CHAPTER 79: GREGORIUS???

Clark was outside looking at the stars.

• "Interesting, this Fred..."

Suddenly, Clark heard a voice calling him.

It was Jin!!!

They exchanged greetings, and Clark and Jin began talking.

• "Lord Johan, an important person named Fred will be arriving. He’s one of our important affiliates and will be in the capital."

• "Naturally, I want you to go and meet him."

• "And remember every detail, everything! I want you to tell me about him without any exceptions. Understood?!"

Clark nodded in agreement.

Soon, he clapped his hands and opened the huge gate, and horse-drawn carriages appeared.

Clark was surprised:

• "What? Leave now, Lord Jin?"

Jin replied:

• "Naturally, the matter cannot be delayed, as you know."

Clark boarded the carriage for a long journey.

It lasted four days.

Clark was thinking a lot about the plans and that things weren’t good since he had moved away from his arch-nemesis.

He wanted to stay longer and understand Jin’s character more and more to predict his upcoming manipulations more easily.

But one thing made Jin send Clark away: he knew he wasn’t Johan.

Jin was sitting alone in the hall and laughing.

• "Without a doubt, it’s Clark."

Jin stood up, his eyes gazing into the distance at the ceiling of the room.

Jin, like Clark, was a traveler from another world—in fact, they were from the same world!

And their first world was destroyed.

In Jin’s second life, he was a strong knight with a powerful build, and his intelligence was no less formidable than his muscles.

But he had always been ambitious.

Jin was like an eagle eager to leave its nest.

So he planned extensively to seize everything.

Unlike Clark, who in that life possessed great loyalty to the king in their previous life.

But Jin didn’t have that loyalty; he preferred to own everything.

So he manipulated the balance of power and sent Clark far away to an icy region inhabited by barbarians.

He thought they would die and weaken Clark’s soldiers in that harsh cold.

He succeeded in removing everything. Now, there was nothing left for him to achieve his goal.

He got close to the ministers, achieved remarkable success on all fronts.

He sent for Clark to be executed.

Clark fought valiantly with an army of 5,000 soldiers, even though his previous army was two million and invincible in battles.

Jin was no less powerful or commanding; in fact, he was smarter.

He succeeded and was on the verge of killing him.

But Clark simply disappeared.

Jin succeeded and ruled the world.

Only a few days passed, counted on fingers... and time accelerated!

Years passed in seconds. Time was speeding up insanely.

After that, he remained like a spectator, watching Clark in another world. It was Clark’s third life.

Jin realized he was just a pawn!

He was furious! Enraged! Why him?! Clark was the one with the driving motivation!

He raged and wondered: "What is his value in this play? Or is he just a meaningless person?!"

He was angry. It was clear that Heaven’s Will was refining Clark.

The wisdom of this Heaven was difficult: it didn’t love or favor anyone over another, but it was refining Clark because it wanted him to restrain something.

And now, strangely, it favored Jin over him!!!

For the first time in all three of their lives, these two were engaged in a chess match.

Kings don’t face each other directly; they use political games.

They might only face each other when one loses... just that.

Both Jin and Clark knew that their confrontation would cause excessive uproar.

Neither knew what the other was hiding, nor the forces the other possessed, nor their allies.

Jin possessed the Eternal Venerable Star Constellation.

Clark possessed the oppressive Spectral King Venerable.

In all cases, neither wanted to use those cards.

Jin knew that the Venerable Star Constellation wanted Clark, and she would only use him as a pawn on the board.

And Clark knew that the Spectral Venerable had secrets behind him.

Therefore, to prevent the Venerable from getting his hands on him, Clark simply stayed away without provoking his anger.

Clark arrived at the Gothic City.

It was strangely located in the middle of the desert.

But inside, the city was vibrant with life, greenery, and rivers.

Similar to Venice on Earth.

It was full of vitality and their elegant Victorian clothing.

The city stood out and impressed him.

• "Perhaps this city is inhabited by 10 million people."

• "And naturally, the hidden devil Fred will use it as primitive energy."

• "I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many factories producing that energy."

Clark’s carriage began moving like a religious procession.

Everyone was watching and waiting for the person riding this carriage to descend.

After a journey of about twenty kilometers, Clark arrived at the Altar of Light.

It was a massive cathedral, and inside was an altar for executing criminals.

Clark was happy he had obtained the "Eisen Nacht" badge, which allowed him to enter anywhere and told everyone he was the highest authority here without dispute.

An old man with very little hair appeared, not even wearing a hat.

It was Gregor!!!

• "Welcome, Lord Johan."

This Gregor had a sad appearance, as if he had gone through a crisis.

Clark laughed and said:

• "Welcome, Pope Gregorius Stephanus VI."

Gregor replied, laughing:

• "Hahahahaha! Lord Johan, no one calls me that anymore."

• "Even in this place, despite being the oldest, no one respects me here anymore."

Clark understood that this Gregor strongly opposed demonic ideas, so he was treated like trash.

• "Good, I’ll win him over and gain his favor."

Clark invited Gregor to lunch together.

He talked with Gregor a lot and got to know his character well.

He began the serious conversation:

• "Lord Gregor, do you hate demons?!!"

Gregor replied:

• "Who among us doesn’t hate them?! Because of those vile schemes, I lost my children and everything."

• "Who among us doesn’t hate?! I’ve suffered immensely."

• "I raised my children, and in the end, I see them being eaten alive!"

• "What’s the purpose of all this?!"

• "The God of Light!!! Just a false story, there’s no such thing. If it were real, it would prevent those demons and protect the chain of fate."

• "Fate shouldn’t be broken, but what about a lie that doesn’t exist?!"

• "You might be surprised, Lord Johan, that I still work here among the followers of Light and its priests."

• "Only because it’s my home, but I’ve lost faith in myself."

Gregor was pointing to the Altar of Light—the Crucifix of Light.

Gregor continued:

• "This altar, I once broke it and repaired it."

• "A god like this, even those who believe in it and it itself cannot protect it."

• "I can no longer distinguish between lies or truth, so what’s the point?"

Clark stood up, holding alcohol in his hand, poured it on Gregor’s face, and slapped him twice.

• "Wake up, man, from your delusions!"

• "That’s life, dealing you several slaps without mercy."

• "You’re just weak and couldn’t endure hardships."

• "If women endure hardships for their children, doesn’t that make them better than you?!"

• "Snap out of your stupor, Gregor!"

• "Hardships exist only to strengthen our resolve."

• "Don’t be a coward! If you hate life and want to abandon it, you know the answer: abandon it, and I don’t need to tell you!!!"

Gregor felt like he was being dunked in salty seawater repeatedly, and now he was on dry land.

He looked at Clark with admiration:

• "Thank you, Lord Johan, you made me wake up!"

• "From now on, I declare my complete loyalty to you!!!"

Clark laughed in his mind:

• "Well, Mr. Fred, I’ll deal with you. Just wait for me."

Clark left the altar and the church completely, removed his mask, and returned to his normal appearance.

And only one thing was on his mind:

Previously, during Clark’s journey, a message had come from Star Constellation, Clark’s main supporter.

Its gist was:

• "In the capital, look for a man named Diego Brando. He is your ally."

Clark was interested in the matter, but he didn’t know how to find the said Brando or where he was. It was truly puzzling.

He was walking around the huge capital, and it annoyed him a little. He didn’t favor searching.

But he delved deeper and deeper.

He didn’t expect to find poor neighborhoods in this city, as job opportunities were abundant and plentiful!

And that’s what irritated Clark.

• "The means to change your life exist, but you ignore them and blame society for your failure."

But in the midst of Clark’s thoughts, he bumped into a man 6 feet tall!

He had blond hair, wearing a fantasy helmet and slightly funny tight pants.

But he walked away. That man, Clark followed him.

It was a fighting arena—an arena for combat, and everyone was rushing to place bets.

Clark felt he would find him here, so he registered his name.

He signed and wrote: "Zharfa."

One of the organizers approached him:

• "You can go down, sir, and wait your turn. Bets will be placed on you. If you succeed and win, you’ll get the betting money. If you lose, we’ll take it. Understood?!!"

To be continued.....