Early morning, Crosswind Port.
With red-rimmed eyes, Huyan Longzhuo brandished his eighteen-foot serpent spear, summoning his direct subordinates to set sail for the Silver Moon Kingdom!
By rotation, it should have been his turn to lead the patrol; his father-in-law had taken the disaster in his stead!
"Whether you're the Pope or some God of Light, I'll tear you to pieces!"
Huyan Longzhuo stormed to the port, only to be intercepted by a group of Divine Kingdom warriors.
Leading them was Nalan Shankui, a younger clansman personally trained by Nalan Huaz, one of the three lords elevated alongside Huyan Qingbai.
"Lord Longzhuo, halt!"
"Hmm?"
Huyan Longzhuo narrowed his eyes at Nalan Shankui, his voice stern: "I'm in no mood for debate. Move aside! Otherwise, my spear won't recognize kin!"
"My martial arts were almost entirely taught by Master Huaz; his death pains me no less than it does you."
Nalan Shankui weighed his long-handled iron blade in his hand.
This was once the ancestral weapon of the Nalan clan, given to him by Nalan Huaz after losing to him in the clan's final match at the Martial Arts Tournament held during the fifth year of the Divine Descent.
Huaz had received the God-gifted Green Dragon Crescent Blade, passing the iron blade to Shankui as an acknowledgment of his lineage.
"Lord Longzhuo, the other senior officials have learned of Master Huaz's death and will surely make the wisest decision after deliberation. Do not act rashly!"
Upon hearing this, Huyan Longzhuo fell silent for a moment but then advanced with spear in hand.
He knew Shankui might be right, but his anger was too fierce to contain!
The Silver Moon Papacy must pay in blood!
"I told you to move aside! Don't you understand?!"
Just as Huyan Longzhuo was about to force his way through with his followers, a griffin's silhouette swooped down from the sky!
The divine servant, Huyan Wu, leaped off its back, slapping Huyan Longzhuo across the face without hesitation!
Slap!
"Grown some audacity, have you? Eager to die?"
"I..."
Huyan Longzhuo saw stars from the slap, shaking his head to protest, but the divine servant coldly stated, "You've heard the report from Zuoqiu Ping and the others, right?
Given the Pope's demonstrated power, even I have no confidence in victory!
Do you think you can win?"
"I'll fight regardless!"
Huyan Longzhuo shouted defiantly, his neck stiff: "Life was getting better for everyone, the old man was about to hold his grandchild, retire in peace, and then he was killed by some damned Pope!
Why should that be? I won't rest until I've crushed that bastard!"
Huyan Longzhuo's eyes were bloodshot, like a beast driven to the edge of fury.
"The Pope must die, but not now."
Seeing Huyan Longzhuo's state, the divine servant's expression softened unusually as he gripped his shoulder, saying:
"I promise you, the Pope's life is yours to take, but how we do it needs to be strategized with Nalan Jiao and the others.
Remember, Ah Xin is carrying your child; you wouldn't want them to lose both their grandfather and father before they're even born, would you?"
"..."
Hearing about his wife and child, Huyan Longzhuo's rage-cooled mind regained some composure.
He took a long breath, gritting his teeth: "You've guaranteed it; the Pope's death is mine!"
...
[The Fourteenth Year of the Divine Descent], November 13th.
Griffins scattered tens of thousands of proclamations across the four kingdoms.
The revered commander, Nalan Huaz, while on routine coastal patrol, was unjustly assassinated by members of the Silver Moon Papacy.
In response, the Divine Kingdom seeks no explanation or compensation; it declares war on the Silver Moon Kingdom!
[Let the King of Death and the Pope cleanse themselves with blood, for we shall meet in battle beneath the Silver Moon's capital.]
Arrogance! Unprecedented arrogance!
Previously, conflicts among the four kingdoms maintained a facade of decorum; even in fierce battles, they refrained from pushing each other into desperation to avoid mad retaliation.
But the Divine Kingdom?
You killed one of our leaders? Excellent!
We're not interested in your reasons or apologies; we're announcing to the world that we intend to destroy you!
The Storm Kingdom, now fully "redeemed," from commoners to the remaining compliant nobles, rejoiced at this news.
Want to fight the Divine Kingdom? Has the Silver Moon Papacy lost its mind?
Look at what happened to the last Storm King and his chief wizard; that's the fate awaiting the Silver Moon King and Pope!
The Thunder Kingdom, focused on recuperation, had no energy for external conflicts.
The High Priest was busy traveling among the tribes, casting spells to plant trees, improve the environment, and gain popularity while subtly undermining Great Chieftain Hulk's authority, advancing his own power grab...
As for the Dark Kingdom, they had long-standing friction with the Silver Moon Kingdom, never seeing eye to eye, and were eager to see their old rivals and the newcomers from the northwest weaken each other for their own gain.
Justin, residing in the Dark Kingdom's capital, Solentian, had already been informed of the Divine Kingdom's declaration of war.
But Nalan Jiao's secret message instructed him to remain there, continuing to investigate the disappearance of numerous bodies while keeping an eye on the Shadow Council's movements to prevent any underhanded interference.
That evening in Solentian, on a bustling street.
Many gathered in taverns, animatedly discussing the major event of the day.
"Hey, do you think the Divine Kingdom can beat the Silver Moon Kingdom?"
"Of course! Look at how quickly the Storm Kingdom fell... ah, was 'redeemed' when they faced the Divine Kingdom. The Silver Moon Kingdom is too small to deploy a deep strategic defense."
"I'm not so sure; the Pope is the foremost of the four legendary heroes. They say he's nearly the true God of Light incarnate; one man could be worth an army!"
"I don't care; I hope the Divine Kingdom wins! I bet twenty-nine silvers and seventy-five coppers, who's in?"
"Why the loose change? I'll bet thirty silvers, also on the Divine Kingdom!"
"I'm in; it's just a matter of whether it's a big win, a medium win, or a small win."
"There's no small win; it's medium, big, or huge!"
...
The people of the Dark Kingdom, long oppressed, found the sanctimonious priests and clerics of the Papacy intolerable.
Thus, despite knowing the Pope's might, most voiced support for the Divine Kingdom, even without ever having met anyone from there...
The enemy of my enemy is my friend!
Justin, clad in a simple cloth cloak, led a similarly dressed songstress through the streets, seeking their next source of information.
Moments later, a vendor dressed in black, with eerie red eyes, caught their attention.
He was selling to a young couple.
"Look at my new goods, each one a masterpiece...
Ah? Want to buy a house? I have houses too! In the North Grave District, where you can see the magnificent Bov tomb right from your window!
A rare tomb-view property, care to take a look?"