Beneath the Dawn Sacred Mountain, a vast expanse of scorching lava is still surging quietly deep underground, just as it has been for hundreds of years.

But when Ishal arrived, he was keenly aware that there was something different from the center of the world that it had been.

"Lord?"

The knight looked up at the middle of the lava sea in the distance, and he was surprised to find that his lord, who had been asleep and would only wake up for a moment when someone was present, had already awakened.

"You're here, Ishal. 】

Sensing the arrival of his knight, a gentle young man's voice sounded above the lava throne: "It's just right. 】

When Ishal arrived around the throne, he saw that in front of the throne, there was a four-colored light curtain flickering, and the four elements formed a three-dimensional map, and the elements on it were constantly circulating alternately, and then forming a world.

At a glance, Ishal could tell that it was the elemental distribution map of the world he lived in!

The blue seas surround the brown continents, the blue winds haunt the heavens and the earth, and the flames burn in the depths of the earth and the tops of the sky...... In addition to this, in every corner of the world, the elements are reincarnating alternately and endlessly.

Originally, this should be the truth between heaven and earth, the normal state of the world cycle, but Ishal could see that on the two continents of the Holy Fire Continent and the New World, a total of six mighty blue torrents were converging, and they were submerged into the distant sea of meditation in the south—and there, the rich blue was already as deep as ink, as if something was being bred, bringing people an extremely unsettling aura.

But on the lava throne, the white-haired boy with the crown of the sun god on his head smiled, and he stared at the picture in front of him, smiling heartily and gently.

Ishal was stunned.

For the first time in more than 200 years, he had seen his faith in the Lord smile so heartily.

Ever since the knight became a divine protector more than 200 years ago and first met the gods with great excitement, the image of the Lord of Fire has always been gentle and gentle in his heart, like a bonfire in winter and the warm sun in the morning, giving warmth to everyone.

But a flame is a flame, and the sun is the sun, no matter how close you are to people, as long as you get too close, you will be burned. If God walks in this world, the sky will be clear and the earth will be dry, so for the sake of his people, God chooses to stay alone in the center of the world under the holy mountain, in the deep lava sea of the earth, isolated from the masses.

Even if God descends, God is only in the sky all the time, as the second sun, does not come directly to the earth, except for smiling, He will not express any superfluous joy, anger and sorrow, so as to avoid the power of his own heart raging and affecting others.

And now, such a gentle god actually smiled so happily at this time......

What is it that makes the Lord laugh so much? It must be said that Ishal was a little jealous in his heart, but soon, the black-haired and golden-eyed knight abandoned such useless thoughts, and he half-knelt on the ground and reported to the Lord of Fire.

"My lord, do you know that there has been a sudden mass revolt of criminals in the eastern region? The local priests said they had heard the oracle of the Lord of Judgment......"

[Oh, I already know. 】

The young man on the throne nodded slightly, he raised his head with a smile and looked at the top of the rock above the lava sea: [He's coming. 】

[He's back.] 】

[Although a long time has passed, he has indeed returned! 】

Then Ishal heard that the Lord's tone had become a little pitiful.

[But unfortunately, he came back a little late.] 】

[The plan of those children in the sea is also about to be completed. 】

"My lord, do you mean the plans of the rebels? Their enthronement ceremony is almost complete?! ”

Hearing this, Ixalden, who was half-kneeling in front of the Lord of Fire, stood up and angrily asked, "Please allow me to lead the army on an expedition at once and shatter their delusions!" ”

[No, besides, come here, kid.] 】

But the Lord of Fire shook his head and refused Ishal's request, and when the knight approached his side in some confusion, the white-haired boy reached out and pressed it to Ishal's forehead.

It doesn't feel like the sun is as hot as you think...... The warm and soft touch in the center of the palm is like a real human being.

Before Ishal could think anything more, a burning pain suddenly appeared on his forehead - the pain flashed away, as if it were just a hallucination, and he stood motionless like an iron tower.

When the Lord of Fire lowered his hand, a crimson mark of flame appeared on his forehead, and divine power pulsated in it, releasing a clearly visible majesty.

Then, the Lord of Fire looked at Ishal for a moment, nodded in satisfaction, and then said, "Let them become the gods of water. 】

[Only in this way will the water element of the riot return to its place and return to the cycle of order.] 】

"What?"

Hearing this, Ixal, who was still thinking about what God had left on his forehead, was stunned for a moment, and he immediately frowned and said, "How is this possible! ”

"Those thugs in the sea are clearly intent on subverting the existing elemental cycle in our world! They cut off the original process of reincarnation, and wanted to rudely turn the elements of the entire world into water elements! ”

"They even plan to start some kind of 'deep sea age' and completely turn our world into a completely unknown state...... How can this be called homing, the reincarnation of order?! ”

The Lord of Fire shook his head, and there was no scorn in his gray eyes for the people of the sea.

[This is indeed their purpose—but it is indeed the reincarnation of order. 】

In the mind of the white-haired god, the figure of the god who appeared a long time ago, and left abruptly, rejecting the soul of water and the soul of the earth, and becoming a god.

He said with some nostalgia: "The power of the water soul is extremely powerful. Regardless of the era, there is a large amount of water in various forms, and even in the era of raging fire, it is surrounded by white steam. 】

[If those children in the sea do not accept the soul of the source water, which has become increasingly chaotic, then in decades or hundreds of years, the primitive and crazy, naturally born water god will appear. He wasn't even human at that time, and he wouldn't understand our order, and maybe he would have set off a great wave of destruction that we couldn't stop. 】

"Why can't it be stopped?"

Hearing this, Ixaldon was puzzled, and he folded his hands together and asked the Lord of Fire, "My lord, you are a god, and a god far more powerful than those pirates, far more powerful than any newborn god—and besides that, the Lord of the Wind, the Lord of Judgment...... The three gods work together, how can any pirate and the naturally born god of water stop it? ”

But the Lord of the Wind will not make a move. 】

But the young man looked at Ishal calmly, and he lightly spoke the secret that had been hidden for hundreds of years: [His spirit has long since left this world, leaving only the last trace of residual thoughts and flesh, forming a network of consciousness that connects the minds of the people of the air and maintains order. 】

And I, most of the time, will not remain in this world—as you have seen every time you have come to see me in the past, it will take me a long time to return. 】

Ishal was stunned, although he knew about this situation, he never thought that it was such a situation: "That, that, why?" ”

The knight asked, at a loss, "Why did the soul of the Lord of the Wind leave this world, and the Lord you ......"

[It's simple.] 】

And the Lord of Fire sighed, and the white-haired boy raised his head, his gaze seemed to be able to see through the rock top and the world, straight into the void, becoming distant and with a hint of sorrow: [Our world, far from other worlds, is too far. 】

[The periphery of our world is full of ruins and dust left behind after the world was shattered. There is no other world but us...... Not only that, Ishal, the world itself has a lifespan, and the life span of our world is especially short, if it is reckless in it, without the reincarnation of order, then who knows if it can last for decades or hundreds of years? 】

As if intended, the Lord of Fire looked at his Divine Protector, and he could see Ishal's gaze in shock, as if his world was shattered.

With a chuckle and retracting his gaze, the young man turned his head and continued to look at the elemental light curtain in front of him, and he said lightly: [For the sake of countless people, the God of Wind left his body as the core of the consciousness network, and he used his divine soul to break away from the world and wander in the void in search of a new world suitable for habitation. 】

[And I also search in the ruins of the world around me, looking for usable world dust to fill the holes in our world. 】

Neither I nor the Lord of the Wind can stay in this world for long, so we have guided the birth of the Lord of Judgment to maintain the order we have designed, and to ensure that you can maintain a friendly and caring heart for each other while we are away......

When he said this, the Lord of Fire seemed to recall the rebellion more than a hundred years ago, and he couldn't help but sigh: [But unfortunately, there are loopholes in that order. 】

In addition, in the young man's heart, the scene he saw when he broke away from the barrier of the world and came to the void in the past.

It was an endless 'gray fog that enveloped the whole world. ’

The gray fog shrouded the world, it originally absorbed the dust of the surrounding world, filling it to every corner of the world, and maintaining the survival of the world of Tartadis, but ...... Just as the god of wind and the boy himself came out of the world, the gray fog mostly receded, leaving only a little residue that no longer enveloped the world.

The Lord of Fire's memory is clear. He knew that the grey mist was the symbol of the Elemental Cycle Era, and that it was behind the Labyrinth of Hades and the alternation of epochs...... But now it seems that its real power is to sustain the existence of the whole world! If it weren't for the Gray Mist's reminder, he wouldn't have known, and he could have collected the dust of the world in the surrounding void to continue the existence of the world of Tartadis for a long time.

What is the attitude of the gray fog towards them, towards their civilization?

The boy didn't know.

Moreover, it doesn't matter anymore.

Retracting his thoughts, the Lord of Fire looked at Ishal.

He said calmly, "You will take my place and become the new god of fire. 】

"Huh?"

At first, Ishal was still a little dazed, he was still immersed in the shocking news that 'the life span of the world is not long', so at first, the knight did not understand what his god meant - but soon, after understanding, his face was full of shock, and he immediately froze in place, at a loss, "What, what?!" ”

On the Lava Throne, the Lord of Fire looked at Ishal with a smile: "You are a good boy, Ishal. For two hundred and thirty-seven years, since you became a blessed one, you have been working earnestly for the masses of people, clearing their problems and solving problems. 】

[You have grown up from the grassroots level and become a blessed one all the way, and you know all the keys to the operation of our order perfectly, even more than I, the designer of the Code. 】

"No, God, I don't ......"

[No, you understand. 】

When Ishal tried to say something, the god of fire stretched out his hand and signaled his knight not to say much at this time, and then, the young god-like god turned his head and looked at the middle of the Holy Fire Continent, where the elemental breakthrough was rapidly normalizing, and he said lightly: [In addition, you are also the only one who has adhered to my path until now. 】

[Don't refute, Ishal, don't you know? Most of the Divine Beings, since they have become so powerful, no longer want to keep the precepts I have set. 】

[They want to enjoy glory and wealth, and enjoy their rights...... Of course, because I still exist, they still can't eat luxurious food, so some of the Divine Blessings have gone to great lengths to make luxurious food so that it doesn't matter if it's not extravagant—and that's not wrong. That's good, isn't it? I didn't even expect this precept of mine to have this effect. 】

Speaking of this, the god of fire laughed, but his gaze did not smile: [Among the divine blessings, there are many people who seek greater power, and there are more people who seek power. There are too few people who just want to eat something delicious. 】

[There are too few divine blessers who really want to make the world a better place and let everyone live happily, and want to maintain such an order without fear of battle.] 】

The young man on the throne raised his hand, rubbed his forehead, closed his eyes a little tiredly, and sighed: "They all want to be gods, but they are not willing to find their own way, but peep into my power. 】

Therefore, I have appointed you, child. 】

Ishal was stunned at first...... Indeed, even he knew that there were many people who harbored evil wombs in the center of the Divine Blessings, and since the rebellion more than a hundred years ago showed the injustice and weakness of the gods, the minds of many of the Divine Blessings have changed.

But soon, feeling anxious and uneasy about the words of the Lord of Fire, the knight suddenly became a little angry.

"I'm not a child! My Lord! He frowned, shook his head angrily, and reached out to press his hand to his chest: "I am your knight!" ”

"What King James decreed? What inherits your position? My lord, are you going to give up your godhood?! ”

The Lord of Fire opened his eyes, and he turned his head and looked at Ishal calmly, and the two sides looked at each other, and Ishal's emotions gradually softened.

Until the end, he silently took a step back, and then said blankly: "But...... Why? ”

[The existence of the God of Water is necessary, but the Soul of Source Water repels the bearers of other elemental souls, and I have no way to catch it until it is tamed - our forces interfere with each other, and even form a blind spot on the sea. 】

Saying this, the Lord of Fire sighed wearily: [And for some reason that I don't know very well, the power of those children on the sea has expanded too quickly, as if there is an invisible force that does not come from our world behind them to help them...... Originally, in my plan, it would take hundreds of years for those children to slowly find the whereabouts of the soul of the source water, and at that time, I would be able to calm the order of the Holy Fire Realm a little, and then formulate a new book of teachings to make up for the previous rifts......]

[But now, the over-inflated Soul of Source Water has encountered the over-inflated forces of the Sea People...... I don't know what the outcome will be, but either the newly born gods of water are powerful enough to change the order of the elemental rotations, or they are numerous, even more than me, the god of wind, and the god of judgment combined. 】

[The existence of the god of water is necessary. But if those children in the sea really become the gods of water, then they will inevitably choose to counterattack the continent - at that time, because I have been collecting the dust of the world for hundreds of years, I am afraid that I will not be able to resist it. 】

Speaking of this, the white-haired young man smiled freely, he stretched out his hand, straightened the divine crown on his head, and said indifferently: [They have never guessed, what I plan to do with them, and have been wondering if I will send my divine blessing and many priests to crusade against them. 】

[Let's not talk about the fact that many of my divine blessers also have different hearts, they have made a lot of preparations, and the sea is their home field, so even if you crusade in the past, there will be many casualties, and the whole world will be weakened because of this, and the civilization that I have built with great difficulty will be completely reduced to a place of no return. 】

"I don't want that. 】

The Fire Lord's tone was calm, and his voice echoed through the sea of lava, leaving Isal speechless: "And love is the strongest plan. 】

[Those selfish children will never think that I don't mind dying or not, I just want to create a better order and let everyone live in a better world. 】

Based on this, they will never be able to guess and prevent my plan. 】

"My Lord ......"

The knight was half-kneeling, and he felt that even being in the lava could not stop the cold sensation from spreading down his spine.

Ishal stared at the young man in front of him, the god he worshipped, and he muttered, "You, you mean ......"

And the god stretched out his hand and gently touched the head of the knight who he regarded as a child, and he smiled and said, "Although I have not accumulated much strength, but I have been in and out of the void all the year round, and my soul has already been tempered to be extremely powerful—as long as the time comes, I will burn my soul, no matter what plans those children have, how can I stop me from suppressing their souls and recovering the soul of the source water? 】

[As long as I am not afraid of falling, then my strength is enough to burn away all their hundred-year plans, even if the power accumulated by the soul of water is far superior to mine, but it cannot prevent me from redefining the era - the god of wind has entrusted the soul of the wind to me, and the soul of the earth ...... In short, when the four souls gather, the true gods will be born, and it will surely be a far more perfect and beautiful era than the present era. 】

Saying this, the young man touched the mark of burning flame in front of Ishal's forehead, and he smiled heartily: "And then, you will become the new Lord of Fire, or rather, the god of the gathering of the four souls, Ishal, you will be my heir, fulfill my way, and establish a new order. 】

But after hearing this, Ishal not only did not have the slightest joy, but turned pale.

The Divine Bless stood up, he took two steps back, avoiding the Fire Lord's hand, and let out a low roar, "Why? ”

"God, why do you have to do such a thing, and use this duty to force me?! How can you be so presumptuous...... Tell me your death?! ”

In the face of Ishal's accusation, the Lord of Fire only shook his head slightly: "I am not persecuting you, Ishal, but if you believe in me, you should do so. 】

"Aren't you just persecuting me with faith?"

Ishal was incredulous, he waved his hands, and the meaning of refusal was so strong: "I believe in you, and I want you to always be on the throne of God, like the sun leading us forward!"

"I'm willing to die for you, not for you!"

At the end of the sentence, Ishal gritted his teeth, he stared at the god sitting on the lava throne in front of him, and said word by word, "My lord, do you want a dog that will only obey your orders, or a knight who can die for you?!" ”

For Ishal's willingness to resist so resolutely, even the Lord of Fire did not expect.

In the Sanctuary of Fire, almost all the Divine Beings are thirsting for greater power or power, which is not a bad thing, but the self-motivation of the human base, and those who are eager for progress should not be demanded, even if some of them try to seize the power of the Lord of Fire, it is not a big deal.

The white-haired god had thought that Ishal would gladly take over this responsibility, and take over this huge and enviable power—it was a gathering of four souls, a power that surpassed ordinary gods, and could even lead to a higher realm—but he did not expect that the other party would be so loyal to him that he could refuse this temptation.

Why?

The god's memories go back, and he recalls the time when he was still on earth and led the first Fire People to build their homes nearly three hundred years ago, when the Elemental Calendar was at the beginning.

At that time, there was such a boy, who had been following behind him.

"Child, why are you following me?" 】

The god leaned down and asked each other gently, wiping the sweat from the child's head.

And the ignorant boy said a little naughtily: "The city you built for us is so big, so beautiful, I have never lived in such a big and warm house!"

"So I want to learn, and in the future, when I grow up, I also want to build many, many bigger and better houses for you, for everyone!"

Ishal has indeed built many temples for himself.

Over the years, he has been busy at the grassroots level and has built a lot of 'houses'.

I built the foundation and the frame, and the order of this world, the flesh and blood and decoration of this house, was built by themselves.

Because God has built up a good order for man, man wants to defend it.

Or maybe what Ishal wanted to follow was not a god he saw as wanting to give up his duties, which is why he was angry...... In fact, what he is following is actually the path that makes everyone happier than before.

Just like himself – he walks with him, that's why he believes.

Why follow...... Maybe it's that simple.

There was silence for a long time, and then God laughed softly.

"I don't want either. 】

He still smiled softly and looked at Ishal, as always: "I want a wise man who can walk with me and forge a trail—I don't need a dog who doesn't know how to question me, I don't need a knight who will only die for me—I need a fellow believer who can understand my thoughts, understand my teachings, and follow my ideas. 】

What I need is that after I am gone, someone will be able to raise my banner and return to my place to maintain the kingdom and order that I have created. 】

"I need such a being. 】

"Understanding ......"

Repeating the word in a low voice, Ishal stared at the Lord of Fire who could still laugh in front of him, he couldn't understand why a god could give up his life so 'easily', he first chuckled, and then laughed: "What understanding?!" We can't understand each other, fathers can't understand sons, daughters can't understand mothers! ”

"My lord, your church is secretly disobeying your will! They are at odds with pirates, they covet your power and authority, they have evil intentions, not to mention faith in you! ”

"What exactly do you want? Understand? It's more incredible than you are asking for our freedom and your life! ”

The gods watched in silence until the sound of Ishal echoing through the sea of lava faded and calmed.

And in the midst of the churning and popping of lava foam, He simply said, "But this is faith. 】

[I need to suppress the souls of the four elements in my reign, and after the epoch is redefined, a new Lord of Fire will appear, stabilize the order, and protect the survival and happiness of all peoples—he can continue to collect the embers of the surrounding world as fuel for our world, maintain the existence of the world, and can sacrifice himself at the most important moment to create a new era. Do you understand? Being a god is not a gift, it is what I ask of you. 】

[Ishal, if you love me more than you love my way, it means that you don't believe in me at all, but only worship me and love me. 】

[The distance between faith and worship is far greater than heaven and earth.] 】

Do you believe in me, or do you just worship me? 】

The voice of the Lord of Fire caused the entire sea of lava to boil.

The majestic power of the fire elemental stirred up in the center of the world, causing the viscous magma to set off layers of waves, slapping against each other and splashing sparks in the sky.

Ishal felt the mark on his forehead burn, and he trembled as he stared at the Lord of Fire staring at him in front of him, and then he couldn't help but cry.

He had begun to accept it, but still couldn't let go, and the knight walked to the lava throne step by step, muttering, "God, is there only one way?" Is there only one way to go? Is there no other way for you to calm the turmoil of this element? ”

[Naturally, there is, but I can only choose to sacrifice myself, I have no right to let others sacrifice for me, even if that person is willing to die for me. 】

And the Lord of Fire laughed, he stretched out his hand and pressed it on Ishal's forehead again, the scorching fire god seal was imprinted, and the young man said calmly: "If you want to change something, do it yourself, as an existence that can be sacrificed without sin, only yourself, otherwise it is a mistake. This is what I learned in the last era. 】

[But now ......]

And when he said this, his expression couldn't help but become a little complicated, the Lord of Fire raised his head, he looked straight ahead, his gray eyes seemed to be able to see through the thick rock crust earth, and he could see the huge fluctuations that were slowly approaching in the distance.

Far away.

Elemental calendar year 307, July 5.

In the middle of the Holy Fire Continent, on the avenue near the Central Holy City, there was a huge crowd walking.

They were dressed simply, their faces were sad, and most of their bodies were mutilated, with severed hands, broken feet, or branded faces.

But now, their limbs are reborn and can be used as if they had never been lost.

"Righteousness!"

High-pitched and loud chants rang out, and flags danced in the wind.

An old dark-skinned fisherman carrying a flag, his eyes were bright and his will was lowered, and old Chuck waved the flag, and then shouted again: "Justice! ”

Then the whole team shouted in unison: "Righteousness! ”

It can be seen that this old fisherman, who lost his hands in the past, now has a pair of white novices - although he has not experienced the wind and frost, and even the tiger's mouth is bubbling because of waving the flag for a long time, he still refuses to let go and still waves hard.

The gray-haired priest walked at the front of the procession, and Ammon led the ranks of these 'sinners' forward, all the way forward, striding in the direction of the Central Sanctuary.

There is no need for your own god to walk ahead.

As walkers with God, the apostles of judgment will forge their own way and fulfill their own paths.

At the end of the team, Su Sun followed behind everyone, watching this team grow and move forward firmly.

Then, as if sensing something, the young man turned his head to the side, his face puzzled.

"Is that you? Elias? ”

As if noticing the gaze of the Lord of Fire, Su Sun lowered his head sharply and looked into the depths of the earth, the purple and cyan dragon pupils seemed to be able to penetrate the thick earth to the very center of the world.

Then, he laughed: "Long time no see, I'm back!" ”

- You're back, Teacher.

The Sea of Lava, the god of fire who had been sitting on the throne for a long time, slowly got up under the shocked gaze of Ishal on the side and left the seat of lava.

For the first time in 200 years, He left the throne and stepped on the earth with both feet.

[I don't think there's any other way. 】

The young god looked up at the rock dome and muttered in a low voice, "But for that man, there may not be anything impossible in the world. 】

But even then, He just smiled, smiled indifferently.

But I can't put my hope in other people. I have to try to transcend this cycle on my own, even if it comes at the cost of death. 】

"Let's go, Ishal. 】

With that, the god of fire stepped towards the passage out of the core of the world, the lava sea, with the knight following the god.

"Let's go and greet the god who has finally returned. 】