The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 340: The Raging Storm (1)

Chapter 340: The Raging Storm (1)

The sight of the Crack triggered some forgotten memories. Fragments of a war in the distant past flashed before her eyes.

Her sentience had been in the process of forging so she couldn’t recall everything but the agonized and furious faces burning under the onslaught of her judgement caused her heart to wince.

’I couldn’t control my powers then. If I could, perhaps those sisters and brothers would still be around, filling the Vault with their presence. I wouldn’t have to face the path I am about to...perhaps.’

Regret. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong but if she had awakened fully at that time, things might have worked out differently.

During her creation, the Godking instilled the concept of Family within her. She viewed the Godking as her father and the other deities as her older siblings.

The Crack appeared during the war between the deities and the judgement their action triggered.

She had seen it many times as Heaven but like almost everything else, seeing it up close, from the eyes of a human body, she couldn’t help but be awed by it. Even Heaven couldn’t control nature and the Laws to an extent required to create or destroy such a phenomenon.

"Your Holiness, we have company."

Althea sighed and threw her thoughts to the back of her mind. She turned sideways, facing the man appointed as the leader of their voyage.

Ardan stood beside her, his posture straight and firm, appearing steadfast in the face of the billowing wind that could shred an average Knight into pieces. An unfair comparison perhaps. Even an exceptional Knight couldn’t be compared to an Enlightened Knight. At the ’young’ age of sixty Ardan achieved what few in the world could do.

Althea followed his gaze and saw a fleet approaching. The banner on top of the sail depicted a multi-headed serpent.

"The Marshes," Ardan helped identify. "A kingdom near us. As the name suggests, it’s filled with marshes. Only the cruelest and most cunning people and creatures survive in that place. That’s why, despite their small numbers, they can be difficult to deal with."

"Why are they here?"

Althea appreciated the small introduction but she wasn’t interested in them unless their presence impeded her path.

"I guess the same reason many are entering Wrixia, the competition. But they might be here also to test you."

"Me? What for?" Althea had no dealings with them. She would understand their arrival to honor or worship her – many had done so in the past few days – but no one came to test her. No one had dared to.

"The Marshes follow the strong. This is a probe to know whether you qualify to lead them."

"I am Heaven itself. Shouldn’t that be enough?"

"Yes, usually that would suffice."

"Usually?"

Ardan finally met her gaze as they stood calmly amidst the storms rocking the ships. Screams and shouts tore through the thundering but neither Ardan nor Althea as much as flinched.

Ardan seemed to hesitate. A little. He quickly made his mind up, though.

"You are Heaven, your Holiness. And you are Fate itself. Even the crazy ones, living and breathing the toxic fumes of those vile lands and waters accept you as the highest authority. But, the End of the Age is upon us. Even the Godking fell at the turn of the Age. Plus, in this war your opponent is the Divine Lord. A being whose origin is lost even to us yet is strong enough to have left traces of him since the very first Age."

No matter how much Althea hated to admit it, she sensed the truth in his words. She had no recollection of the Divine Lord’s origin. There were passages in the Temple and fragments in her memories about his various incarnations throughout time.

Although his forces and power paled in comparison to hers, so far, she couldn’t afford to underestimate him. His forces were spread across every nation, faction, and even species.

Althea turned her gaze toward the ship approaching them. The distance had diminished by now.

The deck was empty save for the five people, or should she say creatures, looking at her.

They were humans. She didn’t doubt that. But their appearances bordered the inhumane. At the far left stood a man as wide as he was tall covered in some sort of gooey substance. It reeked.

Two of the five, warped around the two masts, appearing more serpentine than humane. The fourth one stood perched atop the main mast. He didn’t have wings but somehow still reminded Althea of a Scavenger Bird. The fifth one seemed the oddest. He looked like an average human.

"The Biledwellers," Ardan said. His expression didn’t change but she detected a suppressed groan in his speech. "They are all but Transformation Knights but their synergy allows them to suppress and...irritate even Enlightened Knights."

The flared nostrils told Althea, Ardan had experienced battling against them...perhaps more than once.

She didn’t speak or ask anything. The others perhaps were waiting for the storm to pass before challenging her. She had other plans though.

Her eyes turned golden as the threads of their Fate appeared in her sight. The constraints on her, placed by the Godking and the Vault, prevented her from directly cutting their Fate short. But that didn’t stop her from pulling some Strings.

Her fingers blurred as she plucked and pulled the Strings.

Neither Ardan nor the Biledwellers could see what she was up to. But they sensed something. Ardan looked intrigued. The Biledwellers looked panicked. Soon, the panic turned to dread.

The storm raged and picked the ship up, as a wave covering the skies slammed into the ship. The sturdy ship splintered as if made from straws.

Such an incident wouldn’t kill those five. They knew it. Althea knew it. As Heaven, storms fitted in her authority. She had a clear view of how those five used their abilities to bind the waves and the wind, gaining a footing. Their furious expressions showed they weren’t done yet.

’Good.’

Althea wasn’t done either. In fact, she had barely started.

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