The Vastness of Magical Destiny -
Chapter 265 - 6: The Great Prophecy Spell
Chapter 265: Chapter 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!
Startled in his heart, Julius could hardly believe his own Mind’s Eye. This head was quite distant to him, but not unfamiliar. As the Pope of the Church of Light, he couldn’t be unacquainted with this image. But what did this head signify, a dark resurgence or the emergence of dark forces? This wasn’t news; such societies of alien races already existed to the south. But Julius believed those lacking a spiritual compass couldn’t stir up any turmoil; even if they seemed formidable for a time, it was but a brief flourish. As their pursuit of the soul was lacking, they would quickly decline. Thought determines consciousness, consciousness determines action. People who can’t even find a goal aren’t worth considering.
But was it just that simple? Julius almost immediately denied his initial judgment. If it were that simple, why hadn’t this scene appeared when he had used the Great Prophecy Spell over a decade ago? At that time, the Dark Forces in the South were raging, even more powerful than now, but his visage had not appeared; why was this situation occurring now? Julius tried to pinpoint the direction of this vision using the remnants of his spiritual sense, but to his disappointment, the Great Prophecy Spell had nearly exhausted all of his power. He could only sense vaguely that it originated from the South, yet the South was far too vast, encompassing countless countries and powers, inhabited by both mortals and alien races. Could it still be those defiant but ineffective heretics in the South, or should he let Noyola’s team conduct a thorough investigation into the potential anomalies arising there?
A stream of thoughts crossed Julius’s mind, but at that moment, the second wave of ripples was already approaching. Just as the second wave was about to sweep over, Julius suddenly noticed the familiar visage morph into a tall figure, one that certainly did not belong to the visage from before. With just a glimpse, Julius couldn’t make out the features of the figure, but his intuition told him it was a young man, a very young man. Yet before he could observe more closely, the second wave of ripples passed, leaving no trace behind.
What relationship did this young man have with the Devil? Could the reincarnation of Kennifer III be possible, a rebirth of the Devil? This thought nearly made Julius cry out, a fleeting thought that crossed his mind. Impossible! Both history books and the secret records of the Church had clearly stated that Kennifer III had been annihilated in that battle, with no chance of reincarnation. But what then did the figure of the young man signify? A series of shocking doubts almost shook Julius’s resolve, but fortunately, the mental defenses he had set up protected him well. Having experienced this several times before, he was no longer the naive fledgling ignorant of the dangers of the Great Prophecy Spell; necessary self-protection made him much safer.
While inwardly sighing, Julius had already made up his mind. Perhaps it was time to loosen the reins on the Court somewhat. Too many restrictions, as Noyola said, might indeed be a sin, tolerating darkness could mean the destruction of light. Allowing the Court to cleanse the secular world of evil spirits and showcase the might and virtue of the God of Light was beneficial and necessary.
The Mind’s Eye quietly observed the aftermath of the second ripple’s passage. What caused Julius’s heart to sink was the image of a vast wilderness that appeared on the mirror, and among the creatures running and leaping across the screen was a priest dressed in the garb of the Church of Light, and those creatures were Beastmen! Given the situation, it seemed as if the Beastmen and the priest were engaged in a pleasant conversation. What did this imply? Were the Beastmen changing their beliefs to worship the God of Light, or was the priest tirelessly spreading the teachings deep into the Mogan Wilderness? Although this was the best conjecture, Julius knew it was not very realistic. He did not want to lead his foresight towards the worst, even though he was aware that the worst outcome often turned out to be the reality.
The immense mental pressure almost made Julius feel as if he was suffocating. He knew it was because his emotions had been violently stirred, which had almost caused him to lose his balance. He strained to slowly bring his state of mind back to tranquility, but stabilizing his mood was not so simple, especially under the influence of the Heavenly Divine Power from the starry sky. Every minute change was infinitely magnified; this was the inherent danger of the Great Prophecy Spell.
Julius opened his Mind’s Eye with some regret. Although the mental defenses finally held up against the oppression of the Heavenly Divine Power, his desire to see more of the detailed future world ultimately turned into mere bubbles. Under the Heavenly Divine Power’s envelopment, every subtle change in the depths of his mind would be reflected without reservation and magnified infinitely. To overcome such danger, he had to expend the Holy Power that would otherwise support the process of the Great Prophecy Spell. This paradox determined the effectiveness of each Great Prophecy Spell. Although this time it was not ideal, Julius dared not ask for more. Being able to glimpse the emergence of a demonic shadow and the hidden crisis within the Bright Holy Teaching was enough. He no longer needed to understand anything else. He would be content with a reasonably satisfactory resolution to these two issues before his departure.
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