novelraw Chapter 29 : The Conflict of Paths
Chapter 29 : The Conflict of Paths
Chapter 29: The Conflict of Paths
The plaza before the Temple of the Stars.
This temple was extremely grand, constructed entirely of massive white stones, shining brilliantly under the sunlight.
At this moment, priests and believers stood solemnly on both sides of the plaza, the atmosphere dignified and austere.
Ze led his golden, radiant group into the plaza.
He still wore the attire of the Solar King, forming a stark contrast with Lei’s white papal robe.
He swept his gaze across this structure filled with sacred style and the fervent believers.
His brow furrowed ever so slightly.
As for the people of the Theocratic State…
they were completely shaken by the massive group of Divine Grace recipients behind Ze.
That converging golden radiance…
almost burned their eyes.
Those who had once taken pride in their faith
now could not help but feel doubt and unease arise within them.
Why did the Solar Dynasty possess so many Divine Grace recipients?
Was it because their own faith was not devout enough to receive the gods’ blessings?
Lei slowly walked out from the temple, standing atop the high steps, facing Ze across the plaza.
The two brothers—
one the Pope of divine authority, the other a secular king—
met each other’s gaze in midair, their expressions complex and unreadable.
“Ze, my brother.”
Lei spoke first, his voice calm.
“Welcome to the Theocratic State of the Stars.”
“What you’ve brought…”
“this ‘gift’ is truly astonishing.”
Ze looked at Lei, whose temperament had completely changed, and let out a cold snort, getting straight to the point.
“Lei, I did not come here to tour your so-called ‘state.’”
“I only want to ask you—why did you betray our father’s will and establish your own faction?”
Lei did not grow angry at Ze’s questioning.
He slowly descended the steps and walked to stand before Ze.
His gaze swept over the golden-haired, golden-eyed Divine Grace recipients, then returned to Ze.
“Betrayal?”
“No, Ze. I am pursuing the path revealed by our father—and even by the gods.”
“Have you ever seen our father obsessed with royal power?”
“He spent more time praying in the temple.”
“The gods do not need kings!”
“They only need devout believers.”
“I established the State to better convey divine will, to prevent tragedies born from selfish desires of royal power from happening again!”
He paused, then looked at the Divine Grace recipients behind Ze and voiced the question in his heart.
“Compared to that, I am more curious—how did you achieve this?”
“The gods have returned to the sea of stars. Neither of us can use authority to grant blessings.”
“Where did these nearly hundred Divine Grace recipients come from?”
A trace of complexity appeared on Ze’s face.
“You think you’re the only one seeking change?”
“You’ve been gone too long. You know nothing of what has happened in the royal city.”
“It was Ya. In the final twenty years of her life, she devoted herself to research and ultimately…”
“created the second divine art in this world!”
“The second divine art?”
Lei was deeply shocked. He had never imagined that Ya had created a second divine art.
He had always believed that divine arts could only be granted by the gods.
Yet Ya had already reached this step.
Perhaps her understanding of the gods far surpassed theirs.
“That’s right.”
Ze’s voice carried weight.
“She named it—the ‘Divine Grace Technique’!”
Ze explained to Lei the principles of the Divine Grace Technique, as well as its difference from “Authority Bestowal.”
He recounted how Ya, in order to prevent future generations from once again being driven by desire, had devoted immense effort to research.
In the end, she successfully created this divine art—allowing mortals to obtain blessings by praying to the Leo constellation.
“…Authority Bestowal grants authority.”
“But the Divine Grace Technique grants only power—a blessing—a borrowing of starlight.”
Ze concluded, his tone tinged with an indescribable emotion.
“Ya… had already foreseen much.”
Lei listened quietly.
The expression on his face shifted from shock to realization.
And finally turned into a deep, complex emotion—mixed with admiration, sorrow, and understanding.
For a long time, he said nothing.
His gaze seemed to pass through time, seeing Ya.
There she was, beneath the mountains, alone, contemplating the stars, dedicating her final years to future generations.
She had hoped that through the Divine Grace Technique, they could escape a future driven by desire.
“So… that’s how it is.”
Lei sighed softly and looked at Ze.
“So, relying on the Divine Grace Technique Ya left behind, you cultivated this force of Divine Grace recipients.”
“Yes.”
Ze straightened his back, his tone growing firm.
“This proves that the bloodline of Apollo—the legitimacy of the Solar Dynasty—still possesses the favor of the gods!”
“Lei, abandon this so-called State.”
“Return to the dynasty our father built!”
“That is the correct path!”
However, Lei slowly shook his head.
His gaze became even more resolute.
“No, Ze.”
“This instead proves that we need an order to restrain and guide power!”
“The emergence of the Divine Grace Technique only makes me more certain.”
“That establishing a nation centered on divine authority, using faith to restrain desire, is the correct path!”
“In the State, power will serve faith—not desire!”
At this moment, in their locked gazes, all warmth had vanished, leaving only the fundamental opposition of ideologies!
Ze believed in the legitimacy of bloodline and royal authority.
Lei upheld the supremacy of divine authority and faith.
Both believed that the gods would approve of their choices—that they were walking the path the gods desired.
Yet they had long forgotten—
the gods did not care about any of this.
“A State without Divine Grace, is it?”
Ze stared at Lei.
His gaze revealed stubbornness.
“Lei, as long as you are willing to abandon this so-called State and return to the Solar Dynasty—”
“The Divine Grace Technique… I can give it to you.”
He paused, his tone unquestionable.
“Of course, the Divine Grace Technique can only be passed down to those who carry the bloodline of Apollo.”
“As long as you return, I can arrange the finest women for you to continue our noble bloodline.”
Lei smiled.
He understood Ze’s meaning clearly.
If he insisted on remaining in the State, then the Divine Grace Technique would be forever out of reach for him and his nation.
This was Ze’s bottom line—and also his bargaining chip to pull Lei back onto the “right path.”
But Lei was not in a hurry.
Because as long as he lived—
the Theocratic State of the Stars would stand unshaken!
So what if the Solar Dynasty possessed nearly a hundred Divine Grace recipients?
Before true authority—
those borrowed powers…
were nothing more than the faint glow of fireflies!
Likewise, if Ze were to return to the sea of stars first,
with his strength, obtaining the Divine Grace Technique from the Solar Dynasty would not be difficult.
This was the confidence of an ability wielder.
Yet beneath these cold thoughts,
a deep emotion stirred within Lei.
He looked at Ze, who had become unfamiliar to him.
Suddenly, an indescribable feeling rose in his heart.
“Ze…”
“You’ve changed.”