Red Preist

The Palace of Eternity.

The Royal Palace towered above the city of Backlund, surrounded by the statues of the six gods. It emitted a divine aura, as if it were conjured from the dream of a god.

In this imaginary palace, Alitsa Tudor walked back and forth in his room. His blue eyes gleamed in anger and madness.

The room around him was a mess. Every piece of furniture was broken and twisted into pieces. The broken glasses littered the floor, gleaming brightly in sunlight.

Alitsa walked, ignoring the wracked state of his study, which was actually caused by his bout of anger.

His hands were clenched, and his mind was racing to come up with a solution, or even a glimmer of hope for his perilous situation.

'Why?...' He thought, 'Why did it end up like this? Why? Why?'

Alitsa didn't know where it all went wrong. Just thinking about the possibilities behind that almost drove his mind to abyss of madness.

Eternal Blazing Sun!

He still remembers the smile of the Eternal Blazing Sun when he handed over the characteristics of Prince of Abolition to him.

Did the sun god always know the era would develop like this? Or did he himself cause all of this to happen?

It doesn't actually matter at the end of the day to Alitsa, as things have already developed far beyond salvation for him.

He now knew that the gods never bothered to give him a thought or consideration. In their eyes, he should always been a dead man walking.

Just that thought caused his heart to burn with a fire, a flaring black fire mixed with hatred and madness.

Boom!

The walls of the study room collapsed, unable to bear the surging chaotic aura emanating from his figure.

Alitsa expected something from the gods when they learned of his betrayal. However, there was only silence and indifference to his actions, as if they didn't bother to care at all.

He looked at the towering statues of the gods through the window, his heart filled with raging emotions.

In the end, he suppressed his hatred and madness, taking a deep breath.

He needs to survive the convergence caused by the resurrection of his majesty. No, he will survive and prove it to the gods.

Just then, an image of the brass-haired man flashed through his mind.

"Trunsoest.." Alitsa smiled bitterly as he thought about how things turned so different for the two of them.

Trunsoest is the most beloved of the six gods, serving as the gods' representative on Earth.

Alitsa jeered at him in the past, calling him a puppet of the gods.

Now, looking back, Trunsoest was the one who got the last laugh over him, ironically. So, what if Trunsoest was a puppet of the gods? He doesn't have to worry about the Black Emperor. He has the protection of the gods.

Alitsa also discovered that Eternal Blazing Sun chose Trunsoest over him by bestowing the hand of order trait to Trunsoest.

At that time, he didn't think much about it. However, he can now see clearly through the action of the sun god.

Alitsa really had the urge to pray to the sun god and ask him.

'Why? Why did you choose Trunsoest over me?'

He really wanted to know the answer, as the question was tormenting his heart.

He was better than the coward in every way!

However, the sun god…

"He doesn't care…" A gentle voice sounded from behind him, causing him to turn around abruptly. He almost attacked the intruder, but stopped himself after seeing who it was.

His emotions also strangely calmed down at the sight of the intruder. The ravings of his majesty that tormented his mind went silent as well.

He finally felt peace in his heart and mind after a long period of suffering.

Despite this, he didn't let down his guard at all, his vigilance only increasing after noticing his sudden change.

He looked at the intruder with wariness and fear.

Before him stood a priest clad in a simple white cloak and a silver cross. He had a gentle smile as he looked at Alitsa.

Adam, Angel of Imagination!

Alitsa looked at the son of the creator in fear.

Adam, king of angels of the visionary pathway, was an enigma to all, even gods.

Alitsa knew Adam mostly stayed within the empire. The Gods should have known it too, yet they did nothing. This alone was enough to show the might of the being in front of him.

If he isn't wrong, Adam should also be above the "Golden Order", considering his unrestrained actions throughout the century. His existence alone challenged the "Golden Order".

The "Golden Order" is the order established by Eternal Blazing Sun when the empire was founded. It is a terrifying "Order" with rules and laws that bind every being in the empire.

Nobody can escape it. Even him and Trunsoest, as well as the kings of angels, all followed the "Golden Order".

Only Gods were above the "Order". They also had some influence over the "Golden Order", though not as much as Eternal Blazing Sun.

Yet, Adam should be above it as well, despite not being a god.

Alitsa suddenly felt a tinge of jealousy, which he immediately suppressed as the clear eyes of Adam locked on him.

"Your excellency, Adam.." Alitsa finally spoke, giving enough respect to the being in front of him.

He clearly knew the appearance of Adam at this precise moment was far from simple. It ignited hope in his dark heart.

He was also surprised. After all, this was Backlund, the capital of the empire. The influence of the Eternal Blazing Sun is highest here, yet Adam…

"He doesn't care.." Adam said again, as if seeing through his doubts and questions, though his words now contained deep meaning.

Alitsa was perplexed, obviously not understanding the meaning.

"Alitsa Tudor…" Adam continued in a gentle tone, not bothering to explain himself. "The one who had been abandoned by the Gods."

"Aucuses already arranged your fate from the beginning; you are supposed to die when Solomon resurrects…" He said, walking towards Alitsa.

Alitsa was silent, his head down and hands clenched.

"Do you know they also decided the fate of your fellow consul not long ago?" Adam asked, looking at the statues of gods through the windows.

Alitsa looked up, his attention completely drawn to Adam, and asked. "What did they decide for him, your excellency?"

Adam smiled, "Under the suggestion of Aucuses, the seven gods decided to help him to become Justiciar."

The words of Adam thundered into Alitsa's mind, shaking him to his core.

"What?" He asked, astounded.

"Justiciar.." Adam patiently elaborated. "The preparations for the apotheosis ritual have already begun. With the help of Gods, the ritual which should have taken at least decades to complete will now only take a year at most…."

"Why?" Alitsa yelled, "Why are they even helping him? They should know about the true nature of the Trunsoest; even though he is a coward, he is someone who values order above all…"

Adam was silent, making it obvious that the angel of imagination was not going to answer this question.

Alitsa clenched his fist, blood pouring out. His lips had a bitter smile. His eyes were flashing with memories of the past.

It felt ironic that the first one to become a god among them was Trunsoest, who didn't have any such dream or wish of becoming a god, unlike him.

He finally looked at Adam and asked, his eyes shimmering with hope and despair.

"Your excellency, you shouldn't have come here just to inform me that…"

Adam still had a gentle smile, listening to him. He nodded and took out a black slate with an ancient aura and handed it to him while pointing at the writing at the top.

Alitsa knew it was the blasphemy slate. He took it and looked at it without asking any further questions.

"Sequence 0 – Red Priest.."

"Ritual – Stirring up a war that sweeps the continent and gain victory…"

"Alitsa Tudor, the only way you can survive the coming chaotic time is by becoming a god." Adam said, his golden eyes gleaming. "Red Priest is the only pathway where you have a chance of becoming a god. You already completed the apotheosis ritual by stirring up the Seven Nation War and destroying the Solomon Empire."

"But.." Alitsa asked, his hand holding the blasphemy slate trembling. "Switching to a non-adjacent pathway…"

"This is the only way." Adam said, in his gentle voice, that sounded so cruel to Alitsa.

Alitsa looked at the blasphemy slate. He knew Adam was right. There was no other way. All that awaited him on other paths was nothing but death or even fates worse than that.

He remembered the promise that he had made to himself a few moments ago.

Now, he made a new promise based on the previous one.

He will survive and will bring down the gods themselves!

Alitsa tightened his grip on the blasphemy slate, his eyes gleaming.

He finally asked, looking at the Angel of Imagination.

"Why are you helping me?..."

He wanted to know the motives of Adam. He wasn't a fool to think that the help of the son of the creator was free. There must be a price, a terrible price at that.

The sunlight in the room deepened, illuminating the figure of Adam, who was silent for a moment before answering with a soft smile.

"It's the trend of the times…"

"War. Disorder. Death. Order."

"Black Emperor. Eternal Sleeper..." Alitsa muttered subconsciously.

"Trunsoest- Lord Of Order." Adam finished for him.

"War…" Alitsa looked at the title of Red Priest in the blasphemy slate. His voice quivering. "Is it fate?"

"In a way, yes." Adam nodded. "Though, this fate is not yours as you have guessed."

"The war angel of the creator shall ascend to the throne of God and blow the horns of war. He will be the sword of revenge for the fallen creator. He will be the one to slay the traitors; the fallen angels of the creator…"

"That is written fate…" Adam said, his voice soft yet indifferent. "So, what is your choice?"

"To remain chained by fate or to break it and usurp the throne of the Red Priest from Medici."

"Choose, Alitsa Tudor."

The sunlight in the room became bright, brighter than ever.

"Yes." Alitsa said, his voice firm and his eyes gleaming in madness and craziness.

He turned and looked at the sun in the sky, which was getting bigger and bigger by the moment.

"I will become the Red Priest." He declared boldly, looking at the Eternal Blazing Sun.

Adam nodded gently at the gargantuan sun. Then, he and Alitsa disappeared from the royal palace…..

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