Chapter 502: with translation of chapter title

Looking down from above.

One can see that this city-state, backed by the coast and possessing a large harbor, has streets, residences, and even temples laid out in an extremely orderly manner, almost like the city of Athens in ancient Greece on Earth.

However, Athens faces the sea to its south and east, whereas this city-state is the opposite.

The city-state's architecture incorporates much geometry and aesthetics, especially the temples located at the four corners and the central position, whose appearance also resembles that of ancient Greek temples.

But the massive stone columns surrounding the temples are not pure white; instead they are a dark green with a slightly translucent texture, apparently constructed using krypton stone.

Moreover, the presence of temples and sculptures of various heroes and divinities indicates that everyone in the city-state, from peasant slaves to noble lords, seems to hold great awe for divine authority and the gods.

And just now, the soldier-slaughter incident carried out by the Red and White Empresses at the southern city gate was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, sending ripples that quickly spread throughout the city-state.

Hearing that three oddly dressed men and women made a squad of fifteen soldiers vanish in the blink of an eye, leaving not even a corpse, the entire city-state fell into panic.

The reason the city-state's lord can maintain a high-handed, tyrannical regime is not only the long-standing habit of submission and fear of nobles, lords, and divine authority, but also the formidable deterrent power of the army and guards that obey the lord.

The lord uses generous benefits and pay, and forcibly adopts and trains children and teenagers selected from the city-state for their superior physical qualities and combat potential.

Once those children and teenagers grow into adults and become professional soldiers, the lord further indulges them in wrongdoing, making them even more 'loyal'.

Even though New Kryptonians, compared to the Iron Blood, Elite, Marel, and humans, all possess steel-like bodies and extraordinary physiques, the gap between New Kryptonian civilians and soldiers is like that between UNSC and Krieg.

Therefore, when people learned that an entire squad of soldiers had been slaughtered, fear took the upper hand.

But for the oppressed civilians and slaves, among all emotions there was not only fear, but also a hint of schadenfreude.

Some people even harbored fantasies, regarding the three strange individuals spoken of in the rumors as messengers sent by the divinities, or even the divinities themselves descending to the mortal realm, preparing to bring true fairness and justice to humanity.

At this moment.

The magnificent palace at the city-state's center, facing this direction.

Continuing to look down, one can see a lord dressed in splendid attire, wearing a golden crown, escorted by guards in finely crafted armor with red cloaks hanging behind them, briskly walking toward the small hill behind the palace.

Soon, the procession arrived at the largest temple in the city-state, built upon the small hill.

Entering the interior.

The light of the yellow dwarf star poured down from the glass and gaps above, shining on the crystal-like krypton stone columns, making the temple hall appear magnificent and splendid.

Here, not only are the architectural style and decorations just right, but there are also many attendants and priestesses wearing form-fitting white robes, with exquisite beauty.

The lord walked straight to the priestess's side, then, facing a statue of a deity at the far end of the temple, assumed a bow stance, spear in hand, looked up at the deity's statue, knelt down, and prayed devoutly, begging the descending deity to quell its anger.

Moreover, not only has this city-state developed its own unique mythological system, but all civilizations on the planet New Krypton share broadly similar legends and myths.

After all, being on the surface of New Krypton, at night one can observe the Solar System and the universe with their extraordinary vision, and with the naked eye see Neptune, Uranus, and even Terra's Shield at the edge of the Solar System.

Thus, as New Krypton's harsh weather and geological changes, along with bountiful harvests and good fortune, they, like many planetary civilizations, gradually developed similar myths.

The New Kryptonians living inside and outside this city-state, as well as in nearby towns and villages, regard Terra's Shield as the hall of the gods, imagining that their divinities dwell there and watching over them.

In fact, in a certain sense, these New Kryptonians' guesses are correct: the divinities—or creators—they worship and fear do indeed reside in the inner world of Terra's Shield.

The idea that power is bestowed by the gods, along with reverence for the deities, remains deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts.

Furthermore, the accurate information the lord received mentioned that Sui Bian, the Red Empress, and the White Empress, after slaughtering a squad of soldiers at the city gate, vanished into thin air before everyone's eyes, prompting the lord to rush to the temple, seemingly sincere but actually hoping to beg the divinities for forgiveness.

After a long while.

The lord then rose to his feet, but the priestess beside him suddenly had her pupils emit a faint golden light, and in her clan's language, with a blank expression, she said:

Luò'ěrgā, my lord says you must summon the entirety of the city-state to the central square, apologize before everyone, then transfer the power you and your people hold; only then will my lord pardon you.

What are you saying?! Huh?!!

Upon hearing this, the lord, in the prime of his life, flew into a rage.

It seemed that, compared to the sins it bore and its own life, the power it held in its hands was more important.

Naturally, the lord's earlier attitude was because it hadn't noticed the priestess's change; when it finally realized her pupils were emitting golden light, it stumbled and fell to the ground.

"You… you!" the lord exclaimed, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"My lord only gives you half a day; cherish it well." Having said that, the priestess turned and departed.

The maidens' pupils also began to emit a faint golden light at some point, following the priestess into the temple's inner courtyard, disappearing from the lord's and guards' sight.

"My lord… are you alright?" a close guard without a helmet, sporting a crew cut, rushed forward to help the lord back to his feet.

"Alright? How could I be alright?!" the lord, his spirit somewhat shattered, retorted with eyes reddened by bloodshot veins.

Seeing this, the attendant said nothing more.

After the lord, his aide, and the guards left the temple and overlooked the entire city-state from the hill where it stood, he couldn't help but sigh: "Ah… gather all the city's people, make sure they reach the square before sunset; remember, they must arrive before sunset!"

"Understood, my lord." the aide nodded in agreement.

Next.

The lord mobilized all soldiers and his personal guards, summoning or forcibly gathering the over one hundred thousand residents living in the city-state to the central square beneath the hill where the palace and temple stood, a place used for sacrifices and gatherings.

Originally empty and spacious, it is now a sea of people, with over one hundred thousand residents crowding the square and its adjacent streets.

Moreover, the expressions and demeanors of those gathered here are mostly fear and bewilderment, dreading that the three 'divinities' might reappear and unleash divine punishment upon them.

While the soldiers were dispersed among the crowd to maintain order and security, the hundred elite guards, equipped with fine armor and weapons, formed a tight watch around the high platform at the square's center, vigilant on all sides.

On the high platform stood the trembling lord, a few of his personal guards, and the priestess whose pupils still glowed golden, along with her attendants.

After a brief wait.

With her hands placed before her abdomen, the composed and noble priestess slowly approached the edge of the platform, raised her voice, and proclaimed to all the New Kryptonians of the city:

"All subjects, please listen carefully to what I am about to say; the blood flowing in our bodies is all directly connected to my lord."

"Along with the earth, the sky, and the sun (yellow dwarf star) we revere and rely on, all are creations of my lord's single thought."

Now!

"He has finally descended upon the earth, and has chosen us and our city-state to be his spokespersons!"

Having said that, the priestess's body was enveloped in a golden radiance, and even behind her, a pair of faintly visible golden wings sprouted.

!!!

"My lord!!"

I am willing to be used by my master!!

Seeing such a miraculous scene, the civilians whose thoughts had not yet been liberated or enlightened, still in the era of ignorance, knelt down one after another, bowing their heads to the priestess on the high platform.

This...

Likewise, the soldiers loyal to the lord, after witnessing an incomprehensible phenomenon that defied common sense, also felt conflicted, and finally likewise put down their weapons and knelt in devout worship.

Moreover, while performing the kneeling, these soldiers' expressions and demeanor remained fearful and bewildered; there was nothing to be done, for as beneficiaries of the feudal ruling class, exploitation and oppression were the norm, and they feared divine retribution.

In contrast, the lord…

This ruler, who had been half‑believing, half‑doubting the divine spirits, could no longer conceal his panic; he too knelt, repeatedly murmuring "My lord…", "Forgive me…" and similar words.

Boom~

At that moment, the clear, cloud‑less sky also seemed to cooperate with the priestess, and in the blink of an eye thunder and lightning began.

Immediately after.

A even more dazzling golden light filled the entire city‑state, forcing all the New Kryptonians to shut their eyes and raise their hands to shield their faces.

When the light weakened and faded, and all the New Kryptonians opened their eyes again and turned their gaze to the high platform, they were utterly dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

Because at that moment on the high platform appeared a human lord wearing black‑gold armor, standing two and a half meters tall, with the Magistrate's Sword at his waist.

Moreover, the two artificial intelligences standing to either side of the human lord were also equipped with form‑fitting powered armor, one red and the other white.

My lord…

The priestess, who had seemed like a great god, upon seeing Sui Bian, the Red Empress, and the White Empress appear before her, immediately dropped to her knees, then most devoutly raised both hands, bowed down, and lay face‑down on the ground.

At the same time, all the maidservants imitated the priestess's kneeling, and even the guards who ought to have been loyal to the lord could no longer stay composed; they hurriedly prostrated themselves on the ground, daring not to look directly at the "divine spirits".

But Sui Bian saw that the New Kryptonians, steeped in ignorance and holding extreme awe and worship toward the so‑called "god", though their outward appearance and demeanor seemed normal, deep inside they felt an indescribable sensation…

It was as if he felt an impulse to unleash a "flood", cleanse the New Kryptonians of everything, and then create a new batch of intelligent species.

Because what he hated and resented most was being called a "god".

But after a moment's thought, seeing that these New Kryptonians were still in an uncivilized state, Sui Bian set aside that impulse.

After a brief silence, he deliberately used a resonant tone and also employed Spiritual Energy to speak: "You are life created by me; I can control your life and death, and also the brightness and darkness of your sun and sky."

And I am humanity, the Master of Humanity; I will select Alainixiya Akelai Aertesisi (the priestess) as my spokesperson, to enlighten and teach you how to become my true subjects, and even how to become true humans.

But before that, I need to ensure your purity, for among you there are far too many utterly wicked things."

As he spoke, thousands of New Kryptonians dressed as nobles, merchants, soldiers, guards, and ordinary civilians, together with the lord already terrified into limpness, floated uncontrollably in the square, unable to speak or even scream.

Then, Sui Bian waved his left hand without the slightest hesitation.

Whoosh—!!!

Golden flames instantly scorched those thousands of New Kryptonians, quickly reducing them to ash that blew away in the wind, vanishing without a trace.

The priestess enlightened by Sui Bian's Spiritual Energy had indeed said that if the lord summoned all the city's residents and publicly apologized, he would be pardoned.

And Sui Bian did indeed "keep his word", but…

What the priestess said had nothing to do with him.

!!

However, the remaining New Kryptonians, fearful of this sudden "divine punishment", saw their favor toward Sui Bian rise sharply.

Because before Sui Bian's arrival, the lord and his nobles and feudal strata were already corrupt to the core, oppressing and exploiting, making life in the city‑state appear splendid but actually be dire, with no hope or future in sight.

Thus, when the "divine spirits" they worshipped and revered appeared and burned away all the corrupt elements in a single fire, they naturally felt grateful.

Sensing the remaining New Kryptonians' feelings, Sui Bian said nothing more, turned around, drew his Magistrate's Sword with his right hand, and walked slowly to the priestess still prostrate on the ground.

Immediately thereafter, under Sui Bian's mental control, the priestess pointed at by the sword's tip was engulfed in a burst of golden flame.

But after the flames died down and dispersed, the priestess seemed to have undergone a transformation: her hair changed from dark red to silver‑white, her red robe turned black, and the faint golden wings on her back were permanently retained.

Not only the priestess, but the maidservants likewise prostrate on the ground also underwent a transformation, each emitting a faint golden glow from the edges of their bodies.

Having chosen his spokesperson to walk the surface of New Krypton, Sui Bian deployed Spiritual Energy transmission, instantly returning with his two secretaries to the inner world of Terra Shield.

(End of chapter)