During the intense battle unfolding across Milis, Pope Lucios induced himself into unconsciousness.
Things were not going as he had planned. The Beast God, his most dangerous enemy, was far more powerful than he had initially estimated.
He was an opponent capable of reacting instantly to any trap Lucios tried to set. Even with knowledge of the future, the advantage seemed useless in the face of that man's capability.
Without alternatives, Lucios sought help directly from the God he had worshiped and followed for over ten years — the one who called himself the Man God.
The true source of the Pope's Divine Visions, although he always insisted that Lucios claim it was a Miko power.
This God had guided and supported him all that time, giving Lucios the chance he had always sought: the chance to expel and exterminate the races that sullied and corrupted the continent of Milis by their mere existence.
The God of Humans was a just and benevolent deity, Lucios never doubted that for a moment.
But, as one would expect from a divinity, of course He also had His own interests.
Although the Man God wished to help him in his goals, there was something He desired more intensely: the death of Rygar Adoldia.
He did not explain His reasons, nor did He give details on how this death should occur. He simply ordered Lucios to follow His instructions without question, assuring that if he did so, everything would work out in time.
Throughout all those years, Lucios received help in various forms. Under the guidance of the Man God, he accomplished countless feats for the good of Milis.
His power within the church grew exponentially, and with it came more victories against the Iron Legion.
However, for that he had to make difficult decisions, including eliminating those who, even among his allies, posed an obstacle to his plans.
To him, those sacrifices were justifiable if they were capable of driving out the "demons" threatening his land.
He also failed to fulfill the Man God's designs at times, such as keeping the King under control and maintaining all powerful troops in Milishion.
He also failed to kill Verdia Solarion every time. She was a person who should have died long ago.
There were many things he was not able to accomplish. And that angered the Man God more than once. Still, he did his best to follow His counsel every time.
But even with all that faith and dependence on the Man God, when the reality of war showed that his plans were collapsing, Lucios once again sought the God's guidance in his dreams.
It was at that moment that he received the most cruel of revelations: the God he so trusted had already abandoned him.
Lucios found Him in his dream as he had expected, meeting again in the white, infinite void. The cloudy and friendly form of Hitogami still smiled. But His words brought no comfort.
"I did not lie to you, Lucios," He said, with a smile that Lucios could swear was malicious.
"Rygar will still die. The Iron Legion will still be crushed. But it will not be you who carries out that sentence."
Lucios, in shock, asked:
"So... you used me? You deceived me?"
"No. I just didn't tell everything. Milis could not defeat the Beast God from the beginning. It was inevitable."
The truth struck him like a blade.
Desolation took hold of Lucios as he heard the words of his trusted God.
Unbeknownst to him, not even the Man God could see who would kill the Beast God with His Clairvoyance — but not being able to see anything was valuable information in itself.
People capable of escaping the Man God's vision could be counted on one hand across the entire world.
Hitogami suspected who that someone might be.
Of the known names, only one had real reasons to confront Rygar or vice versa: Dragon God Orsted.
For the Man God, this was more than an acceptable outcome — no matter who won that fight, He would come out a winner.
Both were dangerous beings whose existence posed a threat to Him.
For distinct reasons, both needed to die at all costs, by any means necessary.
He also knew that Rygar would probably lose.
Although He could not see Rygar's death directly, the Man God observed the future of other Iron Legion members, and His visions indicated that Rygar would be dead in the end.
The ideal scenario for Him would be mutual destruction. Let those two kill each other; they were the two who caused Him the most trouble.
With that, Milishion no longer had any use for Hitogami.
But there was still one variable: an elf with golden hair who had become a constant thorn in His flesh.
Verdia Solarion. The Oracle. The Witch of Disaster.
She disrupted the vision of the future. She entangled destiny with her choices. Her presence distorted the certainty of Rygar's death.
The Man God gave Lucios one last mission. The final counsel.
"If you want Rygar dead, stop Verdia. Do whatever it takes."
Lucios opened his eyes. Sweat drenched his brow. The dream had been torturous due to the revelations he had received.
He had his counsel.
He knew that Milishion's ruin was approaching, like an inevitable tide, and yet, he rose.
His golden robes were sweaty and crumpled. His faith was in tatters. But his determination was like steel.
"Even without me, the Beast God will fall," he murmured. "Even if I die, Milis will endure. Harry Grimoire may return. The continent may be reunited again."
But that would only happen if the Legion were defeated. And for that, Rygar had to die. Verdia had to be stopped.
He walked to his weapons, donned his armor, and then went to the gates leading out of the city.
It was a senseless mission, since all that awaited him was death. But he no longer feared death.
The only thing left for Lucios was to complete his journey. He would go after the Witch of Disaster. And he would do the impossible to ensure that the future would no longer be diverted by her interference.
With one last breath, the Pope advanced at a gallop, enveloped in shadows and silent prayers.
---
Outside Milishion, a great distance from the ruins of the sacred capital, a battlefield ravaged by war lay under the pale blue sky.
The sounds of war were muffled there, but the scent of fresh blood still hung in the air.
The ground was strewn with shimmering fragments of a Magic Containment Barrier that had been destroyed.
The earth was cracked, and small magical flames still burned in circles where powerful spells had collided.
Two figures punctuated the scene of destruction.
Both were covered in blood and wounds. One of them, standing with difficulty, was an elf. Her beauty was almost ethereal.
Her long golden hair shone with an almost divine radiance under the sunlight, swaying gently in the warm breeze.
Her deep blue eyes held a sharp, determined gleam despite her exhaustion.
In one hand, she gripped an elven sword firmly, her shoulders rising and falling slowly with her heavy breathing. Despite her fatigue, she had won the battle.
Her opponent lay on the ground, agonizing. Lucios Galard, the current Pope of Milis, bled profusely.
His armor was torn, revealing his ceremonial robes underneath, also ripped and stained dark red.
He gasped, one arm propped against a broken rock. Death called to him, yet his eyes remained fixed on the elf before him.
Verdia Solarion watched him silently as a green glow of Healing Magic surrounded his wounds. She had no time to waste.
That battle had almost cost her life.
The Pope had prepared a Barrier to seal her magic, forcing her to fight with sword and bow at the start of the fight.
The magic cloak she wore had absorbed fatal attacks, perhaps what ensured her survival. Even so, it had been a brutal fight.
The Pope murmured, his voice raspy and weak:
"...This is all your fault..."
Verdia approached slowly, wiping blood from her face.
Her features, once serene, now carried a subtle, almost mocking smile.
"What did you say?" she asked in a light, almost playful tone.
"I can't hear you, the blood is bubbling in your throat."
Lucios gasped and coughed blood before rising with great effort and leaning on the stone beside him. His eyes, now bloodshot, locked onto hers.
"You... created that demon... None of this would be happening if you had simply died when you should have. He... the God was right... to send me to kill you at any cost..."
Verdia's smile widened, sarcastic.
"Too late for that now, isn't it?"
Lucios spat more blood, and a sinister grin formed on his lips.
"Do you think... you can save him? You can't! You're all doomed!"
At that moment, Verdia's smile slowly faded. She took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.
"Honestly... I wasn't confident in my chances before. But since you theoretically know the future and tried to stop me... I believe the chance isn't zero, right?"
With a swift and precise movement, Verdia raised her elven sword and, with a clean and elegant cut, decapitated Lucios Galard.
The Pope's head rolled silently across the cracked ground as the body collapsed lifelessly.
Verdia wiped the blade in a beautiful, delicate gesture and murmured to herself:
"Damn... I'm all covered in blood..."
Without looking back, she walked away from the battlefield, unhurried, unrepentant.
Chaos consumed Milishion, and the Iron Legion waged an epic war. But Verdia did not care in that moment.
She had a greater goal — to prevent her Vision from coming to pass.
Many years ago, she had seen Rygar's death. She saw his body destroyed amidst the ruins of the White Palace. But she saw no trace of the assassin.
That being was an obscure blot, completely indistinguishable and indecipherable. A void in the midst of her Visions, probably someone resistant to Divination Magic.
Was it a human? A beast? A monster?
In any case, she did not need to know who or what it was, she only needed to know that this being was Rygar's assassin.
Seeing someone else's death in her Visions had never happened before. Except once... with her father, when she was five years old.
She had warned him of his imminent death. He listened. But he departed anyway... and died, fulfilling his mission.
Since then, Verdia lived for hundreds of years and became more cautious and far more paranoid.
During the final months of the war, her anxiety grew.
She thought about telling Rygar, but she knew he would never flee from a fight if it meant abandoning those he loved.
Even more so if it was an enemy capable of killing him—what kind of logic would make him flee in the face of such an enemy?
And if she told him, what if that very act led him to face that enemy and caused his death?
After much thought, she decided. She would do what she always did when she received a Vision: she would face it alone.
It seemed insane. Facing someone who had the power to kill Rygar? But the Vision was very clear: the moment that unknown being appeared, an inevitable conflict would begin.
There would be no negotiation, only combat. So why not try to stop him before?
She followed her instincts, her omens, until she finally found him.
And the instant her eyes beheld him, Verdia froze.
An absolute terror overcame her. Her soul screamed. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead and her legs shook.
A being walked calmly toward Milishion.
A man in a long white robe, silver hair, and golden eyes with vertical pupils. Each step he took reverberated like a silent thunder in her chest.
She knew, at that instant, that she stood before something evil. Something invincible. A nightmarish malevolent humanoid.
The man stopped before her, a few steps away. His eyes studied her with interest.
"Verdia Solarion?" he said, in a firm and strangely calm voice.
Verdia's mind raced. 'How does he know my name? Is he going to kill me now? Should I run away? Should I try to kill him anyway? Beg for my life?'
But no. She stifled her panic just enough to think rationally.
She remembered the description Rygar had given her of an old enemy: silver hair... golden eyes... the curse of fear and hatred...
She knew who he was now.
She spoke, her voice trembling:
"Y-you are the D-Dragon God...?"
Her hands trembled, her body screamed to flee, but she remained.
The Dragon God looked at her with curiosity.
"I am. Why are you in my way?"
Verdia took a step back, as if his very voice were a weapon.
Alright, why was she here? She didn't really know anymore. Was she really thinking of stopping this monster alone? What could she do against him? Ask politely for him to leave?
Then, in an act of almost desperate courage, she gathered all she had within her and bent deeply at a 90-degree angle before the being.
"P-Please! Do not fight Rygar Adoldia!"
-----
Hello! If you want to support my writing, check out my subscription P@treon
By subscribing, you will get access to up to 20 advanced chapters of the Webnovel and polls to decide various things about the story.
Your support will encourage me to continue writing more chapters! Check it out here: pa treon.com/DaoistJunkYard
---
Special Thanks
Thank you to EdmundLo for becoming member on P@treon!