Against The True Gods

Caine reappeared in the skies above the capital, his presence unnoticed by all. His dark robes fluttered ever so slightly under the pull of the harsh winds swirling around him.

His gaze swept across the battlefield below.

'Five minutes.'

He had spent five weeks within the Citadel, immersing himself in study and contemplation, yet in the outside world, a mere five minutes had passed.

'Peculiar.'

The horizon stretched endlessly before him, marred by the brutal chaos of war. The Holy Knights and their vast armies clashed ceaselessly against the relentless tide of divine beasts. The battlefield was an ever-churning sea of death—beastial roars intermingled with cries of valor, blood of both human and beast pooling into rivers that soaked the war-ravaged earth.

Caine took his time, carefully observing each segment of the battlefield. His hand slowly extended outward, his palm facing the carnage in the distance. Then, he closed his fingers into a fist.

He tightened his grip.

BOOOM!

A suffocating Will descended upon the battlefield, locking it in place for but a fleeting moment before vanishing without a trace. The eight remaining Holy Knights, who had been locked in combat below, stiffened in alarm, their senses immediately heightened.

They barely had time to register what had happened before they realized something uncanny—the battlefield was empty.

Every beast had been annihilated.

What had once been a seething tide of monstrous entities was now nothing but scattered remnants—shredded flesh, splintered bones, and fading echoes of past struggles.

As if drawn by an unspoken force, all eyes turned skyward. Their gazes fixed upon the lone figure standing above them.

The Tenth Holy Knight.

He stood there, his arm still outstretched, his fist clenched, his expression unreadable, serene yet distant.

Then, before him, something vast and menacing began to take shape.

***

Caine retracted his hand and silently observed as the entity solidified in front of him.

The rain that steadily cascaded from the heavens filled his ears, a rhythmic lull that seemed to soothe his otherwise unreadable heart. The harsh winds brushing against his face felt strangely gentle—like the whispered embrace of Mother Nature herself.

As he stood there, motionless, something stirred within him. A resonance—subtle yet undeniable. It was an unspoken connection, a harmony with the world itself.

He understood it now.

This was an effect born from the fusion between his Dao Heart and Lady Gaia's rune, which had seeped into the very essence of his Will.

At this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to call him the son of the world itself.

BANG!

The form before him finally solidified.

It was a flood dragon of massive proportions, its crystal-white scales gleaming with ethereal brilliance as waves of white flames coiled around its powerful, sinuous body. Its gaze, menacing and primal, locked onto Caine, exuding a presence of immense hostility.

A low and guttural growl rumbled from its throat, but then, just as it prepared to speak, its pupils narrowed in confusion.

"You… you're a traitor… you low-born bastard…"

Caine chuckled. The dragon had sensed the slumbering presence of his bonds—mistaking their latent aura for his own. It assumed him to be kin… and yet, a betrayer.

How amusing.

And how… disappointing.

"Come." Caine beckoned with a lazy wave of his hand.

RUMBLE!

The dragon roared, its massive body coiling like a tightly wound spring before launching itself at Caine with terrifying speed. Pockets of air burst around it, imploding under the sheer force of its movement.

But then, not even a moment later—

It died.

The skies rained blood as the flood dragon's body collapsed into hundreds of cubic chunks—flesh, bone, and pristine scales scattered into nothingness. Even in death, its gaze remained frozen in bewilderment.

Caine shook his head. "Why would you actually come at me?"

"What a stupid little lizard."

All he had done was condense the surrounding neutral atmospheric qi into razor-thin strings around himself. The dragon had sealed its own fate—soaring straight into its demise at full speed.

The strings weren't even fortified. It had simply been foolish enough to charge headlong into them.

'Truly stupid.'

WHOOOOSH!

The other Holy Knights appeared around him, their forms battered, their bodies smeared with the blood of their foes.

In stark contrast, Caine stood in pristine flawlessness.

They remained silent, their collective auras converging as an unspoken tension filled the air. They pressed their presence upon him—measuring, questioning, challenging.

Caine remained utterly unmoved.

Moments passed before Chauvin, The Holy Knight of Indestructible Earth, finally spoke.

"…Where is Elder Larisse?"

Caine's head turned slowly. Though his eyes were absent, Chauvin felt the weight of his gaze upon him—two burning primordial stars threatening to pierce through his very soul.

His heart quivered. For a fleeting moment, he felt the urge to apologize before snapping himself out of it.

"What are you implying?"

Chauvin frowned. "You were last seen with—"

"If I wanted you dead, could you resist? Could you react?"

A pressure unlike anything before descended upon them. The very auras they had been using to suppress Caine shattered like fragile glass.

"GUH—!"

Each of the knights coughed out mouthfuls of blood as the sheer flicker of Caine's Will swept through them, a slow-burning flame growing into an inferno.

A tinge of fury ignited within Caine's heart.

"If I wished to rebel and ruin the Church, would I have saved you?"

"You stupid sacks of useless waste, if I were truly an enemy, would surrounding me like this work? Do you really believe—any of you, alone or together, could stop me?"

Annoyance flared in his tone.

"With a mere flick of my wrist, I slew those you have struggled against as an army—do you not see the utter idiocy of your actions?"

Chauvin was left speechless. His hands trembled at his sides, his heart hammering violently against his ribs.

"Why is everyone being so needlessly stupid today?" Caine grumbled, turning away from them as he began flying toward the church.

Then, after a moment, he glanced back.

"Remember this—" His voice was calm, yet it carried an undercurrent of danger. "The only reason I didn't kill you today is because you still hold some value to him."

The knights remained frozen in place, unable to retort, unable to even meet his gaze.

Caine continued toward the church, but then, mid-flight, he abruptly stopped.

A vein throbbed on his temple.

He turned back, a look of visible irritation settling over his features.

"…I don't suppose I'll be reporting to the Pope alone, yes..?"

The eightHoly Knights, still reeling from the moment prior, suddenly remembered their rank, their status—who they were.

Their faces flushed with shame, embarrassment washing over them as they hastily followed behind Caine, resuming their flight toward the church.

Caine exhaled slowly, shaking his head.

'…Lord…' He took deep, calming breaths.