When the Divine Disperse...

Sigurd's tomb door had been pried open? The Mausoleum Guards of the Holy Flame Knights immediately confronted Du Chen, stern and righteous. "Lord Francis, we do not understand the conflict between you and the Family Head, but please do not sully the honor of our knight order!" These knights held a status similar to the Crimson Mausoleum Guards. They weren't directly under Marshal Arges's command but had been stationed here, generation after generation, since the Ancestral Mausoleum's inception. Therefore, their stance toward both men was impartial.

The dark, crimson-crystal-inlaid gate, imposing and solemn, stood over two meters tall. A concealed lock secured its joint, and on the surface, there was indeed not a single trace of it having been pried open.

However, that was to the ordinary eye. In Du Chen's perception, the metallic scrape marks on the concealed lock and the door seams above and below it were ample proof that the door had been tampered with, and the one who pried it open was a "Master" no less skilled than Brockman.

He said, "Noble warriors, I detected it using a Secret Technique of my god, Du Chen. If you disbelieve, you may open this mausoleum and see for yourselves. As a Godfather of the Papal Curia, no matter my disagreement with Marshal Arges, I wouldn't joke about a matter concerning the honor of God Sigurd, would I!?" He pointed at Deboning, "Are we two Titled Battle Gods so foolish as to make such claims that can be verified simply by opening the door?"

A Titled Battle God might be insignificant before an army of seventy or eighty thousand, but here, they were still greatly respected by the knight order. They exchanged glances, then deputized one among them to seek Arges's opinion.

Arges glanced at the great door, then at Du Chen, and nodded, saying, "With humble prayers for Ancestor Sigurd's absolution, open the tomb!" *Creak*, the heavy black gate swung open, and a scent of embalming flowers wafted out. Du Chen was the first to enter the tomb, with the Mausoleum Guards following. Just as Arges was about to step in, Charles pulled him back from behind, whispering, "Father, please don't provoke that plague god again! He's now a Titled Battle God capable of defeating the Sea King!"

Arges glared, "A Titled Battle God is nothing but a fart before my army! What's defeating the Sea King? Hmph, it's merely because the Sea King disdained to annihilate him with the Sea Tribe army!"

Charles shook his head repeatedly, "Indeed, Father, you command two hundred thousand troops, so you might disregard a Titled Battle God without factional power. But Francis *has* factional power now! While his influence might not be significant before the two hundred thousand strong Sigurd Legion, he also represents the Holy Alliance... Father, please, leave what's next to me. You should hide for now!" He pleaded bitterly.

Arges, at this point, also came to his senses. Honestly, he wasn't afraid of mere Titled-level martial power. *If you, Francis, have the guts, assassinate me, and then my two hundred thousand strong army will slaughter your Durkes City, killing your children and kin to avenge me* — naturally, these were words spoken in anger, but they revealed the mindset of people in the Battle God World. Since the Divine Emperor was grievously wounded and besieged by the Fiendkind, the Heroic Era of individual valor had hastily concluded. Now was the era of kingdoms, an age that valued influence and power! Margaret could slay Roland's wife and son, pursuing him for thousands of miles, yet she was forced to spare the Sword Emperor of Resentful Water, for no other reason than the weaker Zigurd's sake, as Zigurd represented Battle God Isle!

Francis defeating the Sea King was a monumental achievement in the eyes of ordinary Battle Gods, but in the eyes of the Pontiff and his ilk... *Gods above, Francis's reckless habits have resurfaced! Back then, he foolishly ran to Mount Wanliu to contend with a few uncouth roughnecks for mere fleeting fame, and that was enough. Why is he now battling some young whippersnapper, sacrificing his lifetime of brave renown? It's baffling! If you truly wished to deal with him, wouldn't it suffice to rally millions of brethren, thousands of sacred artifacts of war, and deluge Durkes City in blood?*

Just now, Arges, in a fit of rage, had lost his reason, thinking only that while Francis was not his own son, he was still within the family lineage. If Arges were to remove him, he would completely expunge his Divine Scion status as well. But now, he had come to his senses. Durkes City wasn't terrifying, nor were two Titled Battle Gods. However, that Golden Token of Slaughter from the Holy Alliance was truly frightening! It could brand him a Fiendkind spy, ensuring he'd be cursed for all eternity, even after death!

Arges paused at the tomb entrance, his mind clearing. "But things have come to this point, what more can be done? Charles, no need to say more, let's go in!"

Charles knew his father intimately. He thought, *Father's priorities are: face above ancestors, and ancestors above life. And Francis values his fraternal bond with Eldest Brother above all...* He forced a bitter smile and said, "Father, Francis wouldn't lie about something of this magnitude. It seems Ancestor Sigurd's mausoleum has truly been breached. How about this: you quickly return to gather the army to protect the mausoleum, and I will handle the ensuing matters with Francis, alright?"

Arges pondered, then said with difficulty, "Then I shall first go and gather the army to protect the ancestral mausoleum. This matter is more important than dealing with Francis!" He left grudgingly. Du Chen and Deboning had already entered the mausoleum; as this was Saint Sigurd Cain family territory, no one naturally obstructed them.

Charles smiled bitterly. *Sigh, so it's a retreat, is it? And I still have to find a grand excuse for Father. Oh, Father! Sigh...* He too walked into the mausoleum.

Inside the tomb, Du Chen observed the seemingly untouched coffin, stroking his nose in silence. Charles quietly approached him, and seeing no sign of damage within the tomb, he sighed with relief, saying, "Third Brother, Ancestor Sigurd's coffin..."

"The body inside is gone!" Du Chen stated coldly. He had just inspected it with the knight order members. "And besides the pried lock, no other clue was left behind!"

Charles's heart, which had just settled, now leaped again. Veins bulged on his forehead. "Damn it!" His ancestral grave had been desecrated—who wouldn't be enraged!?

Du Chen frowned and said, "This matter is now under the jurisdiction of the Holy Alliance. You must maintain strict secrecy; not a single whisper is to be leaked. This is a top-secret matter for the Holy Alliance!"

Charles paused, then quickly composed himself. After instructing the knight order members to keep silent and swiftly search the entire mausoleum for other clues, he nodded, "I understand. You can rest assured!"

"Where is Arges?" Du Chen asked again. Charles quickly offered a placating smile, "Third Brother, you see..."

"I asked you, where is Arges?"

Charles let out a long sigh and forced a bitter smile, "Father has sobered up, become afraid of you, and has fled!"

Du Chen was taken aback by these words. Arges, with his prideful temperament, *fled*!? He should have fought him to the death! Charles then waved his hand, ordering everyone out, and suddenly bowed to Du Chen. "Third Brother, in the past, your Second Brother was arrogant and did some truly unbecoming things. Please don't hold it against me!"

His words were not only sincere, but his expression showed no trace of falsehood. Du Chen stared into Charles's eyes, ascertaining that at least *he* couldn't detect any deceit or manipulation from Charles, and couldn't help but chuckle, "General Charles, I was just now expunged from the family register, with no further ties to God Sigurd!"

"The status may be gone, but the blood in your veins cannot be faked!" Charles said sincerely. "You know Father's temper; though he has fled, he will absolutely refuse to admit fault! I used to bully you often, and I have no right to ask anything of you, but... for Eldest Brother's sake, since Eldest Brother is still in exile and his whereabouts are unknown, you should at least leave yourself a way out so you can meet him again in the future!"

"Calm your anger, and let Father off this once!" Charles pleaded with heartfelt sincerity, his words nothing if not genuine.

Du Chen gazed at him in surprise. He, too, had been muddled by Arges's earlier words regarding his public challenge, almost forgetting Eldest Brother's admonitions and the Pontiff's ambitions!

Seeing a flicker of inclination in Du Chen, Charles quickly pressed on, "Third Brother, I know your heart cannot be contained by a mere Saint Sigurd Cain Estate. You defeated the Sea King before even turning nineteen; your future achievements will likely surpass those of our ancestors... To speak without debasing myself, what your Durkes City lacks is military might! Once you command two hundred thousand elite soldiers, grand accomplishments will be within your grasp. Why then concern yourself with the Saint Sigurd Cain family, which is already in decline!?"

Du Chen grew increasingly bewildered. He hadn't noticed until now, but Charles's transformation was too significant. When had he become so discerning of right and wrong, and so appropriately sincere in his words and actions?

Charles said earnestly, "For Eldest Brother's sake, let Father off this time! I guarantee with my own head that from now on, Father and you will go your separate ways, and he will absolutely not proactively..." He gave an awkward laugh, then added, "I have already begun to take charge of the family's major and minor affairs. In the future, should you send but a single letter, I will exert my utmost effort!"

Du Chen chuckled at this, but also couldn't help but wonder, "Charles, we've only met a few times these past two years, yet your change is immense! With you inheriting the Saint Sigurd Cain family, Eldest Brother can rest easy!"

*Eldest Brother?* Charles gleaned some meaning from that remark. But he didn't press, instead shaking his head with a bitter sigh. "I am twenty-one this year, no longer that impetuous youth... Haha, there's nothing to hide. Before the year ended, the Empire achieved a great victory against McAllen, and I was promoted to Major General, a Third-Class Earl! I had intended to leverage these achievements to propose to Frinda, but little did I expect her family..."

Du Chen patted his shoulder. "No need to say more. I've long witnessed the arrogance of the Descendants of the Solar God. I presume you've endured no small amount of disdain yourself!"

"Indeed!" Charles sighed dispassionately. "But it's for the best; that incident made me understand many things. Third Brother, regarding today..."

Du Chen waved his hand, cutting him off. "Enough. But in the future, I truly do not wish to see Arges again!" To be precise, Du Chen had made a promise to Eldest Brother, and also didn't want the Pontiff's ambitions to swell too rapidly!

"Rest assured, with me here, Father will absolutely not proactively appear before you!" Charles then revealed a faint, relieved smile. "So, regarding the disappearance of Ancestor Sigurd's remains..."

"Seal off all information. I will immediately notify His Holiness the Pontiff and request the Shadow Temple to investigate!"

"Excellent. Guards! Set up wine beneath Ancestor Sigurd's statue; I shall formally apologize to Third Brother!" Before Charles finished speaking, Du Chen had already walked out. "Forget it. I no longer have any connection to God Sigurd! However, Charles, if Arges had even half your current competence... for your words today, the gates of Durkes City are open to you!"

Charles laughed, "Many thanks! But our old classmates on Battle God Isle have also changed considerably, and they all miss you dearly!"

Old classmates... Haha, it truly had been a long time since he'd seen them!

Du Chen felt a touch of nostalgia for his student days, but upon exiting the tomb, his expression immediately turned serious. "Deboning, return to the city at once and prepare to travel to Bog Island!"

Seeing Du Chen's grave expression, Deboning asked, "Young Master, are you just letting Arges off the hook like this?"

Du Chen looked up at the sky. "Truthfully... if I were to view this from the outside, Arges is nothing more than a clown, a pawn in the game between myself and the Pontiff! Why haggle over a jester and ruin the entire board?"

Deboning suddenly understood. "I see, Young Master. After learning of the Pontiff's ambitions, you already have a comprehensive plan to deal with them..."

Du Chen smiled faintly. "I trust old Bovin. If he says the Pontiff has another year and a half of grand fortune, then he certainly does! This year and a half is a prime opportunity for the Pontiff to bolster my strength! After returning to the city... never mind, we'll discuss these matters later. Deboning, did you notice anything peculiar about the disappearance of Sigurd's corpse?"

Deboning mused, "There are marks on the door, indicating the thief's skill isn't top-tier. Most likely, it's not the same person who stole Orbach's corpse!"

"There's also another possibility..."

Before Du Chen could finish, Deboning interjected, "The second possibility is that the thief's skill is extremely high, but they deliberately left clues! Following this line of reasoning, it would mean the thief was forced to steal the corpse, but like Julie, they have their own bottom line and dignity. Although compelled to steal the corpse, they intentionally left clues for others to pursue!"

Du Chen chuckled, stroking his nose. "Brook, if you can think to this extent on every matter, I can release you to handle affairs independently!" Deboning wore a smug expression, but Du Chen immediately continued, "Orbach, Miki, Sigurd—they're disappearing one after another. Have you connected anything?"

Deboning suddenly gasped in surprise, "Wolf's prophecy: When the Divine Disperse..."