Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

But at this moment, Typhon felt the same way Eltrucci had before: this person was definitely showing off, wasn't he?

Damn it, I'm so unwilling to accept this.

"I, I know."

Typhon's face was clearly smiling, but his tone was somewhat agitated, as if he couldn't swallow his anger over something.

.........

"I never imagined that this so-called Greek Primordial Dragon, the ancestor of all demons, would be so easy to deal with... This was completely unimaginable before."

When Meli first met Typhon, his expression, his eyes, and the soul hidden within them were like rotten wood and dead ashes, worn down and weakened by years of sealing. And that pure-blooded dragon now looked like a human.

It's obvious without much thought that, given Typhon's personality, no one would feel threatened.

It's true; you could say that being in love can rob a person of their judgment and abilities.

However, upon seeing this naive feeling, and with the aid of Rheinmetall's observation, this immature Flower Magician felt as if he had been forced to eat a bunch of candy until he was stuffed.

Although I really enjoy eating it, after a while... I eventually start to get a little annoyed.

133: Before North Africa was occupied, take over Persia.

The place where Avia was living at that moment would probably be considered by people born in the Roman Empire to be just a temporary tent.

This is normal. On the steppes of Eastern Europe, the Huns do not have fixed dwellings, but they do have tents made of felt and sheepskin. The interior of the tents is blue and has a wool carpet.

Although I've only returned once every few years since I went to the Western Roman Empire with Attila, I still feel like I'm back home every time I come back.

Summer has fully arrived, and the breeze blowing in through the open door is gentle and pleasant, cooled by the surrounding greenery of the grassland, carrying the fragrance of verdant greenery.

The silver-haired youth enjoyed the comfortable breeze while turning his gaze back into the tent.

The sounds of training, rest, and conversations created a lively and bustling daily atmosphere that drifted into the tents on the wind.

Ahead of Avia's gaze was a simple map of Europe.

Earlier, he received news that the "Bagado Movement," which had lasted for more than a year in Gaul, had been suppressed. It was estimated that the death toll was in the hundreds of thousands, since the most prosperous city in Gaul had been razed to the ground. He could roughly guess that it was Qi Huang who had taken action.

It's normal that he was able to seriously injure Kishua a hundred years ago, but the question is, why did he only make a move now?

Unable to come up with an answer, Avia put the question aside for the time being and focused his thinking on the Hunnic Empire and the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.

In reality, in terms of economic strength, the Western Roman Empire was not as powerful as the Eastern Roman Empire. Since the establishment of Constantinople, the emerging cities and more active trade in the east have exacerbated the disparity between the east and the west. The east exported silk, jewelry and grain to the west, while the west only had people and warhorses to exchange for, and the amount of gold coins was also decreasing. This was manageable before the empire split, but now that it had split, it was no longer sustainable.

From the third century onwards, Europe experienced more famines, diseases, floods, and other natural disasters than before. Initially, the church's support was sufficient, but as time went on, there were naturally instances of people secretly embezzling funds.

In addition, although the Christian faith has prevented any serious uprisings and even led to the conversion of various people to Christianity, the church itself has developed a discrimination against those who later became "barbarians" over time. Furthermore, since almost none of the church's senior members are "barbarians" who later became Christians, this has exacerbated the unspoken discriminatory policies within the church.

Moreover, the Western Roman Empire's reliance on the Church had clearly created political chaos. The Roman emperor was still the same emperor, but the Roman Empire was no longer the same empire... Even so, it was by no means an existence that the Hunnic Empire at this time could contend with.

After all, this is a world with magic and other abilities.

Therefore, Avia has already decided that he does not intend to transform the Huns, who retain many vestiges of tribal kinship regimes, into the prototype of an authoritarian state.

Therefore, once everything is over, what the land of Europe will become depends on the choices of the Romans who have lost their empire, the Germanic peoples scattered throughout the land, or the Huns who have a new empire.

So let's wait and see when the Vandals will launch their murderous attack on North Africa, the lifeline of the Western Roman Empire's food supply.

At that time, the Western Roman Empire would naturally be in turmoil, making it the best time to attack.

Although the Bagaudar Movement was brutally suppressed, it also reflected that the Christian faith, which had been suppressed for many years, was about to be unable to contain the anger of the various social classes within the Western Roman Empire. Sooner or later, a series of uprisings would break out in various parts of the Western Roman Empire.

Therefore, Avia decided that before North Africa was occupied by the Vandals, a branch of the Germanic people, he should first set his sights on the Sasanian Empire in West Asia and see if he could conquer Persia.

"Oh? Someone's here?"

Just as the silver-haired youth were planning their future development, an aura appeared at the Dnieper River in a completely undisguised manner.

"However, this aura belongs to a Dead Apostle. Is it because of Princess Ji?"

This made Avia unconsciously and naturally smile and shake her head.

"We should still go and see the uninvited guest."

........

On the Eastern European steppes, at the Dnieper River, the fourth longest river in Europe, there is a boat floating on the water.

Its scale is truly groundbreaking, measuring a total length of one hundred meters.

With a width of 21 meters and a gross tonnage of 63,000 tons, every single figure speaks to the sheer size of this ship, which can be described as a pure white castle.

It has seven floors and is said to be able to accommodate about two thousand people. It is so large that it can remain unmoved even in strong winds and waves, and people inside will not feel the slightest sway.

Just looking up, it's as if I'm about to lose my sense of distance, and for that reason—

In the sunlight just past noon, the blond man, the white knight Brad, stared at the large ship before him, or more precisely, at the man at the bow who wore a cane, and a disdainful smile appeared on his face.

"It really is you, but I have absolutely no interest in your blood, Van Fem."

That being said, Brad did not underestimate Van Phim, one of the oldest Dead Apostles. The seven demonic cities he created were massive weapons with a curse concentration high enough to cause physical destruction.

In the second adventure, Van Fegem simply manipulated the Demon City using only the concept of repulsive force to directly block Zagreus, who was using Typhon's power. In the end, he even used only the Demon City to knock Zagreus, who had changed his name to Bai Ruolong, into the sea and made him bleed. This was his strength before he even opened the gates of the Demon City.

Although the gods have been weakened in modern times, their strength can still be described as formidable.

However, the White Knight Brad, who was able to personally destroy the Fifth Demon City, naturally possessed corresponding strength.

“Completely exposed, though I don’t care at all.” Van Fem grinned broadly, laughing without any pretense. “I’ve come to pay my respects to the Princess. I wonder if the White Knight could inform her?”

"Lord Ji will not welcome you."

The White Knight, showing no respect to the Fourteenth Ancestor, suddenly emitted a ghostly blue light on the Dnieper River in front of him, which was clearly visible even in daylight. It gradually formed a phantom ship with a murderous aura, on which were many figures—this was Brad's inherent barrier, the Ghost March.

"Although I have come with sincerity, I am not one to be captured easily. I will avenge my beloved daughter today."

Van Femme used a salute to signify the declaration of war, and the blue handkerchief on his chest swayed like a rose.

But just as things were about to escalate—

"Brad, who is this?"

What happened next was somewhat unexpected for Van Fem. After all, in his mind, this person who had suddenly arrived was just a human. But for some reason, the White Knight, who was considered an old-fashioned guy, showed a lot of respect.

The respect has reached the point where the prepared inherent barrier should be immediately dispelled.

This inevitably aroused doubt in Van Fem's mind. Could this person actually be a human body possessed by the soul of the Princess? But she shouldn't be unfamiliar with me...

"Your Excellency Avia, this is Van Phim, who is ranked fourteenth among us in the Famous Church."

The reason the White Knight respected Avia was not only because he provided them with a place to live and obtain blood, but also because of Avia's own great strength. After all, as the progenitor of the Dead Apostles, he and the Black Knight could have done that easily if they wanted to. But because the Princess Lord wouldn't allow it, the Royal Guard and the two knights had to resort to drinking animal blood to survive.

The real reason for his respect lay with Princess Altruchi. After all, he had personally witnessed his lord carrying this human to Constantinople and keeping her in his own quarters for several months. He had even inadvertently seen the princess occasionally try to bite Avia but then give up...

"I understand."

Then, looking up at Van Fem at the bow of the ship, the silver-haired youth said this.

"Would Van Fem be so kind as to invite me aboard the ship?"

"This is a rare opportunity, and I am naturally extremely happy to take it."

134: Altruic, you are just a failure.

The interior of the ship can be viewed as an unusual, dark alleyway. This isn't a matter of actual light levels; the concept itself is one of darkness. In other words, it's not a natural phenomenon, but rather the result of mysterious intervention.

A magical barrier—specifically designed to repel sunlight—was set up inside this large ship.

Even though everything is illuminated by the sun on the horizon, this place is still an unsettlingly dark place.

Inside the almost empty ship, the silver-haired youth was led by Van Fem to an elegant terrace.

Although it's just a terrace, the tables made of fragrant wood and the cabinets holding wine glasses exude an irresistible elegance, probably because they are custom-made furniture.

Then, standing in front of the table, Van Fem thudded his cane and turned his head.

"Lord Avia is rather special."

"Why?"

"In my opinion, the only one who could make Brad treat her like this is the runaway princess."

"It can't be just that."

“Well, indeed, your situation is quite special, as if you suddenly appeared, and you can't see the past or the future.” Van Fem readily admitted. “Then, it was you, Lord Avia, who killed the Kraken, who was able to kill the Kraken that shouldn't have died in the present.”

"Shouldn't Kraken be dead now?"

Avia didn't deny it, but asked the future Dead Apostle Ancestor with great interest.

"In a sense, this was the planet's choice. After the Age of Gods in Norse mythology ended, it should have remained hidden in the North Sea. After its mystery faded, it would have been described by those who had seen it as a kind of legend similar to a creature from another planet. But since you killed it, naturally another creature will take its place."

The man in the top hat spoke eloquently, as if he were witnessing it firsthand.

His tone was very calm, which is probably how those who sing ancient songs and myths should also be.

"Valeri Fernando Vandilshutam, what brings you here?"

As the two were talking, a girl's voice came through.

At that moment, Van Fem nodded to Avia in apology, then looked at the black-haired princess who was slowly walking towards him.

"Your Highness, you must have met Kishua before."

"...So what if it is? Why are you asking this?"

"That guy must have said a lot to you, and given you a lot of hope."

For some reason, Eltrauge knew that Van Fem was about to say something very special.

Suddenly, she felt a sudden fear.

She dared not listen, for what Van Fim was about to say would be decisive.

Looking down from where Eltrauge stands, one can catch a glimpse of the azure color—the blue of the sky and the ocean.

Because of the ship's height, the view is expansive, and the distant horizon of the sea can be seen. What one sees is the blue color that comes to mind when talking about the sea, as well as the unfamiliar deep blue of the azure sea.

The water's surface was devoid of not only humans or other animals, but also the clear air where insects and birds roosted. It reflected the clear blue sky, and the edges of countless waves shimmered with subtle, mysterious crystalline blue.

It is radiant and brilliant, yet filled with a deep, dark color that never reveals its secrets; the azure color hides a clear part of the darkness within.

"Yes, that's right, but I came here after Bai Yi and I had discussed it together."

As Van Fem let out what seemed like a heavy and long sigh, he made the sign of the cross on his chest.

"You are our only queen. Since we have no future, let us defy the original choice of the planet and join forces to eliminate the queen who is still in the process of being born and will not appear for another eight hundred years. From then on, you will be the 'strongest' on the planet and will become the original 'one'."

Van Fem's expression changed slightly, and his words, which sounded like a confession, resonated in the space of that moment.

"What...what exactly do you mean...? The identity of the Princess Lord hasn't been revealed yet...and what's the strongest...?"

Then, Van Fem spoke.

Say what Eltrauge wants to hear.

“Kishia Zelrich Schbeinorg, my friend, ever since the battle of Crimson Moon, I have been watching and waiting for the factor that will end the Crimson Moon problem for him, but I have given you illusory expectations. For this, I need to apologize to you. Princess, you should be the leader of us Dead Apostles, Lady Eltrucci.”

On the terrace of the steward's room of the Dead Apostle Ship, overlooking the view of the Eastern European steppes.

The ship remained anchored on the Dnieper River, but even with its large size, it could not completely stop rocking.

The boat rocked as if slightly puzzled by the countless sights of the city that never sleeps, admiring what it saw. From behind the man who was squinting on a chair on the terrace, voices rang out.

"Lord Van Fem, I've brought it."

One of the six puppet sisters brought a beautifully shaped wine bottle. As she picked up the glass and poured the wine, Van Fem admired the aroma while tilting the glass slightly and smiling coldly.

His eyes looked through the wine towards Eltruchi, and he said:

“If it were me thousands of years ago, no, at least a hundred years ago, I shouldn’t have done this, nor did I need to. But if I say that, even Kishua and my friends would probably despise and look down on me.”

Listen attentively.

The sound of waves could be heard.

Humans came from there, all living things came from there, and most gods are no exception.