Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

Igo Saint gave a light tap, and the teapot on the table instantly began to boil. He poured a cup for each of them before smiling and saying:

"As for what Little Tiel said... she said a lot, but I only remember these few—arrogance, greed, gluttony, and lust?"

"Lord Igo Saint is always joking. I hope you don't mind, Levi," Fatir said calmly, taking a sip of her hot tea.

"It's nothing." Seeing Igo Saint's teasing smile, the Lord understood this was all coming from the Saint himself. He waved his hand magnanimously, but couldn't resist correcting him. "I'll own up to the first three, but the lust part is pure slander."

"To this day, I haven't had a single scandal with any beautiful woman."

The Lord felt quite aggrieved as he said this.

"Is that so," Igo Saint said, giving the Lord a meaningful glance, but he didn't press the topic.

"Speaking of which, Lord Igo Saint, what's the deal with your current appearance?!"

The Lord finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been burning in his mind. He was simply too curious.

"Levi, allow me to explain." Fatir put down her teacup, seemingly gathering her thoughts before she continued, "As you can see, Lord Igo Saint is currently in a complete soul state. What's soaking in the Holy Water is his true body."

"Then how..." Levi glanced at Igo Saint, who was currently swallowing a mouthful of tea, looking no different from a normal person.

'Logically, shouldn't a soul be intangible? Why isn't the tea just passing right through his body?'

"It's just a clever application of Magic. Ever since I took on this form, I've inevitably paid more attention to Soul Series Holy Light Divine Skills," Igo Saint said with a slight smile.

This Saint was almost exactly as described in the records, exuding a holy aura with every gesture that inspired involuntary awe and trust.

It was impossible to associate him with Evil Spirits just because he was a soul, or to feel any baseless fear.

"Levi, there's no need to rush. Before we go to retrieve the Holy Word Treasure Manual, feel free to ask any questions. We have plenty of time."

Seemingly sensing that the Lord was completely overwhelmed with questions, Igo Saint offered a word of comfort.

"You're too kind." Levi's impression of this Saint was quite good so far.

Although he was ancient, his mindset was surprisingly progressive, free of stale, preachy lectures and high-and-mighty arrogance.

On the contrary, he was exceptionally down-to-earth.

And while Levi himself was as cunning as a devil, he never held back his admiration for those of noble character.

"First question: I want to know why you wanted to see me," the Lord asked bluntly, not standing on ceremony.

"Levi." Igo Saint's gaze was kind, tinged with a world-weary compassion. Even as he was about to make a request, he inspired no ill will. "To be perfectly honest, we need your help. Whether you provide that help is entirely your decision. Even if you refuse, we will not harbor the slightest dissatisfaction. However, before you decide, I sincerely ask that you patiently listen to my story from beginning to end."

"It may involve some ancient secrets, but this will not bring you any trouble."

"Please, speak." Levi noticed that Fatir had also straightened her posture, her expression serious.

Apparently, the Saintess was also unaware of what was about to be discussed.

"This is a story from a distant past, so distant that I have nearly forgotten it myself." Igo Saint's eyes took on a faraway look. With a light wave of his hand, a golden light erupted from his body and spread out in all directions. "But first, allow me to activate a Magic Array to seal us off from the outside world. After all, some annoying rats are bound to have their eyes on this place."

Having done that, he fell into a contemplative silence, as if trying to recall. "All of this should start with the Elemental Tide. However, you all probably call it the Magic Tide now. The two are more or less the same."

"In ancient times, the Elemental Tide was incredibly rich. And while Legendary Powerhouses in the Material Realm were still rare, there were certainly more than you could count on both hands, unlike today."

"Mages, who are most sensitive to Elemental Power, were the first to discover that the world's Magic Power was decreasing at an unimaginable rate."

"Perhaps it had no effect on ordinary people, but for Legendary Powerhouses, it was like water to a fish—something they couldn't lack for even a moment."

"Why couldn't they lack it?" Levi asked curiously.

'Logically, besides Mages, a lack of Magic Power shouldn't have much of an impact on Combat Qi Knights and other professions, right?'

"Because at that time, most Extraordinary Professions were linked to Magic Power. A lack of Magic Power meant that a Legendary Mage capable of casting world-destroying Magic would become a street-corner charlatan who only knows a few tricks."

Igo Saint continued, "Both Combat Qi and the Holy Word Treasure Manual were products that arose later in response to the situation. In that era, Druids, Traveling Mages, Priests, or even Necromancers and Blood Mages, and so on, all relied on Magic Power."

"Then what about you?" Levi had thought this Saint also practiced from the Holy Word Treasure Manual, but it seemed that was not the case.

"I am, in fact, what you might call a Divine Favored One. Everything I have was bestowed upon me by Her Grace the Goddess, be it my Magic Power or my powerful body." Igo Saint's face was filled with reverence. It seemed that whenever the Holy Light Goddess was mentioned, this supreme powerhouse of the Material Realm would instantly transform into a humble, devout believer.

However, he added, "But the Holy Word Treasure Manual was, in a way, created from the source of Power of the twelve of us. I'll explain that later."

Levi nodded, refraining from asking an idiotic question like whether the Holy Light Goddess actually existed.

After witnessing the Abyss and even clashing with a Demon Prince, such things were beyond question.

"Facing an existential crisis, the first to act were the Traveling Mages. These guys controlled powerful Space Magic."

"Were they looking for a new world?" Levi asked, making a guess.

'After all, the simplest way to deal with the Magic Tide is to find a new environment. Since they controlled Space Magic, it's not hard to guess what they did.'

"Correct. The Traveling Mages used their Magic to detect a world where the concentration of Elemental Power and all other aspects were suitable, and they found its coordinates."

"All the Epic and above powerhouses of every Race in the Material Realm, whether they were Elves, Dwarves, or Giant Dragons, held an unprecedented council. They unanimously voted to build a massive Teleportation Gate to travel to this new world, planning to return when the Material Realm's Elemental Tide rose again. But... something unexpected happened!"

"It had natives, and they didn't agree to you coming over?" Levi guessed.

"No, it was far more terrifying than that!"

"No one could have imagined that this world had just been devoured by Fallen Divine Servants and the Undead, dragging the entire world into eternal chaos."

"So that was the beginning of the holy war?" Levi asked.

"Yes. The Fallen Divine Servants who controlled various Divine Magics, the Undead Dragons, the Witch Demon King... there was no possibility of negotiating with these beings. The battle reached its climax the moment it began."

"Couldn't you have just closed the Teleportation Gate and looked for a different new world?" Although the Lord was a complete novice when it came to Magic, even he knew that a Teleportation Gate wasn't something that couldn't be closed.

"Levi, you must understand, two worlds are like a hunter and a vicious tiger in the dark. Once a position is exposed, battle is completely unavoidable."

"When we established a Teleportation Gate to that world, their Fallen Divine Servants who controlled Space Magic learned the coordinates of the Material Realm. Even if we closed our gate, They could build a new one."

"That must have been a brutal battle," Levi sighed.

Just the thought of an entire world of the Undead was enough to make him shudder.

"Yes. So brutal that it lasted for one hundred and twenty-one years and one hundred and thirty-two days." Igo Saint refilled their empty teacups two-thirds of the way before continuing, "To meet the demands of the war, the Dwarves brought out every Divine Artifact they had ever forged. Every Giant Dragon of adult age or older joined the battle. Even all the warrior Races were pulled into the war."