Chapter 4: Excuses and Reasons
"I must say, truly remarkable talent."
Rising from his seat, Eagle examined the warrior before him with his own eyes for the first time. His tone was serious, yet not without warmth: "I am aware that there exist certain beings in this world who possess heaven-granted abilities. From the moment of their birth, they have various special talents—such as manipulating the elements, conversing with animals, or being able to easily see through the flow of all energy."
The Old Pope's physique was not robust, and the feeling of his age became even more pronounced as he stood. Yet even so, anyone could sense the immense power within this withered body—a force as vast and overwhelming as mountains and oceans.
Eagle opened the palm of his left hand, lowering his eyes to calmly gaze at the Holy Light flowing within it, then said flatly: "Whether it is Emperor Israel of the Empire, the Sage of the Eastern Sea Faina, or even myself, we are all such beings. Just as the records state, all that is needed is to give a 'Chosen One' a suitable opportunity, and their strength will grow at an astonishing pace."
At this point, the old man's tone shifted to one of doubt and curiosity. He raised his head and met the warrior's gaze: "Joshua, I know your past. For the first twenty years of your life, you were unknown, living merely like an ordinary noble descendant. Even when you joined the military, it was only through family connections that you obtained a middling position, with no particularly outstanding performance."
"The first twenty years of your life were as unremarkable as grains of sand on a seashore, yet in the two years following your father's death, you shone like a meteor falling from the sky—I previously attributed this to your inheritance from the Sage, but now I am not so certain."
"So, Your Holiness the Pope, do you believe I am also a Chosen One?"
Although Joshua knew that this body of his possessed nothing but the most ordinary and pure human bloodline, he was not surprised by Eagle's attitude. With his rate of advancement, anyone would find it astonishing. Ordinary people would merely marvel at the warrior's talent, while those who knew more would naturally seek suitable excuses and reasons for him.
Whether it was the Sage's inheritance or being a Chosen One, both were such 'excuses and reasons,' to the point where Joshua hardly needed to say anything before others had already written all the explanations for his meteoric rise in strength—there were not many people in this world who were so suspicious; they were more accustomed to categorizing special things within their own familiar cognitive framework.
But what did this have to do with Divinity?
"Indeed." Eagle did not hide his speculation: "I believe it is possible that after the death of the previous Count of Moldavia, you awakened your talent as a Chosen One—awakening hidden abilities due to intense emotions is not uncommon in history. The important thing is, what exactly is your talent?"
"Looking at it now." The old man nodded, as if confirming his own guess: "I'm afraid it is 'Plunder.'"
"Defeat something, and gain something. As long as you keep winning, your strength will naturally advance by leaps and bounds—a talent common among the powerful demons in the Abyss."
Upon hearing the term 'Abyss Demon,' Joshua's expression shifted slightly. He had no particular reaction to the Old Pope's speculation, but simply recalled the voice he had heard in the Bloodmoon Abyss.
After defeating Man Da Jia Er, a grand, mysterious voice, indistinguishable in gender, had echoed in the warrior's mind. It had wanted Joshua to remain in that plane and become its lord.
That should be what is called the 'Will of the Abyss,' similar to the 'Steel Serpents' Joshua had encountered in the Carlis and Ilgena worlds—the embodiment of a world's will. Its active recruitment was undoubtedly an affirmation of the warrior's quality, and now, with Eagle's words, he couldn't help but begin to suspect whether he truly possessed such a talent.
After all, the essence of the warrior's Glory Force was to collect the soul fragments of the defeated to enhance his power. Calling it plunder was indeed not wrong.
Noticing the slight change in Joshua's expression, Eagle shook his head and said with a smile: "Don't be nervous, Joshua. Although it is a common ability among Abyss Demons, in reality, humans with this talent are not rare—taking power from the defeated is the most normal thing in the world."
"According to historical records, in ancient times, among those sages who created Battle Qi and Breathing Arts, quite a few possessed similar talents. It was precisely because they could plunder the life force and Arcane Power of Magical Beasts that they were able to lay the foundation for humanity's own power system."
Having said this, the Old Pope sat back down in his seat. He was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said: "To be honest, Joshua, no matter how rapidly your strength progresses, it only makes me happy. As a representative of the side of order and the inheritor of the Sage, even if you were to become a Legendary now, I would only offer my sincere blessings. But..."
Eagle sighed, golden Holy Light swirling in his eyes as he gazed at Joshua: "Fighting, killing, destruction... such Divinity is too ominous. Yet you have been able to shape it, proving it is perfectly suited to you. Paired with your plundering talent, perhaps this is the reason for your astonishingly rapid growth in strength."
"Indeed, a bit."
Aside from the part about his strength progression, the Old Pope was not wrong. Even Joshua nodded in agreement. He himself felt that this Divinity might be a bit too excessive. Fighting was fine, it suited a warrior's nature, but killing and destruction sounded completely like a villain's traits.
He was not bloodthirsty, nor did he have a passion for destroying any... His train of thought paused momentarily. Joshua narrowed his eyes, recalling the tens of thousands of Magical Beasts and Chaos Monsters he had slain, as well as the buildings and terrain he had unconsciously destroyed.
Thinking carefully about his past actions, the warrior suddenly felt that possessing such a Divinity was not strange at all.
"You have already experienced the boundless source of power behind Divinity."
The Old Pope's aged yet clear voice echoed through the hall. He sat upon his holy white throne, a beam of golden sunlight falling before him. Eagle no longer stared at Joshua; he looked up at the arched dome of the Great Temple, his tone calm: "But that is not a good thing. Power without control is the source of all madness. I do not wish for you to be consumed by Divinity and become a puppet of the Gods."
"To be selfish, the Sage's inheritance has not yet been fully gathered. I cannot allow you to die for such a foolish reason. Fortunately, the Church of the Seven Gods preserves all records concerning Divinity, including some methods for controlling it."
"And now, I intend to teach you these methods."