Chapter 40

“Praying to Ivyst a thousand years into the future, huh?”

In the original story, there are so many gods, but if you’re asking which one is the strongest—setting aside the main character in the grand finale—it seems there’s only one contender.

Ivyst.

She’s the real deal, the ultimate antagonist, bringing endless despair to the heroes.

Just how powerful is she in the later stages?

Take her title, for example: the Shadow of Despair that lingers at the river of death, the Supreme Existence that hunts the gods, the Sorceress of the End who brings destruction and chaos to the world.

Absolutely next level.

And her battle record backs up that title completely.

As the Sorceress of the End, she’s the terrifying force that ushered in the Twilight of the Gods.

In a situation where the power of the gods crumbled, it’s anyone’s guess how many gods she hunted down herself, siphoning their divine essence for sustenance.

And due to her unparalleled divine power, even if the protagonist eventually defeats her, they can’t truly kill her right away.

In the end, they had to team up with the gods to seal her in a Temple of the Gods.

Later on, they spent tens of thousands of years crafting a large planet into a magical weapon, transforming it into a sword of Damocles that descended from the heavens, which ultimately obliterated her in a celestial explosion.

Ivyst’s performance in battle is the one thing that left the readers in the original story in full agreement.

Some readers even have that delusional spirit and keep imagining if she’d somehow be redeemed and join the protagonist’s harem.

After all, once she became a wife, she’d be on their side, devoted to the protagonist no matter how strong—so it wouldn’t matter at all.

Fortunately, the author didn’t pull that kind of nonsense.

Thinking about this, Lynn let out a sigh.

Honestly, if it were possible, believing in the “End” would truly be the best choice.

This faith grants Transcendents an unparalleled divine factor, arguably the strongest in the entire story—though Ivyst hardly had any followers from start to finish, and the power of faith and divinity was snatched away.

He can’t remember all the specifics.

But one thing that comes to mind is that it can enhance a Transcendent’s abilities from three to ten times, with an annihilation attribute.

Ridiculous.

Thinking this, Lynn felt a stirring in his heart.

But the problem is, at this moment, the faith in the “End” doesn’t exist.

That’s something that happens about ten thousand years later when the world’s vibe shifts entirely to a dark wasteland because of the Twilight of the Gods.

Lynn can’t just time travel to the future and pray to her a millennium hence, right?

He sighed inwardly.

But then, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

Wait a minute!

He vaguely remembered a plot point from the original where the protagonist, caught in a dire situation, pulls out a Relic and calls upon a god from ancient times, hitting a lucky break and squeaking through a crisis.

Sure, there might’ve been some protagonist luck involved, but since it appeared in the original story, it means it’s plausible.

Similarly, with a prayer that crosses the river of time, there’s no reason to only call on the past and not reach out to the future.

Moreover, the description of that ritual was so detailed that Lynn still remembered the basic process.

It’s actually not that complicated.

The key to success was that the protagonist possessed the Relic corresponding to that god.

Thinking about this, Lynn’s heart raced a bit.

The reason he’s so fixated on the “End” faith isn’t just because of its strength.

It’s because it’s genuinely his best option right now.

If Lynn successfully activates this faith, it means he becomes the only devotee.

No one would know his secrets; they’d just be fooled by the various transcendent abilities he shows off.

He wouldn’t have to worry about this action binding him too closely to that woman, making it hard to escape later.

Because at this moment, Ivyst isn’t a god yet, so the faith in “End” isn’t on the map.

Not even a trace.

Besides, as the forsaken of the gods, he’s already been abandoned by most beliefs within the Saint Roland Empire.

If he truly wishes to regain his status as a Transcendent and gain immense power, he might only have one path: betraying the human side to worship those ancient demons.

That’s pretty much a dead end.

So right now, Lynn has to balance intensity, secrecy, and legitimacy, and the only choice left is the “End” faith.

As for the current Ivyst, she has no clue about what’s going to happen in the future.

And the future Ivyst can’t forcibly change the past.

Lynn could totally exploit this information gap to extract enough benefits.

If anything were to go sideways later, he could always cut ties.

After all, not only can the gods abandon their devotees, but the devotees can also choose to change their faith.

A good number of high-level Transcendents have taken that route to seek greater powers.

Motivation secured, now it’s time to figure out how.

Clearly, to achieve the same feat as the original protagonist, he must have the prerequisites.

Relics. Lynn raised his teacup and took a sip, sinking back into thought.

This term also appeared in Christianity in his past life.

For instance, the Shroud of Turin.

What exactly makes this cloth a Relic? Is it because it had close contact with Him, absorbing divine power and a breath of life? In the end, Relics are defined by the believers.

It could’ve simply been something left behind before He even became a god, but over time, it morphed into legend, shrouded in mystery.

Some Relics might even possess extraordinary abilities, while others could just be incredibly mundane objects.

Even if physical items are left behind, their commemorative significance far surpasses their actual worth.

Lynn slowly started to have a revelation.

If that’s the case, could the objects that have been infused with Ivyst’s extraordinary power and essence also become Relics, used to communicate with the Sorceress of the End from the future?

It’s worth trying.

Lynn thought to himself.

“Creak—”

At that moment, the door to the lounge was pushed open.

Lynn snapped back to reality and looked up.

“Your Highness has finished the meeting and wishes to see you now,”

the stoic housekeeper Kesha said.

So, Lynn momentarily shelved his previous thoughts, nodded, and picked up the stack of Transcendent Contracts from the table.

Kesha’s gaze lingered on the stack for a few seconds, a flicker of surprise glinting in her eyes.

Under her guidance, Lynn soon reached the door to the study.

Just then, the door swung open.

A middle-aged man in clerical robes, still gripping the doorknob, said grimly, “I ask that your Highness carefully consider our Church’s proposal.”

“Scram.”

A cold voice laced with malice came from within the study.

To dare bark orders at a member of the three major churches? That really has that woman’s flair.

Lynn even wondered if one day, when Saint Roland the Sixth inevitably irritates her, would she show the same attitude to her dear old dad?

Once the members of the Church of Heavenly Justice completely vanished down the hallway, Lynn finally stepped into the study at Kesha’s gesture.

Looking at Ivyst’s fierce expression, he offered a bow.

He could only wonder what kind of request the Church made to get her so worked up.

Good thing he’s here with good news; otherwise, he might’ve been on the receiving end of that anger.

He thought silently.

Meanwhile, upon recognizing the visitor, Ivyst’s chill started to ease up a bit.