Chapter 825

【 THE ESCAPE FACTION, THE REINCARNATION FACTION AND THE REPLACEMENT FACTION 】

Evé and Urinos spoke at length.

After visiting several collapsed and destroyed universes within the Cradle of Origin, the Ancestral Dragon finally laid everything bare before Evé.

“Your Grace Evé, feel free to ask if there is anything else you wish to know. I will tell you everything, so long as I know the answer. However, our discussion regarding the truth of this world can only take place here. If we were to speak of it within the outside world, there is a high chance that the one known as the ‘Lord’ would instantly become aware of it…”

Urinos said.

Evé’s heart stirred as she recalled the stone monument within the temple that belonged to the Seigües Universe. Everything that transpired in the present seemed to be recorded upon that monument the very moment it occurred, preserved as history without exception.

It was almost as though it were constantly watching everything.

Perhaps that was precisely why, whenever the truth of the world or anything concerning the previous cycles was mentioned beyond the Cradle of Origin, Urinos had always remained deliberately evasive and refused to say another word. And only after arriving at this place, isolated from the rest of existence, had she finally revealed everything she knew, withholding nothing.

“Your Majesty Urinos, how many gods actually know the truth?”

Evé asked.

Urinos shook her head.

“Not many.”

“But nearly every True God of Higher Divine Power knows this secret, because they have all come here before. Some gods below the rank of Higher Divine Power also happened to uncover the truth, but none of them met a good end after doing so…”

“Some went mad, some fell into their eternal slumber, while others simply vanished, never to be seen or heard from again…”

“Personally, I believe there is a hidden force serving that so-called ‘Lord,’ and they are responsible for purging anyone who uncovers this truth.”

“However, their strength should not be particularly great as they seem capable of targeting only those below the rank of Higher Divine Power.”

“Of course, that is merely my speculation. Some Gods of Higher Divine Power believe that the events of the previous cycle attracted the attention of the Will of the Universe, or rather… the attention of the ‘Lord.’”

“They believe it is the Master who manipulates the Will of the Universe, targeting anyone who learns the truth, as well as any existence capable of threatening the cosmic cycle. It is only because Gods of Higher Divine Power possess sufficient strength, or perhaps because that Lord remains asleep, that direct interference against us is impossible.”

“This theory also has some merit to it once you factor in the rapid decline of the Ancient Gods likely occurred because our collective strength had grown too great and posed a threat to the cycle of the universe. As for my Dragon race, our inexplicable decline in fertility also only coincidentally began after we learned of the world’s secret…”

“What about the war between the Dragons and the Titans? If everyone knew the truth, shouldn’t you all have been allies?”

Evé asked another question.

Urinos sighed, her expression growing increasingly complicated.

“After His Majesty Neo disappeared, the key he left behind was still unable to open the Cradle of Origin. As a result, we did not immediately learn the truth of the world.”

“However, after obtaining the key, we vaguely realized that it pointed toward a path leading to Greater Divine Power.”

“At that time, we discovered that there could only be one Greater Divine Power in existence. We also vaguely sensed that the universe would one day face a great crisis, though we did not yet know what that crisis truly was. Thus, believing that only the one who attained Greater Divine Power could stand against that unknown catastrophe, we all went to war.”

As she spoke, regret filled Urinos’ expression, and a trace of bitterness appeared in her eyes.

“It was the greatest mistake, and the greatest regret, of my life.”

“Later, the Abyss appeared. The Titans were exterminated, and my fellow Dragon kin also suffered devastating losses. Only then did the key finally open the Cradle of Origin and we finally learned the actual truth, but by then it was already too late. By that point, the two most powerful mythical races remaining after the decline of the Ancient Gods, one had been annihilated, while the other had been crippled beyond recovery…”

“It was a war with no victors. Looking back now, aside from our own greed and short-sightedness, I suspect outside forces also played a part in driving us toward that conflict.”

“Today, among the Dragons, only Reinhardt and I still know the truth. Among the Ancient Gods, only a handful of those ancient existences with Higher Divine Power knows it. Alas, several of them are no longer in good condition and have chosen to isolate themselves from the world, unwilling to involve themselves in worldly affairs ever again.”

“As for the Gods of Faith, only the Eternal Lord, the God of War, and the Guardian of the Starry Sky know the truth. Hmm… strictly speaking, Rigdal also counts as an Ancient God, though I’ve never liked that guy.”

A rare look of annoyance crossed Urinos’ face.

“In my opinion, that pretentious, cryptic bastard deserves a good beating, especially someone like him who holds the Divinity of Prophecy.”

“Furthermore, the Guardian of the Starry Sky, the God of War, and the Eternal Lord represent a path different from that of the World Tree, Yggdrasill.”

“A different path?”

Evé’s curiosity was piqued.

“That’s right. It is also connected to why the Gods of Faith attacked the World Tree a thousand years ago.”

Urinos said.

She posed a revelation that instantly captured Evé’s attention.

Evé already knew that the Eternal Lord had sought to prevent the Previous World Tree from ascending to Greater Divine Power so that he himself could claim that opportunity.

But judging from Urinos’ words, there seemed to be much more to the story.

The Ancestral Dragon sighed softly before continuing.

“After learning the secret of the world, the True Gods gradually split into several different factions. namely, the Escape Faction, the Reincarnation Faction, and the Replacement Faction…”

She looked deeply into Evé’s eyes before speaking.

“The leader of the Escape Faction was the World Tree, Yggdrasill. She despised needless conflict and refused to accept the sacrifice of countless lives in a hopeless struggle. So her solution was to merge the World of Seigües into her own true body before ascending to Greater Divine Power. Once she had attained that state, she intended to abandon the remaining worlds, allowing the Will of the Universe to gradually lose interest. She would then carry Seigües, the world that contained the purest concentration of the universe’s Origin Laws, together with every living being it sheltered, beyond the outer cosmos, thus escaping the endless cycle once and for all.”

“The reason she nurtured Gods of Faith was to create Divine Kingdoms.”

“Since having a Divine Kingdom grants its master a self-contained, habitable world of their own, one that belongs exclusively to its respective True God and cannot be seized or manipulated by outside forces. As such, Divine Kingdoms are the ideal vessels for carrying large amounts of living beings during an escape.”

“If she succeeded in leading everyone out of the cosmic loop, she intended to use herself as the foundation upon which an entirely new universe would be born.”

“That was Yggdrasill’s grand design, a plan known to every Ancient God who had reached Higher Divine Power.”

“Then there was the Reincarnation Faction. Its leader was a mysterious Ancient God named Guy. He believed that the civilizations and mythical beings of the present Universe were still far too weak, and that the time had not yet come to break free from the shackles of the cosmic cycle. So rather than risk everything in a futile struggle, he proposed preserving the flame of civilization by carrying it into the next cycle through reincarnation. There, they could await a more favorable opportunity, or perhaps… the return of His Majesty Neo.”

“In the end, this path was embraced by the majority of the conservative Ancient Gods.”

“Finally, the Replacement Faction was led by Rigdal, the Guardian of the Starry Sky. He dismissed both plans of the escape and reincarnation faction as ultimately futile endeavors. In his view, the only true path to survival was to confront the slumbering being that ruled over the cosmic cycle, overthrow it, and take its place as the new ‘Lord.’”

“The reason for this was a prophecy he witnessed while using the power of his Divinity to search for Lord Neo after His Majesty’s disappearance.”

“The prophecy contained only a single sentence: Escape and compromise only bright about destruction. Only resistance and rebirth shall welcome a new beginning.”

“However, because of Lord Neo’s earlier prophecy, Rigdal believed that he himself could not be the one destined to save everything. Therefore… that guy spent all this time searching for someone capable of carrying out his ideals.”

“By the way, Rigdal greatly despised the World Tree’s decision to escape entirely, believing it to be a waste of valuable resources.”

Hearing this, something clicked in Evé’s mind.

“So… in the end, he chose the Eternal Lord, Etriōu?”

“That’s right.”

Urinos nodded.

“Etriōu, was originally a human, just like Lord Neo. He fit the description of the ‘external force’ mentioned in His Majesty’s prophecy. Furthermore… Etriōu possessed both immense ambition and tremendous resolve. Thus, he was deeply trusted by the Gods of Faith and loved by his followers.”

“If Etriōu became the new ‘Lord,’ he would likely succeed in saving the entire universe.”

Urinos let out another long sigh.

“Of course… that was in the past.”

“After betraying the World Tree, choosing the path of resistance, and becoming the Master of the Era, Etriōu stood only one step away from attaining Greater Divine Power. Yet as time passed, he seemed to gradually lose himself to the corruption of faith and power…”

“Perhaps he was influenced by the increasingly overwhelming faith of humanity, as more and more of humanity’s flaws began appearing within him: selfishness, narrow-mindedness… Alas, the Eternal Lord of today is no longer the person he once was.”

“The Ancient Gods, because of the unique nature of their true forms, can resist the influence of the power of faith. the Gods of Faith, however, are built entirely upon faith itself. Their resistance to its influence is far weaker than that of us the Ancient Gods.”

“No… perhaps from the very moment he betrayed the World Tree, Etriōu had already begun to lose his original self. Once certain things are lost and the first crack appears, they can never truly be restored.”

Urinos spoke with deep emotion.

By this point, Evé had finally understood many things.

She now understood why the Ancient Gods had not stood alongside her predecessor during the siege of the World Tree a thousand years ago.

Judging from the timelines of the previous cycles, the Seigües Universe had likely existed for around 230 million years.

Now, its lifespan had almost reached that exact point.

Setting aside the Reincarnation Faction, the Escape Faction and the Replacement Faction simply could not coexist as there was no longer enough time.

And with the prophecy of Rigdal added to the equation, it was nearly impossible for the Ancient Gods to make a clear choice.

No.

Rather…

They had already begun to lean toward one side.

With Rigdal’s prophecy, backed by his authority over the Divinity of Prophecy, they had come to believe that escape was meaningless and they placed their hopes in the plans of Etriōu instead.

Well, in hindsight it was a realistic decision.

After all, every living being wished to survive.

Everyone longed to escape the endless cosmic cycle.

And when it came to prophecy, the error always lay in its interpretation, never in the prophecy itself.

Thus, amid the Ancient Gods’ hesitation and inner conflict, the siege against the World Tree erupted.

Before they could make their final decision, however, the Previous World Tree had already fallen.

What happened afterward became easy to understand.

As time passed, the Eternal Lord’s actions gradually disappointed certain beings, namely those Gods led by Urinos.

And then…

Evé appeared.

To be honest, although she could understand their reasoning, Evé still felt that the Ancient Gods had handled everything terribly.

With that thought, she could not help but ask,

“So… do you believe that I, who now walks the path of resistance, can replace Etriōu?”

Urinos slowly shook her head.

“No…”

“Although you have already advanced to Higher Divine Power, alas it is far too late now. More importantly, the opportunity for the World Tree to ascend to Greater Divine Power, the key capable of opening that path, has already been taken by the Eternal Lord.”

“There are seven keys, corresponding to seven universes, and likewise seven different paths to Greater Divine Power.”

“However, the universes associated with the first five keys have already been destroyed. Their laws have been completely harvested, thereby attaining ascension through them impossible.”

“Only the key of the Dimensional Realm, whose Laws of Origin have never been harvested, and the key of the Seigües Universe still retain the possibility of achieving Greater Divine Power.”

“Among them, the most mysterious is the key of the Dimensional Realm. No one knows what abilities it possesses. It was once Lord Neo’s opportunity to ascend to Greater Divine Power, but after his disappearance, it vanished along with him.”

“As for the key corresponding to the Seigües Universe, Lord Neo left it behind and it was that very key over which Anos and I fought over, and the war itself began because of it.”

“Later, I was gravely wounded and fell into slumber, while Anos descended into madness. Before entering my slumber, I learned the truth of the world. Realizing that my injuries had forever robbed me of any hope of attaining Greater Divine Power, I entrusted the key to the World Tree that Lord Neo had brought into the Seigües Universe.”

“And now, that key rests in the hands of the Eternal Lord. He successfully seized it during his attack on the World Tree a thousand years ago.”

“Therefore… the only one who still has hope of ascending to Greater Divine Power is none other than the Eternal Lord.”

“Although Etriōu has gradually lost himself, at the very least… he has never forgotten his ultimate objective.”

“So if he succeeds and brings an end to the universe’s endless cycle, then in the end… it will still be considered a victory.”

“Even if… I may not like the idea of him becoming an existence above me.”

“Even if… he may ultimately become a tyrant.”

“I’m sorry. What I’ve said may be unpleasant for you to hear, and you may even think me hypocritical. But these thoughts truly represent what the majority of the ancient gods believe.”

“Everyone… simply wishes to survive.”

“And as beings who are not the ‘external force’ mentioned in Lord Neo’s prophecy, we are powerless and lost. We can only place our hopes in someone extraordinary.”

“However, besides Etriōu, I believe there must be a second safeguard.”

“And that safeguard is you.”

“As a being with limitless potential, I believe you have the potential to become the universe’s final contingency.”

“Or rather…”

“I place even greater hope in the future you.”

“….Why?”

Evé asked, her heart stirred.

“Because you are an existence personally brought here from beyond the cosmos by Lord Neo.”

“After ascending to Greater Divine Power, Lord Neo had already obtained the ability to leave this universe.”

“And yet… he returned.”

“And not only did he return, but he also brought you along with him.”

“That proves he believed in you.”

“From what I know of him, such a great being would never do anything without purpose.”

Urinos said earnestly.

“And what exactly do you mean by this ‘contingency?’”

Evé asked.

Urinos’ expression turned solemn.

“Join the Reincarnation Faction.”

“If Etriōu fails, then reincarnate into the next universe and continue the struggle.”

“Using the key of the next universe, ascend to Greater Divine Power.”

“The key of the Seigües Universe is already lost.”

“But if we truly fail this time, then when the next universe is born, we will once again have the chance to obtain a new key.”

“And when that day comes, the opportunity to ascend to Greater Divine Power will return as well.”

“When that time arrives, I will devote everything I have to assisting you.”

“I will help you attain Greater Divine Power, and save this universe that has been locked into an endless cycle.”

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