Chapter 269: Primordial Awakening: The Gathering Above the Seal
He slowly turned, his gaze sweeping across the gathered heavenly beasts. His presence alone made the air feel heavier.
"Now," he said calmly, "does anyone else have a question?"
Silence answered him.
"Very well," he continued. "Then listen carefully. What comes next is not a discussion—it is preparation."
He took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet faintly trembling.
"To suppress them, you must be ready to strike the moment the seal weakens. The instant it breaks, they will shatter the lava that imprisons them. This place—this sea of molten earth—is no ordinary prison. It is the deepest seal ever created. Their chains are buried within it, bound by ancient law."
The air grew heavier.
"When the seal finally collapses," he continued, "you must already be in position. The moment they awaken, this land will turn into a battlefield. Some of you will fall. There is no avoiding that."
A low murmur rippled through the gathered beasts.
"There is also the possibility," he added calmly, "that one of you will have to fight until death. Not all of you will return."
At that moment, the phoenix stepped forward, flames rippling along its wings as it flapped them once, sending waves of heat through the air.
"I have a question," the phoenix said. "Will the Almighty descend as well? Because if the deities alone face this, it may not be enough. There are archangels—beings like Michael and Gabriel. Some of them surpass even deities in power. Will they come?"
The man paused, his expression unreadable.
"For now… we do not know," he said at last. "Archangels like Michael—whether they will descend or not remains uncertain. They are beyond most laws. Some say they will not interfere. Others say they are already watching."
He lifted his gaze toward the sky.
"Most likely, only the deities will descend. But even among them, not all will answer the call. As for the archangels… if they choose to come, then this world will truly tremble."
"Well… yes," the phoenix said calmly. "The world may tremble, but that is far better than allowing everything to be destroyed. The pressure from higher beings—true deities and archangels—can shatter the minds of mortals. But even that is preferable to total annihilation."
He spread his flaming wings slightly.
"They must come. They have to. The Archangels are not separate from the Deities—they are Deities. They serve directly under the Almighty Himself. They do not simply rule; they carry out His will. That is why they exist."
The phoenix paused, his flames dimming slightly.
"But whether they will descend or not… even I cannot say. I do not command them. I do not even know if they will answer."
He looked around at the gathered Heavenly Beasts.
"Do not pretend you care for humanity out of kindness," he continued. "You are here because this world is your responsibility. You were placed here to protect it. Not because of affection—because it is your duty. This world is under your watch."
His gaze sharpened.
"So fight. Fight with everything you have. That is all I will say."
Silence fell.
Then he spoke once more.
"This meeting is over. Return to your domains. I will remain here, watching. The moment the seal weakens, the moment the ancient ones stir—I will know."
The air trembled as his presence intensified.
"I will stay here," he said quietly. "Until the very end."
Around him, the Heavenly Beasts began to move.
Wings unfolded.
Massive forms rose into the air—dragons, chimeras, beasts of flame and storm. Among them was the Divine Chimera, its aura shaking the skies.
Lyra remained in her Behemoth form, towering and radiant, exuding power that dwarfed even the surrounding divine beasts. Damian's divine aura surged still in his true form as the Divine Dragon King, immense and terrifying, yet controlled.
One by one, the Heavenly Beasts departed, vanishing into the skies.
Lyra and Damian flew side by side, shrinking as they ascended higher, returning toward the Elven lands.
Meanwhile, Nolan was still at the Elven Tribe with Celia and Linda, the two of them sitting close, their hands brushing against the sand.
"Master, finally, we get some time with you," Celia said softly.
Nolan chimed in, , "Hey… what are you two doing?"
Linda chuckled. "As usual, sticking close to the sand, huh?"
"Damian and Lyra won't be around for a while, right?" Linda asked.
"No, they're supposed to arrive by this evening," Nolan replied.
"Really? That quick?" Celia asked, eyes wide.
"Master, you're really strong, but… sometimes a little shy," Celia added.
Linda tilted her head. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"You're kind, good… and strong. You do important things on your own. But before, you didn't like spending money. Now… that part of your character is gone. You've changed," Celia explained gently.
"So you're saying I was stingy before?" Nolan asked, frowning. "I don't remember being stingy like that."
"Oh, come on," Celia said with a small laugh. "You know what I mean."
"Well… you're right, maybe," Nolan said quietly. "I remember being a bit strict with money before. But not exactly the way you described it. Back then, I was still new to this world. And you both know—we've earned a lot since then. So now, I help people when they truly need it."
He paused, then added, "But one thing hasn't changed. I never waste money. I never spend it carelessly."
"Why is that, Master?" Celia asked softly.
Nolan smiled faintly. "In my previous world, earning money wasn't easy at all. I worked as a janitor in my school. Every day, cleaning halls, classrooms… everything. And even then, at the end of the month, my pay was barely enough. Sometimes, I couldn't even cover all my bills."
He let out a small breath. "It was hard."
Celia's expression softened. "You went through that much…"
Linda nodded gently. "I didn't know, Master."
Nolan chuckled lightly. "Yeah. That's why I value money the way I do. But still—if someone truly needs help, I won't hesitate."
Linda smiled warmly. "One day, I'd really like to see your world."
Celia nodded eagerly. "Me too. I want to see the place you came from."
Nolan laughed softly. "Maybe someday. If there's a way to go back, I'll take you both with me. With all the gold I have now, I wouldn't have to worry about money anymore."
Celia and Linda laughed together, the tension easing as warmth filled the air around them.
"So tell us, about your world. Can you describe it?" Linda asked eagerly.
"Well, yes, Master, describe it," Celia added.
"I want to know too," Linda said again.
Nolan chuckled. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll try. Well… my world is far more civilized than this one. Here, it's relatively easy to earn money if you have a skill, but back there? Not at all. No skill would save you. The rich trample over the poor—far worse than it is here. They make the poor do all their dirty work and ensure they never get ahead. That's just how the system works."
"My parents… they were well-to-do, but for some reason, they never liked me. No matter what I did, I could never gain their favor. The moment I turned eighteen, they kicked me out. I had to live alone. I wasted my time playing something called video games—you don't know what that is yet, but maybe one day you'll see. Sometimes I watched anime, occasionally read manga, but most of the time… I just played games until 5 or 6 a.m., then slept for an hour or two before rushing to school to work."
He paused, a small laugh escaping. "Even if I describe it, it's hard to imagine how civilized it was. Huge buildings, magnificent structures almost like castles. Every house had electricity. There were these things called cars—moving objects that carry people—and even massive transportation machines that could fly in the air with dozens of people inside."
Linda eyes widened. "Wow… your world is actually amazing!"
Celia nodded. "Well… maybe."
"It's amazing," Linda said slowly, "but also… a little awful."
Celia frowned. "Awful? How so?"
Well, it's actually beautiful what you described," linda said, "but… did you I really forget what master said? The rich trampling over the poor, and the system where the rich make sure the poor stay poor…"
She the continued . "In this world, it's not like that. Here, people can get rich fairly easily. Sometimes it's just luck. Killing a monster by chance could completely change someone's life. Or… sometimes, if an adventurer dies while fighting a monster, and a farmer or someone else finds both the adventurer and the monster's body, they could inherit a huge amount of gold. That alone could change their life."
She continued, "It's not really hard to escape poverty here. Most people who strive to succeed actually do. Of course, there are also those who choose to live normal lives, doing small trades or simple work. They don't aim for grand success because trying for it could be dangerous—they might even lose their life attempting it."