The Solution

Convinced that this try should finally grace him with success, Theodore's goal changed from mere survival and overcoming this obstacle, to putting on a sufficiently good performance for those who had been spying on him whenever he came to the Sybillans' world.

Right after his arrival, he 'just so happened' to notice the young boy, Rhain, standing at the side, but paid him not too much mind, other than raising an eyebrow at the quality of his drawn design. This was when the threat from beyond made itself known, causing his expression to harden and pale a little.

As if suddenly having experienced a flash of inspiration, he turned his head and scrutinized the child's best work, then nodded at him in gratitude and realization. Fashioning a gadget similar to what Rhain had conceptualized out of Eternal Ice, he secretly swapped it with the one he and Faavi had created before coming to this new part of the event venue.

To protect those around him, he charged straight into the heavens, intending to meet the grey beam of light head-on. Right before it finally reached him, and would have heralded the destruction of the Sybillans and his people, he angled the PLID in his hand just right to catch the beam within it, trapping it in an endless loop of refractions upon refractions.

Despite how casual he made it seem, he actually felt a not insignificant strain during this process, as he was forced to constantly feed a considerable amount of Energy into the device to mend the small parts that were getting damaged.

'Good, it's resilient enough! I can keep this up endlessly, if necessary. But eventually, this ray should also run out of power, so I'll just need to be patient for however long it will take.'

The corners of his mouth rose, a somewhat dangerous smile gracing his lips. In the future, he was certain to find out who had attacked him in this manner–and once he knew their identity, he was resolved to hunt them down, if at all possible.

'But enough of that. My guests–or rather, the rulers of the world currently hosting me–are about to arrive.'

Making use of one of the features of his improved PLID design, he caused it to shrink until it could snugly fit inside his palm. Holding it within casually, he made no effort to hide the aura of the deathly beam that was constantly emanating from within. Even an idiot would be able to tell that the danger hadn't passed–it had merely been contained, and was now under his direct control. If he failed to continue doing as he was, or the gadget was damaged, then doomsday would descend once more!

"Thank you, young man, for saving us–we're in your debt! I'm the Prime Magistrate of the Sybillan Republic, Nye Owain. It's an honour to make your acquaintance!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, a group of four appeared right next to Theodore, albeit a short distance away so as to not cause any misunderstandings. To an outside observer, it seemed as if they had teleported, but in his eyes, they had simply moved rather quickly.

The one who had just spoken was the person who was leading these four at the front, a relatively amiable-looking middle-aged man with short, orange-red hair. Like everyone who had trod as far on the path of cultivation as they had, his physical features were outstanding, although he had somehow managed to grow a little bit chubby. It was very well-hidden and likely wouldn't be detected by the masses, but an air of sleaziness accompanied his every action.

'They're all at the Advanced Ascension Stage, with two of them having reached its extreme peak. They cannot break through any further simply because this world's Energy concentration isn't sufficient enough.'

The Advanced Ascension Stage was the one four cultivation stages after the Holos Acclimation Stage, meaning that to regular Heaven's Chosen, these powerhouses were impossible to contend with. But Theodore's ridiculous Standard Attributes made that a complete non-issue. Even his weakest Subordinate could beat any of those who had appeared before him in a purely physical confrontation.

'What is wrong with this brat?! How come the Energy emanating from him is so absurdly dense and overwhelming? And why is it that a mere Dawning Numen Stage cultivator is causing me so much fear?'

Not letting his distress show on his face, Nye carefully scrutinized the unknown visitor in front of him. Not only had he overturned the result of the Doomsday Prophecy somehow, but even those other small fries that were accompanying him felt quite threatening.

'Our own Heaven's Chosen cannot be compared to him–or to any of them, for that matter. Heck, even the difference between a firefly and a star is less extreme than this!'

Masking his distress with a welcoming smile, he patiently waited for the youngster to respond.

"You flatter me. I'm not some sort of saviour–I merely resolved a danger to myself. Your survival is simply a nice bonus. My name is Theodore Winter. It's a pleasure!"

Showing a bright smile of his own, Theodore nodded towards Nye and the others, three of the four feeling an inexplicable cold shiver run down their spines as a result. But considering that he was still holding that destructive force in his hands, they chalked it up to the ray of light.

Only the last person was different. Ever since they had arrived, she had slightly distanced herself from the rest, evidently not belonging to the same camp. Clad in a long, dress-like white robe that resembled those of an ancient priestess, her black curly hair framed a rather youthful, dreamy face. It was quite a shame that she constantly wore a white blindfold with golden, gorgeous embroidery, making it impossible to see her eyes.

Noticing his gaze curiously peering at his three 'companions', Nye got the hint and quickly proceeded to make some more introductions.

"Mr. Winter, these three are Griffith Llewellyn and Taliesin Prydudd–both of them Magistrates–and Cristyn Reese, an Oracle of our people."

Recalling something vital, his expression suddenly shifted, turning a bit cautious. Glancing at the PLID that Theodore was holding, he continued.

"By the way–and I mean no disrespect–is that contraption going to endure? Please understand, I cannot help but be worried. Our entire civilization was supposed to be destroyed by this light... The current situation simply feels surreal."

Raising the device in his hands a little and shifting its position, so that the other four could more clearly sense the Energy that he was constantly injecting into it, Theodore showed a reassuring smile.

"As you can see, as long as I continue on like this, nothing will happen. And yes, I do have enough Energy at my disposal to outlast this threat. But... I do have a small request which I'd like you to consider."

Being a veteran of the political landscape, Nye immediately understood what he was getting at. He had long known that someone capable of resolving this peril wouldn't be easy to deal with–there would be a price to pay for their salvation. And just now, Theodore had pointed out that if he ever changed his mind about restraining this light... then it would all be over for them. He clearly had the upper hand in this situation, and all that they could do was to placate him as much as they could.

"Please speak! If it's within our power, then we'll be happy to help out."

As if a tad embarrassed, Theodore scratched his cheek with his free hand.

"You're surely aware of the exact rules of the second round of the Heavenly Succession, right? I do need to teach plenty of Students... and there's a whole civilization here. Would it be alright if my Subordinates and I shared our wisdom with the people of the Sybillan Republic? I'll need to stay in this world for a while to fully get rid of this danger anyway, therefore we might as well use the time productively."

It sounded like a perfect win-win partnership on the surface, a truly kind offer. Still, how could the four seasoned experts possibly not notice that his last claim was absolute bogus? Why would he need to stay in their home to eventually eradicate that ray? Clearly, he was just fishing for benefits, intending to amass some points for the competition. Still, that didn't mean that it was a detrimental arrangement for them.

"... it would be our honour! Please allow us to prepare a suitable residence for you and make some arrangements. We also still need to share the great news of having overcome doomsday with the populace! In the meantime... Lady Reese, how about you stay by Mr. Winter's side? I'm sure he'll have many questions to ask."

Narrowing his eyes a little, Nye beamed brightly, radiating kindness and hospitality. Naturally, his real motivations were very different from what he had stated on the surface.

Ever since the founding of the Sybillan Republic, power and authority had always been equally shared between the Oracles and the government. As the one with complete command over the latter half, the death of the Lead Oracle and most others like her had long since filled him with excitement and anticipation.

Cristyn was the last surviving Oracle–but he couldn't outright kill her, for one simple reason: He was too weak to do so without being detected by her in advance. Whether or not she lived didn't matter to him–there would always be new generations of Oracles growing up eventually. Still, his hold over the populace and the very few virtuous politicians could be impacted if she informed the public about his plans to eliminate her.

That was why he had never seriously considered that thought to begin with–after all, as soon as he schemed to do so, his future actions could be detected by her. She was already in a powerless situation, facing the entire government all on her lonesome–he could simply slowly change the balance of the scales for 'good reasons'.

Theodore's arrival was an absolute godsend. Not only could Nye continue to live, but he could also push Cristyn into his arms! Judging by the outstanding women amongst the ranks of the visitor's Subordinates, he wouldn't be averse to indulgences of the flesh. As long as Theodore could keep that darn Oracle busy–or even take her away with him–nothing more would stand in his way!

Although discontent was written all over her face, as she fully understood what kind of person Nye was and what he had planned for her, Cristyn at least on the surface had no reason to object. Therefore, she gave a short nod, watching the other three bid their temporary farewells in silence.

"... regardless of the circumstances of our encounter, it's nice to meet you, Lady Reese."

If she could glimpse the truth, how could Theodore not? If it wasn't for the fact that he did indeed need to waste a lot of Energy right now and didn't have a full picture of this world and its surroundings yet, then he would have eliminated those three scumbags on the spot.

No matter which civilization it was, those at the utmost top–particularly politicians–were almost always unbelievably corrupt and outright 'evil'. In other words, they were perfect prey for him. Eventually, the Sybillan Republic would experience a thorough cleansing by his hands, that was for sure.

As for the one who had been tossed his way, he would be blind if he couldn't tell that there was a deep rift between her and the rotten parts of her people. This alone didn't necessarily mean that she wasn't cut from the same cloth, but it was honestly far too easy to tell what her true character was–especially for an 'old monster' like him.

Therefore, there was no need to antagonize her at all–or to look the gift horse in the mouth.