Chapter 449 The War Begins (6)

"You are dreaming, woman. Today shall be the day that our future descendants call After The Chaos Era. Your death shall mark the beginning of the era of peace."

"That is right!"

"Quit dreaming, woman!"

Everyone was against the statement that Asia made. Of course, Asia had no intention to persuade the people to believe her, so she remained silent as she gazed over them.

Smirking disdainfully, she exclaimed, "Amusing! It is simply amusing. To think that you don't hesitate to throw mud at the people who contributed most to your survival is highly amusing. Don't you have any shame? Well, stupid question. There is no way you do."

"Quit your twaddle, woman!"

When something that rings true within ourselves is presented before our faces, we tend to get offended. The crowd was self-conscious. They were well aware of their cowardice yet it was very irritating to hear Asia remind them of it. They got defensive and did their best to change the fact.

Asia became even more amused as she gazed over them. Her sneer became even more apparent, riling the crowd up even further.

"The Pacifer is a peace-loving clan. Like the Elf and the Dwarf, we were planning to retreat and live a secluded life after the Great War ended. However, not only did you spit on our faces despite what we had done but you also schemed against our lord to kill him. Shame on you!"

The sheer hatred in Asia's tone made everyone turn silent. Even August, who was standing beside the silent observer Basil, took a step back in surprise. Their chests tightened as shame washed over them. They wanted to shout out their defence, yet their words were stuck in their throats.

"Many of you claimed that our Lord's death was the doing of a certain irresponsible group. We hunted for them since we believed in you and we paid the price for it. You bunch of cowards are our greatest mistake. Had we known the dogs we fed would bite our hands, we would have let you perish."

Asia paused, letting everyone enjoy the silence overwhelming the plain. They held their weapons tighter than before yet very few of them could still hold their heads high; only those who no longer felt shame still could plaster a smirk on their faces.

A rustle that came from August's direction made Basil turn his head to the left. He found August doing the same and then saw a hooded figure standing beside August.

pA n,dan0vel.c0m Without pulling down his hood, the figure said, "That woman and her husband are good at persuading people and shaking their beliefs. She shan't be allowed to speak any longer; nothing good will come out of building a society with people ridden with guilt."

He then walked away and disappeared into the crowd without doing anything. August turned his head away from the direction and sighed bitterly. Raising his hand into the air, he made a 'charge' gesture. In the next moment, four Knights wielding four different kinds of weapons dashed at Asia.

Basil observed Asia and could instantly figure that she knew she was going to die. He unconsciously gripped his bicep tighter—he was crossing his hands—as he looked at the bitterness that she concealed deeply in her eyes.

It was at this moment that their gaze met. Like the time when he communicated with his mother through [Visualisation], he activated his Pacifer Seal; immediately, he felt connected with the Asia that he didn't know but was familiar with.

"Our Clan may have fallen today yet it will not remain that way forever. Your punishment shall come when the first and last male Pacifer is born. He will avenge our clan and bring it back on its feet. Trust me, the Fated Child shall decimate you for your sin!"

Stab!

"Keough!"

As soon as Asia finished her speech, the weapons of the four charging Knights pierced through her body. She coughed up a mouthful of blood but her gaze remained unwavering. She wasn't looking at the crowd any longer, though. She was looking at Basil passionately as if saying, "This is why you shan't forgive any of them."

She materialized her nine Magic Circles in the next moment. They blared ear-gratingly at the same time the golden Pacifer Seal on her forehead shone brightly. The Knights panicked and immediately tried to flee the scene along with the crowd. Very few of them managed, however, so as the blinding light that Asia was exuding illuminated the entire plain, tens of thousands of them perished.

Poof!

Basil was forcefully ejected from the memory. This was not because August managed to regain some of his control but because the memory was incomplete, which means August had been injured badly that day; he couldn't properly register anything that happened afterwards.

Basil scrolled through the memory screens and looked for the other memories that were related to the fall of the Pacifer. He soon found them and most of them were just August silently watching as Hina Dmitras were being violated and killed by the people who were under the influence of the Church.

August actively participated in the hunt for the Pacifer, yet he never got involved in anything that would happen afterwards. From his thought process, Basil could tell August was regretting his decision yet he had gone too far to retreat; therefore, he immediately lived a secluded life after everything ended.

Having seen enough memories of the fall of the Pacifer, Basil moved on from it. He focused on searching for the memory that was related to The Lord and was quite floored when he could not find it even after two minutes of a thorough search.

"Did the Church erase it for you?" Basil asked.

"What are you talking about?" August said softly, having no more energy to argue.

"The memory about The Lord."

"Ah, I guess you don't know much about the life of the higher being."

Basil frowned lightly at August's remark. "Explain," he demanded.

"Gods will be forgotten once they die—it's a natural phenomenon. Those who have no interest in remembering will easily forget, whereas those who remain faithful to deceased Gods will remember them but not as clear as it was before their deaths."

The question Basil had about how the Church could make anyone forget about The Lord was answered. In addition to that, he also figured out why Gods amassed followers—so they would still be remembered after their deaths.

"I can't find any memory about The Lord, yet you seem to still remember him. Why is it the case?"

"As I have told you earlier, boy, those who remain faithful will remember but not as clearly. Look through them once more—it may have gotten mixed up with another memory."

Immediately ignoring August, Basil scrolled through the memory screens again. Another minute was spent scrolling through them, bearing no result, until a particular memory screen attracted his attention.

He could see the heavily injured Solomon in his forties in it and he didn't waste a single second to look into it. Immediately, he appeared in a mountain area. The first thing he noted was how shaky and incoherent everything was.

He knew, however, that the problem was not with the mountain but with August who was barely conscious at the moment the memory was registered. It was not hard to conclude that the heavily injured Solomon before him was the reason why August was reduced to this state.

"You bloody traitor. How dare you smear the name of your highly respected brother? Aren't you ashamed of yourself!?"

"Shut it! How can talented people like you lot understand my struggle? I want to shine too!"

"This is not the way, you breadcrumb!"

Solomon was livid; if not for the fact that he was distracted by whatever happened in the north, he would have immediately finished August. He cursed loudly as he decided to charge in the said direction. Basil turned to the dying August and was glad that he decided to chase after Solomon.

Although slow, he managed to catch up to Solomon in the end. Everything was already concluded at that point, though, since what Basil could see was Solomon crying as he knelt before a tall figure with golden light covering his face.

"I have failed you, My Lord! Forgive this incompetent servant of yours!"

The figure, saying nothing, put his hand on top of Solomon's head. His head then turned in August's direction; Basil couldn't even see his eyes but he was sure the figure was staring at him. His Pacifer Seal was activated by himself and he immediately felt connected with the figure.

"This is not the right time for us to meet." An unknown yet uncannily familiar voice rang in his head, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Are you what these people call The Lord?" he asked calmly.

"Hoh? They no longer even remember my name in the future," the figure remarked in amusement. "Say, my heir, why are you not surprised?"

"This is not my first time communicating with a dead person."

"Ah, so that is the case. What an interesting life you have indeed." Basil still couldn't make the facial features of The Lord, yet he could tell that The Lord was smiling at the moment. "Very well, why don't we end this meeting soon? We shall talk at a more appropriate time."

Instinctively knowing that he was going to get kicked out of the memory, Basil immediately said, "Tell me who killed you!"

The Lord stayed quiet for a while before answering. "I wouldn't say they killed me but they indeed made me die. Ah, I almost went on a tangent." He cleared his throat. "Kuhum! The Four Heroes and the Seven Princes are the culprits."

"How many people know about it?"

"What a straightforward person you are, my heir." The Lord chuckled. "I believe every board member of the Church knows about it."

"Why did they—"

The Lord raised his hand, stopping Basil from speaking. Wiggling his index finger, he said, "This is not the time—haven't I told you? Let's have a long talk next time."

Basil held back from speaking and sighed lightly. True to his expectation, in the next moment, he was kicked out of the memory. Opening his eyes, Basil turned to August, who was bound to the cross. He put his hand on August's head and the memory screens decorating the space disappeared, bringing the white space back.

Basil's Pacifer Seal glowed brightly, forcing August to close his eyes with the intensity. When August's vision returned, he found himself back in the outside world. Immediately trying to move, he couldn't help clicking his tongue bitterly when he couldn't. Looking down at his chest, he found two of Basil's fingers a few centimetres before it.

"What are you going to do? Blast it with your Mana?" he taunted.

"No. I am going to let your brother avenge himself."

As August frowned in confusion, ashes gathered at the tip of Basil's two fingers. They condensed into a short sword and then pierced August's chest in the blink of an eye.