Chapter 218: He Is The Successor ( Bonus Chapter )
"I have chosen the successor," the Prophet’s voice echoed through the hall.
For a moment, complete silence took over. Then, shock and surprise swept across everyone’s faces.
Alongside the shock, the followers felt a sense of relief and joy. It meant the chaos they were afraid of wouldn’t happen, and the structure of the faith would remain intact and stable.
However, the expressions of the Paragons darkened. This wasn’t good for them—but there was nothing they could do now.
They had planned to ignite a civil war, not only to eliminate opposing factions and other Paragons but to take control of the entire structure of the religion.
But the Prophet’s decision ruined all of their plans. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing they could do—whatever the Prophet decided was absolute and could not be changed.
"Prophet, who is your successor?" Everyone stared at him with anticipation.
However, the Prophet didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked up at the sky. His eyes seemed to pass through countless layers and endless dimensions before stopping at the edge of the heavens.
’I still have a little time.’ Then, he turned his attention back to his followers.
"Have you ever wondered why I was chosen by the god to be the Prophet?"
Everyone went quiet. They didn’t expect the Prophet to suddenly change the subject, but no one objected—partly because they didn’t dare, and partly because they were curious.
"Back then, I wasn’t the strongest, the most beautiful, the most charismatic, or even the most talented. In fact, talent-wise, I was trash. It was only because of the blessing the great god Horvand gave me that I reached this position. I was just a miserable child—a child whose family had been slaughtered."
"A child with no shelter, dying from hunger. But then fate smiled upon me. The great god Horvand blessed me and gave me a chance to become his representative in this world," the Prophet explained, then paused for a moment before continuing.
"I succeeded and became a Prophet. I got the chance to speak to the god himself, and I asked him: why me? Out of all the geniuses with amazing backgrounds, why would you choose someone like me with absolutely nothing?"
"What do you think the god told me?" he smiled softly and looked at the crowd.
No one answered. They had no idea what to say. None of them had ever heard this part of the story before. They had always assumed the Prophet was chosen because of his charisma and overwhelming talents.
Even Evangelin—the person closest to the Prophet—had never heard him speak about this.
So what was going on?
Only Daniel seemed to have a flicker of understanding in his eyes.
"No answer, huh? I figured. The god smiled at me and said, ’Because I wanted to. Because I found it interesting that a miserable person like you is still alive after all that suffering. Because I felt like it. So show me that my whim wasn’t a mistake.’"
Everyone’s expressions tightened slightly. Out of all the possible reasons, this was one they hadn’t expected. The Prophet was chosen just because the god felt like it? That didn’t sound logical at all.
"I was chosen even though I was the most miserable. I had no friends, no allies. You could say I was basically a dead man who could still walk. And yet, because the god wanted it, I became the Prophet. So, what happened in the end? Was I a bad Prophet?" he turned to the crowd and asked.
"What are you saying, my Lord? You founded the religion of Eternity and turned it into one of the greatest faiths in the world!" they all started answering, one after another.
Even the Paragons agreed with that much: the Prophet was without a doubt the greatest leader in the world today. A great man who managed to establish a faith and raise it to be one of the strongest and most respected religions.
All of them were here today only because of the Prophet. Even the Endurers and the Ashbound—while they might claim to follow their Paragons—only did so in name.
Their real leader was the Prophet. They would hunt even their own Paragons down without hesitation if the Prophet gave the order.
"Good. It seems the decision made by the great god Horvand wasn’t a mistake, and I was able to make him proud... Now, today, it’s my turn to make a decision." The Prophet smiled as he looked at their responses.
All of their words truly meant something to him.
But just before he could continue speaking, he noticed something and frowned, looking down at his feet.
He saw that they were slowly becoming translucent—like they were turning into particles of light.
’The ascension is beginning.’ He sighed and decided it was time to announce his successor.
"Many of you will probably be upset by my decision. Some of you may not want to follow it. But trust me—just as the god Horvand was sure of his choice back then, I am sure of mine today."
A sense of dread crept into the Paragons’ hearts. For some reason, they felt very uneasy, like something was about to happen that they definitely didn’t want.
The Prophet’s body grew more and more ethereal. The tips of his toes had already turned into light particles, and everyone noticed.
It wasn’t hard to tell—the Prophet’s ascension had begun. Tears started falling from many eyes.
"My successor is him." The Prophet pointed to Daniel, and suddenly, a magnificent aura surrounded him.
Everyone turned and looked at Daniel. But before they even had a chance to think, the Prophet continued.
"Anyone who considers me their Lord must also recognize him as their Lord. Anyone who goes against my word is a traitor to the faith and their actions will be deemed unforgivable."
"You may be upset or shocked by my decision. You might even think it’s a mistake. But soon, you’ll understand the truth—and realize that he will be an even greater leader than I was."