My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash and Hera) novel Chapter 2019

There was a voice, prompting the god to look over with interest.

At that moment, Val emerged from the pile of corpses, his entire body pulsing with runic power.

The god wanted to tease the old man more, so he flicked his finger toward him. For some reason, however, his hand moved away instead.

The god looked at his hand in astonishment.

Torah and Sven realized then what needed to be done. They both ran toward Val with all their might.

…

Earlier before the battle, everyone had been puzzled by Val’s words as they stood about in his office.

“What do you mean by 'the last few years'? What are you talking about, Val?” Torah asked.

Val looked up painfully and replied, “If we want to defeat the Illuminion with absolute power, we need one of my abilities—the Ancient God's Roar. This ability allows us to control the gods at the cost of burning my own life.”

“Control the gods?” Everyone was shocked.

"That's right. So if our plan goes smoothly, I'll perish along with the gods. Even if I somehow manage to survive, I'll have less than three years left to live. So, please, no matter what, help me in these final moments," Val requested, bowing deeply.

Everyone fell silent. At that moment, Jake stepped forward and said, "That's fine by me. Val was the one who gave me this life. If he asks me to die, I'll do it without hesitation."

Torah also expressed his agreement.

Torah then carried Val and rushed before him.

"Die!" Val commanded, and the god began to crumble amidst groans of agony.

With that, the Savior Project was complete.

Torah brought Val back to the ground as the runes on his body began to fade. "I'm sorry, Torah. I might have to break my promise,” Val muttered weakly.

"What is it?" Torah asked, choking back tears.

"My time is almost up. I'm sorry, I lied to you all. There's actually no way for me to survive this. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."