After work, start to speedrun the other world-Chapter 423 - 159 All Gods Cast Down Fear_2

"That really is some terrible news,"

"By the way, Ragnarok’s advent isn’t set in stone," Hecate added, "Ragnarok is accelerating and will arrive sooner than expected."

Using the abilities of the saintess of the Dusk Cult, she had been observing the specific circumstances of Ragnarok, so she could confirm that its approach was indeed accelerating.

Yet, she had no clear method to halt the arrival of Ragnarok.

"The Three Goddesses of Fate have also foreseen the coming of Ragnarok," the Goddess of Lies sighed, "but they predict it will happen within ten years."

Hecate picked up her teacup and took a sip, offering no explanation for the disparity between her forecast and that of the Three Goddesses of Fate.

The Goddess of Lies didn’t press the issue, shifted her seat, and cozied up to the Destiny Witch in a very familiar manner, asking:

"Is there a way to delay the advent of Ragnarok?"

"Yes," Hecate replied succinctly, "If the Flame Giant Surter is slain, Ragnarok will have to select a new King of Ash."

"Wouldn’t unsealing the Flame Giant Surter directly trigger Ragnarok?" The Goddess of Lies frowned. She had witnessed the entire process of Surter being sealed and knew how formidable the Flame Giant Surter was: not only he possessed the godly attribute of immortality, but he also received a boost from the powers of Ragnarok. As the timeline for the advent of Ragnarok drew nearer, his strength would continue to swell and intensify.

Before Surter was sealed, his power rivaled those of Universal Level entities. Now, with Ragnarok merely two years away, no one could be certain to what extent the Flame Giant Surter’s power could expand.

If the seal were broken and Ragnarok fully commenced, this era would meet its end.

"If it is to weaken the Flame Giant Surter’s power, I can do it," said the saintess of the Dusk Cult suddenly, capturing the attention of the other two, "I have the authority to choose a substitute for the King of Ash, and during the selection phase, the Flame Giant Surter will lose his power boost."

"The authority to choose a substitute for the King of Ash?" The Goddess of Lies showed a look of surprise; the notion of selecting a substitute for the King of Ash was beyond her expectations and something she had never considered.

The saintess of the Dusk Cult reached up to touch her eyes: "I am the saintess of the Dusk Cult appointed to observe the world in place of Ragnarok."

Originally, she hadn’t planned to reveal this information, but after hearing Ahtal’s intention to kill the Flame Giant Surter, she decided not to withhold it, as Ahtal might very well be killed by Surter otherwise.

Thus, she chose to unveil this secret.

"Can anyone be chosen as a substitute for the King of Ash?" The Goddess of Lies inquired. If anyone could be selected, then by simply designating the Witch of Death as the substitute for the King of Ash, they could probably eliminate the Flame Giant Surter instantly, thereby delaying the advent of Ragnarok.

"Only someone infected with the Ash Fire would be eligible," the saintess of the Dusk Cult replied softly, her steady voice tinged with a hint of... sorrow.

She now sensed an inescapable fate; even though she knew Ahtal didn’t wish to burn the world, destiny’s push meant the worst choice had to be made unless she was prepared to watch Ahtal be killed by the Flame Giant Surter.

"Then isn’t Ahtal the only one who can do it?" The Goddess of Lies frowned; in this world, the only person touched by Surter’s fire who also had the power to slay a deity was Ahtal alone.

The saintess of the Dusk Cult gently bowed her head.

This was the gravitational pull of fate from Ragnarok; even with knowledge of it, they were compelled to follow the pull of Ragnarok’s fate.

"Is there another way?" The Goddess of Lies asked, turning the question around. She was not keen on Ahtal risking a fight with the Flame Giant Surter, since she still hoped to deceive Ahtal into becoming her partner. It would be a waste if Surter killed him.

Moreover, she had contributed to the creation of the Source of Fear with Ahtal; now, the thought of Ahtal becoming the substitute for the King of Ash made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Find a way to kill the God of Omniscience," Hecate answered, "If the new world order can replace the old one, we can solve the problem of Ragnarok at its root."

"But Ahtal wouldn’t want to burn the Tree of Omniscience, would he?" The Goddess of Lies showed a troubled expression. Being an ally of the Witch of Death, she naturally knew the precondition for defeating the God of Omniscience was to set ablaze the Tree of Omniscience, which existed everywhere, forcibly weakening the God of Omniscience and thus making victory over him possible.

However, burning the Tree of Omniscience amounted to killing Eden, something Ahtal’s character would surely resist.

The atmosphere became silent.

Sipping her tea elegantly, Hecate brought up a solution, "It doesn’t necessarily have to be my apprentice. As long as we find someone with potential to be infected by Surter’s Fire, and let him become a demon to burn the tree, that would also be possible."

"You think becoming a demon is easy?" The Goddess of Lies rolled her eyes. Although it seemed like demons and witches were everywhere these days, those were the accumulation of past histories. To cultivate a demon on short notice, especially within two years... no, perhaps even less than two years, was virtually impossible.

Unless a genius as extraordinary as Ahtal emerged in this era, but that was basically an impossibility.

"Wait, it might not be impossible," the Goddess of Lies suddenly clapped her hands. "I remember the Fear Source was infected with the Ash Fire, wasn’t it?"

She asked the Destiny Witch.

"Can the Fear Source ignite the tree?"

"Was the Fear Source infected with the real Ash Fire?" Hecate voiced her doubt but then nodded. "However, it’s worth a try."

"We must keep this a secret from Ahtal," the Goddess of Lies quickly added. "If he knew we were planning to kill the All-Known Saintess, he would definitely be very angry."

She began to think about the plan.

"What if the Fear Source accidentally broke free from the seal, then unintentionally reached the vicinity of the Tree of Omniscience, and used the Ash Fire to ignite the Tree of Omniscience.."

The saintess of the Dusk Cult suddenly asked, "Would Miss Eden be willing?"

"She should be willing, right?" the Goddess of Lies speculated. "Compared to having Ahtal do the killing, it’s more suitable for the Fear Source to take action."

"..." Hecate shook her head slightly, her fingers twirling in the void as if divining destiny. She was considering the feasibility of this plan. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Her divinations of fate had become increasingly difficult recently. The possibilities were constantly pointing towards Ragnarok, and many of her prophecies were disrupted by Ragnarok.

Only by capturing the Three Goddesses of Fate could she eliminate this disturbance.

...

...

Meanwhile.

Elsewhere.

The portal in the sky suddenly opened.

A burning meteor fell towards the earth, its intense heat instantly dissipating the cold of the tundra.

But upon a closer look, it was not a meteor at all, but a being riding an eight-legged horse, wielding a spear. His body was ablaze with a fire capable of incinerating everything. His single eye revealed a madness to burn all to ash, as if he was the King of Ash from a distant and infinite future.

And he bore a striking resemblance to Ahtal, save for missing an eye, there was no other difference.

"Boom!" The Fear Source crashed down, the spilling heat turning the tundra into a hellish blaze, as he emerged from the flames on his eight-legged horse.

All Gods had not chosen to descend and kill Ahtal directly, but instead, they had sent down the Fear Source to oppose Ahtal.

No matter who lost or won, it was a no-loss situation for the All Gods.

"Hehehahahaha~ Not bad at all," Xi Mu laughed maniacally, watching the approaching Fear Source riding the eight-legged horse, "Does this count as me fighting myself?"