Alfred''s eyes were bloodshot as he stared intensely at Luca. "Do you know how long the average person lives? Even a Transcendent-levelindividual barely reaches a century! And how long can the mightiest empirest? A mere tens of thousands of years!
"But gods are different! They possess nearly limitless lifespans and the power to shape worlds! If Fratis bes the Goddess of Dawn, the citizens of the Clinton Empire will escape poverty and be the first eternal divine kingdomon the Eternal Continent!
"Do you understand what that means?"
"It means our Clinton Empire will stand for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of years! It will be immortal!"
Alfred''s voice echoed through the study.
His fists were clenched tightly, his emotions running high, as if he could already see the Clinton Empire bing the brightest jewel of the Eternal Continent, shining eternally under the light of the gods.
And he, Alfred, would be remembered as one of the most dazzling stars in the annals of history!
The anger on Luca''s face gradually faded.
He gazed calmly at this dying tiger of the Clinton Empire and said, "So you handed Fratis over to the Dawn God Sect to let her be the vessel for the Goddess of Dawn''s descent? Have you considered whether Fratis will still truly be alive after this?"
It seemed Alfred had held back his thoughts for too long. He burst into manicughter. "Of course she''ll still be alive! I''ve studied countless texts, and I even used a forbidden Transcendenttechnique at the cost of my lifespan to temper Fratis''s body and soul, ensuring she can retain her consciousness during the ritual!
"Decades ago, I personally ventured into the forbidden grounds of the Dawn God Sect. Although I was discovered by the Goddess of Dawn, gravely wounded, and nearly killed, I survived thanks to Headmaster Selin''s intervention. But that mission revealed to me a shocking secret!
"The Goddess of Dawn is alive, yes, but only a fragment of her divine rankand a trace of her divine soulremain in the Dawn Temple! As long as Fratis undergoes the descent ritual, she can retain her consciousness and inherit everything from the Goddess of Dawn, bing the true Goddess of Dawn herself!"
Alfred''s face flushed crimson, as though he were experiencing onest burst of vitality. He looked directly at Luca and said, "I know Fratis loves you. I''ve known since the moment you met in Riverfall City! And don''t tell me you don''t feel the same! Otherwise, why would you ascend to godhood for her?
"Believe me, once she ascends to the Divine Realm, no one in this world will be able to stop the two of you! And with Fratis''s help, with your talent, I have no doubt that it won''t be long before you too ascend to the Divine Realm!"
"By then, nothing in this world will stop you from being together. You will be a divine couple, and the Clinton Empire will have two gods, truly bing a kingdom of gods on earth!"
As Alfred described his decades of scheming and grand ambitions, Luca listened quietly.
Then, with a slight nod, he said, "So Fratis is at the Dawn God Sect, right?"
"That''s correct…" Alfred replied instinctively, only to see Luca turn toward the window.
The excitement on Alfred''s face froze instantly. His breathing quickened as he asked, "Where are you going?"
"To save Fratis," Luca said calmly.
Alfred suddenly felt like he''d been ying a lute for a cow this whole time.
Staring at Luca''sposed face, Alfred''s bloodshot eyes widened in frustration. "Didn''t you hear me? She doesn''t need saving!"
Without looking back, Luca gazed at the azure sky beyond the window and replied softly, "She needs me."
Alfred''s face darkened, his expression shifting from flushed red to ashen ck.
In a sudden fit of rage, he swept the documents off his desk, scattering them across the room. His voice, filled with fury and despair, erupted: "Why? Isn''t this glorious era exactly what you both want? Why are you trying to ruin it?"
The sunlight streaming into the study caught the fluttering papers, filling the air like a cascade of letters.
"Why ruin it?" Luca suddenlyughed. The golden Divine mearound him roared to life, boiling over like a long-suppressed inferno. With a flick of his wrist, a golden light shed. The ferocious Sr Divine Spearmaterialized in his hand, streaking forward to stop just inches from Alfred''s deeply lined forehead.
Looking at the stiff, terrified face of Alfred, Luca''s gaze turned icy, his voice cold and unyielding. "Because, from the beginning, all of this has been nothing more than your self-serving fantasy."
Alfred imed everything he did was for Fratis. But whether it was forcing her to be the Goddess of Dawnor making her the queen of the Clinton Empire, one truth was clear:
From start to finish, he had never asked Fratis what shewanted. He had never given her a choice.
What Fratis wanted wasn''t to be a queen or a goddess but to return to a simple, peaceful life in Riverfall City, a small town where she could live quietly for the rest of her days.And Alfred didn''t even realize that Fratis had once had the chance to fulfill that dream. Yet, in the end, she had chosen to sacrifice it all for the empire.
When faced with life''s crossroads, most people would choose their own happiness—Luca himself had made such choices before.
After all, life is short; why concern yourself with the suffering of others?
But Fratis had chosen differently. She had chosen sacrifice.
That kind of courage, Luca had only ever seen in the greatest warriors and schrs of the Human Race—the true heroes.
Luca respected them deeply, but he didn''t want to be one of them, nor did he want the people he cared about to walk that path.
More importantly, Alfred had missed one critical point from the very beginning.
The so-called Goddess of Dawnwas likely nothing more than an Ancient Godin disguise.
These beings had masqueraded as the Goddess of Dawn, stolen the Sr Divine Spear, and schemed in secret for countless years.
And for what? To serve as benefactors to a human empire?
To the Ancient Gods, even gods were but ants. What value did mere humans hold?
He had personally pushed Fratis into the firepit and yet dared to fantasize about turning the Clinton Empire into a divine kingdom on earth.
To Luca, it was equal partsughable, pitiful, and infuriating.
"What do you mean by that?" Alfred, sensing that Luca might know something he didn''t, asked in a low, tense voice.
"There''s something you might not know." Luca, no longer bothering to hold back, sneered coldly. "The Goddess of Dawndied ten thousand years ago. She perished before another god, in the ruins of the Divine Court. That''s what that god said with their dying breath!
"Take a guess, Alfred. What exactly is the ''Goddess of Dawn'' you saw?"
Alfred''s body stiffened as though struck by lightning. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Luca. A momentter, his face flushed bright red with rage.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Alfred suddenly sprang to his feet and lunged at Luca, roaring furiously, "I saw it with my own eyes! That power—it was divine! What I saw was the Goddess of Dawn! You''re lying to me!"
Watching Alfred, who now resembled a raging beast, Luca merely let out a disdainful snort.
Divine runes shimmered faintly in the air, and Alfred''s body was instantly immobilized where he stood.
Luca no longer wished to waste his time. Turning his gaze toward the direction of the Dawn God Sect.
He said calmly, "Whether it''s true or not, you''ll find out soon enough."
As his words fell, the golden sun zing in the sky suddenly erupted with brilliant radiance.
The divine mes around Luca roared to life once more, and the power that had begun to wane surged back with terrifying intensity.
Gods'' Revtion.
The vast expanse of Divine mechurned and roared, consuming the heavens and blotting out the sun.
A crushing divine presence descended upon the world like a tidal wave.
Luca, gripping the Sr Divine Spear, took a single step forward and in an instant appeared in the skies above the Dawn God Sect.
Looking down at the grand and majestic Dawn Cathedral, he spoke in a calm voice.
Yet his words rang out like thunder, echoing across the entire Dawn City.
"Dawn! Come out and face your death!"
Countless powerful individuals raised their heads sharply, staring at Luca in utter shock.
"Holy shit, can this kid extend his time limit?" eximed the War God Winston, his expression as though he''d seen a ghost.
Every expert in the city knew that Luca''s divine power couldn''tst long. Yet none had anticipated that he could unleash such a world-shaking force again, seemingly without limit!
Some who harbored ulterior motives fell silent at the sight before them.
They had initially nned to strike at Luca when his power waned, but now, all such thoughts were extinguished. After all, no one could be certain how many times Luca could ascend to godhood.
Who knew if, when pushed to the brink, he might do it again and swat them like flies? Divine power was tempting, yes, but only if one lived long enough to wield it. Though it seemed unlikely that Luca could use this power without limits, no one was willing to risk their life to find out what his trump card was.
"Why is this harbinger of doom causing trouble at our holy sect?" Outside the Dawn Cathedral, countless followers and priests gazed upward at the figure wrapped in divine mes, their eyes filled with terror.
Inside the cathedral''s grand hall, before the sacred statue, a young girl in a simple white nightgowny motionless atop a golden ritual circle. Her eyes were closed, her face pale, as if she were trapped in an endless slumber.
As the Saintess Joanna chanted incantations, the ancient ritual circle began to hum and glow. The Dawn Statueradiated dazzling divine light.
Holy radiance poured from the statue, bathing the girl''s delicate features, making her look like a sleeping angel.
Hearing themotion outside, Saintess Joanna furrowed her brows. Closing the holy scripture in her hands, she turned to Queen Matildaand said, "Alfred must have told him. Otherwise, there''s no way he would have found this ce so quickly."
Queen Matilda snorted coldly. "That old fool! Useless in achieving anything, and now he''s brought us this massive trouble at the worst possible time.
"Hand me the Orb of Stars. I''ll hold him off—finish the descent ritual as quickly as you can."
Saintess Joanna nodded slightly. A radiant glow enveloped her as she opened her eyes, which sparkled with divine brilliance.
A burst of starlight erupted from the orb held by the Dawn Statue.
Buzz!
The orb in the statue''s hands released a blinding radiance and flew toward Matilda.
The moment Matilda touched the Orb of Stars, it merged seamlessly into her body.
Blinding holy light burst forth, shooting straight into the heavens!
The boundless golden sea of fire and the sky itself seemed to part, revealing an expanse of pitch-ck night.
Countless onlookers gasped in horror, lifting their eyes to the sky.
Amidst the infinite stars stood a graceful figure suspended in the void.
Draped in a regal cloak and crowned with a magnificent tiara, her entire being shimmered with celestial light. Her eyes radiated divine brilliance, and an aura of unmatched majesty surrounded her.
Behind her, countless stars shone brightly, their light forming a backdrop of cosmic splendor.
The oppressive might of a god descended upon the world once more.Another divine being had appeared?!