However, compared to the continent-sweeping catastrophe of the Fourth Epoch, the surging Styx did not bring deathly silence and destruction. Instead, it was guided by an invisible force, transforming into intricate tributaries that clung to the vast Haagenti Plains like blood vessels.
Pale, decaying hands grabbed the undead creatures, dragging them unhindered into the Styx to become nutrients. A dense aura of Death spread, causing the dark river to continuously churn and fall.
They converged into a massive yet not entirely real pitch-black Feathered Serpent. Its illusory body occupied the entire Haagenti Plains, and the head corresponding to the Abyss of Ferrying opened a pair of eyes burning with pale flames.
Gazing at those eyes, Arsas Eggers knelt on one knee, raising his hands with thumbs touching and pressed against the center of his forehead, his expression devout and respectful:
"Son of the Ruler of Death;"
"Monarch who commands the undead;"
"Eternal Balam Consul;"
"Great Azik Eggers;"
"May every Spirit live eternally in your kingdom!"
Behind this Ferryman, small boats stained with mottled blood, steadily suspended above the Styx without sinking, traversed the Haagenti Plains, which was permeated by the aura of Death.
These were items left behind by the Balam Empire, refined by the Death of the past, used for proselytizing and converting believers, and also one of the foundations inherited by the Numinous Episcopate.
Only a Gatekeeper who had achieved Sequence and opened the Underworld within their body could control them, making them ghost ships exclusive to the Underworld.
Aside from the Numinous Episcopate's royal faction, led by the Pale Empress Sia Palenque Eggers, who remained in the Underworld, Azik had thoroughly integrated the various previously fragmented factions of the Numinous Episcopate.
The demigods who had submitted to the will of the Death Consul, as well as the Gatekeepers of lower Sequence who, through their internal Underworld, clearly felt that indescribable aura, all prostrated themselves on the deck, collectively chanting Azik's honorific name.
As Azik's will continuously expanded with the spread of the Styx, he seemed to return to the Fourth Epoch, and a terrifyingly profound aura emanated from Him.
Within the Abyss of Ferrying, dense black mist permeated, slowly flowing like a haze. The spreading Styx finally converged here again, as if a grand sacrifice was drawing to a close.
Azik, clad in a black robe embroidered with gold patterns, felt the prayers echoing in His ears, constantly balancing His divinity, and solemnly declared:
"The Balam Kingdom shall be restored in the Southern Continent from this day forward!"
He used the language of Death, from Hell, from the Underworld, but all the praying believers, even ordinary people with no foundation in mysticism, could clearly comprehend the voice that resonated in their ears.
Above the Balam Kingdom, which stretched from the Haagenti Plains in the north to the Abyss of Ferrying in the south, occupying nearly half of eastern Balam's southern region, the Feathered Serpent, undetectable by anyone below demigod Sequence, slightly raised its head towards the west and north, then completely merged into this consecrated territory.
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West Balam, Governor's Mansion of the Feysac Colonial Zone, Frayins.
Noel Kam, the Archbishop of the Church of the God of Combat's West Balam Diocese and a Sequence 3 Silver Knight, had a solemn expression, his dark green pupils staring eastward.
Even across the Star Plateau, that chilling aura of Death still made him feel a lump in his throat.
The lingering Death language echoed in his ears through the Spirit World. The Silver Knight, whose aura was already weak from forcibly overdrawing to awaken a Sealed Artifact, felt his face twitch violently. The entire Governor's Mansion seemed to fall into a state of stagnation.
Looking at the expensive collectibles in the study, painstakingly plundered from the colonial zone, but now shattered into dust by the violent aura, Governor Carter Einhorn, a royal demigod in military uniform, cursed inwardly:
"Crude Warrior..."
But as a high-ranking Hunter whose prior Sequence included Conspirer, his intelligence was clearly online. He cleared his throat and timely reminded the irritable Archbishop:
"The restoration of Balam is not necessarily a bad thing for us. It is separated from West Balam by the entire Star Plateau. The one truly bordering it is the Church of Evernight, not us."
"And to guard against the Son of Death, the Church of Evernight is very likely to dispatch a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact from the Cathedral of Serenity, which will benefit the Empire's war efforts in the Northern Continent."
Noel Kam slowly reined in his aura, withdrew his gaze, and nodded, not continuing the topic. The negative effects from using that ancient horn earlier had made his emotions extremely unstable.
If not for the current undercurrents and the possibility of war restarting in the Northern Continent at any time, with no spare Saints in the Twilight Giant Hall to replace him, he would have already returned to Saint Millennium to recuperate.
Seeing that his giant partner had finally calmed down, Carter continued the conversation that had been interrupted:
"According to the decision of the Royal Family and the Church, which was plundered by the Rose School of Thought, and several other states near the Star Plateau, will be ceded to the Church of the Earth Mother."
"This part of West Balam's colonial zone is the prepayment for Feynapotter's entry into the war. For us, it allows us to leverage the power of the Church of the Earth Mother to jointly address the threats from the Star Plateau and the Balam Kingdom."
"Additionally, the Archbishop of the Church of the Earth Mother responsible for Southern Continent affairs will arrive soon...."
Noel Kam, who had already received the Twilight Giant Hall's resolution, interrupted gruffly:
"Nonsense!"
"I will evacuate the Church's clergy as soon as possible and appease the believers. The rest is up to you. Do you expect me to go and welcome them?"
Ignoring Carter's stiff expression, he transformed directly into a silver flash and disappeared from the Governor's Mansion.
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East Balam, Harvest Plain, north of the Haagenti Plains.
As Loen's largest colonial city in East Balam, Vertek was also the most important diocese for the Church of Evernight in the Southern Continent.
In the deepest part of the Gothic church in the city center, which was only slightly smaller than Saint Samuel Cathedral in Backlund, Ilya, a senior Nighthawks deacon and the Goddess's Eye, also sensed the anomaly in the south, her star-like eyes indifferent and calm.
Slightly hurried footsteps broke the tranquil atmosphere. Soest, the Red Glove captain who had already advanced to Spirit Warlock, entered the prayer hall with a solemn expression and reported concisely:
"Your Excellency, Goddess's Eye, I received a telegram. A large number of natives are migrating from the southern Harvest Plain towards the Haagenti Plains. According to your previous instructions, the local Nighthawks only offered guidance and no conflict erupted."
After the routine report, Soest hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice:
"That Balam Kingdom...."
As a Sequence 5 Spirit Warlock, even without praying to Azik, he could independently decipher the Death language echoing in the Spirit World, directly recalling the records of the Pale Calamity in the Nighthawks' internal texts.
Ilya, who had personally discussed and demarcated the optimal area for Balam's restoration with Aaron, tacitly allowing those natives who believed in Death to leave the colonial zone, interrupted Soest and ended the topic more concisely:
"Maintain the status quo. I will report this matter to the Holy Cathedral and the Pope!"