Chapter 117: Departure, 1743

Sanctuary

Elder Jamil Bairei, a two-hundred-year-old patriarch, held the Pope’s helmet tenderly, his heart heavy with memories of his brother, Saiji.

In the next instant, Bairei donned the helmet symbolizing the Pope and raised the Athena Blade in his hand.

“Altar Seat Bairei, I entrust you with my final duty!”

On the vast plaza of the Sanctuary, the goddess Athena Sasha lifted the Staff of the Victory Goddess high.

In the Sagittarius Temple, the Sagittarius Gold Saint, Sisyphus, drew his Golden Bow and released a golden arrow.

This was the signal for the Sanctuary’s all-out assault on the Underworld.

Acting Pope Bairei delivered a passionate and rousing speech.

“For the peace of the earth, for love and justice, for the goddess Athena, in the coming decisive battle, let us fight with all our might!”

Bairei’s words stirred the hearts of all the Saints, igniting a fiery spirit within them. The crowd shouted the slogan, “Long live the goddess Athena!” as if fueled by pure adrenaline.

Amidst the Sanctuary’s fervor, the war mobilization reached its peak…

——

Pope’s Palace

“What did you say?! I do not agree!” Feng Zhe roared, his face burning with anger as he glared at Bairei.

Bairei had already removed the Pope’s robes and helmet, now wearing only a long robe and holding the Athena Blade—a posture of retirement.

At that moment, the great doors of the Pope’s Palace burst open. Aries Shion rushed in, witnessing the scene immediately.

“Teacher is stepping down?”

Upon hearing this, Shion shouted sharply at Bairei.

“Oh, this? This role simply does not suit me,” Bairei said lightly, as if discussing a trivial matter. Then he turned to Feng Zhe. “What I just said—think it over carefully. It’s still not too late to leave now.”

Shion was confused, sensing that the two were not talking about the same thing.

Feng Zhe’s face was full of fury. “You’re asking me to be a deserter? That’s impossible!”

Shion, still struggling to understand, looked at Feng Zhe and quietly asked, “Did the teacher tell you to leave?”

Feng Zhe did not respond, but Bairei spoke up.

“He’s not a Saint of this era. The Holy War is about to enter its final offensive. Now is the last moment he can depart.”

At last, Shion understood: Bairei was telling Feng Zhe to return to his own timeline. He should not be part of the final Holy War of this era.

“That’s the wish of Saiji and myself. After all, your own time also needs you.”

Bairei gestured toward the Pope’s helmet on the throne, implying it was Saiji’s intention.

Only Shion murmured, “Alex, weren’t you supposed to be unable to return?”

Bairei laughed heartily, then withdrew an exquisite box from his bosom—the Athena Ark that sealed the Grim Reaper.

Within it lay the soul of the Grim Reaper. If Feng Zhe could sacrifice the Reaper’s soul, he could amass enough faith power to perform dimensional jumping once again.

Bairei, as the Altar Seat, was fully aware of this.

“Boy, go find the Athena you are meant to protect. This place does not belong to you!”

Feng Zhe glared furiously at Bairei, and deep down, Bairei’s words struck exactly at his core.

At that moment, Athena Sasha also entered, casting a gentle smile at Feng Zhe.

“You have done more than enough for us. I am deeply grateful, but please trust us—the remaining battles, we can handle.”

“Athena!” Feng Zhe looked at Sasha, his heart suddenly aching as he thought of the goddess he regarded as a sister, Sayu.

His eyes grew moist…

Suddenly, Feng Zhe bowed deeply to Sasha and solemnly said, “Thank you for your understanding. Feng Zhe will never forget you.”

“So your name is Feng Zhe!” Sasha murmured the name—this was the first time Feng Zhe had used his real name.

Then Sasha handed Feng Zhe several vials of blood, each containing her own blood.

Feng Zhe’s eyes welled up once more. In this era, whether it was Saiji, Bairei, or Athena Sasha, they had all been incredibly kind to him.

“I will never forget you all!” Feng Zhe whispered to himself, then took up the Athena Ark.

He vanished within the Pope’s Palace…

Shion murmured, “Has he finally left?”

Bairei laughed heartily. “Now it’s time to rely on ourselves!”

Unprecedented determination shone on Sasha’s face.

——

Altar Space

Feng Zhe reappeared in the altar space he had created, feeling like a god of creation within it.

He immediately ignited the altar. The sacred flames surged skyward. Then he opened the Ark, and the sky darkened with thick clouds.

“Where is this?”

“No! This is the space of the blasphemer!”

Feng Zhe waved his hand, but the Grim Reaper’s soul seemed beyond his control, spinning wildly in the air before plunging directly into the sacred fire.

“Blasphemer! I curse you to die without a grave…”

[Sacrificing the Grim Reaper!!!]

Suddenly, the sacred flames erupted into a roaring blaze. The Grim Reaper’s soul disintegrated into countless fragments within the fire.

[Ding! Gained 200,000 faith power and a divine fragment!]

Indeed, although Feng Zhe could previously fuse divinity in the altar space, he had not gained any faith power. This time, in the altar space he created himself, faith power was the first reward.

With faith power, Feng Zhe could accomplish many things—such as dimensional jumping.

“Refine the divine fragment!”

A profound revelation dawned upon him as if born from endless darkness, as an indistinct figure tapped him lightly, sparking consciousness.

[Ding! Acquired secret arts: Abyssal Terror, Black Hole, Seal Breaking, Mental Assault, Death Erasure, Death Gaze…]

A long list of divine secret arts unfolded before Feng Zhe. He even felt that, with will alone, he could become a second Grim Reaper.

[Ding! First-time sacrifice granted ultimate secret art: Divine Concealment!]

Feng Zhe had seen this ultimate secret art before and suddenly realized this was the hallmark ability of a blasphemer.

Divine Concealment served only one purpose: to hide one’s divinity. As long as he did not use it, the gods would not detect him.

For example, if he refined the Grim Reaper’s divinity and descended into another timeline, neither the Reaper, the Sleeping God, nor even Hades himself would find him.

From this moment on, Feng Zhe officially became a blasphemer.

“As expected, the previous altar space concealed so much.”

Feng Zhe was in high spirits, his thoughts drifting to the goddess Sayu.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. The way the four Dream Gods targeted their opponents was truly worth emulating.

A sudden calm settled over Feng Zhe as he reflected on his memories with Sayu, reaching an almost obsessive reverie.

Suddenly, he shouted:

“Dimensional jump!”

This time, without a set destination, he locked directly onto Sayu’s position in the space-time continuum and plunged headlong into it.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Sanctuary, a baby girl cried out loudly for the first time…