Chapter 649: When Divination Fails
"You... and your companion, with distorted time."
At the mention of ’distorted time,’ Arthur’s eyes narrowed. His thoughts immediately turned to Evan, the boy who came from the future.
’So, she knows about him too.’
The Prophetess continued, her voice quickening as if she feared she’d lose the chance to speak her mind.
"I divined that when you assist us, in the process of helping us... you will achieve what it is you came to this dimension to seek—and far more than you had imagined."
Her words were laced with an urgency that wasn’t lost on Arthur, but he stayed quiet, waiting for her to finish.
"However..."
She trailed off, her eyes lowering for a brief moment before she spoke again.
"Now that I’ve seen you, I realize how short-sighted I was. I should have understood it the moment I learned of what kind of existence you are...
You are one who defies the natural order of laws. A Highest-Order Irregular."
Irregular. This was another title that Singularities were known by in this Universe. For her to call him a ’Highest-Order’, did she mean that Grade 7 Singularities were the highest there was?
Arthur didn’t know this, and he considered asking Jamie when he got out of this place since the man knew far more about Singularities.
But for now, this Prophetess’ words were a priority.
"Even if you do not help us, you would still achieve all that you desire in this dimension, what you seek—"
She hesitated, then added quietly.
"—and far more, even if it takes a little more time."
When she said this, Arthur let out a dry, humourless chuckle.
"For starters, I never came to this dimension of my own volition. But clearly, you didn’t divine that."
The Prophetess didn’t flinch at his words. In fact, she seemed to have expected them.
"Yes, I understand that. But there are other things I understand too."
She spoke cryptically, as though trying to deepen the mystery of the situation but Arthur’s face remained impassive.
"Okay. So, you say that if I help you, I’d achieve whatever it is I came to this dimension to seek. Even though I didn’t come here seeking anything..."
He muttered the last bit under his breath, almost too low to hear, and then he looked at her directly again.
"So, why are you doing this now?"
By this, he naturally referred to her kneeling to beg him for help. The Prophetess met his eyes without hesitation and explained.
"You would eventually attain what you seek, it would only take more time. Time that you, in your nature, can afford. But because of this..."
She took a breath, steadying herself before continuing.
"Our leverage—the reward we could offer in exchange for your aid—has drastically diminished. I understand that. I know that since you’ll achieve it on your own, you could easily decide not to help us at all."
Arthur’s brow arched slightly as her words sank in.
’She’s right. If I’m going to get what I supposedly want either way, then why bother getting involved in their affairs?’
Her tone softened, and there was a raw sincerity in her words now.
"That’s why I’m not here to make a deal, Sir Arthur. I am simply pleading—asking for your help, despite knowing you have no obligation to give it."
The silence that followed her statement was thick. Arthur’s gaze remained fixed on her as the other spirits glanced between themselves, unsure of what to make of the Prophetess’ humble admission.
They could not understand why she said this. As far as they were concerned, they had many things to offer in return for Arthur’s help in their situation.
Arthur could also see these thoughts from their expressions. He glanced back at the Prophetess who clearly thought otherwise and asked.
"You say you divined all of this, right?"
"Yes. I am fortunate to comprehend the law of causality. I have divined the ’Causes’ that would lead to the best ’Effects’."
At those words, the spirits around the table tensed, murmurs breaking out in disbelief. Shocked expressions rippled across their faces.
"Why is she telling him this kind of information?"
One of them whispered, incredulous. Hearing this, the Prophetess turned.
"It’s pointless whether I tell him or not."
She shifted her gaze back to Arthur as she continued.
"Did you not hear what I said? He is an Irregular. One whose mere existence bends the natural order of laws around him. He could see the causality energy on me from a mile away."
Hearing her words, Arthur wanted to interject and say he didn’t notice until he was a few metres away, but he decided to keep quiet about that.
Returning her full focus to Arthur, the Prophetess continued.
"Even though I’m pleading with you, we can still offer you many things. Techniques from our clans—secrets that have been passed down for generations."
Before she could continue, one of the elder spirits at the table snapped, his voice loud and commanding.
"Prophetess, you do not have the authority to offer such things!"
She turned, her face hardening as she faced the council.
"And if we offer him nothing, he could simply walk out that door and leave this place. Do you not understand that?"
Finally getting up to her feet, the Prophetess’ expression morphed into one of anger as she practically screamed out.
"We NEED the power of Destruction to permanently end the threat of the Tree of Creation once and for all!!
If the Archdevils gain control of it, its corruption will be the least of our problems.
They’ll transform that thing into a power source—a generator of energy they’ll wield to terraform this entire planet to their will."
Pointing at Arthur, she continued.
"He has the power of Destruction. An Acquired Pseudo-Authority!"
"Impossible! One cannot acquire a Pseudo-Authority without being a Transcendent!"
"And I just told you—he is beyond natural laws! The Rule of Transcendent Law Comprehension clearly doesn’t apply to him!
Can you not see it in his eyes? Can you not sense the overwhelming power of time that trumps that Archdevil’s?! He has comprehended two laws to that level.
And what’s more, he was the power of Erasure! He can completely delete the Tree of Creation’s source code from the fabric of existence!"
The Prophetess shouted back at the elder who spoke, and the causality law energy around her stirred as if responding to her anger.
"If we do not offer all that we can, he can simply decide to walk out that door and none of you can stop him."
Stepping closer, she slammed her hands on the table and leaned over it, her intense gaze fixed on the spirits seated there.
"Or do you truly believe you can stop him?
If he wants to leave, none in all of Nature’s Dwelling could keep him from it. This is the same person who survived the combined attack of the Archdevil Vonun, the Black Dragon Murobis, and his Transcendent dragons seevants.
Do you think any of us could force him to stay or do anything against his will?"
Arthur’s expression, up until now a mix of indifference and silent observation as he watched the Prophetess lash out, shifted the moment she uttered the name "Vonun."
His hand reached out and the power of gravity pulled her close to him and he grabbed her arm in a firm but controlled grip.
"You said Vonun?"
Arthur’s voice was low, his eyes glowing as he stared into the Prophetess’s wide gaze.
"This Vonun. Is he an Archdevil with flower-patterned eyes?"
The Prophetess swallowed, nodding slowly.
"Yes. That’s him—Vonun, the Infernal Verdant."
Arthur was silent for a second, and then his lips curled into a grin. He released her arm, stepping back as he spoke.
"Very well, then. That bastard attacked me out of nowhere. I’ll help you."
Arthur’s response was as calm as it was surprising. He tapped her gently on the shoulder, an unexpected gesture that left her momentarily dumbfounded. She blinked, her mouth slightly open, as if unsure how to process what had just happened.
According to her divination, things weren’t supposed to unfold like this.
The timeline had been calculated, the results predicted, and yet Arthur had shifted the course entirely with a few words and a single touch.
She had foreseen difficulty, hesitation, and bargaining—but not this. Certainly not him agreeing so easily.
"Huh?"
She finally uttered, too caught off guard to say more.
The entire room seemed to freeze, the shock rippling across the faces of everyone present. But none were more astounded than the Prophetess herself.
She, who had meticulously foreseen countless futures, was in the most disbelief of all.
In every single divination she had made, Arthur’s path was convoluted once it crossed theirs.
The first potential future had been one of cautious cooperation, where Arthur decided to help at first but soon realized that their war was not his concern.
Halfway through, after gathering enough information, he discovered that the object of his desire—what she had believed to be the reason for his presence in this dimension—could be attained elsewhere.
He departed without hesitation, leaving the spirits to fend for themselves as he pursued his goal in another part of the dimension. Later, he returned to settle his score with the Archdevils, but by then, it had been too late to save the spirits.
In the second future, betrayal. The spirits hadn’t been able to offer enough to secure Arthur’s unwavering support.
As he became more involved in their affairs, they realized the depth of his power—far beyond what they could offer in return.
Their leaders, sensing his incredible strength yet lacking the resources to sustain him, had grown desperate, making promises they couldn’t keep.
Arthur saw through the deceit and, recognizing the futility, abandoned them.
He went on to achieve his desire alone, reuniting with his companions and ultimately defeating the three Superior Transcendent Archdevils in a triumphant act of vengeance.
In the third vision—a future she had dreaded most—the alliance with Arthur unravelled completely, but not because he chose to leave.
No, in this timeline, it was the spirits who faltered. As Arthur’s power became evident, as the sheer scale of his abilities came into terrifying focus, a deep fear took root among the spirits. Their fear, born of reverence and apprehension, grew toxic. Whispers turned to distrust and distrust to betrayal.
In the end, their actions had pushed Arthur to the point where his patience snapped.
The Prophetess had foreseen Arthur’s wrath—she watched in horror as he was pissed to the point where he unhesitatingly ’released’ Lostvayne, unleashing a torrent of Cosmic Destruction that swept through everything, obliterating the armies of both sides.
Yet what haunted her most was the image of the exuviated Arthur himself, standing amid the ruins, Lostvayne in hand.
In that moment, he looked at her—not just in passing, but directly, as though fully aware of her watching him through time.
