The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

Page 1469

　The parties who signed the contract were not of equal status.

　Principal Art and others have complete control over any affairs of St. Marian Academy.

　Darko Dimon basically has no problems either.

　Although High Priestess Bellamy Artemis was above an Elf Queen, her status within the Elven race was exalted. Even the Elf Queen could not exert much influence over her.

　Moreover, the elven princess Lucia Artemis was also among those who signed the contract! Of the four factions that signed the contract, the only problem lay with Bishop Sabrina Melville.

　Although Sabrina Melville, the protagonist, is only a short distance from being promoted to archbishop, she is still just a bishop. Even if she successfully becomes an archbishop after this incident, she will not be able to decide all matters of the Holy Church. She will have to renegotiate the matter with Chief Archbishop Caleb Norris and Pope Sith Saint Patrice.

　Of course, she and the Twin Paladins also left a contingency plan at the end of the contract. If they could not obtain the Holy Church's permission, their agreement with Hermes would become a personal agreement, and they would participate in the matter in their own name only, at a reduced cost.

Chapter 1003 Shinto Ritual (4k)

　After Professor Sylph left, Dark and the others also got out of the "Lunar Chariot." But that was only because the carriage was more crowded than it was comfortable outside.

　Principal Arte casually gestured, and a suspended magic carpet was spread out next to the carriage. He and the others sat around the magic carpet.

　Then she took out a food card and gently tapped it. As if shaking off dust, it summoned various delicacies.

　Leaving aside the few who later entered the "Heavenly Court," Dak and the others were truly hungry and exhausted.

　If he could, he would just lie down on the ground and sleep soundly for the rest of his life.

　But now is not the time to completely relax.

　Next, they must traverse the mists of the "Mountain of the Gods" to return to camp.

　On this mountain of gods, there are also divine beasts such as giant elephants, which are equally dangerous.

　Dak sat on the magic carpet for a while, ate some fresh fruit, then moved to a corner to sit cross-legged and close his eyes to meditate.

　Of course, he did not practice the "Netherworld God Technique" at this time, but only used this method to completely calm his mind.

　The time spent in the "Heavenly Court" is actually not long; if you calculate carefully, it may even be less than twelve hours.

　But the dangers he faced in those twelve hours were more than all of his previous lives combined.

　After such an experience, it would be absolutely impossible to say that his mind had not changed at all.

　Now, having calmed down, I'm reflecting and summarizing.

　His journey to the Heavenly Court was essentially still within the chessboard; he didn't truly step outside the chessboard to become the player.

　But this has nothing to do with individual wisdom. It is simply caused by the inequality of absolute power.

　Although Hermes outwardly appeared to be working towards the first plan, he couldn't help but harbor thoughts of favoring the second plan.

　After all, only a completely new path can break through the shackles of the past. If they do nothing but prolong their lives, they will still die when Ragnarok comes again.

　No god can escape Ragnarok. So-called resurrection is always based on the premise of having died.

　Hermes and the other twelve gods also survived only by "death".

　But once this tactic is used, it cannot work a second time. If Ragnarok were to descend again, he and the others would have no chance of survival.

　However, there is a period called "the resurrection of the gods" that corresponds to "Ragnarok".

　But in each cycle of reincarnation, countless gods are forever lost to the dust of history.

　If they cannot escape this eternal cycle of reincarnation, even the twelve gods are nothing more than clowns struggling repeatedly in the face of fate.

　What they need is to seek new change!

　But Darkl cannot predict how this new change will ultimately affect humanity.

　Learning from history is a useful tool.

　But they are on a completely new historical path.

　However, if the "Magic Path" could truly be created, most of the magicians who became gods through this path would be of human origin.

　Although there are good and bad people among humans, it's still better than gods appearing out of thin air.

　And if he himself had the opportunity to embark on this path...

　When one undergoes a complete transformation and forges a divine nature, one should be able to thoroughly eradicate, or rather, completely control, the bloodline of the demon god.

　Therefore, this path could also become his path to redemption. "Then let's take this path as our goal for now." The road ahead seemed to be gradually becoming clearer.

　It is at least clearer than when the "revival of the gods" was predicted before.

　Humanity, at least, will no longer be at the mercy of the gods as it once was. But while the path is clearer, it is not easy to walk. Dark has a very clear understanding of himself.

　His current combat strength is completely mismatched with what he has learned.

　In the path of magic and godhood, complete mastery of magic technology is undoubtedly one of the fundamental requirements.

　He still has a long way to go.

　"But there's no need to rush. It will likely be a long time before the Shinto ceremony is officially announced. I have plenty of time to prepare before then."

　"The changes brought about by the new dueling rules should be greater than they appear on the surface."

　"When duelists personally enter the arena, it means that their own strength will become the basis for determining the outcome of the match."

　“A mage like Ollie, who is skilled in using weapons, can immediately transform into a special duelist.”

　"This type of duelist can win duels without even having to summon magical spirits."

　"In addition, the addition of the graveyard will have a very, very big impact on the special summoning method."

　"Among them, especially those elemental species that rely on 'Elemental Eyes' or 'Elemental Hearts' for special summoning—with a graveyard, magical spirits won't turn into magical energy after death, causing the elemental concentration in the environment to rise, thus making it impossible to meet the special summoning conditions for elemental species."

　"Similarly, quite a few special summons have also disappeared." "The magical spirits that are sent to the graveyard may become sacrifices for summoning special magical spirits under special rules."

　"In addition, some magic cards that were not valued in the past may become popular."

　"Even academic mages have to start studying magic cards specifically for magic duels."

　"And it's not just the students; even professors who have been silent for many years may be about to emerge."

　"I wonder if this year's Academy Cup will be affected," Dark pondered, while he could hear Principal Arte discussing with Sabrina, Bellamy, and others.

　They were clearly discussing how to cooperate and how to promote it. Promoting the divine ritual would inevitably be a gradual process. Telling the mages too early that it was a direct path to the realm of the gods would only confuse some and drive others mad.

　The best approach is to simply promote it as a new dueling rule.

　With the joint endorsement of St. Marian Academy, the Holy Church, the Moon Elf race, and the Valkyrie faction, the new set of dueling rules will be popularized first, and then the information that one can become a god through this will be slowly "leaked" out as a rumor similar to an urban legend.

　Then let the duelists discover and learn about it themselves. This is the most suitable path. As for how to popularize the new dueling rules...

　All it takes is for all parties to join forces and organize a massive dueling tournament.

　Before holding this global tournament, a small-scale competition could be held within each faction as a pilot program, which would also allow the new dueling rules to be publicly announced.

　Given Fred North's presence, the old king's faction could also obtain relevant information through Stanley Longfellow and Gavin North.

　Knowing the inside story, they would definitely want to get involved.

　Therefore, we can now discuss how to respond.

　Basically, forming an internal alliance is a better option. However, these things cannot be accomplished in a short period of time.

　The Duke's representative is Ollie.

　Throughout the discussion, Dak did not participate; he simply listened. These are all initial drafts and will be adjusted later based on the actual situation.

　Rest periods are always short.

　Before their fatigue had even subsided, Professor Mitia's pumpkin carriage came into view.

　Aurora's snakeskin coat shimmered slightly, and Nix suddenly darted out from beside her and grabbed her in a hug.

　Aurora quickly spoke up to comfort the little snake; anyone who didn't know better would have thought it was Nix who was in danger.

　Immediately afterwards, Dark sensed a fluctuation of energy within his shadow. Chris, who had entered his shadow using a spell similar to "Shadow Leap," then emerged from it.

　Dark opened his eyes and said, "For details, ask Ollie." Chris nodded slightly and then turned to Ollie.

　Principal Arte and the others temporarily stopped their discussion and stood up. As the pumpkin carriage stopped behind the "Moon Goddess's Chariot," more and more people rushed back.

　Gavin North sped along, glanced around, and when he realized his beloved daughter wasn't there, he immediately realized what was happening and rushed into the "Lunar Chariot".

　The elder of the "Forest Spirits," after greeting High Priest Bellamy Artemis, entered the carriage to visit Norma Roger.

　Amidst the commotion, the crowd regrouped.

　However, according to the current world's time, it is already the afternoon of a new day, or even close to dusk.

　Most of the people standing here haven't had a good night's sleep since yesterday morning.

　But with their desire to return so strong, no one wanted to linger at the entrance to Heaven.

　Gavin North, in particular, only wanted to get back to his daughter's treatment as soon as possible. They had come for the inheritance of the gods, and were willing to risk their lives for it.

　However, when the time came, it was all for naught.

　The only lucky one was Fred North, who was also involved in signing the contract. Although most of the contracts he signed contained confidentiality clauses, he was still considered a participant.

　If the North were to push Fred out, he could join the alliance. In the impending new era, being able to board this ship is crucial. Furthermore, Quintina North's situation isn't necessarily a bad thing. Although she didn't receive divine inheritance, she did obtain a fragment of the consciousness of Zeus, the king of the gods.

　Even on the Tower of Endymion, Hermes did not retrieve that fragment of consciousness.

　But this was merely an opportunity, a window that fate had opened for her. Whether she could glimpse the full truth through this window remained to be seen, and that depended entirely on herself.

　The group quickly reached a consensus.

　No one wanted to stay on this mountain of the gods.

　Now that the matter was settled, everyone was eager to return home.

　Among the group, apart from Dark and others, none of them had actually suffered much exhaustion. They couldn't possibly overcome the lack of sleep with sheer willpower.

　However, given their formidable strength, going without sleep for a few days wouldn't be a major problem for them. Furthermore, this time, leaving the Mountain of the Gods, they no longer need to hold back; they can go all out.

　With Principal Arte, one of the strongest humans in the world, around, the journey ahead was actually safer than it had been at the beginning.

　Therefore, after only half an hour of temporary rest, the group left the flesh-and-blood passage and returned to the highest peak of the Mountain of Gods, braving the lightning and thunder.

　Upon smelling Ergani's scent, the giant carnivorous plant rooted in the ground immediately ran over like a puppy seeing its owner return home, pulling its thick roots out of the ground one by one.

　Ergani poked her head out from the pumpkin carriage, her lips barely moving as she transmitted a message, silencing the giant man-eating flower.

　They then used it to clear the way and began their descent. The "Mist Beast" was no threat.

　Before long, the group descended the mountain to its foot. They then rejoined the waiting team at the foot and sped onward.

　The monsters they encountered along the way were mostly crushed by the giant man-eating flower beast. Nix watched with envy and wanted to join in, but Aurora held her back tightly.

　The students of St. Mary's College gathered again in the pumpkin carriage, which had been transformed into a cargo wagon resembling a "fairytale animal, a little rabbit."

　With more consideration, various forces have begun to collect materials for alchemy during the process of exterminating monsters.

　Dark took out the "Angel Essence" and showed it to Professor Cazell and the others, explaining its origin in detail.

　Professor Kazel frowned immediately after listening and said, "But according to your account, after Ragnarok, none of the gods in Heaven survived, including the angels. Theoretically, Heaven no longer has any of the angels from the past."

　Dark paused for a moment, then said, "So, the 'angels' currently existing in Heaven were all created by Hermes?"

　Professor Cazell nodded and said, "That's the only possibility. It's a pity you didn't ask Hermes directly, otherwise you should have been able to get the answer directly."

　“How could I possibly ask that, Professor?” Darke couldn’t help but complain.

　He had always believed that Hermes's actions were extremely inhumane. But it was also a necessity for survival; to ask him directly would be tantamount to slapping him in the face.

　Now, it's unknown whether those "angels" have been cleansed by the ritual light.

　"Boom!"

　Suddenly, at the highest peak of the Mountain of Gods, at the entrance to the Heavenly Court, a bolt of lightning that seemed to split the sky apart exploded.

　The already dim sky suddenly cracked open with countless fissures.

　The cracks spread wildly outwards from the Mountain of Gods, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the top of Dark's head and the others.

　Professor Mitia immediately adjusted the crystal ball, revealing the terrifying scene in the night sky.

　A misty fog swirls across the land.

　Suddenly, a frenzied roar of beasts rang out, followed by the cry of an elephant soaring into the sky, silencing all the other noises.

　A huge elephant trunk emerged from the mist, shooting straight into the sky like a chimney.

　The next moment, a terrifying suction force erupted from the elephant's trunk.