Chapter 265 - 6: The Great Prophecy Spell
The withered yet flourishing face slowly merged into the entire force field coming from the sky, the power of the starry sky being continuously guided to converge here, making the fragile body seated on the wheelchair seem to become indistinct all at once. From a distance, the form, enshrouded by light and shadow, seemed a bit blurred, even showing tendencies of becoming transparent.
The Great Prophecy Spell was not so much a special magic spell as it was a general ability. However, the conditions required to use this spell were exceedingly high. The demand for magic ability alone was enough to dispel the whims of ordinary mages and even archmages. More demanding was the psychological quality required for its use, meaning extraordinarly high spiritual power was necessary. After all, to know the future through space and time was an almost unimaginable spell. If your spiritual power was insufficient, it would drive a mage to madness immediately. Additionally, comprehensive evasion facilities and protection were an indispensable and demanding condition. Peering into the will of the heavens was an act against the natural order and would certainly invoke divine punishment. At that time, the caster was at their most vulnerable. Without strong divine artifacts and sacred artifacts to withstand the destructive power from the heavenly realm, a momentary surge of power was enough to destroy both body and soul of the caster. Across the whole continent, the number of people who could perform this spell was conservatively estimated not to exceed three, His Holiness the Pope being, of course, an exception.
A tremendous energy slowly seeped into his whole body. Julius II could feel just how powerful the force was that his star magic channeled. A slight imbalance in his equilibrium spell, and his fragile body would turn to dust. But he wasn’t worried. He had experienced this Great Prophecy Spell twice before. However, the last time he cast it was over a decade ago. A lack of clarity in the continental situation had forced him to cast it at that time. Now he seemed to become increasingly doubtful, increasingly lacking confidence. Was it too far gone to the point that it was time to step down for his own sense? A thought quietly streamed through the mind of Julius II.
Dispelling the troubling thought in his heart, Julius II subconsciously wanted to shake his head, but the overwhelming force field covering his entire body left him immobile. He could only smile bitterly in his mind. If it weren’t for his three too "outstanding" successors, making it impossible for him to choose, he would indeed have the desire to step down. His predecessors were troubled by the lack of a suitable heir or the insufficient abilities of their heirs. And him? If the three were judged solely on ability and talent, they would each be the unparalleled choice. Perhaps it was their excessive prowess that led them to fall into the maximization and utilitarian extension of their abilities. Or they might be too fixated on interpreting the teachings of the Holy Teaching under certain specific circumstances. One to the left, one to the right, both had gone to extremes. In pursuit of realizing the coordinates they envisioned in their hearts, Julius II even doubted whether they had reached the point of being unscrupulous. This was a situation that perhaps no Pope in the past had ever encountered.
Calming his mind, Julius quickly made his own heart into a tranquil ancient pool, so still that not even a ripple disturbed it. The smooth-as-glass surface of the pool gradually began to show some blurred images. Julius knew these were his mind’s initial fragmented speculations. Although on the surface his heart had calmed, deep down it was still troubled by worldly affairs. Reflected here, various illusions appeared. He even wanted to open his Mind’s Eye to see what consumed his daily worries, but his rationality immediately stopped him from acting on this impulse. Seeing these things would bring him no gain, only adding to his psychological burdens and impairing the normal exercise of his judgment, and it was utterly meaningless.
When time and space seemed to have completely stilled, and Julius could no longer feel any presence of things around him, he knew that the magic of the Great Prophecy Spell was about to unfold. The mirror of his mind gradually became blurry, and rings of ripples spread across the placid surface. As the first ripple moved outward and the second had just formed but not yet expanded, the Mind’s Eye clearly saw the character appearing in the seam between the two ripples, a rugged, primitive head full of infinite charm. With hair as wild as a lion’s mane, elevated brows, deep-set eyes, slightly protruding cheekbones, firm lips, and especially those eyes, faintly glowing with a dark light, and a hint of mocking scorn in their flicker. Who was this? It was him!