Only God
Chapter 350 - 307: Clouds in the Past

Chapter 350: Chapter 307: Clouds in the Past

The continuous rebellions within the great country had given Danschel, which was originally in a desperate situation, a chance to breathe.

King Phil issued decrees one after another, mobilizing the entire Kingdom and calling on every citizen of Danschel to join the imminent war.

The kingdom had known peace for too long; under normal circumstances, even if the King issued conscription decrees, there wouldn’t be much response.

However, the winds of famine had swept through the city-states of the kingdom.

Even though the land was fertile, the grains that grew were limited and could not sustain everyone.

A large number of refugees left their hometowns and joined the ranks, driven solely by the wheat from the royal granary.

The growth of the army far exceeded King Phil’s imagination.

Too many were displaced, tormented by plague and famine; not only were citizens of Danschel in the army, many foreigners also exhausted all means to drag their weak bodies into the ranks.

Famine caused thousands to die, their bodies thin and emaciated scattered everywhere, their eyes bulging from their sockets, their expressions numb yet greedy.

King Phil saw all this.

But more importantly, he saw the army swelling with refugees.

There isn’t a king who doesn’t want to achieve great deeds.

Especially in these turbulent times,

if you don’t invade,

the only one who gets invaded is you.

If you don’t expand your territory,

then your territory is the one that gets expanded.

King Phil saw the vulnerability of the great country and knew that King Nesol was destined to direct his army towards Danschel—it was only a matter of time before the current calmness would end.

For the letter of accepting vassalage and the envoy had clearly reached the latter’s palace, but there had yet to be a response.

King Nesol was simply trapped by internal strife for now, and putting an invasion of Danschel on his agenda was postponed.

If that was the case,

why not strike first?

King Phil looked at the map before him, his eyes gradually filled with greed.

Yes,

the blood and winds of war had already swept through Danschel and were pushing the kingdom towards the abyss.

...

With the war approaching, the entire Danschel was submerged in a muddy atmosphere.

Despite the bustling crowds of refugees on the streets every day, Catherine only felt a deadly silence.

Catherine did not know what the future held for Danschel, but the current scene was like the calm before the storm.

Everyone knew the storm was coming, but no one truly knew how fierce it would be.

A third of the musicians from the Music Academy had gone to the Temple today to prepare for a grand ritual for the departure.

In the temple, Catherine held her harp, bowing her head, she saw the dense crowd and wondered how grand this performance would turn out to be; she had never witnessed such a grand ceremony before.

King Phil, the Crown Prince, and her former lover Prince Tyrone, were now kneeling before the Divine Statue in the temple, their eyes tightly closed, exuding utmost humility.

As the horns sounded, the music dedicated to the Gods burst forth in an instant.

Catherine closed her eyes, trying her hardest to immerse herself.

Throughout the temple, the magnificent music flooded, heavenly tunes descending. The warriors about to set off were moved to tears, while the King and Prince by the Divine Statue harbored only desires sparked by the impending war.

The statues in the temple were made of stone, the people of Danschel mainly worshiped three Divine beings. The statues on either side were stiff and rigid, gazing straight ahead, and Catherine looked up to see Shan’en, the King of Gods, standing silently in the center, his supreme authority dominating over the populace prostrated below him.

.................

The True Believers who spread the word had not left Danschel.

Partly because Danschel had not yet been touched by war and partly because the True Believers were well-versed in preaching. Originating mostly from the impoverished Stone Slaves in those times, preaching was not merely about distributing porridge and spreading Scriptures; it meant sharing in adversities, even to the point of martyrdom.

Such spirit stemmed from Xilan, a disciple of the Prophet from a millennium ago. Faced with persecution from King Anuket, he did not lead the True Believers away but instead rose up in rebellion with them.

After the grand sacrifice, Catherine, concerned for the True Believers, visited their dwelling places.

Although the winds of famine had reached Danschel, these able-to-preach True Believers, similar to the ascetic Priests, were accustomed to austerity; they had few complaints, and even Catherine could not help but admire their will.

"Do not be surprised, Catherine. As long as one is sufficiently devout, no matter which Divine being they believe in, they can achieve this," the Vice Elder said with a smile.

Catherine thought it made sense; musicians played for the sacrifices, and she had seen ascetic Priests as well.

The Great Elder slowly walked out and smiled upon seeing Catherine.

Catherine looked at the Great Elder and felt a slight trepidation.

She knew of the Great Elder’s doubts about the Master, but she would not say much more, let alone betray them, yet she could not avoid having misgivings.

The Great Elder did not seem to notice Catherine’s gaze, or perhaps being old, he no longer bothered with such trivialities; he turned his head to look far off into the distance at the soldiers gathering.

"War is coming... May the Lord protect them," the Great Elder said.

Catherine could not tell if the latter half of his statement was out of habit or genuinely heartfelt.

But being obsessed with music, she simply did not want to think too much about it and dismissed these thoughts.

Ignoring the doubts in her heart, she stepped forward and asked casually,

"What will they encounter?"

The Great Elder spoke solemnly,

"Death... slaughter... The prophecies I see are blurry; beyond these vague words, I can see nothing..."

Catherine was momentarily startled, she vaguely anticipated it, but hearing the Great Elder say it outright, she could not help but feel panic.

Desire, greed, under the instigation of Gods led by Endora, was nearly infinitely magnified.

All because the once immutable order of the Country of Divines had been broken, trampled, shattered...

Humans are but dust of the earth. When the Gods open their mouths and exhale fierce winds, the dust is compelled to move with the wind, unable to resist.

In this devastating chaos, with the collapse of order, humans are doomed to slay one another.

Afterward, the way they kill each other will be mirrored by how the Gods slaughter each other.

The Divine beings’ reckless ravaging of the Mortal World would ultimately meet retribution.

Dust of the earth rises and falls, yet the upheaval touches only the dust, like clouds passing by, while the sky remains unchanged.

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