Who taught him to restore the country like this

Chapter 164 The Ceremony of Ascension
Keltia smiled with satisfaction and reached out to give him a firm handshake.

Coldness and heat, destruction and protection—two completely different auras collided the moment they met, stirring up invisible ripples.

“A wise choice, Imperial hero.” Keltia’s voice carried a seductive magic: “You will be glad you made this choice. The throne is beckoning to us.”

“I hope so.” The Imperial Hero’s voice remained calm, revealing little emotion. “Then, where is the Calamity Witch… Isabella? I need to see her to consolidate my powers.”

“Don’t rush. The altar for ascending to godhood needs two more days to prepare. During this time, you need to show me an attitude that satisfies me. Then, you will naturally see her,” Kertia said.

"What do you need me to do?" the Imperial Hero asked calmly.

He understood that it was impossible to meet the Calamity Witch so soon after joining the Order of the End.

The king granted him the authority to "take any means necessary to stop the End Order's plans."

“I need to borrow your [Hero] power to perfect the ascension ritual,” Keltia said, gazing at the Imperial hero.

"How to do it?"

"follow me."

……

While the Order of the End successfully recruited the Imperial heroes, Ron also met Aetheril and Cecilia.

Cecilia had been waiting for a long time in front of the church in a small town on the border of the empire.

She could sense that contestants from the Divine Kingdom were approaching.

Judging from the direction the other party came from, she deduced that it was Ron who had come to her door.

"Your Majesty Ron, I never expected we would meet again."

Cecilia smiled at Ron, quickly covering her hands with a layer of crimson scales, and then assumed a fighting stance.

"bring it on……"

"Wait, I'm not here to fight you." Seeing Cecilia about to rush over, Ron quickly raised his hand and said.

Cecilia paused upon hearing this: "Didn't you come here to seek revenge on me?"

She almost killed Ron last time, and now that Ron has come knocking on her door, she instinctively thinks that Ron is here to take revenge for what happened last time.

"So, in Lady Cecilia's eyes, I'm such a petty person?" Ron said, both amused and exasperated.

"Haha, how could that be? In my heart, you are a great hero."

Cecilia abandoned her fighting stance and winked playfully at Ron.

“You flatter me, Lady Cecilia. I am a heretic rejected by the gods, and I dare not claim to be such a great hero,” Ron said with a smile.

This left Cecilia speechless.

Just then, footsteps came from behind.

The two looked in the same direction at the same time.

Aetherel walked out of the church with a serious expression.

"It's been a long time, Your Majesty Ron."

Aetherel stopped beside Cecilia.

"It's been a long time. Lord Aetheril is still as mighty as ever," Ron flattered.

"What brings you here?" Aetherel asked without any further pleasantries.

“I need your help,” Ron said.

"You came alone?"

"Yes."

“We are still on opposing sides. Aren’t you afraid we’ll kill you if you come alone?” Aetherel stared at Ron.

“I know all your tricks. You can’t kill me,” Ron replied with a smile.

Not a lie.

Aetherel efficiently suppressed the hostility emanating from her.

“Although we can’t kill you, we have no reason to help you either,” he said in a deep voice.

“I’m asking for your help not for myself, but to help Kertia return to normal,” Ron said.

Upon hearing this, Aetherel and Cecilia exchanged a glance.

Can Keltia ever return to normal?

"Come in and talk."

……

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

In Dolo, deep underground, atop a massive ancient altar.

Keltia and the Imperial Heroes have now completed the final step in perfecting the divine altar.

The altar was built of dark, massive stones, covered with the marks of time and ancient runes that had long since become indistinct. The gray mist of twilight permeated the area around the altar, adding to its eerie and mysterious atmosphere.

"Now we can let the Calamity Witch come out, right?" The Imperial Hero said somewhat impatiently as the altar was completed.

Although he was there to infiltrate, he couldn't appear too submissive.

“Of course.” Keltia opened her arms and slowly floated in the air. Amidst the evil energy of desire, her amazing ten wings unfolded.

The next second, the space behind her distorted slightly, and Isabella, still unconscious and bound by golden runes, slowly emerged.

The girl hovered in the air, her face pale. The Gathering Source Array Plate around her neck emitted a faint golden light, suppressing the surging but temporarily imprisoned power of annihilation within her body.

“This is the key to our ascension to godhood, and the most perfect vessel.” She stroked Isabella’s cheek with a fervent expression.

The imperial hero's gaze fell upon Isabella.

No wonder I couldn't sense the presence of the Calamity Witch; she had been hiding inside the Fallen Angel all along.

Instead of taking immediate action, he planned to observe how the Order of the End would proceed, so that he could devise countermeasures for dealing with similar issues in the future.

At this moment, he could clearly feel that the surging end energy within the Calamity Witch had reached a point of being out of control.

But this out-of-control force was being suppressed by something.

Seeing that Keltia had no intention of letting him observe the Calamity Witch up close, he asked impatiently, "Can we begin?"

"Just to my liking."

Kertia placed Isabella on the stone platform in the center of the altar.

As the priests of the Order of the End took their places, they began chanting complex incantations.

Keltia formed hand seals, and strands of dark purple energy shot out from her fingertips, wrapping around Isabella's body, intertwining and colliding with the golden runes, seemingly attempting to penetrate and control the power of annihilation on a deeper level.

The light of the Gathering Source Array Plate flickered slightly under the impact of the two forces.

“Hero, please stand in your place,” Keltia said, looking at the Imperial Hero.

Another key moment for the Imperial Heroes as they walk toward the altar.

"Unleash your [Hero] power, and I will guide the two powers to make initial contact."

The imperial hero stood still as instructed, took a deep breath, and released a tremendous amount of power.

A dazzling golden light suddenly erupted from his body, and his sacred and majestic aura, full of protective will, instantly dispersed the gray mist that permeated the entire altar, illuminating the ancient altar in a magnificent light.

Golden energy flowed like liquid in the grooves of the altar, forming a strange interplay of three colors with the dark purple energy controlled by Kertia and the gray, annihilating power emanating from Isabella. The altar hummed under the stirring of these three powerful forces, as if awakening from a slumber.

Kertia's eyes gleamed with ecstasy; she could sense that the plan was progressing smoothly.

Each power is unique, and combining two powers is extremely difficult.

But at this moment, within the Gathering Source Array, the energies of [Hero] and [Annihilation] are generating a strange attraction, full of destruction and rebirth.

Once the energy within is fully stored and absorbed, humanity's shackles can be broken, and two powerful abilities can be mastered.

That's something only a god could do.

The imperial hero could also feel that pure energy and couldn't help but reach out his hand towards the center of the altar.

He saw the possibility of becoming a god.

That's not just empty talk.

But... the price of becoming a god is countless citizens of the Holy Unified Empire.

In the depths of his eyes, the hero's compassion and responsibility clashed fiercely with his yearning to ascend to godhood.

Ultimately, compassion seemed to prevail.

He withdrew his hand.

Damn it, I've let this twilight disturb my peace of mind!
"We will become the gods of this world!"

At that moment, Kertia reached her hand towards the sky and clenched it tightly.

Her power surged, like a greedy python, fiercely "biting" at Isabella, who was bound in the center, aiming directly at the core power within her body that was suppressed by the Gathering Source Array.

She intends to forcibly extract this source of annihilation through divine sacrifice, thereby activating the complete Twilight End and opening the path to godhood.

However, just as her power was about to touch Isabella's core—

A sudden change occurred!

At the other end of the altar, the dazzling golden light, as bright as the sun, suddenly coalesced.

The aura emanating from the imperial hero underwent a dramatic transformation in an instant. The sacred sense of protection vanished, replaced by an invincible and unstoppable pure fighting spirit.

The golden light was no longer flowing gently, but transformed into the phantom of a giant sword that reached the sky.

"drink--"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap, rang out.

The greatsword, formed purely from the power of the [Hero], carried a force capable of tearing apart heaven and earth. It was not aimed at Isabella, but rather, with lightning speed, it cleaved down on Keltia, who was casting a spell with all her might and was completely unprepared.

The target was incredibly precise; the energy "python" that Kertia was connected to Isabella was annihilated before it could even draw energy from her.

This sword is fast, accurate and ruthless!
It embodies the lifelong cultivation of the imperial heroes and their unreserved killing intent, taking advantage of the moment when Kertia was fully focused on extracting power and had her guard against her "ally" at its lowest.

"you……"

Keltia was flustered, seemingly not expecting the imperial hero to launch an attack at this time.

In the rush, she only had time to quickly retract the Fallen Wings on her back to protect herself, while forcibly stopping the extraction of Isabella and mobilizing her power to defend herself.

boom--

The golden greatsword slammed down on the pitch-black Fallen Wings.

A piercing energy explosion resounded through the sky, and a terrifying energy shockwave exploded in a ring, instantly cracking the surface of the ancient altar with spiderweb-like fissures.

The lingering gray mist of dusk was completely dispelled and annihilated.

"puff--"

Keltia spat out a mouthful of dark golden blood, her body being violently cleaved away by the immense force, crashing heavily into a massive stone pillar at the edge of the altar, causing the pillar to collapse with a deafening roar.

The ten wings on her back, two of which showed obvious cracks and dimmed light.

"Cough...cough..." Keltia struggled to her feet, her beautiful face contorted with rage and pain, her crimson eyes fixed on the golden figure at the center of the altar: "Hypocritical lackey, how dare you..."

The imperial hero held a longsword formed from golden light, his posture as upright as a pine tree, his eyes as sharp as knives, devoid of any of his previous greed, only a chilling killing intent and the resolute determination of an imperial guardian:

“I, Reinhard Ascalon, have dedicated my life to fighting for the Empire. Your plans, along with your vile order, will end here today!”

He pointed his sword at Kertia, his voice firm and powerful.

"The opportunity to become a god is right in front of you. Are you really willing to give it up and continue to be controlled by the weak?" Keltia asked.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Hero glanced at Isabella, who was still unconscious in the center of the altar, a subtle, complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

"Those you call weak are the very weapons that will defeat you now!"

The hero's sword was swung once more.

"You really think I'm afraid of you?!" Keltia suddenly unleashed an astonishing aura, and the phantom of twelve wings materialized behind her, with a divine pressure pressing down upon her.

Space began to distort and collapse.

The heroes of the empire were fearless.

The heroes of the empire are invincible!

So what if they're gods? They'll still be slain!
Bang!
boom!
On the altar, golden light and black light collided fiercely, at a speed too fast for the naked eye to perceive.

Just as the two were locked in fierce combat, the runes wrapped around Isabella in the center of the altar were gradually shrinking back into the array plate.

The battle was fought quickly and ended quickly.

Even though Keltia was now almost a god, she still couldn't gain the slightest advantage in the battle against the imperial heroes.

Just a minute later, Kertia was forced to reveal a weakness.

Just as the Imperial Hero was about to seize this opportunity to kill Kertia, his body suddenly became unable to move.

He looked down and saw that his lower body was covered with dense golden runes.

These are... the runes wrapped around the Witch of Calamity.

His pupils narrowed, and he turned to look at the center of the altar.

The Calamity Witch, who was originally in a coma, suddenly awoke, her body lifted up by gray and gold light.

Her empty eyes had now turned into heterochromatic gray and gold pupils, and the divine pressure emanating from her body subtly surpassed that of Kertia.

The imperial hero immediately understood that the power that had been gathered and merged earlier had all been transferred to the Calamity Witch.

Bang!
A brief moment of hesitation allowed Kertia to seize the opportunity and send him flying.

"Hahaha, do you really think I don't know you're just pretending to surrender?" Kertia laughed triumphantly from her high position.

The imperial hero had just raised his sword to retaliate, only to find that he couldn't move his upper body either.

The sealing runes had spread throughout his entire body.

Worse still, a tyrannical force is forcibly extracting his [Hero] power.

He frowned, realizing that the invitation from the Order of the End was nothing more than a trap to lure him into.

"Don't be too smug!"

The imperial hero snorted coldly, and the next second he forcibly broke free from the seal.

"You think you can trap me with such a simple trick? You're underestimating me!"

In a flash, he appeared in front of Isabella, thrusting his Hero's Sword straight out.

(End of this chapter)