In the popular religious superstitions of Earth's past, there was one that had been popular for a very long time since its launch (about over two thousand years), released countless versions, had a vast distribution area, and at one point over a quarter of humanity globally were believers of this religion.
Although, like the vast majority of messy religious superstitions, amidst the massive wave of unification by the United Earth Government and technological progress, it was gradually suppressed and reduced to a harmless culture.
Just like the Renaissance centuries prior, its firm influence was worn away, becoming a "tradition" retreating into different regions and cultures.
But Al thought of it because he remembered a myth from that religion that seemed somewhat fitting for his current predicament:
Satan, or Lucifer, led one-third of the angels in Heaven in rebellion, and was then slapped away with a single palm, falling from Heaven, plummeting for nine days and nine nights to fall into Hell and become its king.
Combined with those arrogant, blasphemous words Al had just spoken, the situation seemed obvious.
Someone—more likely a god—had shot him with an arrow.
The strange thing was, Al didn't feel any pain. That arrow of golden light had indeed sunk into his chest; looking down, he could even see the cracks on the Grim Love armor.
The Griffon girl let out a shocked and furious screech, diving rapidly in an attempt to catch the falling Al.
After a brief moment of panic, the Grand Sister was filled with rage.
Divine punishment?
Then why not strike the heads of those corrupt nobles, priests, and Greenskin beasts!
The Wind of Heavens surged. The power of the Celestial Wind, Azyr, was driven and mobilized, transforming into a violent cyclone storm that trapped the Griffon within.
She struggled, continuously flapping her wings to break free, but whenever she tried to dive down in pursuit, she was blocked by powerful updrafts.
A giant raven composed of blue light suddenly coalesced in the air, appearing in the path of Al's fall, attempting to catch the boy.
A portal opened right beside it, and two majestic, formidable Great Eagles charged out, grappling and biting with the giant raven. In an instant, eagle feathers and blue light scattered everywhere.
Behind the portal, an army of Heaven standing upon the clouds, stretching endlessly out of sight, was fully equipped and ready for battle. An iron curtain woven of Phoenixes and Dragons cloaked the firmament.
The magnificent, glorious Highest Heaven, the unparalleled Peak of the Mountains.
Al only had time to catch a glimpse of the scene beyond the door before he fell further down, looking up at the fighting Great Eagles and the Blue Raven.
On the wilderness below, massive swathes of blood suddenly surged from the soil, like a fountain erupting from the earth.
From the viscous blood, many crimson Flesh Hounds, covered in fangs and sharp horns, rapidly grew. They stood upon the churning pools of blood, heads raised, barking uneasily, prowling around the area where Al would fall.
A violent gust of wind slammed into Al, blowing him even further away.
The Hounds then spread their four legs and began to run, chasing the boy's silhouette across the ground.
Al looked at the ground getting closer and closer, and the Hounds acting like a moving tide of blood.
This should be fine now, right?
A blinding flash of light struck!
A spectral knight, as emerald-green as jade, riding a warhorse, suddenly appeared in front of the Flesh Hounds.
He spurred his horse and charged at the Hounds, turning into a green flash of lightning, piercing into the crimson red!
The blood tide was like darkness meeting the light, instantly receding amidst this green radiance.
The Flesh Hounds charged forward fearlessly, using their bodies to wear down the Green Knight's defense, but Al couldn't wait any longer.
The earth was about to have an intimate encounter with the boy. The Knight swung his sword, cleaving the body of a Flesh Hound in two. After it melted back into blood, the Knight's entire body radiated intense green light, and he dashed out like a bolt of lightning!
Al closed his eyes, preparing to welcome the Earth Mother's heavy affection. Suddenly, his entire body jolted, as if grabbed by something, and he was rapidly whisked away.
The Green Knight had grabbed the gaps in his armor and was currently carrying the boy, sprinting wildly across the wilderness, with the Flesh Hounds in frantic pursuit behind them.
Al opened his eyes. He had just talked about answering the mandate of heaven like Sigmar and Gilles le Breton, and now it seemed one of the actual figures had arrived.
If his guess was right.
The Green Knight had grabbed the back of Al's neck of destiny. Al actually calmed down and tried to strike up a conversation with the Knight, but the latter clearly had no intention of replying, just sprinting all the way while carrying the boy.
It actually looked somewhat similar to the scene he had once imagined of the Grand Sister snatching the little boy and running away... Pfft!
The Green Knight carried him up a small hill and set him down.
The two stood on the hill. The Green Knight, still on horseback, tilted his head and pointed into the distance, signaling the boy to look.
Al looked and saw the City of Ten Thousand. The prosperity of the City of Ten Thousand unfolded before his eyes like the most beautiful scroll painting.
The nations, and the authority of the nations, appeared together
before his eyes.
"All of it is mine!"
The light of ambition and greed flickered in the boy's eyes.
An ambition and heroic passion to swallow billions and rule over everything spontaneously arose from the bottom of his heart. That door leading to:
"There are not two suns in the sky, not two kings on the earth, not two masters in a house! No one above the Supreme!" The door was right in front of him!
However, this dream didn't last long. From the sky pressed down by black clouds, an impossibly massive meteorite, trailing billowing thick smoke and flames, fell from the heavens and smashed into the city-states.
The earth-shattering explosion fractured the world. A shockwave expanded outward at breakneck speed; a few hard pebbles even struck Al's visor.
The boy stood stunned, awakening from his towering heroic passion. He pushed open his visor, took off his helmet, and held it in his arms.
An even more terrifying disaster followed the comet's impact.
[I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.] (Revelation 6:8 adaptation)
The Lady's voice was as gentle as the wind, yet it exploded like thunder in Al's ears.
The knight riding the black horse pointed his longsword forward, and the armies of Slaughter, Plague, Degeneracy, and Deceit following behind him swarmed forward. They tore apart, chewed up, and swallowed the mortal living beings, destroying everything that could be destroyed, killing everything that could be killed.
Those who prayed to the gods found the gods could not save them; the Divine Dragon summoned wind and rain, but ultimately became just a corpse.
Massacres, famines, plagues, conspiracies, betrayals, and blasphemous degeneracies staged themselves frantically across the entire land, from the Elven courts to Wei-Jin of Cathay. The masses wailed, and the Four Gods laughed heartily.
The earth groaned in agony as it was torn apart!
Mad fury ignited from within his soul. The fire of hatred drove him to fight the World-Ender to the bitter end!
The Green Knight knelt on one knee before Al, offering his longsword to the boy with both hands.
Al looked down at the withering grass.
The time for resolve had come!
He reached out, grasped the hilt, and mounted the horse.
The remnant forces of various races and armies retreated behind him, regrouped, and marched out, ready to follow him.
That Three-Eyed King riding the black horse also led his army, forming ranks in the distance, staring at this place.
The phantoms of the four Chaos God titans floated in the sky, rendered in red, purple, green, and blue, illuminated by monstrous flames, looking down upon the mortal realm.
In a trance, Al saw scenes flashing before his eyes: The centaur girl's long halberd pierced the chest of the Bride of the Blood God, but she was subsequently decapitated by a Skaven Assassin charging out of the shadows. That bewitching, stunningly beautiful head rolled in the dirt, stained with dust.
The Grand Sister smashed several Greater Daemons of Slaanesh to death. After being heavily surrounded, she proactively jumped into the gaping maw on the belly of a Great Unclean One, erupting with an intense, rich divine light that cleared the surrounding Chaos Daemons, while she herself turned into ash and scattered away.
With an eight-pointed star carved on her forehead, leading an army independently from the Three-Eyed King, Misha Theseus—Daughter of Al, eldest of his scions—just like her father, bore the blessings of all Four Gods. Grinning ferociously, she led a Chaos army, burning down city after city. She pushed down and smashed Al's statues, then looked toward her little father with a mocking, provocative gaze.
There were also many silhouettes of Al's other scions within her army...
"Phew..."
The boy took a deep breath, lowered his visor, gripped the longsword, and walked forward.
[And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him went forth conquering, and to conquer.]
"Shut up!"
"You witch playing with magical prophecies!"
Al shouted angrily, raising his longsword and pointing it at the sky.
The Lady's voice hitched.
"Too many mistakes in this world exist because of your manipulations and indulgences!"
"With a great calamity impending, you still fight endlessly amongst yourselves, slaughtering one another!"
"So much so that the foundation of the mortal realm is corrupted to such an extent!"
"The people hang by a thread, and the nations are in danger of overturning!"
Riding his horse, the boy galloped back and forth before his army's formation, furiously scolding the warriors of every race and faction.
The armies remained silent, speaking not a word.
Finally, Al took a deep breath, yanked the reins, turned around, and stood before the allied army, facing the mighty, boundless, world-ending flood head-on.
That Three-Eyed King, whom Al had always mocked as the King of the Black Donkey, rode his black divine steed out from his ranks. He was no longer far away.
"He is looking at me."
Al thought to himself, holding his longsword level, pointing it at the mandated World-Ender.
"My name is Al!"
He declared to both friend and foe.
"Son of Humanity, Son of the United Earth Government."