of light, automatically decomposing into data in the air and being carried away by the wind.

He smiled with satisfaction.

Just then, the barrier around the courtyard rippled slightly, and a figure emerged from the gate of light and shadow.

That was the son of the First King, Lupercal Abraham. He did not maintain his wartime posture, but appeared as a boy. He wore a short grey robe, his silver hair was slightly curly, and his expression was calm and respectful.

He stood at the edge of the wheat field, quietly watching Xia Xiu.

"Father." He bowed slightly, his voice clear and steady, "There's a new situation in the East China Sea with Abelio."

Xia Xiu turned around and casually tossed the ear of wheat in his hand into the light. With a flash of light, the ear of wheat was instantly turned into golden dust and dissipated in mid-air by the analysis of the Golden Law.

"East Blue?" he said casually, with a hint of interest in his tone. "Was it caused by those Devil Fruit users? The Harmony Society?"

Lupercal nodded: "Yes."

"They gathered seven Fruit Awakeners, all of whom were Level 5 psychic individuals, and established the Anti-Horizon Alliance along the East China Sea coast."

Xia Xiu raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze remaining calm.

"Seven Level 5? Ha, they really have guts."

Lupercal did not respond, but continued his report:

"According to the reconnaissance department's report, they discovered an energy accumulation site of an extremely large-scale, wandering, rule-based entity in a sea area of ​​the East China Sea. Based on data analysis, that area is very likely to contain a large number of Devil Fruit abilities."

He paused for a moment, then looked up at Xia Xiu.

"More importantly, the Harmony Society members claim... that they have found a way to break through to LV6 in that area."

Xia Xiu's expression remained unchanged after listening.

"Breakthrough to LV6..." he muttered indifferently, then looked up at Lupercal.

"You want to go to that place to retrieve the wandering rule entities?"

Lupercal took a deep breath and then straightened up.

Sunlight filtered through the branches of the golden tree, casting a soft golden halo around his short hair.

“Father.” His tone was devout, with an almost religious fervor.

"Under the halo of constancy, everything is so...perfect."

He raised his head and looked up at the sky, the canopy of the Golden Law reflected in his pupils.

"The air is pure, and even breathing carries the scent of order. The earth will never rot again, the rivers will no longer turn black, and the souls of animals that die will turn into streams of light, flowing into the roots of trees, being purified, and then sprinkling back onto the earth—forming an endless cycle of blessings."

He spoke slowly, but with a genuine fervor.

"People will no longer go hungry, no longer fight, the people will operate automatically under the cover of constancy, crops will grow on their own, and machinery and flesh and blood will coexist."

“Father…this is the paradise you created.”

“And I—” He bowed slightly, his right fist pressed against his chest, a gesture like a ritual, “I wish to personally make everything within my sight a part of heaven, a part of permanence.”

“Heaven…” the Lord of the Horizon repeated softly, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Heh, perhaps.”

Xia Xiu said in a tone that was almost calm:
"Less than six months have passed since the First Horizon War."

"If a second Horizon War were to break out now, regardless of the outcome..."

He paused for a moment, his tone slightly lowered, carrying a calm and cold quality that seemed to freeze the air.

“Other forces will be forced to unite. The dwarves of Crangeton, the Church of St. Cuthbert, the Harmony Society, the Fifth Church… they will put aside all their differences and form a new axial alliance—specifically to oppose us.”

(End of this chapter)