Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!-Chapter 1469 - 1468: The Envoys’ Arrival (Heavenly Mountain’s Gale and Storm Today)
"Charge!"
The sword gleamed.
The pitch-black demon hound howled and fell to the ground, blood splattering everywhere. Raphtalia, having made her hit, swiftly retreated, avoiding the attack from another demon hound. Meanwhile, a petite figure suddenly emerged from behind, Leafa jumped up, her two daggers stabbing into the second demon hound’s head from behind, knocking it to the ground.
The third demon hound attempted to intimidate with bared teeth and claws, but the descending Shield Axe quickly smashed its head into fragments.
"Mission accomplished."
Fang Zheng lifted the Shield Axe and snapped his fingers. Hearing his voice, Raphtalia and Leafa finally sighed in relief, lowering their weapons.
"You both did very well."
Looking at the two young girls in front of him, Fang Zheng smiled and spoke.
Yes, young girls.
Raphtalia and Leafa now were no longer the little children Fang Zheng had bought back then; they had grown into teenagers, appearing to be around sixteen or seventeen years old from their appearance.
Of course, it wasn’t because Fang Zheng spent six or seven years with the little ones in this world. In fact, Fang Zheng only later found out from the Bald Boss that the Subhuman race in this world, if they rapidly level up during childhood, their bodies would grow to the age most suitable for battle.
To be honest, this initially startled Fang Zheng quite a bit. Waking up one day to find that the two little girls in bed had suddenly turned into grown-ups was indeed quite eerie.
However, even though their bodies had matured, their mental state hadn’t changed much. Raphtalia even once cried loudly because of bedwetting... Well, alright, it’s actually not that big of a deal.
But those little ones in the Heavenly Dao Palace must be quite envious of this.
Despite both being half-humans, the Cursed Children, due to Zerg gene adjustments—they only have the concept of "Evolution" rather than "Growth"—their growth rate has consequently slowed a lot. If calculated by ordinary human growth standards, the Cursed Children would mature roughly at the rate of one year per decade.
In contrast, the Subhumans’ trait of rapid bodily growth just by leveling up, reaching the perfect combat age, would certainly make those little ones feel envious and jealous.
Alongside their level-ups, Raphtalia and Leafa gradually formed their own combat styles.
In Fang Zheng’s view, Raphtalia was clearly a weapon fighter, while Leafa was more of an assassination rogue. The former had stable output, the latter explosively dealt massive damage instantly. Naturally, this might also relate to their races, considering raccoons and white tigers... it seems fitting for their attack styles.
What slightly disappointed Fang Zheng was that the Sunglasses Merchant wasn’t lying when he said Subhumans couldn’t do heavy labor. Even though their bodies matured due to quick level-ups, their "Strength" attribute was still only slightly stronger than the average person. At least, Raphtalia couldn’t learn Fang Zheng’s Wolf Sword Technique... This left Fang Zheng very disappointed.
After all, if Raphtalia could learn the Wolf Sword Technique, her strength would be much greater.
But unfortunately, Raphtalia’s strength wasn’t enough to wield a Greatsword one-handed...
"With this, you now know how to face the wave battles."
Fang Zheng casually tugged, and the next moment, the giant axe in his hand transformed back into a shield, returning to Fang Zheng’s arm.
Upon hearing the word "wave," Raphtalia and Leafa’s expressions instantly turned tense again. It’s no surprise; their families had perished in the first wave previously. To them, waves were their greatest nightmare.
Indeed, it was their nightmare.
Fang Zheng had heard Raphtalia scream in her sleep many times, crying for her parents, and Leafa had frequent nightmares as well. Though Fang Zheng had comforted them countless times and their behavior increasingly leaned toward normal in waking hours.
But in the stillness of night, in dreams, the shadow lurking deep in their hearts would persistently reappear.
"I know you’re both scared, but you’re no longer who you were."
Fang Zheng looked at the two before him, speaking firmly.
"You are no longer the ones back then; now you possess the power to resist the waves!"
Fang Zheng paused as he spoke.
"I will be there with you."
Upon hearing these words, Raphtalia and Leafa’s expressions seemed to calm considerably.
After finishing the day’s battles, the trio resumed their journey toward the nearby town. However, as Fang Zheng and his companions reached near the town, suddenly, a group of cloaked figures surrounded them.
"Hero of the Shield!"
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing these words, Fang Zheng involuntarily shuddered; not because of anything else, but purely due to these people’s voices... it’s disgusting!!
Though Fang Zheng had heard many people call out his nickname during his journey, most tones carried aversion, disdain, or a respectful distance. However, these people’s tones were different; if anything, they felt like a group of fanatical star fans, eager to kneel before a pop star and offer their children like crazed fangirls...
Goosebumps were rising!
"Who are you people?"
Glancing at the group of cloaked figures in miscellaneous colors, Fang Zheng first sheltered Raphtalia and Leafa behind him, then furrowed his brows, staring at them, asking aloud. As Fang Zheng questioned, these cloaked individuals also lowered their cloaks, revealing faces.
There were men and women, young and old, yet all had ears and tails... they seemed all to be Subhumans.
"We are the envoys of Sidvelrut!"
"Sidvelrut... oh..."
Upon hearing this unfamiliar name, Fang Zheng pondered briefly before recalling the name of the Subhuman Kingdom once mentioned by the Bald Boss.
"What’s the matter with me?"
"Actually, it’s like this!"
The leading Subhuman prostrated respectfully to the ground, bowing deeply toward Fang Zheng.
"We learned about what the Hero of the Shield experienced at Megmarlo; therefore, we wish to welcome the Hero of the Shield back to Sidvelrut!"
"Back to?"
His birthplace wasn’t Sidvelrut; it makes sense to say go there, but what does "back to" mean?
"Yes!"
As they spoke, the Subhuman leader seemed quite excited.
"Hero of the Shield was originally our Sidvelrut hero. The despicable Megmarlo people used dishonest means to summon you here, intending to humiliate Sidvelrut...!!"
"Wait, I don’t quite understand... bring someone who can explain clearly to talk to me."
Though this Subhuman was evidently quite angry, exactly because of that, his words left Fang Zheng somewhat puzzled, so Fang Zheng turned his gaze to the other Subhumans, soon a relatively older Subhuman raised his head.
"It’s like this... Hero..."
"Stand up, you all look uncomfortable kneeling in front of me..."
"No, no, the Hero is our god; how can we dare behave so rudely towards you...!"
While speaking, the white-bearded old Subhuman lowered his head deeply again, leaving Fang Zheng speechless.
"I told you all to stand up, or I’m leaving."
I’m not some hotshot celebrity, and watching a group of mindless fans act infatuated in front of me is making my hair stand on end!
And there were guys among them... no thanks.
"Yes..."
Though reluctant, the group grudgingly stood up but still kept their heads lowered, gaze fixed on the ground.
"Alright... keep talking."
"Here’s the situation."
With Fang Zheng’s permission, the old Subhuman spoke again.
"Our nation, Sidvelrut..."
From the old Subhuman’s explanation, Fang Zheng grasped the whole story.
In summary, three countries are involved in this matter.
Megmarlo, Sidvelrut, and Hobrey.
This all relates back to the world’s religious beliefs.
Initially, due to the Four Sacred Hero System, the world’s religious faith was centered around the Four Sacred Heroes. Thus, the Cult of the Four Sacred Heroes was established.
However, this changed when the previous Shield Hero defended the Subhumans and helped them establish their own country, altering religious beliefs.
Megmarlo, extremely hostile towards Subhumans, regarded the Shield Hero as a traitor and removed him from the Four Sacred Heroes, adopting the Three Heroes Sect without a Shield Hero. Meanwhile, the Subhumans, protected by the Shield Hero, established their Shield Hero Cult in reverence.
Hobrey, on the other hand, maintained the Cult of the Four Sacred Heroes without change.
It’s akin to how Catholicism and Christianity branched off from Judaism...
Such heresy is even more damned than heathens; that’s the sentiment.
Like Jews summoning Jesus Christ, would they treat him as a Saint?
Of course not; they would crucify him again.
Might even broadcast it globally.
When it comes to religious beliefs, it’s beyond logic.
Moreover, the old Subhuman shared unexpected intel with Fang Zheng.
Previously, each nation summoned a respective Sacred Hero, and the Shield Hero would logically be summoned by Sidvelrut.
However, Megmarlo broke the rules, summoning all Four Sacred Heroes, causing international outrage!
Hmm... Fang Zheng could understand; like in the Holy Grail War, one Master summons one Servant, but if a Master summons seven Servants at once, other Masters would want to kill him.
According to the old Subhuman, Megmarlo’s true ruler is currently negotiating with other nations to quell unrest and protests.
Yet results are poor, especially with Sidvelrut, which has been at war with Megmarlo for years, and opposed doctrines of Subhuman supremacy versus human supremacy. Megmarlo not only summoned the Shield Hero arbitrarily, but also falsely accused him.
This clearly smears the Shield Hero Cult!
Without the threat of a wave outbreak, Sidvelrut might already be marching in.
Given ongoing warfare, they are at a "looking at me or what?" "I’m looking at you!" level, a minor insult could spark an all-out war.
Yet, Sidvelrut is intolerant, deciding to send a delegation to bring Fang Zheng to the Subhuman Kingdom.
"I understand your intentions."
After listening to the old Subhuman, Fang Zheng pondered a moment, then shook his head.
"But I’m not going."
"Hero, sir..."
"Hear me out."
As the other party was about to speak, Fang Zheng waved his hand.
"You may have heard what I said to that foolish King, or maybe not, so I’ll say it again here. I’m different from those three weaklings; I’ll look and investigate this world on my own terms. I understand your ideas, but I alone decide where I go and what I do. Besides, I couldn’t care less about that idiotic King."
With that, Fang Zheng sneered.
"If that fool intends to oppose me, I will kill him outright. Anyone daring to be my enemy will meet the same fate. For now, I will defend this world against the waves, but how I do it is my decision alone. That’s it, you can leave."
"But Hero, sir..."
"No buts. Although I might visit Sidvelrut in the future, now is not the time."
"But..."
The Subhuman representative seemed to say more, but the old Subhuman stopped him.
"Understood, Hero sir, we will leave now."
With those words, the group turned and swiftly disappeared.
"Whew... exhausting."
Watching them leave, Fang Zheng exhaled deeply, and Raphtalia curiously asked.
"Master, aren’t you going? It sounds better than here!"
"I’d just get goosebumps!"
Though he’d never been to Sidvelrut, Fang Zheng could imagine how he’d be treated there. Oh boy, he’s not into being surrounded by mindless fans, that’s scarier than now. Though one can understand Sidvelrut’s reverence for the Shield Hero, it was the previous Shield Hero’s deeds, unrelated to him.
But on that note, if the previous Shield Hero encountered this, he’d probably feel discomfort too... Good thing Heavenly Dao Palace shows no signs of this.
Once back, he’ll have to make rules so Heavenly Dao Palace members don’t emulate these Subhumans... that’s horrifying.
"Alright, let’s rest well, then..."
Saying this, Fang Zheng glanced at the countdown on the interface in front of him.
"Prepare for the waves."
