Chapter 288: Sacrifice and Fall

At this moment, the karst cave deep underground looked as if it had been torn apart by an ultimate divine power. A massive fissure had burst through the ceiling, allowing a direct view of the azure sky outside.

A beam of pure light pierced through the darkness, illuminating the entire underground space.

Ansu looked up to see Gulzan in mid-air, already beginning to merge. His body was as dazzling as a blazing sun.

At the same time, Leon's body gradually became transparent, eventually transforming into a soft halo of light. He slowly ascended, following the direction of Gulzan.

A familiar voice echoed directly within Ansu's heart.

“Ansu Morris? So that's your name.”

Ansu couldn't help but be surprised. “Leon? Why can I hear your voice?”

Leon's voice was calm. “There is no 'why.' Since he and I were originally one, within this land of faith, I am a deity at this moment—even if I can only be a god for these dozen or so seconds.”

He then whispered a gentle instruction, “I'll go on ahead. However, I predict that the power of the divine realm shattering will trigger a violent earthquake. Be careful and find a place to hide.”

Just as Ansu was about to open his mouth to thank him, a simple, ancient silver-gray sword pierced through the air and embedded itself firmly into the rock before him.

It was Leon's sword.

“Bury me on the northern snow mountain... let it be proof that I truly existed in this world.”

Ansu looked toward the main peak of that snow mountain.

It stood tall and majestic, overlooking the entire Talin region.

Ansu understood Leon's obsession; he wanted someone to remember him, to at least prove that he had once existed.

Thus,

Ansu's tone became solemn. “Once this battle is over, I will inform Archbishop Paul—Leon will become one of the First Saints of the new Northern Church of Holy Light. People will forever remember your sacrifice.”

“Good! Very good!” Leon's voice carried genuine gratitude. “Morris, you truly understand me! My greatest fear was that, in the end, no one would remember me, as if I had never lived... Thank you!”

Ansu couldn't help but laugh. “We're brothers, for heaven's sake! Why are you being so polite? There's no need for thanks over something like this.”

Leon's hearty laughter echoed in his heart.

But as the light grew increasingly blinding and dazzling, the laughter gradually faded, eventually vanishing without a trace.

Ansu looked toward the sky again and suddenly sensed an emerald green crystal flickering faintly within Gulzan's body.

He was seeing this object once more.

This thing was the core for absorbing the power of faith, the location of the true divine spark.

This divinity was vastly different from the Holy Light; it was wreathed in a rich aura of nature, making one feel as if they were in the middle of a vast wilderness or a deep forest... fresh and gentle.

A name surfaced in Ansu's mind: Aiseweida, the God of Nature.

In mid-air, the two halos, one large and one small, were tightly intertwined and merging rapidly.

Just as they were about to become one—an unexpected change occurred.

The sacred light suddenly became chaotic and exploded. In the sky, Gulzan let out a heart-wrenching roar of agony.

“No! My power... my power!!”

Subsequently, his body fell from the heights like a kite with a broken string.

It seemed Leon had succeeded.

At the final moment, he had backstabbed Gulzan, stopping the fusion and shattering Gulzan's path to godhood.

A voice of relief echoed throughout the world.

“Goodbye!”

Ansu watched the halo dissipating in mid-air and nodded with a smile.

“Goodbye, Leon.”

...

Ansu quickly scanned the entire underground plaza.

The imprisoned demihumans had already been completely released. The vast space was now empty, leaving only rubble and debris scattered across the ground.

He didn't dare delay, immediately evacuating the karst cave and following the trajectory of the fall to find Gulzan's trail.

Just as he stepped out of the underground cave and returned to the surface, an anxious pink figure rushed toward him.

“Lord Ansu, are you okay!”

Freya's voice was filled with uncontrollable worry. Seeing Ansu standing before her completely unharmed, she clutched her chest and let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes reddening slightly.

“That terrifying surge of power just now... I thought something happened to you. I'm just glad you're okay...”

She truly couldn't help but be nervous. After all, at the end of that prophetic dream, Ansu had died while holding her.

Even though the two of them had planned meticulously and made full preparations during this time, she was still afraid that such an ending would repeat itself when it came to a life-or-death moment.

Ansu looked at her face, which was pale from tension, and couldn't help but smile as he reached out to gently wipe away the black dust on her cheek.

“Are the people safely evacuated?”

“Mhm.” Freya nodded, taking the opportunity to gently squeeze Ansu's hand. The real warmth from his palm made her feel at ease.

“While I was rescuing the people, those four necromancers kept interfering from the shadows, but I dealt with all of them.”

“After returning to the surface, Archbishop Paul already took everyone to a safe zone.”

“Impressive!” Ansu praised with a smile.

He had fought those four necromancers before; they were all high-tier. For Freya to be able to kill them all without relying on God-Descent meant her growth during this period was truly staggering.

“Of course!”

Freya raised her face with a proud expression while simultaneously clenching her small fist.

“Having gone through so many battles lately, I've been pushing myself to train as hard as I can. I just didn't want to hold you back, Lord Ansu.”

“I've really grown a lot!”

Ansu showed a gratified smile. War was indeed the ultimate furnace for tempering people.

The once soft and harmless little Holy Maiden was now capable of standing on her own.

“Oh right, where's Leon?” Freya finally looked around, her eyes full of curiosity. “Why don't I see him?”

“He...”

Ansu reached down and picked up the ancient sword embedded in the rock, slowly explaining how Leon had sacrificed himself to stop Gulzan from merging with the divine power.

Freya was visibly moved and let out a soft sigh.

“I didn't expect this fake Chosen One to end up becoming a true hero who protected everyone.”

Ansu stroked the blade and carefully put away Leon's sword. “A hero's origin doesn't matter.”

The two of them searched for tracks as they talked.

Before long, a pathetic and crazed roar echoed from the direction of a distant valley.

“My power!”

(My power!)

“My divine realm! My divine power! Where... where did it all go?!”

The angry and unwilling voice drifted over intermittently; it was undoubtedly Gulzan's voice.

Ansu and Freya crested a snow-covered ridge and finally spotted their target.

At this moment, Gulzan was covered in blood, his black robes tattered and torn, looking as wretched as a destitute beggar on the street.

The face that had always been shrouded in mist was now completely revealed—aged and withered, his face was a mass of deep wrinkles and incredibly hideous.

“Found him!” Freya said excitedly. “Quick! Let's go kill him right now, and this can finally be over!”

“It's not that simple.” Ansu raised his hand to stop her, looking into the distance with a solemn gaze.

“Solving Gulzan is a small matter. The real trouble is the existence behind him. Have you forgotten the end of the last prophetic dream?”

Gulzan was trying to summon an ancient demon.

Although it hadn't succeeded in the simulation, Ansu would not let his guard down.

Freya only half-understood, as she didn't know much about that existence. “Then... then what should we do? We can't just let him escape, can we?”

“Simple.” A faint smile played across the corners of Ansu's lips.

He had risked saving all his system points just for this final step.

Ansu thought to himself:

“Simulation, start.”

【Future: 10 minutes later】

【Simulation beginning...】

【Remaining Points: 275】

...