The Fall of the Gods! Please Keep Reading

Dimensional Space.

This was still a void-like cosmic expanse. In the endless darkness, only enormous feather-like nebulae drifted in the distance.

After Duncan's consciousness returned, he had no physical form here.

Before him was still the projected image under God's Eye View. He could see the guard captain, Catus, waiting downstairs at the inn, while the Raven Queen, Triss, quietly poured herself a cup of tea. As though she knew everything that had happened next door, she silently waited for Duncan's decision.

The Witcher, George, was purchasing supplies in town, mostly cheap daily necessities. From the look of it, he intended to leave soon.

Duncan's thoughts stirred.

The projected image before him immediately began to change.

GOOGLE Search TWKAN

--"Retire into seclusion?"

It was the familiar screen again.

A line of text slowly appeared.

--"Retire into seclusion [End Trial]: You will sever your connection with the Human Form. You will no longer be able to enter the Material Plane through this Human Form. The Human Form will replicate a personality based on your current character and experiences, and will no longer be able to gain additional abilities."

"Dimensional Space will switch to 'Observer Mode.' Your consciousness will temporarily fall dormant until its energy has fully recovered and it captures the next compatible Human Form."

--"Law of Causality [Trial Settlement]:

Branch One: You accepted Catus's invitation and joined the Aetius Family's army. Before long, your extraordinary strength earned the Aetius Family's attention. You were taken in as an adopted son and granted the surname Aetius. You quickly made a name for yourself on the Empire's frontier. In the wars against the Germanic Barbarians, you repeatedly distinguished yourself. You helped suppress the Franks' rebellion and forced back the Saxons' invasion.

But the Empire had already reached its twilight. Neither you nor the Aetius Family could turn the tide. With the Huns' renewed assaults, the barbarians' invasion of the Empire grew ever fiercer.

The Scourge of God was tearing the entire Empire apart.

Half a year later, you were struck by several arrows in battle against the Huns and had no choice but to retreat to the rear to recuperate. But those injuries left behind a chronic condition that could never be cured.

Three months later, you were surrounded by barbarian rebels in Lower Germania. You slew more than ten men before dying of exhaustion.

You left your name in history as the adopted son of the Aetius Family. Historians considered you one of the most formidable adopted sons under the Protector of Rome, Aetius."

Huh?

Aetius, the last of the Romans?

Duncan searched his memories, but he knew little. This man seemed to have been the last great general of the late Empire, yet he had ultimately been murdered by the Emperor of the Empire.

The Emperors of the Empire changed rather frequently. First, the army installed one. Then the Praetorian Guard assassinated one. Later, barbarians became Emperors of the Empire. Some were poisoned, some were forced to commit suicide, and some were deposed. In any case, everyone took turns sitting on the throne. If the assimilated barbarians had not integrated into the Empire, it would never have lasted this long.

The Scourge of God?

Duncan knew that one. Attila, Emperor of the Hunnic Empire. He had been in history textbooks. A major reason for the Barbarian Invasion was the Huns' migration onto the Eurasian continent, which indirectly led to the Empire's destruction.

"But this was obviously a parallel world. I have no idea whether history will follow a different course."

Without question.

This outcome was much better than the last one. At least he was no longer a beggar. He was, more or less, a low-ranking imperial officer. Dying on the battlefield was far better than dying of illness in the streets.

"What about Branch Two?"

"Why is the Law of Causality's deduction so much slower than before? Is it because of supernatural power?"

Duncan waited for a while.

Only then did the projected interface reveal the Law of Causality settlement for Branch Two.

"Branch Two: You agreed to travel to the British Isles with the Raven Queen, Triss. Beyond the Empire's vast territory, the dark powers of the old era still remained. You encountered many Legendary monsters. With the Raven Queen, Triss's help, you slew Trolls, Ghouls, Half-Giants, Sirens, and other supernatural creatures.

Gradually, you gained a Legend of your own in the British Isles.

You became friends with the Legendary Wizard, Merlin. You witnessed King Arthur's birth and growth. You gained the Raven Queen, Triss's love. The ultimate pleasure she brought you gradually caused you to lose interest in other women.

But Witches could almost never bear children. After entering middle age, you were bewitched by the Lady of the Lake and gradually grew distant from the Raven Queen, Triss.

In search of the peaceful land prophesied to shelter her kind through the Dark Ages, the Raven Queen, Triss, began planning an expedition into the world beyond the sea. She built a great ship in the British Isles and led the Witches who followed her overseas in search of the 'Iceland' you had mentioned.

At the final moment, you came to your senses and realized that Triss—the woman who had faced countless dangers and hardships with you—was the true love of your life. In the end, you abandoned everything and boarded that ocean-going ship.

After enduring countless perils.

You narrowly escaped the Kraken's pursuit and found Iceland before it had been discovered and colonized.

But terrifying monsters from the Mythological Era had settled there to escape humanity. You encountered the greatest crisis in history: an adult dragon. The Raven Queen, Triss, died in battle protecting you.

In the final battle, you discovered that neither your sword nor your arrows could pierce the dragon's Dragon Scale.

Only then did you awaken to the truth. You were merely an ordinary man with slightly above-average martial skill.

All this time, the Raven Queen, Triss, had silently protected you. The Legend and reputation you possessed existed only because Triss had given all the glory to you, forging your Legendary tale in the British Isles.

You were merely an ordinary man.

Under the dragon's blazing Dragon Breath, you embraced your beloved's body and turned to ash amid the raging flames."

Dimensional Space.

Duncan suddenly froze.

For a long time, he said nothing.

He stared at the second outcome deduced by the Law of Causality and could not come back to himself for quite a while.

At that moment, the projected image changed again.

"Law of Causality interferes with the Law of Origin!"

"The Raven Queen, Triss, has infused her final magic into your soul. Your soul is transcending the laws of reality!"

"Your Human Form has left behind a Legend in the Material Plane. You became an important figure in the Legends of King Arthur. You are said to have been King Arthur's second mentor, teaching the young King Arthur archery and mounted archery. In Legends related to Iceland, you are regarded as the first human to challenge a dragon."

"Your Human Form has fused with the World Laws and advanced into a Lower Heroic Spirit!"

--Monster Hunter—Duncan! [No. 1 Human Form] [Lower Heroic Spirit] [Witch's Love] (Can be transformed into an avatar form that crosses dimensions and enter any captured Material Plane through summoning rituals.)

The characters flickered.

--"Retire into seclusion?"

--"After retiring into seclusion, the Law of Causality's deduction will assimilate with the laws of reality. No. 1 Human Form will enter Dimensional Space in the avatar form of a 'Lower Heroic Spirit.'"

No!

Duncan refused without hesitation.

Though this outcome was better than the previous one, he still could not accept it.

Based on what he knew of Dimensional Space, once he severed his connection with the Human Form, it would no longer be able to improve at such a terrifying pace. In the second Law of Causality outcome, the Raven Queen, Triss, had clearly been working behind the scenes the entire time. A mortal with merely standard knight-level ability could never defeat so many supernatural monsters, much less establish a Legendary tale of his own in the British Isles.

Of all the outcomes created by the Law of Causality, only this Duncan had lived past middle age.

More importantly, the enemies in this outcome had been the most dangerous, yet he had remained unharmed until they found Iceland and encountered the dragon dwelling there.

With only a little thought, Duncan knew that the Raven Queen, Triss, had been protecting him all along.

Even one of the key factors behind the Human Form's advancement into a Lower Heroic Spirit was Triss pouring her final magic into his soul.

The Raven Queen, Triss, had perished.

Monster Hunter Duncan endured as a Heroic Spirit.

That was Witch's Love.

Duncan desperately wanted a cigarette. His head buzzed as he could not help sighing. "We haven't even held hands yet."

"How did we end up in a relationship?"

Neither was a good ending.

Duncan understood now. Unless his strength reached a certain level, once he chose to sever his connection with the Human Form in this turbulent era, that Human Form would most likely meet a bad end.

After severing the connection with the Human Form, its abilities would no longer improve by leaps and bounds. It would retain only his current strength: close combat comparable to a seasoned infantryman, archery equal to a Forest Hunter, and riding and mounted archery roughly on par with a nomadic horse archer. He was decent in every aspect, a relatively well-balanced fighter. Someone like that could serve as a minor officer in the imperial army. With some luck, he could earn merits and rise through the ranks. But amid the Empire's collapse, dying peacefully of old age was almost impossible.

The City of Rome had been sacked again and again. The entire map of Europe had become a tangled mess of warfare. Almost no one met a good end.

Duncan already had his answer.

He pushed open the door and saw Catus being supported in the inn's main hall. Then, without hesitation, he knocked on the neighboring door. Gazing at the veiled Raven Queen, Triss, he slowly said, "I'll escort you to the British Isles."

"But you have to pay me a large sum of money!"

The price had to go up!

So what if they had lived and died together in the Law of Causality deduction? That was merely a personality replicated from his character and experiences!

The price still had to go up!!!

A trace of delight appeared on the Raven Queen, Triss's face. Her sapphire eyes curved like crescent moons as she decisively replied, "All right."

Duncan was extremely strong.

At least, under the enhancement of God's Eye View, the strength he displayed far surpassed the combat skills he currently possessed. Even the Witcher, George, was quite wary of him. After all, Duncan had killed nineteen enemies in three days, every one of them a genuine soldier. On an ancient battlefield, killing a single armored soldier was enough to earn a promotion through military merit.

With God's Eye View activated, the faint killing intent beneath Duncan's coldly handsome face had long since intimidated the others traveling with him.

Downstairs at the inn, when Catus saw Duncan speaking with the Witch, disappointment could not help appearing on his face. A fierce warrior like Duncan would undoubtedly be able to achieve great things if he joined the army. His bravery and strength alone would be enough to inspire the others.

But Duncan knew his own limits. Without God's Eye View's enhancement, he was only a little stronger than an experienced veteran.

Joining the army now was not a good choice in the first place.

With his personality, becoming an independent lord ruling one region would be more comfortable than mixing with the rotten imperial bureaucracy.

These days, the first to stand out were the first to die.

Looking at ancient Chinese history, few who rose first during a dynasty's final years lasted until the end.

Catus had someone support him away. Before leaving, he gave the Witch a deep look. There was another reason the caravan had brought her along. After all, the Aetius Family had some ties to the Priests who had served the gods of the old era.

The Raven Queen, Triss's lineage had served Trivia several centuries ago. This was one of the alternate names of Diana, one of Rome's Twelve Olympians, and was equivalent to one aspect of a Deity.

The Empire's Polytheism was inclusive.

Take Diana, for example. She had not originated in Rome. She was the Goddess of Nemi, "Diana of the Woods," a great goddess of nature worshipped in the forests around Lake Nemi.

Diana had originally only been a Roman goddess of mountains and forests, but she later absorbed Rome's other moon goddess, Luna, becoming Rome's foremost moon goddess.

The Romans liked using Roman gods to absorb foreign gods with similar divine domains. Around the fifth or sixth century BC, Diana's Adoration came into contact with the Ancient Greeks. By the Roman era, Diana had absorbed the Greek goddess Artemis, and thus became regarded as the goddess of hunting, plants, and wild beasts.

At the same time, Diana had also absorbed the Greek goddess Hecate and Caelestis, Carthage's goddess of the sky.

The Empire's Polytheism had continually expanded.

When the Empire conquered the European Continent, it began absorbing Greek religion and Greek mythology. Greece's Castor, Pollux, Apollo, and others became Roman deities and fused with one another. After Rome suffered a crushing defeat in its second war with Carthage, in order to escape Carthage's grasp, it even brought Cybele, the Great Mother Goddess worshipped by the people of Asia Minor, into Roman religion according to an "oracle."

In addition, the Persian deity Mithra and Egypt's principal religious gods, Osiris and Isis, also became objects of Roman Adoration.

The deities of conquered peoples were generally absorbed into Rome's Pantheon as well.

That was the origin of the "Pantheon."

In that regard, they were somewhat similar to the people of the Celestial Dynasty. They could use whatever deities they took in, and anything useful was absorbed as part of themselves.

Now, the Pantheon had been closed and no longer allowed any sacrifices. Ever since Catholicism became the Empire's state religion, the Priests who had once served the gods had vanished one by one. Some were even Judged as evil Wizards.

The Raven Queen, Triss's lineage originated from there. Those with supernatural power were more likely to worship deities, since even they could not understand where their magic came from.

It was also because of this connection that the Forest Banshee had sought her help and called her "High Priestess."

If this were still the era of Polytheistic belief.

The Raven Queen, Triss, would never have needed to hide in exile. She would most likely have become Diana's chief priestess, holding an extremely high social position, equivalent to a bishop of The Church.

Trivia was the Latin name the Romans gave to Trioditis, an alternate name of Hecate.

That was the Raven Queen, Triss's origin. Her branch served the aspect formed after Rome's goddess Diana devoured the goddess Hecate. Hecate was the goddess of Sorcery and death, so Trivia's branch of Priests suffered The Church's brutal suppression.

Perhaps during the Middle Ages, some of the Witches burned at the stake had awakened magic later in life, or learned and mastered Sorcery through certain means.

But before the Empire was destroyed, many Wizards had inherited the legacies of the gods' Priests from the era of Polytheism.

Or, to put it more plainly.

If Deities truly existed in this world, then even the entire Pantheon combined would not have been enough for God to fight alone. In the end, "Monotheism" completely replaced "Polytheism" in the secular world.

The Priesthood systems that had endured for thousands of years, existing since the era of Ancient Greece, were all branded with the name "Heretic."

The Ancient Olympic Games.

Held from 776 BC, once every four years, until they were banned by a Roman emperor in AD 394, they lasted 1,170 years.

That year.

The Ancient Olympic Games were banned, the Pantheon's gates were shut tight, the Sacrificial Flame was extinguished, and Polytheism completely became history. The Priests who had once served the gods also witnessed the end of their era.

The Inquisition was quietly established.

Just as the Raven Queen, Triss, had said—"Our era has already ended..."

The gods fell.

The Raven Queen, Triss, only wanted to find a land that could shelter her kind. Through prophecy, she had glimpsed the future and foreseen that "Monotheism" would unify the faith of the European Continent.

This was a conflict of faith and divine authority, standing above royal power.

God won.