Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 677, Section 45: A Disappointed Dog Crawls in the Heart of Every Lazybones - Bonus Chapter [45]

(Bonus chapter for the "Hand in Hand" brothers [4/5])
The eldest daughter, Grace, broke down.

It's hard to say whether Diakum used some malicious psychological tactics, but just now, Diakum's resistance to the concept of "duty" not only didn't harm him, but he also repeatedly threw "great successes" on multiple checks.

It's understandable that the eldest daughter felt overwhelmed by such an extraordinary performance.

After all, she could disbelieve in her own strength, but she couldn't disbelieve in the power left behind by the Firstborn.

That is the power of the true Creator.

In other words, even if the Firstborn uses a "Duty Check" on Diakum, the Vigilant can still pass without taking damage.

Although he didn't say it explicitly, he truly wore that classic phrase, "My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror; all my deeds are for justice," on his face. What's even more terrifying is that this guy isn't some bastard like the Führer; Diakum can genuinely represent all "justice" within the Holy Light.

At this point, he was essentially equivalent to "the divine light descending upon him".

The eldest daughter witnessed the whole scene. Seeing that her strongest attack not only failed to harm the enemy, but also helped him strengthen his resolve and incidentally gave him a "righteous incarnation" buff.

It's quite normal for the eldest daughter, who prides herself on being a "duty person," to be overwhelmed by the reprimands and questions from such a "perfectly dutiful person."

Her mental breakdown meant she could no longer escape Diakum's direct and incisive questioning.

When the first white feather on those sacred wings transformed into the black Feather of Forsaken Oath, and while Devos, who arrived from behind, was stunned, the saints who were loyal to the eldest daughter were the first to embark on the path of collapse.

The trident in Saint Jessandra's hand fell to the ground.

This resilient Saint, who had been attacked by Diakum and beaten down by Devos, had never uttered a soft word before, but at this moment, when she saw the black feathers spreading on her eldest daughter's wings, all her fighting spirit and desire for battle vanished.

The muscular woman in blue collapsed to the ground, looking utterly bewildered.

Isn't this a real-world example of "We are ready to fight to the death, why does Your Majesty surrender first?"
The other saints, who represented good character, were no better off than her. One by one, they lost their will to fight. This weakness swept through Elysium like a gust of wind, and the despair of the leaders and commanders seemed to be quickly noticed by the Kyrians who were still fighting.

As a result, their fighting spirit was rapidly weakened, a fact that even the Forsworn could sense.

But these black-feathered angels did not press their advantage; instead, they wisely sheathed their weapons.

Their leader, DeVos, had told them that this was not a war of slaughtering their own people, but a revolution to "set things right," and now it seems they really have succeeded.

The entire Elysium Castle lost its will to fight in a very short time. The Kyrians, who were already suffering from the Seven Fiends Trials, were now wailing and howling in agony.

Their abandoned "self" is rapidly returning, and even the demonic angels are quietly retreating, hovering in the desolate sky.

There's no need to fight anymore; there are no more warriors here.

Although the Hundred Hearts activated by the Butlers are still in danger, the Butlers are not stupid now that the Kyrians have laid down their weapons and surrendered.

As the Sha and Forsworn laid down their weapons and left the battlefield, the Roaring Colossus, Goliath, and the Arbiter were quietly ordered into standby mode.

The deacons huddled together, hiding behind their powerful psionic machines, whispering amongst themselves.

Those who were shaped to be Kyrian servants had no idea what was happening, but one thing was certain: after tonight, Bastion was about to undergo what might be the most “terrible” change in the history of the place.

But Diakum didn't care about any of that.

When it was discovered that the Seven Fiends Trials were remarkably effective on the Kyrians, the fall of Paradise Castle was only a matter of time.

He was now simply looking at his eldest daughter, Grace, who was curled up in front of him and transforming into a "Forsaken," and he keenly noticed a deeper change in her.

Something within her body was "breaking."

It resembles a machine that can no longer operate according to its set pattern, ceasing to function in a desperate manner during its final internal struggle.

The eldest daughter's power was rapidly declining, and her blue skin was turning into an eerie grayish-white.

It's like it's "fading".

Facing Diakum's silent gaze, the eldest daughter huddled within her fading wings, and spoke in a broken, hoarse voice:
"I was designed to fulfill my duties, and I was to dedicate all my passion and perseverance to the work I had to do. I was proud of my duties, and I told each of my disciples that the responsibilities of Bastion formed the foundation for maintaining the destiny of the Shadowlands."

Without us, the messengers who guide them, the dead would not be able to enter their final resting place.

Without our tireless labor over millennia, the cold veil of life and death would isolate the Shadow Realm from all the 'vitality' of the material world.

I believe this, I act this way, and I am so proud.

Diakum listened patiently.

He even knelt down, as if he were performing a final "requiem mass" for a departed soul.

The eldest daughter is going to "die".

These were her last words.

As a "duty-abiding citizen," she lost her purpose the moment she admitted that her duties were meaningless and that she was already tired of them.

The original creators who designed and built the Eternals were clearly a group of "pragmatists," for when a machine could no longer perform its duties, scrapping became its only fate.

The eldest daughter wasn't a bad person, though she wasn't exactly a good one either, but the last words of such a distinguished person were still worth listening to.

The black feathers on her wings were rapidly "infiltrating," and in just a moment, the once incomparably holy Graceia became "dim."

She leaned against the precipice of the ruins, curled up there, as if sensing that "death" was approaching, and her words were tinged with sadness.

She continued:
"In the beginning times, everything was running perfectly, and the destiny set by the First Beings was the most perfect cycle."

We bring souls, Zovar arbitrates souls, and every nation receives souls.

The virtuous are protected, the brave fight, the benevolent protect life, and the sinners are punished. All individuals fulfill their roles in this system, just as the perfect model the First One longed to see.

I am proud of the system I have maintained, and I am satisfied with the responsibility I bear in this system. My joy and satisfaction created the original Grynn.

I use my own methods to shape these kind souls and share with them what I consider the most perfect work in the world.

I am a conscientious worker.

I hope my children will also become conscientious workers.

We are the guides of the Shadowlands. For us, acting against the rules in private will bring disastrous disruption to Destiny. I ask them to abandon memories and emotions, in order to achieve the most perfect order.

I think this is a noble sacrifice; I am moved to see them abandon the past for the perfect operation of destiny.

I once thought this wonderful era would last forever. Until Zovar's betrayal. The first 'noise' appeared in the perfect system.

The eldest daughter paused.

She raised her hand shakily, and in the uncontrollable trembling, she saw her fingers losing all their luster, transforming into some kind of sharp geometric structure that was neither gold nor jade.

That was her true self.

She let out a sound that was hard to tell whether it was self-mockery or sadness, let her fingers hang limply, stopped paying attention to anything else, and stretched out her body like she was giving up, leaning against the wall in a more comfortable position.

This is very likely the first time since her birth that the eldest daughter has abandoned all constraints and shown herself in such an unrestrained manner.

She sighed and said:

"I couldn't understand Zovar's betrayal. He said that after witnessing the lives of countless mortals, He realized the lies the First One had told us."
He declared that the so-called 'free will' was merely a cruel joke of the First Ones and there was no freedom to speak of. The entire Shadow Realm, and even the entire Material Star Sea and the Six Realms, were in some higher system.

It's like a larger version of destiny.

Everything is preordained. The power called 'destiny' was written long before the traveler of destiny was born. No matter how wonderful the process may be, the ending is already predetermined.

That feeling of powerlessness drove Zovar mad.

Zovar found Zovar unable to bear the tragic lives of those ordinary people who, despite countless evolutions, only proved tragic.

My brother wants to overthrow destiny; he proclaims that he will create a more perfect order for the Shadowlands and the entire Starsea.

Ah, the intention was good, but the method was wrong.

If even the Firstborn cannot design a perfect order, if even the Mandate of the Shadowlands is deemed a flawed system, then what solution can Zoval offer with his stubborn and inflexible wisdom?

The eldest daughter sneered:
"I don't even need to guess; I know what Zovar is up to."
He wanted to unify the cacophony of the universe, to sacrifice himself as a new cornerstone of the universe and the Force system, and to create a fairer foundation for all things, forging new rules to ensure that all destiny truly falls into the hands of mortals. But isn't this just another form of 'destiny'?

Is what He is about to do any different from the 'perfect order' that the Firstborn set up for the Shadowlands?

He is even worse!

He will accomplish all of this through force.

He will first strip all individuals of their 'self,' and then mold them into perfection before returning them to them.

He is worse than the firstborn.

Ha, this is us, this is the eternal! We, who were created, cannot even achieve true 'innovation'; we can only stubbornly follow the thought process woven for us by the first beings.
But the real problem lies in
Zovar was merely the arbitrator!
He had only seen the lives of those souls whom we had led to the Shadow Kingdom, and He could no longer bear the predetermined ending.

However, we are the only kind of life allowed to cross the boundary between life and death.

The lives Zovar witnessed were merely our daily routines at work. If Zovar couldn't even withstand this much pressure, then shouldn't I, who realized all this countless years before Him, have collapsed even earlier?

A less-than-pleasant smile appeared on the eldest daughter's ashen face.

As the saints stumbled forward, gathered around, and listened to the eternal words, the eldest daughter no longer had to suppress her hidden emotions, and at this moment she finally spoke her truest thoughts.

"The dutiful one," Graceia proclaimed loudly:
"The Eternal Ones are merely the foundation and maintainers of destiny. Our duty is to keep this system running. Whether this system is perfect, whether it represents the truth, or whether it is evil is not something we should consider."

The First Ones did not give us the power to correct it; we are part of this system, and maintaining this system is maintaining our existence.

I scoff at Zovar's 'self-destruction'.

But ultimately, many years after Zovar fell into the Maw, I seemed to sense that same helplessness and indignation.
I used to think that as long as I worked hard enough and fulfilled my duties perfectly, destiny would remain stable, and the noises Zovar made were nothing more than the wear and tear of this perfect system.

Therefore, I strive to do my job perfectly, and I require my children to be just as dedicated as I am.

We live and work according to the doctrines left by the First Ones, never daring to slack off for a single day, and regarding fatigue as the most perfect reward for those who are faithful to their duties.

However, the harder we try, the more violently fate crumbles.

We have done everything we can to try to turn the tide, but our efforts have been in vain.

The warlord has disappeared.

I know what that grumpy old man is up to.

The loss of heart energy is causing the woods of the Queen of Winter to wither. I know how much pain that cold sister is in. She was once a perfect servant, just like me, but now she no longer even walks in her forest.

She despaired earlier than I did, and she discovered the problems with the system much earlier than I did.

But she, like me, can't do anything.

Denathus was the most intelligent and farsighted. I'm sure that He, who was in charge of absolving the souls of their sins, realized the flaws of destiny and the irreversible collapse much earlier than Zovar and I.

I don't know what Denathrius is doing, but if the catastrophe of the collapse of destiny were to come, He would definitely be the only eternal being who would survive.

I thought Zovar's betrayal was the end, but I didn't expect it to be just the beginning.
You're right, Diakum. You're an outsider, not bound by fate, so you can certainly offer your insightful commentary from a more neutral perspective.

But you never thought of that!

For those of us who are only allowed to live within the Destiny system, what does the accelerated collapse of this system mean? You accuse me of ruthlessly taking away Kyrian's memories and self, but you cannot understand that I am simply protecting them in this way.

That Truth

The eldest daughter sighed and said:
"That devastating truth is enough to crush any weak-willed soul, so why have so much curiosity?"

Be loyal to your duties and dedicate yourself to your work.

When they focus on their duties, external collapse and the inevitable demise of everything become less important.

I didn't lose to you, and I'm not unaware of how to fight.

I just...
I'm just tired.

Grace leaned her head against the ruined cliff.

Her body, wings, limbs, and even neck have returned to their "factory settings".

Gone are the soft blue skin and shimmering long hair; only a cold, metallic quality remains. Gone are the graceful curves; only rigid and mysterious geometric shapes remain.

The Eternals finally revealed their greatest secret, and finally showed their truest self to the saints.

A robot.

A robot designed by the Firstborn, made in the creation factory of Zaremotis, and ultimately given duties and a self, and sent to work.

Case solved.

No wonder the eldest daughter was able to create an engineering genius like the butler Gugu. It turns out she herself is a creation of "Creator Engineering," and she's naturally good at it.

But as Diakum saw, the eldest daughter's "life" had come to an end. Her mechanical body, woven from mysterious "phantom scales," was filled with sparks of energy, indicating that shutdown was imminent.

In her final moments, she whispered:
“I am not as brave as them. When I realize that the system I serve is flawed, I cannot and dare not resist. I can only fulfill the responsibilities I was born with.”

All I could do was bury my head in the sand and pretend that everything would be alright as long as I did my job.

But I can't.

The collapse of destiny may have been predetermined from the moment it was shaped, and we, as the foundation of destiny, are all sacrifices deliberately created by the First One.

I was powerless to save it, so I let it go until it collapsed.

A true conscientious worker makes their final contribution at their workstation.

"Save her!"

DeVos charged over.

She knelt at Diakum's feet, embracing the saint's legs and pleading:
“You can save her, right? Please save her! Please save our, our ‘mother’.”

The other saints, as if awakened, rushed over to pray.

Then came more Kyrians, and the Forsworn fell from the sky. When Diakum turned around, all the black and white angels in Bastion were kneeling on the ground.

They were praying to an external deity to save their "mother".

Even if she did hurt them, in the name of protection... Sigh, yet another mother with good intentions who doesn't know how to properly educate her children, just like Ai-chan before.

"That's what I'm here for."

Diakum nodded.

Just as the last trace of human form was about to fade from her cold, mechanical body, he reached out and placed his hand on her forehead.

His eldest daughter's mechanical eyes struggled to roll as she looked at him, seemingly wondering what Diakum was planning to do.

"I cannot create the Eternals like the First One did."

Dick said:
"But at the very least, I can retain your self, not the self that the Firstborn gave you, but the self that you have shaped and maintained in your duty. You have always tried to complete your work in the form and standard of a robot, but the problem is, how can a robot have such complex emotions as you?"
The eldest daughter, filled with disappointment, died; her death marked the beginning of the true collapse of destiny.

But Grace will be reborn because of this! When you realize that work is not the only thing in life.

Come back to life.

To live a second life as a human, not as an animal.

Ps:

The entity of the eternal:

(End of this chapter)