Shadow of the Evil God

Intersecting roads, a world of possibilities, floating forks that converge and diverge, a shattered curtain of memory flashes before her eyes - a blade piercing the chest, a blade chopping off the head, a blade cutting off limbs, death, a kiss, the smell of blood, a repetitive maze of time, an eternal, endless fork in the road.

Longing, and it is an extremely clear and definite longing.

Sevra exhaled shallowly, grasped the ancient memory tightly and threw it aside, then took a deep breath, savoring the intricate feelings and tastes.

No, that's not right. These pasts immersed in madness can't catch up with her, no matter what.

"That's great! You seem very satisfied." Ajiehe looked at her. "But you don't seem quite satisfied either. What? One isn't enough? There are still many candies at the fork in time. I can find them one by one and feed them to you."

"This isn't something you can just eat," Sevra said finally, "especially since you licked it once. You know what it holds."

"I'm sorry I spit on it," she grinned. "But if I'm not sure what it holds, I can't use it to clear the fog for you. The fog of the past is still a fog, don't you think?"

"The past cannot be retrieved," she said. "Let it be the past."

"Then we'll just have to wait and see." Ajiehe's grin widened. "What's going to happen will definitely happen, don't you think, servant of Ferriers?"

Sephora glanced at Cesar on Aya's shoulder again, then closed her eyes, suppressing the many bloody thoughts that surged from her heart. "You are too pessimistic," she said, "You..."

"This isn't pessimism. I've always been clear-headed. What worries me is that you mistake escape for optimism. Or perhaps hope? Hope isn't for people like us, Sevra. You'd better accept your fate. Is anything connected to us still intact? What have you ever owned that hasn't turned to dust? If it weren't for our dear Lord's ultimate sacrifice, we'd be standing here now, two fragments of memories."

Chapter 454: Student Dispute

As Sephora savored the memory he had just recovered, he fell into a state of speechlessness for a moment. Although the details of the memory were extremely clear, when he held it in his hands, he lacked some practical feeling.

Was the Sevra in this memory really herself? She wasn't sure. She saw people she knew either buried in battle or killed by various curses, some of whom she had personally caused after joining the Kasar Empire.

Although she didn't get very close to the others in her memory, they were still acquaintances. Seeing those faces turn into bloody shadows, she felt a little empty.

Avensa, bisected from the center of his face down to his chest, is now a general of Neuen, named Askrid, sworn to the city's lord, Thane. Lesa, his legs severed first, then his arms falling neatly to the ground. Now called Sayno, he continues to follow his brother Garcia from this era, seemingly clinging to his blood kin.

Of course, there was also Tilia, whose throat was cut open and blood splattered several meters away. She stared at her until her death, as if wanting to question why she killed her former compatriots. This guy is now called Ceshia, and she has become more difficult to deal with than before.

In short, Sevra's final years were a time when all her connections were severed, every living being she had ever met turned to death, until she herself vanished into nothingness. Simultaneously, the people she had followed also gradually vanished into nothingness, from the human Ferrieres to the empty, aware Ferrieres, as if to say, this was their destined end.

Sevra shook her head, trying to wave away these familiar and unfamiliar faces. But even as they dissipated like mist, someone remained, staring at her from behind. Even as blood continued to flow from their eyes and mouth, she still wanted to reach out and touch their face. There was no fear or question in their eyes.

It was Cesar, many Cesars, countless Cesars, each a newly dead corpse, each having just drawn its last breath.

She was in the phantom of the dead. She closed her eyes, and he was still in the darkness. She opened her eyes, and he was still in the darkness. Cruel scenes flashed before her eyes, from the war camp to the fork in time. Each scene was stained with blood, and each scene spoke of her bloody desire.

"Your eyes are turning red," Ajeh said, squinting as she studied her. "We're getting close, aren't we? Is your desire stronger, or is your rationality? Only facts can tell."

Sevra exhaled, then breathed deeply, savoring the taste of blood, the bittersweet satisfaction of endless killing. The creature she had severed even smiled, its lips stained with blood, as if tempting her to taste it. She could almost see Sevra of the past reaching out to dip her hand into the blood, dabbing it against her lips as if she had lost her mind, slowly stroking and touching them.

"I am the subject of personality," she whispered. "I am who I am now, not the me of the past when I was enveloped by madness."

"is it?"

"People change. My experiences are no longer what they used to be."

"I hope so." Ajiehe smiled. "No matter what, I don't care."

......

The ancient canal was still gurgling, welcoming every guest who entered the tomb of the wise man. The restless sound of horse hooves rang out from the depths of the corridor, drifting into Cesar's ears with wisps of mist, making this silent tomb even more terrifying.

At the entrance to the Tomb of the Wise, the Frankish knights practically filled the corridor. One had to walk between their ranks to enter the tomb, which itself was illuminated by torches. But within the tomb, beyond a hundred meters, it was pitch dark, like a sealed coffin. The knights further away were barely visible, with only a few scattered torches visible.

"Old Milava sent enough soldiers to fill all the corridors of the tomb," Milava suddenly said, "but the Labyrinth of Time cut through the Empire's ranks. Many soldiers went deep into the tomb and never returned. No trace remains, let alone their bodies. No one even knows which fork in the road they died on."

Cesar glanced at the young Emperor of France. "Why would old Milava send troops here when the war is in full swing?"

"The war's decline was irreversible, and old Milawa gradually became depressed, almost one step away from despair and self-exile," he said. "At this point, he no longer cared about victory, but about taking a historical shortcut."

"A shortcut to history?"

"As long as we preserve the flame and wait for the Kasar Empire to collapse on its own over a long period of time, there will be hope for the Fran Empire to rise again."

"So that's the idea?" Cesar found it a little amusing, but not entirely ridiculous. After all, Milava had truly preserved the flames of the knights, and two knights later helped him. "Well, now that Allandi has been stripped away, how are you doing now?"

"How am I doing now?" Milawa frowned, "Oh, you mean my personal affairs. I...it's hard for me to say. The ancestor of Arlanti said that only women can pass on their memories.

"I'll keep this ambiguous state for now, but I don't understand what she's talking about." He pinched his throat, looking hesitant. "Maybe it's neither male nor female... I don't know what it is. However, once their ancestral memories are completely in my hands, I will have a chance to recover, I will definitely."

"Are you going to come down and walk on your own?"

"If the Holy Father saw that I couldn't walk, she would leave me there and tell me to walk back when I could move again." Milawa said, as if she hadn't woken up from a dream yet.

Cesar was speechless for a moment, not knowing whether to comfort him or defend Soin. After thinking for a while, he finally moved him from under his arm to his back.

The guy was tall and slender, so sitting on his arms like Soin had been was out of the question. Fortunately, he was still light, so carrying him wasn't a problem. With his arms around him, Cesar felt the slenderness of his waist. He held him on his back, his fingers tucked into his hips, which were round and tense, clearly incredibly tense. He felt the need for considerable self-control not to squeeze too hard.

Glancing sideways, Milava's slender eyes were closed, not daring to open them, as if regretting his impulsive words. His lips were slightly pursed on his fair face, and it was unclear how long he had argued with the ancestor of Arlanti, and how much psychological struggle he had gone through.

The young Emperor of France was actually still wearing the robe of Allandi, but he tore open the hem of the robe to make it easier to walk, tied part of it around his waist, and wrapped it around several times with force before he could barely tie it tight.

Just now, Cesar could see the fluttering of his robe, his legs swaying back and forth. His skin was white, delicately textured, and the curves from his knees to his calves were even more graceful. Now, this robe was draped over his body, which was even slenderer than Arrandi's. His smooth, narrow shoulders were slightly exposed from the bumpy ride, and from his shoulders to his neck and jaw, a smooth curve like jade was drawn.

Just looking at Milava's throat and shoulders, he certainly didn't have an Adam's apple, and his neck and joints were very slender. But Cesar couldn't feel his chest, or rather, his chest felt like a man's bones. Therefore, it was difficult for him to determine Milava's gender. The last part he could confirm was that he was not suitable for touching, so this matter remained a mystery.

Ferris was lost in thought. "I heard that the early Guna people," she said, "or the earliest Guna people, actually had no gender. It was their mother who urged them to reproduce like other races, so they began to walk together in pairs, and gradually changed."

"Are you sure, Allandi's sister?" Milava frowned even more.

"Anyway, that's what the ancient book says. Do you still want to question it?" Ferriers asked back, hugging Cesar's arm that was supporting Milava and pulling him closer - this action seemed to make the young emperor feel like he was falling, and it tightened around his neck.

"During this process," she said with a smile, "some Kuna people became males, and some Kuna people became females. Although I can't explain the criteria for which one becomes male and which one becomes female, I think the one with more masculine qualities will become male, and the one with less masculine qualities will become female. Who are you comparing yourself to, Milawa? Of course you're comparing yourself to Alanti, right? Then you will naturally become the male you want, right?"

Cesar realized that Ferrieres was teasing Mirava. Of course, the emperor had indeed taken Alante away when Ferrieres was a child, causing her depression for a long time. Now he wanted to return the money with interest? He could only remain silent. Speaking of grudges, there was indeed a grudge between these two. While not as crazy and cruel as his and Sevra's, it was still enough to be remembered for a lifetime.

Milava fell silent. Ferriers pulled Cesar's left arm, and he rested his chin on his right shoulder. For a long time, Cesar could only hear the breathing and whispers close to his ear, and he couldn't make out what he was saying at all.

Finally approaching a group of knights, Cesar paused to observe, discovering a large group descending a dry well—in fact, heading into a crypt. He was surprised, for this well was the entrance to the crypt, crammed with deformed flesh and blood. The moment the leading mage opened the well's outer door, mournful, lost mutterings emanated from the crypt.

Many, many voices.

"The remnant of memory has merged with your reality..." Milava's whispered words lingered on his face, making his ears itch. "Is this the fork in time? These knights lived in my era, but the cursed flesh and blood that fills the tomb is clearly the result of your kind. So, so... were the knights of the Empire destroyed by a curse from the future?"

"Uh...are you serious? It's been at least a thousand years."

"You still hold the Holy Father's token." Milava supported Cesar's shoulders and struggled forward a little. "Even though the Holy Father is trapped in the Age of Gods and unable to escape, she still has a part of God. Even if this part is just a dead body, she can connect the two eras under special circumstances. It's like the gods, isn't it? In theory, the gods respond to all the prayers of all believers in all times at the same time. Time in the Tomb of the Wise is already a mess. Is there any place more suitable than it?"

Cesar sighed, "Is there any good news? Honestly, I'm tired too, and I don't want to worry about it too much."

"The good news is that you can let the knights of the empire fight against the deformed flesh and blood of this era, Sensei. Let them pave the way for you."

"In your name, my good student? In your name, let them risk their lives to clear the way and buy us time?"

"At this time, I hope you will call me Your Majesty, my beloved teacher."

"Well, my lord, what do you think?" Cesar grasped the hand that was supporting his shoulder and, using the etiquette of their time, gently kissed the fingertips. When he uttered the word "lord," Milava's face flushed with excitement, and even his Adam's apple peeped slightly from his neck. But when he opened his eyes and saw his own trembling fingertips, he swallowed, and the Adam's apple instantly disappeared.

This was... hard to describe, but not surprising. Come to think of it, when discussing the Empire, his first student, Artinia, was also a genderless figure in power. If this guy, who had witnessed the Empire's collapse before even becoming Emperor, had been in the conversation, his emotions would surely have been even more extreme.

"The knights of the Empire will pave the way for you within the Remnant Memories, Master," Milava said, calming down. "Not only that, they may even pave the way for your companions in the Tomb of the Wise outside of the Remnant Memories. As long as the heads of old Milava and Allandi remain in their hands, the ancient knights will heed the call and forge the path to the future."

"Send them all the way to the end?"

"I think we can only send them to the end," he said. "These special beings can only exist across time in a special place like the Labyrinth of Time."

"In fact, the maze itself is not a threat, but the beasts lurking in the dark. I still don't know what they bring. The description of ideological plagues in history has always been too vague and too little." Cesar said.

"The Thought Plague is the curse of the Kasar Empire," Milava emphasized. "It's the curse of the outsiders. It was the outsiders who brought their plague and killed us."

"Actually, I'm an outsider too," Cesar had to say.

"There is only one outsider like you," Milava denied. "The outsiders represented by the Kasar Empire are different from you. If I were to receive the fire and sword from you, I would use them to punish those outsiders who brought the plague."

"Sanction the Casar Empire?" He couldn't help but use a little force with his right hand, then realized something was wrong and relaxed his fingers. "Are you serious? Well, you really have no reason not to be serious, but my first student..."

Milawa wiggled his hips nervously, his voice a little soft, and just for a moment he was almost panting. The warm breath on his ears made them numb, and the tingling sensation spread all the way to his chest.

"Student? Yes, especially your first student. I'll let her know exactly how things should be done." At this point, his attitude became firm again. "Besides, what's wrong with students arguing? Isn't this a continuation of teaching and learning? Does she still think she can get away with it just by monopolizing the status of a student? Of course not! If this incident is recorded in the context of the dynastic dispute, even the history books will have an added flavor, and future generations will remember your name more clearly because of this dispute. Let her rebuild her shattered empire. The results will prove who is right."

Chapter 455: The King of Snake Walkers

......

When the tomb was opened, Cesar realized he recognized the place. He bent down and ran his hand over the sarcophagus beside the tomb, feeling a momentary trance. Although the coffins had only bones and dust left in the time when he entered the tomb, the bodies of the Kuna people inside the coffins had not even rotted in the time when the tomb was first excavated.

However, the soldiers of the Frankish Empire looted the relics with some racial hatred and their methods were a bit rough. Not only did they destroy the spell that preserved the corpse, they also twisted the corpse itself into a state of disarray.

Which would be more hated by the dead, looting relics or lingering in the coffin? Cesar couldn't say. He bent down even lower, tentatively positioning the dead body. When he turned around, Ferrieres was confronting her brother-in-law, who she didn't know was her past or future.

The once short Ferriers was now incredibly tall, and when she stood with her arms folded across her chest, she gave off a strong sense of oppression. Conversely, the emperor, whose head had been severed while still fighting, had become a skinny little creature, forced to sit cross-legged against the wall and pretend not to see.

When Ferriers was young, it was Milava who ignored her resentment and took her sister away. Now that Milava is still young, this feeling is suddenly returned to her.

Upon closer inspection, the conflict between these two was more profound than one might imagine, and even more than just a conflict. In their early years, it was Firiels's hatred for Milava, and in their later years, it was Milava's hatred for Firiels. Firiels not only defected to the Kasar Empire, but also single-handedly exacerbated the already precarious situation of the Fran Empire, ultimately depriving the Kasar Empire of its glory that would last for over a thousand years.

If it were Milava, it would not be surprising for either the old Milava or the younger Milava to think that she had taken away the glory of the Frank Empire.

Ajeh examined the Kuna in the coffin and licked the wolf's mouth. An instinctive urge seemed to call her to bite and retaliate against the Kuna people who had created them. "What are you staring at? Are you trying to have fun with the corpse?" she asked, feigning indifference.

"This coffin is where you conceived my child," Cesar said.

The wolf girl's slightly mocking expression suddenly disappeared, and she glared at him for a long moment. He patted her head, grabbed her ears and shook them, and then was bitten again. "I'm kidding," Cesar leaned over and shook the little wolf's shoulders. "It's not actually here. But this place still left a very deep impression on me. Do you know why?"

"I don't want to know," said Ajeh.

"You almost painted this wall white. It was an amazing scene, really. Our children will definitely have plenty to eat."

"I must have been cursed by you."

"You were the one who pulled me over here and asked me to help you squeeze."

"How could I possibly do such a thing?"

Cesar smiled at her. “You can’t even imagine what you’ll do in the future.”

After hearing this, Ajiehe's eyes turned blood red and she looked like she wanted to bite him to death and eat him.

It was a look filled with animality and bloodlust, but Cesar was already familiar with it. Every time he and Ajeh were intimate, or in other words, when they reached their peak, he could see a similar desire. This desire was instinctive, requiring her to bite the male to death and eat him, naturally for the sake of nourishment for her offspring.

It wasn't because he held a special place in her heart that she hadn't bitten him to death during their climb to the top. Rather, she had already eaten a lot of his body, which had died at Sevra's hands, and he had also fed her a lot of his own flesh and blood. This guy was actually full and didn't need any more blood, so he didn't bother to give in to his cravings. She would bite him a few times whenever she had the chance, but she naturally didn't swallow him during intercourse.

Seeing that she was showing a threatening intention, Cesar only put his hand to her lips. With a burst of biting and licking, her mouth was full of blood, her cheeks flushed, and she even wagged her tail unconsciously. The biting turned into sucking and kissing. When he took out his finger, she not only narrowed her eyes, but also exhaled a puff of blood from her lips.

"Do you realize how entangled we are, dear? You look like a spoiled little bitch."

"Your blood is laced with poison!" Ajiehe's eyes widened again. "I never did that when I treated you like a dog!"

"Maybe it's because I walked towards the door," Cesar said, straightening up and shaking off the saliva on his fingers. "For many years, you always kept holding on to me, using me and then refusing to tell me anything. Now that she can leave her childhood self to me, I must admit that I feel a lot better."

"She's such a jerk," Ajeh said. "After all, why should I have to pay for my future self's mistakes?"

"Maybe the order of cause and effect doesn't matter to you." Cesar patted her head again and pulled her ear. "But don't worry, I will bring this memory back and use our journey together to fill the void in her past."

"The only thing I don't want is for her to accept my mission as the Firstborn. That means she's beyond help." Ajiehe swatted his hand away with a wave of her claw. "Do you see this darkness?" She pointed to the darkness that he and Ajiehe had been unable to enter. "This is where Arlanti took me."

"You mean here...?" Cesar raised an eyebrow. This was truly remarkable. Cesar hadn't expected Ajeh to be able to conceal even such childhood emotions, completely oblivious to him. So, back then, they weren't making out in the casket, but in her nursery...

No wonder Ajeh stopped looking for another sarcophagus after that. There were tombs and sarcophagi everywhere, but only one nursery for her.

"The firstborns of that era are all dead now," Ajeh said, "because the meaning of their existence is to create a group of offspring, raise them up, and eventually become a tribe that can reproduce on its own. Then they will decay and die, returning to the arms of the true god. When I was very young, I vaguely thought that there was nothing wrong with this, but Ferriers always said that people don't exist for the fate they are asked to do."

"Although Ajeh always spoke insincerely later, she told me seriously at that time that in this place where souls were isolated, she could just give birth to an empty shell," said Cesar.

"Giving birth to an empty shell? That would allow me to escape the innate mission of the First Born? What a dream. I guess I've just been through too much time, and my brain isn't working anymore."

"It's surprising that you laugh at yourself," Cesar said. "Milavar is fine, but you..."

Ajeh bared her bloodied fangs. "Every year of my life is different from the last. That's not your concern, but why are we here? Can you ask Ferriers?"

"To see what other beasts were left here," Firiel said. "Years ago, it was Soleil who brought some firstborns here, those that hadn't yet shown any signs of terror. No one knows how many she hid, but there must be more than just the one you have."

Ajeh pulled up her hood, walked to the side, lowered her eyes, and seemed to be indifferent to the matter, just wanting to blend into the stone wall. But Cesar heard something.

First of all, Solaire brought Ajehe's young here, most likely because she sensed his cause and effect where Ajehe was, but there must have been more than one young present at the time. Solaire was not sure which one it was, so it was possible that she took all the young present away and put them in the Tomb of the Wise.

Is this part of that circular time spell?

Cesar wasn't sure, but he became somewhat certain. Since Allandi had only taken one Ajeh, and the Fran Empire had suffered heavy casualties, it meant that the other young were still sealed in the Tomb of the Wise.

At the most basic level, these were several newly born Beastmen with different bloodlines and talents. At the most basic level, these were several completely unknown Beastmen tribes. If a Beastmen tribe with unknown motives took them away and supplemented the currently incomplete Beastmen race, the consequences would be unpredictable.

After all, the beastmen today are the remnants of those who have suffered multiple exterminations.

Ferriers held out her hand. "Come with me now," she said. "This matter may concern your era, and the survival of the race that comes after you."

Cesar nodded in agreement. It seemed both she and Alante had a way to deal with this darkness. Of course, tracing it back to its origins, it must be the memories of their ancestors, those of the deceitful prophet. After all, Jiralo was only a descendant of the declining Kuna people. A remnant of his memory, he had no power over this darkness. The prophet, however, had existed since the beginning of time. He reached out to shake her hand, feeling her slender fingers wrap around his, one by one, as if deeply moved.

"If you don't mind, we still have a chance..." Cesar said hesitantly.

"No, I must hand this problem over to you. I want you to go find that Grand Master and untie the knot between us," said Ferriers. "At my age, momentary love is no longer a priority. Also, as I told you, don't go around thinking about getting involved with others. Are you messing around in someone else's coffin, leaving bones everywhere?"

"It's about desecrating those sacred and solemn shackles," Cesar shrugged. "Of course, you could also understand it as breaking the rules. It makes her feel free."