Only God
Chapter 279 - 240 Divine Is the True Authority

Chapter 279: Chapter 240 Divine Is the True Authority

King Anuket glared at Antion like a lion king blazing with rage.

And Antion, standing his ground, continued to advocate for the True Religion,

"Your Majesty, the priests should have changed.

They chose to waste away, they didn’t want to live a frugal life..."

Before he could finish, King Anuket interrupted,

"Enough! I think you are mad, Antion!"

Antion immediately stopped speaking, silently staring at the angry king.

"Do you think that because you serve Kagawus and once received revelations about the afterlife, you can freely cast doubts on other priests?"

King Anuket sneered,

"Even if some priests are corrupt, does that mean I should condone the New Rule Garden?"

"Antion, don’t you know that these True Believers have repeatedly broken the law, constantly inciting the Stone Slaves to unrest?!"

King Anuket’s words were true; ever since those slaves had gathered because of the True Religion, they had supported each other, repeatedly causing disturbances in the name of God.

Antion did not deny it, but instead said,

"Your Majesty, of course I know."

King Anuket sat upright, staring intently at Antion, and continued,

"If so, what else do you have to say?

The True Believers continually incite disturbances and wreak havoc on the kingdom, and I should ban such faith.

But now I am going to unify the two religions, following the traditions of our past.

And this, is the greatest mercy I have shown to the Church."

Antion didn’t reply but questioned instead,

"Your Majesty, are the Stone Slaves not Three-eyed Ape People?"

King Anuket looked puzzled and said,

"The Stone Slaves are a mixed breed of Three-eyed Ape People and Elves, their impure bloodlines can’t partake in the grace of Kagawus; they are natural slaves, those destined to bear heavy stones.

They are not considered pure Three-eyed Ape People, and purebred Three-eyed Ape People are far more divine than the Stone Slaves."

After speaking, the king stared fixedly at Antion; he wanted to see what else the priest had to say.

For those lofty nobles, the Stone Slaves were, in their eyes, like foreigners.

"Far more divine than the Stone Slaves?"

"No, Your Majesty, the Stone Slaves are indeed Three-eyed Ape People."

"Did Kagawus create some of us to be slaves and others to be nobles when He created us?"

Antion asked loudly.

King Anuket stared at the priest and slightly shook his head.

"If not, then how can you say the nobles are far more divine than the Stone Slaves?

The emergence of the Stone Slaves is not the will of the Prophetic God; it is merely the evolution of history!

The Stone Slaves are Three-eyed Ape People, they are not foreigners, their ancestors were also created by Kagawus!"

King Anuket grew increasingly angry, he was astonished to find that he could not refute Antion’s words.

Then, the king sneered and asked,

"What are you trying to say, do you think that by this logic, those Stone Slaves have a reason to rebel?"

Antion’s voice softened as he patiently explained to the king,

"I have no intention of defending criminals, but what I am trying to say is that those Stone Slaves who were thrown into prison and executed could have not been criminals.

It is just that we, the pureblooded, have always looked at them as if they were livestock, gave them food fit for animals, and made them live lives like animals. Their rebellion is our own fault.

And this identity of True Religion, Prophet, and True Believers is just a facade of rebellion; it’s not important."

King Anuket burst into laughter, the sound resonating in the spacious palace library, as if mocking Antion’s naive foolishness.

Following that, the king lowered his head, sizing up the priest in front of him.

No matter how reasonable Antion’s words were, in his own eyes, they seemed nothing more than the naïve delusions of a fool.

No matter how he defended the True Religion, he would never allow it to continue to develop.

Even if his words were cunningly brilliant and morally righteous, the ultimate decision lay in his own hands, as the King.

In this Kingdom, he was the supreme authority.

Antion looked at King Anuket, fully aware that the King’s bias against the Church was deeply rooted.

So...

"Your Majesty, Kagawus witnesses all that you do, and He will personally judge you in the afterlife."

King Anuket was taken aback, the color draining from his face as he began to feel a genuine fear for the first time.

In this Kingdom, the King was the highest secular authority.

But...

No matter how exalted a mortal’s authority might be, it was just that—mortal authority.

Kagawus, His supreme authority, was enough to make almost the entire Kingdom prostrate itself.

He was the creator of their race, after all!

The King could dispose of any Priest at will because the royal power in Ajia Land came from the Divine.

The Divine was the ultimate authority!

Soon, King Anuket stared at Antion and calmed himself, retorting,

"Judge me? How could you, a mere Priest, cause Kagawus to judge me?

I am the King of Ajia Land. I pray to Him day and night, yet I have never heard of Him wishing to judge me.

On the contrary, Kagawus will protect all that is mine because I am the King of the Three-eyed Ape People!"

After King Anuket caught on, he became even more furious, as the Priest before him dared to attempt to intimidate him in the name of God.

Despite this, Antion remained neither humble nor arrogant, simply saying slowly,

"I am just a Priest; how could I be protected by Kagawus like the King is?

But my teacher, the Hermit you speak of, heeded Kagawus’ revelation and spent decades in seclusion on Solitary Island.

Your Majesty, do you think my teacher hasn’t prayed to Kagawus about everything you have done?"

Antion would certainly not reveal his own identity. Kagawus was now fully focused on peering into the course of fate, hardly able to attend to the affairs of the Mortal World.

Antion also did not want to complicate matters because of himself, so he used the identity of the Hermit Naya, and his mild words contained an intense threat.

King Anuket was completely stunned. In his anger, he unconsciously forgot that the Antion before him was a disciple of the Hermit, who had personally heard the revelations of Kagawus.

He himself had never heard the voice of Kagawus, and the revelations he had seen were nothing more than glimpses of light, faint like illusions.

He himself couldn’t be entirely sure whether these were indeed Divine revelations.

The once imperious King’s hands began to shake violently; he could not be certain whether what Antion had said was true or false.

And because he could not determine the truth, King Anuket became even more terrified.

The fear of the unknown was far more frightening than that of the known.

Only to hear Antion say slowly,

"The reason my teacher left is because he heard a prayer, and that prayer he had never heard recited by any Priest."

"The prayer was:

’God, do not let us flourish in glory.’

"He saw the greed flowing among the Priests and saw the contentment in poverty of Xilan and others, and so after decades, he left Ajia Land once more to return to Solitary Island."

Antion gazed directly at King Anuket, who had turned pale.

"Your Majesty, take care of yourself."

After that, Antion stood up and left without uttering another word.

King Anuket watched Antion depart in a daze, facing the King, this Priest was so unapologetic,

as if...

as if he truly represented Kagawus himself.