Apocalypse
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Arvey made a concerted effort to calm his senior, preventing Aldridge from losing his composure in front of McDonald.
"I'm very sorry, Lord McDonald. The pressure from the Ruinous Star has been overwhelming for me during this time."
Aldridge spoke with an embarrassed expression.
McDonald gestured for calm, indicating that he understood Aldridge's feelings.
The old scholar continued, "I revisited the old materials and made some new discoveries."
"New discoveries?"
"Yes, there are some notes left by a priest of an ancient civilization, depicting a bizarre dream. According to the owner of the notes, it describes the apocalyptic scene after the tenth appearance of the Ruinous Star."
"An apocalyptic scene? The extinction of human civilization?"
"Though not explicitly stated, it's pretty much that. Let me describe it to you in the language of Gabella."
Then Aldridge began reciting in a poetic tone:
"When it appears for the tenth time between heaven and earth."
"The Great Destroyer arrives in this world through a non-existent door from another realm."
"He creates his kin on the ground and forges his army with steel; they wield weapons that breathe fire, slaughtering all living beings with flesh and blood…"
"The kin celebrate victory, erecting stone pillars to sacrifice to him on the earth."
"Malicious black fog spews forth from the tops of the stone pillars, obscuring the sun and moon, while nauseating black waters flow from their bases, invading rivers and seas. These evil things create countless plagues and monstrosities in the world…"
"Under the poison of the Great Destroyer, the world falls into chaos…"
"People's minds are eroded, their thoughts twisted, noble morals are abandoned, perfect order trampled, the age of heroes and wise kings has ended, and the old civilization is no more…"
"Noble men become sheep to be slaughtered, while the formerly gentle populace turns into ferocious beasts, fiercely pouncing on their former masters…"
"A chaotic epoch has arrived…"
TL: Holy shit, is this what I think it is...?
"This is both destruction and… unfortunately, the rest of the part is lost."
The old scholar's description unfolded like a song, presenting a terrifying picture of the apocalypse.
McDonald's face grew solemn, "Are these descriptions of the scene after the demon race attacks the human world?"
Aldridge nodded, "Yes, the Destroyer is precisely how the demon race is described in various myths about wars against humans. The non-existent door refers to that passage sealed by the gods, right? One day in the future, the sealed door will open again, and the otherworldly beings will invade our human world once more, just as they did in ancient times, and our human civilization will face utter destruction."
Yes, McDonald thought, if it's truly as the old scholar's song describes, how terrifying the future world will be.
With his thoughts wandering slightly, he envisioned a panorama of disaster—ancient sealing gates reopening, humanity's ancient enemies re-emerging. On one hand, they have steel-like armies, defeating humans one after another; on the other hand, they wield vicious sorcery, polluting the sky and oceans with filth, eroding human minds. Under the dual blows to body and spirit, the order of the human world begins to collapse, morals decay, righteous heroes are despised, wise kings betrayed, and the hierarchy is completely overturned. Worse still, humans might be distorted into mindless killing monsters under the influence of black fog and black waters.
This isn't a natural disaster or a war between nations; those things seem trivial compared to the picture above. This is the apocalypse for all humanity, the collapse of civilization, a future world shrouded in darkness.
As McDonald pondered in silence, he unknowingly broke out in a cold sweat.
At that moment, a glimmer of light suddenly flashed through his chaotic mind, inspiring another possibility regarding the prophecy.
"Could it be… that this is too alarmist?"
McDonald frowned.
"What? You don't believe it?" Aldridge and Arvey asked in unison, their tones slightly anxious.
"Oh no! I believe in this prophecy; after all, you have verified that every appearance of the Ruinous Star must be accompanied by calamities. What I mean is…"
The old marshal weighed his words.
"If a prophecy is too specific, it makes one doubt its entirety. Then, could the content of the prophecy merely be a description, an exaggeration, a decoration?"
"And the prophecy could be a metaphor, a symbol that should be abstracted into… for example, could this prophecy you've verified merely symbolize a 'Great Invasion'? And expanding a bit, it could represent the 'invasion of a race outside humanity into the human world'?"
"And this race outside humanity is not the legendary demon race, but those who live on this continent, neighboring humanity…"
"What?"
"Orcs!"
The moment McDonald uttered the name of that race, he noticed a certain emotion reflected in Aldridge's eyes.
It was the pride of a scholar, or rather the arrogance of a scholar, as if to say—"I am the chief scholar of the Scholar Tower; this knowledge has taken me most of my life to verify. How dare you, a mere general who only knows how to lead troops into battle, correct me?"
McDonald certainly wouldn't be offended by this; he was past the age of getting angry easily and understood the temperaments of these scholars. Moreover, the other party was one of the most renowned scholars in the empire; knowledge was always deserving of respect.
Instead, Aldridge's junior, Arvey, chuckled lightly, easing the somewhat awkward atmosphere.
"What an interesting hypothesis, Lord McDonald. It's also understandable. Considering the living customs and social structures of the Orcs, if they invaded the human world and imposed their ways upon humanity, it could indeed be considered the collapse of order and the apocalypse of civilization. However…"
He looked gently at McDonald and said, "Have you ever thought about whether the Orcs have such great capabilities?"
McDonald nodded, "They could—at least when the time is ripe, and I see this possibility?"
"Oh? What possibility?"
"Due to my duties, I have some understanding of the situation surrounding the empire, including the vast grasslands to the north of the human nations. As far as I know, new chieftain tents have already been established on the grasslands, and the Zarg family is growing its power, striving to recreate the glory of its ancestors."
"Have you considered that once the new chieftain integrates all the Orcs tribes on the grasslands, what a terrifying force will be born?"
TL: This is probably my most favorite chapter so far...
(End of the Chapter)
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