The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 472: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, - 7: Rebirth of the Devil

Chapter 472: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, Chapter 7: Rebirth of the Devil

The withered and flourishing face slowly merged into the entire forcefield coming from the sky, the power of the Starry Sky was being incessantly guided and converged here, the fragile body on the wheelchair seemed suddenly to become elusive and indistinct, from afar, the body embraced by the interplay of light and shadows seemed somewhat blurred, even showing tendencies toward transparency.

The Great Prophecy Spell was not some particular magic spell, rather it was a general term for a capability, however, the conditions required to cast this kind of magic were exceptionally demanding, the requirements for magic ability were enough to discourage any Mage or even Archmage from entertaining such fantasies, and more stringent yet was the mental fortitude required for casting this spell, meaning the conditions for spiritual power were extraordinarily strict.

After all, to know the future through time and space involves performing an almost unimaginable spell, if your mental strength is insufficient you would drive the Mage into madness right away, and perfect prevention measures and protection are also indispensable and high expectations.

To peer into the divine will was inherently an act against the heavenly order and was certain to attract divine punishment, and at this time, the caster was at their most vulnerable, without powerful Divine Artifacts and Sacred Artifacts to resist the Heavenly Destruction Power, the instantaneous force was enough to obliterate both body and spirit of the caster.

On the whole continent, those who could cast such a spell were conservatively estimated to be no more than three people, His Holiness the Pope not included, of course.

The immense energy slowly soaked into his entire body, Julius II could feel how potent the power guided through his Star Magic was, and the slightest deviation in his balance would instantly turn his frail body into dust.

However, he was not worried, he had already experienced this Great Prophecy Spell twice, though the last time he performed it was already more than a decade ago, the uncertainty of the continent’s situation at that time compelled him to cast it, and now it seemed he was becoming increasingly skeptical, increasingly lacking in confidence — so much so that he was spurred by some premonition in his Spiritual Sense to enact the Great Prophecy Spell, perhaps he was indeed too old and it was time to pass on the mantle?

A fleeting thought quietly flowed through the heart of Julius II.

Pushing away that troubling notion, Julius II subconsciously wanted to shake his head, but the powerful forcefield enveloping his body rendered him immobile, he could only wryly smile inwardly — if it wasn’t for his three "outstanding" successors making it impossible for him to choose, he really would have the desire to abdicate. His predecessors worried over not having suitable heirs or the heirs lacking in ability, but what about him?

If these three were to be judged only by their talents and abilities, each would undoubtedly be a prime candidate, but perhaps their excess in remarkable abilities had plunged them into the pursuit of maximizing and extending those abilities into a utilitarian expansion, or else they were too fixated on interpreting the doctrines of the Holy Teaching under certain circumstances, one to the left and another to the right, each pushing things to the extreme. To achieve what they envisioned in their hearts, Julius II even doubted whether they had reached a point where they would stop at nothing, a situation that was likely unprecedented for any former Pope.

Calming his mind, Julius II quickly allowed his heart to become as tranquil as an ancient pool, even a ripple had never formed, the mirror-like surface of the pool slowly began to display some vague images, Julius knew these were the initial fragmentary whims from the depths of his heart, although his surface mind had settled, the inner realm was still troubled by mundane worldly matters, manifesting various illusions here.

He even felt like opening his Mind’s Eye to see what it was that troubled and vexed him all day long, but his reason immediately stopped this impulsive action, seeing such things would not only yield no insight but also increase his psychological burden, affecting the normal exertion of his judgment, and be utterly meaningless.

When time seemed to have come to a complete standstill, and Julius could no longer feel the existence of anything around him, he knew the magic of the Great Prophecy Spell was about to unfold. The mirror of the heart gradually blurred, waves of ripples spreading across the calm surface, and as the first wave extended and the second ripple had just formed and not yet unfurled, the Mind’s Eye clearly saw the rough, primitive yet infinitely charismatic portrait appearing between the two waves.

Mane-like curly hair, high-arched eyebrows, deep-set eye sockets, slightly protruding cheekbones, thick lips, and especially those eyes, faintly emitting a dark light, flickering as if always with a hint of mockery and derision — who was it?! It was him!

A chill ran through him, and Julius dared not believe the vision of his Mind’s Eye. Although the portrait felt quite distant, it was not unfamiliar to him. As the Pope of the Church of Light, he could not possibly be unacquainted with this visage. But what did this portrait signify? Dark rebirth or the emergence of dark forces?

This was nothing new, the societies of alien races in the South had long existed, yet Julius believed those lacking a spiritual compass to be incapable of stirring significant trouble. Even if they appeared formidable at first glance, they were ultimately fleeting, like a morning cloud that dissolves. The absence of spiritual pursuit meant they would soon fall into decay. Thoughts determine consciousness, consciousness dictates actions; those unable to find a goal for their pursuit were simply not worth his attention.

But was it really that simple? Julius quickly denied his initial judgment. If it were that simple, why then during the Great Prophecy Spell he cast over a decade ago, did this scene not appear? At that time, the dark forces in the South were thriving, their momentum even more massive, yet his visage never materialized. Why did this scenario emerge now?

Julius strenuously leveraged his remaining ability to pinpoint spiritually, trying to determine the direction of this vision. To his disappointment, The Great Prophecy Spell had nearly exhausted all his power, allowing only a vague sense of something hailing from the South. But the South was far too broad a term, encompassing countless countries and powers, not to mention a mix of mortals and alien races. Could it be the unruly, but ineffective heretics of the South? Or should he have Noyola’s people conduct a thorough investigation of potential anomalies emerging in the South?

A series of thoughts flashed through Julius’s mind, but soon the second wave of ripples arrived. As the second wave was about to sweep over, Julius suddenly saw the familiar portrait morph into a tall figure, which was definitely not the same as the previous visage. With just a glance, Julius could not make out the details of the figure’s appearance, but his intuition told him it was a young man, a very young man. There was no time for closer inspection; the second wave of ripples rolled by, leaving no trace behind.

What relation did this young man have with the Devil? Could it be Kennifer III reborn? The Devil’s reincarnation? This thought, nearly causing Julius to cry out, flashed through his mind. Impossible!

Both the history books and the Church’s secret records precisely indicated that Kennifer III had been utterly annihilated in that war, making reincarnation impossible. But what then did the image of this young man imply? A succession of startling doubts almost shook Julius’s conviction. Fortunately, the spiritual defenses he had proactively established worked well in protecting himself. Having experienced it several times, he was no longer new to the dangers of The Great Prophecy Spell, and necessary self-protection had made him much safer.

While he internally sighed in frustration, Julius had already made up his mind. Perhaps it was time to loosen the reins on the Court somewhat, as too many restrictions might actually be as Noyola suggested, indulgent latitude equivalent to sin, and tolerance of darkness tantamount to the destruction of light. At the appropriate time, allowing the Court to cleanse the worldly miasma would indeed be beneficial and necessary to display the God of Light’s majesty and virtue.

His Mind’s Eye quietly observed the aftermath of the second wave of ripples. What sank Julius’s heart was the image on the mirror showing a vast, desolate wilderness, and among the creatures running and leaping, there was a Priest wearing the Church of Light’s garb, interacting with Beastmen!

Seeing their pleasant exchange, what did this predict? Had the Beastmen changed their beliefs to worship the God of Light, or had the Priest entered the Mogan Wilderness tirelessly to spread the faith? Although this was the most optimistic speculation, Julius knew it was unrealistic. He didn’t want to direct his foresight towards the worst-case scenario, even though he understood that the worst outcome often reflected reality.

The immense spiritual pressure nearly suffocated Julius; he knew this was because his continuously turbulent emotions were about to lose balance. He exerted all of his energy to slowly restore calm to his state of mind. However, achieving mental tranquillity was not so simple, especially under the shadow of the Heavenly Divine Power from the Starry Sky. Every minute change within was infinitely magnified—such was the risk of The Great Prophecy Spell.

Julius unfolded his Mind’s Eye with some regret. Although several spiritual barriers had eventually shielded him from the oppression of the Heavenly Divine Power, the more detailed vision of the future he had hoped to see ultimately became a mirage.

Under the Heavenly Divine Power’s influence, every minute variation deep within his soul was unreservedly revealed and infinitely amplified. To overcome this peril, he was compelled to expend the Holy Power originally meant to sustain the process of The Great Prophecy Spell. This paradoxical unity determined the effectiveness of each instance of The Great Prophecy Spell.

This time, the results were evidently less than ideal. However, Julius dared not hope for more. Having glimpsed the appearance of the Devil and the hidden crisis within the Holy Teaching was enough. He no longer needed to understand more. If he could resolve these two matters satisfactorily before his departure, he would be content.