While Verdia experienced the worst moment of her life, subjugated by an absolute sense of terror before the overwhelming presence of the man in front of her — the manifestation of the Curse of Fear — the Dragon God, Orsted, was confused.
The golden‑haired elf, bent at a ninety‑degree angle before him, seemed to be fighting the natural impulse to attack him, flee, or beg for mercy.
In fact, she was doing very well in his presence, better than most people. Orsted remained silent, observing her.
But, inwardly, he was thinking many things at once, trying to understand her situation.
Over the past months, he had gained some understanding of the current situation on the Sacred Continent of Milis.
The sequence of events had deviated uncontrollably.
Events that should never have occurred were erupting with intensity: a continent‑wide war, alliances between kingdoms, the destruction of important places… many of these things were unprecedented.
And the reason was the emergence of a single variable.
The current Sixth World Power. Now known as the Beast God.
He was not the first unknown variable that Orsted had encountered in his countless loops.
Others had already caused smaller distortions, such as the earlier‑than‑expected meddling of Hitogami's apostles, or the appearance of mages or warriors with untimely talents.
But none of them had reshaped the world stage with such force and scope.
Orsted had already repeated the cycle hundreds of times.
He walked the same paths, faced the same enemies, killed those who needed to be eliminated, saved those who would be useful, and tweaked small details with each new loop to conserve mana and energy.
Over time, he had stopped actively seeking out information.
He already knew all the major events, knew the fate of every important figure, and, due to his curse, interacting with people directly was a constant obstacle.
This made data gathering exhausting and, in his view, unnecessary.
But in this cycle, he began to notice that his information was becoming almost useless.
What should happen was not happening. And what should never occur was unfolding at full force.
Milis was at war, and not an ordinary war: a war capable of redefining kingdoms and reshaping the political geography of the world.
The Dragon King's Realm also showed structural differences.
The Demon Continent no longer followed known patterns, and even the distant Begarit Continent and the Northern Territories of the Central Continent were somewhat different.
Orsted had also noticed activity among the sea‑dwelling races — something that had never happened in any of his previous iterations.
Besides the places, the people were also different. One of Hitogami's future apostles, Lucios Galard, ascended to the papacy much earlier than he should have.
Orsted had already planned to kill him before then, and the only reason he didn't do it sooner was because he needed Lucios's descendants.
The destinies of important individuals had been profoundly altered: Ghislaine Dedoldia, Verdia Solarion, Eris Boreas Greyrat, Aisha Greyrat, Jino Britz… and many others.
Too numerous to count. All these changes, compared to the memories he had from previous loops, had something in common.
A single root. A single catalyst.
Rygar Adoldia.
It was from this that Orsted returned to old habits.
He captured high‑ranking members on both Milis's side and the Grand Forest's side during the war, and used Hypnosis Magic to extract information.
He did this repeatedly, cross‑referencing old data with new, drawing lines, pointing out connections. And always, at each critical intersection, Rygar's name surfaced.
A rare talent since childhood. Intelligent, with balanced strength and magic, and a combat instinct that bordered on monstrous.
At five years old, he was recognized as a warrior by the Doldia tribes. At six, with Verdia Solarion's help, he killed a warrior of the North Saint level.
But none of that, impressive as it was, caused the real impact on the world.
What transformed Rygar into a revolutionary force was his leadership ability.
He didn't just fight and win — he observed. He understood. He acted strategically. He influenced his tribe, his region, his continent with words and deeds.
Under his command, the Doldia abandoned limiting old traditions, reached for new horizons, adopted a progressive stance.
Rygar crushed all opposition with victories so notable that even the greatest geniuses would seem like amateurs beside him.
His path through Milis had been a whirlwind.
Annihilating slave bases, confronting Milis directly, forging alliances with dwarves, elves, and other normally isolated races.
Fighting not only against warriors or factions — but against the very religious and political structure in power.
As all these pieces fell into place, Orsted increasingly understood what had caused the distortion in this cycle.
He knew well how a single figure could change the destiny of a nation, of a continent. After all, his own mission required him to manipulate thrones and successions to ensure a favorable future for himself.
And for the Milis Continent, this time it was Rygar Adoldia.
Son of Hontar and Selene Adoldia. A young man who should never have existed.
Learning more about Rygar, Orsted finally understood rationally why that young man had never been born in any of his previous loops.
At first glance, Rygar seemed the perfect vessel for Laplace's reincarnation.
His physical body was naturally extremely strong, his magical talent was staggering, and he even possessed innate Demon Eyes.
But Orsted had a logical theory for why Rygar could not truly be reborn as Laplace in the end.
It was because of the Battle Aura — the Touki.
Rygar had a massive talent for using Battle Aura since childhood. And that talent was a natural blockade for Laplace.
The Demon God, despite his absurd power, could not use a drop of Battle Aura in his body.
Laplace's modified reincarnation spell was complex and altered the fetus in the womb from the very start of gestation.
Orsted did not know the precise details of how the modified enchantment worked, but he was sure of one thing: the Touki had to be completely erased from the vessel's body.
Having a talent as extreme as Rygar's for Touki made that impossible.
In a way, that had been both a blessing and a curse for that baby.
He was born with extraordinary innate talents — body, magic, touki, Demon Eyes — but could never use them in their entirety.
His newly born soul was too fragile to withstand such a strong Laplace Factor. And Laplace himself could not reincarnate into him because of the Battle Aura obstacle.
Thus, Rygar would always be stillborn. A biological error. A vessel rejected by the spell.
Except this time. In this cycle, he was born alive.
The only plausible explanation for this was that another foreign soul had reincarnated into his body.
Orsted investigated everything thoroughly. He used Hypnosis Magic several times, spending small but precious amounts of mana.
For someone like him, each use counted.
His movements were measured, calculated. Every spell cast had to be considered in the long term.
As he gathered his information, he reached a conclusion he had long theorized: this cycle was special. Possibly unique.
Beyond the Teleportation Incident, which had changed many destinies, three anomalous cases had already been detected.
They were two reincarnated, Rudeus and Rygar, and one summoned, Nanahoshi.
Three souls possibly from another world.
Three variables that did not belong to the original structure.
As he connected the dots, an unsettling suspicion began to form in the Dragon God's heart. A suspicion that, if true, would explain many of the distortions.
Hitogami was shaping Rygar Adoldia to kill him.
The idea was perfectly plausible. Everything fit.
Orsted had already interrogated a member of the Sword Sanctuary — someone who had heard Rygar declare that he wanted to cut off Dragon God Orsted's head as soon as he entered the Ephemeral Hall.
He also knew that Rygar had been alongside Reidar just before killing him, and Reidar always was an apostle in every loop.
He was one of the people Orsted had already planned to kill, as was Verdia.
Eris Greyrat also seemed to be training to kill him.
Rygar was forming a circle of powerful allies: the Immortal Demon King Badigadi, the Sword God Gall Farion, the Water God Reida Reia, the Death God Randolph Marianne — among others who, given time, would become figures of global influence.
Rygar was not an ordinary leader. He was an architect of the future.
If Hitogami had planned this from the beginning, there would be no contradiction.
Many of Rygar's powers — his rapid growth capability, his tactical intuition, his ability to form alliances, his influence over entire races — could be explained if he had been guided from the start by a manipulating mind.
Orsted knew that Rygar was still not strong enough to represent a threat to him in combat; he was far from it.
But who could predict what he would become? At seventeen, Rygar was already one of the Seven Powers. If he was this capable now, what would he do at fifty? Or a hundred?
Knowing this, he made a decision.
If Rygar truly was a weapon molded by Hitogami to destroy him… the wisest decision was to eliminate him immediately.
Orsted had already allowed him to live before, only to observe his actions and understand his impact on the world.
If Rygar truly had enough power to destroy Milishion — the Holy City — he could no longer be ignored. Orsted needed to see him with his own eyes, judge his real strength, and make the final decision.
With that in mind, he headed to Milishion to witness the outcome of the final battle.
If Rygar could destroy the Holy Capital at his current age, Orsted would kill him.
He despised and hated Hitogami, but did not underestimate his cunning.
And he could not rule out the possibility that these new variables — Rudeus, Rygar, Nanahoshi — were pieces placed on the board by that malevolent god.
But even in all the scenarios he thought possible, the Dragon God certainly did not expect what was happening now.
On the way to Milishion, he was intercepted by the Witch of Disaster.
She stood before him with a trembling but firm body. And then she asked him not to fight Rygar.
Orsted fell silent.
Years ago, he had considered killing her because of the Miko power she hid. Her ability to see the future was dangerous and unstable. But, over time, she had become a secondary problem.
And now, there she was. Asking him not to fight her disciple.
This surprised him somewhat. Verdia Solarion was a kind and warm person, but she was also naturally selfish.
No matter what disaster, what calamity, even if everyone around her died, in the end, she would walk away alive.
So… why would she come to meet death voluntarily?
He watched her.
She trembled. Sweated cold. Kept her head bowed so hard that her bright hair touched the ground. She did not dare look him in the eye. But she refused to flee.
Orsted wondered if she had once again seen her own death in his hands? Had she come because of that? But if that were the case, why would she come to meet him, knowing what awaited her?
She seemed about to collapse. Her body tensed, almost about to run by pure instinct.
Then, he decided to break the silence.
"Stand up."
Verdia hesitated for a few seconds, tension evident in every muscle. But, slowly, she began to rise.
Her knees shook, and her complexion remained as pale as wax. Being in Orsted's presence was not just uncomfortable — it was torture.
The mere fact of breathing the same air as him made her soul scream to kill him or flee immediately.
Fear. Hatred. Despair. They all swirled around him like an invisible field of repulsion and death.
But Verdia did not flee.
Even believing she was facing a soulless devil, a cold and malevolent entity that crushed hope with a single glance… she stayed.
Orsted watched her with impassive eyes, and then, after a brief silence, asked the question that most intrigued him at that moment:
"What future did you see?"
The elf slowly raised her eyes, a confused gleam shining behind the hatred that consumed her. Reflexively, she answered in a hesitant voice:
"P‑pardon?"
"You are the Soothsayer Miko," Orsted responded, as if merely repeating a piece of information. "I know you can see the future. I am asking what kind of future you saw before coming here."
Verdia froze. A different chill ran down her spine.
'How does he know about my powers?!'
Up to that moment, she had firmly believed her gift was an absolute secret, known only by herself.
And she believed that knowing that secret was a harbinger of death. That was why she had never trusted anyone with it.
That was why she maintained a thin, invisible emotional barrier with everyone around her. Her Vision was a curse, and anyone who knew about it was doomed to fall into ruin.
But there he was.
The most feared being in the world. And he knew about her powers.
She remained silent, stunned, trying to process that revelation. But she had no time. His presence was overwhelming. His gaze demanded an answer.
Then, with a trembling voice, she replied:
"I saw… a dark… and indecipherable stain… piercing my heart."
Orsted nodded as though it were obvious.
"That is your death. Because I am planning to kill you." His voice was cold as steel. "Knowing that, why did you still come here?"
Verdia opened her mouth. Closed it. Tried to speak again, but no words came out. Until finally, hesitantly, she stammered:
"I wanted to stop you from killing Rygar…"
Orsted narrowed his eyes.
"How did you know I was coming to kill Rygar Adoldia?"
Frightened, Verdia took a step back reflexively. Her hand almost flew to her bow, but she restrained the gesture and answered:
"I… I also saw his death."
A heavy silence fell between them. The wind blew, carrying a tension that felt solid, almost tangible. Orsted stared at the elf for long seconds before asking:
"Can you not see only your own death in the short term with your Visions?"
Again, Verdia was surprised by the depth of his knowledge about her ability.
How could he know that, if she had never told him herself? Her breathing grew shaky, but she answered:
"I‑it was supposed to be… until it wasn't anymore…"
The Dragon God's naturally severe face became even more grim.
"And then?" he said, in a deep, dense voice. "What was your plan to stop me from killing you?"
Verdia opened her mouth to answer… but something happened.
She felt the familiar sensation. Like a warm touch coming from within the soul. Her consciousness began to dissolve, slowly.
The sounds around her grew distant, as if submerged in water. Her deep blue eyes shone with a silver light. The same light as always.
Her body went rigid, her arms hanging at her sides. She looked at the sky without truly seeing it. Her eyes glazed, shining in silver.
Her mind, disconnected from reality. Yet she remained standing. Frozen like a living statue.
Verdia was having another Vision.
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