"Why? This can't be!"
"The gods will send down an envoy to save the fate of this world. In order to welcome the envoy, He needs us to prepare a person of noble blood, devout faith, and noble status. To facilitate the envoy's actions, it would be best if he were also the next Pope of Fate."
"So it was me who ruined Phil?" Victor said with a wry smile.
"No, even if you hadn't killed those two holy sons, I would still have found a way to make Phil the Pope."
"Why? He's your own son!"
“Because his faith is more devout than yours,” Pope Darcy sighed.
Vic remained silent for a long time until he heard the door creak open and saw Phil Gray wearing a brand-new papal robe.
Phil was smiling at him, as if he already knew about it.
Victor's eyes flashed, and he grabbed the contract, seemingly wanting to tear it to shreds, but the knight commander stopped him with lightning speed and knocked him unconscious.
Phil glanced down at him: "Victor, I'm sorry for taking your papacy, but as the older brother, shouldn't I give way to my younger brother? Brother."
He walked directly onto the altar. "Father, let's begin. I desperately want to see the gods..."
When Victor woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar city taken by his mother; they had left the Church of Fate.
“Back then, I hated myself every day for giving up my obsession with becoming pope so easily. If I had become the next pope directly, no matter what, Phil wouldn’t have had to be a sacrifice. But my mother changed. She said she didn’t want me to become pope. She just wanted me to live well. How ironic!” Pain was evident in Victor’s eyes.
“I dare not return to the Papacy. I heard that Pope Darcy has passed away and took the blame for the murder of the other two Holy Sons. Phil has ascended to the papacy, but I am not sure if he is the same Phil I know now. I dare not see him again.”
The river of fate flowed slowly, and in the years that followed, Victor's mental state seemed to be in trouble. The fact that Phil had become a sacrifice and his obsession with becoming the Pope were intertwined, causing him constant mental torment.
It wasn't until he broke through to the Divine Prophecy level and went on a journey to clear his mind that his condition improved. However, he would occasionally impersonate the Pope of Fate and do things that mocked fate. It was unclear whether he was taking revenge on Phil Gray and tarnishing the reputation of this divine messenger, or whether he was trying to alleviate his inner pain.
Having read about Victor and the original owner's experiences, Phil Gray felt somewhat heavy-hearted. He recalled the last time he inquired about the original owner's whereabouts from the God of Fate, and what He had said: the original owner was dead, having died for this world, and had died a worthy death.
But how chilling this answer is for someone who truly believes in Him!
A sudden surge of resentment welled up within him; he felt indignant for the original owner of this body. He longed to see the God of Fate one last time, to ask Him if the original owner had truly vanished, and whether any trace of him could still be found in the abyss or the Wheel of Life.
But the hope is slim, because he died at the hands of the gods of the Abyss.
"In the four years since you left, he remained the same. I only arrived on the continent of Ver last year on the day of the Descent of the Gods." Phil Gray looked directly at Victor before him and spoke slowly:
“I am very grateful to him for giving me a new identity in this other world, but that doesn’t mean you have to stand on his side to blame me, mock me, try to make me feel guilty, or make me resent the gods. If I can, I will do everything I can to make amends and find a way to bring him back to life. If I can’t, then it’s just fate. I will still do whatever I want to do. He gave me a life, so I will make the name Phil Gray a favorite of the gods and make him the unprecedented Pope of this Ver.”
Victor looked at the "Phil Gray" in front of him, and all the emotions he wanted to vent seemed to vanish in an instant. He wiped his face with his hand and returned to his original appearance.
He said nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything. He turned around and swam away into the distance, tears welling in his eyes being swept away by the seawater.
Phil, you'd be so happy to see all this.
...
"Darkness, you should know that I am not the original Phil Gray."
"Hmm, of course." The cat looked at his dejected look and flicked his arm with its tail. "You are you. No matter what body or name you have, it can't hide your soul."
"If Phil Gray really came back, would you go with him?"
"Pshaw, do you think I'm such a casual god?"
"That's true, actually I miss my original appearance a little."
"Once you become a god, what you look like will be just a matter of a thought."
Phil Gray smiled slightly. "Before that, let's keep my promise and make the name Phil Gray resound throughout the entire city of Will!"
"...I don't know whether I should say this or not, but what you said makes me feel quite awkward."
"Where we're from, that's called being a 'chuunibyou' (a person with delusions of grand
"Hehe, it's good that you understand."
"No matter what, I have to ask the God of Fate first if there is any way to save the original owner of this body?"
Phil Gray closed his eyes and began to call upon the God of Fate in his heart, hoping that the other party would respond to him, and it would be best to go to the Kingdom of God again for a face-to-face conversation.
A glint of light flashed in the darkness, followed by the sound of flowing water. The surrounding scenery blurred, and the man and the cat were instantly transported to the divine kingdom of the God of Destiny.
Phil Gray opened his eyes, somewhat surprised. Had the god of fate responded to his request so quickly this time?
And why bring the night into this as well?
Following the sound of the flowing water, he groped his way forward.
Then I heard some conversation.
Could there be other people in this divine kingdom?
Soon, he saw the person who was talking to the god of fate—no, he should also be a god.
He wore a light blue robe, had brown curly hair that reached his shoulders, a well-defined profile, and wore an ouroboros-shaped earring. He exuded a free and unrestrained aura.
Upon seeing Phil Gray appear carrying a cat, the god turned around and paused for a moment, "Wow, now anyone can freely enter and leave your divine kingdom?"
Ansel, who was tied in mid-air, also seemed surprised: "How did you get here?"
Wasn't it you who brought me into the Kingdom of God? Phil Gray was puzzled for a moment, but then he saw the darkness he was holding. Could it be that the darkness had sent him here?
“God, I have come to the Kingdom of God to ask you a question.”
"What's up?"
"Is there any hope for the original owner of this body? Is his soul still alive?"
Ansel fell silent, but the darkness in his arms spoke up instead, "If the gods of the Abyss are dead, and their power can no longer restrict us, then the authority of fate or time and space should be able to pull back those who have vanished, right?"
"Holy crap, the cat can talk!"
"Watong! Open your dog eyes and see who I am!"
The god of time and space, Watton, reacted instantly, "You, you are the Child of Night?"
"Hmph, you haven't spent the last thousand years flirting with goddesses, have you? Goddesses from different times and spaces?"
“…No, no, I’ve come to visit Ansel often over the past hundred years.” Watton felt a pang of guilt at being exposed. “But it’s good that you’re still alive.”
Night rolled its eyes and ignored him, but Watton reached out its claws and tried to stroke the kitten's fur.
Fortunately, Phil Gray dodged it.
Seeing the cold stares from the man and the cat, Watton finally regained his carefree and unrestrained demeanor.
“If we can eliminate Eris Ned, then I can slightly alter his fate and allow him to be reborn,” Ansel said.
"That's great." It's good that the original owner can be saved, then he won't always have that vague feeling of indebtedness in his heart.
As for the gods of the Abyss, they must be destroyed.
He breathed a sigh of relief. When the original owner returned, he could relinquish the position of Pope of Fate, restore his identity, return to his hometown, or embark on a new journey in Ver with a new look.
His mind cleared up, and a smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps this life named after Phil Gray wasn't what he truly wanted; he actually longed for the day he could be himself again.
“Destroy Him? That’s too difficult. We can’t even break His bonds right now, otherwise you wouldn’t be suffering here.” Watton sighed.
"Hmph, a thousand years have passed, and your strength hasn't improved at all. You've really wasted your life..." Black Night added insult to injury.
"Hey? Don't think I won't hit you just because you're a kid!"
"Alright, alright, all of you, please be quiet," Ansel hurriedly stopped them, not wanting his peaceful divine kingdom to become so noisy. "Phil, you've come at the right time. Watton, give him your Key of Time and Space."
“Phil, you call him Phil…” Watton’s eyes widened as he murmured the name, then seemed to suddenly realize something, “Okay, here you go.”
"What a stupid and clumsy dog of the goddess," Black Night muttered to himself.
Phil Gray took the silver key that Watton handed him. The key shimmered with a faint light and contained powerful spacetime energy.
“This key is my sacred relic, and it grants me control over a portion of my spacetime laws. You can use it to open the gates of space and time, but there are certain limitations. Only after you have gathered the power of the other main gods during the final battle against the gods of the Abyss will you be able to use it freely,” Watton explained, then stared at him with a rather eager gaze.
"Thanks."
Unexpectedly, he gathered the power of the God of Time and Space so easily. Now he has the divine power of Fate, Death, and Dawn, and Night has also agreed to sign a contract with him later. So, the only thing missing is the power of the God of Life.
The rest, from the power of God, is merely icing on the cake; more is good, but less is unimportant.
It seems that it won't be long before the god of fate, Ansel, is freed from his shackles.
"Alright, I'll see you off." As Ansel's voice fell, the man and the cat were enveloped by the power of fate, and they slowly withdrew from the divine kingdom.
"Why are you sending them away so hastily? I wanted to touch the Night Child's tail and head. Good heavens, it's been ten thousand years since I've seen Him like this..."
"And another thing, I was wondering why you were happier than before after being tied up for a hundred years, and why you didn't go back to your little river anymore, so that's why..."
"..."
"Why the long face again? Can't you smile at me more often...?"
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