Faraosis, the undisputed strongest person in the Shavin Empire, was not some kind of genius...
In fact, sixty years ago, when he was twenty-five, this dual-system wise man was merely a Mid-Tier Mage, which was already a remarkable achievement for Fara.
Ordinary family, ordinary talent, ordinary appearance, ordinary wisdom, naturally could only achieve ordinary results.
Even someone who was unwilling to be ordinary would find it difficult to accomplish much in such circumstances, let alone Fara, who didn't even mind his own ordinariness; being free from worries about food and clothing, becoming a mage, and being able to devote most of his time to studying various mysteries—this kind of life was already perfect for him.
He wasn't the particularly diligent or hard-working type, nor was he the kind who desperately wanted to stand out. If there was anything that could be considered Fara's strong suit, it was probably his love for magic history and his sufficient self-discipline.
Fara, who was still a young man at the time, didn't like fighting. Although he occasionally took on simple escort or exploration quests from the Adventurers' Guild, it was mostly just because he didn't have enough money to buy books...
Rather than how to effectively use magic in combat or daily life, Fara preferred to study its history and origins. He regarded it as an art, not a weapon or tool.
Of course, among the countless mages on the Innocent Continent, there were quite a few who shared his thoughts and mindset; simply put, they were the 'academics'.
These people were keen on research, analysis, and tracing origins. Their strength might not be great, but their theoretical knowledge was profound. Instead of pondering the attack range and lethality of Fireball, these individuals, who resembled scholars more than spellcasters, often preferred to study the structure of Fireball, the difference between Fireball and Waterball, the historical allusions of Fireball, who was the first person to learn how to cast a large Fireball, and so on...
However, even among this type of person, Fara was not outstanding, and could even be said to be slightly below average. The reason, as mentioned before, was simply a lack of talent.
But even so, at the age of thirty, he still relied on his passion to continuously collect, memorize, and master a large amount of magic theory. Afterwards, he unashamedly felt that he had no regrets in life and settled down in his hometown, an obscure small town within Shavin territory, securing a stable job teaching beginner mages at the only local mage academy.
Over the next three years, apart from seeing off his aging parents, his life was relatively calm. Every day consisted of teaching apprentices, guiding beginner mages, reading books, and so on. His most exciting experience was merely accepting a 1 gold coin red packet before a certain exam...
Hmm, he still remembered that after that exam, he returned four silver coins and one copper coin to that apprentice, then unhesitatingly gave her a fifty-nine.
If he continued along this trajectory, Faraosis would undoubtedly spend the rest of his life in mediocrity, leaving behind some unhelpful writings and theories in the process, and finally dying in a sickbed or rocking chair...
But things did not unfold that way. In Fara's fourth year of teaching, a strange student appeared...
It was a dwarf, a young... lad who spoke a bit awkwardly. He was an uncommon dwarf mage, and his skill didn't seem to be very good. His biggest achievement in Fara's magic theory class over half a year was submitting blank papers more than twenty times.
"I really can't bring myself to believe my meager knowledge is correct."
Facing Fara, who was somewhat annoyed because he suspected Fara was deliberately targeting him, the dwarf mage shrugged helplessly, "After all, I am a spellcaster, at least."
"Is that so?" But Fara, who should have been furious, appeared very calm. He only asked the other party with some curiosity, "Then what is correct?"
The dwarf was somewhat surprised, because he saw no malice or anger in the eyes of this ordinary 'mentor' before him. Those not-so-bright eyes were truly filled with curiosity.
"You don't seem angry." The dwarf didn't immediately explain what was 'correct,' but just smiled and asked, "Can you tell me why?"
"I have no reason to be angry. Even the most brilliant genius cannot fully comprehend the mysteries of magic, let alone someone like me, who is almost forty and hasn't yet advanced to High-Ranking Mage." Fara spread his hands, answering with a wry smile, "I've always believed that what I've glimpsed is only the tip of the iceberg, and it might not even be correct. So I don't think others are necessarily wrong. Of course, if you can't give me a satisfactory answer..."
Mid-Tier Mage named Faraosis suddenly chuckled at this point, "Then it doesn't matter. As long as it's not a provocation, no matter how clumsy the answer, I'm happy to accept it and discuss it with you."
The dwarf, who was just a mage apprentice, suddenly laughed.
"You're a very ordinary mage, but your ideas are quite interesting. So, although I can't give you a non-existent answer, but..."
The dwarf smacked his lips, as if contemplating something.
"But what?" Fara asked with a frown, "What exactly do you want to say?"
He suddenly felt that this somewhat impudent fellow in front of him was playing a trick on him.
"But perhaps I can show you, who claims to have seen the tip of the iceberg, what a true iceberg is."
The dwarf extended his hand, stained with magic dye...
A silver symbol floated above it, its flickering light subtly distorting, and along with it, the space around the symbol also twisted.
"This is..."
Fara was about to reach out, but found that both the silver symbol and the mage apprentice who had been standing in front of him moments ago had vanished.
Only a faint sentence remained in the air...
"If you don't think this is a dream, then come to Tian Zhu Mountain in the Northwest of the continent and tell the people there you want to chat with 'Aegis Constance'."
...
Three months later, Faraosis appeared on the second outer mountain of Tian Zhu Mountain and told the first person he met that he wanted to chat with the person named Constance.
...
Six years later, Faraosis returned to his homeland, and his strength at that time was already vastly different from before. As a Grand Magister, he was proficient in spatial and arcane magic, and even had some knowledge of obscure subjects like astrology.
And as a Deputy of Tian Zhu Mountain, the power he concealed was several times stronger than what he displayed on the surface.
...
But he was still an ordinary person.
Fara always believed that if others had the same opportunities as him, they would never be much worse than him.
He was just lucky...
No matter how many halos he had later, no matter how many people admired and worshipped him, he always felt this way.
Just ordinary, it's completely normal for someone like me to only reach the Mid-Tier Mage level...
Just ordinary, someone like me got an opportunity, so it's completely normal to become a wise man...
I am not a genius, nor do I possess any great power, nor am I particularly hardworking.
Protecting my homeland is simply because I have the ability to do so.
Wanting to maintain balance is simply because I am a Deputy.
Just doing what I can, it's really nothing special~
Whether as a Mid-Tier Mage with limited talent, or as an academic of moderate standing, or as the God of Law protecting the Shavin Empire... or even as a hidden Deputy.
There's no difference from elementary school students who can do single-digit addition and subtraction, or middle school students who can learn basic functions.
Ultimately, Faraosis was just too ordinary.
But today, something seemed different...
...
The sky roared, the earth trembled.
The one-armed elder in the sky raised his staff and roared loudly, blood constantly erupting from his gaunt body, then forcibly repairing itself by some power, only to erupt again, and repair again...
"Is this the trump card...?"
"Damn it, this doesn't look like magic at all!"
"Oh my, oh my~ To make me face such a powerful and unfair opponent with no beauty at all, master is really mean~"
Neither Marshal Galahad, Duke Garros, nor the summoned Clementine attacked. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but even with all their might, the three of them couldn't get half a step closer to the old man in front of them. In fact, it was already difficult for them just to keep themselves from being blown away by the sudden pressure!
And as for Mo, who was Fara's target at this moment...
Mo's body was firmly pinned to the ground. The fallen god statue beside him, which could increase resistance and reduce magic damage, had no effect whatsoever. The two 'sides' of the massive magic array, simply by existing, were enough to make his health plummet at an extremely terrifying rate.
【It's only the prelude, and my body feels like it's being crushed...】
【All active skills are sealed. 'Summon: Teleport', which has finished cooling down, cannot be used...】
【Judging by the increase in stamina, I must be experiencing extremely severe pain right now, perhaps even to the extent of being hit by a truck in reality, and this is still simulated pain after being proportionally weakened in the game...】
【Galahad and the others also seem completely unable to interrupt the opponent's casting...】
【I can't even move a single finger, so taking items out of my inventory is completely impossible...】
【It's truly a very powerful magic, perfect~】
Mo's expression remained calm even as his entire body gradually disintegrated. There was no trace of pain or despair in the dark eyes beneath his mask; instead, they were filled with a faint... joy.
【Come on, pour all your obsessions into this one strike, and then you'll have no regrets at all, right...?】
Mo struggled to move his eyes, and his gaze met Fara's in mid-air.
【Come on!】
...
"Still provoking?" Fara revealed a faint smile. His robe was already soaked crimson with blood, his face was so pale it was almost transparent, and his entire being had become somewhat ethereal, as if his physical body was being replaced by some kind of 'energy.' His situation could be said to be equally terrible to the extreme.
But it didn't matter...
【I, who am so ordinary, who always only does what is 'within my power,' who has never made myself proud or boastful!】
The giant silver staff disintegrated into specks of stardust in mid-air, falling apart.
【To be able to stand here, whether for my homeland, for my beliefs, or for myself...】
The old man's mouth, ears, eyes, and nose all gushed out large amounts of blood under the uncontrollable 'Disappearance power.'
【To make an effort that is no longer ordinary, to achieve something that the ordinary me could never achieve...】
"Dis...appearance..."
【Even if this ordinary old life is buried here, even if nothing can be salvaged, even if it's futile, I can still be proud of myself...】
Muttering the last word, Fara clenched his fist tightly, staring at those black eyes filled with 'sin' and 'evil,' his own eyes devoid of joy or sorrow.
【Proud!】
Unleash more than 100% of my power!
【Activate!】
"Pseudo-Apocalypse Decisive Battle!"
The old man silently uttered these few words...
Even heaven and earth changed color for this man, who had lived an ordinary life!
...
The rain grew heavier.
Cordova ran desperately. The crystal in his hand had now turned pure black, continuously emitting an ominous aura...
"Damn it! What in the world happened!" Cordova felt a chill run through him. This situation wasn't uncommon for him. Cui, in reality, seemed to have some innate ability; ever since he was a child, his ominous Premonitions about various things had been remarkably accurate, and these Premonitions usually manifested as a chill on his neck, a chill on his back, or cold hands and feet—a particularly refreshing sensation.
And although Cordova had habitually shivered ever since he started playing this garbage game, the coldness he felt now was completely different from his previous experiences...
【Even when Dad and Grandpa were detained by the police for suspected large-scale smuggling of yellow publications for profit, it wasn't this cold!!】
Activating the storm rune on his Rune Body, Cordova rushed like a wild beast towards the gradually clearing cursed land in the distance, without regard for the cost!
...
Two minutes later
Under Cordova's reckless acceleration, he finally reached the central area of Bansher City.
The aura of sin permeating the cursed land had no effect on him, a rune construct. Cordova decided almost immediately upon entering the city to head straight for the colossal magic array that reached the heavens. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the so-called 'Great Retrospection Spell,' which meant that the Deputy named Fara was there!
But...
The moment he stepped into the central district, the crystal in his hand exploded directly, transforming into a massive black pillar of light that shot into the sky!
At the same time, a crimson light suddenly appeared not far away, instantly piercing through the precarious figure swaying in mid-air...
"You've truly worked hard, God of Law~"
Chapter One Hundred and Two: End