novelraw Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Fratricide
This kind of devotion…
even surpassed that of the current citizens of the Sun Dynasty!
Back then, after experiencing the doubts of the old priest and En, Apollo had already come to an understanding.
God did not require faith, because faith held no meaning for God.
Therefore, he had not forcibly promoted belief.
Thus, the tribespeople’s faith in God…
stemmed more from awe of divine grace, a natural sense of gratitude and reverence.
But in the eyes of the people brought back by Lei,
faith was fanatical, exclusive, and something for which they were willing to sacrifice everything!
The way they looked at anyone who did not share their belief
carried a scrutinizing intent—a determination to eliminate all “heretics”!
Faced with such a group of fanatics,
even Ze, who considered himself devout and longed for divine revelation, felt deep shock and a trace of fear.
He could not help but ask himself—his own faith…
could it truly compare to this kind of fanaticism that would burn everything for God?
But fortunately, Lei had no interest in the throne.
What he brought back was something more practical.
A long-range weapon called the “bow,” along with its method of manufacture.
This tool, capable of killing prey from a distance,
felt incredibly novel to the dynasty’s people, who were accustomed to close combat and using stone spears.
After all, with God-blessed individuals leading hunts, the risk of injury and death was extremely low.
Thus, there had been little motivation for innovation in weapons.
“Lei, now that you’ve returned this time, will you leave again?”
Ya found Lei, her eyes filled with reluctance.
Like her father Apollo, she longed deep down for family unity, hoping that her brothers would all remain in the royal city and maintain the foundation their father had left behind.
“I’m sorry, Ya.”
Lei ultimately chose to leave again.
Before departing…
he ascended the altar alone and stepped into the grand yet empty temple.
He knelt where his father had knelt countless times.
Looking up at the divine statue, he prayed.
However, God did not cast a gaze upon him.
Even though he had brought five thousand people of fanatical faith, even though he cared more than anyone about God’s glory.
Ya watched Lei leave and could not help but shout.
“Lei! Will you come back again?”
Lei did not turn back. His voice drifted on the wind.
“When God descends once more, I will return.”
Lei left.
To him,
without God’s gaze, without his father, the royal city was nothing more than a land that had lost its soul—unworthy of his attachment.
Lei’s departure did not ease the tension between Wa and Ze.
Instead, with one less potential mediator,
their conflict intensified, almost moving from the shadows into the open.
Even Ya, who had always avoided involvement, could no longer stand it.
When another clash broke out between the two sides,
Ya rushed out and stood between Wa and Ze.
“Have you both gone mad?!”
“You are brothers bound by blood!”
“Are you really going to fight to the death over a single position?!”
“Is the throne really that important?!”
“More important than our family bonds?!”
Wa looked at the agitated Ya, his gaze cold.
“Ya, since you’ve already given up the throne,”
“then go manage your breeding grounds properly.”
“This is between me and Ze.”
With that, he left with his followers.
Ze let out a sigh. Looking at Ya, he revealed the essence of their conflict.
“Ya, in your eyes, what we’re fighting for is the stone seat Father left behind—the empty title of ‘king.’”
“But in truth, Wa and I… do not care about that position as much as you think.”
He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the palace dome toward the boundless starry sky.
“What we care about… is God!”
Ya was utterly confused.
“But God has already left!”
“Yes, God has already left.”
Ze’s voice carried a deep longing.
“But one day, God will descend again!”
“And becoming ‘king,’ inheriting Father’s position…”
“means gaining the qualification to communicate with God in the temple, and perhaps…”
“like Father, to hear God’s will!”
In this primitive era, just emerging from ignorance,
the power of God was the pinnacle of their understanding, the source of all miracles.
How much they had once envied their father for alone enjoying God’s gaze and guidance—
now was how much they longed to take his place and become the one chosen by God.
“But God doesn’t care at all!”
Ya almost shouted.
As the one who had stayed with Apollo the longest, she clearly knew that God did not care about these things.
God had chosen their father…
simply because He could!
Ze fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice carried an almost obsessive firmness.
“God doesn’t care.”
“But I do!”
Even if the hope was slim,
even if it required paying a tremendous price,
as long as there was a single possibility, he would never give up!
He yearned to be like his father, to hear God’s will.
And this desire for “divine revelation”
had long surpassed the pursuit of power itself, becoming the sole force driving him forward.
Ya fell silent.
She looked at the burning longing in Ze’s eyes.
All words of persuasion were stuck in her throat.
She understood that if the root of the conflict between Wa and Ze lay in their desire for “divine grace,”
then this struggle would never end.
Because that desire—how could she not have it?
Or rather, throughout the entire Sun Dynasty,
who had not dreamed of that favor?
For everyone had grown up listening to the legendary story of Sun King Apollo.
For every child, the most captivating part was always that opening chapter that began it all.
Beneath the ancient totem pole, the great God chose the child in the middle.
Thus, starlight shone upon that child.
God bestowed divine grace and granted a name.
Thus, Apollo was born.
Under God’s guidance, he led a small tribe of just over thirty people, cutting through thorns and obstacles, and ultimately established the Sun Dynasty that dominated a region.
No one did not long to become the next Apollo.
No one did not hope that the vast starlight would shine for them.
In the end, Ya said nothing.
She silently turned and left.
……
The confrontation within the royal city grew increasingly intense.
The supporters of Wa and Ze clashed repeatedly.
From initial verbal conflicts, it gradually escalated into small-scale pushing and armed skirmishes.
The tense atmosphere was like a bowstring drawn tighter and tighter, permeating every corner of the dynasty.
During another confrontation,
both sides were fully present, facing off beneath the altar.
Wa and Ze stood at the very front of their respective groups, glaring at each other, as if sparks were flying in the air.
At this critical moment—
no one noticed…
within the crowd, a young warrior, out of nervousness, had his fingers tremble uncontrollably.
He had originally just been nervously drawing his bowstring, aiming at the empty ground in front of Wa as a show of intimidation.
But at the exact moment Wa, in agitation, suddenly stepped forward—
the arrow nocked on the string slipped free, letting out a faint tearing sound as it shot uncontrollably forward!
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
That arrow pierced precisely into Wa’s chest.
The position of the heart!
“Ugh…!”
Wa’s body stiffened abruptly.
He lowered his head in disbelief, looking at his chest.
The arrow had already sunk in more than halfway…
only the fletching remained outside, trembling slightly.
“Wa!”
Ze cried out in shock, his mind going blank.
The entire square fell into a deathly silence in an instant, everyone stunned by this sudden turn of events.