In the tense silence of the carriage, the Supreme Leader's mind drifted back to the ancient history his master had once drilled into him.
Three hundred and fifty years ago, the world was nothing like this broken cage.
It was an era of supreme modern advancement. Highly advanced technology had been perfectly fused with the limitless potential of Shin-Noa. The humans of that age created terrifying weapons nuclear marvels integrated with sacred Shin-Noa energy each holding enough destructive force to completely obliterate the planet.
But absolute power breeds absolute arrogance.
Five hundred and fifty years ago, a dire prophecy was made. But two hundred years later, humanity completely forgot it. Drunk on their own supremacy, they grew blindingly proud. They believed they had no equals, completely ignoring the warnings of the prophecy and the existence of the Legendary Divine Spirits.
Petty disagreements grew into raging conflicts. Eventually, the trigger was pulled.
They turned their world-ending technology on each other.
The planet was shattered. The earth crumbled, the air turned to deadly poison, and the water became toxic. In the blink of an eye, the world became completely uninhabitable. Life was over.
But humanity was saved by the very entities they had ignored.
From the devastation, three of seven supreme beings stepped forward: The Legendary Divine Spirit Wolf (Shinro) the Lord of Dark and White, The Legendary Divine Spirit (Sa-Sabi) Scorpion, and The Legendary Divine Spirit Phoenix (-Ho).
Knowing the ancient prophecy, these three poured every single drop of their existence into one final, desperate act to save life. They erected a colossal Conditional Barrier.
It towered higher than the clouds. Light could pass through it, but absolutely nothing else no living creature, no toxic wind could enter or leave. They sealed off a specific area that had a low population but held every necessity for survival: oceans, mountains, rivers, deserts, and fertile lands.
But the price was devastating.
Despite pouring out all its power, The Legendary Divine Spirit (Sa-Sabi) Scorpion could not survive the strain and died completely The Legendary Divine Spirit Phoenix (-Ho), due to its eternal flames and rebirth ability, became permanently sealed within its own core, to revive again.
These Spirits do not possess physical bodies like ordinary creatures. When they die, or when they are sealed into a human through soul-binding, their physical presence vanishes, leaving only a massive, solid Core. The human who binds with this core is known as a Yorishiro.
When a Yorishiro binds with a Spirit, they inherit its soul, its blistering speed, and its terrifying power, instantly ascending to the transcendent X Rank. If the host is already an S Rank elite, they shatter the limits to reach X+ Rank.
These Spirit Cores are impossibly massive. No ordinary human can lift them. Even an SSS Rank warrior would struggle to inflict a single, tiny scratch on one. Yet, these cores can be melted and molded into legendary weapons a process that strictly requires X Rank power. While an S Rank elite cannot even lift such a weapon, a Yorishiro handles it as effortlessly as a light feather, because the Spirit's essence lives within them.
Of the three saviors, only one remained.
The Legendary Divine Spirit Wolf (Shinro) shifted into its original, absolute black form. Through its immense, unmatched rapid regeneration, it managed to sustain its existence and survive the apocalypse.
To understand the sheer scale of their sacrifice, one only had to look at modern power limits. A simple barrier is a massive struggle for an A Rank expert. Even an S Rank needs immense focus just to sustain a barrier for a few meters.
A Conditional Barrier that touches the clouds? Unfathomable.
Rumors whispered that perhaps the final surviving heirs of the Shizukami Clan or the Kaimetsuza Clan whose numbers had dwindled to merely one or two individuals might possess SSS Rank power due to their unique ocular abilities. But it was just a rumor. No one truly knew.
As the centuries bled by, humanity's gratitude rotted into resentment.
They forgot the Spirits' sacrifice. Over time, the environment outside the barrier looked clear, but the air and water were still highly toxic. Because of the barrier's strict condition it would not fall until the outside was completely habitable the humans felt trapped.
They blamed their saviors.
The Legendary Divine Spirit Wolf (Shinro), who had sacrificed everything, was now viewed as a symbol of terror. Betrayed and cursed by the very humans it had saved, the wolf grew to despise them, becoming a hostile entity. And no human could challenge it.
The world had weakened. The peak of humanity was now hard-capped at S Rank. Only 20% of the population, the Awakened, could even wield Shin-Noa.
Trapped, starving, and overcrowded, the world had only one hope left. They waited for the Saviour.
The ancient prophecy dictated that the Saviour would be born with power so absolute, it would shake every creature in the universe for a single moment.
But such power was a death sentence. There was a 99.99% certainty that the Saviour's mortal body would immediately shatter under the sheer force of his own energy. He would die within moments of being born.
However, in those fleeting seconds, his dying energy would wash over the globe. It would act as a universal purifier, cleansing the toxic air and poisoned waters of the outside world. It would breathe life into the dormant Shin-Noa resting inside the normal humans, awakening their power. A new era of Shin-Noa would begin, and the earth would be habitable once more.
Every word of the 550-year-old prophecy came true.
Two hundred years after it was spoken, humans destroyed the earth. Now, three hundred and fifty years later, humanity despised the Spirits, blind to the fact that their own ancestors caused the apocalypse.
Then, the moment arrived.
An unfathomable, universe-shaking surge of power pulsed across the globe. Everyone felt it. The message was clear: The Saviour was here.
And just as quickly, the immense pressure vanished.
To the world, the sudden silence meant only one thing: The Saviour had fulfilled his duty and sacrificed his life. The very moment he was born, the Conditional Barrier shattered.
Slowly, the remnants of the barrier were fading from the sky. The overcrowded, starving population inside the walls could finally breathe. The outside world, filled with hidden secrets and forgotten lands, was now open. Everything was about to change.
The world rejoiced, praising the dead Saviour. They were completely unaware of one terrifying truth.
No mortal vessel should have been able to contain that energy. Especially not a newborn child. It was impossible.
Yet... he was still alive.
And now, the future of this massive, expanding world rested entirely on the future decisions of a single, surviving infant.