Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 378, Section 377: Now that you have seen the sun, why not worship it?

In the heart of that ancient city swallowed by yellow sand, the sky, which should have been filled with the radiance of the Egyptian sun god Ra, was now replaced by a strange, dark red "sun." It was not a warm source of light, but a slowly pulsating, blood-red halo suspended high in the air, like the heart of a living thing.

The new sun hung in the original position of the sun, yet it emitted unsettling energy fluctuations.

The stone pillars in the city cast distorted shadows, as if the entire world had undergone some kind of fundamental displacement at this moment. And right beneath this halo of light.

A breathtakingly perfect figure emerged from the ruptured, gigantic embryo.

He possessed a human form, yet transcended the mundane. His skin, like the purest ivory, shimmered with a metallic sheen; the symmetry and harmony of his features reached the pinnacle of mathematics, as if sculpted by the hand of a deity. His eyes were two deep voids, reflecting no image yet capable of swallowing all gazes.

This is indeed a perfect appearance.

It feels like a shell of Pinduoduo.

His face was as handsome and flawless as Apollo's, his body was perfectly proportioned and powerful, every inch of his skin radiated an inhuman, divine radiance that dared not be looked at directly, as if it were formed from the purest light. Seven dazzling golden halos slowly rotated behind his head, exuding great majesty.

Each one was inscribed with incomprehensible ancient runes, radiating a powerful aura that made the soul tremble.

The evil god's pure white robes fluttered without wind, as if stars were being born and dying within them. Most striking of all was the complete "Eye of Ra" embedded in his chest—a vertical pupil that shimmered with a liquid light like molten gold, radiating a warm and powerful energy fluctuation like the core of the sun.

It illuminated the entire ruins.

If Ian hadn't possessed true vision, he might have struggled to discern his cunning.

"You were still born successfully."

Ian, a legendary figure from his youth, stood in the center of the temple ruins.

His robes fluttered in the invisible energy fluctuations. He looked up at the sky and saw the being that had emerged from the embryo slowly descending to the top of the highest pyramid.

He met the gaze of this newly born evil god. The wind and sand formed an invisible barrier around him, but his eyes remained unwavering, only unfathomably solemn. He recognized the "Eye of Ra"—the true core of the ancient Egyptian sun god, which should have been suppressed in the deepest treasury of the temple.

But now it is embedded in the chest of this evil creature, becoming its source of power and a tool for disguise.

"Ian Prince".

The evil god spoke, but the voice did not come from the throat; rather, it resounded directly in the depths of everyone's mind, like a torrent of whispers from billions of living beings, carrying a strange rhythm that compelled people to submit: "Behold, I have descended. I am the new sun, the end of order, and the beginning of equality."

"Kneel down, to me, to this new era. Feel this light; it will purify all your pain and impurities. Although you have committed some wrongdoings, I am still willing to forgive you and make you my most beloved subject." The voice of God was like the whisper of millions of people, both melodious and chilling.

The evil god's tall, slender body was covered in skin as smooth as liquid gold, his face breathtakingly handsome, his eyes like two miniature suns, burning with eternal flames. His bare upper body displayed perfect muscle definition, while his lower body was enveloped in energy flows like a solar corona.

"Come! Join me!" As he spread his arms, twelve wings made of light appeared behind him, each wing displaying countless distorted human faces.

"Ok?"

Ian felt an invisible pressure coming from all directions, trying to force him to kneel. A slight, mocking smile played on his lips, but he remained unaffected.

Instead, he calmly raised his hand, and a blinding white light gathered at the tip of his wand.

"Kneel before? To a monster who stole divinity and crawled out of a rotten embryo? Sorry, I'm more used to fighting standing up. Your shell may be magnificent, but the inside is already rotten and stinking. Besides, I kneel to heaven and earth, I kneel to my parents, but I will never kneel to a false god!" Ian's voice, amplified by magic, resounded throughout the city.

Upon hearing this, the evil god...

Not annoyed either.

He smiled.

That smile was as warm as sunshine, yet it stung Ian's skin. At that moment, Ian also launched an attack. A pure white beam of light, imbued with the power to tear space, shot out from the tip of his staff with lightning speed, aiming straight for the "Eye of Ra" on the evil god's chest.

Ian needs to break through the other party's disguise.

Where the beam of light passed, the air was scorched and distorted, and the stone pillar instantly vaporized. However, the attack, powerful enough to destroy a mountain, vanished without a trace the moment it touched the evil god's body. Even more strangely, the dissipated magical energy was slightly absorbed by the "Eye of Ra" on his chest.

The molten gold light in the opponent's pupils seemed to brighten for a moment. The evil god didn't even blink, and the seven golden wheels spun even more steadily, as if the attack just now was merely a gentle breeze.

"A futile struggle." The evil god's voice remained calm, carrying a divine compassion. "Your magic is nothing but fragments of mortal wisdom. I, on the other hand, have already absorbed the inspiration of all the great artists of the past three thousand years, the contemplation of all the philosophers, the bravery of all the warriors, the madness of all the lovers... My existence is the perfect embodiment. I have no shortcomings, no weaknesses. I am the sun of this new world."

"I am the light, I am the truth itself." The evil god took a step forward, descending directly from the top of the pyramid and hovering in mid-air.

“Look around you, Master. People have come to realize the truth.”

He slowly raised his hand, pointing to the city below. The civilians who had been trembling with fear, upon being touched by this "warm" light, first stared blankly, then revealed an almost blissful, empty smile, before kneeling down, burying their heads in their hands, and letting out heart-wrenching howls.

Their consciousness seemed to be torn and twisted by an invisible force, the most precious memories and emotions deep within their souls being forcibly stripped away and transformed into nourishment for the evil god. Even the wizards dressed in various robes, attempting to cast protective spells, were not spared. Their proud spiritual barriers became as thin as paper under the dual erosion of the evil god's will and power.

Everyone collapsed, their faces deathly pale, tears of blood streaming from their eyes, unconsciously repeating: "Sun... New Sun... Equality... Integration..."

This is clearly a case of mind manipulation.

Evil gods take pain as pleasure.

Ian quickly scanned his surroundings, his heart clenching. Thousands upon thousands of citizens were kneeling in the streets, their eyes reflecting the light emanating from the evil god, their faces etched with a dazed bliss. Even some of his fellow wizards had lowered their staffs, clasped their hands together, and murmured hymns of praise.

"What did you do to them?" Ian demanded sharply, blue arcs of electricity beginning to gather at the tip of his wand.

"It's just that they've seen the truth." The evil god waved his hand elegantly. "Under my light, all souls will be purified, and all consciousness will be unified. This is true equality—no poverty, no pain, no loneliness. This is the new era of equality for all beings below me."

The influence of this evil god continues to affect many. Only Ian, like a pillar in the midst of a torrent, stands firm. His mental fortress is as solid as a rock, unmoved by the invisible corrosive forces and the "holy" light. His eyes pierce through the evil god's Apollo-like handsome face, its golden-ratio body, its seven rotating golden wheels, its pure white robes that move without wind, and its "Ra's Eye" that radiates "warmth," seeing into the unspeakable, cold, and greedy darkness deep within its core.

Deep within the light of the "Eye of Ra" lie countless distorted and tormented phantoms of souls; these are the true source of this "warmth."

"Your 'equality'?" Ian's voice was clearly audible amidst the wails, cold and hard like metal. "Is it to devour and assimilate all life, making them a piece of flesh on your perfect shell? To make billions of beings lose themselves, becoming your nourishment and extension? Is this what you call 'equality between all beings and one person'?"

"Use the light of 'Ra's Eye' to conceal your gluttonous nature?"

“There is no freedom at all,” Ian coldly interrupted. “Your ‘equality’ means making everyone a part of you, losing their individuality, losing the right to choose!”

Ian is quite knowledgeable in this regard.

The evil god's smile remained unchanged, but the light in his eyes became even more dazzling.

He hovered amidst the eerie crimson sunlight intertwined with his own "holy" radiance, tilting his head slightly, seemingly puzzled by Ian's question.

“What’s wrong with that?” His voice carried a naive cruelty, and the “Eye of Ra” on his chest shone softly. “Individual pain, desires, and struggles are the root of chaos. When all consciousness merges into me and becomes part of my thinking, pain will cease to exist, and struggle will end forever.”

“You will attain eternal ‘peace’ and share in my ‘perfection.’ Is this not the ultimate equality and harmony? I am the salvation.”

“As for freedom,” he repeated the word softly, as if savoring a foreign concept, “what has freedom brought? War, disease, betrayal. How much suffering has humanity created with freedom? In my kingdom, all souls will live in harmony, for they are me, and I am them.”

Hear the words.

"Redemption?"

Ian shouted sharply, raising his wand high once more. His magic gathered like a storm, forming dark blue runes that resisted the "holy" light.

"Your so-called 'redemption' is a state of suspended animation before the soul is completely obliterated! Your so-called 'peace' is a graveyard where the consciousness of billions of living beings is annihilated! True equality is respecting the uniqueness and choices of every life, not crushing them into dust beneath your feet! You thief, you are not even as good as those Olympian gods!"

This is a common insult to Olympus, but it is indeed true.

"A choice? Hmm?" The evil god chuckled, a laugh that shook the entire space, the seven golden wheels emitting a piercing hum. "Choices only bring error and suffering. And I will end it all. Mage, give up. No matter how strong your will, you cannot resist this inevitable torrent!"

"Join me and feel that supreme 'peace.' This light will eventually embrace you." His voice was seductive, as if it wanted to penetrate Ian's soul.

Ian fell silent; he knew arguing was pointless. His wand flashed forward, and a blinding blue lightning bolt ripped through the air, striking the evil god directly in the chest.

This is "Thunder Fury," a skill that only legendary mages can learn.

Enough to penetrate even the strongest city walls.

The lightning struck its target, unleashing a deafening roar.

When the smoke cleared, the evil god was unharmed. Even more terrifying, Ian clearly saw the lightning energy absorbed by the evil god's skin and transformed into part of the wings of light on his back.

"A good attempt."

The evil god nodded approvingly. "But your magic is ineffective against me, Ian. I have absorbed the talents of all the wizards in this city, including those more learned than you."

"I am magic itself, and all things must merge with me." On the wings of light behind him, several familiar faces contorted in pain before returning to calm.

"I would rather be burned to ashes by your 'light' than bow down to a monster like you who blasphemes!" Ian roared, this time no longer using a single attack spell.

A rainbow of light erupted from the tip of the wand, and ancient runes swirled around it like stars. Space began to distort, time seemed to freeze, and elemental forces roared wildly.

This is compound magic.

Ian was one of the first to experiment with magic such as Divine Strike Without Shadow.

Of course, Ian now is not at the same level as he was back then. It's not just a simple fusion; he has mobilized all his knowledge and fused multiple laws such as spatial folding, time acceleration, elemental annihilation, and soul impact, condensing them into an unprecedented torrent of complex magic containing destructive power.

It poured down on the evil god like a burst dam!

The torrent of magic bombarded the evil god, finally no longer completely ineffective. The holy radiance around his body fluctuated violently, the seven golden wheels emitted shrieks of strain, and the "Eye of Ra" on his chest flickered rapidly, even dimming for a moment. The evil god's body was slightly pushed back by the immense force, but he quickly regained his footing, and for the first time, a hint of... amusement and a deeper greed appeared on his perfect face.

"Interesting. Mage. Your tricks are ineffective against me. I possess the knowledge of all schools of magic and understand the principles of all spells. Before me, magic is as harmless as a baby's cry." The evil god's voice remained calm, even carrying a hint of admiration. "However, you are indeed extraordinary."

“Ian, your magical talent is a rare ‘talent’.”

“Let me… absorb it, let it become a perfect part of me.” He said this as if it were a casual remark, without the slightest hint of unease.

Before the words were even finished, the "holy" light surrounding the evil god suddenly transformed into a powerful suction force, forming a massive, swirling vortex. Ian's magical torrent, powerful enough to tear apart space, was forcibly twisted and pulled by the vortex, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, all of it being sucked into the evil god's body!

Even more terrifying, Ian could feel that the will he had gathered when casting the spell, his understanding of magic, and even the anger and determination he felt at that moment were being sucked away by an invisible straw!
It will be transformed into nourishment for the evil god!
"Now that you have seen the great sun, why do you not worship it?"

The evil god's voice suddenly grew louder, echoing throughout the city. The words seemed to possess some kind of magic, and Ian felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Golden specks of light began to appear at the edges of his vision, and sweet whispers rang in his ears, urging him to lay down his weapons and join the blissful community.

My knees felt heavy again.

It seemed as if countless hands were pulling him down to his knees.

then.

Falling into all things that are sweetly poisonous.

(End of this chapter)