After hearing Artemis’s words, Charlotte paused slightly.
She said nothing more, rely nodding faintly.
“Call him forth.”
After a wash of silver light, Helios’s figure appeared within the hall.
He looked no different from usual, save for one thing—the golden radiance that constantly emanated from his entire being was gone. It was clear that what stood before them was no longer a divine body, but rely a divine soul in an energy state.
In Charlotte’s perception, what she saw was far more precise: a divine core on the verge of shattering, a sowhat weakened divine fla, and deep within that fla, a trace of pale-white fire clinging like a parasitic curse, entangled with the golden divine fla.
That was Origin power.
It had always been a part of Helios’s soul-origin. Unless the Origin were completely annihilated, Helios could never fully purge it.
However, after the Origin had just been heavily wounded, that remnant had beco exceedingly weak.
Even without Charlotte’s intervention, Helios could easily suppress it.
But clearly, Helios—who had no intention of rebuilding his divine body—had no desire to suppress it at all.
Looking at the Sun God, weak yet more resolute than ever, Charlotte vaguely guessed his intention.
She sighed softly and said,
“Helios… are you planning to reincarnate?”
Helios smiled faintly and replied respectfully.
“Teacher, I knew you would understand my thoughts.”
Charlotte fell silent for a mont, then said.
“You must know that the Origin power within you has not been completely purged. If you remain in a divine state, you can suppress it indefinitely. But if you reincarnate…”
“You will lose your divine power for a ti. As a mortal, you will be unable to restrain its strength.”
Helios smiled.
“But isn’t this precisely what history was ant to be?” he said.
“You said it yourself—what has already happened cannot be changed.”
“It cannot be changed, but it can be shaped,” Charlotte replied.
“In past history, the Western Continent was destroyed because of you. Now… it was destroyed by . Though both are destruction, they are ultimately different. That difference is a variable.”
Helios grew solemn.
“And precisely because of that, I wish to follow history.”
“Teacher, I have an inseparable connection to the Origin. Because of that… I can vaguely sense Its thoughts.”
“You have successfully dealt It a heavy blow. I can feel Its fear, and I can faintly perceive Its intentions.”
“If there is no suitable opportunity, It will never appear again. It will choose to remain asleep—waiting… waiting… until the day when It has hope of awakening once more.”
“I know that next, you will continue to push history forward according to ‘history’—for example… creating the blood race, and letting Artemis’s and my incarnations replace our past selves—Harald… and Lilith.”
“But if that happens, the Origin will never reappear. At least, not as it did in history.”
“Unless… It senses an opportunity.”
Charlotte’s heart stirred. Her brow furrowed slightly.
“You want to make yourself Its ‘opportunity’? You want to race against It—and against ti?”
Helios smiled.
“Why not? I am, after all, ford from Its own source power. To It, my body is the most perfect vessel.”
“Even if It knows this is bait, as long as It senses the possibility of victory, It will have no choice but to bite. After all… waiting may bring opportunity, but it also ans uncertainty.”
At this point, Helios’s gaze burned brightly.
“So as long as I reincarnate, as long as It senses hope, It will surely act. And my body… can beco the best prison to confine It.”
“When that mont cos… you will be able to end It completely!”
Charlotte fell silent.
Helios was right.
His body could beco the most perfect prison.
The reason the Origin had managed to escape this ti was because Its power was omnipresent—Its soul-origin had not yet fully condensed into a single point. Even divine sealing would inevitably leave loopholes.
But Helios was different.
If the Origin fully awakened within him, that would an Its soul-origin had completely condensed. Only then could It truly replace Helios—and only then would it be possible to annihilate It utterly, casting It into eternal oblivion.
But at the sa ti, such complete awakening would also an Helios’s annihilation.
After a long silence, Charlotte looked at him.
“You… have already made up your mind? Do you understand what this ans?”
Helios nodded.
“Of course. At worst, it ans I too fall into eternal oblivion.”
“That is the inevitable outco—and the best one. If It does not die, we can never be separated. And if I do not die, It will never fall into eternal silence.”
Charlotte’s expression grew complex.
Artemis bit her lip, wanting to speak but holding back, sorrow welling uncontrollably in her eyes.
Seeing his sister’s grief, Helios smiled.
He reached out and gently rubbed her head, comforting her.
“Lilith, don’t make that face. Eternal oblivion doesn’t an I can never return.”
“With Teacher here, when the Origin is completely dispersed, calling back by divine na isn’t impossible.”
But the you who returns… will no longer be you.
Charlotte sighed inwardly.
Yet she knew Helios’s plan was already the best possible one. After all… she could not guarantee that giving the Origin more ti would not lead to further variables—other hidden cards, other contingencies. Simply waiting was, in essence, sothing neither she nor the Origin truly wished for.
To strike the Origin into eternal silence at a critical historical node was the best choice for both sides.
After a long silence, her expression finally returned to calm.
“Since you have made your decision, then follow your will and reincarnate.”
Helios bowed deeply.
“Teacher, thank you for granting permission.”
Charlotte then turned to the hesitant Artemis, her expression growing solemn.
“Artemis, since Helios has made his choice… I also have a task for you.”
Artemis listened attentively as Charlotte extended her hand.
Crimson-gold radiance flared within her palm, condensing into points of light—these were the soul-origins of the elven gods who had fallen to the Origin.
Through their bloodline connections, Charlotte had retrieved their origins before their final destruction. Now, all of them were entrusted to Artemis.
“These are the origins of the gods. Though they have suffered great damage, they still have a chance at reincarnation. Now… I place them in your hands.”
After Artemis respectfully accepted the divine origins, a crimson light appeared in Charlotte’s hand, condensing into a phantasmal gospel—
The Gospel of Blood.
Charlotte continued.
“Through my clash with the Origin just now, I have found Its weakness and re-condensed a form of Creation divine power capable of suppressing It. I have sealed it within this gospel.”
“When Helios reincarnates, follow the original plan. Separate an avatar—both to protect his path and to await the future ‘’.”
“And then… hand this to the future ‘’.”
Artemis finally raised her head, unable to hold back any longer.
“Teacher, then what about you? You…”
Charlotte smiled.
“Of course I will enter slumber. You don’t think that after heavily wounding the Origin, I ca away unscathed, do you?”
“I need to sleep for a ti—perhaps a very, very long ti—to re-condense my strength.”
The two elven gods’ expressions changed, worry impossible to conceal.
Charlotte smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. The Origin is far worse off than I am. Even if I sleep, even if Helios’s reincarnation accelerates Its recovery, I will awaken before It does.”
“And this is not a bad thing. I cannot directly et the future ‘’. Such is the law of the world. If we were to et, either the world’s laws would collapse completely, or we would rge into one…”
“So slumber is my best choice.”
“After all, there can only be one True Ancestor of Blood in the world.”
“Guide the future ‘’ well. I will awaken at the appropriate ti. When the mories of the two ‘’ converge and return to their rightful place…”
“…that will be the mont of our final battle with the Origin.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)