Chapter 554 - 555: The Heretic King’s Appearance

"Do you have any idea how strong the gods actually are?" Violet asked, her expression becoming serious as she glanced toward Leon. "We can’t really know, can we?"

"I honestly don’t know," Leon admitted, though his expression remained calm. "But what’s the problem? We can keep getting stronger until we’re powerful enough to fight them. We could even reach 500 million combat power."

He had absolutely no intention of wasting the opportunity they had been given, even if it meant delaying his arrival in the [Eternal Domain] for as long as possible.

Of course, he still needed to attend the [Celestial Meeting] and meet the other Celestials as soon as he arrived though.

"My talent will only unlock once I reach the Eternal Domain," Violet said with a sigh. "Only then will I grow strong enough and be able to return to my world."

"Oh, that’s right," Emilia replied, laughing as she looked at Violet. "Your world wasn’t destroyed like ours. That means you can actually go back!"

"I... wouldn’t be so happy about that."

Violet’s expression became noticeably sadder.

"Think about it for a moment. How many worlds were destroyed by the Heavenly One? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? We don’t even know how many people died, and the only worlds that survived were those that reached the Eternal Level. That means only three worlds remain."

"Ember, Fated Star, and Valheim," Leon said, nodding, "The only worlds that survived the Heavenly One’s... destruction."

"That’s why I don’t think the Heavenly One is a good being," Violet continued. "How could someone kill so many people and still be considered good? I heard that only around one or two percent of each world’s population was transported into Eternal Ascension. What happened to everyone else? Men, women, children, and the elderly... they were all left behind to die."

Leon remained silent for a moment as he considered her words.

’She’s right.’

Only around 100 million people had been summoned from Earth, which represented roughly 1.2 percent of the planet’s population.

The remaining billions... were gone.

Even those who had been transported into Eternal Ascension weren’t safe.

Most players had already died, and Leon estimated that perhaps 99 percent of the people who had originally been summoned were now gone.

The Heavenly One had given them an opportunity to grow stronger, but that didn’t mean the being responsible for their situation was benevolent.

Leon had never truly believed that the Heavenly One was as good as everyone claimed, although he hadn’t paid much attention to the question before.

However, Violet’s words made him think about the bigger picture.

"We need to kill the gods," Leon finally said, his gaze becoming determined. "No matter what happens, we have to do it. Otherwise, the death toll will continue to rise, even inside Eternal Ascension."

He didn’t know whether the gods were responsible for everything that had happened, but he had no intention of allowing them to continue killing people without consequences.

If the Heavenly One had brought them into this world for a reason, then Leon would make sure he completed his mission.

Even if it meant fighting against the very beings who had created this place.

"Well, I can take you guys to my world too, if you want," Violet said after a moment, apparently trying to lighten the mood. "I heard that it’s possible to bring people from Eternal Ascension into our world, although it’s illegal."

"If it’s illegal, why would you want to do it?" Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh? Because I want to be with you guys, of course~" Violet replied with a smile, "Anyway, we’ll figure it out later!"

"Sure."

With that conversation behind them, the group continued moving forward.

As they entered the village, Leon was surprised to discover that the place was almost completely empty.

The wooden houses stood along the dirt roads, and the surrounding structures appeared to have been built using primitive materials, but there were no heretics wandering around or working outside.

The silence was strange.

"I wonder how many heretics actually live here," Leon muttered as he glanced around. "I guess there probably aren’t that many, considering how difficult it is to reach this island."

And he was right.

Although the island was enormous and contained more resources than any other location in the entire domain, only a few hundred heretics lived there.

The conditions required to reach the island were simply too difficult for ordinary players and natives, and even those who managed to arrive would have to survive the powerful monsters and dangerous inhabitants scattered across the domain.

The heretics didn’t need a massive population to maintain their dominance.

Their strength was concentrated among a small number of powerful individuals, each of whom had received blessings from the gods.

As Leon continued walking through the deserted village, he suddenly sensed something unusual.

He stopped moving.

Emilia, who had been walking directly behind him, failed to notice his sudden halt and bumped into his back.

"Ow..." she muttered, stepping away while rubbing her forehead. "Why did you stop?"

Leon didn’t answer.

Instead, he slowly raised his head and stared toward the enormous skull-shaped mountain at the center of the island.

Then his eyes widened as several panels appeared before him.

[Bear witness to the one chosen by the three gods, a prodigy found nowhere else.]

[Once they ascend to the Eternal Domain, they will become a bastion of power, aiding the gods to complete their mission.]

[They already know about you, Celestial.]

[Why even keep trying? Attempting to beat the unbeatable.]

Atop the massive skull carved into the mountain, a small figure stood motionless, gazing down at the group.

Leon couldn’t clearly make out their appearance from where he stood, but that wasn’t necessary.

He could feel the sheer power radiating from the figure, and the pressure was far greater than anything he had experienced in this life.

"The [Heretic King] is here," Leon said, pointing toward the top of the mountain.

"I... can’t see it," Emilia muttered as she squinted toward the distant figure.

Celeste was in the same situation, since neither of their perception abilities was high enough to clearly see someone standing so far away.

However, even without being able to make out the king’s appearance, both girls could feel the oppressive aura coming from the mountain.

Violet, on the other hand, possessed the best eyesight among them.

She was able to see the figure standing atop the skull, and her expression immediately became serious.

"That thing feels impossible to defeat," she said quietly. "I have a really bad feeling about this."