“...!”

Siegfried was shocked when those completely unexpected words came out of Carell’s mouth.

“What did you say just now?”

Carell smirked and said, “Oh? I guess I’m right, judging by how shaken you are.”

“Who are you? And what have you done to Carell?” Siegfried asked, his voice serious.

“You are indeed the disciple of Grandmaster Deus,” Carell said casually, sounding amused.

“Grandmaster?”

“You didn’t know?” Carell raised a brow, seemingly amused. Then, he shrugged and said, “It was around four hundred fifty years ago. A rather interesting era, I must say. There were seven Grandmasters active at that time, and Deus was one of them.”

“Huh? As far as I know, there were—”

“Seven.”

“Why just seven?”

“Because I am someone who shouldn’t be grouped together with them. So, yes, seven is correct.”

“...?”

“Deus was quite an amusing yet unfortunate fellow. Had he been born in another era, then he would have surely stood at the top of the world. There was no shortage of talent in that era, and there were countless warriors stronger than him. He had plenty of reason to lament his misfortune of being born in that era.”

To Siegfried’s shock, Carell—no, the one possessing him, started talking about Deus’ past.

“Deus dedicated himself to training for nearly half a century, but he couldn’t defeat anyone in the end. And then at some point, he disappeared, completely vanishing from the world.”

“Ah...” Siegfried let out a low gasp after realizing that the story corroborated.

“But his last words were quite amusing. He claimed that he would obtain the power of invincibility and return. Don’t you think it’s laughable how someone who had failed to overcome others for decades would claim he would acquire the power of invincibility?

'Had he simply given up and abandoned his ambitions, then he could’ve enjoyed the rest of his life in peace.”

“H-How do you know all that?”

At this point, Siegfried had no choice but to wonder who—or what—had taken over Carell’s body. As far as he knew, there was no one alive who knew Deus’ past this precisely.

It had all happened four hundred fifty years ago, so if someone from that era was still alive, then they were not human.

‘Is it possible that this guy is...’

Now that Siegfried thought about it, he had a feeling that this entity could be one of the Grandmasters Deus had failed to overcome.

Carell replied, “I am... the one who serves the Creator.”

“...!”

“I am the one who upholds the doctrines of the monotheistic order that has existed since the dawn of creation. The pope, the leader of all clergy serving the Creator.”

“The... pope?”

“Well, the people from four hundred fifty years ago called me the Enlightened King.”

Ding!

A notification popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

[Alert: The quest, Master’s Regret’ has been triggered!]

***

The quest window appeared before him.

[Master’s Regret]

[Type: Quest]

[Details: Find and crush the seven successors of the people known as the strongest eight on the continent five hundred years ago.

[Progress: 85.71% (6/7)]

[Descendant of Thunder God Vajra 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Sword Saint Murcièlago 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Great Sage Sieghart 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Blood Master Berserk 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris 0/1]

[Descendant of God Arrow Windforce 1/1] ✓

[Descendant of Supreme King Braum 1/1] ✓

Just as Siegfried suspected, the one possessing Carrel was none other than the final target of the Master’s Regret quest, the Descendant of Enlightened King Maugris.

Unlike the other descendants, he was not a descendant at all. He was Enlightened King Maugris himself.

Maugris had lived for a staggering four hundred fifty years without dying, just like Deus.

“How are you still alive? Even if you can somehow extend your lifespan, there are limits for a mortal.”

“Lifespan...” Maugris muttered. Then, he let out a chuckle and asked, “Do you honestly think something like that would apply to me, the Pope of the Monotheism Church?”

“...?”

“O Foolish One. I have existed since the dawn of creation itself. I have lived for a span far beyond what mere mortals can measure.”

“...!”

“The flesh is finite, but the spirit is infinite. I am the living doctrine of the clergy serving the Creator, so why would I succumb to the limits of a mortal’s body?”

It turned out Maugris was the new Executor of Destiny, and he was more of an immortal than a human. He was a being who had lived a life as long as that of the Chief Archangel, Michael.

“You are just as foolish as your master,” Maugris sneered.

Siegfried grimaced and growled in response, “What did you just say?”

“Deus did not know his place. He lived a pitiful life to obtain what could never be his. And in the end, he must have died a miserable and lonely death somewhere deep in the mountains after suffering through hardship.”

“And what about it?”

“You are the same. Just like Deus.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just like your master, you, too, are striving for something you can never achieve. The destiny of this world is not something that can be stopped. Things have already been preordained, so how could a mere mortal block the descent of the Creator of all things?”

Siegfried let out a chuckle and replied, “I’m fine with whatever you said just now, but I don’t like how you’re ridiculing my master.”

“Do you feel upset because I insulted your master?” Maugris asked.

“Pfft! As if,” Siegfried replied with a scoff. Then, he smirked and said, “You see, my master has attained the power of invincibility.”

Maugris looked at Siegfried with a pitying gaze and said, “I would like to believe that for your sake, but that is simply impossible.

"Do you truly think that a mere mortal like Deus could attain the power of invincibility? Foolish child... Your master was indeed someone who shone in his era, but he was never the kind who could obtain the power of invincibility.”

“Oh yeah? Do you really think so?”

“I regret to disappoint you, but you were deceived by him.”

“You’re going to regret those words, buddy,” Siegfried flashed a cocky grin and said.

Maugris raised a brow and asked, “Regret? Do you think I would ever regret something—”

Siegfried cut him off and said, “Oh, you will definitely regret it.”

Wooong!

Deus descended.

After sensing the appearance of the Enlightened King, Maugris, Deus descended upon the ancient ruins of the Illuminati located in the Torio Mountain Ranges.

***

“Master!”

Siegfried rushed toward Deus the moment he appeared.

“That guy is—”

“Do you think I came here without knowing that?” Deus said sternly. Then, he flashed a faint grin and added, “Something about that bastard felt off even back in the days. And seeing him still alive and crawling around means that he really was some kind of wraith.”

“Yes, I believe so, Master.”

“Stand back for a moment, my disciple.”

“Yes, Master!”

Siegfried stepped aside just as instructed so that Deus could personally settle his grudge.

Deus had remained in this world and delayed ascending into godhood for this very reason. He regretted his failure to defeat the seven people who dominated his era, one of them being Maugris.

Siegfried understood Deus’ regret better than anyone. While he might have dominated the descendants using the powers granted to him by Deus, the owner of that power himself was yet to taste victory.

“It has been a long time,” Deus said, walking toward the Enlightened King.

When he strode forward, something astonishing happened. With each step, Deus’ appearance began to change little by little. Soon, he took on the form of a handsome young man with jet black hair, putting on an arrogant look with a hint of mischief.

Deus looked exactly like his younger self, the one Siegfried had seen before.

Maugris looked somewhat surprised, and his reaction was understandable. The Enlightened King was not a being who could be considered human, which made it possible for him to have such an unnaturally long lifespan.

However, Deus was different.

Even if he was a Grandmaster and his lifespan was far longer than that of a normal human being, surviving beyond four hundred years was supposed to be impossible for him.

In addition to surviving for that long, he still had the same youthful appearance during his prime.

It would be strange if he weren't surprised.

“How dare you talk about my past and insult me to my disciple,” Deus said with a grin while cracking his knuckles.

Maugris grimaced and asked in response, “How are you even alive?”

“Because I obtained the power of invincibility,” Deus replied with a shrug.

“Nonsense,” Maugris retorted, not believing a word of it.

“Suit yourself.”

“The power of invincibility you claim to have attained is the power to defeat anyone, no matter who they are. That’s a power that the likes of you could never even dream of—”

Deus cut him off, “There’s a lot I can tolerate, Maugris.”

Swoosh!

He vanished and reappeared right in front of Maugris.

“But insulting me in front of my disciple is something I won’t tolerate.”

“...!”

“If you don’t believe me, then let me show you the power of invincibility.”

Baaam!

Deus’ fist landed on Maugris' face.

“Guhk!”

Maugris’ head snapped back, and blood sprayed out from his mouth.

“I remember telling you clearly,” Deus said, grabbing the Enlightened King by the collar.

“Ugh...”

“That I would attain the power of invincibility.”

“How... someone like you...?”

“Watch carefully.”

The Deus before Siegfried was not the same Level 999 Hidden NPC who taught him.

Right now, he was no teacher—he was a martial artist.

Armed with the same spirit he had in his prime, he was prepared to finally defeat the foe he had failed to defeat in the past.

“You damned wraith,” Deus said with a grin, slamming the Enlightened King’s head into the ground.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

“Gah! Guhk! Argkk!”

Maugris was himself a Grandmaster, and his combat prowess was evident from how he effortlessly defeated Shakiro.

Still, even the Enlightened King was nothing more than a punching bag before Deus.

Deus was not even fighting seriously right now. If he had truly exerted his true power, then Maugris would have been annihilated with the first punch earlier.

In other words, this was not a battle. This was a beating, one that was being carried out purely to settle an old grudge.

“You were. The one. I hated. The most. You son of a bitch.”

Bam! Bam! Bam!

“G-Ghraaaaaak!”

Deus repeatedly stomped on Maugris’ family jewels, causing him to scream in absolute agony.

There was no way to put into words just how unbearable the pain Maugris suffered after being stomped repeatedly right on his nether region.

“T-This is too much even for me. I don’t think I can keep watching...” Siegfried said, turning his head away.

“Kyuuu... Hamchi can’t watch this either...” Hamchi added, unable to keep looking.

For some unknown reason, Hamchi seemed to empathize deeply with Maugris, judging by how he grabbed his own crotch and trembled.

“...”

Meanwhile, Siegfried’s comrades quietly backed away without making a sound.

‘T-That’s terrifying...’

‘We might be next if we get caught up in that madness.’

‘I have to get away. As far away as possible...’

Deus’ aura was so violent and overwhelming that they believed even a slight graze could kill them on the spot.

“It hurts, doesn’t it? How ya like that, you bastard? Keke!”

“Ghraaaak!”

“This spot right here where you hit me four hundred forty-seven years ago!”

“Gaaak!”

“It still hurts whenever it rains!”

“A-Aaagh! I-I don’t recall hitting you on that—”

“Ha! How convenient must it be to forget after hitting me! Fine. Have a taste of your own medicine then!”

“W-Wait!”

“I’m going to give you a beating you won’t forget for centuries!”

“Aaaaagh!”

It was evident to all that Deus intended to settle his grudge once and for all, judging by how he continued to beat Maugris relentlessly while carefully controlling his strength so that none of the blows would be fatal.

This was his way of delivering maximum pain while making sure that his victim wouldn't die.

‘Master really had one hell of a grudge...’ Siegfried thought.

He knew that Deus regretted the fact that he couldn't exact vengeance against those who had trampled on him, but he still couldn’t help but shudder at the sheer brutality of the revenge.

He had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that a person could be beaten this badly.

Siegfried prided himself on being an expert at beating up those who crossed him, but even he admitted that he still had a long way to go after Deus' handiwork.

Deus was that ruthless.

After about an hour of merciless beating, Deus grabbed the Enlightened King by the collar and asked, “You asked whether I truly attained the power of invincibility, right?”

All Maugris could muster in response was a groan, “Ughh...”

Deus flashed a spine-chilling grin and said, “I have the power to kill you.”

With those words, Maugris’ soul left Carell's body before scattering into fragments.

Total annihilation.

Deus had disassembled a soul.

However, what happened next truly defied the laws of the world.

“And I can bring you back,” Deus said.

The scattered fragments of Maugris’ soul reassembled and returned to Carell’s body before Deus' words could finish echoing through the air.

Deus hadn't just destroyed Maugris’ soul; he reconstructed it as well.

Siegfried, too, wielded the power to destroy a soul, but reconstructing one was simply impossible for him. In other words, what Deus had done just now was nothing short of a miracle.