As the evil gods were completely eradicated by the Sun God Ra's ultimate purification, the very foundation of their existence crumbled.
The violet-crimson energy stream that had sustained all evil creations, originating from the heart of the 'False God', dried up and dissipated instantly, like a severed bloodline.
Across the city, the mummified bishops who had been wandering like living corpses suddenly froze. In their hollow eye sockets, which were once filled with sinister energy, the last trace of violet-red light flickered violently, like a dying candle in the wind, before fading away with a soft puff.
Immediately afterwards, a silent disintegration began from within, starting from their shriveled fingertips. Their skin, flesh and bone rapidly carbonised and crumbled into black powder, like dry leaves thrown into a blazing fire. There were no screams or struggles, only drifting black ash.
Like dust scattered by the wind, it fell softly and dispersed, leaving no trace.
The believers who had been bewitched by the 'False Eye' and reduced to pawns of the evil god met an even more tragic fate.
When the evil god's consciousness completely vanished, the curses and contracts forcibly embedded in their souls also collapsed. But this collapse was not liberation; it was destruction. Their bodies seemed to be drained of all moisture and life force. Their skin shrivelled and cracked instantly, their eyeballs burst and they let out brief, shrill screams.
The next moment, their entire bodies ignited like paper effigies, erupting with violet-black flames from within. In an instant, they were reduced to ashes alongside the flames, annihilated completely.
All creations dependent on the evil god met their absolute and indiscriminate end at the moment of its death, whether high-ranking mummified bishops or lowly cultists. Throughout the city, black ash fell like death's snow, silently marking the end of an era. The shadow of the evil god and all its minions returned to nothingness.
When the last remnant of the evil god had dissipated in the golden flames of purification, all that remained between heaven and earth was pure sunlight and a fresh breeze.
The Sun God Clone, suspended in mid-air, began to descend slowly. Its body, formed entirely of pure light, resembled a radiant fusion of a pharaoh's crown and a sacred scarab breastplate, gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight.
Two eternally burning golden suns, its eyes, calmly gazed upon the earth. Its existence itself symbolized the return of order and life.
In this moment of utter silence and renewal, the resurrected Sun God's gaze fell upon a small figure at the edge of the ruins, carefully placing a fragment of the 'Eye of Ra' into a magic pouch.
That figure was Ian Prince.
Ra raised his hand slightly.
Without any spell or gesture, all the scattered fragments of the 'Eye of Ra' across the temple ruins rose into the air, each faintly glowing with golden-violet light as if drawn by an invisible force. Regardless of their size or location, whether buried deep in rubble or suspended among broken walls, they all flew towards the palm of the Sun God Clone.
A softly pulsating cluster of light formed in His hand, composed of dozens of irregular fragments. Golden and violet radiance intertwined within it, bearing both divine and sinister imprints.
Then, with a simple forward motion...
All the fragments flew towards the specially prepared lead box in Ian's hands.
"I will entrust these fragments to you, Ian Prince," Ra said gently, yet his voice was filled with authority. "Take it as a token of gratitude for helping me regain my freedom."
Ian carefully closed the box's lid, sensing the immense energy within, and replied sincerely, "Thank you for Your Majesty's gift. These fragments are indeed incredibly precious to me."
At that moment, he looked at his now bulging magic pouch and felt far stronger and more complete energy fluctuations coming from within it. His heart pounded wildly.
This wasn't just a 'reward.'
It was an invaluable treasure that helped to uncover the truth behind the 'origin of potions'! After all, all the Female Titan Claire needed was a single fragment of the Eye of Ra. The remaining fragments were of no use to her, meaning they all now belonged to Ian.
After a brief pause, Ian couldn't help but ask, "But I've been curious; why did Set-Apep try to replicate the Eye of Ra? Was it simply to steal your power?"
This was something Ian had yet to fully understand. The old man he had encountered outside the tavern, as well as others, seemed to be connected to the counterfeit Eye of Ra, as did those Ghost Brides.
"As for that," Ra replied, a profound glint flashing in His golden eyes, "it is actually quite simple. He studied replicas in order to better understand the essence of the original. Dreams and hope are the mortal emotions closest to the power of the Sun God. Because of this, I used them as a bridge to construct a pathway for stealing divine power. Then, by using the replicated Eye of Ra to harvest the dreams and hopes of mortals, he ultimately discovered a way to use the original to steal my power."
Clearly, this was something the evil god had been planning since its embryonic stage. Whether it had manipulated figures like the High Priest to assist in creating the replicas remained a secret lost to time.
After all, its believers and the church it had transformed were essentially parts of itself. When it was destroyed, everything connected to it was dragged into the abyss.
All suffered together.
Ian suddenly understood.
"So it first used the replicas for experiments, and after fully grasping the principles, it used the original to carry out the plan?" He couldn't help but acknowledge the evil god's cunning, even before the plan had been fully hatched.
"Exactly so." Ra nodded approvingly. "That being was indeed crafty. Unfortunately, it used its intelligence in the wrong way."
Ian stroked the lead box in his hands and sighed. "Fortunately, this is a happy ending for everyone. The evil god has been eliminated, and you have regained your freedom."
He finally let out a breath of relief. Clearly, the gods of ancient Egypt were very different from those of ancient Greece; they had not yet reached the decadent twilight of the gods.
At that moment, the Underworld King Osiris and the Goddess Isis stepped forward. Osiris's expression remained solemn.
"Although the evil god has been eradicated, some damage cannot be undone. We must return to the Underworld to care for the souls that cannot return to the human realm and find them a place of rest."
This was precisely why they had not fallen into decadence.
After all, unlike Zeus, they still remembered their duties and did not view humans as livestock. Isis added gently, "Many souls have suffered permanent damage under the evil god's corruption and require a long process of purification. As rulers of the Underworld, it is our responsibility to grant them final peace."
The Sun God nodded solemnly. "You are right. The cycle of life must be maintained, and the peace of the deceased is equally important."
Osiris and Isis exchanged a glance... no words were needed.
Osiris raised his hand, and the giant hand made of wailing souls tore through the void! A pitch-black spatial rift appeared out of thin air, its edges flickering with ghostly blue flames. Beyond it lay a deep Underworld passageway filled with swirling stardust and the shadows of wailing souls. Starlight gathered around Isis, forming a stable veil of light along the edges of the rift.
Ultimately, they did not look at the Sun God but instead turned their gaze towards Ian.
"Prince House has once again proven its worth," Osiris said. "May the boundary between life and death forever protect your bloodline."
Isis offered a gentle blessing: "May the light of life forever illuminate your path."
These were two blessings.
However, they could not truly be bestowed upon Ian.
The Sun God was not surprised by this, but the couple who had offered the blessings found it somewhat unexpected.
"It seems you are the different one among the princes."
An extremely faint and indescribable complex emotion flickered in Osiris's golden vertical pupils before finally turning into a brief yet solemn nod. Meanwhile, Isis gave Ian a faint but warm smile. Then, the two ancient gods turned and stepped into the deep spatial rift.
The rift slowly closed behind them, leaving only faint ripples in space and a barely audible whisper of wailing souls. Once again, only Ian and the Sun God Ra remained atop the ruins.
"So they're the cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside type, huh…" Ian thought, looking at the spot where the Underworld couple had vanished. He felt a surge of emotion.
He turned around to face the Sun God Clone, who radiated supreme authority and warm brilliance. Finally, he asked the question that had long lingered in his mind, one concerning the origin of his bloodline.
"Your Majesty, you mentioned earlier the contract between the Prince House and the Egyptian pantheon. Could you tell me more about my house?" He paused, trying to recall the vague legends about his house. "From the way you speak… it seems we have a deeper connection with ancient Egypt?"
He deliberately put on an expression as if he knew little about his family history.
And, in truth, that wasn't entirely false.
Ra did not doubt him.
The Sun God Ra's blazing golden eyes gazed at Ian as though seeing through his soul and perceiving the ancient mark flowing in his blood. His voice rang out again, bearing the weight of distant history.
"The Prince House was a lineage deeply favored by divine grace in ancient Egypt. For generations, you served as guardians of the Sun God's temple, mastering the arts of alchemy and potion-making, and were known as the 'Hands of the Sun'."
He smiled faintly.
"The specialty of your house lies in forging potions within the flames of the Sun itself. This talent originates from your contract with me."
Although Ian had already suspected as much, hearing this confirmation still left him deeply shocked. These were details of his house's history that he had never known before.
At Hogwarts, the Prince House was renowned for producing Potions Masters, with Professor Snape being one of the last inheritors. But Ian had never imagined that the House originated in ancient Egypt, let alone that it had been bound by contract as guardians of the Sun God.
"So I suppose…" Ian said thoughtfully. "So I suppose the Prince House later migrated from Egypt to Britain?"
He pondered this silently.
After all, it was entirely possible. Human history is a history of migration, and wizards are no exception. As eras changed and beliefs shifted, many ancient families chose to move to new lands as Egyptian civilization declined. Perhaps the Prince House carried its contract with the Sun to foreign soil, continuing its bloodline and duty there.
Lost in thought, Ian, the Sun God suddenly asked, "Since you're here, would you like to meet the Princes of this era? They currently hold important positions within the Temple of the Sun God."
Ian was momentarily stunned as he grasped the deeper meaning of Ra's words. "Your Majesty… you know I don't belong to this era?"
A mysterious wisdom lingered in Ra's smile. "At first, I wasn't certain. But now, I can clearly sense that you don't belong in this time. The threads of time wind around you differently, like an embroidered pattern that has been stitched incorrectly into the fabric of spacetime. Even for gods, this is difficult to perceive."
"I just happen not to be an ordinary god."
He added jokingly.
Hearing this, Ian thought of his own absurd experiences and couldn't help but smile bitterly. "To be honest, I only arrived in this era by chance, and I just happened to run into this disaster.'
For Ian, traveling constantly through history was far from an exciting adventure. He much preferred the days when he could do as he pleased at Hogwarts.
But fate had other plans, there was no point in complaining.
Seeing Ian's expression, Ra's gaze deepened.
"In the world of magic, there are no coincidences, Ian Prince. The flow of time and the meeting of destinies all carry deeper meaning. Your appearance here may well be the choice of time itself."
Such an existence would speak in riddles; it was to be expected.
Ian was about to ask more questions when suddenly a commotion arose in the distance. Priestess Karina was leading a large group of survivors towards them. Their faces were filled with joy at having survived the catastrophe and with deep reverence for the divine.
"Lord Ra! Lord Ra has returned to the human realm!" Karina exclaimed, kneeling to the ground. The people behind her followed her example, and the entire scene became solemn and reverent.
The Sun God turned towards his people, radiating warm divine light as he began to soothe the frightened faithful, heal the injured, and purify the corrupted land.
Amid this sacred yet bustling scene, Ian quietly stepped aside.
The evil god had been destroyed and the city was recovering. He had obtained what he had sought in this era: not only fragments of the Eye of Ra, but also invaluable knowledge about the origins of his house.
It was time to leave this era behind.
Ian Prince silently withdrew from the crowd. While everyone was focused on worshipping the Sun God, Ra, he moved quietly through the ruined streets and arrived behind a half-collapsed pyramid. It was relatively hidden, far from prying eyes, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through cracks in the stone.
Taking a deep breath, he removed an apparently ordinary silver ring from his finger. Its surface was engraved with fine runes that glowed faintly in the sunlight.
This was the portable time machine that he had obtained from the Female Titan, Claire, disguised as an ordinary ring and revealing its true form only when needed.
"Restore," he softly chanted, tossing the ring onto the ground in front of him.
The ring began to transform in mid-air, unfolding and reassembling like a blooming metal flower.
Streams of silver light emerged and a device resembling Doraemon's time machine gradually took shape, a domed cabin with a red seat and a control panel filled with blinking buttons and instruments.
Ian cast one final glance at the city, which was now reviving.
In the distance, Sun God Ra was performing miracles. Wherever the golden light reached, buildings and land corrupted by the evil god were restored to their original state.
The survivors knelt on the ground, their faces filled with hope and devotion. Priestess Karina led the faithful in chanting ancient hymns to praise the rebirth of the Sun.
Though the city was scarred, life had begun to sprout from the ruins. The Nile ran clear again, plants along its banks sprouted new shoots, and the air felt fresh once more.
This was a city that had suffered devastation, yet was healing... a civilisation welcoming dawn after enduring darkness.
"A truly unique era…" Ian murmured softly as he opened the hatch of the time machine and stepped inside.
Just as he was about to activate it, a beam of golden light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping the entire machine. Startled, Ian looked up to see Sun God Ra in the distance, giving him a slight nod. In those golden eyes was understanding, and blessing.
"Thank you for your help, traveler of time and executor of destiny," Ra's voice echoed directly in his mind. "May the Sun forever guide your path."
This, too, was a blessing.
Unlike the one from the Underworld couple… This one took effect.
(End of Chapter)
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