Chapter 287 - 218: Evans: Isaac! You Madman

Chapter 287: Chapter 218: Evans: Isaac! You Madman

Evans only hesitated for a moment before looking at Isaac with a complex expression. He extended his right hand. "Then... let’s take that gamble!"

Isaac grinned. ’Just as I thought,’ he mused. ’Every Legendary Mage is a gambler at heart!’

’The only reason they wouldn’t bet is if the reward hasn’t met their personal threshold.’

"You won’t be disappointed. Trust me. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s my most famous title. So, I give you my word as the ’God-Usurper’—I will help you save this country!"

Evans’s eyes flickered. ’Isaac’s choice of words...’

’There was a big difference between "helping you save this country" and "saving this country with you."’

But Evans said nothing. He understood. A genius like Isaac was far too proud to share a fate of life and death with someone like him. It didn’t matter. Evans had long since set aside his own interests. As long as the kingdom could be saved, he wouldn’t hesitate for a moment, even if it meant giving up his own life.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would throw his life away. He wasn’t that naive. In a world where the strong ruled, personal power was everything.

As the strongest protector of the Holy Monarchy, if he were to die, any peace that followed would be fleeting.

"I have always believed that day will come," Evans said, looking Isaac in the eye. A shimmer of Magic Power flashed, and a Magic Book materialized in his hand. He offered it to Isaac. "This is what I’ve been researching. I hope it might be of some help to you."

Staring at the Magic Book offered to him, Isaac was a little surprised. ’He’s betting... this big?’

’What a shame this guy isn’t a Mad Witch.’

Isaac nodded, taking the Magic Book. As he slowly opened it, he began to say, "Thank you for your trust. Don’t worry, I will also—" 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

He didn’t get to finish. The moment he opened the Magic Book and saw a portion of its contents, Isaac instinctively recoiled, his face a mask of shock. ’This guy... is he really not a Mad Witch?!’

Honestly, as a Mad Witch who frequently dealt with Outer Gods and was called a lunatic even by other Mad Witches, Isaac rarely came across research that could surprise him. But in the span of just a few days, he had now met two...

One was Siwal, the man who coveted the authority of the Moon Goddess—an idea so audacious Isaac had never even considered it. And Siwal might have already put his plan into motion...

The other was Evans, right in front of him. And he was even more insane than Siwal!

Because the subject of his research was—dissecting the reason for a Deity’s power!

At first glance, it seemed like a perfectly legitimate field of study. The Truth Association saw hundreds, if not a thousand, such research proposals every year. Most were just a front for securing funds and points. The few who were genuinely researching were just recycling old projects, talking in circles. After all, this was about Gods—the most powerful existences in the world.

But in reality, Evans’s research was completely different from the work of those conventional Wizards in the Truth Association.

Because his "dissection" was a literal, goddamn *dissection*!

Yes, he was dissecting a Deity!

A Deity, not a Divine Species!

Of course, he certainly hadn’t killed the Deity himself. While High-level Mages were still called Demigods in some ancient regions and clans, their actual combat power was worlds apart from a true Demigod of the present era. No number of High-level Mages could be a match for a God.

Evans must have found the Deity’s corpse in the ruins of some ancient divine battle. As outrageous as that sounded, it wasn’t unprecedented. One of the current War Gods, Ishu’er, had found the corpse of a Deity—a former War God, in fact—in just such a ruin many years ago.

And it was with that corpse that Ishu’er—who at the time was a mere mortal, not even a High-level Knight—overcame all obstacles to eventually become one of the powerful new War Gods, wielding a portion of the [War] authority.

Of course, there was much debate about this War God in later years. At the time, the study of Divine Power was still in its infancy, so nearly every method of inheriting it was flawed—unless the original Deity willingly gave up everything to become the kindling for one’s Ascension to Divinity.

Thus, many believed that the Ishu’er of today was a fusion of the former War God and the mortal man he once was.

But this was all just speculation. After all, Ishu’er had already achieved divinity and was a powerful War God, making any in-depth research impossible.

But that was then. Now, with the development of the Path of the Wizard, the once mysterious and mighty Divine Power was slowly being unveiled by Wizards. At the very least, inheriting Divine Power without side effects was no longer a major challenge.

This was why Isaac, beyond his shock, was also bewildered. Evans had chosen not to inherit the Deity’s power, but to dissect It and study the power within...

’Truly...’

Isaac looked up at Evans, a slow grin spreading across his face. It morphed into a smile so utterly insane, so manic, that Evans couldn’t help but flinch, his brow furrowing. ’What is this lunatic planning now?’

"You want to use this... specimen... to create a Divine Magic Network, so that the people of the Holy Monarchy—or rather, the Norwegian Kingdom—can all use powerful Divine Arts and have the means to protect themselves, right?" Isaac asked, a strange smile playing on his lips.

Evans fell silent for a moment. He hadn’t expected Isaac to grasp the specifics of his plan after seeing just a tiny fraction of his research.

But there was no point in hiding it now. From the moment he had handed the Magic Book to Isaac, Evans had been prepared for this. So, he gave a crisp, clean nod.

"That’s right. But the plan has major flaws. The Teaching Country, for one. And the question of how to protect the network itself, among other things."

"Mhm," Isaac nodded. "But those are easy to solve. You’re part of a Sect, after all. Just contribute the technology to them, and they’ll solve all those problems for you. The only price you’d have to pay is giving up a portion of your control over the Divine Magic Network."

Isaac waved his hand dismissively. "That would certainly save your kingdom, yes, but it comes with its own risks. What if the hidden powers causing chaos in the Norwegian Kingdom include members of your own Sect? Right?"

Evans fell silent once more. Isaac was right. The Sect was indeed united—but only against outsiders. Internally, as a massive organization, it had long since fractured into various complex factions. This was the very thing that had always worried him; otherwise, the Divine Magic Network would have been completed long ago.

After all, the project itself wasn’t that difficult. The biggest bottleneck for the technology was sourcing the materials needed to build the Divine Magic Network.

"So, I have a plan. A plan that can truly, *completely* save the Norwegian Kingdom. I wonder, are you interested?"

Evans silently watched the sinister, manic smile on Isaac’s face. A chill ran down his spine. For some reason, he was beginning to regret showing his research to Isaac...

But...

To be honest, Evans was also intensely curious about the plan Isaac was hinting at. So, while he said nothing, he gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

"It’s simple. A Tier Four can’t protect the Norwegian Kingdom as it is now. But a Deity! A true Deity! It could definitely protect the Norwegian Kingdom! It might even be possible to expand its territory several times over!"

"That’s it?" Evans sounded disappointed. "I’ve already considered that idea. Unfortunately, it’s not realistic. Even with our current technology, inheriting a Deity’s power isn’t something that can be done quickly. It would take a century at the very least, with no guarantee of success. The process would cause a huge disturbance. Besides, the path to godhood is not suited for a Wiz—"

As he trailed off, the disappointed Evans saw the confidence in Isaac’s eyes. He froze, asking uncertainly, "You’re not talking about that, are you?"

"Of course not!" Isaac gave a mysterious smile and said something that sent a chill through Evans’s entire body. "Have you heard of... the Blood and Bone God?"

The Blood and Bone God. A Dimensional Demon God. One that was being raised in captivity by the Flesh Sect!