Chapter 294

He ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍had vaguely been thinking about it.

Wondering ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍whether he might already be too late.

‘It ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍took quite a long time to cut down Pantera and Roto.’

The ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍one consolation was that Silvana and Neptune’s divine power had been completely absorbed while he wandered through unconsciousness. But Cronis, his next opponent, had not easily revealed an opening either.

Veritas, ‍​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍wearing Tatia’s form, had vanished at some point.

“....”

It was not simply a matter of cutting down divinities, expanding Hollyheart, and reaching 9-Star in the process.

Eurasia had to survive while he went outside and stopped the Monster Lord.

The Empire had to be stopped.

But now.

[Eurasia has perished.]

Cronis said that the time allotted to him had ended.

[You were already 9-Star from the moment you cut down Pantera and Roto.]

His divine power had surpassed that of Claudio de Cronis, Cronis’s Apostle and the Pope.

Along with that, his Mana Heart had apparently grown to 9-Star as well.

The reason he had failed to grasp Cronis’s “time” was that he had not fully adapted to it.

[Had you cut me down, it would have been fair to say that you had already mastered 9-Star.]

The man in the Pope’s form spoke with a benevolent expression.

“....”

Silence fell.

Only a few days had passed since he left Eurasia, yet three years had already gone by outside, and Eurasia had perished.

Anyone else might have denied reality.

Killian did not.

“Is there a way to turn back time?”

He asked because the man before him was a Higher God who handled the Authority of Time.

[Time is not something that can be turned back so carelessly.]

“But that does not mean there is no way.”

Killian did not retreat as he asked.

There had been no need to tell him that Eurasia had perished at this point.

He could instinctively tell.

‘When I am beside Cronis, time flows abnormally.’

It was different from time merely flowing quickly or slowly.

If he trained against the ordinary flow of time, he could achieve more than twice the efficiency.

It was certain.

If he had continued exchanging blows with Cronis, he would have succeeded in cutting him down.

He would have gone beyond reaching 9-Star and mastered it.

His first objective had been to reach 9-Star, but.

‘That is not what matters.’

He could have learned of it when his training ended, whenever that might be.

The fact that Cronis had told him meant.

“Things are going badly for you too, are they not?”

[....]

“Either the Holy Nation is in danger, or the life of the Pope, your Apostle, is in danger.”

Or this Makeshift Boundary was in danger.

“It could be all of them.”

[You have a choice.]

Rather than answer his question, Cronis gave him a new answer.

[One is to take the power of myself manifested as a trace and open the door.]

“You said earlier that allowing myself to be struck easily would bring no growth at all.”

[Simply taking a god’s power cannot lead to complete growth in rank.]

It would merely increase the size of his power.

‘Power that cannot be fully contained will eventually leak away.’

Cronis advised that using the power within his body as a single-use resource would be inefficient.

[That is right. You will not undergo complete growth, but it will be enough to open the door temporarily.]

“....”

Ordinarily, he would have had to take Cronis’s trace in order to gain the power to open the door.

‘The divinities I have gathered are only at the level of the traces they left behind. It is not as though they have actually been annihilated.’

It would be more accurate to say that he had gathered the scattered power.

[Only a being of equivalent rank can annihilate a god.]

Neptune, Silvana, Pantera, Roto, and Atoz.

It meant that those whose divinities he had personally gathered were still beyond the door, perfectly unharmed.

[Do not look so dissatisfied. For beings like us, the fact that we can be immortal only in the Divine Realm is painful enough to be a shackle.]

“That is quite comforting. Where is Veritas?”

[Her circumstances were different from ours from the beginning.]

Tatia de Veritas.

Killian’s biological mother and the previous Saintess.

[Without needing to prove yourself through strength, you could gather Veritas’s divine power whenever you wished. Look. Has the laurel wreath not disappeared?]

“....”

Now that he considered it, the laurel wreath he had been wearing was gone.

‘It was still there when I dealt with Roto....’

It seemed to have vanished while he was pursuing Cronis.

[As time passes, you will be able to absorb it completely.]

That meant not yet.

[Now then, let us return to the main point.]

SLIDE—

A massive hourglass manifested above them.

From top to bottom.

Sand poured down without pause.

[The falling sand is time.]

“....”

Even if he blocked it with something and stopped it, it would only be temporary.

[Sand that has not flowed through completely will eventually pile up and cause problems.]

Even in the simply expressed form of an hourglass, he could understand that it would cause problems.

All the more so.

[You wish to use my power to turn back time.]

If he took Cronis’s power immediately, he could turn back time.

But he would not be able to open the door.

‘Even if I open the door and strengthen the Holy Nation, it will be meaningless if Eurasia no longer exists....’

[Now then. What will you choose?]

“Outside.”

[....?]

“What is the state of the world right now?”

[....]

“I think you can show me at least that much.”

[You insist on seeing the desperate situation with your own eyes.]

Cronis reacted as though displeased.

[But if you desire it so strongly.]

Tap.

The Pope, who had approached him at some point, placed a hand on Killian’s shoulder.

[My Authority is not complete either.]

For that reason, he said that what he could show him was limited.

[Whichever you choose.]

In the end.

[Your choice will be imperfect.]

SLIDE—

Their vision was shared.

It was through the eyes of someone Killian knew well.

***

Claudio de Cronis.

“Cough....”

The man known to the public as the Pope spat out bloody phlegm.

It was because of the sword that had pierced his chest.

“Kgh....”

His pure white holy robes were stained red.

He was an Apostle who handled the Authority of Time.

Ordinarily, a wound of this degree should have healed the instant it was inflicted.

‘Was the sword coated in poison?’

He did not know what kind, but it was no ordinary poison.

No one in the world possessed more powerful divine power than he did, and no one could manifest an Authority in such detail.

For such a man to meet his end because of poison alone.

As he held onto his fading consciousness, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

“Claudio de Cronis. You look pitiful.”

The man who had driven a sword into his chest.

Krusty Heinrich twisted the blade.

CRUNCH!

“Kahk....”

“His Holiness the Pope. A sacred emperor.... It was a name that had irritated me for some time. There should not be two suns in the sky.”

His words carried the weight of age, in contrast to his young face.

“Keh, keh. It is not something a man who used vile arts to covet his own son’s body should say.... Cough. Cough....”

CRACK!

“K.... Aah....”

When the sword was twisted the other way, a pained groan escaped the Pope.

“To think the head of a religious group would call himself the heavens.”

Despite his gentle-looking face, the words coming from his mouth were cold.

“Your rank will become nourishment for my transcendence.”

Blood loss and poison gradually darkened his vision.

‘If Killian Eurasia had been here....’

It was a meaningless assumption.

He had seen countless futures through his Authority, but it was not perfect.

An Authority wielded by a human—and especially the Authority of a Higher God such as time—was difficult to manifest with a human’s frail body.

In his vision of the future, this would not have happened if Killian entered the Makeshift Boundary.

The future he had failed to see had come to pass.

“No, that is the wrong thought.”

The Emperor ran his tongue across his lips as though looking at a delicious prey.

“Your body is not frail. You saw the future correctly as well.”

“....!!”

The Pope’s brow twitched.

Insight.

The Emperor was using Insight upon him.

It had to be a product of his research into transcendent beings.

‘Did he defeat Simon Eurasia and complete his divinity?’

The Pope glared at the Emperor through eyes that could barely see.

“Are you angry? I heard that you and Simon Eurasia were not on good terms.”

That was true.

‘We did not have a good relationship.

‘If I had to put it into words, it was close to hatred.

‘A negative feeling born from trivial emotions.

‘But I acknowledged his ability.’

‘Simon Eurasia was a man the world needed.’

He was one who had to survive for humanity, in preparation for the coming calamity.

The silver-haired knight who would fulfill the divine prophecy he had received long ago.

The man before him had broken such a man’s fate.

By becoming a strange being neither human nor monster.

‘He twisted fate.’

A curse rose to his lips, but he no longer had the strength to utter even that.

“Do not worry about the Wave.”

The worst ruler born in centuries.

“I will stop the Monster Lord.”

Simon Eurasia, a 9-Star knight.

The Pope, whose rank did not fall behind his, and the Monster Lord.

“They will be more than sufficient nourishment for transcendence.”

“You are not one born with fate.”

‘He is overestimating his own strength.’

Tsk, tsk.

The Emperor clicked his tongue and continued.

“There are ranks even among gods.”

Lower Gods. Middle Gods. Higher Gods.

“The Cronis you serve is special even among Higher Gods.”

Claudio’s face hardened.

The Emperor knew far more about the gods than he should have.

“Gods can cross time and glimpse countless possibilities.”

Their Apostles could choose futures favorable to them.

“You have received the revelations and prophecies of a Higher God, and you have seen countless futures. Do you know why you are losing to me?”

“....”

“You are the Apostle of a god who sees every future. Do you know why your future changed?”

He could not say a word through the pain.

“Yes, Cronis would not have told you everything. Even a Higher God cannot escape the laws completely.”

Facts that should never have come from the Emperor’s mouth poured forth.

“The laws of the world.”

The Emperor’s lips twisted upward.

“I am one chosen by the new laws.”

A smile formed on his twisted lips.

“Higher Gods? Styx? Cronis?”

His body shook as he laughed.

“Lord.”

The Emperor spoke the name of a forgotten god.

“A true god in every sense. If one must classify him, he is the Highest God.”

Grab.

The Emperor seized the Pope by the hair and whispered in his ear.

“It is time for you to die.”

At the moment he pronounced death.

GRIND—GRIND—

A Divine Object within the Holy Territory.

The Unplated Clock activated.

FWOOOSH—

Divine power burst forth from Claudio’s body, and his wound healed at the same time.

It was unlike healing or regeneration, as though he had never been wounded in the first place.

‘Time.... has begun to move again.’

“....”

The Emperor frowned and looked over the Pope, who had recovered his wound and rank in an instant.

By the reaction of his Insight, Claudio understood that this was not a situation the Emperor had induced.

Grab.

The Pope seized the Emperor’s hand, which had been holding his hair.

“My divine power has not been complete since the day Killian Eurasia disappeared.”

He said it had felt as though he had been carrying a broken clock.

“You who have defied the natural order.”

Divine power rose from the Pope’s hand.

SIZZLE—

Smoke rose as though the Emperor had been burned by fire.

The Emperor’s face began to twist.

In proportion to that, a smile appeared on Claudio’s face.

“Now it is time to pay the price.”