War of Heavenly Punishment!

"I have always maintained that it was not I who defeated the Supreme Heaven, but His wanton tyranny. I have never believed that the credit for that battle came from myself."

"In the end, I replaced the Supreme Heaven as the Pillar God because I was the only one who could do it at the time. Because I was the only one who came from the Path of Strength but dared to defy the Supreme Heaven, I was the only one who could take over this position... After all, the throne cannot be left vacant."

Arthur turned around and looked up at the dusky yellow sky with Iver.

He paused for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Besides me, three other Pillar God directly participated in the 'War of Heavenly Punishment,' and two Pillar God provided assistance without directly engaging in the battle. Including myself, a total of six Celestial Masters participated in the fight. Two more Celestial Masters perished in this battle. As for the Apostles who participated in this battle, they are countless."

"After this battle, the number of Phantom Demon Egg formed in the Material Realm increased more than sixty times in fifty years due to the fallen apostles. Five hundred years have passed, and there are still apostles who fell in that battle who have not yet been resurrected and returned to the Dream Realm."

Upon hearing this, Iver's eyes widened.

Without a doubt, this is the most advanced level of occult knowledge.

No Material Realm book records it—it comes from the person involved's own words, the secret of the Pillar God's transformation!

"In terms of contribution, my strength cannot surpass those three Pillar God, and my sacrifice cannot compare to those two celestial officials. Those apostles are even more worthy of respect."

"I still remember the ten battlefields that were opened up in the Dream Realm. What the people in the Material Realm saw when they looked up and saw the white dragon fighting the Red Bear was only the lowest level... and also the level closest to the Material Realm."

"The Supreme Heaven were knocked down layer by layer, and the River of Power was soaked in blood. His thousands of warriors fought against the gods in endless dreams, battling the apostles in every corner of the Dream Realm."

"When it was my turn to strike, He was already incredibly weak. Even so, I was brought to the brink of death seven times during that fight—both of us had the ability to recover from near-death experiences. I killed Him six times, and He killed me seven times. The seventh near-death experience was the closest I ever came to permanent death."

"My sword was already shattered, and my power was completely exhausted. The Supreme Heaven was in a similar state—His blood was scattered across the earth, seeping from the Dream Realm into the Material Realm."

"I know I must win. For if I fail, all the sacrifices made so far will be in vain— the Supreme Heaven remains the Lord of Power. Even if His divine body crumbles and His apostles are all annihilated, He will rise again from the River of Origin."

"—Only by defeating Him with 'strength' and proving that He is no longer the chief of 'strength' can His divine power be stripped away."

...I see.

If one wants to kill Pillar God by force, must one ultimately surpass the god through the very path He governs...?

Iver listened attentively to the secret Arthur told him, and made it a memory.

—Maybe it will be useful in the future.

"At that time, my knights defeated the giants of the mortal realm, ending the rule of the Giant Kingdom — the Supreme Heaven was too busy to help the giants, and the demise of the mortal kingdom proved that He had lost 'control' and no longer possessed extraordinary 'power'; and my seven near-death experiences made the River of 'violence' acknowledge me."

"But ultimately, His main reason for defeat was that He gradually lost His original intention and became detached from the Path of Strength during His long life. This made His recovery in the final moments slower than mine."

"When I finally triumphed over the Supreme Heaven with 'power,' His boundless divine power dissipated—just as the Inheritors's heart crumbled."

"—Without a doubt, although this war began with me and will end with me, it did not originate from me. It originated from the hatred and hostility that has been accumulated by the people of this world and the next over thousands of years."

The Silver Crowned Dragon, now in the form of Arthur, spoke slowly.

As Iver listened to His narration, it was as if he had personally experienced that extraordinary "War of Heavenly Punishment." He felt a surge of intense emotion— the Dream Realm, with its theoretically infinite area, was soaked in blood; the blood overflowed from the Dream Realm, seeping into the Material Realm.

What a romantic and breathtaking scene!

What's even more admirable is that the Silver Crowned Dragon always remembered that he was not the strongest. Even after ascending to the position of Pillar God, he remained humble.

But...

... Three Pillar God? Who else is there besides the Lord of Scales and Feathers? Iver hesitated for a moment after thinking about this and didn't dare to ask the question directly.

But he still asked another question, "Who were those two celestial officers who sacrificed their lives?"

— Surely I can ask that?

Even if it is in the name of commemorating the victims, we should always remember their sacrifice.

"One of them was the Rebellious Angel Antaeus, who Path of Transcendence of the gods. As a giant, he fought for justice, defied fate and bloodline, and fought as a vanguard against the Supreme Heaven, the ancestor of giants. He fought to the death and was eventually shattered into pieces. He is truly worthy of respect and remembrance."

"And the other one... you might know."

"... Who?" Iver, somewhat surprised.

Do I know any other astrologers? Who? The Ring Angel?

Why doesn't he just die?

Arthur then spoke up, "It was the Gray Angel, who was neither real nor fake, neither black nor white, and He also perished in that battle. But some believe that His death was just another indescribable lie, because those Prayerer to Him can still obtain divine magic... Therefore, I will not reveal His real name. After all, knowing His real name is tantamount to falling into His lies."

At this point, Arthur glanced at the sunset again and asked, "Are you ready?"

"...What?"

Time is running out. Do you have any other questions?

... So Time Stop right now?

Iver suddenly realized.

No wonder Arthur stopped pretending and suddenly revealed so many secrets—they are currently caught in a time warp!

"In the Dream Realm, if time no longer flows according to normal rules, the horizon will persistently display a dusky yellow hue, like that of twilight. You can also remember this in other dreams... This means that Amber is watching you."

The Silver Crowned Dragon gazed at the setting sun on the horizon and said, "That is the Amber Eye."

As Arthur uttered these words, the seemingly endless twilight began to dissipate.

Night began to fall.

Iver continued, "I do have a small question... What exactly is the Magic Cauldron? Titans survive because of the Magic Cauldron, right?"

"—The Magic Cauldron?"

The one who answered Iver wasn't Arthur, but a voice that Iver found somewhat familiar. "Ah, I know that!"

He turned around in surprise, and sure enough, he saw that familiar figure—

He had short, messy black hair and wore a round monocle over his left eye. He wore Blue Robe, had a sword at his waist, and a frivolous smile on his face.

—It was Merlin in his youth! Iver looked around and saw an even more familiar figure: Lancelot I.

He looked almost exactly like Lancelot, whom Iver had seen at the last Promotion Ritual, only noticeably younger. He probably looked even younger Merlin.

In addition, a dozen or so knights were making a fire and setting up camp.

They all looked over with some curiosity, but no one came over to ask about Iver's identity.

Clearly, this task that would offend people fell to Merlin once again.

"The secret of the Magic Cauldron is simple; it's a special technique of the Giant Priest. By performing a ritual with ninety-nine tormented souls and ninety-nine gems of the same color, and invoking the divine power of the Supreme Heaven, one can create a giant Magic Cauldron that can overflow with endless food. However, there are only seven true Magic Cauldron, and they all possess the Magic Power to bring people back to life... But even man-made Magic Cauldron can be used to revive warriors who have been dead for seven days through divine magic."

Merlin adjusted his monocle and said with a smile, "I've answered your question, so how about you answer one of mine?"

"Excuse me, who are you?"

"Merlin, don't be rude."

Just then, Arthur suddenly spoke.

His imposing, cold, silver-gray eyes stared at Merlin, instantly silencing Merlin.

The Blue Robe mage nodded respectfully. "As you command, Your Majesty."

"This is Sir Hellerchein ... I have Heroic Spirit Summoning through ritual to fight alongside us."

Huh? Iver looked at Arthur in astonishment.

—Does this mean I am a heroic spirit summoned by King Arthur?