On the edge of the cliff, Nidhogg silently listened to the skeleton knight's account.
A thousand years ago, the doctrine of the Holy See existed, but it was not the most widespread faith in the world. At that time, there were countless religions dedicated to various gods and demons. The teachings of the Holy See were merely one among them.
The Great Sage, in his youth, did not believe in the teachings of the Holy See. Rather, he was a scholar—a learned man who studied various theologies, religions, rituals, and ideologies.
He was wise and knowledgeable. As long as a book still existed in the world, he could memorize it after a single reading. He could also debate and converse with people on any topic and apply his knowledge practically. Those who knew him never ceased to admire him.
However, with his enthusiasm, he soon realized that endless knowledge could not save the world.
At that time, the entire continent was in a state of conflict between nations. Countless people fought over territories, resources, and populations. What made it worse was that wars could then invite gods and demons to intervene.
It was easy to imagine that wars fought with the aid of gods and demons were even more bloody and brutal. Destroying a city in a single day was not a lie back then, but a real and factual occurrence.
Eventually, war ceased to be a matter of human desire. It became a bargaining chip in the games played between gods and demons—a means for them to compete for faith and strengthen themselves.
The scholar was deeply distressed. He couldn't figure out how to save the world, let alone how to free people from the chessboard of gods and demons... Until one day, he returned to the teachings of the Holy See.
The doctrine of the Holy See was one of the few religious doctrines of that time that did not posit a real god at the end of faith. But its concepts of a "single God," "suffering and redemption," and "spiritual practice" deeply attracted the scholar.
That day, he had an epiphany. He became the Great Sage and secretly vowed to spread the teachings of the Holy See across the entire continent, to make the one God a reality, so that the power of all gods and demons could not easily descend upon the world.
The Great Sage began to seek like-minded individuals. He understood that the teachings of the Holy See alone were not enough to change the world. He embarked on a long journey with believers, traveling through many lands.
Finally, at the end of his journey, the Great Sage met an unprecedented great hero named "Gaiseric."
Gaiseric and the Great Sage held similar views. They both believed that the source of the endless wars between nations was the division of the entire continent—politically, culturally, economically, scientifically, religiously, and so on.
If this endless war and chaos were to end, Gaiseric believed that the nations must be united, the entire continent unified, and everything consolidated and resolved by a single empire.
At that time, under his command were the legendary Fairy Queen, the Elemental King of the Four Directions, and other powerful beings.
These powers were also weary of fighting on this continent. So they needed to assist this hero of great talent.
With the addition of the knowledgeable Great Sage, it seemed the final piece of the puzzle was complete. Gaiseric founded a nation with them and then began a multi-year war of unification.
Countless countries and city-states fell under Gaiseric's banner. Countless pagan beliefs turned to dust.
The territory of his nation grew larger and larger, eventually absorbing the entire continent in one fell swoop, ending the era of division and separatism.
Gaiseric's battle strategy, the Fairy Queen's healing and nature magic, the Elemental King's elemental sorcery, the Great Sage's knowledge and faith... The combination of all these factors contributed to the birth of a great empire!
This Gaiseric became the sovereign of this unparalleled empire and earned the title "Lord" due to his powerful and commanding nature.
However, after unification, the sovereign of the great empire, "Lord" Gaiseric, became increasingly arrogant. He began to heed the advice of flatterers and indulged in a life of conceit and lust.
He demanded that the people of the empire build the largest imperial capital and the grandest palace to boast of his achievements. For this reason, he did not hesitate to burden the people with heavy labor and taxes, inciting the wrath of heaven and the people.
The Fairy Queen, who had the closest relationship with Gaiseric, repeatedly advised the sovereign. She believed that if this continued, not only would the people of the empire suffer, but the very empire they had painstakingly built would be destroyed.
Gaiseric insisted on going his own way.
The Fairy Queen was deeply disappointed and could only leave in sorrow.
The Great Sage, who had been a close friend of Gaiseric for decades, witnessed the current state of the empire and behaved even more radically.
He demanded that Gaiseric cease all construction work on the imperial capital and the royal palace, and also reduce taxes for his people.
Furthermore, he believed that Gaiseric, as the sovereign of a great empire, should set an example and urge his generals to believe in the teachings of the Holy See, to be diligent and frugal.
But these were secondary. The Great Sage put forward an even more ambitious idea that he had harbored within himself for many years.
The Great Sage demanded that Gaiseric truly spread the teachings of the Holy See to every corner of the continent, even to territories beyond the empire. He wanted the teachings of the Holy See to be accepted as the sole faith, so that people would believe in a single God.
All pagan religions must be excluded and eliminated. There should be no belief in gods or demons other than the one God.
Moreover, the Great Sage believed that the power of the imperial throne should be granted by the one God, and the power of the doctrine should be above the royal power. This would completely put an end to the luxurious desires of the imperial family and allow the empire to truly move towards a peaceful future.
This last assertion—that "religious power should be above royal power"—completely enraged the sovereign and sparked a quarrel between the sovereign and the Great Sage.
Over the decades, fierce arguments had broken out between them, even showing signs of a rift. But each time, the Fairy Queen mediated, and they shared common ambitions, so they would come together again.
This time, the Fairy Queen was not in the imperial capital. The sovereign and the Great Sage were no longer what they once were. No one could stop their dispute, which even became public. Religious power challenged royal power.
In a fit of rage, the sovereign ordered the arrest of the Great Sage and other followers of the Holy See's teachings. He threw them into a prison later named the "Tower of Conviction." The situation spiraled out of control.
The sovereign tortured him, humiliated him with words, and rebuked him for the uselessness of his faith. He said that if not for the needs of the empire, this doctrine would never have developed to its current level.
Gaiseric's final words before leaving the Tower of Conviction completely shattered the mind of the Great Sage, who had been beaten and broken.
"Didn't you say that suffering is the fate of you believers? You just need to endure it, and in the end, God will come to redeem you. Go on, let's see if your god can save you?"
After this, the sovereign returned to the imperial capital.
At the same time, the Great Sage fell into deep despair. He knew that the one God did not exist and that he would never be able to escape the Tower of Conviction and be redeemed.
Therefore, he called upon the gods and demons of the heavens—whoever they might be—and begged them to come, to redeem him, to destroy the sovereign and the great empire, and to fulfill his dream.
At that moment, a crimson Beherit appeared before him—one he had kept since childhood.
Soon after, the black sun descended. An inverted black tornado enveloped the entire Tower of Conviction...
Soon, five angels descended upon the world and brought a terrifying catastrophe of destruction upon the imperial capital of the great empire. None of its inhabitants were spared.
The sovereign was shocked to realize that the entire imperial capital had plunged into a world of endless terror.
He couldn't organize an army at all. Everyone was dying, all reduced to dishes on the monsters' plates.
What shattered his heart even more was that the Fairy Queen had foreseen this disaster days ago. Yet she did not hesitate to return to the imperial capital to help the sovereign escape successfully. However, in the end, she died in the sovereign's arms.
In one night, the imperial capital of this magnificent empire vanished. The empire crumbled, and the entire continent began a new redistribution of power.
Soon after, the avenger suddenly awakened, filled with extreme rage. He swore to take revenge on the Great Sage, who had been reborn as "Void"—a member of the God Hand—and was willing to pay any price for it!