How can a retired savior be considered retired if he drops to 40,000?

"Unpredictable! When did you start noticing that?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka let the tail of the spear in his hand gently touch the ground, and after the tiny "click" sound, he spoke: "I can't explain it myself, but the whole thing does reveal something wrong with too much coincidence."

For some reason, she also acted as if she wanted to have a long talk with the enemy:

"We 'happened' to find a Chaos warband, and they 'happened' to know one version of the rumor about this planet. After we arrived at this planet, Conrad Curze 'happened' to see a prophecy that required us to land on the planet's surface. After we landed, we found ourselves arriving at a 'just right' time - it was too coincidental, anyone with even a little relevant knowledge would be able to see it, right?"

Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she added, "Also, you always put the number 'nine' in everything you do, as if you're afraid that others won't know that you're the ones behind it. Although I roughly understand that you have this thing called 'holy numbers', do you really have to use that little bit of metaphysical meaning to enhance the effect of everything you do? This makes you demons look like animals marking territory in the wild."

She didn't say what method was used to mark the territory, but anyone with a little common sense would easily associate it with this, let alone the Lord of Change. Naturally, one of Carlos' heads chuckled, while the other head flew into a rage:

"You are very courageous! No wonder Saint Tzeentch wants to treat you as a guest of honor!"

"You have offended me repeatedly! One day I will grind you to dust!"

But it said so, but did nothing with its hands. Fujimaru Ritsuka had time to laugh out loud and continued to mock:

"Which of your leaders is telling the truth this time? Which one is lying?" she asked. "If Tzeentch really wants to treat me as a 'guest of honor', then how can you have the opportunity to grind me to dust? If Tzeentch doesn't care about me at all and even ordered me to be eliminated, why didn't you mention my soul? How can there be a Lord of Changes who can be seen through by others even in a casual chat?"

-

Master, please do not continue to try to provoke it. It is not very beneficial for us to fight in this state. -

Karna in Ortenaus quietly reminded Carlos when he let out a shrill scream in the excitement.

-

I know, I know, the God-killing gun is forbidden, right? -

Fujimaru Ritsuka also secretly replied amid the sound of the Changeling Demon Lord's irritable flapping of wings.

"Even if you are a drifter from outside, you shouldn't prune the countless possible branches of your destiny so arbitrarily!"

"You arrogant little bastard, don't think you'll be safe just by falling over to that rotten corpse on the throne!"

Carlos's two heads threatened again, but Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't care:

"Do you think that I can stand here without fear just because I am in alliance with the Emperor? Ah, I have heard the rumor - you claim to be the 'weaver of fate' who can see through all the changes in the past and the future, but you are unable to see the present, which is what you should see most clearly?"

"Gah-"

"If you can take a good look at the present, you will naturally know: since I fell into this universe, Tzeentch has always been closer to me than the Emperor! Even now it is the same!" Fujimaru Ritsuka sneered loudly, "Why do you think I, a mere ordinary person, suddenly have the ability to improve the magic of another world into a summoning style that adapts to the rules of this world? Why I have never practiced chaos magic, but can analyze the effect of the ritual based on the indications detected by human equipment? Do you want to guess where this knowledge comes from?"

Both of Carlos' heads were angry:

"This doesn't make sense! Since you have accepted my Lord's blessing, why haven't you converted to Saint Tzeentch yet?"

"This is blasphemy! How can we allow blasphemers to survive?"

"It's simple, because Tzeentch doesn't want to do this, and he can't do it." Fujimaru Ritsuka sneered, "If He wanted to, then I should have been held in His hands from the first step into this world; if He could do it, then I would never be able to escape from Tzeentch's domain and join the Emperor. But you see, I'm alive and kicking now - ah, sorry, I accidentally forgot that you can't see 'now'."

"How dare a mere human guess the Holy Heart!"

"Why are you barking so loudly, you dull-witted fellow?"

"Because I know too well what gods are: they possess great power, but they are bound by their own power, and can only be tied to the throne of their own priesthood forever. They can't even do what they want to do. They are not free at all. In serious cases, even their personality and thinking will be affected. Of course, this is the first time I have seen a god as lame as Tzeentch."

"How dare you make such outrageous statements without any evidence!"

"How dare you not bow to the supreme power of my Lord!"

Carlos' furious posture was terrifying to describe, but Fujimaru Ritsuka was only confused by it:

Even after all this, they are still repeating the same few sentences over and over again. Doesn't this two-headed chicken know how to quarrel?

She was the only one who was producing, which made her feel unfulfilled, and her mouth was dry from talking too much. But it seemed a bit rude not to continue:

"How can you say that I am just talking nonsense? I have made my conclusions based on detailed observations and personal experience, right?" She said as if it was a matter of course. "He calls himself the 'Lord of Changes', but he cannot even exhaust all the changes in his own universe, nor can he make any significant impact on me who is not in this universe - he can't even directly affect my mind through the power of chaos. It's so lame."

Carlos's two heads simultaneously let out a terrifying scream that was beyond human comprehension. If an ordinary mortal were to stand there without protection, his soul and body would be crushed to dust in an instant by the chaotic energy brought by the scream.

It's a pity that Fujimaru Ritsuka was not afraid at all, and Governor Deville was under the protection of the Emperor's psychic energy transmitted by her. Apart from the instinctive fear, he only felt a little confused.

In that scream, Carlos' two heads conveyed the same meaning at the same time: "Kill you! I must kill you!"

And Fujimaru Ritsuka just sneered at this:

"You are the Lord of Change, a favorite of Tzeentch, but do you remember your master when you scream this?"

"How dare you say that—"

"——How is it nonsense? I know very well what gods are. How could a god who controls change not be happy to see changes? Moreover, changes caused by foreign objects that should not exist in this world? Does Tzeentch really want me to die? If I, who should not exist in this world, die, where will my soul that should not exist go? Does He think he can afford the risk of losing these changes? Admit it, you always shout to kill me, but it's just you who wants to kill me:

"After all, if I suddenly decide to join Tzeentch, you won't be the only one who comes out of the Well of Eternity alive!"

I've said it before, Gudako is really a big deal. (Peaceful)

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 33 I'm waiting for the singularity, you are here, you are waiting too

When Sevatar arrived near the ruins area, he almost had the illusion that an entire company had ravaged the place.

Then, he realized that what plowed the nearby square with high temperature and energy was not a company, but something more terrifying than a company of Astartes combined.

The broken ground and ruins all around were secondary. It was obvious that something incomprehensible to humans had happened in this area: a strange fire that burned out of nowhere, human limbs that were irrationally twisted but seemed to have grown that way, buildings that stood still like abstract paintings with structures that could never maintain stability and could not be identified as what they originally were, and the remains of "creatures" that were obviously inorganic but "came back to life" for some unknown reason and were then killed.

"Disgust..." Jeanne Alter said again. But this time, the elongated word clearly contained another more negative emotion and strong malice.

Sevatar was unfamiliar with these, but he was not ignorant of them: the visions of the warp, the tricks of the unborn.

As early as the Great Heresy, he had seen some similar blasphemous methods among his cousins. He sneered at it, but did not stop others from touching these taboo noble sentiments. But now it seems that after ten thousand years, these venoms flowing from the other side of the universe have obviously eroded reality more deeply.

Then he realized that his psychic powers were being channeled in a controlled manner by the armor itself.Then, his armor itself informed him that all weapon systems were online and unlocked.

He let his gaze turn to the shadow beside him. The woman in black rolled her eyes at him in disdain: "Isn't that what we are here for?"

"You are." Sevatar calmly shot back, "Only you. I was just dragged here by you, but I didn't want to get involved in this matter."

But at the same time, he was already quickly confirming all the power he could use on this armor.

Conducting similar preparations and inspections before a battle had almost become an instinct that had been ingrained in him, and ten years of "rest time" was obviously not enough to make him unfamiliar with this aspect. Moreover, Sevatar realized that he was not as resistant to this matter as he had originally thought.

——This series of inexplicable accidents really made him feel suffocated, and his emotions also needed an outlet to vent. If he could vent it on the culprit, it would be even better.

"Ha." Joan of Arc Alter sneered.Perhaps when there was no such urgent moment, she would be willing to continue mocking Sevita for his tough words.But now, there are more important things on the front of the to-do list.

"One piece of advice: when you see the enemy, don't listen to what they say, just attack them directly," she said. "What those blue-feathered chickens say is an unbearable blasphemy to the ears if you listen to it for even one second longer."

"You don't need to tell me." Sevatar replied.

They could already see a small, golden figure and another huge, mutated bird-like, staggering monster facing each other in a depression not far away.

-

“You can’t do anything!”

"You can't save anything!"

Carlos's screams scratched the eardrums of all the listeners uncomfortably. He was perched high in the air with his psychic power, and the staff in his hand was emitting spiritual light, firing waves of chaos spells of various colors and shapes. Unfortunately, all the spells used for direct attacks were burned by the golden spear itself or the overflowing flames. Those spells that twisted and mutated the existence in reality into chaotic blasphemous creations were successful, but they were controlled by Carlos and rushed forward, and they would be melted even if they were close to the temperature of the flames.

Fujimaru Ritsuka was still standing on the ground of the ruins, holding a gun in front of Governor Deville. Karna's defense was flawless, and the high temperature brought by the blazing flames around him was also controlled by psychic energy so as not to burn the unprotected mortals, but such a battle was too restrictive.

Neither side was able to achieve results in a short period of time, and the situation temporarily came to a stalemate - but this stalemate was also a victory for Carlos.

The golden line in the sky that was forcibly branded when Fujimaru Ritsuka landed has inevitably become dim as time passes and the ritual itself continues. The gap in the singularity is closing, and the transmission of the Emperor's psychic energy is gradually becoming sluggish. Ritsuka herself must have realized this, and her use of power is far less generous than when she bombarded the magic defense before.

As the Lord of Change, Carlos's sensitivity to magic naturally allowed him to perceive this clearly.

It floated in midair, its two heads noisily laughing in turn:

"Of course you can see that it is more beneficial to us if this drags on!"

"You must have noticed that this planet is gradually being isolated from the rest of the world!"

"You can certainly sabotage the core of the ritual, preventing the veil from being dissolved into the void and the planet from being silently dragged into the warp."

"But should you really do this? The moment the core is destroyed, the energy it carries will also tear the curtain itself apart!"

"Zeth Chatti is undoubtedly a fool, but he is quite ingenious in the arrangement of the ceremony."

"Can you find it? The true core of the ritual? And what will you decide?"

——It’s so annoying.

The loud explosion drowned out Carlos's noisy narration. It was the sound of Fujimaru Ritsuka throwing the golden spear "Immortal Blade" in his hand, and then hitting Carlos's magic shield. This attack was just a simple spear throw. Although it was still impressive under the blessing of Karna's own strength, it no longer had the power of the previous treasure.

The passage is being closed, and the Emperor's eyes will no longer be able to focus on this completely enclosed "cat box".She will soon lose her energy support and must now conserve as much as possible.

Carlos blocked the attack with a wave of his hand, and then laughed even louder. Fujimaru Ritsuka remained silent, but used the traction of his spiritual base to let the spear fly back to his hand, and took a deep breath.

Although she was indeed waiting for the moment when the singularity was fully established, it was indeed more beneficial to Carlos if it dragged on like this: in the next plan, she had to disband Karna's spirit base and let the Ortnaus armor return to its original function. But if she continued to be entangled by Carlos like this, this step would have to be endlessly delayed.

After all, she is just a weak master and has no fighting ability.

As for what Carlos said about the ritual, she had already thought about it. The core of this kind of chaos ritual must have enough popularity, be recognized to a certain extent by the people who participate in the ritual (everyone in the whole territory of Jestal), and have symbolic significance. Originally, she thought that the core of this ritual was undoubtedly this "relic left over from the Great Crusade" that everyone in the local area knew about, but from the fact that the ruins themselves had been destroyed and the ritual was still carried out without interference, this judgment was obviously wrong.

And Carlos confirmed one of her worst suspicions: destroying the core itself would not only stop the ritual, but would also cause great negative consequences.

-

Maybe it's time to make a choice, Master. It's impossible to be perfect in everything. -

Karna's voice came from Ortnaus.

-

I understand, Karna. But... no matter what, I must seize the moment when the singularity is truly established. At that time, no matter what the situation is, I will disband your spiritual base. --

I understand this decision. Your will, shining like a star in the darkness, will not be tarnished. I wish you good luck in your military career. In addition, Master, it is too early to make the worst prediction. --

Um?-

There was a roaring blaze not far away. The roar was not only caused by the high-temperature airflow, nor was it just the mechanical roar caused by the rapid movement of the giant. It was obviously mixed with some real roars:

"See you again, you blue-haired chicken! This time I'll definitely pierce you on a pole and roast you to a crisp!"

"How can a sneak attack attract the enemy's attention first?!"

"Who told you this is a sneak attack? I'm going to hit this bastard that keeps harassing Ritsuka head-on! Watch this—"

"Roar, my rage!"

The launcher on the shoulder of the Terminator armor unfolded, but what came out from it, wrapped in flames, was not any kind of Imperial missile weapon, but something that looked like a primitive iron chisel.

Carlos, floating in the air, finally realized that there were other variables on the battlefield. He screamed and turned around to cast a defensive spell when he couldn't dodge in time. However, those iron spikes that seemed to have little lethality easily penetrated his shield. The red flames seemed to be fueled by endless anger and hatred, easily melting all of Carlos's spells, and then pierced into his flesh with high temperature -

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”

——Then, the real red lotus fire burst out from it.

Carlos fell straight from mid-air, his huge body struggling painfully in the flames, kicking up countless dust and gravel scattered on the ground.And the instigator of all this, in this scene where he should have been laughing loudly, didn't even give any of his attention to the All-Changing Demon Lord struggling on the ground.

"Ritsuka - long time no see -" Jeanne Alter's shadow waved desperately beside the Terminator armor. The armor itself obviously had an urge to move forward immediately, but Sevatar suppressed this urge with his own will: the enemy was still in front of him and was not dead, should he change the time to perform this long-awaited reunion?

"Ah, it's Alter-kun! You came just in time! So reliable!" Such a shout came from Fujimaru Ritsuka's side, "Can I give you the two-headed chicken? I still have things to do here!"

"Wha-Of course! No problem, just leave it to me!"

"Thank you very much! As expected of Alter-kun!"

The flames on Carlos gradually disappeared, and after a brief conversation, the shadow of Jeanne Alter turned her attention back to the battlefield with a very satisfied smile. When the whole thing was running, it seemed that there was no problem at all, but Sevatar just felt that he was really redundant here.

-

Such timely reinforcements really made Fujimaru Ritsuka breathe a sigh of relief: with Jeanne Alter holding the front, she would be able to free up her hands to do the work she was supposed to do.

In fact, the core of the ritual was not difficult to figure out: apart from the ruins they were in now, the only person left was the one who had been protected by the demon who had set up the ritual from the beginning, a person who was well known to the entire Jestal and had a certain symbolic significance because of his special identity. This was right here.

Fujimaru Ritsuka turned back from the battlefield and looked at the woman behind him who was still kneeling on the ground, having lost her strength due to so many changes and blows:

"Jesthal Governor Jasmine Deville, for privately using illegal technology that was not certified by the Empire, colluding with Chaos, sacrificing the people of the Empire, violating the laws of the Empire and failing to report the fault, and using inferior goods as good ones in the tithe tax, causing huge losses to the lives and property of the people of the Empire and the planets of the Empire. As the Emperor's personal choice and the special envoy of the throne, I will sentence you to death for dereliction of duty and treason. Do you have any objection to this?"

"No, Your Excellency."

"My judgment has been made, and you have accepted it, so it will not be changed by anything. However, Jasmine Deville, you have devoted your life and energy to this planet, and you have worked hard for the people of Jestal. It is also true that you have made the lives of the people on this planet better, and the people respect and love you for it. This is also an indisputable fact."

"...No, Your Excellency, I have committed a crime."

"Where do you think you are guilty?"

"...I, blindly trusting my old friend, neglecting my subordinates, and trying to use abnormal means to increase the planet's production—"

"--wrong."