Perhaps his recent outburst made him feel less like a god, as the old man quickly calmed down and said, "Anyway, I've waited a thousand years, so no matter how urgent the situation is, it's not going to change in a moment. So let me tell you the whole story."
"After I established the kingdom, I protected its people for nearly a hundred years. Later, as I grew old, I worried that no one would be able to protect this land, so I began to travel the world, searching for a way to prolong my life."
"After a difficult and arduous search, I finally found something that could grant me eternal life near an island in the northeast, inhabited by the same race as this girl: the Bloodstone." The old man pointed to Hermione.
"Bloodstone?" Ryan and Hermione exchanged glances, both shaking their heads, indicating they had no idea. This was understandable, as most of the books they read were publicly available, and something of the Bloodstone's caliber wouldn't likely be recorded in such popular texts.
"You haven't heard of it either? No matter, it won't affect the rest of my story. My acquisition of the Bloodstone was an accident. At the time, I was resting on a small island north of that larger island. I saw a wizard, whose power I still find formidable even in retrospect, kill a giant blood-red octopus in the nearby sea. After the octopus died, I sensed that it contained what I needed. I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but I rushed forward in front of that wizard and snatched the blood-red stone that flew out of the octopus's body."
"The wizard probably thought I had stolen his trophy. He repeatedly told me that this blood-red object was evil and urged me to put it down. I ignored him, and he pursued me relentlessly. I finally escaped his chase on the mainland closest to that island, but he inflicted permanent damage upon me."
"Dragging my broken body back here, I used the Bloodstone to heal my wounds while building a kingdom truly belonging to a god. I used the Bloodstone's power to create a new world and moved my servants into it, using magical rituals to allow them to enjoy eternal life like me. From that moment on, I was a god."
Ryan felt the souls in his sea of consciousness growing even angrier at this point, but the self-proclaimed Blood God didn't notice his abnormality, still lost in his past memories.
"But what I never expected was that the Bloodstone had a mind of its own. As I utilized its energy, it would sometimes even manipulate me. The most significant instance was when it used the opportunity to control me to spread blood sacrifice magic and infiltrate my Blood God Cult, converting my followers into its own."
"Eventually, I discovered this, but by then, I had already become one with it. After a battle, my capital was destroyed, and both it and I were trapped here, suppressed by multiple seals."
"Unfortunately, the seals are not as eternal as we are. A few years ago, the Bloodstone even broke through the seal. Even though I managed to block it back in time, it still sent out a signal, summoning the descendants of the Blood God Cult. Unfortunately, my inheritors have become extinct; those now bearing this banner are the Bloodstone's pawns."
"Now, they are upstairs with another group of people, controlling a powerful weapon. Soon, that weapon will unleash its power and completely destroy the seals here. At that time, it will replace me as the Blood God and wreak havoc."
"So, child, I need your help to destroy that weapon. In return, I will impart all my lifelong knowledge to you."
Ryan didn't quite believe him. However, the weapon was very likely to be used to attack the school. So, letting them fight among themselves was a good idea. Thinking this, he asked the old man on the throne, "But there are many wizards up there, and I'm not yet an adult; I can't possibly defeat them."
"That's simple. You don't need to confront them directly. They are in the hall because that hall is the energy core of the temple, and they are drawing immense energy from it to charge the weapon."
"I didn't notice it earlier because I was in a deep slumber, and by the time I woke up, it was too late."
"Fortunately, I'm awake now. You are lucky to have entered my divine realm and gained this opportunity. If you can interrupt their ritual and make them stop for ten seconds, I can control the energy in the pyramid to eliminate them. Afterwards, you will receive the divine grace I bestow."
After speaking, the old man clapped the armrest of the throne, and a golden door appeared in the great hall. "Go through here, and you will leave my divine realm and appear in a secret passage next to that hall. The rest is up to you."
After passing through the golden door with Hermione and arriving in the secret passage, Hermione asked anxiously, "Do you think what that self-proclaimed Blood God said was true?"
"Most likely not," Ryan said. "But these Blood God Cult members aren't good people either. At least in terms of eliminating the Blood God Cult, we have the same objective."
After speaking, Ryan looked through the peephole at the people in the hall. Most of them were Blood God Cult members wearing blood-red robes, interspersed with members of the Chimera Society wearing robes of various colors.
At this moment, everyone in the hall was gathered, looking towards a platform at one end of the hall. Ryan could faintly hear voices coming from the platform:
"In half an hour, this powerful weapon will be fully charged. Then we will use it to destroy Castrop Academy and announce our rise to the whole world. From now on, we will once again live in the sunlight."
"Long live!" the people below cheered in various languages.
Ryan walked a few steps along the secret passage and switched to another peephole, finally seeing clearly what was on the platform:
A completely black, cylindrical object, over five meters high and over four meters in diameter, floated in the air, resembling a large church bell. Countless blood-red rays of light shot from the surrounding walls, connecting to this object, presumably charging it. At this moment, the bell vibrated rapidly, visibly, like a restrained beast.
When Ryan cast his gaze to the top of this object, the bronze anti-swastika symbol on it revealed its identity.
"The Doomsday Clock of Nazi Germany?! Does this really exist? What did Grindelwald do back then?"
Noticing Ryan's somewhat abnormal expression, Hermione leaned closer: "What's wrong? Do you need my help?"
"It's nothing," Ryan reassured Hermione, then continued. "Go hide in the innermost bunker. I'll take care of the rest very quickly."
Hermione also understood the situation at hand, nodded, and immediately ran to the innermost bunker to hide.
Ryan estimated the distance, then fumbled through his spatial pouch, muttering, "Good thing I brought a trump card, otherwise, I would never be able to handle these 30-plus people down there."
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