Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

"Absolutely?"

"Absolutely."

"That powerful?!" The Lord was finally, visibly impressed.

Anything involving terms like "absolute" or "one hundred percent"—even something like catching a blade with bare hands—could not be underestimated. It meant that even a sword swung by one of the Gods could be caught barehanded by an ordinary person.

At that level, it could no longer be explained as a mere Talent Magic. It was more akin to a manifestation of a 'rule,' or a 'Law.' You could say that the old academics in the Mage Towers pursue this very concept as the ultimate goal of their magical research.

It was the ultimate expression of Magic.

"For Lord Igo Saint, it's hard to say whether the Fallen Divine Servant's Curse was a curse or a blessing," Fatir chimed in.

This was true immortality, almost on par with the Gods. Even though it was in a soul state, it was enough to drive countless people mad with jealousy.

But clearly, a Saint whose morals surpassed even those of a Great Monk did not see it that way. A bitter smile finally touched his serene face. "No. For me, this is the most wicked Curse of all."

If anyone else had said that, the Lord would have given them the finger with both hands. It was a classic humblebrag.

But since it was the great Saint before him, he just shook his head and remarked with a sigh, "If it were me, I'd be overjoyed."

He had all the usual virtues and vices of a sentient being, and naturally, he also shared their most common ailment.

That is, the fear of becoming nothing, of one's entire being dissipating into the ether.

The more powerful one becomes, the greater the fear. He was no exception.

So, he would have been thrilled with eternal life. Heaven knows how envious he felt every time he heard Sophia and Ash talk about how long the elders of their Race lived.

His own lifespan was just a fraction of theirs.

"Getting back on topic, how did you manage to turn the tide and win in the next ten years?" The Lord shifted in his seat, steering the conversation back to the main point.

"It involved three factors. The first was the Divine Artifact granted by the Goddess, the Ephesos Sword. The second was the Talents of the other two Saints. And the last was the Holy Light Trial."

"Let's start with the Holy Light Trial, as it relates to the method of ascending to the Legendary Tier. Both in ancient times and now, ascending to Legendary is a complete elevation in Tier, from soul to body. It's equivalent to breaking through the limits of mortality. This is why, upon reaching the Legendary Tier, a person's lifespan breaks all previous limitations and reaches a new peak, regardless of their Race."

"Every power has a different method for this ascension. The Giant Dragons, for example, are favorites of the Gods and can become Legendary simply by sleeping, with a bit of luck."

"For our Holy Light Church, the method is the Holy Light Trial. Powerhouses who have reached the Epic Tier travel to a 'New World' belonging to the Church to complete the ascension ritual and become Legendary Powerhouses."

"The reason the Holy Light Trial was connected to our eventual victory is this: the New World the Holy Light Church used for the trial was an absolutely Magicless World!"

"Neither Holy Light, nor Magic, nor any other Elemental Power could be used there."

"And then?" Levi felt he was glimpsing the birth of a monumental plan.

"The Ephesos Sword, on the other hand, prohibited the use of Space Magic within a certain radius, which conveniently covered the entire New World. The Talents of the other two Saints were Transposition Teleportation and True Name Mastery."

"With Transposition Teleportation, you only need to know a target's true name to teleport them to a preset location—even one of the Gods. And with True Name Mastery, one could learn the true name of absolutely anyone."

The Lord was starting to put the pieces together, but he was missing the final step. He asked, "The two Saints' Talents couldn't be used without limit, could they?"

"That's right. Every use consumed an immense amount of Magic Power, a cost that would multiply based on the strength of the target."

"But when the entire Material Realm was about to fall into the hands of chaotic, evil creatures because of our folly, every powerhouse who had voted in favor of the plan had a responsibility they could not shirk! There was no more time for hesitation." Igo Saint's voice was firm, but he also felt regret for his own past foolishness.

Had they known what a tragic war would follow, the powerhouses of that era would likely have chosen to become mortals and live out ordinary lives.

"Every powerhouse who had voted in favor sacrificed their own Magic Power, unleashing an unimaginable torrent of energy for the two Saints to use."

"Our plan succeeded. Every Fallen Divine Servant, Undead Knight, Undead Dragon, and Witch Demon King whose true name was known—down to the most common Undead—was swept up in the single largest Teleportation Magic in history and sent to the Magicless New World."

Igo Saint's voice was like a ship on a stormy sea, rising and falling with a tension that made one's heart pound. "Without the support of Magic Power, an Undead is just a common skeleton. Without the Divine Magic they rely on to survive, a Fallen Divine Servant is someone even a run-of-the-mill Holy Knight can defeat."

"Combined with the spatial Restriction of the Ephesos Sword, they had no way to leave that world. They could only watch helplessly as the unrecoverable Magic Power within them slowly drained away, until they crumbled into dust and bone."

"This is all just... staggering." Even the Lord of High Cliff Castle, who was used to weathering great storms, couldn't help but sigh in awe.

It was a masterstroke that required the combined strength of all the world's powerhouses. The timing, the location, the unity of its people—not one element could have been missing.

But the results were undeniable. In one fell swoop, they had dealt with the evil creatures that had threatened to destroy their entire world.

"After the war, the few who survived felt this so-called holy war was entirely the result of their own foolishness. They were ashamed to record it in the annals of history. That is why the world today knows so little about this period, and why all research concerning Teleportation Gates is forbidden."

"People eat when they're hungry and drink when they're thirsty. In my view, it was no different. They were just trying to survive. It's just a shame they were so unlucky," Levi said, shaking his head.

To be fair, the blame for the war couldn't really be placed on any one party.

You could only say they were unlucky. Who could have predicted that the New World they found, which had been perfectly fine a moment before, would be overrun by Fallen Divine Servants and Undead the instant the Teleportation Gate was established?

"Perhaps," Igo Saint said, shaking his head.

"Please, continue your story." As an observer, Levi had no desire to pass further judgment on such a somber history.

"After the holy war, the top powerhouses of the Material Realm were either dead or grievously wounded. The other participating Races had also suffered devastating losses. But the war had been won, after a fashion. They traveled to the now-Undead-free world and closed the Teleportation Gate behind them. Those unwilling to leave their homes simply returned to their lands to rest and recuperate."

"Among those who remained were the seven surviving of the twelve original Saints. To deal with the evil ones imprisoned in the Magicless New World and completely eliminate that latent threat, we used ourselves as a template. With the Goddess's help, we created the Holy Word Treasure Manual. It was the only atonement we could offer the world."

"So that's why the main purpose of the Holy Word Treasure Manual is to increase physical strength?" the Lord mused, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Correct. While you cannot use Magic or Divine Magic in a Magicless World, the power of one's own physical body is not restricted," Igo Saint said with a slight smile.

"Holy Knights who trained with the Holy Word Treasure Manual could easily handle Fallen Divine Servants who had lost their Divine Magic."

"At first, everything went smoothly. The Holy Knights would complete their Holy Light Trial by dealing with these Fallen Divine Servants."

"Even if all Magic Power in the Material Realm were to vanish, Holy Knights equipped with the Holy Word Treasure Manual wouldn't be greatly affected and would still possess considerable strength. Combat Qi also started to emerge around this time, so it was an era where a hundred flowers bloomed, so to speak."

Igo Saint looked at Levi and sighed. "But then... an accident occurred."