Behind the Statue

In the blink of an eye, the seventh day arrived.

It wasn't that Ren Yi had intentionally dragged his feet until the last moment; rather, the sheer intensity of preparing the illusions, splitting his body, and crafting the crystals had required a non-stop, breakneck pace just to finish everything before the Calamity descended.

The sacrificial platform atop the Holy City's peak had already been swept spotless.

Upon the high platform, the Azure God Statue stood in silent majesty, its expression compassionate and its eyes slightly lowered. It looked down upon the living beings of the Holy City below, as if truly offering protection to this long-scarred land.

In the eyes of the Holy City folk, their Son of God emerged slowly from the great hall, clad in a specially made white robe with its hem embroidered with intricate, sacred patterns.

With a steady gait, he ascended the peak step by step, finally coming to a halt directly beneath the great statue.

There, in the center of the sacrificial platform, lay a massive pile of crystal-clear energy crystals, refracting a light that was as brilliant as it was cold.

No one noticed that behind the massive statue, two shadows were huddled together, completely hidden by the statue's pedestal. They were utterly out of place amidst the solemnity and fervor of the mountaintop.

"I say, aren't you being a bit too much of a slacker? You can't even be bothered to go up there and keep up appearances?"

Zhang Qiuqiu was irritably pawing at the various colorful silks and gold threads on her body with her claws, glaring at Ren Yi beside her with annoyance.

Her mismatched attire was, naturally, the result of her being "subdued by the Son of God," then "blessed by the deity," and finally "becoming the Holy City Divine Beast"... after which the Priests had insisted she wear it.

Beside her, Ren Yi, despite wearing the holy divine robes, was squatting on the ground without a shred of dignity. He gripped the statue's pedestal with both hands, peeking stealthily toward the altar.

Hearing her words, he retorted without looking back, "The performance is already set. Whether I'm actually there or not, the image they see is the same. Why bother making the extra trip?"

"Besides, it's exhausting walking all the way up from the foot of the mountain," he added, curling his lip.

"Whether my true form is on that platform or not doesn't affect the execution of this performance."

Yes, a performance.

Ren Yi silently repeated those words in his mind.

Regardless of the great or malicious expectations behind this performance, or the long, painful endurance it represented.

To the actual executor, it was ultimately just a farce of a show.

Ren Yi and Zhang Qiuqiu had spent ages pretending to prepare, and the moment the illusion took effect, they had immediately slipped behind the statue to hide.

It was quite ironic. The back of this statue, revered by thousands and constantly shrouded in incense smoke, was the quietest and most hidden spot on the entire peak.

Leaning against the pedestal, Ren Yi looked up at the sky beyond the mountain.

Half the sky was covered by a gaping black fissure.

The world in the distance had become hazy—or perhaps, it was already dissolving into a silent rain.

The Calamity was close at hand.

The world was like a torn balloon, merely waiting for the last of its air to leak away.

Unfortunately, the gaze of the Holy City folk was blocked by the excessively tall statue, so they could not see it.

Ren Yi peeked out half his head, casting his gaze toward the base of the sacrificial platform.

A sea of black-clad believers stood densely packed on the peak, extending from the foot of the mountain all the way to the base of the high platform.

Every one of them wore uniform ritual garments, their faces etched with an identical brand of fervor and piety.

They murmured the name of Azure in low voices, their collective sound converging and echoing across the mountaintop.

Seeing those faces, distorted by a fanaticism that bordered on the grotesque, the smile on Ren Yi's face gradually faded. He suddenly thought of the Pope's empty, bleeding eye sockets.

Zhang Qiuqiu also dropped her mocking tone. Looking down at the crowd, her voice held a hint of complexity. "These people... they're quite pitiful."

Ren Yi tilted his head.

"Class monitor, do you think that for these 'pitiful people,' clarity is truly more important than happiness?"

"I had originally planned to weave a final lie to keep their hope alive, to stall for time until the Calamity arrived."

He paused, his tone tinged with helplessness. "In the end, because of the Pope's agreement, none of that is necessary anymore."

"I don't know," Zhang Qiuqiu said bluntly.

"I'm still a kid. Messy philosophical questions like that aren't for me."

"But I suppose that old man thought so," she added with a sigh.

"I just wonder, if these people knew he traded their 'happiness' to make them face this pain, would they thank him?"

"Too bad he's already dead. He can't see this, and he can't hear them anymore," Zhang Qiuqiu interrupted gloomily.

"Uh..." Ren Yi fell silent for a moment. "I just remembered a famous quote."

"Some people are alive, but they are already dead; some are dead, but they are still alive."

"When did that become a famous quote?" Zhang Qiuqiu looked over, full of confusion.

Just as the two were chatting in low voices, the believers below suddenly erupted into an earth-shattering cheer.

Cheers and shouts rose and fell in waves. The previously low murmurs instantly transformed into fanatical cries: "The deity has manifested! Lord Azure has manifested!"

The cheering reached a crescendo as the believers trembled with excitement.

Some fell to their knees, kowtowing repeatedly as tears streamed down their faces; some even fainted from the sheer intensity of the moment.