SHK CH 792

Sol gazed at Camelia with clear interest. He was almost of the mind to inspect her entire body to detect and understand what actually changed. But he did not want to waste her surprise. 

Camelia had always been one of the calmest and most serene women he knew. Even after losing her blessing and nearly dying, she was still able to act as if nothing was wrong. Then again, she had been ready to die for Sol for quite some time now. 

Back then, during the war, Camelia used God’s Descent. One of the two divine spells, alongside Holy Territory, was bestowed upon Supreme Daughters. If the Holy Territory was the ultimate shield, then God’s descent was the ultimate spear. A power that allowed a mortal to obtain the power of a god– for a price. 

Camelia used that power to its maximum potential, reaching a level nearly equivalent to that of a false god, all to fight Hypnos, and the price should have been her life and blessing. Sol helped her keep her life. But her Blessing was forever lost, and alongside it, her sight.

Since then, Camelia has simply been following in silence. Sol asked her many times if she wished to go through the same ritual Lilith did, but she constantly refused, saying that she had her own way and her own goal. 

It was only after following the threads of destiny and making sure that even if she followed her way, she would not be in danger of dying that he allowed her to do so. Saintess she might have been, but she was first and foremost a warrior with her own path and idea, and only by following her own truth could she truly become a powerhouse once again.

Hugging Camelia tightly against him while Nent looked from the side, he muttered gently. 

“Congratulations on advancing to Duke rank.” It felt strange to congratulate someone who once stood at the pinnacle of the Mortal Realm for such a meager achievement, but he knew that it was necessary to do so. 

“Thank you!” Camelia smiled brightly, but then shook her head. “This isn’t why I am so happy. From the moment my body was healed by the water of the world tree, becoming a Duke was a given. I already walked this path before.”

“So, what changed? A new truth?” He asked curiously. Sol never knew what Truth Camelia followed initially. 

In the path to power, a few steps were necessary when ascending to a new realm.

To become a Duke, one needed to find and determine the Truth from one's heart. This absolute Truth would be the foundation of their power. A Truth could change and evolve as time passed, and some powerhouses, like Tiamat, voluntarily destroyed their foundation to start from the beginning and create a new Truth.

As long as one was a Duke, changing Truth was easy. However, once one became a King rank, they could only change Truth by starting from the Duke rank once again.  

Of course, with the experience they had, climbing power would be easier, but breaking one foundation and starting from scratch was never an easy decision nor a small risk to take.

Camelia pulled Sol by his arm, a giddy smile spreading on her face as she thought about what she wished to reveal to Sol.

"Even better," Camelia said, her smile growing wider. "I found my new Truth. And more than that, I finally understand what I've been missing all this time. I realized a Concept "

Sol raised an eyebrow. "Interesting, will you show it to me?"

"Gladly. But not here." Camelia glanced down at the church below. "We need more space. Your dimension would be perfect."

"My dimension?" If Sol had been only mildly curious initially, now he was truly intrigued. “Very well, let’s go.”

"Oh, this sounds interesting," Nent said, floating closer. "Mind if I watch?"

"Please do," Camelia said. "I'd like witnesses for this."

Sol opened a portal to his dimension without further questions. The three of them stepped through, emerging in the colorful section that had grown so much over the past weeks. 

In the distance, Sol could sense Lilith and Wukong still deep in their meditation, constructing their territories. He made sure to position them far enough away to avoid disturbing the two.

"So," Sol said, turning to face Camelia. "What did you want to show me?"

Camelia's expression grew more serious, though the joy never left her face. "After I lost my sight, something changed. My ability to see souls evolved, most likely because it managed to gaze into something far too grand.” She gave Sol a look. 

Sol nodded. “Continue.” He knew that Camelia had a power truly similar to that of Isis and Anubis. The innate power to observe what should not be observed. 

"I've been watching you, Sol," Camelia continued. "Not the you that everyone else sees. The real you. Your true soul form."

Sol went still. He knew Camelia power but this still came as a surprise.  Very few people could perceive Deus, his true essence. Even fewer could look at it for extended periods without going mad from the sheer wrongness of what they witnessed. Not even a god managed to do so.

"You've been staring at Deus?" Sol asked carefully. His hearing was too sharp to have been mistaken but he still wanted to be sure.

"Every day since I lost my sight," Camelia confirmed. "At first, it was overwhelming. That form of yours—a giant angel of light with thousands of eyes. The embodiment of Balance between Beginning and End. It hurt to look at. But I kept looking anyway."

"That was dangerous," Sol said, frowning. "Deus isn't meant to be observed." Sol admitted it was strange speaking about his soul as if it was another individual. 

"I know. But I'm stubborn. Also I could feel no malice from it. Undoubtedly, even subconsciously, you did not wish to hurt me." Camelia's smile turned slightly sheepish. "And it paid off. By continuously watching Deus, I started to understand something. While Lilith gained insight into the End through observation. I gained insight into the Beginning."

Sol's eyes widened. That was... significant. "The Beginning?"

"Every story has a beginning," Camelia said, her voice taking on the cadence of someone reciting a fundamental truth. "People are not born equal. We can interfere in how our stories end, but no one can decide how their story starts."

She paused, and Sol saw something shift in her expression. A memory, perhaps.

"I was reminded of something," she continued softly. "When you were still in Blaze's womb. I saw your soul forming, watched it take shape. That moment of birth, of beginning—it's the most fair and most unfair moment in anyone's life."

"Because birth determines so much," Sol said, understanding where she was going.

"Exactly. Some people are born rich, others poor. Some strong, others weak. Some are born with blessings, others are cursed from the moment they draw breath." Camelia's blind eyes seemed to stare directly into Sol's soul. "This is Fate. This is reality. And my Truth is based on this unfairness.”

Camelia's smile turned sharp. "No one is born equal. So what I seek is a world where all this inequality benefits me."

The bluntness of it made Sol blink. Then he laughed. "That's remarkably honest."

"I learned from the best," Camelia said dryly. "You've never pretended to be selfless, Sol. Why should I?"

"Fair enough. So how does this Truth manifest?"

"Let me show you." Camelia took several steps back, creating distance between them. "I want you to defend yourself seriously. Don't hold back."

Sol glanced at Nent, who shrugged with an amused expression. Then he looked back at Camelia and nodded. "Alright. Whenever you're ready."

Camelia closed her blind eyes—an unnecessary gesture, since she didn't see through them anyway—and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, power exploded outward.

« Zone: Cradle of Inequality. »

The world shifted. Sol felt it immediately—a sphere of influence spreading out from Camelia, encompassing roughly fifty meters in all directions. Within this Zone, Sol could feel something analyzing him. Dissecting him. Not his current power, but something deeper.

His origin. His birth. His beginning. 

And then Camelia's power began to surge.

It wasn't gradual. It was like watching someone climb an entire rank in seconds. Duke rank, peak Duke, half-step King, and then—

King rank. But it did not stop there. Her power continued to grow, stronger, faster and it looked like she might even become a demigod or something more.

This was dangerous. Power had a price and a weight one needed to bear. 

Thanks to her years of experience, Camelia did not let panic overrule. She slowly guided the power into her body and let the surplus overflow. Trying to wield the power of a Demigod with the power of a Duke would be suicide unless one had a sturdy body comparable to a dragon.

She was but a frail woman.

When she finally took full control, Camelia stood before him, temporarily elevated to King rank, her power radiating with an intensity that made even Nent whistle appreciatively.

"Well," Nent said. "That's impressive." 

Sol stared at Camelia, his mind racing through the implications. "Your Zone analyzes the beginning of your enemies."

"Yes," Camelia confirmed, her voice echoing slightly with her enhanced power. "As you can see, the greater the disparity between my birth and my opponent's birth, the greater my power boost."

"And against me..."

"Against you?" Camelia laughed. "Sol, you were born as the son of the Hero King and the Queen of Lustburg. You have the blessing of multiple goddesses. You're a reincarnator from another world. You have the blood of dragons flowing through you. Your very birth was orchestrated by divine beings."

She spread her arms wide. "Compared to me—a girl born in poverty, blessed by chance, who clawed her way to power through determination alone—the disparity is astronomical."

Sol processed that. Then he processed it again. Then he started thinking about their future enemies.

Gods. Goddesses. Divine Beasts. Ancient beings who were literally born as demigods or higher.

"The stronger the enemy's birth circumstances," Sol said slowly, "the stronger you become."

"Exactly." Camelia's smile was triumphant. "Against normal opponents, my boost might be minimal or even non-existent. But against you? Against someone born with every advantage imaginable?"

"You become unimaginably stronger," Sol finished.

"Temporarily, yes. The Zone drains my stamina quickly at this level. I can maintain it for maybe five minutes before I collapse." Camelia's expression grew more serious. "But that's five minutes where I can fight without hesitation. Five minutes where I can hold my own against enemies far above my actual power level."

Sol's mind was already spinning with tactical applications. "And against gods?"

"Against actual gods?" Camelia's smile turned predatory. "I don't know yet. But I suspect the boost would be even greater. They were literally born as divine beings, after all. The disparity between us would be—"

"Massive," Nent interrupted, her eyes gleaming with interest. "Girl, you've created a god-killer technique."

"Maybe," Camelia said modestly. "I won't know until I test it. But theoretically, yes. The more privileged my opponent's birth, the more my Zone empowers me."

Sol ran a hand through his silver hair. This was... this was beyond Genius.

Sol was once again reminded how talented the members of the  group that followed his father were.

Be it Lilith, Theresa or Milaris, they all had their own madness. An obsession that pushed them to reach higher and higher.

Camelia was no different. 

"What are the limitations?" Sol asked the important question. “No blood sacrifice this time I hope?

"Of course there are some limitations. But not worry, I know how to take care of myself ," Camelia admitted. "Several, actually. First, the Zone is exhausting. The greater the boost, the faster my stamina depletes. Against you, I get five minutes. Against a god, I might get three."

"Second?"

"It only works if there's actually a disparity. Against someone born in similar or worse circumstances than me, the boost is minimal or nonexistent. Worse, it might even empower them first." Camelia shrugged. This was a calculated risk.

"If I fought another orphan who became a Duke through hard work, I'd just be fighting at my normal level."

"And third?"

"The Zone doesn't actually make me more skilled," Camelia said. "It just elevates my power level. If I fight someone who's a King rank with decades of experience, they'll still have better technique and tactics than me. The power boost helps, but it doesn't make me invincible."

Sol nodded slowly. Those were reasonable limitations. The power was still incredibly useful.

"How does it feel?" Sol asked. 

"Strange," Camelia admitted. "My body remembers being this strong, but my current foundation isn't quite ready for it. It's like... wearing armor that's slightly too big. It fits, but not perfectly."

"That will improve as you stabilize your Duke rank," Sol predicted. "And when you eventually become a King naturally, the boost will push you even higher."

"That's the plan." Camelia let her Zone dissipate, her power dropping back down to Duke rank. She swayed slightly, and Sol caught her before she could fall.

"Told you it was exhausting," she said with a tired smile.

"You did well," Sol said sincerely. 

"I know." Camelia leaned against him, catching her breath. "That's why I was so excited. For the first time since losing my blessing, I feel like I can actually contribute to the battles ahead. I won't just be dead weight."

"You were never dead weight," Sol said firmly.

"Maybe not. But I was definitely less useful than before." Camelia looked up at him with her blind eyes. "Now I have a path forward. A way to be strong again, on my own terms."

Nent floated down to join them, her expression thoughtful. "You know, this changes things significantly. We were worried about the church's lack of power without a Blessed. But if Camelia can fight at King rank when needed..."

"The church doesn't need a new Blessed," Sol finished. 

"Well," Camelia said, "we should still try to get a new Blessed eventually. My power has limitations, and having someone with divine backing would still be useful for the holy ground and other church functions."

"True," Sol agreed reluctantly.

He helped Camelia straighten up as her stamina slowly recovered.

"I'm proud of you," Sol said quietly. "Losing your blessing could have broken you. Instead, you found a new path. A stronger path."

Camelia's smile was radiant. "I had a good teacher. You never let setbacks stop you. Why should I?"

In the distance, Sol sensed a new presence approaching through his dimension. He turned to see Nefertiti flying toward them, her brown hair with hints of silver catching the ambient light.

"Sol!" Nefertiti called out as she approached. "I felt a surge of power and—" She stopped, looking between Sol, Camelia, and Nent. "What happened? Why is everyone smiling like that?"

"Camelia just showed us something amazing," Nent said with obvious pride.

"Really?" Nefertiti landed gracefully, her eyes bright with curiosity. She looked at Camelia. "What did you do?"

Camelia's smile turned mischievous. "Want to see? I think I've recovered enough for one more demonstration."

"Absolutely," Nefertiti said immediately.

Sol watched as Camelia prepared to activate her Zone again, this time with Nefertiti as the audience. He found himself thinking about the future—about the battles to come, the gods they would face, the impossible odds they would overcome.

And he smiled.

Because Camelia had just proven something important. 

Even the highest and strongest law could be twisted by the mind of a human. Not even Fate could escape this reality.

The road ahead would undoubtedly be dangerous. But not taking it was not an option.