I Became the Guild Leader in Exile

113 – 8# Pillar Conquest (1)

Thanks to the gods’ active intervention, many more people survived compared to the original work. Moreover, those who had received Isaac’s warning had already prepared for a counterattack.

What does that mean? It means they could counterattack the Prophecy of the End. Isaac didn’t hesitate any longer. Since the Prophecy of the End had arrived, he would fight to win.

If asked about their chances of winning, Isaac could only reply, “I’m not sure.” This time, the gods were actively helping, but their opponent was the formidable Prophecy of the End.

“‘I’m sure I’ll win somehow.'”

From the beginning, the main character, Zieg, had to make enormous sacrifices to finally defeat the prophecy’s true form. Of course, he lived happily ever after with the surviving heroine.

In the end, Gideon and the Law Country were destroyed, and most of Zieg’s close friends were killed. It was hard to call it a perfect happy ending. So, here’s a question.

Can you really do what Zieg did? It’s a question that arises unconsciously. Can I say that my choices so far have been the best?

“Of course, I can.”

Isaac confidently replied, suppressing the doubts rising in his mind. He had no regrets about his past choices. If he went back, he would make the same choices again.

Isaac is, after all, human. Sometimes he questions his own choices and has doubts. But every time, he takes a bold step forward. That’s also my choice.

“Master, everything is ready.”

Zieg, who usually doesn’t show emotions, bowed his head to the Master and spoke. Isaac nodded and walked away. Everyone was already gathered.

“What’s the current situation?”

“We’ve succeeded in getting the cooperation of the countries.”

“All countries are following Gideon’s command.”

Following Gideon’s command means, in other words, passing the buck. But what can you do when the apocalypse suddenly falls from the sky? Who can respond calmly?

But that’s just a way of saying they’re pushing all the responsibility onto Isaac. What a great excuse. Are they trying to alleviate their guilt a little?

Of course, not everyone had such intentions. There were those who handed over command to the Master, persuaded by Cain’s words and information. But such countries were in the minority.

“I feel an enormous burden weighing on me.”

“Same here.”

“Calm down.”

Naturally, the guild members were also feeling the weight. It was only natural, since the fate of the world rested in their hands. Isaac, who had noticed this, spoke up.

“We can definitely win.”

It may seem like an empty boast, but Isaac’s words carried power. He had never gone back on his word, no matter how difficult the situation.

“Yeah, if the Master says so, that’s it.”

“I believed in you from the beginning, Master.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“What’s with this guy?”

Diego and Zieg began to bicker again, familiarly. But the guild members gained confidence from their usual behavior. Yeah, if they acted like usual, they could win.

“Then let’s execute the plan right away.”

There was no more reason to hesitate.

* * *

The Prophecy of the End.

The thing that’s been said many times is like a great power. It’s like the combination of Greek and Roman mythology and Norse mythology. The monsters from the myths have merged into an end-time force.

Just like the monsters in the myths hate the world created by the gods, the end-time force in the prophecy also hates this world created by the gods.

It’s fortunate that we avoided the worst-case scenario. If we had followed the original story, Loki’s children would have become our enemies. Considering how easily they could have blocked the Law Country’s military…

We almost gave the end-time force, which is already extremely powerful, even more powerful monsters. Especially Loki’s children, who are capable of retiring Odin and Thor, the strongest forces in Norse mythology.

“It’s a problem that Thor isn’t here, but it’s fortunate that the Law Country is safe.”

Thor was defeated by Odin and left his powers to Isaac. Thanks to that, Thor has returned to the divine realm. Since he left his powers to Isaac, he can’t help us now.

It’s comforting that the Law Country is relatively unscathed, unlike in the original story. And finally, the end-time force’s attack has ended. Of course, this is only temporary.

Because they hate the gods. The end-time force is extremely sensitive to the gods’ actions. They must have realized that they can’t kill humans with this level of attack.

“Let’s counterattack in the meantime.”

In reality, we need to prepare before attacking. Fortunately, Isaac has unique knowledge from the original story. According to that knowledge, the three pillars support the end of the world.

If we destroy those pillars, the power of the Goddess of Destruction will weaken, and she will reveal herself in this world. Then, we can defeat her. It sounds easy when said, but it’s hell when done directly.

It’s not easy to destroy three pillars at once. Considering that Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel had protected one of the three pillars in the original story, the answer is already clear.

At least Loki’s children have completely transformed into Gideon, which is fortunate. However, there will be monsters as strong as them guarding the pillars. Therefore, we need to disperse our forces properly.

“Loki, can I entrust one pillar to you?”

“Of course.”

“That’s a must.”

“Are we going to fight again?”

“This might be the last fight.”

“Let’s have a meal at the dessert shop after the fight ends.”

Why are they talking about death flags before the fight even starts? It’s unsettling. Isaac, who was hesitant for a moment, knew that not assigning tasks would result in a significant loss of power.

Originally, Loki and the children were stronger than the current Law Country. Wasting their power would be a loss. Moreover, unlike in the original story, Loki is directly participating this time.

Loki, the 2nd-ranked Paladin, possesses combat power comparable to Thor’s. Although his power is inferior to Thor’s, he has cunning and strategy that Thor lacks.

“And I’ll entrust one more pillar to the Creta Guild and Amazoness.”

Asterios of the Creta Guild and Tipalte of Amazoness possess combat power equal to Isaac’s. Furthermore, their members are extremely strong individually.

If the two guilds cooperate, they can easily destroy one pillar. Then, we can focus all our remaining power on one pillar. Law Country, and other countries will do the same.

“It’s a total war, just as you said.”

“If the pillar falls, the path will open. We’ll take care of the Goddess of Destruction then.”

“The Goddess of Destruction…”

“Yes, if we fail, everyone will die.”

The Goddess of Destruction is a monstrous being that combines the strongest points of various mythological creatures. At least there’s hope, since in the original story, only the protagonist Zieg alone fought against the goddess.

This time, there’s a reliable force backing Zieg up.

And 15 hours after the prophecy of destruction began, the pillar-destroying operation started faster than expected. Loki and the children were the first to reach the pillar.

“Is that the pillar over there?”

“It’s true, just like Isaac said, the pillar exists.”

‘Did they know about the pillar’s existence too?’

Although they were familiar with the prophecy of destruction, they had never heard about the Goddess of Destruction and the pillars. Only Odin, who knew the prophecy, didn’t tell anyone.

Loki himself didn’t want to know, even if it meant bowing down to Odin, who had taken away his children. He wanted to find out by any means, relying solely on his own power.

In that sense, curiosity arose. How did Isaac Silvertein find out about the prophecy of destruction? Did he hear some story from his patron deity, Zeus?

“Thinking about it now won’t have any meaning.”

Now, we need to focus on the present. To have a dessert party with my beloved children. Loki looked up. The massive pillar came into view.

It was a pillar that shone with a ominous, blood-red light, as if it was supporting the sky. The peculiar thing was that it was on fire.

Suddenly, flames erupted from the pillar, flowing down like lava. Then, it took the form of a giant. Loki furrowed his brow. Did they expect that to appear?

“Father, do you know anything about that?”

“I’ve finished investigating all the demonic beasts.”

Loki had prepared for all possibilities, including the demonic beasts that existed or would appear. Even the smallest rumors or legends were stored in his mind.

Thanks to that, Loki immediately recognized the creature’s true identity.

The executioner of the world’s destruction, the punisher of flames.

The fire giant, Surt.