Daniel’s question hung in the heavy silence of the Celestial Temple.
"What exactly did you see that makes you want to destroy that fruit?"
No one answered. In fact, Ragnar, Seraphina, and the other council members also looked at the Divine Prophet with curiosity.
They only knew a few rumors and legends about the tree, and some of the prophet’s own words. But that was all. Even they did not know exactly why the tree had to be destroyed.
And why that tree was a disaster for this world.
And was that tree really important enough to face this monster for? And why was this monster protecting that tree anyway?
They no longer had the confidence to face this monster alone.
All the beings present knew instinctively.
If that being decided to do so, this temple, this council, and perhaps even this part of the sky... could disappear in a few moments.
And this reality was heavier than any open threat. Elisara looked directly into Daniel’s golden eyes for a few seconds.
And at that moment, for the first time in her endless centuries of life, she felt that the future in front of her was not stable.
No... the future was breaking. Thousands of invisible lines of prophecy appeared within her sight.
Countless futures. Some bright, some dark, some covered in blood and ruin.
But every time the lines reached Daniel, they went dark. Some stopped suddenly. Some shattered like glass.
And some turned into something that even Elisara’s mind could not understand.
For the second time, she could not read a being’s future. And this truth was more terrifying than death itself.
"You... do not exist inside the future." Her lips moved quietly and said.
For a being like Elisara, it was impossible not to see the future. This was an ability she had had since after her death. This was a skill the gods themselves had given her.
She had seen the fall of empires. She had seen the death of celestial stars. She had seen the end of civilizations that had not even been born yet.
But now, a being stood before her that seemed to not be part of the world’s system at all.
"If you want to stay alive, you had better answer my question." Daniel did not react. He just looked at her quietly. And this calmness made the pressure inside the hall even heavier.
"Every time I look at the future of that fruit..." Elisara continued slowly.
"...the future stops."
Suddenly the silver runes around her lit up. Vague images formed in the air.
A dark continent. A split sky. White roots that had emerged from the earth and covered the whole world like massive veins.
Silent oceans. Empty cities. And then nothing.
The images suddenly faded. This was the end of the concept of the future itself. This was the reason she feared that fruit. Feared that tree.
Because she could not see the birth of that tree, nor could she see any future for the world while that tree existed.
Even some council members forgot to breathe unconsciously. Because what they had seen was not merely the destruction of the world. It was something much worse.
A world that had no "next." No tomorrow. No destiny.
So this was what the Divine Prophet had been seeing and enduring all this time? This was the future of the world?
Kairos was the first to try to break the silence. The old mage stepped forward, and hundreds of calculation runes appeared around him.
"Perhaps that fruit is some kind of extra-dimensional being..."
"No." But before he could finish his sentence, Seraphina said quietly.
All eyes turned to her. The Lady of Thousand Laws stared at Daniel for a few seconds.
"The laws around that tree cannot be analyzed. Whatever that tree is, it must contain something above law."
That one sentence was enough to make the hall’s atmosphere colder. Because if even Seraphina could not read the laws of that thing...
"You are smart. To some extent, you have actually understood the origin of that tree." Daniel looked at Seraphina with a smile. This woman was right.
That tree was not formed from law, but from divine power, which is a form higher than law. Unfortunately, it seemed no one in this world knew what divine power was.
Otherwise, they would not be trying to destroy that tree.
"Why do you want to destroy the continent?" The Divine Prophet suddenly asked.
She had become sure that the reason there was no future for this world was this man. Perhaps everything had been set in motion like dominoes from the beginning to force this man to destroy the continent.
"It could destroy the continent, but it will not." Serius suddenly said before Daniel could answer.
Then his gaze fell on Daniel, as if he was trying to read his thoughts through his eyes.
"I have watched your behavior and actions again and again, and I have reached only one conclusion. You do not care about this world at all. It is as if in your view, it is not even real. Only that tree matters to you."
This sentence made the faces of those present change again. Every word being exchanged was a surprise.
And everything was happening so fast that they did not even realize what was going on.
For the first time, Daniel’s gaze changed slightly. Then he looked at Serius with an amused look. This boy might be as interesting as the Divine Prophet.
"The first day I saw you, I thought you might become one of the greatest threats. But I thought to myself, would anything truly be a threat to me? So I left you alone."
"So how about you continue to act like you will not be a threat? Otherwise, I might change my mind and kill you."
Serius suddenly felt a coldness in his spine. Every single cell of his body trembled with fear. He pulled himself back and fell silent.
"So you cannot see the future after its birth?" Then Daniel looked at the Divine Prophet and asked.
His voice was calm, but the invisible pressure that came with it made the rivers of light in the hall stop for a moment.
"...I see nothing." Elisara answered quietly as well.
Not darkness, not death. Absolutely nothing. As if after that point, there was nothing left to be seen.
"So this is what made you think that tree is a disaster and must be destroyed?" Daniel found it amusing. This woman might be one of the dumbest people he had ever seen.
The Divine Prophet said nothing. She remained silent. But her silence revealed everything. She had really decided based on this.
"I thought you were in contact with the gods, and those gods told you this."
"After the appearance of that monster that destroyed two continents, I have not been able to speak with the gods." Elisara thought for a moment and then answered.
This did not shock the council members because they already knew about this. They had just decided to hide it from the world so as not to cause fear among the people.
"So this world is being destroyed because of your foolishness?" Daniel laughed loudly, full of mockery.
The Divine Prophet frowned, as if she did not understand what this monster meant.
But before Daniel could say anything more, he suddenly felt something. His gaze left the council and looked toward the ruined land... toward the tree.
It was very brief. But the others noticed this.
The fruit was being completed! In fact, only one piece of its skin remained. After that, it would be complete.
But this moment was enough for Ragnar to step forward. The sound of his step was like a massive blade hitting the world.
Space around him split. Thin black lines opened in the air and then healed with difficulty.
He looked at Daniel for a few seconds.
"So you are not the real problem. The thing you are giving birth to is. And I will not let that happen." He then said quietly.
Even Ragnar had felt something beyond just an enemy. He was not afraid of Daniel. Ragnar had forgotten fear centuries ago.
But now, he was afraid of something that even the future could not see.
The pressure inside the temple suddenly changed. Ragnar took another step forward, and his massive sword slowly rose.
And at that moment, space around him split.
Daniel also looked at him quietly. The Law of Eternity unconsciously flowed around his body.
Time slowed down for a moment. The massive pillars of the temple cracked.
If these two truly fought, the Celestial Temple would probably be destroyed in a few seconds.
But they could not let Ragnar fight alone. Because they were not sure he could defeat this monster by himself.
So all of them would attack this monster at the same time to make sure he died!