Rygar came to Ilya today for one reason: he needed information.
When he told Verdia about the information he wanted to know and asked who might know, she immediately replied by suggesting Ilya.
Rygar found it a bit unusual, since he had expected the answer to be some member of the Demon Race, someone who had lived for thousands of years.
But Verdia soon clarified.
Although she was an elf, Ilya was already a little over fifteen hundred years old.
Elves normally lived long lives, but even the longest-lived reached at most eleven hundred.
Ilya, however, was a half-blood.
Although her appearance was identical to that of a pure elf, with her long silver hair, that very coloration was an inheritance from her mother—a Demon Race of even greater longevity.
Ilya's knowledge of the world and its history came almost entirely from that maternal lineage.
Her mother was a millennia-old Demon King who, according to Ilya herself, had fought in the Second Human-Demon War under the command of Demon Empress Kishirika Kishirisu, four thousand two hundred years ago.
However, during the Laplace War, four hundred years ago, she was killed by Kalman I, the First North God, and by the Armored Dragon King, Perugius.
Ilya's father, an elf, had also died long ago. And so, Ilya remained.
Despite her lineage and long life, Ilya had never been a remarkable combatant.
She knew some types of magic, but rarely used them.
Her activities were limited to the peaceful life of the elven village: she tended her garden with devotion, sewed cloaks and traditional garments, and carved small figures of heroes.
She was always helpful to the other elves, and thus eventually earned the title of elder.
Fate works in curious ways—Ilya had never worried about wars or battles, but having lived far longer than anyone, her wisdom proved more valuable to the elven people than any warrior.
After a few minutes of waiting, Ilya returned cheerfully, carrying a teapot and a tray with two cups.
She placed everything on the table in front of Rygar and served him with a smile. The tea was red-rojo, exuding a sweet, gentle aroma that filled the room like the scent of herbs.
She sat in her armchair, made of intertwined vines, and asked:
"Well, what brings you, Rygar? Are you still having trouble mastering your savagery?"
Rygar smiled for a moment, believing she was joking. But on closer inspection, he realized she was speaking sincerely. That left him a bit stunned.
"Is that possible? She spent the last ten years in an isolated cave?"
During that time, a holy war had begun and ended.
Rygar was not arrogant enough to think everyone in the world knew his name, but at least on the Gaia Continent, few did not know who the Beast God was.
Gathering himself, he cleared his throat and replied dryly:
"Ah… no. I no longer have trouble controlling myself. My control over Touki is already good enough for me to manage very well."
Ilya was surprised and delighted.
"Oh! Really? How wonderful! I'm glad the advice was helpful!"
She seemed genuinely happy for him. Rygar, in turn, activated his senses, trying to detect any hint of irony. Nothing. Ilya was sincere. The elf continued:
"And how is Verdia?"
Rygar coughed, slightly embarrassed for having distrusted her.
"Ahem! She's fine. We married about a year ago… and she's pregnant now."
Ilya's eyes lit up again.
"How wonderful! You make a lovely couple. How lucky Verdia is to have become pregnant. Not only because of the racial differences, but also because elves' fertility is much lower than average."
She nodded as she spoke. And so the two continued talking.
They discussed what Rygar had been doing, how he had controlled himself, talked about touki and many other things.
As the conversation grew increasingly relaxed, Ilya began to piece things together.
Rygar's accounts were too absurd for him to be an ordinary person.
He spoke of wars, battles against dragons, fights with formidable warriors, alliances with previously hostile races. All of it, little by little, became impossible to ignore.
With a curious look, Ilya tilted her head slightly and asked:
"If you've become that strong… have you thought about joining that Beast God? I heard he unified Milis some time ago. If you have an enemy to defeat, he could train you!"
Rygar remained silent for a moment, staring at the elf with an impassive gaze. Then he forced a slight smile.
"There seems to be some misunderstanding, Ilya," he said slowly."I am the Beast God."
She blinked.
"How?" she asked, confused.
"I am Rygar Adoldia, the current Beast God."
For a moment, Ilya simply stared at him. Then, as if struck by a bolt of realization, her eyes widened and she immediately stood up.
"My god! I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"
Her face took on a panicked expression, as if she had just offended royalty. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to compose herself.
"It's all right…" said Rygar with a mischievous smile. "No need to change how you act around me."
It took a moment, but Rygar managed to calm her. Gradually, she sat down again, still with her face slightly flushed with embarrassment.
When she finally fully composed herself, she straightened her posture and looked directly at him.
"All right… if this is a matter coming directly from the Beast God, it can't be simple. So, what do you need? I will do my best to help you!"
Rygar took his cup and took a sip of the tea. He drew a deep breath and spoke slowly:
"I need some information about ancient times."
Ilya nodded naturally; this was one of the most common requests she received.
"Of course. About what specifically?"
Rygar's expression grew more serious.
"Mainly about those at the top of the Seven Powers ranking… but I also want to know about unknown and hidden races."
Ilya rested her chin in the palm of her hand, thoughtful.
"Very well… let's start from the top down."
She took a deep breath and began to speak with the familiarity of someone who had recited those stories many times before.
"The Technique God is the most mysterious. Very few have seen him, and fewer still know who he is. Not even my mother, who lived over four thousand years, knew his identity. What is said about him is that he lives—or lived—in mountains unreachable by ordinary people. They say he was the one who created the Classification of the Seven Great World Powers. He did that to find ever more talented and powerful people, but even that is speculation. Nothing can be confirmed. He is shrouded in mystery."
Rygar listened to every word. It was impressive that even someone with millennia of knowledge inherited from an ancient Demon King had so little information about this figure.
"No wonder, in these days, some believe he is dead," Rygar murmured to himself.
Ilya continued, looking up at the ceiling as if searching her memories.
"The Dragon God… that one is less complicated. Little is known about the first to hold that title, but the Dragon Race has been among us for a very long time. For millennia, names surfaced bearing that title, some gaining notoriety for their absurd strength. The problem is that Dragons were always treated with hostility by all other races. Even the most powerful ended up dying sooner than they should have."
She paused, thoughtful, furrowing her brow.
"The last Dragon God, as far as I remember, was a half-blood… his name was Urupen. Some time ago I heard he passed the title on, but no one knows who the current one is."
"It's Orsted. The current Dragon God is Orsted," Rygar said.
Ilya turned to look at him in surprise.
"Oh! I see!" She seemed to file that information away in her mind with seriousness, as if updating an internal scroll.
Rygar couldn't help but smile slightly. Perhaps that was how she amassed so much knowledge—people came to her seeking wisdom, and inadvertently ended up leaving something in return.
"My mother once mentioned a particularly powerful Dragon God in the past… but hardly anyone spoke of him. It was almost a taboo. I think his name was Laplace, just like Demon God Laplace, but his title at the time seemed to be Demon Dragon God Laplace, so they might not be the same person… but I can't recall exactly; she said that even among Dragons, he was the most feared, the most powerful among them."
The conversation continued at its pace, with Ilya citing some of the names known from the Dragon God lineage—including Urupen—until she seemed to exhaust all the information she had.
Rygar also told her everything he knew about Orsted at the moment.
And then came the Third Place. The Fighter God.
"The Fighter God… I know some things about him. After all, he was the main reason for the defeat of the Demon Empress four thousand two hundred years ago. And, consequently, for the defeat of my mother."
She paused briefly, her eyes lost in ancient memories.
"The first appearance of the Fighter God was the Golden Knight, Aldebaran. The last bastion of humanity. With his golden armor, he devastated the armies of the demon host in an unstoppable manner. He was invulnerable to magic; even the most bizarre and unpredictable demonic spells did not work against him. My mother faced him in combat once. She saw her army slaughtered, blow by blow… no one could resist a single strike from Aldebaran."
Ilya took a deep breath before continuing:
"He exterminated an army of ten thousand on his own. Without tiring. Without distinguishing between strong or weak. Even the most powerful demon generals were killed by the same ordinary blow. He was a martial master, without a doubt. Calling him Fighter God is quite accurate; my mother described him as a God of all forms of combat. She, too, was killed by a single strike… but because of a trait of her race, she eventually came back to life."
Her tone softened, almost melancholic. She clearly remembered her mother. She used to tell her that story with emotion.
The elf sighed and continued:
"When she revived, Kishirika had already been killed and defeated. The details of that battle are unknown. Some say the Fighter God invaded Kishirika's Castle alone and massacred the Demon Empress and her followers by himself. But I've heard different versions saying the Fighter God was actually protecting Kishirika from being killed by Demon Dragon God Laplace."
She shook her head slightly.
"I don't have clarity on the events that led to the end of the Second War. But the Fighter God was fighting someone… and the result of that fight led to the creation of the Ringus Sea."
Ilya then recounted many other feats of the Fighter God, each more impressive than the last.
Just hearing them, Rygar didn't know if he would ever be victorious in combat against such a figure. Invulnerable to all magics. Possessing the strongest combat techniques. Splitting continents and mountains with his blows. Tireless in battle.
This information gave him a new perspective on power.
The elf spoke again:
"And then comes Demon God Laplace. As I mentioned, I'm not sure if Demon Dragon God Laplace and Demon God Laplace are the same person. Maybe it's him weakened… or maybe they are different individuals."
She looked directly at Rygar.
"In any case, I believe Verdia already told you plenty about him during your time in the Laplace War, right?"
Rygar nodded.
"She did."
"Perhaps it's some technique of reincarnation, like the Demon Empress uses…" he suggested.
Ilya nodded firmly:
"That is not impossible. Demon races are known to possess inexhaustible vitality. And this manifests in various different ways."
Rygar looked at her and asked:
"Your mother didn't have such an ability; how did she end up being killed?"
Ilya replied simply, "Perugius Dola used a Draconic Magic to seal her magic, and then Kalman killed her; unable to use her magic, she ended up dying definitively."
Rygar nodded.
"I will investigate Laplace further in the future… and come back to tell you. There are still other important figures I want to learn about…
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