Rode nodded slightly, the king's explanation had far exceeded the necessary limit.
He suddenly felt much better in his heart.
Humans are far from being beyond redemption.
Just then, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from the void, as if countless pieces of steel were falling in the infinite distance.
Rode raised his head in astonishment and saw that the king had already left his original position and flew into the holy fire.
The burning holy fire looked unchanged, but Rode felt as if it had become distorted. At the same time, he felt a strong desire in his heart to throw himself into the holy fire. This desire was so strong, as if it were his lifelong dream.
But this feeling was quickly fading, and when it completely disappeared, the king returned to him.
He looked somewhat weak, with fine beads of sweat covering his pale face, but his eyes were shining with a strange light.
"Rode, it seems that you have sensed the anomaly of the holy fire. You are indeed extraordinary."
Rode's heart started beating rapidly, knowing that he might have accidentally glimpsed some great secret. He cautiously said, "King, if you can't tell me, then don't. I swear to keep the secret."
The king showed a gentle smile.
"Little Rode, since you have sensed it, then I will tell you. The foundation of our survival, the holy fire, is losing its source. The structure of the firewood can no longer support its immense power. I must use my spirituality to maintain it, otherwise it will collapse like a mountain."
The king's voice became serious.
"In simple terms, our holy fire is about to extinguish."
In that instant, Rode felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
The holy fire, about to extinguish?
He still remembered the fear when the fire went out at Jian Guan. And as the fire grew smaller and smaller, the intense sense of oppression and panic was deeply imprinted in everyone's soul.
If the holy fire that supported the entire Thalorian Kingdom and millions of people were to extinguish, what would be the scene?
The king said in a deep voice, "I have rarely appeared in recent years because the holy fire needs my protection at all times. Even if I leave the holy fire altar, I must leave my spirituality here. My original plan has been interrupted, and many achievements are being lost. But there is no other way. The holy fire is related to the fate of the entire kingdom, and the survival of humanity in the Grayland."
Rode felt as if his soul had fallen into a dark abyss, with countless things hidden in the darkness tearing at him. When he spoke, his throat was already hoarse, and his voice seemed to come from a distant place.
"So what should we do?"
The king patted his shoulder gently, and a hot temperature spread from the palm of his hand to Rode's whole body, dispelling the cold and fear.
"Don't worry too much. I already have a plan, a solution. Opening the Star City is my first step."
A warm breath enveloped Rode, making him feel as if he were bathing in a gentle spring breeze. He couldn't help but ask, "King, what can I do?"
The king smiled and shook his head. "Little Rode, you are still weak. In our eyes, you are not much different from a baby. Your current task is to grow quickly. The more burdens you can bear, the less pressure there will be on the Thalorian humans, and the more I can free up my hands to execute my plan."
Rode said somewhat defiantly, "I am strong. My Justice Execution... has great power. I can also extract souls. Anyone I extract will die..."
The king's smile was like that of an adult listening to a child boasting.
"So it's called 'Justice Execution'?"
He raised his right hand.
"Does it look like this?"
A powerful spiritual energy fluctuation emanated from the king, washing over Rode's senses like waves. Although he couldn't hear the melody, this feeling was exactly the same as when he used the Spiritual Quintet.
Rode widened his eyes and looked at the king in disbelief.
The king's smile was calm, mixed with a hint of strange nostalgia.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the building. Rode raised his head in astonishment and saw that the huge egg-shaped structure was unfolding outward, blooming like a flower. The powerful holy fire soared into the sky, like a burning bud.
In the next moment, a huge white light shot up into the sky, its powerful momentum even comparable to the holy fire.
Rode was stunned, overwhelmed by the immense spiritual energy. This was completely different from his Spiritual Cannon. It was like a firefly competing with the bright moon, the only feeling he had now.
When the white light descended, the king looked at him with a smile.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Rode stammered, "King, do you also have Justice Execution?"
The king's expression twitched. "It's called Justice Execution."
"Uh, well, I mean, how do you know it too?"
The king smiled and said, "Don't you know? The characteristic of every king is Eternal Flame. Only in this way can we resonate with the holy fire, gain its power, and protect it. And the power of fire is the source of all power. In theory, we can simulate the use of any characteristic as long as we know its laws and rules."
Rode knew that laws and rules referred to the internal essence of characteristics, like an engine. It was the structure that allowed it to convert oil into power. According to the king, Eternal Flame was equivalent to the core of an infinite structure.
But why did the term Eternal Flame sound familiar?
Rode asked, "Why doesn't the Guardian Fire require resonance from people?"
"Their strength is far lower than that of the holy fire. For a Guardian Fire seed to become a holy fire, it needs to undergo five transformations, consuming countless firewood and fuel, to achieve eternal burning. This is a gap in potential that is difficult to bridge. That's why we have only had this one holy fire in the Thalorian Kingdom for so many years."
Suddenly, something clicked in Rode's mind. He remembered the potential of the stars. Their states ranged from "weak burning" to "eternal burning," and their potential also went from unburned fire to dim fire, fierce fire, golden fire, and finally eternal fire.
It was exactly five transformations.
And Rode also remembered that the holy fire had another name, Eternal Flame.
Was there a connection between them?Rode fell into deep thought when a beam of white light broke through the air and landed beside the king, startling him.
Looking up, he saw it was Archbishop Horus.
He asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, why have you initiated the Holy Fire Sacrifice? What is that psychic cannon?" He glanced at Rode warily, "Is he a doomsday believer? I'll kill him right away."
The king chuckled, "Horus, have you lost your mind? Calm down. I just encountered a new star and got excited, so I initiated the sacrifice to celebrate."
Horus's wooden face finally returned to normal, and he grumbled in a low voice, "Your Majesty, if you do this, the elders will nag you again."
"Enough, don't say such disheartening things. We haven't held the Holy Fire Sacrifice for four months. The people are too oppressed. We need the belief in victory to inspire them. Amado will understand. Go back and follow the standard procedure after initiating the Holy Fire Sacrifice."
Horus had no choice but to nod, turn around, and disappear into the sky as a streak of light.
"Alright, little Rode," the king turned to him, "I just wanted to tell you that you're using your special ability wrong. You should be using the ability, not the ability using you."
Rode suddenly understood. When he used the power of the stars before, he simply sensed and touched the stars, and the power naturally came out. This method indeed had flaws. No wonder Green Feather also said he was using his ability wrong. It seemed he needed to study it carefully when he got back.
But the thought that others could also use it made him feel a bit down.
The king, perceptive as he was, noticed Rode's slightly depressed mood and said with a smile, "Don't be too disheartened. Your ability is always unique. Even if someone else has the same ability as you, there will be subtle differences. The Eternal Flame is not omnipotent. Simulation is always just simulation, and its power is always inferior to a perfectly controlled ability. Besides, the Eternal Flame is too rare. There are only four people in the entire Thalorian Kingdom who have it. I think there won't be too many among other humans."
Rode exclaimed, "There are other humans? Are we really the last human kingdom?"
The king pondered, "Hmm, it's hard to say. We've lost a lot of historical records, but according to the limited records, we indeed had interactions with humans outside of Thalorian. We have a dedicated academic organization for finding humans beyond the wasteland... Alright, I've said too much today. Little Rode, always remember, your flame is very special. Use them to grow as soon as possible. The entire Thalorian is looking forward to the emergence of a new star."
Rode hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, is there really no place where I can help you?"
The king smiled, "If you really want to, then go find firewood. You can find information about the elements of firewood in the Military Headquarters. Also, remember to keep the matter of the Holy Fire a secret. Only the two of us know about it for now."
Rode was surprised, "Just the two of us?"
"Yes, because they would oppose my method." The king lightly touched Rode's forehead with his finger, "And their souls are too strong to accept this oath. Remember not to break this oath with psychic power, or I will consider you untrustworthy."
Rode sensed a strange connection in his soul, as if it was connected to the king in front of him, but it had no effect on him.
The king stood up, his fatigue showing on his face.
"I've said all I need to say. Go back, little Rode... Oh, right, if you see my lover Lilith, please tolerate her a bit. She has blocked a lot of rumors for me these years."
With that, he turned into a long flame and flew back to the Holy Fire, while Rode was lifted by an irresistible force and sent outside the Holy Fire Sacrifice.
It was only then that Rode understood why the square was concave and the high walls of the square were tilted outward.
This huge building now looked like a blooming flower, with each "petal" fitting perfectly. It was obviously well-designed.
And the Holy Fire soaring in the center of the giant flower was the crystallization of their faith.
At this moment, the black fog had completely disappeared. Rode saw the sky for the first time. The endless light shone down, bathing the entire royal city in sunlight.
This was a city he had never seen before.
Two priests appeared beside him, bowing slightly, "Mr. Rode, the king has ordered us to take you back to Kimberly Academy. Please clear your guilt as soon as possible. Due to the king's order, the Military Headquarters will not contact you in the near future, but please do not relax your war readiness."
With that, they each took one of Rode's arms and flew towards the lower city.
Rode looked out, and from every street and alley in the royal city, countless people poured out. The sound of their cheers was clearly audible even in the high sky.
He had never seen so many people before. The sea of people seemed to be about to engulf this magnificent city. Every face was filled with joy and happiness, and the melody they formed seemed to echo between heaven and earth.
At this moment, any kind of evil darkness would retreat. Only the capital letter "human" stood proudly in this universe.
Suddenly, an unprecedented emotion surged in Rode's heart.
I want to protect it.
He thought.
The flame of humanity will never go out.
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