Before Jino, Pursena and company had even returned, Rygar had already been notified by the Magic Word device about the progress of the investigation.
At first, he was as lost as they were regarding the true culprit behind the massacre in the Kingdom of the Kingdragon.
After all, none of this had happened in Oldgar's Timeline.
Since this had not happened before, Rygar thought the Future Guide would not be very useful — but, even so, he decided to take a look.
As he read again, his eyes stopped on a note that made him frown. There was described the modus operandi of one of Hitogami's apostles who operated in exactly that way.
The Nether King, Vita.
The former Guardian of the Inferno Labyrinth, or, more precisely, the being who had taken possession of his body.
After cross-referencing the Guide's information and searching specifically for him, Rygar realized there were many similarities between the events.
The methods were the same, but there was a difference between the two.
Vita was being excessively cautious.
According to the information recorded in the Guide, the Nether King was extremely confident in his Miko Powers.
Being so careful and methodical — to the point of erasing every trace perfectly — was not his manner. It was an exaggeration.
He spent a long time thinking and analyzing the circumstances.
This was the first really big event that had changed compared to Oldgar's Timeline.
Later, he called Verdia and Aisha to discuss the case.
Both reached conclusions similar to his.
After pondering everything, Rygar concluded that the God-Man was trying to reduce his forces and eliminate his allies, rather than attacking him head-on.
That perception was both good and bad.
It was good news, because it meant Hitogami was afraid. The mere fact that he was avoiding direct confrontation indicated that Rygar was on the right path — he was a real threat to his opponent.
But it was also bad news.
Because Hitogami was acting with extreme seriousness. He would use everything he had, every apostle, every trick — to try to stop him.
In the last year, since the moment his daughter went back in time, Rygar had been dedicating himself almost entirely to contingency plans.
Knowing much of the future, it was impossible for him to remain passive.
And as he expected, Hitogami had been acting differently because of that. And, consequently, everything was different.
Rygar had sent hunters to search for Geese Nukadia on every continent.
He sent trackers to accurately identify the location of the Techniqu God residence.
He even dispatched infiltrating investigators into the world's major nations.
And all of that was only a small fraction of what was being done.
On the surface, the Kingdom of Gaia remained at peace, but behind the scenes, they were preparing for the calamities to come.
Thinking about that, Rygar sighed.
Even with all that structure, with all the planning and accumulated power, fighting an omniscient deity was an extremely complicated thing.
At that point, fighting Orsted even seemed simpler.
If Orsted were his enemy, he would attack him head-on, without many tricks.
He would try to kill you — and you would try to kill him back. Simple and direct.
Well, who said he could choose his enemies?
---
Rygar was, at that moment, sitting on a branch, high up in a tree that bordered a training field.
Down below, his sister, Ruby, exchanged blows with Norn, Zenith's daughter.
Young Ruby, despite being the youngest, seemed to have a slight advantage. Her reflexes were quick; even if she wasn't especially talented, she was still a Doldia.
Norn, on the other hand, although she had good technique, was still a bit hesitant.
While the two fought, Lisena, Lilia and Zenith watched, seated on a stone bench, chatting casually.
Rygar watched in silence.
He really wanted to have a little more time to spend with his mother and his sister. But lately, his schedule had been completely full.
Still, seeing his mother looking happy, and Ruby there, growing, fighting and laughing, was good enough for him.
Having watched no more, Rygar leaped from the branch and moved on, making his way through the trees.
Within minutes, the landscape before him opened up.
The Combat Temple stretched ahead.
Arenas spread across different levels of stone, each occupied by warriors training, exchanging blows and honing their techniques.
Rygar passed by them all quickly, without stopping to watch.
And then, he felt a familiar presence, Taes.
Taes was carrying a child on his shoulders. When Rygar approached, Taes noticed him immediately.
"Oh! Hey, squirt!" he said, drawing the child's attention. "This is the boss I told you about!"
The child turned his face curiously; his eyes were light red. His hair was brown, identical to Taes'.
"Hmph!" the boy grunted, crossing his arms with an arrogant expression. "He doesn't look that impressive! Daddy is way more amazing than him!"
Taes let out a bitter laugh, scratching the back of his neck. To his son, he was number one in the world, and Taes couldn't help but brag a little to him.
Rygar raised an eyebrow, amused. He knew that boy — Taes' eldest son, Kody. He seemed full of energy.
"So Lisa finally agreed to let him train?" Rygar asked, crossing his arms.
Taes smiled satisfied.
"Of course! He's already four years old!" he answered proudly.
He put the boy down on the ground. "Go play a little, Kody. Daddy needs to talk to the boss."
The boy snorted, but obeyed, running toward a nearby arena.
When he moved away, Taes sighed.
"He's more stubborn than I was at that age," he commented, then turned to Rygar.
Rygar watched him for a moment and then said:
"If you think he has talent, consider leaving him in Eris' care. I think she was thinking of training a disciple."
Taes was surprised for a moment, but soon nodded. "If I see he has talent, I'll bring it up."
"All right, how is Ornthorn's mission going?"
"He managed to capture a Blue Dragon," Taes recounted. "He used the same method you used with Ezkalor. It took a bit longer than expected, but it worked."
Rygar nodded slowly.
"And where is he now?"
"At the Dragon Sanctuary," Taes replied. "He is trying to fully tame it now. Ezkalor's presence there is being a great help."
Rygar nodded.
At the Dragon Sanctuary, there were more than twenty Blue Dragon eggs about to hatch.
He had given Ornthorn the mission of capturing an adult Blue Dragon precisely so he could take care of the hatchlings when they were born.
Ornthorn might not be the most powerful among his subordinates, but his physical strength was certainly the greatest, even above Baron, who was an Ogre. If anyone could subdue a dragon in direct combat, it was him.
Rygar then turned to Taes.
"Most of the preparations I could make in the Kingdom of Gaia are already underway," he said calmly. "And those that remain are in the final stages."
He paused and looked toward the horizon.
"Soon, I will leave the Kingdom of Gaia for a few months."
The serious tone in Rygar's voice made Taes change expression.
"You will leave the kingdom?" he asked, tense.
Rygar nodded.
"Since I finished reading the Future Guide, I knew this would be inevitable. There are many things that need to be done urgently on the Demon Continent."
Rygar's voice grew colder.
"The God-Man has already acted in the Kingdom of the Kingdragon. If we are not faster than him, we will simply be crushed. Even Orsted can make an unforeseen move."
Taes frowned and replied:
"I understand. While you're away, I'll make sure everything is in order here."
Rygar nodded, satisfied.
"I will not be traveling alone this time, but I will not take many. Ghislaine, Ornthorn and Jino will still be here to assist you."
He paused briefly and added:
"Jino is already very strong; what he needs now is experience. And Ghislaine, although she will spend most of the time at our home, can help if something goes wrong. So don't try to handle everything alone."
Taes nodded with a slight smile.
"Leave it to me. So, Eris is going with you?"
"Yes." Rygar confirmed. "She, Verdia, Skoll and Ezkalor."
"I see…" Taes scratched his chin, thoughtful. "Right, I'll need to make some extra preparations."
He looked up again.
"By the way, when will Kilian return from the mission you sent him on?"
Kilian was usually second-in-command and very important in the administration of the Iron Legion, but he had been on a mission for a long time.
"In a few months," Rygar answered. "But the new Magic Word will not suffer interference as easily as the last device, so you don't need to worry about his security."
Taes nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Understood."
He then turned in the direction where his son was playing and went to him.
Rygar watched for a few moments, and then continued on his way toward the Magic Tower of the Combat Temple.
---
Shortly after, Rygar reached his destination.
Inside, amid a pile of notes, crystals and metal parts, were Godbard, Rufus and Brightstone — the three dwarf masters responsible for the Iron Legion's most complex projects.
This was unusual, since they usually worked in the Dwarf Territory or in Tinaver.
The reason for this was that the project they were working on was too important to be carried out in the Star Rise Academy's facilities.
The Sköllvindr Armor would be Rygar's best hidden ace.
And the security of the Magic Tower was naturally much higher.
Only Rygar and a few authorized people could enter — and today, besides the three dwarves, Aisha and Verdia were also present.
Rufus wiped the sweat from his brow and reported:
"The process of fusing black mithril with the alloy is stable, but the problem is magical conductivity. We're missing the final catalyst."
Brightstone added:
"Well, we're still missing Ravennite ore, which is found only on the Demon Continent. Without it, the armor's structure won't reach the necessary synchrony with the magic core."
Rygar nodded. That was precisely one of the reasons for the trip he was planning.
"That's good — when I return from this trip I'll have the ore; in the remaining time, you should focus on becoming increasingly familiar with the forging process."
Godbard laughed, pounding his hammer against his chest. "Leave it to us, boy. Sköllvindr will be the work that marks an era."
Shortly after, when all the adjustments had been discussed and confirmed, Rygar, Verdia and Aisha left the Tower together.
During the return trip, the trio talked about the journey. At first, Aisha would also go — that was the original plan. But in the last meetings, she herself decided otherwise.
She had many things to do in the Kingdom, mainly at the Star Rise Academy.
Also, she mentioned she was practicing a new fighting method and wanted to get familiar with it as quickly as possible.
Rygar agreed without insisting much; he trusted that Aisha would know what was best for herself.
Thus, the trip would be made only by Eris and Verdia, alongside him.
The following days were peaceful.
Rygar enjoyed every moment beside his children — Diana, Perseu, Iris and Aurora.
Even if his absence would not last long, a few months was still a long time for a newborn baby.
Iris was trying to take her first steps, since she saw her siblings walking everywhere; Perseu was learning to jump; Aurora was perfecting her Teleportation more and more; and Diana was always sleeping in Verdia's arms.
Time passed quickly. When they realized it, the day of departure had arrived.
-----
Hello! If you want to support my writing, check out my subscription P@treon
By subscribing, you will get access to up to 20 advanced chapters of the Webnovel and polls to decide various things about the story.
Your support will encourage me to continue writing more chapters! Check it out here: pa treon.com/DaoistJunkYard