Chapter 40: The Unrecognized Traveler (II)

His premonition had come true…
Belial…
That guy had invaded Vandel with overwhelming force and seized the [Astrology Secrets], a treasure held sacred by generations of astrologers. The elders of Vandel had almost no chance to resist him…
Even the elders didn’t dare to act rashly…
With a face similar to his own and the same power as Sloth, that guy…
“Sigh!” Shaking his head, Thos pushed open the door to his home. Perhaps this was the only place where he could truly relax and forget his worries for a while.
After entering, Thos was surprised to see Dia sitting by the long table in the hall, holding her face and lost in thought. He asked jokingly, “What are you thinking about?”
“Ah?” Dia seemed startled and instinctively raised her head. Seeing it was Thos, she sighed in relief, stood up, and smiled awkwardly. “You’re back, Thos!”
“Mm!” Thos nodded, then noticed two teacups on the table and asked in surprise, “Are there guests?”
“Ah!” As if remembering something, Dia’s face turned slightly red as she said awkwardly, “It’s Lilith. She came to see me today. You know her, right? It’s been three years—she’s changed a lot…”
“Lilith, huh,” Thos didn’t seem concerned. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, “I remember. She was your roommate back then, right? I recall you two getting along well…” A smile appeared on his lips as he shook his head. “Back then, Lilith was also one of Allen’s ‘Afternoon Tea Girls,’ haha!”
“Pfft!” Dia couldn’t help but laugh, her expression gentle as she murmured, “Anyway, it’s great to see her…”
Thos glanced at Dia. He knew well that she didn’t have many friends in Vandal to talk to, and her relationship with girls like Ravia and Lisa wasn’t very harmonious either…
She must be feeling bored…
Sighing silently, Thos followed up on Dia’s words, “Yeah, it’s nice. By the way, is she still in Vandal? I mean, Senior Lilith?”
“She’s living in Sassen now. She even asked me to visit her when I have time…” As she spoke, Dia pointed at her left hand. “But it seems she got married—to Vincent Flores…”

“Vincent Flores?” Thors, who was pouring himself a glass of water, froze for a moment, frowning and saying, “I remember him as…”
“Mm,” seemingly guessing Thors’ thoughts, Dia lowered her head and spoke softly, “That’s why I didn’t agree. I just said I plan to take a magic certification exam soon…”
Thors stared at Dia in surprise, shook his head with a wry smile, stepped forward gently, wrapped his arms around her with his right hand, and said softly, “The fact that she came to see you shows you two have a good relationship. Why refuse? Go ahead… Although I don’t have much of a good impression of that guy Vincent Flores, I’m still very grateful to Senior Lilith. It was thanks to her that I was informed back then…”
“Huh?” Dia raised her head, seemingly confused.
With a mischievous look on his face, Thors teased, “It was back then, right? There was someone who locked themselves in their room all by themselves and didn’t speak a word all day…”
Dia immediately understood. Her cheeks turned red as she said playfully, “Oh, it’s been so long. How do you still remember that?” With that, she buried her head deep in Thors’ chest and murmured, “After hearing the news of my mother’s death, I felt like the whole world had collapsed. It was you who created a new world for me—a warm world…”
“Dia…”
Raising her head, she glanced at Thors secretly. It seemed she thought of something interesting as she reached out to scratch his cheek and smiled, “Back then, you still called me ‘Senior’… Since when did you start secretly omitting the word ‘Senior’?—Remember, if you ever get the chance to meet Lilith, never call her ‘Senior Lilith’. Otherwise, she’ll definitely tease me!”
“Huh?” Thors asked, not understanding.
“Because…” Dia’s face turned slightly red with embarrassment as she bit her lip and muttered softly, “Because Lilith has gone bad…” Then, as if noticing something, she raised her head and changed the subject, “Let’s not talk about this. By the way, Thors, did you work properly today?”
“Heh…” Hearing Dia say that, Thors couldn’t help but sigh. With Lavia hovering around the whole day, watching him idle, how could he not work properly? Nina too—were they really that idle?
The worst of all was that guy Allen. The moment things got tough, he ran away. How ungrateful!
“Huh?” Seeming to notice Thors’ strange expression, Dia asked in surprise, “Did something happen at Rexox Academy?”

“Well, not really…” Thors shook his head self-mockingly, then seemed to remember something, frowning as he said in a low voice, “But something happened to Vandel!”
“Huh?”
Thors then briefly recounted what had happened to Vandel to Dia, causing her to exclaim in shock repeatedly. It wasn’t until she learned that Sister Aibel and the elders were unharmed that she finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, during the time she lived in Vandel, Aibel had taken great care of her for certain reasons, and the two of them had a very close relationship.
Early the next morning, while having breakfast at home with Dia, Thors suddenly felt as if the entire Vando was shaking violently, as if there were earthquakes. What worried him even more were the surprised cries from some dark magicians in the streets.
What’s going on? An attack?
However, this thought only flashed through Thors’ mind before disappearing. After all, with Argus defeated and the necromancers allied with Rexox, which force in the empire would dare to attack the magical city of Vando, home to thousands of dark magicians?
With skepticism, Thors and Dia hurried outside. On the spacious square, to their surprise, there were already many dark magicians gathered, looking up toward the west in awe.
Suddenly, Thors noticed Necromancer Puer standing among the crowd.
This genius among necromancers was the one who had helped maintain a temporary peace between dark magicians and necromancers. After Argus’ defeat, it was he who approached Thors on behalf of the necromancers, choosing to ally with Rexox Academy to ensure they could continue living in that hard-won world of sunlight. To prevent further casualties, Thors, as the head of Rexox Academy, reached an agreement with him.
It’s worth mentioning that Puer was now also a professor at Rexox Academy, teaching necromancy—of course, only some basic spells like summoning skeletons.
“Professor Puer!” Thors greeted him first.
Due to Argus, Necromancer Puer had known Thors for a long time, which was why he had made that suggestion. He slightly bowed as a greeting, then glanced over and said with a smile, “Oh, it’s the headmaster. Good morning!”
“Good morning! — What’s going on? An attack?” Thors smiled oddly. Looking at Puer’s polite demeanor, it was hard to imagine that he was a powerful necromancer capable of summoning an Immortal King.

“It doesn’t quite look like it!” Poole smiled slightly, then glanced at Dia beside Thos and said politely, “Hello, Lady Klerest. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” As one of the professors at the Riox Academy, he was among the few who knew something about Dia and Thos, so he addressed her by Thos’s surname.

“Mr. Poole, you’re too kind,” Dia said shyly, lowering her head before curiously asking, “What’s going on? Why has everyone gathered here?”

“It’s because of that!” Poole chuckled and pointed west. Looking in the direction he indicated, Dia was astonished to see an extremely tall giant, resembling the legendary Titans, slowly approaching Vandal.

“That’s…” Thos’s eyes showed surprise. Suddenly, he sensed a ripple of magic, and soon a huge trident-shaped magic circle appeared in the square. With a whoosh, the professors from Vandal appeared before everyone without any warning.

“A large-scale space teleportation spell?” The black magicians exclaimed in awe. Upon seeing who they were, their faces took on expressions of respect as they murmured, “Is it Grand Elder Jives? No wonder… He truly is the most famous astrologer!”

Under the respectful gazes of those black magicians, Vandal’s Grand Elder walked over to Thos, leaning on his cane. Looking at the somewhat dazed Thos, he said with a smile, “It seems we old folks need your help this time, kid!”

“Uh, Grand Elder, you’re too kind…” Thos was shocked by the Grand Elder’s mastery of space magic. After all, back in Vandal, Grand Elder Bernie Jives had seemed like an old man who talked a lot and was a bit forgetful. He never expected him to possess such great power, capable of teleporting so many people at once using space magic.

“It’s not kindness,” Grand Elder Bernie Jives sighed slightly, leaning on his cane and murmuring, “Little Aibel must have already contacted you guys, right? Well, Vandal has escaped disaster once again…” Saying this, he raised his head and looked deeply at Thos, saying meaningfully, “The stronger one’s power, the easier it is to be influenced by that powerful force. Stay firm in your beliefs, Thos!”

“Don’t be so harsh, Grand Elder!” The other professors also came over and said to Thos with smiles, “Don’t we already know this little guy, Thos? He’s an excellent young man!”

“Yes…” Elder Bernie Jeffs let out a soft sigh and said earnestly to Thos, “That’s why I’m even more worried…”
“Huh?” Thos looked at Elder Bernie Jeffs in surprise, then glanced at the other elders who seemed to be hiding some thoughts, feeling puzzled. Just then, Abel, who was holding her son Max, walked over. She gave Thos a meaningful look and said softly, “Let’s talk about this later. First, disperse the crowd—something bad might happen if we wait!”
“Something bad?” Before Thos could understand, he suddenly felt the sky darken. Looking up, he was shocked to see a giant rock statue as huge as a titan from legends, which had somehow approached Vando and was peering at its central square. A thunderous voice rang out.
“There’s no place for me to stay, Abel…”
“Tch!” Abel, who had been staring at Thos oddly, couldn’t help but roll her eyes and say irritably, “Do you really think there is? Turn back into your original form, Gadian!—Idiot!”
“Oh…” The titan-sized stone statue retracted its head.
“Gadian?” Thos stared in astonishment. If he remembered correctly, wasn’t Gadian just that iron door on Vandel Delta?
“I’ll explain later,” Abel said, seemingly noticing Thos’s confused gaze. She waved her hand and snapped at the black magicians gathered there, “What are you all standing around for? Scatter!”
“Uh… Yes!” The black magicians in the square scattered quickly. After all, they had lived in SgSgDel (Sg Del) for some time and surely recognized this woman, who was like a queen of Vandel.
“Sister Abel!” Dia called out sweetly beside Thos. She ran over happily, poked the sleepy baby in Abel’s arms, and said with a smile, “And you too, Max!”
“You!” Abel, dressed in a dark blue astrologer’s robe, looked at Dia helplessly, handed the baby to her, then frowned at Thos irritably and said, “Didn’t I tell you to arrange things in advance? Why is there so many people here?”
“Uh?—I thought…” Thos forced a wry smile. Looking at the three obelisks surrounding the enlarged Gadian, it was obvious what Gadian’s true identity was. He thought to himself, Who knew you’d bring the whole of Vandel here…

Thus, under the astonished gazes of the residents of Vando and those dark magicians, Gadian’s massive form began to shed stones from time to time, before returning to its original form as Thunder Tower Vandel, floating above Vando. This almost undefended magical city finally had a proper means of defense.
“You, go clean up the streets!” He pointed at some dark magicians to clean up the debris left on the streets. Eber turned to look at Thos and said in a low voice, “Thos, come with me. I have something to tell you!”
Thunder Tower Vandel had been moved to Vando, providing the dark magicians living there with talk for leisure time—especially regarding Gadian, the ancient weapon and Vandel’s true form.
After this farce ended, Thos, unaware of what was going on, was called by Eber to the dean’s office at Riox Academy. After all, due to Gadian, the entire Vandel Tower was in chaos and temporarily uninhabitable.
In addition to Vandel’s elders, those who also sensed the earthquake-like tremors included Ravia and Allen, as well as the werewolf Jean Connel who had come with them, the demon Simonley, Ulrich the Vampir from Vanzo who lived next to Thos and Dia, and Gianna who had recently moved to Vando.
It should be noted that aside from Scott and the demon Lelarkin, who lived in Sassen, almost everyone else was temporarily staying in Vando.
As more people arrived, the originally spacious dean’s office quickly became crowded.
“Well, let me explain first!” Acting as if he were the true master of Riox, Eber showed no sense of being a guest. He walked around the room before standing by the desk, frowning and saying, “I think everyone here has heard about it—half a month ago, a guy calling himself Belial attacked Vandel and stole our astrologers’ extremely precious treasure, the [Astrology Secrets]. Although he didn’t commit any cruel acts aside from causing some casualties, because of that idiot Gadian, Vandel can’t be repaired in a short time. So, I plan to move Vandel to Vando and use Vando’s power to prevent such things from happening again…”
“Plan?” Allen, who was leaning against the wall, couldn’t help but smirk, but he was immediately glared at by Eber, forcing him to laugh nervously and stop talking.

“Vandell’s strength isn’t enough to protect himself?” Ravia, sitting on the sofa, frowned and asked. “Who exactly is that guy named Belial?”
As soon as she spoke, the informed Vandell elders instinctively glanced at Thos. Meanwhile, Bernie Givens, the senior elder sitting on a chair, shook his head and said in a deep voice, “He’s a very powerful young man. But sadly, he stubbornly chose to go against everyone.”
“Very powerful?” Ravia couldn’t help but glance at Dia. Seeing her standing beside Thos, holding Abel’s son Max and looking happily together, Ravia seemed somewhat annoyed. Pointing at Thos, she said irritably, “Stronger than him?”
To Ravia’s surprise, Abel, who had turned behind the desk, slammed it hard and leaned forward, saying in a deep voice, “Yes! Because that man is a demigod!”
“A demigod?” The werewolf standing behind Ravia with arms crossed smirked slightly and said lightly, “Someone who bears a divine title must be no ordinary person!”
“Of course, Mr. Connel!” Abel glanced at Connel. She certainly knew his identity as well. After glancing at everyone, she said in a deep voice, “The Apostles are very powerful. I think you all understand that—whether it’s Argus or Thos… In the past, we thought that archmages were the strongest force humans could possess. But the emergence of the Apostles changed that. Even incomplete Apostles possess the power of archmages, and even more than that…” At this point, she pointed at Thos and continued, “Take Thos for example. He’s currently at the level of ‘beyond ordinary mages.’ Above this level, the Vandell elders define it as… a demigod!—Not a god, but with god-like power!”
“So…?” Gianna stared at Abel in astonishment and said, “The man who attacked Vandell is stronger than my brother?”
“Brother?” Abel, who had been speaking halfway through, looked at Gianna in shock. In fact, she had noticed this beautiful girl long ago. Seizing the opportunity, she asked in surprise, “May I ask who you are?”
“Oh,” as if realizing something, Gianna bowed to Abel and the Vandell elders, looking very polite, and said softly, “I’m Gianna Malajigi Hastings. I’m Thos’s sister. Please take care of me, Ms. Abel!”

“Hastings?” Bernie Giffes, the Grand Elder who was resting with his eyes closed in his chair, seemed instantly interested. He looked at Gianna in surprise and said, “Are you the granddaughter of that little guy from Wiston? Is he doing well now?”
“Uh, no. I’m his student. But Old Wiston has always been very kind to me, like a grandfather would be…”
“Oh,” Bernie Giffes nodded as if he had suddenly understood. Leaning on his cane, he murmured, “Wiston was also an outstanding magician from our Vandell family. Back then, I had just become a full-fledged researcher at Vandell. That little guy…”
“Enough!” Abel couldn’t help but interrupt the Grand Elder’s pleasant memories. Annoyed, she said, “Who wants to listen to your boring recollections?”
“Uh, they’re not boring memories,” Bernie Giffes grumbled unhappily. Then he looked at Gianna and said softly, “Come visit Vandell when you have time…”
“…” Abel shook her head and cleared her throat before continuing, “You’re Sos’s sister, right? Good. But I’m sorry—now isn’t the time for old memories!” With a slight sigh, she shook her head again and said, “Let’s get back to the topic. Belial—that man possesses even greater power than Argus. He’s also an Apostle, a fully evolved one who can wield divine power. So, don’t confront him before he causes some disaster… especially you, Sos!”
“You mean…” Ravia looked at Abel in confusion. She said incredulously, “Even Sos can’t defeat him? Sos defeated Argus after all…”
“Argus is Argus, and Belial is Belial…” Abel shook her head firmly. Just then, Sos, who had remained silent until then, suddenly raised his head and asked tentatively, “I can’t defeat Belial because he’s my future self, right?”
“What are you talking about, Sos?” Allen asked in confusion. But as soon as he spoke, Abel glanced at Sos in surprise and said in a somewhat mysterious tone, “You’ve already noticed?”
“Ah!” Under the puzzled looks of Ravia, Allen, Dia, Gianna, and the others, Sos nodded and said solemnly, “After hearing the name Belial, I started to suspect it. He’s my future self, so there’s no way for me to defeat him…”

Without reason, he glanced at Thors. Abel fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and murmuring, “The power of the Ancient Will is simply too great. As mere humans, we have no way of defeating an Apostle. I was once grateful that you, as an Apostle, did not go down the wrong path. Even for Argus, who is also an Apostle, I had hopes for you. But this time is different… Belial is far too advantageous for you. To put it bluntly, you have no chance whatsoever of competing with him. He is not only a powerful dark magician but also wields the [Aether] power unique to us astrologers. His mastery of spatial magic even surpasses that of the Grand Elder…”

“Grand…?” Thors looked at Grand Elder Bernie Jeffs in surprise. He had just witnessed the Grand Elder’s incredible mastery of spatial magic, yet Abel claimed that Belial surpassed him?

Glancing at Thors with a hint of concern, Ravia frowned and asked, “Does it mean none of us combined can deal with Belial?”

Abel shook his head slightly, speaking without hope, “As humans, we don’t even have the right to fight Belial. If he wishes, he can use his divine power to erase us at any time. Unless one is an Apostle… And the only Apostle we can place our hopes on is Thors. But unfortunately, this time, Thors has almost no chance… Who can defeat their own future?”

“In other words, we’re helpless?” murmured the vampire Ulric.

Frowning in thought, Ravia asked doubtfully, “How did that guy get here? I mean, Belial…”

“I’m not very familiar with matters related to spatial magic…” Abel said, pointing at Grand Elder Bernie Jeffs before adding softly, “Let the Grand Elder explain it to you…”

The Grand Elder, sitting in his chair, slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a teaching-like tone, “As you know, children, the world we live in is not singular. It consists of countless spaces, what we call realms…”

“Grand Elder!” Abel interrupted impatiently. “We’re not here to discuss knowledge of spatial magic. Could you please explain it briefly? I’m starting to doubt if you were just as wordy in that world too. If so, Belial’s ability to travel between realms is likely entirely your fault!”

“Huh?” The Grand Elder was stunned, a hint of embarrassment on his face. He said dejectedly, “I was just afraid you wouldn’t understand…”
“Avoid such pointless assumptions! — Be brief!”
“Alright,” the Grand Elder sighed in disappointment, then leaned on his cane in silence for a moment. Glancing at Thor, he whispered, “Belial is the most talented child I’ve ever seen—your future self, Thor. I’m not sure how I taught him in that world, but he possesses the power to travel through time… This is a miracle that has never occurred in the history of our astrologers! — The all-knowing stars tell me to avoid conflict with that man. Such a thing has never happened in my lifetime!
Since Belial can traverse dimensions, it means he wields the [Source Force], the original power of the world… It can be said that even if he abandons his role as an Apostle, he’s still beyond your ability to deal with, Thor! — Trust the guidance of the all-knowing stars and try to avoid conflict with him…
If that young man were merely an exceptionally talented astrologer, perhaps you might have a chance of winning. But sadly, he’s your future self—he possesses the same Apostolic powers as you, and even greater. More importantly, he knows everything about you—your personality, your preferences…
I mean, even ten Argus wouldn’t be enough to match one Belial! — If Argus has the power to overthrow this country, then that young man named Belial can overthrow the entire world!”
“So no one can defeat him?” Allen asked, frowning.
“That’s exactly what I’m about to say,” the Grand Elder said, looking at Thor with admiration. “When I first saw you, I thought you were a very talented child, but I never imagined you’d reach such a level…” He paused, sighed slightly, and shook his head. “I don’t know why that child did it, but traveling through time is a foolish act. I’m well aware of the dangers involved, and I believe that young man who surpasses me must also be aware of them. Yet he still chose this path that’s almost suicidal… I really don’t want to describe such a genius as foolish…
“Suicidal?” Thor asked in confusion.

“Hmm!” The Grand Elder nodded, with a hint of reluctance, shaking his head and sighing. “You don’t know much about spatial magic, so you don’t realize that every world has its own unique rules—what we magicians call [Laws]. Even gods cannot transcend the constraints of these laws… The power of the Ancient Will is more about deceiving the world’s laws, not transcending them or breaking them!
Because of these laws, the Ancient Will cannot directly descend to this world. That’s why apostles like Argus exist. Rather than forcing their way into this world, even Mammon chose a circuitous but reliable method. But that young man named Belial used his knowledge of spatial magic to force his way into this world—this is what makes him truly terrifying!
However, he will also pay a heavy price for his actions!
As a traveler through time and space, he is destined not to be recognized by this world. In other words, the cost of casting magic in this world—even something as simple as a small fireball—is several times or even dozens of times higher. Moreover, the longer he stays in this world, the more his strength weakens, until eventually, not even his soul can be freed, forcing him to drift forever between moments in time…”
“So…,” said the werewolf Connel, stroking his chin in surprise, “will that guy die in the end?”
“Mm,” the Grand Elder sighed slightly and shook his head. “Maybe in a few days, maybe months, maybe years. Constantly rejected by this world, he will keep weakening… And right now is his strongest moment. So, we must avoid conflict with him as much as possible—especially you, Thors. You must absolutely avoid conflict with him!—Because you are the only one in this world who can restore his strength!”
“Huh?”
—Meanwhile, in the western part of Brownhill—
“Is that you?” Sitting on a giant rock, Belial glanced at the man kneeling before him with a calm gaze. It was a man in a gray cloak, somewhat similar in appearance to the demon god Lelagin. With a light laugh, he said, “The eighth of the seventy-two demons, the Archdemon, [The Divine Archer Who Walks with Death], Babatos!—Will you submit to me?”
“Yes, Lord Belial!” The demon god named Babatos bowed his head and spoke in a deep voice.
“Hehehehe…” A harsh laugh echoed as Hampa cackled. “Now we have nine of us…”

As soon as his words faded, a cold sneer came from beside him. A warrior clad in black armor, holding a long spear in one hand and a flag in the other, sneered and said, “Don’t presumptuously include yourself—you damned gray pigeon! How could a weakling like you become one of Lord Belial’s subordinates? Ridiculous!”
[The fifteenth among the Seventy-Two Demigods, the Pillar Lord, ‘Will of the Warrior’, Eiriong!]
“That’s true, Eiriong…” A sharp laugh was heard. A man dressed in a gray robe, with two daggers at his waist, chuckled and then said respectfully to Belial, “Hampa is truly not fit to be your retainer. How about I deal with him for you?” With that, he drew out the daggers at his waist, brought them to his lips, and licked them.
[The sixth among the Seventy-Two Demigods, the Pillar Lord, ‘Duke of Thieves’, Waliver!]
“Shut up, you despicable thief!” Hampa angrily paused, gripping his cane, before glancing fearfully at Belial.
“Hehe, is this a provocation?—Waliver, that pigeon is challenging you!” A man covered in a gray robe, holding a skeletal cane and dressed like a necromancer, laughed maniacally.
[The fourth among the Seventy-Two Demigods, the Pillar Lord, ‘Servant of Death’, Simachimo!]
“Damn it…” Glancing angrily and fearfully at the laughing demigods, Hampa sought help by looking at a man sitting not far away. There, a seemingly gentle man sat, smiling warmly as he watched ants moving back and forth on the ground.
[The third among the Seventy-Two Demigods, the Pillar Lord, ‘Prophet Who Knows All’, Vashak!]
Seemingly noticing Hampa’s pleading gaze, Vashak sighed slightly and shook his head, saying, “Everything in the world is bound by fate. Being Belial’s retainer is fate, and becoming Hampa’s companion is also fate… So, accept your fate peacefully! Don’t resist, and don’t refuse…”
“Tch, boring nonsense!” A muscular man with bare upper body sneered disdainfully, clenched his fist tightly, and said coldly, “Who would accept such so-called fate, right, Lord Belial?”
[The first among the Seventy-Two Demigods, the Pillar Lord, ‘Tyrant Who Commands Thunder’, Baal!]

“That’s right!” Beelzebub replied indifferently. He stood up, glanced at the sky, and murmured, “Who would accept such a fate?” Then he turned to look at the King Puppet Cain and those demons, and said calmly, “Let’s go!”
“Will you stop searching for demons?” Cain asked in surprise.
“Enough! — They’re sufficient; we have no time to waste!” With that, Beelzebub raised his right hand and, gazing at the setting sun in the distance, murmured, “My fate is in my own hands! — Come, let’s return to Sasan!”
“Yes, master!”
“Yes, Lord Beelzebub!”