Chapter 466: A Different Recurrence

Flash!

“...?!”

Yula jolted awake, a sharp shock coursing through her.

The sight before her was familiar—a massive round table. She was alone.

“How... is this possible...?”

Just moments ago, she had been slaughtering the humans who dared challenge her. But now, after seemingly claiming millions of lives, she found herself back in the temple, from where the Oracle gazed upon the world.

Why was she back here?

“It does not matter if they are bold or foolish. When it is time to crawl, one must crawl. Wouldn’t you agree?”

As Karyl’s voice rang out, Yula looked down at the magical projection hovering at the center of the table. Within it, she saw a dimensional gate opening, and from it emerged an old man with a grim expression.

It was the Third God, the master of Lice, who had been the last to remain in the temple before descending among the humans.

“Is this more than a simple illusion? Did he actually reverse time? Or... was I trapped in his illusion all along?”

Who could possibly deceive a god? In all her centuries of existence, Yula had never experienced anything like this.

“So that was it. He dragged me down... just so he could confirm my full power. He even predicted the extent of my fury.”

Her lips quivered as the realization hit her.

“He deliberately ruined Exordiar to provoke me. He made a mockery out of us... and broke the pact with me... Anyone would have reacted the same way.”

Shrk!

It was then that a sharp shamshir dug into the Sixth’s back.

The woman with serpent lips stepped over his fallen body. Then, the projection revealed utter chaos—the gods locked in battle, trying to tear each other apart.

“...”

Everything seemed to unfold exactly as in the illusion she had seen. Soon, the Fourth and Fifth Gods would also fall.

“I was fooled by a human... Karyl, I cannot deny that I underestimated you. But lifting the illusion and showing me the truth was a foolish mistake. Illusions lose all meaning once the deception is known.”

Despite witnessing the deaths of the gods, Yula’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“Even in that illusion, you never defeated me. All it did was show me your weakness,” she sneered at the Karyl in the projection.

However, her anger was quickly overtaken by doubt.

“...But why would you undo the spell?”

Surely, he had realized he had no chance of winning. That had to be it. No matter how she looked at it, it was the only answer that made sense.

With the First and Third Gods dead, no one else could stand against her. So even if Karyl dispelled the illusion and gained another opportunity, what would change? All he had revealed was the certainty of defeat.

“I see... He only did it to confirm the extent of my strength. Once he realized there was no possibility of winning, he undid the spell. Then, what he intends to do next is obvious.”

She clenched her teeth, glaring at Karyl. There was no trace of divine dignity in her expression—just simmering rage.

“He wants to strengthen his forces even more. He will try to sway the remaining four gods to his side and challenge me again.”

Those remaining gods were not warriors, but Yula found the idea of them turning against her deeply unsettling.

“If that happens... it will be a problem.”

In terms of raw combat strength, she could still overpower them with the authority she held as the ruler of this dimension. But if those gods with unique abilities were to lend their power to the combat-focused ones, the outcome could become uncertain.

And then there was another problem: Karyl MacGovern. Not even Yula, a deity, could foresee the impact he might have.

What do I do now? Do I have to... kill them all?

She shook her head hard, as if to cast out the thought. Her nervous expression closely resembled that of a human.

Yula did not yet understand. Karyl hadn’t lifted the illusion because he lacked the power to maintain it. Rather, he had done so to show her that he could cast illusions—and could do so again.

Karyl had planted the seed of doubt, which would grow into anxiety, tension, and perhaps even fear. That was how the absolute might of a god could crumble.

Yula was beginning to question everything she had once taken for granted. And with doubt came hesitation. Now, she could no longer descend with utmost confidence. She was stuck in place, forced to think through every move.

This was exactly what Karyl had aimed for.

Is what I’m seeing now even real? What if I am still trapped in his illusion?

The possibility that she was still trapped in his illusion was far more troubling than the threat of the other gods turning against her.

“Karyl possesses draconic mana, and not just from one dragon. He’s absorbed two dragon hearts, so he can’t even be considered human anymore. That power affects not only his mana, but even his lifespan.”

Although dragons lived for thousands of years, ordinary humans, even with draconic mana, could not live nearly as long. But Karyl wasn’t an ordinary human; he commanded multiple Spirit Kings and was the rightful bearer of the Master Key.

“And then there’s that specter, Allen Javius... And he also has a necromancer. If he were to manifest as a spirit using elemental power, or become undead through black magic, then the limitations of his mortal flesh would mean nothing.”

Unless she could unravel how a human was able to cast an illusion powerful enough to deceive a god, Yula would likely continue falling for it. Karyl couldn’t win, but he wouldn’t lose either. An endless loop of battles, repeating over and over, was among the worst possible outcomes.

Karyl had perfectly predicted the effect of the illusion—Yula was growing more unsettled with each passing moment. Humanity fought to survive, but Yula, who coveted the Divine Throne, needed absolute victory.

Being trapped in an endless time loop felt even worse than annihilation, and the thought of it amplified her unease.

“Damn it...” Yula tightened her grip on the table.

And then—

“No... It can’t be...”

Karyl looked up at the sky with a faint smile on his face, as though urging her to come down.

“You bastard...! You’re mocking me, aren’t you?!”

Despite knowing about the illusion, she hadn’t the slightest clue how he had done it. It made no sense. How could a human possibly cast a spell on a god?

She tried to recall what had happened, tracing her memory for anything that felt out of place. In the final moment before the illusion broke, Karyl had shown her a book, the one left behind by that outsider, Kaye Aesir.

Who was he, really?

Being the creator of this world, Yula naturally knew all of human history.

Kaye Aesir was the first dragonslayer, the human hero who had bested Riseria, the Flame Dragon. He was also among the heroes who had built the old empire, alongside Alteman and Gald Rothschild.

But that was it. Though his history was unusual, it wasn’t something that would draw the attention of a god.

Although dragons were the most formidable lifeforms on Earth, slaying one wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. Yula herself had created humans, yet within humanity existed a kind of potential no god could fully comprehend.

Still, that potential had to remain within the rules. While hunting dragons wasn’t forbidden, slaying a god was out of the question.

“...”

And yet, as Yula looked at Karyl in that moment, a thought occurred to her. Why had she allowed him to grow this far in the first place, to reach this point where he stood above humanity?

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Karyl MacGovern had kept his power—and his potential—completely hidden. He had always been strong, but not to the point of drawing a god’s attention, of being seen as a threat to her. Up to this point, he had simply been a source of curiosity, something amusing, like a toy slowly growing stronger.

But what if Kaye Aesir did the same? What if he kept his power hidden and left behind plans for a distant future? What if that book was part of those plans?

The idea that a human could prepare for godslaying, completely undaunted by the centuries separating the old empire and the present era, was almost inconceivable.

And yet, one thing kept gnawing at her—the fact that she hadn’t noticed the Pharel from the Lord’s world descending into her own. She governed this world, and yet she had been oblivious to the tower’s emergence.

The idea of deceiving a god was absurd, but the Dimension Spiral in Karyl’s possession could explain everything, as that shard was capable of producing Divine Power equal to her own.

When Pharel from the Lord’s world had crossed into this one, the Dimension Spiral must have come with it. And someone likely used it to hide the tower.

But who? No matter how she looked at it, only one name came to mind.

If Kaye Aesir crossed over with Pharel from another dimension, then he must have been directly involved in the Lord’s death.

Thump, thump, thump... Thump!

Yula was finally starting to grasp the situation. If the death of the Lord, the highest god who stood above all, had come at the hands of a human...

And if Karyl had inherited the knowledge of that human... he could kill her as well.

Thud!

Yula abruptly rose from her chair, toppling it over. A bead of cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

***

“S-Stop!!”

“I’m sorry, but what’s done is done.”

“You imbecile!”

The god of the First Calamity furiously raised his fist, and the Fifth God stepped forward to block the strike.

Boom! Crash!

The old man swiftly pulled out his staff.

Screams rang out from all directions. The gods clashed viciously, with no distinction between friend or foe.

Composed, Karyl merely gazed at them. The entire world seemed to tremble, as though it might collapse from the weight of their battle.

But their fight no longer mattered, as Karyl was waiting for someone else.

Wuuuuuuuum...

As the sky warped and space began to twist, he spoke the name of the final piece he had been waiting for.

“Yula.”

“I see... So the high-nosed god is finally joining the dogfight,” Allen Javius muttered as he watched her appear.

His contemptuous sneer didn’t draw her attention away from Karyl. Her eyes remained fixed on him.

Step, step, step...

Karyl met her gaze, lightly waving his hand at her. Neither of them openly acknowledged what had transpired.

“What do you think? Things are finally getting interesting, eh?” he remarked with a wry smile.

The future that had repeated itself countless times was beginning anew, but this time, things would be different.