Chapter 57: A Broken World (III)

Since the apparitions in the sky appeared, disasters of varying scales have struck many places in two human nations—hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, and more. The elements that make up the world are no longer in balance; disrupted energies have begun to ravage the land. Plants wither, and the earth crumbles. In just half a month, the once-fertile Eastern Continent has taken on the appearance of an apocalyptic scene.

At this critical moment concerning the survival of humanity, the Church could no longer afford to prioritize its own prestige. It convened the Supreme Council in Salonia. With Cardinal Thos removed and Cardinals Bon Hamsworth and Alma Beard absent, the final resolution was passed with seven votes in favor and two abstentions.

Subsequently, the Church sent Bishop Omi Metment to lead the Holy Seal Knights to Vandel. Given the various crises facing the human world, an agreement was reached with Emperor Theo Bartz Yawood: the Empire would support the Church in spreading its teachings in exchange for the Church’s backing.

In fact, due to the emergence of Argus, the Church had already secretly absorbed many cities in the southern part of the Empire and gained numerous followers. Ultimately, its goal was to gradually annex the Empire. However, Beelzebub’s actions crossed the Church’s red line. It’s no wonder—no matter how many conflicts existed between the Empire and the Church, or between black and white mages, they were all humans, differing only in faith. If the Empire’s polytheistic beliefs were a thorn in the Church’s side, then Beelzebub had become a cancer threatening the entire world and human society, one that had to be eradicated swiftly.

For this purpose, the Supreme Council of the Church reinstated Cardinal Thos in his position, as well as the head of the Heresy Inquisition and the Inquisition Tribunal. It also granted him the title of [Saint Knight] of the Holy Cross Legion. Whether through compromise or otherwise, the goal was to win over Thos, as the future was unpredictable.

By the end of February, another meteor shower descended over the Empire. Countless giant meteors, burning with fierce flames and accompanied by thunderous booms, crashed onto the land, leaving indelible scars on an already devastated landscape.

The Dead Land had completely collapsed…
That barren black land became fragmented, hanging precariously in the air, constantly breaking apart and falling—any moment it might collapse entirely.

At that time, the eyes of those five immortal kings were filled with heaviness and sorrow, for they knew well that their seven comrades who remained in the Death Realm to fight against that terrifying man might have already vanished from this world. Though they were eternal beings, as long as they could seize back the Holy Spirit Stone from that man and restore balance to the Death Realm, their seven fallen comrades would be reborn. Yet still, they felt deep sorrow—not merely because of their comrades’ deaths, but also because ancient beings like them had been driven to such a plight by a mere human, a human they had once looked down upon…

The Death Realm had completely collapsed, and the balance of life and death had been disrupted. In the past few months, the souls of the dead could no longer return to the Death Realm and would have to remain in their soul form forever in the human world. But weak souls could not survive in the material world—that was a fundamental law of the world. With the rise of the sun, powerful souls were weakened while weak souls were scattered. If this continued, no new life would be born in the human world, and when the last human died, human civilization would utterly become history.

No, not just humans—all life in the material world would suffer the same fate. And when all life came to an end, the world would be forced back to its original chaos, beginning the history of life anew.

This was the inevitable self-preservation of the world’s laws. Before the grand laws of the world, all life was insignificant and powerless.

If they wanted to prevent this catastrophe, the only thing humans could do now was to restore balance to various realms of this world before it was forced back into chaos. The most effective way was to seize the Holy Spirit Stone from Belial. But…

This was by no means an easy task!

Yet precisely because of this upheaval, Vandel welcomed several utterly unexpected guests, and these unexpected visitors stunned everyone in Vandel.

Standing at the forefront was an old man wearing a black wool coat, a black magic robe, and a wizard’s hat. He smiled cheerfully, looking very energetic. The only thing that gave people a sense of discomfort was his faintly visible body…

It was in a soul state…

“Hehe, Grand Elder, and Vandel’s elders, long time no see!”

Looking at that somewhat grayish shadow, even the most experienced Grand Elder showed a stunned expression and murmured, “Little Kaines?”

Especially Abel was shocked, covering his mouth and shouting in disbelief, “Grand… grandfather?”
The others, like Allen, Scott, and Thos, also widened their eyes and exclaimed in astonishment, “The… former headmaster?”
It turned out that the person before them was the former headmaster of Heliorox Academy, the great mage Gret Kaines.
And the man in his thirties standing beside this great mage, smiling at Abel, made Thos and the others even more incredulous.
“Pro… Professor Hode?!”
Seeing that familiar figure, Abel felt dizzy for no reason and stepped back. Fortunately, Dia quickly caught him.
Amidst the still-disbelieving gazes of everyone, Professor Hode, who was in a spiritual state just like Great Mage Gret Kaines, walked up to Abel, scratched his head, and looked at his wife with an apologetic expression before whispering, “I’m back, Abel!”
Under Allen’s strange gaze, Abel tightly gripped the two rings on her left hand, suddenly sniffled, and said in a sobbing voice, “You bastard, you still remembered to come back!” Instinctively, she raised her fist to punch Professor Hode in the chest, but sadly, her right hand passed straight through his empty body.
“…”
Seeing the disappointment in his wife’s eyes, Professor Hode sighed slightly, turned to look at Thos and the others, and changed the subject, “Well, kids, you’ve grown up!”
Seemingly guessing Professor Hode’s intention, Great Mage Gret Kaines also said with a smile, “Hehe, indeed. Those troublesome kids in the academy back then seem to have grown up…” His gaze fell on the black magical robe coat worn by Thos, showing a hint of surprise. No one knew better than him what that represented—it was the exclusive robe of the headmaster of Heliorox Academy.
He stared at Thos in surprise for a long time, then suddenly sighed, shook his head self-mockingly, and said approvingly, “Impressive, kid. I really didn’t expect it to be you who took over my role…”
Hearing this, Professor Hode seemed to realize something as well. He circled Thos half a turn and said jokingly, “I really can’t believe it. The kid who cheated in the Ancient Magic History exam has now become the headmaster of Riorles Academy?”
“And that’s not all,” Allen said, pointing at Thos with a smile, “This guy is also one of the twelve cardinals of the Church now!”

“The Vatican?” Professor Hode was stunned and frowned. No wonder—after all, he had never held a favorable view of the Vatican. To avoid misunderstandings, Thos briefly explained what had happened over the past few years, and only then did Professor Hode relax. He looked at Thos with a mix of anger and amusement, shaking his head and saying, “You little brat, do you really think I need you to help me take revenge?” As he spoke, he raised his hand and habitually patted Thos on the head. Just as before, his right hand passed straight through Thos’s body, adding a touch of sadness to what should have been a joyful reunion. At that moment, Aibel had recovered from her excitement and asked in surprise, “Grandfather, Hode, how did you come here?” “Well…” The old dean shook his head and frowned. “We’re not sure either. All we know is… um, there are four great gates in the Land of Death, which are usually closed. But not long ago, those gates suddenly opened, and the souls and dead things gathered there rushed out. Somehow, we followed them out as well…” Before he could finish, a voice came from a corner of the hall. “Those four gates must have been opened by our comrades, in order to send as much usable power as possible to this world…” The old dean turned in surprise only to see five skeletons of different shapes calmly observing them. One of them even said, “Your human power comes from magic, and magic stems from soul power. As long as the soul remains intact, one can exert some of their strength from life. Well, at least it can be of some help… That’s probably what our comrades thought!” “What about Argus? Can Argus come back too?” Lily, who had followed Thos and Dia to Vandelta, asked hurriedly. “Argus? Which Argus? That name sounds familiar…” The Immortal King, Edmund Pankhes, the Bone Emperor, stroked his chin and recalled, “Are you talking about that rude apostle? Is that guy dead?” “You!” Seeing him insult Argus, little Lily huffed, looking angry with a hostile gaze. “Actually, I’d really like to see that annoying kid again,” the Bone Emperor said, shrugging as if compromising. “But sadly, human brat, after an apostle dies, nothing remains. Their body turns into fragments of darkness, and even their soul disappears from this world!” He glanced at Lily with a smirk.

The Skeleton Emperor’s peculiar expression made Lily look angry, but before she could speak, the old dean stared in shock at the Skeleton Emperor and the other four skeletons, murmuring in astonishment, “You… you are… the Immortal King?”
The Immortal King. The Skeleton Emperor habitually grunted to signify his lofty status, but then, seemingly realizing his current situation, his expression turned extremely awkward as he replied indifferently.
“Hm!”
“…” Glancing at the Immortal King, Professor Hod asked softly, “Hey, Thors, what’s going on here?”
So Thors explained Belial’s situation to the old dean and Professor Hod, omitting Belial’s true identity due to the presence of the Immortal King.
“Belial…” The old dean sighed deeply and nodded. “Hmm, some time ago, when we were in the Land of Death, there indeed was a massive war, with extremely strong energy fluctuations. I thought it was a war among those Immortal Kings…” As he spoke, he seemed to realize something and glanced apologetically at the five Immortal Kings before continuing, “I never expected that such a genius would appear among us humans… Truly remarkable!”
“Yes,” nodded the Grand Elder in agreement. “That child is very powerful and young. Even the Apostles can’t match him. I only hope that Thors can hold him off until Belial’s soul weakens…”
“Soul weakens?” The old dean was stunned and looked at the Grand Elder in confusion. Seeing the Grand Elder shake his head, he immediately understood. But then, the old dean seemed to think of something else, glanced at Thors, and frowned, “Although I had a feeling before that Thors had a powerful dark force within him, but now…”
“That’s the power of the Ancient Will!” The Grand Elder smiled slightly. “Ancient texts state that from the world’s original darkness, seven immortal beings with extraordinary powers were born. They represent various negative forces and can grant part of their power to other beings, which is how the Apostles came into being… But no matter how powerful the Apostles are, their power is ultimately external, not truly their own…”

“Hmm,” the old dean stroked his beard and sighed, “The power of the Apostles is truly terrifying. Back then, Argus was so young yet was able to take on me and Father Andrew alone…” At this point, it seemed he remembered something and turned to Thos, saying, “It’s strange. Didn’t you say Father Andrew died trying to bring you away from Argus to Salonia? Why haven’t we seen him in the Land of Death?”
A hint of hesitation appeared on Thos’s face. After a pause, he mumbled, “Well… after the white mage dies, part of their power returns to Salonia, so…”
But before he could finish, an Immortal King beside them spoke calmly, “A fragmented soul!”
Upon hearing this, the old dean immediately understood. Realizing it was an internal secret of Salonia, he didn’t say much more and continued the topic about Belial.
“We stayed in the Land of Death for some time… Although we never directly encountered Belial, as you mentioned, the Grand Elder, I still felt his overwhelming power, like the collapse of the heavens. Holding him back isn’t easy at all, unless…” The old dean paused.
Seemingly guessing the old dean’s thoughts, the Grand Elder asked with a smile, “Unless what?”
The old dean glanced at the Grand Elder in confusion, his face showing surprise. Then, as if realizing something, he stared at the Grand Elder in disbelief. After that, he turned to Thos and observed him carefully for a long time. Gradually, his eyes filled with astonishment as he exclaimed, “You… have mastered the Source Power?!”
Not only were the old dean and Professor Hodd shocked, but even the five Immortal Kings were stunned. As ancient beings, they certainly knew what the Source Power meant. Mastering it meant stepping into the realm of gods. Given time, such a person might even be equal to them, ancient beings. Possessing divine power in the body of an ordinary being from the Third World—this was even like a so-called demi-god…
Just like that man who destroyed the Land of Death single-handedly…
Under the old dean’s astonished gaze, the Grand Elder looked at Thos with satisfaction, nodding smilingly. But when he thought of Belial, he sighed secretly and shook his head, saying, “Even so, Thos still has no chance in a one-on-one fight. That kid, Belial, can’t be dealt with by just one person… And what’s more important is how to find him!”
“Find him?”
“Ah!”

By the second day after the second “meteor shower,” Vandel’s Grand Elder gathered all the astrologers in Vando City who possessed knowledge of astrology on the top floor of Vandel, including Abel. By combining their efforts and leveraging the power of the World Will, they tried to locate Belial.
To be honest, even with the combined strength of dozens of top-tier astrologers, finding Belial was like searching for a needle in a haystack. After all, Belial was not only a dark magician with semi-divine powers but also an expert in space magic and astrology, possessing the [Power of Evasion]. Who in the entire world could stand against him? Even the Apostles, who were shrouded in mystery, were utterly helpless in his presence. Finding his whereabouts was no easy task.
To track down Belial, they had to rely on the power of the World Will, utilizing the great wills of wind, earth, water, and others scattered across the world to search for him. However, merging one’s mental energy with the World Will was no simple task. Even Thos could only maintain this state for about ten minutes at most, let alone those astrologers.
Indeed, after just two hours of meditation, more than half of those roughly forty top-tier astrologers vomited blood and fell into a coma. Some were even in a state of mental collapse. If it weren’t for those watching over them waking them up in time, their consciousnesses would likely have been consumed by the World Will.
Worse still, Belial, who was skilled in astrology, seemed to have sensed their actions and launched a counterattack, causing the already exhausted astrologers to suffer severe mental trauma.
Unfortunately, Thos, who had only a basic understanding of the Source Power, knew very little about astrology and could offer little help. As a result, throughout the process, it was mostly Grand Elder Bernie Jeffs and Abel who provided support.
Eventually, even Abel could no longer hold on. It wasn’t surprising—after all, she hadn’t yet mastered the Source Power.
In the end, only Grand Elder Bernie Jeffs was left…
In the dark room on the top floor, the people gathered around the elder dared not make a sound, fearing they might disturb him. The other elders of Vandel were even more anxious, as they noticed the elder’s breathing becoming increasingly rapid, with black blood flowing from his nose and ears—clear signs of severe mental trauma.
Suddenly, the elder spat out a mouthful of blood. The people around him rushed forward in alarm, especially Abel.
“Grandpa Jeffs?”

The Grand Elder slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Abel with his cloudy gaze, then shook his head and said, “I’m fine!”
Like everyone else, Abel finally breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned and asked, “Have you found any clues about Belial?”
The Grand Elder shook his head regretfully and sighed, “Belial is the most talented child I’ve ever seen. We’ve just started our efforts, but he’s already noticed. Ah! What an infinitely terrifying talent!” He paused, then shook his head self-mockingly and said, “What a terrifying apprentice—able to resist me even as his soul continues to weaken… I really wonder how I in the other world taught him!”
Seeing the Grand Elder’s pale and exhausted expression, Abel hesitantly said, “Forget it. Let’s think of other ways…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Thors, Allen, Scott, and the others also began to persuade him.
“Hehe,” the Grand Elder smiled and waved his hand. “What better method than astrology?” He looked up at Thors and the others with a smile and said, “I’m old and can no longer help you much. Over the past few decades, I’ve devoted myself to studying astrology and space magic, without casting a single spell. All I can do to help you is right here…” He gazed deeply at Thors and the others and said earnestly, “Children, you must stop this catastrophe!” His words sounded like a farewell on his deathbed.
“Grand Elder?”
“Grandpa Jives?”
Just as Abel, Thors, and the others realized something and tried to persuade him, the elders of Vandel stopped them and shook their heads at them.
Amidst the mixed expressions of pity and sorrow, the Grand Elder took a deep breath. A blue glow appeared around him, but his complexion turned even paler, and his body began to tremble.
The Grand Elder of Vandel was burning his own soul to counteract Belial’s resistance!
It was twenty minutes later before the Grand Elder slowly opened his eyes again. His white hair and beard were withered, his skin full of wrinkles—it was hard to believe he was a great mage who had lived for decades.
He opened his eyes, struggled to lift his right hand, and said in a hoarse voice, “Bris, Belial… that child… will go to Bris… to… to stop him…” His voice stopped abruptly, and his raised right hand fell limply.
“Grand Elder?”
“Grandpa Jives?”

——Meanwhile, the shattered Dead Zone——
Exhausted from a great battle, Belial stood on the edge of this broken world, gazing at the depths of utter darkness there.
It was endless darkness, gaps in space, vortices of time—once trapped within, even gods could only drift eternally through various subspace realms.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.
“You are lost, Lord Belial!”
Belial glanced aside and saw it was the ‘Prophet’ Vashak. With a faint smile, he shook his head, reached out to hold the crystal pendant hanging at his chest, and murmured,
“Lost? How could I be lost? It’s just destroying most of the world again…”