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SO : 20 The First Three Thousand Years
🕑 Added 2024-09-07 03:15:00 +0000 UTCThe terrifying magical power emanating from the golden knight caused the protective barrier Aya Tokoyogi had prepared to crack inch by inch.
The barrier was intended solely to conceal the witch's ritual and had no capability to withstand the magical power of a Primogenitor level.
In contrast, the devil standing opposite the golden knight remained unperturbed.
Centered around the devil, a wave of aging aura spread out, causing the earth beneath to wither and the vegetation—flowers, grass, and trees—to decay.
As the black flames that formed the devil's body flickered, it was as if the devil was exhaling, releasing an aging aura into the air like a pervasive virus.
Aya Tokoyogi finally understood why this demon referred to itself as the Lord of Aging and Decay; its current power manifested a terror unparalleled to living beings.
Regardless of the entity, all creatures fear aging and resist death.
Aging, without a doubt, is one of the most despairing and terrifying forms of death!
Aya Tokoyogi's expression changed dramatically.
Witches are not immortal beings; they simply live a bit longer than ordinary humans, preserving their youthful appearance.
In this aura of aging, she could feel her own life ebbing away.
Though Aya Tokoyogi appeared elegant and youthful, with a figure that was alluringly full, she was actually only a year older than the sixteen-year-old Natsuki Minamiya.
Aya Tokoyogi did not wish for her ageless visage to be transformed into that of a withered old woman here.
As she prepared to pull Natsuki Minamiya away from the danger, Natsuki took a step forward and stood in front of Aya Tokoyogi.
As the witch bound by a contract with Saigou, Natsuki Minamiya would not be affected by the aging power.
The golden knight, whose body was constructed of gears, began to show signs of rust, creaking and groaning.
It was only then that Aya Tokoyogi and Natsuki Minamiya realized that even demons could be affected by aging.
The knight wielded a massive broadsword, which suddenly turned deep red. From all directions, a deep red thorny cage sprang up from the ground.
The target of the thorny cage was Saigou, indicating that the witch's guardian aimed to imprison Saigou and then slay him.
At that moment, Saigou abruptly withdrew all his aging power and produced a book from seemingly nowhere.
"Although this may be overkill for you, it is precisely what is needed here!"
Saigou whispered in a tone inaudible to others, then emitted a commanding and fearsome laugh. "...To die at its hands is a tremendous honor for you!"
"...Unfold, Another Cosmology—Avesta!"
As Saigou opened the book, the worldview of Zoroastrianism began to erode the natural order of this world!
"This is the power of the first three thousand years, the primordial cosmology!"
Saigou's words, filled with darkness and evil yet imbued with goodness and sanctity, poured forth.
To Aya Tokoyogi and Natsuki Minamiya, it seemed as though the world was undergoing a new cosmic explosion!
The old universe was perishing, and a new universe was being born. The previous natural order was shattered in its demise, giving birth to a new natural order and a new cosmology from nothingness!
This was the power of the first three thousand years that Saigou could command, representing the creation of 'good' and 'evil,' and the 'least common multiple' of the universe!
Within this nascent universe, Void and Fravashi emerged.
Void was a substance imperceptible to humans, separating light from darkness, preventing light from intruding into darkness and darkness from encroaching upon light.
Following this, the immaterial Fravashi transformed into an ideological force, establishing the rules governing all things and events.
Just as the sun rises and sets, as flowers bloom and bear fruit, and as humanity defines its essence, these are the cosmic laws and natural principles!
If a physicist were present, they would be astonished to see the birth of the world manifesting as Zoroastrianism's revered fire and light transforming into waves and particles.
Immediately, the quantum space-time transformed into the ultimate law of physics, the Grand Unified Field!
With the emergence of the Grand Unified Field, the Zoroastrian worldview completely formed and dominated everything.
All entities not aligned with this worldview could not exist within it.
The golden knight was silently rejected by the world, becoming fragments of void.
As the first three thousand years concluded, the world was supposed to enter the second three thousand years.
Yet, Saigou could only demonstrate the power of the first three thousand years from Avesta.
As the second three thousand years was about to begin, the newly formed universe dissipated in an instant, returning to Avesta in Saigou's hands.
"Huh, what a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The beings of this world are indeed fragile."
Saigou's words were filled with a sense of scorn, mocking the insignificance of this world.
He intended to use Avesta, his most powerful trump card, to eliminate the witch's guardian before him for two reasons.
First, since obtaining Avesta, Saigou had never used it and was unfamiliar with its power and effects.
Thus, to avoid potential difficulties in the future when facing formidable enemies, it was better to use this unfamiliar power now and understand its capabilities.
From the results, it was clear that Avesta was extraordinarily potent. Even though Saigou only employed the power of the first three thousand years briefly, it felt as if it were the creation of the world itself.
Although Avesta was considered a world-class item in the game, it did not become unusable after a single use; it merely had a lengthy cooldown period.
Saigou could simply wait, and after the cooldown, he would be able to use Avesta again.
The second reason was to intimidate Natsuki Minamiya.
As his beacon in this world and the only known source of nourishment, Saigou did not wish for any disloyalty from Natsuki Minamiya.
And this display of power would surely compel Natsuki Minamiya to make the most prudent decision.
As Saigou had anticipated, Natsuki Minamiya's face had turned ashen, her petite frame trembling uncontrollably.
Although she had once encountered the Great Lord of Darkness and Death and been terrified by its overwhelming darkness, doubts had lingered in her mind. Could such a fearsome deity truly descend upon her world? If so, why was she needed as a beacon?
Now, however, Natsuki Minamiya was convinced. Regardless of whether the great lord could indeed manifest, the sheer power wielded by this avatar was more than capable of annihilating the world before her!
The sense of helplessness engulfed Natsuki Minamiya, leaving her no room for hesitation. She could only strive to fulfill the contract with utmost determination.
The primordial force of Avesta had indeed terrified her.
What she did not realize was that this power had a lengthy cooldown period, even for Saigou. Moreover, Saigou had not yet expanded Avesta's influence to encompass the entire planet.
But Saigou's intention was to intimidate, and the witch was thoroughly frightened, just as he had hoped.
Besides Natsuki Minamiya, Aya Tokoyogi was also deeply unsettled.
The beautifully dressed woman in a kimono swallowed hard and rasped, "...Natsuki, just what kind of monster have you made a pact with?"
The primordial power displayed was beyond anything the legendary Sinful God Cain might possess.
Natsuki Minamiya shook her head wearily, unwilling to divulge to Aya Tokoyogi that she was now entirely at the mercy of forces beyond her control.
...
With the barrier set by Aya Tokoyogi now destroyed, the two witches quickly departed the scene.
The influence of Saigou's use of Avesta had been limited in scope. Apart from the two witches, the sole remaining witness had already perished.
This spared the witches the trouble of having to explain the situation.
After parting ways, Natsuki Minamiya returned to her residence.
