[Vol. 8] Chapter 245: The Hero and the Eternal Radiance
The future foretold by the [Revelator] is always completely accurate, and most of it is impossible for humans to change. However, as long as they prepare in advance, they can still influence and control the course of the future to some extent. This was why Vera traveled thousands of miles from the Human United Kingdom, crossing mountains and rivers, to arrive at the Saint Laos City.
If no one interferes, this place will give birth to an unprecedented disaster, affecting at least the entire Theo Province, and possibly bringing the first great storm to the whole world.
Vera did not tell Heimdall about the prophecy that he would die in an ambush by a cult and betrayal from his colleagues. According to the [Revelator]’s vision, even if he knew in advance, his fate would not change, worse still, it could bring about an even more terrible outcome. That part of the future was destined to remain unshaken.
That said, Vera still felt uneasy at the time and dropped a few indirect hints to him. She could tell that Heimdall likely understood the hidden meaning, but… the result did not change in the slightest.
So, following the instructions of that person, she used her own connections in another way. During the temple trials not long ago, she secretly arranged for the Archbishop of Saint Laos’s daughter to lead a group to the Holy Capital for pilgrimage. In this way, she avoided the fate of dying alongside her father in that incident.
This would become one of the key moves in preventing the disaster. But this was far from the only thing Vera knew.
Deep underground in the Saint Laos City lies a piece of flesh, both a “seed” and an early-arriving “beacon.” It came from a terrifying being far beyond her understanding or imagination, containing an extremely dangerous and unfathomable power.
The cultists had gone to great lengths to infiltrate the local temple. One reason was to control the flow of information and hide their presence and activities. But more importantly, they intended to use the vast faith accumulated by the Church to nurture that piece of flesh, allowing it to grow, and eventually, when disaster struck, help that being descend into the world.
Vera had long known its location and purpose, but she told no one, not even her close aide Ricardo, or the Blue Butterfly she later grew close to. Ordinary people have no power to destroy the flesh, and acting recklessly would only get them killed for nothing.
She had to wait for the right opportunity.
According to the [Revelator]’s guidance, somewhere outside Saint Laos City, a nameless ruin would one day appear. Inside it was sealed a [Mythical Species], a being of legend that vanished three hundred years ago, said to possess power nearly equal to the gods. Only when the ruin reappeared, and with that power beyond human understanding, could they hope to destroy the flesh of disaster and prevent the ruinous future from coming.
That was why Vera sent her most trusted aide, Ricardo, into the ruins to try to form a connection with the [Mythical Species] inside.
However, this task was not so easy. While the [Revelator]’s prophecies had never been wrong, that did not mean she could see every detail of the future clearly. The greater the event’s influence, the more unclear the details would be, sometimes so blurred that nothing could be seen at all.
Although Vera had arrived in the city two years earlier to prepare, she actually knew nothing about the situation inside the ruins, nor exactly how to connect with the [Mythical Species]. So Ricardo’s first attempt ended in an accident. He did gain something from it, but also accidentally uncovered traces of a terrifying plot they had known nothing about.
Faced with this situation, she had to urgently change her plan, sending the only witness, Ricardo, to secretly travel to the eastern battlefield where the Holy Empire’s army was stationed and deliver the information.
But, as misfortune often comes in pairs, shortly after Ricardo set out, the ruins suddenly and without warning closed on their own. The tentative contact Vera had painstakingly made with a certain group of [Mythical Species]s through the Eternal Frost Merchant Guild was now completely cut off.
According to the message from allies inside the Saint Laos City Church, not long ago, that terrifying piece of flesh somehow received an enormous amount of nourishment and began to grow at a speed more than ten times faster than before. The situation had already become extremely dangerous.
No one knew the reason, but unexpected changes kept happening one after another. By now, things had already gone beyond the scope of the [Revelator]’s guidance, and Vera could only adapt to the situation as it unfolded.
So when she unexpectedly learned that the Heaven Hero had appeared in this city, she planned to use the power of the god-chosen to try to counter, or even destroy, the flesh beneath the church. But…
Before she could even pass on the message, the seed of disaster had already been completely triggered.
Vera truly could not understand, what power had interfered with this event, causing the situation to spiral so visibly out of control?
Could it be because of the hero’s arrival? Had the goddess’s divine artifact already surpassed the limits of what prophecy could foresee?
Now… what should she do? What could she do?
But just as a chill ran through Vera’s heart and she felt disaster was already upon them, that the destruction of Saint Laos City would happen today, a golden light suddenly rose from the distant church!
“Woom~!”
That light was sacred and magnificent, shooting straight into the heavens. It poured into the clouds, and the once pure-white clouds turned into vast waves of crimson-gold sunset glow. A golden cage fell from the sky with a thunderous crash, trapping the giant flesh tree that had been growing wildly!
The clear yet solemn chanting of a young girl shook the heavens and the earth, like the voice of a divine oracle sweeping across the land.
[O Supreme and Most Holy Primordial Light, I, Elunie Light, pray in this name!]
[Let the high chains of heaven fall and become the shackles of sin.]
[Weave the prison of divine judgment with the eternal holy light, and forge the foundation of sealing evil with the divine ring!]
[Let the stars be the locks, the sun and moon deliver punishment, and the Heaven Hero humbly requests the authority of the gods!]
[Let everywhere touched by your radiance become pure land!]
“Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!!!”
When the chant ended, rays of golden light shot out from the surging clouds, turning into chains that flew down and wrapped tightly around the giant flesh tree. In just an instant, it was bound from top to bottom, unable to grow or spread any further.
“Crack-crack-crack…”
The holy chains suddenly tightened, supporting each other with the prison of light, glowing and dimming like a living breath. The giant flesh tree struggled violently like a trapped prisoner. As its branches lashed out, the golden chains split into countless fine cracks that could be seen with the naked eye, but were then repaired again by the light pouring down from the heavens, locking the two forces in a fierce contest.
“This…?”
Vera’s heart shook.
Although this sudden golden prison did not completely and cleanly destroy the wildly growing flesh tree, there was no doubt that it was effectively restraining the monster from destroying the city further, especially stopping it from devouring more residents to make itself stronger.