But the two behemoths didn’t think like that, the Holy City stood between them, they both wanted to capture this city as their bridgehead and push the front line into the enemy’s territory.
Thus, sixty-six years ago, a battle for the Holy City began, both sides dispatched troops to the Holy City. As for King Solomon, no one cared about his thoughts, his stubborn neutrality had long angered both parties.
King Solomon did not give up, he gathered the army to resist the assaults from the Kagader Empire and the Rhine Alliance. These two giants, wary of each other, started a mutual war, turning the battlefield into a chaotic three-way fight.
Bologue picked up a flag from the sand table, simulating the offensive back then and completely surrounded the Holy City.
King Solomon, taking advantage of the chaos of the battle, sought a chance for survival. Regrettably, reality was too cruel. He led the army to hold on desperately for a hundred days, but eventually, the tottering city gate was breached by the Kagader Empire’s army.
When the Empire’s troops stormed into King Solomon’s Golden Palace, they found him already dead on his throne, while the Rhine Alliance’s troops also entered the dilapidated Holy City.
One hundred days of chaotic warfare completely exhausted both fatigued parties. They looked at the scorched earth beneath them, too weary to continue fighting, and what followed is a story everyone knew.
Scholars called that battle the "Fall of the Holy City". After the Fall, both sides negotiated peace in the ruined Golden Palace, bringing the sweeping world war, the Rage of the Scorched Earth, to an end. Not long after, this land witnessed the birth of Oath City, Opus.
It was a history marked by blood and tears. Perhaps intending to conceal something, both the Kagader Empire and the Rhine Alliance coincidentally sealed off information about the Fall of the Holy City, leaving most people only aware of the beginning and end of the Rage of the Scorched Earth, but unclear about the details of the Fall.
Bologue was very curious about that piece of history, one of his few hobbies. He often went to the library to borrow materials and then recreated the Fall of the Holy City on the sand table.
In later years, some scholars proposed novel views. They claimed the history books’ account of the Fall of the Holy City was wrong and had been altered.
From various resources like steel, manpower, and food, they analyzed that, given the military strength of the Kagader Empire and the Rhine Alliance at the time, they could have continued the war. However, after the destruction of the Holy City, they suddenly stopped, as if they had come purposely to destroy that place.
Some also said the outcome of the Fall of the Holy City was that King Solomon severely damaged both sides. This view was supported by some people’s memoirs, stating that during the Fall, some claimed to have clearly seen a supernatural light rising from the direction of the Holy City.
That light was so intense, like a miracle.
From the capital of the Kagader Empire to the ends of the Rhine River, from the Free Port, all the way to the Wind Source Highlands, everyone saw that light rising up, spanning the skies.
They said that light killed all the participating soldiers, including King Solomon himself, which is why records of the Fall of the Holy City are so scarce, not because they were sealed, but because no one survived. Also because of that light, which severely harmed the two giants, they had no choice but to negotiate peace.
As for what the truth is, probably no one knows anymore, after all, it has been so long since then, the once scorched land has now become the present Oath City, Opus.
Bologue pondered, initially confused, but as the doors of the Extraordinary World opened to him, he gradually realized that those unsolved mysteries seemed to have a second face.
One face towards ordinary people, and another towards the mysterious Extraordinary World.
Bologue murmured, his gaze turned to the window, passing through layers of thick fog and dark clouds, crossing the buildings and rising cranes, finally resting on the misty expanse of the Great Rift.
Nobody knows how the Great Rift was born, yet combining these rumors, Bologue had a brand new idea.
Perhaps those people were right, that light shattered both sides and left a scar named the Great Rift on this scorched land.
"Listeners! May we meet again at midnight!"
Dudel’s voice rang out, accompanied by a soothing piece of music, concluding the morning program.
Bologue slowly got up too, glanced at the sand table of the Fall of the Holy City, walked to the window, and gazed at the Great Rift.
Countless mysteries troubled Bologue, the reason for his coming to this world, the details of his deal with the Devil... even the history buried under Opus’s shadow.
He didn’t think too much about it, vaguely noting it all in his mind before tossing it aside. Just like the doubts of the "Chess Player", until his power reached that tier, all the thinking only added internal wear and tear.
He rummaged through his pocket, pulling out the chess piece he brought back, walked to the sand table, and placed the piece atop the highlands, where its base lay the advancing troops.
The pocket held more than just the chess piece, it also contained a ticket given by Geoffrey, now crumpled by Bologue’s hands.
If he hadn’t reached into his pocket, he would have almost forgotten the ticket, thankfully he glanced at the date, and the performance was today.
In truth, Bologue quite enjoyed reading books, watching plays, movies, and the like...