Way of the Knights

Chapter 872: Counter Guardian

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Relying on the Eternal Division Wall alone wouldn't ensure Humanity's safety from the hands of the Abyssals. 

Sure, after rounds of modification, the Eternal Division Wall was a far cry from what it was previously. Still, it would be foolish to rely on it. At most, it could buy them sometime but it's nowhere near enough to stop them completely.

Hell, Raven's somehow confused that there's really nothing they could do to stop the Abyssals at all. 

That being said, giving-up isn't an option. Even though it's futile, so long as there are attempts, Raven can do something about it. Yes, they'd still be invaded eventually but it doesn't necessarily have to be easy, Raven could certainly make it a lot more difficult for them to do so. 

Hence, the were the rest of the projects on their to-do-list. Every single project in that forms an intricate set of traps and security measures to ensure that the damage done to Divine Realm remains at the minimum. 

It was time-consuming, Raven and his team had been working hard for years now and the projects are still in-progress. Nevertheless, the foundation was already set so they could only continue with this. 

Aside from focusing on the projects left on their list, Raven also took sometime to set-up some contingency plans. One that he can use if things doesn't go according to the initial plans. This plan, involves the participation of the Heavenly Law Order. 

'Why are you here, Knight of Chaos?' 

The voice of the Heavenly Law Order was cold and deep. It sounds displeased for the sudden intrusion but in truth, this is just the way it is. The Heavenly Law Order is merciless and impartial. It doesn't have any emotions since it doesn't need it to begin with. 

Instead of answering, Raven procured several cocoons out of his spatial ring. 

These cocoons are the ones containing the slumbering Abyssals he caught. He didn't unseal them since he didn't want to take the risk of them alerting the main force but there's certainly a reason why they brought them here. 

"You think you can analyze them and create some form of a countermeasure?" He asked. 

The Heavenly Law Order was silent for a bit. 

Raven knew it was scanning the cocoons. He didn't say a word and just allowed it to do so. After all, that's the idea why he's here. 

He figured that since the Abyssals are a threat to the Divine Realm, it is also a threat to the Heavenly Law Order since if the former dies, the latter will cease to exists, this goes vice versa. 

And since they are currently doing all they could make sure this doesn't happen, he might as well take his chances and see if the Heavenly Law Order was willing to be involved in this. After all, the Heavenly Law Order is the collective consciousness of the Divine Realm itself as well. 

'Unseal them.' 

That's what the Heavenly Law Order told him after a brief silence. Raven frowned and felt hesitant about this request, but before he could say anything, the Heavenly Law Order beats him to it. 

'Don't be afraid. I already confirmed that they won't be able to track us down with their bodies. You can unseal them.' 

Hearing that confirmation made Raven confident. He already knew that there is little to no chances that the main force had a tracking device planted on their minions but he was just making sure so he still sealed them up. 

But since the Heavenly Law Order itself said that it's safe, there's no reason to be afraid anymore. 

Raven released his seal layer by layer. It caused the cocoons to blossom like lotus flowers, painting a rather complicated yet elegant scene. 

In truth however, each visible petal on these lotuses were formed out of a complicated arrangement of runes and seals. There's about millions of runes and seals on each petal alone, and with how many petals there is unfurling on each cocoon, one could confidently say that Raven was not taking any chances. 

As the petals unfurled themselves, they slowly revealed the abomination being suppressed within. It's maybe due to their inactivity and detachment from reality that the abominations remained unconscious. Their eyes were still open but they were unfocused, it was obvious that they were still detached from reality even without the seals deliberately suppressing them. 

Out of nowhere then, several chains of order came down from the skies and started wrapping their limbs tightly. There's a link on their head, neck, their shoulder joint, their waist and calves. 

The Chains of Order were wrapped in blazing white flames which Raven recognized as Cleansing Flames who's quality is no less than his own. Raven's eyes shone upon seeing this, then he heard the Heavenly Law Order's words again. 

'Seal them up again.' 

Even if it didn't say that, Raven was already about to suggest it. Fortunately, their thoughts seems to be in sync. Raven did as it ordered and sealed the abyssals into a cocoon once more. 

After sealing them up, Raven saw the Chains of Order pulling them down and submerging them into the boundless stream of time. 

'It will take sometime before I am able to create a Counter-Guardian. Even then, I don't think they'd be of much help since these samples are just foot soldiers. Still, they'd have some uses. I'll leave the rest to you people.' 

Raven's eyes gleamed and he said: "That's more than enough. Don't worry, we'll do everything we can."

'Don't forget that you alone wield the sharpest weapon that can wound them.' The Heavenly Law Order advised, 'You have the means to tap on its potential. Don't hesitate. You know what to do.' 

Raven was silent for a bit before he eventually nodded and said: "Yes, I'm aware of that. Thank you for reminding me. Now, if you'll excuse me."

He then turned around and left the space where Heavenly Law Order resided. 

This trip have proven to be beneficial. Although the help the Heavenly Law Order could provide was limited, it truly couldn't be blamed on it. After all, the samples he provided were too weak. They could only do so much, still they'd be extremely useful when time comes so it's better than nothing. 

Counter-Guardians are unique lifeforms. They were part of the natural evolution of human kind, one could even say that they were nothing but puppets and that isn't exactly wrong.

In some sense, Counter-Guardians are indeed puppets. Only, they are manipulated by the Heavenly Law Order themselves. 

The purpose of the Counter-Guardians were to intercept and counter specific existence that they're based from, in this case, the Abyssals. 

Counter-Guardians will be the exact opposite and nemesis of the creature they're based of, it's one of the few ways on how the Heavenly Law Order could protect itself and it's citizens. Sadly, the requirements are a bit steep and risky. 

Counter-Guardians needed a model. The Heavenly Law Order needed a live sample it could use before it could create them not to mention, time as well. It was obvious that this can go horribly wrong in many situations. 

It was fortunate that Raven managed to nab a few abyssals for himself and prepared this ahead of time. Again, even if they're considered as foot soldiers, they'd still be useful. 

The process should be smoother and safer too. Considering that the Heavenly Law Order adapted his style of using the Cleaning Flames, there's shouldn't be any risks of contamination. Even if there was, the Heavenly Law Order will surely notice that and wouldn't hesitate to ask Raven for help.  action

For now though, the Counter-Guardians were baking. It'll take some time before they are ready but considering that the Abyssals still didn't know of their existence, it should be enough to produce a few of them. 

With Counter-Guardians addition to their army, Raven got a little more confident. This might just work after all.

Of course, he also didn't forget the advise of the Heavenly Law Order. Even if it didn't say a thing, Raven would still remember it anyways. 

It is true. He indeed wield the sharpest weapon that could hurt the Abyssals. And that is none other than Chaos itself. 

But of course, wielding the said weapon sounds easy only on paper. 

The Heavenly Law Order basically told him that he should focus on breaking through the Realm Beyond Divinity – how on earth is that simple? 

It had to be known that Raven hasn't been long since his breakthrough to Divine Knight stage. Right now, he's stuck in the painfully slow process of accumulation.

Even with the inheritance of Chaos itself, building the necessary foundations to transcend would be a lot harder than one could imagine. 

Heck, it might be just as difficult as facing the Abyssals unprepared. 

Raven is in no rush though. He'll do what he can – that at least, he can promise to everyone. As for whether he actually make it there? Well, that's up to his luck and fate. At this point, all Raven could do was to accumulate and accumulate until it comes to the point where his foundations were solid enough for an attempt. 

As for how long that's going to take, Raven seriously have no clue.