"Oldgar's Note: I will write this in the form of a ship's log, and when I want to make a comment or warning, I will add a note like this.
Day 1 after the Time Travel:
I received some important news from Taes via the communication device.
He, together with Kilian, was still investigating the Sea Race due to their suspicious movements; the investigation had lasted much longer than planned.
According to his report, he discovered traces of a possible collaboration between the Demon Races and the Sea Race — something that, if confirmed, could be dangerous.
In addition, he reported that there are no particularly notable warriors among the people of the Sea; he mentioned that he and Kilian would be able to deal with any enemy they encountered, whether by fighting or by retreating.
They then asked my permission to go deeper into the territories of the Sea Race in order to capture someone who knew more information. After thinking about it, I allowed it.
Day 10:
Taes' and Kilian's communication devices are no longer receiving messages. The Vivre Stones also did not activate, which means they should still be alive.
But my instinct tells me it is not that simple; something happened.
I did not investigate personally, because I do not want Verdia and Eris unprotected. However, I sent others in my place.
Day 20:
Today I named Jino Sword Emperor. His growth is astonishing — he visibly improves every day, absorbing all kinds of techniques.
He offered to investigate the disappearance of Taes and Kilian, but I refused. Although strong, he is still inexperienced.
Instead, I decided that I should go myself, even if that meant leaving my family for a while.
I am finishing the last preparations to protect them in my absence. I still think it is risky, but I cannot simply ignore the disappearance of these two.
Day 24:
I arrived at the coast, in the Hobbit Territory. My instincts warn me of a great danger, although not mortal. There is still no news of Taes and Kilian.
Verdia told me some news via the communication device; she had a Vision. That means this power of hers did not disappear. From what she said, the situation is under control, so I will trust her.
Recently, Ilya told me about the One-Eyed Giant, Esterópes. I am worried about him — I cannot let him invade the Kingdom of Gaia if he is really as powerful as she mentioned. I am planning to attack him preventively at sea, to reduce the risks.
Day 27:
I advanced to the sea, following trails of mana. I discovered the truth behind the disappearance: Kilian and Taes are dead... I found this out through the new ruler of the Sea Race, Mandrake.
It seems that the communication devices and the Vivre Stone did not activate due to one of Esterópes' abilities.
He personally commanded the Sea Race's Guardian Beast to kill them. His race was some kind of Mimic Octopus, endowed with illusion powers. Previously, Mandrake had been Zeroth's Priest, and he harbored immense hatred for me, because I had killed his God.
Soon I fought the guardian myself, the One-Eyed Giant, Esterópes. In fact, he was a Cyclops. He was much stronger than Zeroth, as fearsome as the Kraken in terms of vitality. It was a terrible battle.
His skin radiated a sickly brown glow that made all magic chaotic and uncontrollable — a severe disadvantage for me, since we fought in maritime territory. In addition, his destructive power was unparalleled.
I was very confident because I had already defeated Zeroth on the open sea, even though he had been much weaker at that time. No... I was arrogant.
Still, it was the right decision to face him in the waters — if he reached the continent, his destructive potential would be devastating.
Day 28:
After a whole day of battle and relentless fleeing, I managed to defeat him.
Again, it was thanks to my Sixth Sense that I survived yet another mortal encounter.
I interrogated Mandrake. I discovered that Hitogami was behind everything. He had helped Mandrake attain power over the Sea Race and guided him in his revenge against me.
Yes, I won. I avenged my two friends. But I cannot stop thinking that I am missing something. Kilian and Taes remain dead. And, worse, I feel that I am dancing to the tune of Hitogami. What could I have done differently?
Day 31:
I returned at high speed to the Great Forest. During my absence, there was indeed an attack.
Their objective was to assassinate Leo, the Sacred Beast of the Kingdom of Gaia, and recover Zeroth's remains. The Sea Race seemed to know exactly when I had left the Kingdom.
Fortunately, thanks to the preparations and our superiority in strength, the damage was minimal.
The biggest problem they faced were the Depth Giants. Descendants of Esterópes, they, like the Dragons, are true war machines once they reach maturity.
But they were also killed by the high ranks of the Kingdom of Gaia.
Day 48:
The Sea Race was subdued. Their former leaders reassumed power with our help and signed compensation treaties.
Oldgar's Note: Hitogami's objective may not be clear to you now — and it was not to me at the time either. But today I know.
It may seem twisted, but he incited all this slaughter and conflict merely to test the extent of our strength. In other words, while I exposed myself to the light against my enemies, they remained hidden and mysterious; I was part of a board I could not even see.
Everything can change now that you are invisible to his eyes. But, at least, I hope you do not let Taes and Kilian die... as I let them."
---
After finishing reading that passage, Rygar slowly closed the book for a moment.
A discomfort grew in his chest, a bitter and unpleasant feeling.
The future narrated by Oldgar seemed distant and cruel.
In the first part of the book, the elf daughter had explained that retreating further back in time was impossible. The reason was the limit of her mana.
According to her, at most she could send him back to the age of fifteen, maybe a little earlier, but not much beyond that.
They chose this specific point in Rygar's life because it was the most convenient, and now he understood a little better why.
Reading about these events, it was clear that Oldgar had already made peace with the deaths of Kilian and Taes. For him, many years had passed and many things had happened.
But for the current Rygar, no.
In that present, Taes and Kilian were alive. They were only carrying out an investigative mission that, in theory, did not present any real risk of death.
They were two of his best friends. The idea of losing them so suddenly and senselessly was unpleasant.
Without wasting time, he picked up the small Magic Letter device and sent a message:
"Taes, stop the investigation and return immediately to the Kingdom of Gaia. We have new relevant priorities."
The reply came almost immediately:
"Alright, returning."
Rygar felt calmer reading the message. By preventing his friends from delving into the Sea Race Territory, it would be very difficult for them to encounter the same fate described in the book.
He could have simply waited for Taes' message and then refused his request by telling them to return.
But that would have been dangerously unnecessary. As Oldgar mentioned, he was hidden from the God-Man's eyes.
Who could guarantee that Hitogami would not decide to attack preventively, driven by anxiety or simple paranoia? It was better to call them back at once and resolve any variable.
Dying so randomly was not fitting for such formidable warriors.
Rygar then reflected on Oldgar's warning.
This time, Hitogami simply wanted to test his strength.
If he was testing, it meant he had caution. It meant that even now he considered him a real threat.
As far as he knew, his family would wage a war against Hitogami that would last decades.
And yet, the God-Man would not have achieved victory, even seeing every step of the enemy. How did that happen? How had his future self achieved that feat?
The answers, perhaps, lay in the next pages.
With that thought, Rygar resumed reading.
His records contained several accounts, conflicts and alliances. Oldgar had other children over time, but did not mention their names.
And then, Rygar reached a particularly striking passage.
---
"Day 698:
I am returning from my visit to the Demon Continent; I acquired ancient texts preserved in the Demon King Beethove's Library. Among them were manuscripts that translated passages of the Ancient Dragon God language.
I compared this material with the writings found in the Dragon Ruins and discovered that together they revealed an unusual history — something that seemed to date back to the beginning of time. According to the records, Five Dragon Generals invaded a certain Beast World, where they faced Ten Thousand Bestial Warriors in a war to the death. Meanwhile, the Gods on both sides collided in divine battles.
Oldgar's Note:
I left the alphabet and grammatical corrections at the end of the book. You will be able to check them for yourself when you wish.
Day 701:
Upon returning home, I encountered an unexpected event: Rudeus Greyrat had invaded the Great Forest using some mysterious method. His intention was to kidnap Zenith and Norn, but he was surprised by Eris, who chased him with fury.
During the fight, she managed to tear off one of his arms. Still, he escaped after using a large-scale Chain of Lightning. At that moment, I decided it would be better to eliminate him once and for all. His presence was already too disturbing.
The biggest mystery was: how was he able to come and go so quickly?
Day 759:
Today I set out with the objective of killing Rudeus Greyrat.
He had settled on the other side of the world, but I decided to go personally so as not to risk setbacks. Aisha, Eris and Skoll accompanied me.
We crossed the skies riding Ezkalor, who was getting faster and more powerful as his strength increased.
Day 802:
Things did not go as planned.
For some reason, Orsted was there.
Everything plunged into chaos in a matter of minutes.
I faced him directly. I wanted to kill him with all my strength.
With the deaths of Mandrake and Esterópes, I was able to honor the memory of Taes and Kilian. But I never managed to avenge Eidar.
My fight with him did not even last half an hour. No blow, no technique, no burst of power was enough to bring him down.
I discovered, in the most painful way possible, that my evolution had not taken me as high as I believed. Before him, I was nothing but a joke.
But he did not kill me.
Instead, he said that I still had a use.
He simply walked away, leaving me alive, and declared that Rudeus Greyrat was under his protection.
While I fought Orsted, Aisha and Eris engaged in combat against Rudeus and his allies. Skoll was killed...
Eris, in her fury, confronted Rudeus directly. But she was defeated by the strange Armor he wore and by his Lightning Magic. Still, she managed to kill a certain Luke Notos Greyrat.
Meanwhile, Aisha was still fighting the lingering effects of the Demon Eye of Affection, belonging to Sylphiette Greyrat.
Day 803:
We retreated, defeated.
The defeat deeply shook everyone's confidence.
Eris, consumed by rage, wanted to return immediately to exterminate the enemies. But I stopped her. The truth is that, in front of Orsted, she could not even fight. And I, who tried with everything I had, also failed.
What puzzled me most was having been spared. I had made it clear, with every blow, that I wanted to kill him and cut him to pieces. And he knew that. But still, he did not care.
Oldgar's Note:
Later I discovered the reason.
Hitogami had revealed to Rudeus, in his dreams, that the Beast God and the Dragon God were threats to his life and that if he wanted him to leave him alone he should kill both.
Rudeus, after some unknown sequence of events, ended up subordinating himself to the Dragon God Orsted and told him this information.
For this reason, Orsted decided to spare me at that time. He would not try to lure me as a subordinate — he knew that my hatred for him was too great for that.
But he would not kill me, as long as he believed I was a threat to Hitogami's existence.
Orsted's obsession with the enemy is greater than anything else in his heart.
Still, be careful, Youngar.
He will not hesitate to kill those close to you if he believes they are an obstacle; he already did this with Eidar, and he will not be the last. Be cautious above all."
---
While reading about this, Rygar became lost in thought. In almost three years' time... he already had Doomsday, and he probably had already completed the Armor he had in mind.
His strength should not have stagnated during training, or Oldgar would have mentioned it.
So he continued getting stronger, developing Gravity Magic. And even so, he was not even able to pose a threat to Orsted.
Once again he realized how far he was from the strength he needed to reach.
-----
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