Forge a path to success

He entrusted his disciples with important responsibilities, and he gave code names to those he trusted to prevent their real names from being used for curses. Burning Ember and Cursed Thunder were the first of the best young men to mature; they paid close attention to every sign of danger and dealt with heretics and villains with the ruthlessest methods.

Many people dared not call him by his name. They called him "Lord of Demon Slayers".

“Lord Vansalal, I think this is a bit too callous,” Vaklo complained. “You wouldn’t mind if I killed a few more idiots, would you?”

“Go paint your picture and stop causing me trouble,” Vansalar sneered. “I don’t care.”

“Alas, this is truly, this is truly…” Vacklo’s ears twitched, and it dropped its paintbrush. “My lord, there has been a change in the capital, the Holy Son of the Moon.”

"Black Moon is getting serious now."

Lavaiva's message arrived almost simultaneously, followed by communications from two other archmages. The black moon above the capital was full and hollow, and the First Abyss reached out its demonic hand towards the empire. Before all the anxious cries could be heard, before the first drop of black blood fell to the ground, he had already appeared above the capital, facing the abyssal spider with a thousand eyes and ten thousand hands.

A look of astonishment flashed in the eyes of the fallen. "You are—"

"I am the Lord of Slaying Demons." He raised his staff. "I am everywhere."

·

It had been a long time since he had fought such a difficult battle, but this time he ultimately won. The cowardly Fallen One begged for mercy before dying, and he planted a spell, using the Void Shadow Technique to completely control him. Not for any other reason than that they needed fighting power... and he also needed a survivor familiar with information about the heretics.

The entire Spire cheered for him, but this time, he was simply too exhausted to perform magic tricks. He felt he couldn't go on, but he also felt it was all worth it. He didn't see Lavaiva in the crowd; it was unusual that the meddlesome woman wasn't there at this time.

"Look at you." Vansalar heard a familiar voice, "The hero who protects the capital."

The Sorcerer Supreme smiled at the front of the crowd and gave him a big hug. "You're finally back, you rascal!" He slapped Karl hard on the shoulder. "You've been doing quite well in the city-state, haven't you? You've got a beard now."

"The food there is excellent, perfect for cultivating one's character," Karsod laughed. "I can't wait to see what our wise emperor will say."

They began to discuss excitedly whether the arriving general would be a war hero. At that moment, they resembled two mischievous children, but they had the right to celebrate. They had won this tug-of-war, upholding justice and protecting themselves.

But even Calsod was stunned when the Giant Emperor himself arrived.

“I never expected him to come and thank me in person,” Karsold said. “That old-fashioned, cold-blooded, inflexible fool…”

“When we were kids, we had to call him Your Majesty,” Vansalar laughed. “Let’s go and hear what His Majesty has to say.”

In hindsight, they should have been prepared for what was to come. Everyone knew the giant's cold, steely temper, and those who had once been subjects of the empire understood this nation's ways especially well. But they ignored it, just as they had ignored every mistake of the past. So much so that even a second before the emperor spoke, they were still plotting how to ridicule this self-important dictator.

"Sorcerer Supreme, Calsord, I issue you this ultimatum on behalf of the Empire of Giants," the Emperor said. "The oracle has concluded that elemental magic has a fatal flaw. You will become the fourth heretic."

Karl Soder's smile froze.

The emperor continued, "You must cease all research until the calculations stabilize. The two righteous gods will stabilize your spirit body..."

Karsold seemed stunned, and said with difficulty, "Hey, you may not have received the latest news yet. We just protected your empire."

“I know,” the emperor said.

“You know,” Karsold repeated, the tips of his beard trembling, “my friend, you just saved your people, and now you come here to accuse me?”

"Fifteen standard time units ago, the Empire detected direct communication between the Spiral Tower and the Cradle of Oblivion," the Emperor said indifferently. "According to the Oracle's calculations, there is an 87.6% probability that the Spiral Tower orchestrated this attack—"

“That’s enough,” Karsold said softly. “That’s enough.”

Vansalar heard a faint cracking sound, as if something had shattered, and a terrifying being, long restrained, erupted forth with a horrifying rage that would make even the gods shrink back. He was blown away, and the dazzling, scorching light stood before the emperor, the heavens and earth trembling at his roar.

"Get out of my country!!"

That was the first time he had witnessed the Sorcerer Supreme's rage. That uncontrollable emotion set the entire world ablaze.

·

Calsod sat amidst the charred ruins, gazing up at the black night sky.

He hadn't uttered a single word since the battle ended, and no one dared approach him except for Vansalar.

“Karl,” Vansalar whispered, “Hey, Karl.”

“They think I’m wrong,” said the Supreme Master. “What do you think, Vansalal? Are we wrong?”

Vansalar stood silently, knowing his friend didn't expect a reply. Kalsoud shook his head, gazing at the deep night sky.

"If we're talking about ties with heretics, the Divine Tree City-State is probably even more to blame. If we're talking about ruthless methods, the Emperor himself is the greatest tyrant in the world. If we're talking about excessive measures and a lack of freedom, why not look at those ancient dragons who call themselves gods, and the 'civilizational competition' they once spearheaded?" The Sorcerer Supreme said slowly, "There are no perfect people in this world. They can sacrifice other things for the greater good... but we can't?"

"Our people died for peace, our people sacrificed themselves for the greater good, our magic, our blood, everything we had was given to this world, and in the end they call us heretics!!" The Sorcerer Supreme suddenly roared, "Tell me! Why, now that things have come to this, do they call me a heretic!!!"

“I don’t know!!” Vansalar roared back, nearly going mad himself. “Because we were wrong! So what?! Like you said, is there anyone in this world who hasn’t made a mistake? Why can they, but we can’t?!”

Karl Soder took off his glasses and chuckled softly. His laughter grew louder and louder, like that of a simple and happy child who had finally come to his senses.

"Do you know why?" He grabbed his friend's shoulder, overjoyed at his newfound answer. "Vansarar, do you know?"

"I told you I don't know—"

"Because they are righteous gods, and I am not!" Karsod waved his hands excitedly. "That's why the Emperor never speaks ill of the old dragon, and that's why no one dares to mention how the World Tree communicates with heretics. They are supreme righteous gods! The whole world relies on their protection, so no one dares to offend the supreme ones; they even depend on the righteous gods for their lives!!"

"Therefore, the true gods are always right. They must be right. If you don't rely on these righteous people, you'll only end up in the abyss!!"

"This is the true god! The lifeblood of all living beings in the world is determined by what constitutes a righteous god!"

The Venerable Master released his friend's hand, his eyes filled with deep remorse.

“I was wrong, old friend,” Karsold said. “It’s all because I’m not strong enough, but soon all the problems will be solved.”

"I have grasped the secrets of the world."

"Karl!" Vansalar panicked. "Calm down, Karl!!"

Karsod leaped into the air, a smile of enlightenment on his face. Golden and black light swirled around him, like an ancient spiral that had never been separated. An incredibly vast array formed, instantly obscuring the entire Senluo Secret Realm. The distance between the two grew ever greater, and Vansalar screamed as he reached out, grasping at the unattainable god.

"Karlsold!! We can do some testing first, and make a plan. At least let us help you with more preparations!!"

"We've never needed those."

They seemed to have returned to the day they had just emerged from the deep sea, when the young child told him the secrets of magic. It was the great path of the heart and emotions, the art of change and individuality.

"Once enlightened, one ascends to the divine realm."

The world came to a close in the light.

The elements of the entire Submerged Realm boiled at that moment.

·

Vansalar felt he couldn't hold on any longer; he was spreading out, like thin steam dissipating into an excessively vast world. The consciousness that sustained him was collapsing, and the sixth particle, "Quiet Void," was reaching its end, for the void could not be stably maintained.

He will become an insignificant point.

He is about to fall into the second abyss.

He needed to use emotion to sustain his elements, and he forced out his courage. Only courage could maintain his form. But this time, even courage and love failed him; his usually invincible emotions betrayed him. He sank into the fog, feeling the cold, bewildering death.

—Vansara. Arouse your emotions.

"Sorry, Carl." He smiled bitterly to himself. "I messed up. I can never catch up to you on this track."

—You can do it. You just forgot that little trick. Remember when you first started learning magic?

Of course he remembered. A never-ending stream of memories. That damned wild boar. His timid and anxious childhood self.

—Fear breeds courage.

Embrace fear.

He grasped at the rope of fear.

Then the fog broke, and the world was turned upside down.

·

"Are you alright, Vansalar?"

He jumped to his feet, stretching his limbs, joy cleaving through his astonishment, and let out a shrill, delighted laugh. He was incoherent, gesticulating wildly, spinning around in circles. Calsod laughed heartily.

"My God! My God, Karl!!" He clapped his hands loudly. "The world of Point 7 is amazing. I've never felt so...free!!"

"Do you understand now?" Karl Sord asked him. "Do you get it now?"

"Of course you're right. You're always right!! All problems are solved!!"

He was overjoyed, embracing his friend tightly, while simultaneously immersing himself in numerous perspectives.

Now he no longer needed to rely on the demons; he could observe the world from countless angles. But he still habitually separated his perspective, borrowing the eyes of those familiar little creatures. He had just been unconscious for so long; he needed to be on the safe side and check if the demons were—

He saw blood and severed limbs.

He heard screams, pleas for mercy, curses, and cries.

He saw shadows lurking behind children, beasts tearing at living flesh, flames being swallowed by the night, and panic driving the masses mad. He saw packs of frenzied beasts devouring life, and shadows shattering the bones of warriors.

He exists simultaneously in countless visions; he sees tens of millions of deaths and countless sorrows flowing in the shadows.

He witnessed a single second within the realm of slumber.

A second dominated by fear.

This is his "memory" after he lost consciousness. It's from an hour ago.

Then, three thousand six hundred "seconds" arrived simultaneously.

He heard himself laughing in reality.

His reason howled in the deepest hell.

Amidst the endless blood and bones, only the old friend stands alone, as familiar as ever.

“Are you ready, Van Salal?” Karsod reached out his hand to him.

"Then let's set off. This is just the beginning."

Let's work together to change the world!

·

From that day on, the tides of the Sea of ​​Illusions rose less frequently, the range of the historical fog dissipated less, and the light of the Cradle of Oblivion was temporarily obscured on certain nights.

Because of the wind and snow in the world.

There was sand and dust.

Earthquakes occurred. Volcanoes appeared. Thunderstorms occurred. Tornadoes appeared. Various unpredictable phenomena appeared without any pattern, causing even the abyss to retreat.

People called it a "natural disaster".

·

I can hardly remember anything after that.

Meaningless conversation.

Education that seems meaningful.

The test for the brave continues.

We eagerly await the arrival of someone who can break the cycle of fear.

In the fleeting, dew-like moments of time, there was a ray of light worth remembering on a certain day.

That was a very, very long time later. A demon was defeated, and the warrior overcame the trial. He emerged from the demon's corpse and saw a child holding a shadow sword and a shield of light.

"Congratulations, you have conquered your fear!" he said. "The Nightmare King is about to reward you. What do you wish for?"

The child pointed his sword at the sky.

"Could you create a barrier in the sky to protect everyone? With this, natural disasters will decrease, and it will be much harder for heretics to get in."

He was stunned for a moment, recalling that night long ago when he had a conversation with his old friend.

"You want the sky?"

"Sky...that's a great name!" the child exclaimed excitedly. "Can you do it?"

“There was someone who had the same idea as you before. But he failed,” he said. “I can’t do it either.”

"I see... I'm sorry to have put you in such a difficult position. I'll keep trying then."

The child held up a gleaming shield and spoke with great confidence.

"Once I become stronger, I will make sure the world has a sky!"

For a moment, he wanted to cry. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to hysterically curse.

He bent down and stroked the child's hair.

“That’s a wonderful wish,” said the Demon King. “May it come true.”

And so, time passed.