NOVPUB781: 517.
Revelation Four Horsemen_2
781: 517.
Revelation Four Horsemen_2
But the Homebody Witch ultimately did not move, no matter how violently the murderous intent surged.
Her eyes remained clear, and the raging beast within her heart remained securely caged.
The Crimson Knight also seemed surprised and tilted his head to look at the Homebody Witch, lifting his wolf-headed helmet to reveal a face identical to Denisha’s.
“I am War.”
The War Knight nodded, saying so.
She then came before Denisha, dismounted, bowed her head, and knelt on one knee.
“When the Third Seal was broken, I heard the third creature say, ‘Come.’
I looked and saw a black horse.
The rider held a pair of scales in his hand.
I heard what seemed like a voice among the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not damage the oil and wine.'”
At this moment, Denisha recited the third chant.
Then, the aura of calamity rushed up from the ground like a tornado, connecting to the ominous clouds above.
Again, thirteen heartbeats, thirteen stirrings…
Dorothy’s nose twitched as she detected an enticing aroma, a delectable scent indescribable in words, that made one’s stomach rebel and saliva secrete crazily merely upon smelling it, a mysterious hunger began dominating one’s will.
As if she had been starved for several months.
And hunger is one of the two most fundamental needs of any creature; those starving are often no different from zombies.
Soon, she heard the sound of horse hooves again.
A knight dressed in simple black linen came riding a black horse, holding a pair of scales in her hand.
On one side of the scales was money, and on the other, common food items like rice and oil.
The tempting, sin-provoking aroma causing one’s mouth to water and belly to protest emanated from those simple staples of rice and oil.
In response, Dorothy merely touched her stomach and silently pulled out a small piece of the huge ox leg she had roasted earlier that day from her magic garment, then directly tore off a small strip of beef.
Suddenly, an even more enticing aroma spread, as if encapsulating the deliciousness of all time.
Gurgle…
A sound like thunder boomed.
But it was not Dorothy’s stomach growling; it was the Black Horse Knight.
“I am Famine.”
Tears trickled down from the corners of the Black Horse Knight’s face, identical to Denisha’s.
She swallowed and, reluctantly looking at the ox leg before the Homebody Witch, stepped forward to join the Divine King and the other predecessors in kneeling, waiting for orders.
“When the Fourth Seal was broken, I heard the fourth creature say, ‘Come.’
I looked and saw a gray horse.
The rider was named Death, and Hades followed him.”
At this moment, Denisha recited the fourth chant.
Then, the violent aura of calamity was no longer like a tornado but directly an upsurging waterfall.
Dorothy suddenly felt the whole world darken, and in that pitch-black where she could not see her hand in front of her, she saw the final knight slowly approaching.
That was a knight draped in a dismal green cloak.
She held a long scythe in her hand, rode a gaunt gray horse, and was surrounded by an ashen fog.
Yet, even the sight of this lean knight, despite the boost from her Martial Soul, made Dorothy’s hair stand on end.
Because, though the knight and her horse appeared frail and weak, their shadows cast as though covering the entire world included the wailing and cursing of countless lost souls.
Within the gray fog behind her, endless ghastly hands pursued the knight as if trying to hold her back.
But ultimately, all was in vain.
Though the steps of the frail horse that seemed it might die at any moment were slow, they were incredibly steadfast.
Just like the knight’s name.
She was called Death.
As Death approached, even Dorothy felt overwhelmed, but just then, her body suddenly burst forth with numerous green lights.
It was the pure qi of life condensed from the Life Essence soaked for five hundred years.
The breath of life clashed with the deathly gray fog, and the two canceled each other out.
However, the Death Knight paid no heed to this, simply walking past the Homebody Witch with calm and determination.
In that fleeting moment as they brushed past each other, Dorothy caught a glimpse of her face beneath the tattered, greenish cloak.
It was not the face of Denisha like the previous three knights, but a bloodless, pale skull with no flesh.
Yet Dorothy recognized those dry bones as Denisha’s instantly, thanks to her solid foundation in bone recognition through Necromancy.
Well, beauty lies in the bones and not in the skin; true beauty is in beautiful bones, and the shape of this skull was perfect.
Dorothy thought to herself.
Feeling this, the previously indifferent Death Knight suddenly turned around 180 degrees and gave the Homebody Witch a strange look from her hollow eye sockets.
This startled Dorothy, and the Homebody Witch immediately glared back.
“What are you looking at?
Among the four, you’re the rudest, not even giving your name.”
Although the skull had no vocal cords, the Homebody Witch felt this was no reason for her to be ignored just now.
Hmph, don’t think being Death makes you so great.
In the midst of this eerie confrontation, the Death Knight was the first to shift her gaze.
She turned her head and, like the previous three knights, knelt down from her mount.
“Authority was granted to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
(I’m not sure about the original meaning of “wild beasts” in Revelations; I interpret it as a metaphor for power struggles, chaos leading to war, war leading to famine, and famine leading to plague, bringing death.)
At that moment, the majestic Divine King closed the parchment in his hands.
Holding the Shepherd’s Staff in his right hand, as if herding sheep or knighting a knight, he gently tapped on the shoulders of the four knights before him.
With that, the ritual was complete.
The four knights lifted their heads, each nodding to the Divine King, then mounted their horses and set off on their respective missions.
And the direction in which they headed was…
the Glorious Divine Kingdom.
….
“Wow, awesome, you’re amazing, sis!
What kind of magic is this?
Teach me, it’s so cool.”
No sooner had the four knights departed than a boisterous voice erupted from behind the still-standing Divine King.
Divine King: “…..”
After a brief silence, Miss Shepherdess turned around, her usual gentle self looking somewhat helplessly at her sister in front of her.
“Dorothy, it’s not that I don’t want to teach you, but this really can’t be taught.
This is the Divine Judgment of Revelations.
If you want to learn it, you must first receive the endorsement of Revelations.”
Denisha pushed the parchment towards her skeptical sister, indicating that she could try it if she didn’t believe it.
Of course, she was certain her sister wouldn’t be able to learn it, as only those who had lost everything and had only the flames of vengeance burning in their hearts could receive the endorsement of Revelations.
Dorothy, being such a fortunate child, wouldn’t need to learn it, and besides, compared to Revelations, she already had a far better and more suitable path to follow, didn’t she?
“Oh well, never mind then.”
On hearing this, Dorothy shook her head and withdrew her hand that had almost touched the parchment.
She then looked down at the small hammer at her waist.
“Genesis, come on, perk up!
Look at their prestige, and then look at yourself, only good for cracking walnuts.
Don’t you feel ashamed?”
The Homebody Witch scolded her little hammer in her mind, as if to steel it into strength.
Unfortunately, Genesis did not possess sentience, otherwise it would definitely have leapt up to give its useless master a good whack.
…Dorothy hoping for her hammer to succeed…
