The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 695- The Man Not Chosen By the Gods (3)
Previously on The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World...
The same eyes, the same features, the same person. There was no mistake.
The knight who stood before the Seven Gods, the knight who fought five mysterious enemies, the knight whom three goddesses defied divine law to save, the knight whose soul crossed worlds, the soul who lived on Earth, and the man now known as Reinhardt... they were all the same person.
Silence engulfed the vision. For a long moment, Reinhardt simply stared, unable to process what he had just learned.
More and more questions flooded his mind.
If he truly was that knight, what exactly had happened in that ancient era? What were the traitors he swore to kill?
Who were the five figures he fought? And why had the three goddesses gone to such lengths just to bring him back?
Reinhardt’s mind was in turmoil. The revelations had come one after another with barely any time for him to process them. Any one of those truths would have been enough to shake an ordinary person.
Thankfully, Reinhardt had an arsenal of Divine Traits to rely on. [Lord of Divine Wrath’s Indomitable Spirit], [Timeless Ascendancy], [Unyielding Presence], [Boundless Will]...
They all stabilized his out of control thoughts and mind, like a calm current flowing through a raging storm. The countless thoughts and emotions rapidly settled. His breathing steadied, and his mind regained clarity.
If the Seven Gods were showing him these memories, then there had to be a reason.
As if knowing what he was thinking, the answer soon revealed itself. The scene changed once more.
.
A vast hall appeared before him.
This one was different from the divine chamber he had seen before. At the far end of the hall stood seven figures, high up in the air.
The air fluctuated beneath their feet as if there was an invisible platform supporting them, and the divine aura covering their bodies obscured their appearance. They gave off a mysterious and profound presence.
The Seven Gods.
Reinhardt, now composed, took in everything around him. Beneath the Seven Gods stood hundreds of soldiers. Perhaps thousands. They all lined up in perfect formation.
The sight of so many soldiers gathered in one place was unlike anything Reinhardt had ever witnessed.
Some warriors wore gleaming armor and carried swords, spears, and shields. Others were equipped with advanced combat suits. They carried weapons that looked as though they belonged in a science fiction story.
Rifles of unknown design, floating drones, and other mechanisms beyond the understanding of the current era. He even saw some humans who had modified themselves and looked like cyborgs.
Arcane and technology, ancient and modern... everything blended seamlessly together here.
The scene was enough to give anyone from present-day Valdonia a culture shock.
Reinhardt carefully observed everything.
The atmosphere here was quite strange, and no, it was not due to the seemingly bizarre fusion of sci-fi and fantasy. It was due to the heavy yet hopeful atmosphere in the hall.
A great pressure lingered within it, as though everyone present understood that something significant was about to happen.
At the same time, excitement burned in their eyes. There was no fear, only determination. It was the look of people preparing to march toward a decisive battle.
Among the soldiers, Reinhardt also found him. The knight who resembled him. That was what he decided to call him for the moment.
Standing among the soldiers, clad in armor with his back straight, he held none of that immense presence of a warrior who had gone through a thousand battles and could support the world even if it fell.
At this moment, the knight who looked like Reinhardt was filled with a youthful aura and the presence of a young warrior who was about to participate in his first battle. Expectation, excitement, and slight nervousness were evident in those determined yet pure eyes.
Reinhardt looked at his ’other self’ before pulling his attention away.
As shocking as the sight of his own face among the warriors of ancient times was, what caught his attention was not that. There was something more shocking that drew his gaze.
Five individuals stood directly below the Seven Gods.
Unlike the soldiers, they occupied a special position, one of honor that was slightly above the other warriors but still below the Seven Gods.
Nonetheless, that was not what mattered most. What mattered was the aura each of these individuals exuded.
Monstrous... Each of these five individuals carried a power no less overwhelming than the Heroes of the present time. What’s more, their presence also carried a portion of the power of the Seven Gods.
To Reinhardt, it was obvious at a glance. They stood far above everyone else. Even among the countless elites gathered in the hall, these five were different.
Chosen Champions... that would be a more appropriate term to describe them.
As shocking and impactful as the presence of the five individuals was, it still was not the reason why Reinhardt was truly shocked.
Among the five standing below the gods, he intensely observed one.
A woman reflected in his eyes.
She was tall, elegant, and powerful. Long crimson hair flowed down her back. Her skin possessed a beautiful bronze hue kissed by the sun. Her features were sharp and regal. A pair of crimson eyes overlooked the hall with quiet authority.
She wore white and crimson ceremonial armor adorned with countless intricate symbols. Merely standing there made her appear like a queen born to rule.
No, not just appearing like one. She was a queen.
And that was precisely why Reinhardt’s eyes widened. He knew that face, her figure, her eyes... everything about her was strikingly similar to someone he knew.
That’s right, the woman standing among the five divine champions looked exactly like the current Queen of Solaris.
Make no mistake, it was no mere resemblance. They appeared to be the very same person.
Reinhardt’s pupils contracted. The Queen of Solaris was alive in the present era. Thousands of years after the fall of the Ancient Kingdom. Thousands of years after the age of the Seven Gods.
So why was her face appearing in a memory from that distant past?
At that moment, Reinhardt recalled a memory from a few years ago, when the capital of Solaris had been attacked.
At that time, the Queen had shown him her memories. Memories related to her conception and how her body came to house two souls.
At that time, he had clearly witnessed with his own eyes the woman who bore a striking resemblance to the Queen.
Could it be Minerva? The researcher who had been conducting some kind of forbidden research in that laboratory?
Before he could arrive at an answer, the woman slowly stepped forward beneath the gaze of the Seven Gods. And the entire hall fell silent.
"The Third Epoch War has drained our borders beyond measure. Valdonia burns on every front. The allied kingdoms that once stood beneath the Empire’s banner have fallen one after another"...
"We stand at a turning point. The allied kingdoms of the western territories have fallen. The northern fronts have suffered catastrophic losses. The Dragon Lords continue their advance. Every day, more land is lost."
The woman spoke with a calm voice. However, every word was sharp and deliberate, meant to cut through fear and fatigue alike. She wasn’t giving a speech. She was rallying the spirits of the warriors there to prepare them for what came next.
Reinhardt, who was observing everything, made his own deductions from every bit and piece of information he heard.
Third Epoch War... This meant that there was a significant time gap between the information he had learned from the diary and the memory that was being shown to him.
The diary ended with the prelude of the First Epoch War. That meant there had already been at least two complete cycles of global conflict since the era recorded in the ancient diary. Entire ages had passed in between, with new civilizations rising, collapsing, and reshaping the world.
As for the Empire, it continued to stand as a hegemon on the soil of Valdonia, fiercely battling the invading forces. It still continued to dominate before and after the First Epoch War.
The more Reinhardt listened, the more he was able to deduce the history and fill the gaps in the information about the Ancient Era he lacked.
The woman continued speaking, her tone unwavering as she addressed the gathered soldiers.
"In the last war, we lost two Arcanists on the frontlines."
At that title, a faint resonance passed through Reinhardt’s memory, the same name etched into those ancient texts.
Executors of divine authority. Warriors chosen by the Seven Gods themselves.
So these people were the Arcanists. And Minerva was one of them?
"After consultation with the High Council of the Empire... and the Seven Gods... a decision has been made. You will be evaluated as potential candidates for the position of Arcanist in the upcoming war."
That single sentence caused a ripple through the assembled ranks.