I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Viktor's body is disintegrating.

The struggle among the nine consciousnesses has entered its final stage, with the eyes and mouths emerging from his skin tearing at each other, devouring each other, and merging together.

His right arm, which had been severed, no longer regenerated, and the dark gray light patterns became dim and disordered.

Immediately afterwards, all the noise within the body stopped at the same time.

Viktor stood frozen in place, the chaotic light in his dark purple pupils suddenly subsided, and his face calmed down.

He was a completely different person from before.

His physical body began to become transparent; his feet, calves, waist, abdomen, and chest faded away inch by inch, as if something was erasing him from this timeline.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

But time didn't give him that chance.

Viktor vanished completely, as if he had never been there at all.

……

The upper reaches of the river of time.

Imperial year 1684, royal capital, prince's palace.

The young Viktor von Habsburg stood by the window of his bedchamber, holding a secret report that had just been sent from the North.

He had just turned twenty, his blond hair glowing warmly in the morning light, and there was still a hint of youthful spirit in his eyes, but his deep blue eyes already held a maturity beyond his years.

He is the crown prince of the kingdom, and has just been officially designated as the heir by his father.

One day later, the King will receive the Nine Gods Contract in the main hall and become the new generation of contract holder.

With the assistance of his uncle George, he would become the de facto ruler of the kingdom.

The door to the bedchamber was pushed open from the outside.

Victor looked up and saw his father standing in the doorway.

The old king was dressed in his dark royal robes, with a sword at his waist, and his face was even paler than when he was seen at the court assembly yesterday.

Viktor put down the report, rose, and bowed: "Father, you don't look well. Didn't you sleep well?"

The old king went straight into his bedchamber and closed the door behind him.

Victor's gaze fell on the old king's hand on his sword, and his brow twitched slightly.

He noticed that his father was not in a good mood. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was clear that the way his father looked at him was completely different from usual.

It's like... being wary of oneself.

"Father?"

The old king walked up to Victor and said earnestly:

"Victor, I just had a dream. In the dream, you came to the main hall when I was at my weakest and took everything from me. You asked me to give you my body, saying I was tired and needed to rest."

Viktor was stunned, looking completely bewildered.

"Father, what are you saying?"

The old king had already drawn his sword, the tip pressed against Victor's chest, precisely aimed at his heart.

The sword moved forward an inch, its tip piercing the flesh, and beads of blood seeped from under the fabric.

"I bear the mission of exterminating the demon race, and I cannot die before I accomplish this. Anyone who might threaten this mission, even you in the future, must disappear."

Under Victor's incredulous gaze, the old king continued to mutter to himself:

"I will inherit the power of the Nine Gods, and then use the Shadow Substitute's ability to create a copy of you, a copy of you without the memory of betrayal, a copy of you who will obediently be the Crown Prince."

Viktor was truly at his wit's end and slowly closed his eyes.

"I see."

Victor's body fell backward onto the carpet by the window, the light from the magic lamp falling on his young face, making it appear exceptionally serene.

The old king looked down at his son's body, knelt down, and reached out to close Victor's eyes.

Goodnight, Victor.

He then stood up and sheathed his sword.

One day later, he inherited the Nine Gods Contract, officially becoming bound by the Contract, and simultaneously gaining authority and power.

The Shadow Impersonator's authority surged from his palm, and within moments, a brand new body, possessing all of Victor's memories and appearance, rose from the light patterns.

The young crown prince opened his eyes, looked blankly at his hands, and then at his father in front of him.

"Father?"

The old king waved his hand, "Go back, you did a very good job at today's investiture ceremony. Go and rest."

Viktor bowed politely and turned to leave the side hall.

His gait, posture, and even the habit of raising his left hand first when pushing open a door were exactly the same as the real Victor.

The old king stood there, watching the figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

The change in the timeline is anchored at this moment.

From this day forward, all memories, records, and existence concerning Prince Victor will point to this replica.

The real Prince Victor has vanished into the river of time.

As for Viktor, who merged with the Nine Gods many years later, the very moment the timeline was anchored, the foundation of his existence was completely rewritten.

He was never the "real Victor," but merely a vessel for the next generation cultivated by the old king's clone.

When the god of time revealed this truth to him, all his struggles became meaningless.

His memories are fake, his identity is fake, and even the premise of "betraying his father" was pre-designed.

The old king never handed over the throne and power to him; he gave him a copy.

All of the clone's actions are within the timeline anchored by the old king.

……

Downstream of the river of time, now.

Viktor stepped out of the void.

He was wearing a dark blue suit, his blond hair was neatly combed, and the huge staff was automatically retracted.

His face was no different from before, but the aura he exuded was completely different.

If the previous Viktor was like a newly drawn, still slightly trembling blade, then the current Viktor is like a bottomless ancient well.

All the turmoil, chaos, and anxiety subsided beneath the surface.

Ji Tian looked at the person in front of him.

His divine sense had been locking onto Viktor's presence the entire time, from the moment the other disappeared to his reappearance, which took less than a breath.

But in that instant, Viktor's energy underwent a fundamental change.

Ji Tian was very familiar with that kind of change.

He had seen it in himself.

The step from Nascent Soul to the peak of Nascent Soul is when a cultivator begins to resonate with the Dao of Heaven and Earth, thereby transforming "power" into "law".

The Viktor before me has just undergone a similar transformation, his authority changing from a "borrowed tool" to "a part of himself".

Ji Tian held the Holy Sword horizontally in front of him, ready to "exorcise evil" for the other party at any time.

"Who exactly are you?"

"I am... Victor."

Victor's gaze swept over the desolate wilderness and the distant mountain ridges, which seemed similar to the terrain outside the capital.

He then frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping around again to confirm the location of the ground beneath his feet and the density of magic energy in the air.

He looked at Ji Tian, ​​and Ji Tian's figure standing with his sword was reflected in his azure eyes.

"Wait, what about my huge capital city?"