Suspense was thrown out the window thereafter.
The Sanctuary forces slaughtered the remaining High Elders easily and exited the Dimensional Cage, joining the others in destroying the rest of the Tephit Clan, Lunaria was soon to finish her Baptism, which would add another wave of power to the already overpowering allied force, and the number of Tephit soldiers dwindled until even calling them a resistance was no longer possible.
The only people remaining on the Tephit Clan's side who could change the results of this war were Tephit himself and the two Great Elders, however, neither side seemed to have any intention of aiding the falling clan.
Raka and Tilis stood with Ria and Maximus, taking a break from their fight. While the two elders stood unscathed, both Maximus and Ria were covered in bruises and scratches from the previous altercation.
The only reason their injuries were so light was because Raka and Tilis never fought with the intent to kill. Instead, they refined the two Clan Heads' fighting styles until they were able to stand on their own even against the two elders themselves.
"…why did you join the Tephit Clan?" Ria asked during this moment of respite.
The question had bothered her for an incredibly long time, but she had resigned herself to never knowing the answer back then. Now, however, she wanted to know more than ever.
Raka and Tilis clearly weren't in the Tephit Clan to aid them or use them for protection. The former was disproven by their current attitude and the latter…neither of the two Great Elders needed anyone's protection.
Just based on the previous fight alone, these two were the strongest beings in Aquazyl.
Then, for what reason did they have to pick an affiliation?
Raka smiled lightly. "Why, you say? The flow of fate led us this far. The purpose of our existence has always been unknown, but perhaps…we've found some clues recently?"
He gave Tilis a knowing look as he spoke. Though he hadn't been there himself, he trusted Tilis absolutely when the latter claimed he found traces of 'that' thing in Aquazyl.
Tilis shook his head wryly. "Children, we are not so grand as you believe us to be. In the end, we are mere tools set to carry out the machinations of fate. If fate wishes for our deaths, that will be the day we die. For you to understand our reasoning, you must at least become stronger than anyone else in Aquazyl."
Maximus' eyes narrowed. "You…the two of you aren't mortals, are you?"
"Mortals? Everyone is mortal. Even the strongest being can die if he meets someone better than him." Raka replied.
Maximus shook his head in rebuttal. "You understand what I mean. Teachers…are you both Divinities?"
Tilis smiled curiously. "Oho? And what makes you think that?"
"You're so strong!" Ria immediately blurted out. "Even if we're much weaker than you, if you were 4th-class beings we'd at least be able to injure you! But even after taking a full-powered attack from me, you took no damage!"
Ria felt stupid when she said it out loud. Until Maximus voiced his thoughts, she didn't even consider the possibility of her two mentors being Divinities. But, thinking about it now, wouldn't everything make sense if they were?
The question remained, though: for what reason were these two incredibly powerful beings trapping themselves in Aquazyl? And what could possibly justify their actions?
"Well, I think the answer to that is pretty simple." A new voice appeared behind them.
This was naturally Damien, who had come down from the peak of the Tephit skyscraper with Tephit now that the ongoing events were reaching a close.
Their first stop was the Great Elders. This fight was the only one that hadn't been completed yet, after all.
Looking at Raka and Tilis, some of the final dots in his mind began to connect. When he met Tilis previously, he didn't have any surety about the latter's identity. Now, however, especially with the conclusions made by Maximus and Ria, his assumptions became more complete.
"I didn't think there would be something like this, but I guess it makes sense. I don't think anyone has enough trust in autonomous systems to just leave them operating such a massive project without supervisors." Damien said.
"Isn't that right, subordinates of the Sea God?"
It was a wild conjecture. It was a question that acted on the assumption that the two Great Elders had been alive for countless millions of years, existing from when the Sea God's reign was still true.
But to Damien, it only made sense. The lifespan of a Demigod was extremely long, but it didn't cross the threshold of one million years. To live for such an extensive period of time, the two Great Elders must've connected their very souls to Aquazyl's foundation.
Only, that would mean they became a part of Aquazyl. Leaving its premises became an impossibility for them.
What other individual would be willing to go so far besides the Sea God's own subordinates?
While Damien's guess was made after a good amount of analysis, Raka and Tilis were still shocked at how close he was to the truth.
The Sea God's subordinates…this title didn't fit them too perfectly. But their connection with the man who earned that grand godly title wasn't a small one. And…they did indeed know him during his lifetime. They weren't like the rest who only learned of his existence through legends.
They had existed in Aquazyl for so many years that it was surprising nobody else noticed. However, it made sense when they considered how secluded they lived their lives before the previous Prominence War.
Nevertheless, the fact that an outsider was able to piece together so many facts after staying in Aquazyl for a little less than a month was extremely surprising, almost to the point of rendering them speechless.
"You…are quite the interesting fellow," Raka said with a sigh of astonishment.
"Indeed, to think you would guess it so easily. It feels like keeping up the facade was just a joke." Tilis continued in the same tone.
They had a mission to complete in Aquazyl, and they'd stayed for so long to complete that mission. Although they weren't stupidly secretive about their identities, they never made it obvious who they were.
The facade they had kept for so many years was peeled away just like that, no less by a boy not older than 30.
It felt strange knowing that the final objective of their mission was possibly arriving in front of them.
"It's quite funny. We were given a list of conditions one needed to fulfill to perfectly pass the trial set in this realm, but you've completed almost all those conditions before even becoming aware of the trial. Tell me, boy: would you like to hear the truth of this world?" Tilis asked solemnly.
But rather than the answer he expected, Damien gave a stern refusal.
"That conversation can wait. The main event is almost over, you see."
As he spoke, a fountain of blood shot into the air many tens of kilometers away.
Lunaria had completed her Baptism, and upon her entrance…
The requirements for Tephit's sacrificial ritual were all met.
