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65. A Time for Revolution! (2)

“Things are really going crazy.”

Iron laughed quietly as he looked through the morning paper.

The reform had spilled over from the empire and spread all over the continent. Iron didn’t think the phenomenon was bad. In fact, he felt it was a pretty good thing for all of humankind.

[A splintering Holy Alliance!]

So read the title typed in large font on the front page of the morning paper.

In the Holy Alliance in the west, external gods had taken the place of the Lord God. However, they had formed their alliance while nitpicking over how much they gained and lost; would they really divide any profits they got from the external gods fairly.

Already, people were having to share gods that were not even at lord-level, and even long-forgotten gods were reemerging.

Even amongst the gods, enmity had begun to spread. The external gods had united because of their common enemy, the Lord God, but they were slowly becoming greedy. Maybe it was because they had all been in the void for a long time, but every one of the external gods was filled with avarice.

‘Those who made contracts with the lowrank gods are no different from slaves!’

Class division appeared in the Holy Alliance that everyone had thought would be equal. Anyone who did not make a contract with the lord-level gods automatically became low-class citizens. [1] That was why people in the Holy Alliance began resisting the absurdity of their situation.

Things in the southern part of the continent were even more serious.

“Why do we have to take orders from them?”

“Right?”

Adventurers who had made contracts with ancient gods whispered as they glanced at the knights around them. When they had first made the contracts with the ancient gods, they had been lacking when compared to the knights.

But that lack of skill was only for a short while.

Most of the adventures and other-worlders advanced rapidly, many of them becoming stronger than the knights or even the commanders. The soldiers that belonged to the different kingdoms also made contracts with the ancient gods, but the adventurers and other-worlders had already claimed all the good benefits first.

But looking back now, they had made the wrong choice.

Seeing how all the people of the empire had awakened because of the Lord God, they would have been much better off not making the contracts with the ancient gods.

As if to drive home that point, a number of awakened people in the Southern Alliance of Kingdoms began emerging. They awakened using the power of the Lord God, and then reinforced their new powers by using the relics of ancient gods or used the new powers as the foundation for receiving new powers.

“They are rebelling!”

“Damn it! Call the superiors!”

The commissioned officer gave the urgent order, but different from before, they were unable to stop the rebel forces made up of awakened people. These people used their special abilities in ingenious ways to raise rebellions in various territories, while also tormenting the Alliance of Kingdoms’ army.

The Alliance’s army hastily asked for help from the other-worlders, but the other-worlders had no thoughts of helping them out. Afterall,they knew that if they left things as they were, the kingdoms in the alliance would fall, and their own value would increase.

Eventually, a number of territories fell to the rebel forces, and the rebels raised their banners high in those places.

With even the southern region of the continent now in chaos, the entirety of the Auzria continent was in complete disarray.

Of course, the empire’s capital, as the epicentre of all this, was filled with clamour. The nobles and the imperial family were struggling desperately to not be stripped of their power.

What if they could not find a solution in the capital?

Then they would have no choice but to turn to the countryside.

The abolishment of the hierarchy and caste system was a problem that concerned all nobles, which was why even the nobles in the countryside had been troubled, and had ceaselessly sent letters of protest to the capital. As if that was not enough, they even began gathering their armies.

If it was a single territorial army that was being mobilised, then it would be like water off a duck’s back to the empire’s central government. But what if it was tens or hundreds of armies? If hundreds of territorial armies were united to form one large army, then that was sufficient to threaten the safety of the empire.

“Is it today?”

“Yes, sir.”

Cardro replied to Iron’s question in a heavy voice. Today was the day the debate on the establishment of the parliament would take place; many nobles began gathering at the palace even before the sun rose. Even the nobles that had their territories in the countryside as well as the lesser nobles had come.[2] Meanwhile the citizens and the intellectuals had gathered in the square to watch the proceedings.

“What of Ariel?”

“She is leading the 21st corps and the rest of the defence troops here. They will arrive in the capital in two hours.”

Iron replied immediately. Most of the Mobile Field Army was coming, leaving behind the minimum amount of troops needed to protect the southeast. Iron had initially thought that they could solve everything with just the 22nd corps, but because of the unusual events with the united army of the countryside nobles, Iron decided to order the 21st corps and most of the defence troops to come to the capital.

“That’s good. You stay here and prepare for contingencies.”

“Yes, sir.”

Iron ordered Cardro to lead the army in his stead, and then began preparing to head out. He put on a military coat that was made from the skin of the Imoogi. The coat was so strong that it was able to neutralise heavy magic attacks and even block aura blades for a little while. To add to that, it had undergone several magic treatments and was covered in numerous special materials, making the coat’s value beyond imagination.

Iron wore the coat as if it was some nuisance before making his way to the rooftop of their building. Placing one foot on the ground, he jumped into the air, flying towards the palace.

“He really is a monster.”

Cardro muttered to himself as he watched, through the window, as Iron flew like a sharp arrow that had been let loose from its bow. Iron was widely thought to be the one with the greatest physical strength among all the masters.

In one breath, he used just his physical strength to arrive at the palace. Who could confront such a master?

Who could stop Iron, who had the full authority of the military in his hands?

Who could stop the empire’s hero?

The moment Iron arrived at the palace, he opened the doors to the Great Hall and entered the room, his steps light and sure. Already the reformists and the nobles were having a heated discussion, even though the meeting had not formally started. They shouted their thoughts at each other, their loud voices ringing throughout the room.

But at this point, what was the use of any of that?

“Now that everyone is here, we will begin.”

The interim prime minister arrived and immediately called the meeting to order. He laid out the agenda for the meeting and began the discussion on the establishment of the parliament.

The result?

“Quite astounding.”

All nobles’ arguments fell apart before the scholars. Knowing that they would not be able to win by vote, they tried to drag out the time, but their plans failed, and the nobles were completely defeated by the scholars’ counterarguments.

And even if the nobles wanted to push things through by force, it would be difficult to do so, because of Iron and the Mobile Field Army he brought with him. He had even added the 21st corp and the defence forces to the 22nd corps that came with him initially. This rendered the nobles, who had wanted to order the guards they had bribed to act, paralyzed as their plans fell through yet again.

“With that…… this meeting concerning the establishment of the parliament is now brought to a close.”

Clang clang clang!

The instant prime minister banged his gavel on the desk, the reformist faction cheered loudly. The citizens who had been watching also cheered, filling every corner of the capital with a festive atmosphere. The only exception was the nobles. The nobles and imperial family members looked at each other, as if urging each other to do something, but in the end, there was nothing they could do. Afterall, a giant god had appeared out of the blue, and suppressed them and their plans.

[Finally! The empire’s long awaited wish has been fulfilled!]

Immediately the meeting in the Great Hall ended, newspaper articles with titles like this began pouring out, spreading the news that the parliament had been approved all over the empire. Because the empire was where the fires of revolution had started, all the revolutionaries from all around the continent had their ears open for news about the empire. The news also spread all over the continent, and people came to know that the parliament had established the way the reformists wanted, and not in the way the nobles had desired.

“We can do that too!”

“Let’s go!”

“Overthrow them all!”

At the news that the reform had succeeded in the empire, people in the south of the continent went up in arms. The same happened in the west too, as if they did not want to be left behind.

This was the time when so many had awakened, and now they also knew that reform was possible, that they could succeed.

The problem was that their circumstances were different from those of the empire. They were still bound to the ancient and external gods. Those contracts inevitably became fatal constraints to them.

-Don’t do it.

“What are you saying?”

-Do not rebel.

The face of the young man who heard the ancient god speak wrinkled. It was not just him: others who had made contracts with external gods also had the same happen to them

-Obey.

“What do you mean? Are you saying we should allow them to continue persecuting us?!”

The young man vehemently resisted the god’s command to obey. But the god only repeated its words again.

-Obey.

“How… how does that make any sense?!”

-There are greater things ahead……

The god was saying that they should continue to bear the indignity and degradation because there was a greater cause to fight for. The man gnawed his lips as he thought.

Something seemed off.

There was something strange with the god being so nice and friendly to him. The young man still couldn’t tell for sure what was wrong, but doubt that he had made a wise choice in forming a contract with the god began to bud within him.

It was not just the young man who had this thought. This phenomenon was occurring amongst people who had made contracts with lower gods. They kept hearing the gods babbling, telling to endure for some great cause, despite how absurd their society was.

That so-called great cause was to fight against the Lord God, to reclaim the continent from the Lord God so they could descend to the continent.

“From the start, we were just pawns to them.”

“……yes. I had known but……”

Many of those who had made contracts with the external gods heard the news about the empire and felt bitter. When the apocalypse came, they should have resolved their hearts to fight, even if it meant their death. But they had not had such courage.

“Ah… sigh……”

Some of them regretted their rash decision as tears of remorse fell from their eyes. Some others envied the citizens of the empire, shallow smiles hanging on their faces.

Meanwhile, the external gods continued to speak. They whispered in the people’s ears that they should loathe the empire and kill off the empire’s people. But having realised everything, those people no longer paid any attention to what the gods said.

As they were feeling repentant, despairing because of their choices, news came that some people had found an ancient temple to the Lord God, prayed in penitence and had then become awakened. Their contracts with the lower external gods had been broken and they have awakened new powers through the Lord God’s strength. There was no way of knowing if the news was true, but people secretly went to the old temple, as though they were clutching at straws. Because of this, things became chaotic in the Holy Alliance.

“They are heretics!”

People unanimously accused those that had formerly been their colleagues as heretics, just because they prayed to the Lord God. Why? It was because those who had made contracts with the higher level external gods felt they had their backs to the wall, now that they had seen what the Lord God’s power was like and what kinds of choices other humans had made. They had come too far to give up, after all they had done. So, in order to keep the privilege they had received, they decided to blind themselves to the truth and charge those who had returned to the Lord God with hereticism, prepared to kill them.

The same was happening also in the south of the continent. The other-worlders that had chosen the ancient gods instead of the Lord God began arresting those who had repented.

But trying to suppress some things only results in an even stronger reaction. Almost at the same time, in the south and west of the continent, a new religion called ‘the Lord’s Own’ emerged, made up of those who regretted making contracts with the ancient and external gods [3]. The members of the new religion evaded their suppressors and hid in the shadows to spread the message of returning to the Lord God’s arms.

‘Return to the Lord God!’

Many people joined the ranks of the new religion upon hearing this chant, especially in the south of the continent. They could offer up the relics of the ancient gods in their possession as sacrifice and awaken good skills if they repented and returned to the Lord God. Because of this, the revolutionaries in the south united with the members of the Lord’s Own, forming an enormous force.

However, the majority of people still believed in the ancient gods and external gods, still drunk on the power that they received from those gods.

As the continent was thrown into chaos, something occurred that truly showed that the era of destruction was upon them.

Kwoong!

Up in the skies, a giant figure looked down on the people with a haughty expression.

“Finally! You have come, my Lord!”

As an old robe-clad man shouted, everyone knelt down and cheered.

“We welcome the reincarnation of our god!”

The old man performed a full bow to the external god and shouted.

“For our god, we must punish those treacherous apostates!”

“Punish them!’

At the man’s words, everyone in that place became zealots, ready to kill those they deemed turncoats. With the arrival of the external god, their minds that had been shaken by the happenings in the empire steadied, and a fanatical faith grew in their hearts as they prepared to punish those who had repented to the Lord God.

In the Holy Alliance, the fanatics began searching for and killing those that belonged to the Lord’s Own. Things were even worse in the south. In the south, people began calling on the ancient gods, and received quests when they did so [to kill the heretics].

If things remained as they were, those who had joined the Lord’ Own would end up being massacred.

But then the empire took action.

Maybe it was because they found the people suffering in other countries pitiful, or maybe it was for the sake of humankind. Whatever the reason was, the empire’s hero that had been in the capital all the while arose.

“The empire will never abandon those who trust in the Lord God.”

Iron uttered these words, as he mobilised his troops.

Finally, the Mobile Field Army left the southeast, and began moving, as if to match the word ‘mobile’ in their name.

Notes:

[1] Lord-level: 주신급; this is different from the Lord God, 주신, that helped the empire.

[2] Lesser nobles: 준귀족들; I tried looking the 준 prefix up and could not find anything, so we will just go with lesser nobles for now.

[3] The Lord’s Own: 주신교; 교 here means faith, religion, church etc.

[4] The raws for this chapter seemed a bit unedited, with the plot changing rapidly. I have tried my best to give it some order, and as such have taken some creative licence with this chapter. Please let me know (in the comments or via discord) how this chapter reads to you: I will make edits if necessary.