Chapter 71: Seven Years Later (Part 2)

The darkness that once shrouded the world seemed to have faded long ago. With the emergence of Belial, this world deviated from its original historical path and moved toward an unpredictable future. Even the most experienced astrologers could not predict what lay ahead from the faint hints left by the Great Will.
The future of this world had gradually slipped away from the constraints of the laws, yet it still existed, continuing to unfold its history and the civilizational progress of humanity and various intelligent races.
—Altak, Castle of Breiu—
Three years ago, when Altak was granted the title of duke, Castle Breiu became its capital. It was a city brimming with courage, inhabited by the Altak people—the empire’s finest hunters and soldiers. Even the mighty barbarians could not intimidate them, for they had an outstanding leader.
Ravia Vayer Wilty Vomisli, this 23-year-old female ruler had been governing this land for eight years. Her iron-fisted policies of justice won over not only the Altak people but also filled fear in the hearts of the barbarians.
On the highest floor of Castle Breiu, where the female ruler rested, she was accustomed to standing at the top of the castle and gazing at the land covered in snow. Though a woman, she possessed a spirit as bold as that of any man.
In Breiu, Ravia wore different styles of knightly attire throughout the year, and it was rare to see her in formal dresses. For a woman, especially one of striking beauty, this was quite remarkable.
The men of Altak whispered among themselves that their ruler had a heart beyond that of ordinary men. They never imagined that their proud leader also had a feminine side—of course, only in front of him, the man she loved most…
Emerging from the arms of the naked man beside her, Ravia picked up the dark red undergarment that had fallen to the ground and put it on. Then, wearing only a thin undergarment, she walked to the balcony and opened the window. Immediately, a cold wind blew into the room, causing the curtains to flutter.
Gazing at the red sun rising slowly between the snow-capped peaks, Ravia took a deep breath.
“What a nice morning!”
Saying this, she turned with affection toward the man sleeping soundly in bed and shook her head helplessly.

Lavia walked over with a light laugh, one foot on the ground and the other bent on the bed, leaning half on top of the man. She said irritably, “Hey, until when are you planning to sleep?”
“Hm?” The man lying on the bed opened his eyes groggily, glanced at Lavia with slight confusion, then closed his eyes again and asked vaguely, “What time is it?”
Lavia couldn’t help but shake her head and said helplessly, “Don’t you want to see Altak’s sunrise?”
The man on the bed turned over and said vaguely, “What’s there to see? It’s just ordinary.”
“You!” Lavia couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Seeing that the man seemed to have fallen asleep again, a mischievous look appeared in her eyes, but a second later, she seemed to give up. She crawled into the covers, turned sideways to face the man’s face, and gazed at him with affectionate eyes for a long time.
It was unknown how much time passed before she let out a soft sigh with a somewhat sad expression.
“What are you thinking about?” Suddenly, a voice came from beside her.
“Huh?” Lavia was startled. She realized that the man beside her had woken up at some point and was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
“Nothing,” Lavia said with a smile, shaking her head. With an indescribable expression, she added, “Are we going back to Vando soon? Thos?”
“Ah,” Thos nodded, gently holding the woman in his arms and whispering, “It’s been two days already. I need to go back to handle some matters—Riox and Vandel’s affairs…”
“Riox has Belial, right? And you’ve left Vandel’s affairs to that girl, Lilith, haven’t you?” Lavia said with a hint of sarcasm.
“Uh, well…” Thos scratched his head awkwardly.
“You’re worried about Dia, right?”
“Uh, not really… I just…” Looking into Lavia’s beautiful ruby-like eyes, Thos said awkwardly, “You know, Dia… she has a few friends in Vando. Her only good friend, Lilith, is always by Belial’s side…”
“I don’t have any friends in Altak either!” Lavia said discontentedly. “I get bored too!”
“Uh…”
Seeing the man’s awkward expression, Lavia burst into laughter, pinched Thos’s nose, and said, “I was just joking with you. I have plenty of things to do. Even without you, I won’t get bored.”
“Really?” Thos asked instinctively.
“You!” A flash of anger appeared in Lavia’s eyes as she glared at Thos angrily. But he just chuckled and whispered, “I was just joking with you!”

“This joke isn’t funny at all!” Ravia turned her head away angrily.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Is that enough?”
“What do you mean ‘enough’? Let me tell you—sleeping in my bed while thinking of another woman? If I find out, I won’t spare you!”
“Hey, that’s too domineering! Besides, your attitude wasn’t like this yesterday…”
“Yest—” Ravia’s face suddenly turned red as she huffed, “Hmph! That’s just my temper—everyone in Altak knows it! Either don’t come here, or if you do, put your little lover aside for now!”
“Yes, yes, even barbarians know your temper,” Sos shook his head helplessly, speechless. “Little lover? Please, you ended our marriage seven years ago—aren’t you the one with a little lover?”
“You… I…” Ravia glared at Sos angrily before suddenly bursting into laughter and saying softly, “Fine!” Then she leaned on Sos, teasing him with a seductive gaze.
“Hey, if someone sees us, it might affect your status as a lord…”
“What’s there to worry about? Without my order, who would dare come in?” Ravia smirked disdainfully, resting her head on Sos’s chest and looking at his expression amusedly. Then her face grew somber as she murmured, “Sometimes, I really wish I were just an ordinary woman…”
“Avi?”
“Never mind. When are you planning to return to Vandomo today?”
“Hmm!”
“When?”
Glancing at the sky outside, Sos shrugged and said, “It’s getting late. I should go back. Although I can ignore Riox’s matters for now, the High Elder in Vandomo wants to see me about something…”
“Now?” Ravia asked in surprise.
“Ah!”
“No,” Ravia hesitated for a moment under Sos’s puzzled gaze before whispering, “At least have breakfast first. I’ll get it ready right away!” Without waiting for his reply, she ran out barefoot, wearing only her underwear. Thankfully, the floor was covered with white wolf fur rugs, and aside from Ravia, only Queen and a few maids were on the castle’s top floor.
The breakfast was simple—high-quality red wine from Operelles paired with wolf meat, a specialty of Altak, along with some cured meat and bread. As the lord of Altak, Ravia had never been extravagant. She preferred to use any extra money to fund the military, buying weapons and paying soldiers’ salaries.

The two had breakfast in the room, in silence, with no one speaking.
Finally, Thos picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, then said softly, “I should go now…”
“Mm!” Lavia nodded, holding her fork, but she hadn’t touched the breakfast on her plate at all.
“Don’t you have an appetite?” Thos asked in surprise.
Lavia shook her head, stood up, went to the bed, and picked up Thos’s coat to put it on him, taking care of him meticulously like a gentle wife.
“Kupe…”
“Oh,” as if understanding Lavia’s thoughts, Thos smiled and said, “Kupe and Kairy will stay here for now. Next month, I’ll have Belia come and pick them up…” As he spoke, he gently stroked Lavia’s face and said softly, “I know what you expect from that little rascal, but Kupe is still young and wants to play. Don’t be too strict with him. Some things can’t be rushed. It would be heartbreaking if he came to hate his own mother because of that…”
“I understand,” Lavia nodded, leaning into Thos’s arms and saying softly, “I’ll try my best. It’s all your fault for being so indulgent with him…”
“Hey, I’m quite strict, you know. If you want to blame someone, blame Dia!”
Lavia couldn’t help but laugh slightly. She glared at the man beside her irritably and said softly, “Thank Dia for me!”
“Mm, I know…” As he spoke, Thos looked at Lavia in his arms and said softly, “Then I’m off, Avi!”
“Mm!” Lavia nodded, letting go of Thos and saying with a light laugh, “Do you need me to prepare a carriage for you?”
“That’s not necessary,” Thos shrugged and smiled. “I’ll contact Belia. His space teleportation magic is much faster than a carriage!”
“Oh…” Lavia nodded slightly disappointedly. Watching her beloved man vanish from the room in an instant, she sighed and lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the balcony.
It was unclear how much time passed. Lavia took a deep breath, got out of bed, and as usual, took her knight’s armor from the hook beside her and put it on quickly.
She was the lord of Altak, and for that, she had paid a heavy price…
—Vando Magic Association, Vandelta—

Seven years later, the Vandor Magic Association had become a rival to the Imperial and Royal Magic Associations. It had established branches across various regions, some of which even replaced the Royal Magic Association’s influence there, such as in Altak, Operelles, Theland, Galic, and other places. The Vandor Magic Association had become increasingly formalized, and its magic practitioner certification system was gaining growing recognition within the magical community, attracting more and more magicians from all over.

“Auntie Little Lily!”

Aibel’s nine-year-old son, Max, knocked firmly on a door on the second floor.

“Hm?” The door opened, and Lily, now nineteen, wiped her wet hair as she looked at the little boy outside.

“Uncle Mecca says you need to go down and help,” the boy said with a smile.

“Okay!” Lily sighed helplessly, then said irritably, “Max, drop the ‘little’—how about I teach you a magic spell?”

“Magic? Mom and Dad already asked Uncle Thos to teach me magic. Uncle Thos is even better than Auntie Little Lily!”

“Tch!” Lily huffed and pursed her lips, muttering reluctantly, “That’s not necessarily true. I’m an apostle!”

“But Dad says Uncle Thos is a powerful one who controls the Source Force, and there’s also Uncle Belial—they’re the strongest magicians in the empire!”

Watching the little brat hop away, Lily pouted and muttered, “Hmph, if I could master the Source Force, I’d definitely be stronger than Thos and Belial. Damn it, why is it so hard to master?” With that, she closed the door casually, dried her hair, and went downstairs.

In the lobby on the first floor, the deceased Grand Elder, now a spirit, was playing chess with the Third Demon God, Vashak. Surrounding them was a large group of professors from the tower, including Hodd Kendi, who had also become a spirit, as well as the former great magician, Greta Kaines.

There’s a saying: never play chess with an astrologer, as you’ll lose without a doubt, especially when the opponent is a powerful astrologer like the Grand Elder. However, this time the Grand Elder faced a tough opponent—the Third Demon God, the “Prophet” Vashak, a peace-loving demon god who could perceive the laws of existence. Everyone knew that the ability to perceive these laws meant stepping into the realm of gods. Humans like Thos and Belial, who controlled the Source Force, could be considered demigods—a level never seen before in human magic history.

After watching the Grand Elder remain motionless for a full ten minutes, Vashak suddenly said with a smile, “Using astrology to predict an opponent’s next move is a good trick, but it doesn’t seem to work well when playing chess, Grand Elder…”
“Hehe, you’ve been seen through,” the Grand Elder laughed heartily, then looked at Vashak and teased, “When saying that, could you please close the eye on your forehead? We in Vandel have quite a lot of information about this eye of truth bestowed by the gods…”
“Ah? Hehehe…”
Lily shook her head speechlessly, impressed that they used the predictive power of Source Energy in chess—after all, it was Source Energy. Seven years on, although Lily had mastered some basic techniques, she still couldn’t achieve the proficiency of Thos and Belial.
Sure enough, could one truly master such skills only through actual combat?
Shaking her head, Lily went to the room where mage qualifications were assessed. She glanced at the mages who had registered, took a form from a professor, and while wiping her hair, said, “Kalianum, which one?”
“It’s… it’s me…” A young mage raised his hand hesitantly.
“Advanced mage assessment, right?” Looking at the list in her hand and then at the mage, Lily said calmly, “Come on, show me your best spell!”
“Yes, yes!” The mage named Kalianum nodded respectfully, recited a spell, and a water ball gradually formed beside him. Suddenly, the water ball turned into a dozen water arrows that shot toward Lily.
“Ah? Be careful!” One of the mages instinctively shouted at Lily.
To the mage’s astonished gaze, two streams of dark energy emerged from Lily’s feet. With two swift swishes, without her making any visible movement, those streams of dark energy destroyed all the water arrows.
“Huh?” The mage looked incredulous. Then, the mages around him whispered with laughter, “Be careful? Buddy, this is your first time here, right? That’s an Apostle—do you really need to be cautious about our low-level spells?”
Under the admiring gazes of the other mages, Lily nodded and said, “Hmm, it’s decent. You pass. By the way, Kalianum, right? Go ask them to stamp your certificate! —Next!” She raised her head and glanced at the mage who had warned her, immediately showing an expression of disbelief.

“The next one is me…” Under Lily’s astonished gaze, the magician stepped forward from the crowd, looking at her with a slightly surprised expression. He seemed to be about the same age as her. Lily’s hand holding the list trembled slightly as she murmured in a daze, “A… Argus?”
“Argus?” The magician glanced at her in confusion and said politely, “My name is Phelan, esteemed Great Mage!”
Looking at that face that resembled her memories so closely, Lily took a deep breath, glanced at the list in her hand, and said oddly, “Junior mage? Isn’t that an apprentice rank?”
“Oh,” the magician named Phelan nodded, scratching his head awkwardly. “I’ve just started learning magic… but I really want to learn it.”
“Hey, how did a junior mage end up here at Vandel’s assessment? You should be at Riox!” said a professor nearby with a frown.
“Huh?” Phelan looked extremely embarrassed as he heard the magicians’ snickers.
“It’s okay,” Lily said, setting the list aside casually. She looked at Phelan with interest and said softly, “I’m in a good mood today. Come on, use your best magic to attack me!”
“Oh…” Amidst the crowd’s snickers and disdain, Phelan raised his right hand, and three black fireballs appeared beside him, heading straight for Lily.
“Abandoning the incantation?”
“How can they be black fireballs?”
Shocked voices arose from the crowd. Even the professor who had criticized him earlier showed some surprise. After all, abandoning the incantation meant the opponent already had the qualifications of a high-level mage.
“Swish swish!” Just like last time, Lily destroyed his magic with just two streams of dark energy. She stared at Phelan in surprise and laughed lightly, “Have you learned dark magic? Why do your fireballs contain such strong dark energy?”
“This… dark energy? I have no idea…” Phelan said innocently.
“Never mind, it’s not a big deal,” the professor who had criticized Phelan earlier said apologetically, trying to help him. “Just by using the technique of abandoning the incantation, he can pass…” But before he could finish, Lily interrupted him.
“The technique is good, but this magic has no power at all. Just based on that… it’s not easy to become a mage! Come back next year!”

“Huh?” The professor, who wanted to help Filan, looked puzzled. Then he saw Lily smiling lightly and saying, “If you really feel unwilling to give up, then I’ll give you another chance. How about that? Would you like to try? As long as your magic can touch my clothes, I’ll let you pass!”
Use magic to touch the clothes of an apostle-level powerhouse?
This was clearly trying to make things difficult for others! Was this even a test for junior magicians or for grand magicians?
Except for Filan, who knew nothing, everyone present showed strange expressions.
Sure enough, under everyone’s sympathetic, sighing, and gloating gazes, the magician named Filan tried more than a dozen times but failed to touch Lily’s clothes, not even a little bit.
Amidst everyone’s bewildered looks, Filan sighed and said, “Is it really that hard to become a magician?”
Just as he was disappointed and about to leave, Lily suddenly called out to him.
“How about this? Let’s make a deal. If you accompany me to Vandor Street and buy me a cake, I’ll let you pass. What do you say?”
“Uh?” Filan was confused. “Is… this okay?”
“Of course!” Amidst everyone’s shocked gazes, Lily walked over to Filan with a smile, suddenly bent down, and whispered, “It’s because you bullied me before! Hmph! — Come here. Do you still want to be a magician?”
“Oh… oh…” Under everyone’s strange looks, Filan hurriedly followed her.
After being stunned for several minutes, a magician opened his mouth in shock and said, “The… examiner has left. What… what should we do?”
“Yes, we’ve worked so hard to get this chance!”
Looking at the angry magicians, the professor wore a wry smile.
—Ryox Academy—
Since the merger of the empire and the church, two human nations, Ryox Academy has successively added courses in sacred studies. Today’s Ryox can no longer be called the cradle of dark magicians, as it is filled with a variety of ideas.
Dark magicians, necromancers, white magicians, astrologers—various magical ideologies converge here, forming the new Ryox.
Of course, this has also led to many conflicts and contradictions within the academy: students of dark magic and white magic, white magic and necromancy, necromancy and dark magic, as well as between commoner students and noble students. All these conflicts have given the academy’s professors a huge headache.

But no one dared to provoke such conflict by violating school rules; no one, not even the students from the Saxon noble circles, would ever dare act recklessly here. After all, Riox’s dean, Volmon Klaest, and BeLia were the two most powerful magicians in human history—semi-divine figures that countless people could only look up to.
Especially BeLia, the murderer who had nearly destroyed the entire world, possessed an intimidating presence that demanded respect without even raising his voice. Not only students but even the professors of the academy feared him, so much so that they often spoke ill of this powerful figure behind his back. For example, a beautiful woman appeared in the dean’s office every day, supposedly having some ambiguous relationship with BeLia…
“Lilith! I’ve said it many times—please come in through the main door, will you? I beg you! And let go of me!”
Being ambushed by Lilith again while working made BeLia extremely annoyed. After all, seven years later, it wasn’t just him and Thos who possessed the Source Power. Apostles like Lilith, Vincent, and Little Lilith had also gained control of it, and even Allen and Scott had begun to explore this power.
To be honest, Lilith now had enough strength to stand on equal footing with BeLia. Unless he merged with Thos to achieve a semi-divine state, he really couldn’t do anything to her.
“Alright, alright,” noticing BeLia’s impatience, Lilith wisely released her arms around him and leaned against the desk, humming softly. “Hey, BeLia, until when do you want me to wait? I’ve waited for seven years! Give up—what you hope for will never happen!”
“Haven’t you noticed? Because of the disappearance of the Death Realm, the souls shattered in that destruction have reappeared in this world in another form…”
“And so what? Do you think your beloved woman will be resurrected because of that? Hah, indulging in such silly fantasies really isn’t befitting of you, BeLia!” With that, Lilith gave him a deep look and said in a slightly low voice, “BeLia, I’ve waited for you for seven years. My patience has limits. I’ve never been a good woman. Whatever I want, I must get it. If I can’t get it, I won’t let anyone else have it… Better not disappoint me!”
Glancing at Lilith’s angry expression, BeLia snorted coldly and said indifferently, “If you’re disappointed, you can go back to your husband and join forces with him to kill me…”

“You!” Lilith’s anger grew even more intense as she spoke in a deep voice, “Don’t think I dare not. Belial, without me, just you, Thors, and that immature girl—how could you possibly deal with Vincent and JerryBelfort? If I side with them, it will be you who regrets it. Even if you and Thors merge into demi-gods, you probably can’t defeat the three of us. Seven years have passed, and our strength has grown steadily…”
“You can try!” Belial said calmly as he signed his name on the document.
“…” Lilith stomped her foot in anger, then sighed helplessly. Leaning against the desk, she murmured, “Over these seven years, I’ve wanted to kill you many times, but…” She turned to look at Belial and said softly, “You’re a man who makes people both hate and love you…”
Belial paused mid-signing, looked up at Lilith, and seeing her gloomy expression, he hesitated before saying calmly, “There’s a bonfire party at Vando this evening. Are you interested?”
“Huh?” Lilith raised her head in surprise, astonished, “A bon… bonfire party?”
“Hmph,” Belial sneered, “As a noblewoman among the Saxon elite, you probably aren’t interested in such things, are you?” But before he could finish, she interrupted him.
“Are… are you asking me out?”
While signing the document, Belial said calmly, “You’re overthinking it. I just find it a bit boring being alone. Well, are you interested?”
“Mm-hmm!” Lilith nodded happily, spinning around a few times in the spacious room with a smile. “Even if it’s just to win me over, I’m willing…” She sent Belial a flying kiss and said seductively, “I’ll go back and get ready first. Let’s see what to wear tonight…” With that, she vanished into darkness.
After Lilith left, Belial put down the quill in his hand and sighed deeply.
“Is it just… a boring fantasy?”
—Saxon, Flores Family Residence—
In his bedroom, Vincent Flores was discussing parliamentary regulations with his loyal ally, JerryBelfort.
Suddenly, Vincent seemed to sense something. He slammed the notes in his hand onto the table and said through gritted teeth, “Still daring to come back, you bitch! You’re always around that bastard Belial, never giving me any attention at all!”

“Shh!” Jerry Belfort quickly made a gesture to silence him and whispered, “Lord Flores, I must say, the young lady… uh, Lilith’s power is quite formidable. Only by winning her over can we achieve ultimate victory. Otherwise… as you’ve seen, Wolmon Klaest and Belial, in their demi-god state, are so powerful they can even rival the Ancient Will. On our own alone…”
“Tch! Until when am I supposed to endure this?”
“Don’t rush, Lord Flores. We have plenty of time. First, we need to ensure that you and my two Ancient Wills successfully descend to this world…”
“Didn’t Thros already demonstrate it for us? What are we waiting for?”
“No, no… Although Thros has tried, there’s a difference between returning from the Third World to the Second World and coming from the Second World to the Third. Even though spatial barriers and legal constraints are becoming weaker, descending to this world still consumes some energy. Worse still, once the Ancient Wills arrive, the strong beings of this world—like Wolmon and Belial—will surely notice. In other words, once the Ancient Wills appear here, battle with them becomes inevitable. For safety’s sake, it’s better to wait until we’re fully prepared!”
“Oh, no wonder Mammon hasn’t taken action yet. He just doesn’t dare…” Vincent nodded with a light laugh and said gravely, “You’re right. We need even stronger support! By the way, do you have any clues about the whereabouts of the two apostles?”
Jerry Belfort shook his head regretfully.
“Then that’s it. I’ll endure that bitch for now,” Vincent said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Suddenly seeming to remember something, he frowned and said, “Oh, right. Send someone to Lordron Fortress in the west to find out what’s going on. Three thousand reinforcements were sent there two months ago—why are they asking for help again? Were the five thousand royal knights sent there all killed?”
“Orcs?”
“Never mind. Leave this to you. Go back first. I need to get up early tomorrow for a meeting with an elf who’s come asking for help due to internal strife… Tch, what a mess!”
“Then… I’ll be going!”
As he left Flores’ mansion, Jerry Belfort continued to ponder their earlier conversation.

He believed that if he could win over the last two apostles, he would surely be able to defeat Sos and Belial. But where exactly were those last two apostles?