The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 733 - 754 Ao Appears

(First update, then revise)

"What?" Lancelot and the two talking Treasured Swords exclaimed, "Cranvo was killed? What happened afterward?"

"A while later, another Griffon Knight landed on the top of the Black Rod Tower, bringing healing potions for the injured Midnight and flew her to a mountain outside Deepwater City, trying to intercept Shrek. They did catch up with the thief, but Midnight had already lost the magic within her, missing the best chance to kill Shrek, allowing him to escape to the stairs of the Heavens while Heim blocked Midnight’s next attempt."

"Protector and Guardian God..." Lancelot sighed, "What a pity, His divine office doesn’t include judgement."

"Yes, that’s exactly what Heim responded when Midnight questioned him," Kalalin took another big sip of his drink, his face flushed with excitement, "The events that followed are detailedly recorded in every library of the kingdom. Shrek said to Heim, ’I have retrieved the Tablets of Fate!’ Heim took the tablets and replied, ’I know who retrieved these tablets, and so does Lord Ao.’ Midnight then cried out, ’No! He is a liar! Shrek stole the tablets from us and killed a good man for them!’ Heim coldly replied, ’As I just said, I know who has reclaimed these tablets.’ Midnight weakly questioned, ’If you know everything, why did you accept his tablets?’ Just then, Ao appeared..."

"Wow!" Lancelot was startled, "The Supreme Deity Himself showed up? Right before the gaze of countless mortals? What does He look like?"

"Neither ugly nor handsome, aged somewhere between twenty and a hundred and twenty, with hair and beard as white as marble," Starlight Strike interjected, "His height varies depending on the situation, usually about two feet taller than the tallest person present."

"Uh..." Lancelot gave Starlight Strike a strange look, "It feels like you’ve seen Him before?"

"The Aira are among the earliest intelligent beings born in the Multiverse, long before mortals even existed, and managing the universe wasn’t much of a hard job. Ao often visited the Royal Court of Stars, where the Queen would greet this honored guest with her finest wines..." Starlight Strike gently twinkled, "but after mortals appeared, we rarely saw Him, and later we heard He created gods to help Him manage the universe, but it seems He didn’t get much relief. Ah, that robe was a gift from the entire Aira Celestial tribe!"

"What kind of robe is that?" Lancelot curiously continued, "Is it immune to all physical and magic damage?"

"...Nice joke, haha," the Holy Relic of the Aira Celestials dryly responded, "Scholar, since you mentioned the Supreme Deity’s appearance is detailedly recorded, then these records must have descriptions of His attire, right?"

"Of course. According to the records, the Supreme Deity wore a remarkable robe, outstanding enough to make him stand out in any court of mortals or deities. The robe hung like ordinary cloth, here creased, there wrinkled, but when you looked directly at it, you felt as though you were gazing into the sky. Its black was as deep as oblivion, the stars upon it arranged in a subtle pattern, bestowing upon the robe a magnificent and harmonious beauty..."

"Wait a moment," Lancelot turned his head to stare at the Starlight Strike, "Why do I feel..."

"Stop right there, it’s the same material," said the Starlight Strike with a somewhat proud tone, "But if you think holding me can kill the great Supreme Deity, then you’re as foolish as Milko thinking that stealing the Destiny Tablets would make him the new Supreme Deity. Ao wore that robe simply because it indeed looked good and greatly fitted His status, and it absolutely wouldn’t cause a fashion clash."

"Oh, thank you so much, you’ve effectively dispelled a foolish thought I never had," Lancelot rolled his eyes dramatically, "Kalalin, please continue, I’d rather hear what the Supreme Deity actually said."

"Faced with the Mage’s questioning, Ao answered in a firm, loud voice devoid of any sympathy, ’Because passing judgment is not Heim’s duty, nor his privilege.’ The Supreme Deity took the Destiny Tablets from Heim’s hands, and Shrek dared to point directly at Ao, declaring to Him, ’It was I who brought the tablets to you!’ Ao neither approved nor disliked the thief’s words, and to everyone present, as well as the absent gods, He said, ’Yes, and that is their sum.’ Then He clapped the two tablets together, and the Holy Relic that everyone was obsessed with turned into dust..."

"I told you," the voice of Starlight Strike rose again hauntingly, "Those tablets were just convenient for the old man to keep records, nothing more."

"Everyone was shocked by Ao’s action, even Heim jumped up, asking Ao in fear, ’Master, what have you done?’ The Supreme Deity calmly explained to all present and absent deities, ’The tablets had no real meaning. I kept them as a reminder that I created gods to serve balance, not for you to twist it for your own benefit. You failed to understand this and misinterpreted the tablets as a set of rules, setting up a childish game for prestige and rank. And when the rules became inconvenient, you stole them...’"

"Haha," Lancelot raised an eyebrow, "Cods getting scolded by the Supreme Deity in front of mortals—it’s quite a rare sight."

"Indeed, whenever I read this segment from the history books, I always regret not having witnessed it myself," Kalalin agreed with a chuckle, "The Guardian God tried to argue, explaining to the Supreme Deity who the real culprit of the theft was, but the Supreme Deity silenced him with a simple gesture, then continued addressing all deities, ’I know who stole the Destiny Tablets, Bane and Milkou have already paid for their crime with their lives. But all of you are guilty for you allowed worshippers to construct wasteful temples, blindly dedicating themselves to your names to the point where they couldn’t even feed their own children, even spilling their blood on your fallen altars—and this so-called lowly creature’s worship was merely something you used to impress each other. These actions are enough to make me wish I had never created you.’"

"Ao paused for a moment, allowing his audience to ponder His words, then continued, ’But I did create you, and not without a purpose. Now, I will require you to fulfill that purpose. From today forward, your true power will depend on the number of your followers and their loyalty,’" he said."

"From one end of the multiverse to the other, gods gasped in astonishment. In the distant lands, the god of storms and destruction, Talos, roared, ’By mortals?’ Ao answered, ’Yes, and not just that: without worshippers, you will wither, and even cease to exist altogether. And after these events in the realms, winning the faith of mortals won’t be easy, you must earn their worship by serving them.’"