Darian and Niara swallowed hard. From the seriousness in that figure's words, the only possible conclusion was that the people important to them were in great danger. Darian had expected to still have 30 to 50 years free to cultivate, but it seemed something unexpected had happened.
"Dad, it doesn't matter if I'm weak. I'll fight and find a solution." Darian said in a solemn tone.
That gigantic figure looked Darian straight in the eyes. "The estimate we gave you before was around 100 years until the all-out war in the training universe of the Spiritual Guardians broke out. But you left an inactive virus among the Spiritual Guardians before you died... actually, three. Unfortunately, those viruses were reactivated and changed things."
Darian took a deep breath. Yes, he hadn't completely killed those three enemy Spiritual Sovereigns. But they had been left so weak, and his allies had so much power and so many weapons to use, that they should never have been able to recover.
"During the 5,000 years you were gone, your allies did chase them down relentlessly, not giving them any chance. They basically had to isolate themselves in their dead universes, not daring to make even the slightest move. But in the new training universe, so that the Spiritual Guardians would have some chance of saving that universe and defeating that idiot, I changed the rules a bit. When one of them reaches the nine rings, they can physically go to that universe and fight with 100% of their strength."
"All the Spiritual Guardians can go to the training universe, even those who have become immortals. As for those three... obviously, they were blocked from going to the altar and entering that world by your people, preventing the obvious problem they could cause with that. So everything seemed to be flowing calmly, until a little less than five years ago..."
His eyes shifted with a hint of anger. "Those three did something unexpected... actually, one of them. With no way out, Alv came up with a sinister plan using his bloodline power. It was an all-or-nothing move, sacrificing Oni and that beast-like woman to pull off a surprise attack on Earth."
"During that time, Earth had become the command center of the universe. Attacking Earth would be like attacking the heart of everything. If it worked, the entire planet would be destroyed. That way, he'd gain at least a bit of breathing room. If it failed, obviously, with him alone, he'd be completely screwed. Because of that, the other two didn't believe that Alv would do something like that. But... not only did he do it, everything went perfectly until the final moment."
Darian's eyes widened. Earth wasโ
That figure shook his head. "Fortunately, the seed you planted in the past bore fruit. The only people who knew Alv had that possibility were precisely those two close allies, and also that Demoness Soul Eater. Because, in the past, they had planned together to sacrifice and absorb the other 2 Spiritual Sovereigns who weren't aligned with them. Back then, that plan was abandoned, since it had too many chances of going wrong."
"Caliris..." Darian murmured. That Demoness wasn't truly an ally of those three, but she definitely wasn't any better than them. She just preferred to do things on her own.
But when Remira left that world with Darian, she placed a slave seal on Caliris that would last for 100 years. So even though that Demoness was extremely evil, she couldn't even think about going against Darian. (Chapter 406)
At that moment, the gigantic figure nodded slightly; his expression showed a hint of pride.
"The slave seal on her disappeared within those hundred years, when you were already dead. But even without the slave seal, she kept serving the twins and your interests, without the slightest thought of rebellion. That's because her desire for power completely faded. In the hundred years her body and soul were enslaved, the lives of the demons changed completely, and everyone in the universe became stronger and lived happier lives. It was a complete contrast to when she ruled them, doing anything without hesitation."
"She realized that the path you built and taught was the best for everyone. She didn't need to sacrifice anything or anyone to grow stronger and protect her people. In the end... she only lived and acted the way she did before because she learned that was the only way. She wasn't entirely wrong, after all, the world is a deadly jungle where only the strong survive. But you showed her there were other paths, and she, by her own choice, didn't want to betray you or the twins."
Darian was completely shocked. Niara, Meru, and Ruri, on the other hand, had expressions of pride. Darian had truly managed to build something solid enough in his home to the point that a completely evil Demoness could understand that following him was the best choice. Of course, she wasn't a completely brainless villain from the start; that's why it was possible.
After a brief pause, that figure spoke bluntly.
"In short, she knew about that possibility, but she also didn't believe that Alv would try something so risky and suicidal. In the end, when she instinctively realized what he had done, she acted before anyone else..."
"Earth was saved at the last moment. That Demoness sacrificed herself, giving her life to block that attack and save everyone."
In the end, Alv didn't fully accomplish his goal. But he still got a half-victory. In the middle of the chaos, he stole an Altar that existed on Earth and took it to his universe.
That way, he could enter the new training universe.
After hearing that, Darian's mind quickly grasped the massive problem this created.
That figure snorted, continuing. "As you can imagine, he got in contact with my former missionary, Byon. So, using the power of his special race, combined with the power of the Immortal Chaos Essence, he devoured... he managed to make that bastard recover several years earlier than expected."
Darian and Niara's expressions turned tense. Byon was the name of the entity that had possessed the Celestial Shadow, the one Darian fought. In the end, Darian had to die to defeat him, even though he was only using a fraction of his power.
"Byon is at the ninth level of Natural Immortal Cultivation. And you two, even though you can fight many levels above the norm, shouldn't be arrogant. That's a former missionary of mine, who's also far above average. On top of that... after hunting and devouring other missionaries, he has power far beyond what someone at his level should have."
After saying that, he simply looked at Darian and Niara.
Both of them sighed, understanding. They were only at the third Immortal level. Even if that enemy were a normal immortal, with that level gap, Darian could at most exchange a few blows. Now, with him being someone far, far above average, their chances of dying very quickly were absolute.
Niara was also a Natural Immortal. That was the term for people who ascended to immortality in all common universes, regardless of the method. Darian, on the other hand, was a Celestial Immortal, something unique to those who ascended through Celestial Cultivation.
Darian took a deep breath, calming himself.
"Dad... I still have to go. No matter the situation, I'll try to fight; if there's no other way, I at least have to save as many people as possible."
Darian had some confidence in escaping because of Ailik. She could now definitely use her power to invade the underworld and take everyone somewhere safe.
Ruri and Meru snorted; that answer from Darian was completely expected. But jumping into the abyss without a plan was just stupid.
That gigantic figure nodded; a celestial blue light shone in his eyes. He was using his power of Heaven's Will.
After a few seconds, everything went dark.
"I saw the future. Your chances of winning are 0%."
He said it bluntly. Niara turned pale. But Darian and the others only had grave expressions.
That's because everyone knew the future didn't truly exist. The future he saw was like a prediction, based on the current state of things. If even the smallest unexpected change happened, the future could change completely. In fact, just the fact that he saw the future and said this already added a new variable, and it might not even be exactly 0% anymore.
After a brief moment, that immense figure sighed. His expression was that of someone who had to do something complex, but had no other choice.
"You're my son, and I won't let you walk to your death without doing anything. I'll have to bend the rules a bit... and that will greatly damage the laws of the entire world. Many variables that couldn't exist before will have the chance to emerge across multiple universes. Until I restore everything, many lives may be lost. Anyway... I'll have to add an important variable to you, something only I can give you," he said in a solemn tone, looking Darian in the eyes.
"You read my story in the book your mother wrote. But some parts of the story, especially the details of the final act, were intentionally hidden. I'll give you that final knowledge. With it, you'll have a minimal chance to do something to win."
Darian held his breath. Indeed, the beginning and middle of the story were absurdly detailed, but at the end, things felt more like a summary, with only the bare minimum.
That gigantic figure nodded, and a rune appeared in front of him. Slowly, it floated toward Darian.
"This is the Origin and the Birth of everything and everyone, as well as the final secret."
Darian only heard those last words as the rune entered his soul and dissolved, flooding his mind.
