The black sun hangs high

Chapter 393 Her Choice
All calm narratives of dire situations have always been able to evoke an extremely strong sense of powerlessness.

The impact becomes even greater when the narrator of these facts is a "deity" with abilities far beyond what ordinary people can comprehend.

However, Hughes did not show much tension or unease because of this terrible information. He simply sat quietly in front of Theseus and looked at him silently.

Theseus remained silent, and the two stared at each other inexplicably.

After a while, Theseus broke the silence.

"Um... okay, I admit the problem isn't actually as bad as I described."

He gently patted the armrest of the chair, and a dim black mist emanated from his body, slightly filling the terrible gaps in his body. After this round of "repair," Theseus's appearance looked much better. Although he was still somewhat weak and disheveled, he was no longer in that tattered state.

And so, under the light, Theseus clapped his hands: "Alright, let's continue. What I just said is basically true. After all, under the current circumstances, I have no need to 'slack off' or 'slack off.' The so-called time pressure is not just a vague adjective; it is an unavoidable reality."

So Hugh asked, "What will happen if we fall behind?"

"You should be able to tell without me saying it... The Black Sun Society's goal is actually very simple: they are trying to establish an 'enclave' that is completely controlled by the Dark Abyss and, to some extent, reproduces the ancient order and rules."

"In other words, they hope to gradually re-establish the rules of 'sacrifice' and 'hunting grounds' from the height of the Black Sun's power in Vaan, just like in the past."

Theseus's body swayed gently with the computer chair as he slowly said, "Rebuild faith through the remaining power of that era, and in doing so, call upon those wills that were once banished and destroyed, so that they may be revived or return."

"The ocean is the beginning?"

“Yes… but those communities are very special. They are part of the whole of Kaljun and are closely integrated with the whole of Vaan, so they naturally awaken earlier.”

Theseus chuckled: “However, as you also heard from that woman, the followers of Charon now have their own ideas. In fact, it’s not just them, but also the communities in the ocean. This is inevitable. Once the truth that Charon once opposed almost all the gods of the Vajra and the Abyss spreads, their division will naturally occur.”

"Including communities?"

At this point, Hugh suddenly recalled the scene he had witnessed earlier—the black shadows gradually spreading and infecting the Lord of the Sea, Calron—and asked, "These tendencies and emotions of theirs, are they yours...?"

"It's probably me."

Theseus readily acknowledged Hugh's conjecture: "Of course, their hatred for the Black Sun is stronger than yours, after all, it is the true source of the birth of the will of Charon. And after my alteration and influence, their impulse in this regard will not be weakened, but will be increased without limit."

Hugh thought seriously for two seconds, then boldly asked, "If that's the case, since we actually share similar interests and pursuits with these ocean communities, does that mean we can establish an alliance based on a common enemy?"

"Hmm, you're not the only one who thought of that."

Theseus nodded and said, "In fact, your comrades have already met with the community's messengers, and they have indeed made some demands. Heh, I'm sorry, but because of me, you may very well be betrayed or traded away as 'conditions'."

Hugh couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

The consequences of that astonishing "betrayal" that occurred in ancient times are far-reaching and complex. Those complex and chaotic emotions and thoughts not only caused the pure community consciousness to collapse in a short period of time, but also, after a long period of sedimentation, allowed them to establish a clear and firm target of hatred.

However, now it seems that he has become the unfortunate target instead of Theseus.

Theseus was not fooled by Hugh's change of mood. The faceless god chuckled twice and then said, "There's no need to be too pessimistic. Well... I mean, your comrades are still very principled. At least the ones you trust wouldn't do such a thing."

"So what was the final decision?"

"They will not hand you over directly to the community, nor will they engage in deep cooperation with the community... The two sides will maintain a certain level of communication and adhere to the basic principles of non-aggression and non-interference during the fight against the Black Sun."

Hughes frowned: "They won't hand me over directly to the community... Does that mean that if the community finds my trail and starts tracking me, there's not much they can do?"

Theseus shrugged: "That's a matter of opinion, but if I were you, I would try to stay inland as much as possible and not keep going to the coast."

So Hughes looked up at the blinding white light above him, and after a long while, he finally uttered a curse.

"damn it."

Theseus offered a rare moment of comfort: "What's there to be angry about? I actually think the situation is quite optimistic... At least it shows that, apart from the Dawn Society and the Legal Committee, the politicians involved aren't completely stupid."

His tone turned slightly somber, and he even sighed: "Compared to us back then, you're nothing."

Theseus's words reminded Hughes once again of the lonely and quiet figure kneeling before Charon that he had seen in the illusion.

He then voiced his lingering question: "So, after Carjun was 'expelled,' how did you and your mentor... manage to extricate yourselves from it?"

"It's simple for me, because I'm incompatible with those pure life forces. I'm an alien mixed in with them. Once I get rid of my disguise, they will naturally reject me, allowing me to escape easily."

Theseus said slowly, “As for my mentor… she was the chosen one of Charon. Even when she returned to the community, she was able to retain her own will for a certain period of time. Therefore, after Charon fell into slumber due to the division of the community, she took control of it.”

"So she took over the power of the ocean, causing the will of most of the tribes to fall into slumber along with the gods they once worshipped, and causing the tides to recede, making enough space for the remaining land tribes... After that, she used this power to carry out a final cleansing of the remaining gods in Vaan."

"The Black Sun grew weaker and weaker in the process, because it had not received any offerings from Vaan for a very long time... and my mentor, as the de facto ruler of Vaan, was even less likely to compromise with the Abyss like the gods of the past." "The Color of Life was used and distributed in the most reasonable way, so the whole of Vaan has regained its vitality. Those who followed other gods in the past either fell into slumber, perished, or transformed into ordinary beings because they lost the gods' favor. And those beings who were once regarded as 'inferior races' have rebuilt their cities and villages."

"...The final step is to isolate ourselves from that black sun."

At this point, Theseus suddenly raised his hand, flicked his fingers, and conjured a cigarette out of thin air, then roughly stuck it into his muddled face.

The cigarette spontaneously combusted, releasing a thin wisp of grayish-black smoke.

Theseus was no longer the carefree man he once was. If it weren't for his still-unclear face, Hugh would have almost thought that the man sitting in front of him was an old man reminiscing about a sad past.

Faced with this situation, Hugh instinctively reached out his hand, and as Theseus flicked his fingers, a similar-looking cigarette appeared between Hugh's fingers.

"One more for me."

Hughes grinned, and the cigarette spontaneously combusted.

As the two cigarettes were about to burn out, Theseus finally spoke again: "I am my mentor's student and her most trusted lieutenant... Throughout that long period of time, I have been doing my best to help her. If we can completely drive out the Dark Abyss Court, then that grand drama that has spanned so long will surely have the most perfect ending."

"But we can't do it."

Hughes didn't ask any questions; he waited quietly for Theseus to continue his explanation.

"We made countless attempts, the closest we came to success was when a ritual spanning almost the entire land of Vaan took effect simultaneously. Vast power filled the sky, and the black sun became dim and tiny, almost impossible to observe... However, when the mobilized magic subsided, the black sun became clear once again. It not only did not disappear, but it grew stronger. The ritual even triggered a 'hunt' that had not happened for a long time, which brought unimaginable losses to those nascent civilizations."

"Magic... the problem lies with magic."

"That is the power deeply rooted in Vaan. It is the flesh and blood of this world, the bones of this world. Whether it is Charon or other gods, they all benefit from it or even live because of it."

Upon hearing this, Hugh's mind went blank. Based on Theseus's explanation and tone, he had already guessed the answer.

That is indeed a despairing answer.

“Van’s magic originates from that black sun, which is the howling wind that swept through the abyss, the ancient death created by my ‘kin’ during their hunts… It is the painful afterglow left by gods and races millions of years ago.”

"This world cannot escape its control, because from the beginning, Vaan has been of the same origin as it... The power that sustains this world comes from the illumination of the black sun. Perhaps we can find ten thousand ways to weaken its influence, but we will never be able to remove it. As long as magic flourishes, it will naturally 'respond' to the call of this place."

Hugh felt a slight tingling sensation down his spine. He pursed his dry lips and asked, "So, what did she ultimately do?"

"If there is no way to remove the influence of magic, then we can only weaken it as much as possible."

Theseus spoke faster, clearly recounting the past that had clearly caused him helplessness and pain: "Magic is everywhere, but we can condense it in various ways... Just as water is turned into solid ice, she extracted the vast majority of Vaan's magic and buried it deep in the earth... As Vaan's magic diminished, fewer and fewer people were able to use magic, so she selected a very small number of trustworthy wise men and granted them the power to use and manage magic."

"She wanted us to erase the traces of those past gods to prevent future generations from becoming their followers and seeking revival. She investigated Vaan and dealt with some of the remaining tribes that were still barely surviving. She guided the wise men to reorganize history, returning the unspeakable distant past to the chaos of ignorance, so that those tribes could focus more on the miracles they created."

"So in the very end, she was all alone."

Theseus threw the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground, raised his foot and stomped on it hard. Under the great force, the cigarette butt turned into dust.

……

"I seek Mel's protection here."

"I hereby ask for Mel's understanding."

"I crave the wisdom of Mel."

In a dilapidated village beside the Isa River, several sword-wielding hermits, clad in silver armor and heavy cloaks, and carrying various weapons, knelt before a crumbling statue that had fallen to the ground.

The statue has been severely damaged and defaced, and even the black sun symbol remains on its base, making the sculpture almost unrecognizable.

All the sword wielders were the most loyal followers of the goddess of magic, and the horrific fragments did not prevent them from recognizing their god.

They've actually become somewhat numb.

In these areas once occupied by the Black Sun Society, similar situations were commonplace. Almost all statues, murals, and monuments of the gods of Vairocana suffered unprecedented damage, with the most severe damage occurring in Meir.

What pained these sword-wielders even more was that the local residents who should have been steadfastly following the goddess Mel seemed to have been severely influenced by the Black Sun Society. Although they did not evacuate with the Saint Steel army, they all became neurotic and had no trust or respect for the members of the Legal Committee.

After another brief prayer, the sword-wielders rose in silence.

Next, they will continue along the road in front of them.

Eliminating potential threats and destroying any possible strongholds of the associations is the current duty of the sword-wielders, all in order to pave the way for the armies that follow.

(End of this chapter)