Fine gold equipment, one of the Empire's proudest technological achievements, was renowned throughout the world for its unparalleled hardness. Yet in Mydei's hands, a fine gold weapon felt as flimsy as paper. With a casual squeeze, he crushed it effortlessly. Simultaneously, he raised his other hand and flicked it forward.
Boom!
The Imperial Commander shot backward like a cannonball, hurtling across over a hundred meters at a speed barely discernible to the naked eye. He crashed into the massive spear that had torn through the earth.
The battle ended with a single strike. Mydei glanced at the scattered Imperial soldiers around him and decided against a total massacre. He needed survivors to spread the tale of what had transpired here.
Casting one last look toward the Hero Party's position, Mydei turned and strode away. As he walked, he checked his System Page. This single battle had already earned him approximately 15,000 Fame points, and the number was still rapidly increasing.
After all, the Empire's reconnaissance unit numbered a full thousand soldiers, each possessing considerable strength. Their collective Fame contribution was substantial. Moreover, Mydei's colossal spear was clearly visible from Cloudsea City, ten kilometers away, earning Fame from the entire population.
With these combined sources, accumulating 15,000 Fame in one go wasn't surprising. Once the Imperial soldiers returned and spread word of the event, Mydei estimated he'd soon have enough Fame for another lottery draw.
Now, the final question remained: Mydei stared at the Travel Book in his hand. "Alright, I've put on the show," he thought. "Now what am I supposed to do with this thing?"
He idly flipped through the pages, finding them completely blank. This was expected. As Dio had explained, the book recorded the holder's experiences. Having just acquired it, Mydei hadn't had any experiences to record, hence its emptiness.
It felt like a weakened version of the Demigod of Time. Oronyx's divine power could replay past events without any preconditions, but the Travel Book required personal experiences as a prerequisite.
In conclusion, this Divine Artifact seemed impressive, but it appeared utterly useless to both Mydei and Cipher.
For someone else wielding the Travel Book, having witnessed Mydei's recent battle, they might later recreate the scene, summoning a spear hundreds of meters long to descend from the sky and strike their enemies. But for Mydei, such attacks were trivial; he had no need for the Travel Book's power.
Still, it was a Divine Artifact, not something one could simply discard. With no better option, he decided to keep it for now.
Meanwhile, back with Cipher's group, it took them over ten minutes after Mydei's departure to gradually recover their composure.
A narrow escape? Dio thought. Not really. The Demigod's sole objective seemed to be the Travel Book; he never intended to kill us. After a pause, Dio lowered his head and muttered, "The prophecy about the Divine Artifacts... is it finally coming true?"
As if triggered by a keyword, the White-Bearded Old Mage exclaimed in surprise, "A prophecy? What prophecy?"
Dio explained, "Many believe there are only seven Divine Artifacts—the ones wielded by the seven heroes who once slew the Demon Lord. But that's not the whole truth. There are actually twelve, each corresponding to one of the twelve main classes."
"But the other five Divine Artifacts have yet to manifest, and no one knows their whereabouts. There's a prophecy surrounding these twelve Artifacts: when they all appear, a calamity will sweep across the entire continent. Only twelve powerful heroes, each wielding one of the Divine Artifacts, will have any chance of averting this disaster."
"I learned about this while traveling through the Great Forest, from a Druid who worships the Father of Oaks. The fact that Mydeimos, the Demigod, dared to declare he wanted to 'retrieve all Divine Artifacts' proves he knows about the prophecy too. He's aware there are more than just seven Artifacts, and he and the forces behind him are undoubtedly after all twelve!"
"Uh..." Hearing this, Cipher's cat tail stiffened involuntarily. What prophecy? I've never heard of it! She had only said "retrieve all Divine Artifacts" because it sounded more impressive than "retrieve the seven Divine Artifacts"!
Dio continued, "The question is, does Mydeimos intend to collect these twelve Divine Artifacts to save the world, or to prevent others from saving it?"
"If it's the former, that's naturally good, but that Demigod's power is so immense, it seems he has no need for the Travel Book's power at all."
"But if it's the latter, we're in deep trouble. The Father of Oaks' prophecy only mentions a looming disaster, without specifying its nature. Could Mydeimos and his backers be that very disaster? If they seize all the Divine Artifacts before we can act, the prophecy won't be fulfilled, and no one will be able to stop them!"
Cipher listened to Dio's words, her embarrassment so intense that her toes curled into tight knots inside her high heels, practically digging out a three-bedroom apartment. She brought her tail forward and nervously stroked its fur with both hands.
Good heavens, do you really have to take everything so literally? she thought. I just made a casual, boastful remark to sound cool! How could you possibly read so much into it?
Despite her inner turmoil, the White-Bearded Old Mage remained skeptical. "Is this prophecy you speak of truly reliable? Why have I never heard of such a thing before?"
Dio shrugged. "You're asking me? You Divination School wizards don't know anything. Are you sure it's not just because you're incompetent?"
The white-bearded old mage's lips twitched visibly. "Just you wait! I'll show you the true power of a Diviner right now!"
As he spoke, he instructed his male student to retrieve the Crystal Ball while he prepared to cast his spell. Meanwhile, Feidric explained his earlier hypotheses about the Faith Gods and Ancient Gods.
Dio nodded after listening. "So, you're suggesting that Mydeimos is an Ancient God, similar to the Father of Oaks?"
"It's a possibility," Feidric replied, "but I can't be certain."
Cipher, having absorbed Feidric's explanation, looked thoughtful. If that logic held, she wondered if the Titans of Amphoreus should also be classified as Ancient Gods. As for how the Chrysos Heirs fit into this framework, she wasn't entirely sure.
By then, the old mage's magic was ready. He gathered everyone around, stroking his beard indignantly. "Watch closely and witness the might of the Divination School!"
The Sixth-Level Divination School was renowned for its mastery of the Legend Lore spell.
This spell could recreate a person's legendary feats on a medium, typically a crystal ball. For example, casting it on a Legendary Dragon Slayer would allow one to witness their dragon-slaying exploits in their entirety.
Legend Lore was commonly used to investigate powerful figures with hidden identities. By knowing even one of their famous deeds, one could often uncover their true identity. To reiterate the example of the Dragon Slayer, witnessing their complete dragon-slaying process would naturally reveal details about their combat abilities, fighting habits, and other relevant information.
In short, it was an incredibly practical spell. At that moment, the White-Bearded Old Mage was directing this spell toward none other than Mydei.
After the mage cast the spell, the crystal ball remained a murky gray, showing no signs of activation. Dio couldn't help but exclaim, "Old man, what's going on? Did your magic fail?"
The Old Mage merely frowned slightly. "No... it's just that this person has performed too many legendary feats. I need to lock onto a specific one for the spell to function properly."
The criteria for this magic were notoriously strict. It wasn't enough for someone to boast about single-handedly wiping out a bandit camp or slaughtering an entire goblin village. While impressive, these deeds hardly qualified as Legendary Feats.
To truly earn the title of "Legendary," one had to achieve feats like single-handedly slaying a dragon or annihilating an entire city alone—achievements that many adventurers spent their entire lives striving for, often without success. This was precisely the drawback of Legend Lore: if the target had no genuine legendary feats to speak of, the spell would reveal nothing.
Yet... it was absurd that the spell was malfunctioning due to an excess of legendary feats.
After a moment, the hazy mist within the crystal ball finally dissipated, revealing a scene on a battlefield. Mydeimos, the man they had seen earlier, stood with his longsword planted on the chest of a crowned king. He proclaimed loudly:
"Listen well! I am Mydeimos, leader of the Castrum Kremnos Army—and I have come to pierce your heart, Father!"
Upon hearing these words, the King's face contorted with shock and fury. "You! You despicable beast! You truly defied death... the prophecy was true... My Castrum Kremnos Dynasty will ultimately fall by your hand!"
In just two lines of dialogue, a wealth of information was revealed. Dio mused, "So, Mydeimos claimed to be the King of Castrum Kremnos. Did he kill his father to seize the throne?"
At first glance, patricide and usurpation seemed unequivocally evil. Yet, strictly speaking, this might not be a true usurpation. After all, Mydeimos was a prince, and the entire conflict stemmed from the King's abandonment of his own child.
Regardless, the act of King Slayer Becomes King undoubtedly qualified as a sensational "Legendary Feat."
The scene continued. Mydeimos sneered, "Refuse? You're mistaken. Death fears me! Thanks to you, I possess this steel body. As for you, Father, you're beyond saving. You cast me into the sea of souls, and you sought to enslave the Titans and desecrate the gods!"
"*Kremnoan Insult*! You weakling of a king! Even the most despicable hyena possesses a thousand times more nobility than you! Now, the fate of vengeance has come for you!"
The King grinned. "Then draw your sword! Seize my crown, consecrate it with the blood of the First King, and inherit everything... Become the rightful King of Castrum Kremnos!"
But Mydeimos retorted, "No, I don't want the crown. It means nothing to me. I only seek your life, to avenge my mother and my people. That's all!"
The King burst into laughter. "Hahaha! It's all the same! Kill me, Son of Gorgo! You are destined to bathe in blood to claim the crown!"
With that, the legendary tale came to an end. The image in the Crystal Ball faded away, and Dio clicked his tongue. "Good grief, what kind of country is this? The next heir personally kills the previous king—how is that considered legitimate succession?"
But if such a kingdom truly existed, its rulers must have possessed extraordinary hard power in every generation. As the saying goes, "A general's quality shapes his troops." With such a formidable king, the kingdom's rank-and-file soldiers would undoubtedly be exceptionally strong—a nation brimming with martial virtue!
Feidric then said, "In that case, the story becomes clear. The king heard a prophecy that his own child would destroy his dynasty. To prevent this future, he threw the infant into the Sea of Souls and even killed the mother. But ultimately, Mydeimos fought his way back from the Underworld... killed his father to avenge his mother, and thus fulfilled the very prophecy he had sought to escape."
When Feidric mentioned "fought his way back from the Underworld," he paused briefly, finding the concept utterly absurd. Could a human truly accomplish such a feat?
Douglas's lips twitched slightly. "Are you saying this man escaped Death's clutches, clawed his way back from the Underworld to the Material Plane, and then successfully exacted his revenge?!"
The God of Death was one of the Twelve Main Gods. Douglas knew that the God of War, whom he worshipped, had a strained relationship with the Goddess of Life, but the God of War and the God of Death were close allies. This familiarity made the current situation even more unbelievable.
This world consisted of numerous planes, with the Material Plane, where they currently stood, being just one. Other planes included the Four Elemental Planes, the Divine Realm where the gods resided, the Nine Hells inhabited by demons, and the Underworld—also a distinct plane.
Normally, when a person died, they lost all memory and wandered the Underworld in their most basic soul form. Yet somehow, Mydeimos had managed to return from the Underworld to the Material Plane!
And if he could return once, it meant he could return again. Douglas swallowed hard. "Doesn't that mean... that guy is immortal?!"
PS: The sixth-level spell Legend Lore can typically reveal information about Mydei, but it's ineffective against Cipher. This is likely due to their differing priesthoods: the Demigod of Strife focuses solely on slaughter, lacking additional abilities beyond brute force, while the Demigod of Trickery possesses exceptionally potent anti-divination skills, a passive ability that activates automatically.