Though their types differ, all Saintesses possess the power to see the future. Some Saintesses see realities yet unreached, some see their unchanging future selves, and some read karma.
However, even among them, the future seen by the Heaven's Saintess is quite anomalous.
The Heaven's Saintess, Meiél, forces the future.
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The exact principle is unknown. The Saintesses' powers were all received from the first Saintess, so Meiél herself does not fully understand it, and the regressor who heard of it from other futures only knew it superficially.
However, according to the regressor's memories, the Heaven's Saintess Meiél can 'choose' the future at every moment.
A future where Nevída does not exist. A future where Nevída is wounded. A future where Nevída is stripped from the world at every moment. She exercises the authority to see the future as pure power.
Wind, clouds, temperature, light. Unlike the firm and unchanging Earth Goddess, all the energies of the Celestial God, which constantly shifts, converge in directions unfavorable to Nevída. Forcing the worst possibilities in succession, she continuously unleashes disasters to kill a single person.
That is why Meiél is overwhelmingly the strongest among the Saintesses. Originally, Saintesses lack combat power, so they create direct military units called the Holy Sword Brigade to serve as their guard. But the Heaven's Saintess is a powerhouse capable of facing a nation alone.
If the opponent were an ordinary being, Meiél could erase them from this world merely by dreaming.
However, this opponent was not ordinary.
"Light is fleeting. It fades even faster than a single blooming flower."
A small branch bearing leaves brushed past the Heaven's Saintess, who was composed of a halo of light. The branch that dared violate the Saintess instantly withered and burned, but where the leaves had raked through, clear damage had been inflicted.
Plants take root in the earth and grow by absorbing light and waterdrops. They who convert heaven's blessing into their own lives are predators of light. In that brief moment, the leaves Nevída had 'improved' greedily devoured the light.
As if she had already expected this, Meiél spoke impassively.
[Survivor. You who know that life and death are a cycle, do you still cling to your attachments and obsess over the dead?]
"And you all as well. Are you not obeying a dead harlot?"
Nevída mocked Meiél and raised a hand. In his hand, dry and hard like an old tree, a small branch was held.
"Is more words needed? My Lord is the King, and your Lord is a harlot who betrayed the King and fed upon him. Should we not distinguish right from wrong by contending in strength according to the natural order?"
[Force cannot solve everything. That is why the King of humanity disappeared from this land. For humanity to become truly noble, the logic of power must be discarded.]
"No. The King disappeared because you harlots betrayed Him."
Having finished speaking, Nevída drove the branch into the ground. The small World Tree. A sapling of the previous World Tree and the foundation of a new World Tree, the small sapling instantly took root and sprouted new shoots.
The light that had filled the surroundings began to fade. The world, which had been difficult to even look at with open eyes, gradually revealed its contours.
I raised my head. The perforated forest was being filled in again. Even the pillar of light that seemed to burn everything was shattered and scattered in all directions by the lushly blooming leaves.
The scattered light caused the grass, trees, and flora all around to grow even more. This land, where all kinds of exotic flowers and rare herbs were in full bloom, looked like a suddenly appeared earthly paradise.
"It is laughable that you, who drove out the King with something not even the logic of power, say such things. The King shall descend upon this land again."
[…Even so, please do not head toward extremes.]
From all directions, grass and caves rushed to swallow the light. Vines and thorns, blades of grass and branches stretched out, targeting the light that formed Meiél's body.
However, for some reason, the stretching branches and leaves lost their direction at some point and scattered here and there. As if the possibility of heading toward Meiél had been eliminated.
Meiél looked at Nevída with eyes whose focus was unreadable and spoke.
[Just because you can doesn't mean you should do anything. Just as I could kill all of you but do not. The world must be beautiful, gentle, and sing of love and mercy. A power that can destroy humanity must not exist.]
"The King does not destroy humanity. He merely affirms purer humans."
[That will end up destroying humanity. For humanity has already gained the power to destroy itself. And someone like you will pull the trigger toward destruction over a trivial emotion.]
"Whether that will be so, I shall ask after reclaiming the King."
Nevída smiled and connected with her Evil Spirit.
The Tree of Origin. The authority connected to the root of life converted power into life. The leaves and branches that could not reach Meiél were gradually pushed inward as there was no longer any space for them to avoid Meiél.
Unrelated to Meiél's power, purely due to lack of space, 'the possibility of growing vegetation missing Meiél' disappeared. The forest swelled like an explosion, and the new sprouts had no future left to choose. Meiél, who had stubbornly held out, was finally invaded by the vegetation. Leaves and thorny vines brutally ravaged and devoured Meiél's entire body.
"When you come next time, come in your true body. That would be the courtesy due to the King."
***
One is the strongest among the Saintesses residing in the Holy Imperial Palace. The other is the symbol of savagery and a living Evil Spirit. There was no place for ordinary people like me to intervene in the fight between these two absolute powerhouses. Rather, I should find a corner and hide.
The regressor wanted to get me out, but breaking through the green barrier that was growing in real-time was impossible. I could barely manage to secure space for myself to live with Earth Arts and Druidism.
"Teacher!"
While I struggled against the vegetation invading my space, Rash, who was in no better situation, approached. Wrapping Callis with her own body and pushing through the branches, Rash shouted urgently.
"Callis is in danger! If this continues, she might die!"
It was true.
I had the Evil Spirit of Tir. The regressor had Qi cultivation. Rash had the power of the immortals. Each had something to rely on, barely keeping their lives in the clash of those colossal forces.
But that was only for those with power. The other immortals whose power the Sacrificial God had taken back, and Callis, who was an ordinary human aside from her mana, were having their lives threatened moment by moment. Whether out of Meiél's consideration, she avoided going blind from directly looking at that light, but….
With the air boiling, trees burning, and vegetation absorbing that heat to grow, this world was too harsh for an ordinary person. Looking at Callis, who had collapsed as if fainting with small branches embedded all over her body, I expressed my regret.
"Oh, dear. What a pity."
"Is that all you have to say?!"
"What am I supposed to do? I'm barely surviving myself right now. I don't have the leisure to worry about someone else's life!"
Rash, whose mind had become desperate, probably wanted to grab anyone and scream, but realizing that complaining to me was useless, she changed her words.
"Teacher. It's not just Callis. My people are also in danger! Is there no method?"
"What method! As long as those two are fighting, there's nothing we can do. We just have to pray to survive until then!"
"Then it will be too late! As it happens, the Sacrificial God has taken back the power, so my people have also weakened! If the fight doesn't end right now, only I will survive!"
Rash shouted while pushing through the suffocatingly rising foliage. Right now, Nevída and Meiél were fighting to fill space with each other's authorities. If we stayed here, it wouldn't be a lie to say we might actually suffocate from the branches.
For an ordinary person to survive here.
"…I think there might be one way to survive. Though it would only keep you alive, nothing more."
"That's enough! What method?"
"The immortals' power weakened because the Sacrificial God took it back, right? Then we just need to reverse it."
"But the Sacrificial God was turned into a tree by the Omen…!"
"Yes. She became a tree. She didn't disappear, did she?"
At my words, Rash widened his eyes and looked at where the Sacrificial God had been. The brown tree, which oddly resembled a human, stood in the exact same form as when it had first grown.
Even amidst the sky tearing and terrain shifting from Meiél and Nevída's battle, it remained unchanged. Firmly, like an ancient tree that had kept its place for thousands of years.
"Yes. That fruit is the essence of the Sacrificial God, who repeated countless deaths until only 'power' remained. A fruit brewed from all the flesh scattered across this land. If eaten… just as the Sacrificial God did, by devouring it, one could gain the Sacrificial God's power. Then the power might return to the immortals who have reclaimed their god."
"But Callis is not an immortal! Even if I eat that, Callis…"
"You're right. Callis isn't an immortal. Not yet, that is."
Rash belatedly understood the meaning of my words. For a very brief moment, fear flashed across his face. The Sacrificial God was a being that survived by borrowing others' bodies. What Callis, having taken that power, would become, and if she changed, what Rash would have to do—there was no way to know.
However, one thing was certain: if things continued like this, Callis would die.
"Callis! Just hold on a little!"
Rash ran while carrying Callis. Sharp twigs scraped past his cheek, but he was rather grateful for that. At least the branch that scratched him wouldn't be hurting Callis.
Shaking off the vines grabbing his arms and legs, Rash climbed toward the Sacrificial God's tree. Trampling the other form of the god he revered, he grasped the fruit with his right arm. When he forcefully picked the fruit, red juice like blood overflowed.
"Forgive me for feeding you the fruit without asking!"
Callis, who had lost consciousness, did not answer. Rash chewed the fruit himself and then pried open Callis's mouth and pushed it inside.
The new Sacrificial God was born like that. What will happen to them from now on, I don't know either.
But one thing is certain: everyone got what they wished for.
Rash saved his people and his bride, and the immortals regained their god. Callis gained a powerful authority that she couldn't even obtain from the military state. And she even gained love on top of that, so how lucky is she?
And the Sacrificial God survived. Whether it was the form she wanted, I don't know.
Now I don't need to worry about that side. I should just take care of my own affairs.
Just then, their fight was coming to an end.