Chapter 123

Divine Remains Round Table

"Ha! Who would've thought that I'd one day stride proudly into the Star Law Institute!"

Countless deities had been buried by the wizards here, and the surviving Old Gods avoided it like the plague.

As the little mutt stood with his paws on his hips and laughed toward the sky, the silver-haired girl behind him raised her foot and stomped the three-inch tall creature flat on the ground.

Only after a scraping sound on the floor did the girl glance around apologetically.

"This guy's been deranged ever since we left the Realm of Death."

Lucy grabbed Fenrir by the scruff of his neck. "You little mutt, apologize."

"Apologize? From the mighty Dog God?! Not a chance!"

She forcibly pressed his head down into a bow toward the stunned surrounding wizards—this was their first arrival, and they couldn't afford to offend anyone without cause.

After all, every wizard and apprentice admitted to the Star Law Institute was a genius from one of the wizard towers—there might even be a future Star Ring or Crown Wizard hidden among them.

Just then, Lucy caught sight of a familiar figure in the crowd.

Their eyes met for an instant, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.

She mouthed the words, "Wait for me," then dragged the still-struggling mutt and followed Master Theodosius toward the grand building at the heart of the Star Law Institute.

...

Divine Remains Hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's emergency meeting with Hermes and Molly was called for several urgent announcements."

At the center of the Divine Remains Round Table, the bearer of the Crown of Imaginary Numbers, Albert, spoke gravely:

"I'm sure everyone here has heard of the tragedy that struck the Principality of Kolo on the Western Continent ten days ago. Over ten million civilians' souls were sacrificed by the fanatics of a mysterious cult to the Realm of Death."

"They even succeeded in turning the wizard faction of 'Eternal Silence Blackthorn'."

He swept his gaze across the room, his tone suddenly heavy. "Had it not been for Hermes, who sensed something amiss and tore open space to break into the Realm of Death, not only would the Three Pillar Gods have descended, but even Wizard Theodosius might have perished."

Albert's words stirred discussion throughout the hall.

A wave of murmuring filled the room.

While some members of the Round Table were already aware, the majority of wizards—immersed in their research—were only now realizing how close the Western Continent had come to annihilation.

The last time a true deity descended was a thousand years ago, during the Nightmare Plane incident involving the Lord of Nightmares.

That descent, which cost the lives of one hundred thousand fanatics, caused millions to be eternally trapped in nightmares, over three hundred official wizards to perish, and even a Star Ring Wizard fell in order to prevent the disaster from escalating.

And the power of the Old Three Gods far surpassed that of the quasi-divine Lord of Nightmares.

If they had descended, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"President Albert, what happened to those over ten million souls?" someone in the hall asked.

"Rest assured, they’ve all returned to their bodies."

"Who was it? What method was used to preserve those ten million souls?" A wizard from the Soul School trembled with excitement.

"Was it Master Theodosius? His grasp of soul studies doesn’t seem especially deep."

"May I ask..."

"Silence, please!"

Albert tapped the table lightly, and the hall immediately quieted. "The details of this incident can be discussed with Theodosius individually later. What we need to focus on now are several more critical matters."

As everyone resumed their seats, he raised three fingers.

"First, the Sleeper, the dominator of the Realm of Death, has violated multiple clauses of the Old Pact by conspiring with Outer Gods to sacrifice living beings, abandoning the domain of authority without sanction, and attempting to harm a Star Ring Wizard... By decision of the three current Crown Wizards of the Star Law Institute, it is resolved that a retaliatory campaign will be launched against the Realm of Death. Does anyone object?"

The hall fell into brief silence.

But soon after, someone slammed the table in front of them, and a thunderous wave of approval echoed through the grand hall as more wizards pounded their tables. Even the few who had been sitting silently with closed eyes did not voice any opposition.

In the world of wizards, such an attack on a Star Ring Wizard was tantamount to declaring war on all of humanity. The Realm of Death must pay the price.

After a moment, Albert raised a hand to gesture for calm.

"Second, the Gatekeeper, Fenrir, has lost his power to control the divine authority. The Gate of the Dead cannot be left unguarded. A wizard must be assigned to station there until his return."

If left undefended, powerful beings from the Realm of Death could travel back along the Path of No Return and invade the world of the living. Even the Four Islands of Wizards would not be spared.

This was one of the core responsibilities of the Star Law Institute:

To resist the gods and protect humanity’s living space, while also ensuring the laws governed by the gods remained stable and didn’t disrupt the functioning of the Primary Plane.

Soon, two high-ranking wizards proficient in soul-related arcana volunteered for the assignment.

Seeing that the two most critical matters had been resolved, Albert’s expression finally eased.

Wizards never feared divine provocation. Though this incident in the Realm of Death had caused no direct damage, the true counterattack was only just beginning.

If they didn’t upend the Realm of Death entirely, how could they dare call themselves "wizards"?

"One final matter." Albert cleared his throat lightly. "Our Divine Remains Round Table will soon welcome its 1,404th official member."

All eyes followed the direction of Albert’s finger toward the doors.

As they opened, Master Theodosius entered the hall with Lucy in tow.

"A Tier-5 wizard apprentice?!"

Everyone instinctively rubbed their eyes.

Once they confirmed they weren’t mistaken, their gazes all turned toward Albert seated at the round table.

Albert appeared unsurprised by the crowd’s reaction and offered a gentle explanation: "According to the official member regulations established at the founding of the Divine Remains Round Table, one may join upon being recommended by two regular members or one core member, and by either advancing to Star Ring Wizard or independently slaying a quasi-divine evil god."

The hall erupted in an uproar!

The girl standing before them only exhibited the mental response level of a Tier-5 apprentice, which meant—she had slain a god alone!

An apprentice killing a god!

Had the world changed too quickly, or had they truly grown old?

In the three thousand years since the founding of the Round Table, never had a non–high-ranking wizard achieved such a feat.

"Silence!" Albert once again took control of the room. "Miss Lucy Felicia, please take your seat."

...

Time rewound to just before they entered the hall.

"Little Lucy, you should understand that joining the Divine Remains Round Table is not merely about ensuring your safety."

Master Theodosius spoke in a grave tone. "The higher-ups at the Star Law Institute have already learned that you’ve acquired Fenrir’s soul-devouring ability. There’s no way they’ll allow you to remain in a place like the Principality of Kolo."

Although the more than ten million souls within her had already returned to their bodies,

the lingering soul power still allowed Lucy’s mental strength to surpass the bottleneck of Tier-3 apprentice with ease, breaking past the 53-point threshold to ascend to Tier-5 apprentice.

With such a power within her, even if Mentor Fernando were willing to stake his life to guarantee that Lucy wouldn’t act recklessly, the higher-ups of the Star Law Institute wouldn’t dare to gamble—not even on a one-in-ten-thousand chance.

No one could predict the consequences of allowing a free individual with the ability of Soul Devour to roam freely across the Primary Plane.

If devouring 40% of ten million souls’ soul power could elevate her to Star Ring Wizard, then consuming them all might very well make her a Crown Wizard.