The Deity of Victory and the Deity of Defeat.
A Lesser Divinity ranking just below the Warrior God, the child of War and Knowledge.
As far as Aslan knew, this was the deity who, immediately after War and Knowledge suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the Supreme Divinity, rashly attacked the Supreme Divinity and was defeated.
“However… is it true that they still live?”
The mere fact that they are alive raises quite a few questions, but to hear that they are coming here together with the Supreme Divinity is astonishing.
This greatly contradicted the history of Geladridion that Aslan knew.
Perhaps even the Warrior God wasn’t aware of it; the deities, demigods, and heroes occupying the conference room showed no particular reaction.
It was almost as if their betrayal had become something publicly acknowledged.
What puzzled Aslan lay precisely in that fact.
Ordinarily, if such an event from the past were significantly altered, the cause would likely be found in Aslan, who came from the future.
But there had been nothing since Aslan’s arrival here that could have triggered such a butterfly effect.
At best, exchanging blows with the Warrior God. And by that point, the ‘betrayal’ had already occurred, making it impossible for Aslan to influence it.
Then…
“The work of the Dark Ram, perhaps.”
How and why it happened remains unclear. Given the ambiguous purpose of the Dark Ram, trying to figure it out would likely yield no answers.
Lost in thought, Aslan was brought back to reality by the noisy exchange of opinions around him.
“…So, how much chance do we have?”
“According to my calculations, I believe our chances are quite high. We have heroes, demigods, and various gods who have diligently fulfilled their duties in different realms.”
Thus conversed the resistance forces. Aslan observed those continuing the conversation.
A beast-human hybrid with a mane resembling a lion’s fiery mane—it appeared to be a Lesser Divinity associated with hunting and prosperity.
Despite his imposing appearance, he spoke with unexpected courtesy.
“Though an unknown monster follows them, and Victory and Defeat are indeed powerful Lesser Divinities, the traitors and creatures accompanying them are no match for us. We outnumber them and possess greater Divine Power.”
“But aren’t they gods too?”
In response to the hero’s question, the Lesser Divinity scoffed.
“Tch, less than half of them have experienced real combat. How can they possibly contend with us?”
“If so, forcing Victory and Defeat to their knees might secure our victory. Thank you for your insight, Feast God.”
With skillful words, the Warrior God nodded in agreement, and a positive atmosphere spread among the resistance forces.
Even though their sudden attack was unexpected, they believed they could easily overcome it.
At first glance, it seemed like a sound judgment. Their numbers were considerable, and the ruins they occupied appeared to be well-suited for defense.
Had they not overlooked the existence of the Supreme Divinity, it would have been the right conclusion.
Swallowing his despair inwardly, Aslan listened to their conversations and observed their expressions.
All the ensuing discussions—except for the presence and power of the Supreme Divinity—were surprisingly accurate nonsense.
With two days left until their arrival, suggestions included setting traps using powers, constructing fortresses outside the ruins using abilities to stop the mostly monstrous army, intercepting them with skilled warrior gods, or sending detachments of heroes and demigods to cut off reinforcements.
And as a precaution against unforeseen circumstances, establishing defensive facilities within the corridors of the ruins.
It was all reckless bravery.
Their courage was futile without understanding the strength of the Supreme Divinity, and their plans disregarded its existence.
Endless speculation and strategies filled the air. A hopeful and optimistic outlook.
The once unrivaled managers of the world’s optimism troubled Aslan, and he tried hard to hide his uneasy expression while observing them.
And then Aslan realized.
They would fail here.
Understanding this, Aslan grew solemn and silent.
Since they were destined to fail in the future anyway.
Aslan lacked the confidence to shatter their certainty and persuade them.
It would be meaningless to enlighten them about the vastness and power of the Supreme Divinity.
An attempt to avoid a predetermined defeat would be equally meaningless.
The meeting ended shortly thereafter.
Heroes, gods, and demigods rose with optimistic plans and left to perform their respective tasks.
When the conference room began to empty,
“God of Duel, Aslan.”
The Warrior God suddenly called out to Aslan and Angie.
“You two, please stay here for a moment.”
There was no reason to refuse such a request.
Aslan stayed in place as instructed, waiting until the room was completely empty, while the Lesser Divinities, demigods, and heroes offered brief farewells and departed.
When the room was finally empty,
“Who are you?”
“What do you mean…?”
Caught off guard by the abrupt questioning, Aslan hesitated to respond, but the Warrior God spoke first.
“Don’t play dumb.”
Opening his eyes, the Warrior God continued.
“Your sword. Though I didn’t recognize it at first… that sword carries divine power. Power so mysterious that even I couldn’t discern its origin.”
Surely, it must be the result of countless divine powers condensed into one.
At these words, Aslan fell silent, and Angie, standing behind him, gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
“A sword that even the Great Gods struggle to create. Likely… something that cannot be crafted alone.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
His identity hadn’t been fully exposed yet.
But something was being pieced together.
On alert, Aslan secretly retrieved a feather and held it in his hand, while the Warrior God watched him from his stone chair.
“Do you really think there exists a being whose body flows with divine power, who can fight on equal footing with the Warrior God, and possesses strength comparable to skills never seen before?”
Saying this, the Warrior God clenched his teeth, realizing his rashness.
Upon reflection, there were plenty of suspicious points to notice.
No god recognized the so-called “God of Duel” during introductions, and everyone marveled at his skills and abilities.
That must have confirmed something for the Warrior God.
Through that confirmation, he must have sought further verification.
Realizing that this was likely the final test, Aslan immediately drew the feather and muttered,
“Purity.”
The unfathomable divine power revealed itself, erasing the void.
Aslan grasped the radiant white sword and pointed it at the Warrior God, carefully positioning himself to anticipate potential attacks.
However, the Warrior God merely blinked upon seeing the sword.
“So, you’re the arrangement of Father, are you?”
Without preparing to counterattack, he remained seated in his chair.
He simply uttered words that made Aslan furrow his brow.
Before Aslan could ask about it, the Warrior God quietly continued his previous statement.
“I don’t know if the story about being spouses is true… Regardless, I don’t see you two as parasites clinging to the Deities of Victory and Failure.”
Speaking calmly despite being targeted by Purity.
A confidence—or perhaps arrogance—that was difficult to discern.
As Aslan frowned, the Warrior God rested his chin on his hand.
“Aslan, this guy… doesn’t intend to fight.”
Angie said this after observing his demeanor. Aslan was also aware of this fact.
“Yes, I have no intention of fighting. Fighting against someone who isn’t an enemy is not the role of a warrior. A warrior fights when necessary and refrains when unnecessary. I am confident that you two are not traitors, so there’s no reason to fight.”
“How can you be so sure?”
In response to Aslan’s question, the Warrior God gave a faint smile, as if it were amusing that Aslan was asking this now.
“Otherwise, I would have acted sooner. Besides… a traitor wouldn’t choose to confront me to prove their strength and then enter. It’s troublesome and draws unnecessary attention.”
That was true. While Aslan processed and conflicted internally, the Warrior God stood up and faced Aslan.
His golden eyes, gazing at Aslan, carried a hint of weariness.
Unlike the optimistic expressions displayed earlier by the gods in the conference room.
Almost as if he knew he would fail.
“So, let me ask again. Who are you?”
His gaze illuminated both the sword glowing with pure divine power and Aslan’s sword arranged by the Great Ancient Gods.
It was practically a rhetorical question knowing everything already.
Thus, there was no other option but to answer.
“We… come from the future.”
*
Aslan conversed with the Warrior God.
Revealing that they hailed from a future where the Ancient Gods had utterly failed.
Informing him that in that future, the Ancient Gods were fallen, corrupted entities—mere adversaries.
Teaching them how powerless the Ancient Gods’ resistance was, and how overwhelmingly massive the evil deity was.
Explaining how and why the Ancient Gods had failed.
Describing what became of Geladridion after the Ancient Gods’ defeat.
Everything was explained.
The reason was simple: obtaining more information was no longer feasible.
With the Supreme Divinity arriving directly, all that awaited them was a horrific destruction.
What puzzled Aslan was this:
Their failure, their defeat leading to a further reduction in the Ancient Gods’ influence, was a predetermined future.
It wasn’t particularly surprising or unexpected.
What perplexed Aslan was how the Warrior God would sacrifice himself to create a rift in the world under such circumstances.
There was no apparent reason for the Warrior God to sacrifice himself to open a distant, non-existent world through some causal chain.
Moreover, the process itself seemed impossible.
Once the Supreme Divinity arrived and wiped everyone out, there would be no one left to make such a sacrifice.
From Aslan’s perspective, there were many questionable aspects.
Most importantly, the Supreme Divinity wasn’t the only entity to descend upon Geladridion.
During this period in Geladridion, the evil deities were hostile enemies seeking to destroy each other.
The weaker Supreme Divinity wouldn’t act recklessly with the overwhelming barriers of compassion and the abyss nearby.
The current situation differed greatly from what Aslan knew.
Thinking about it, Aslan suddenly recalled something.
For a moment.
An answer intuitively surfaced with the help of fortune foreseeing the future.
Without resisting the sudden intuition, Aslan allowed his thoughts to flow freely.
Within that stream of thought, Aslan voiced the question that arose.
“Can the Ancient Gods also become priests?”
It was a question posed to oneself.
Such terms as “Ancient Gods” and “priests” did not exist in this era.
Thus, the Warrior God merely expressed bewilderment without reacting.
Aslan wasn’t seeking an answer from anyone else either.
“An Ancient God… a priest?”
While the Warrior God was bewildered, Angie gasped in shock.
Indeed, the idea of an Ancient God becoming a priest—even for a Lesser Divinity—was horrifying.
Even Aslan was shocked.
Hybrids were strong partly because they were born with the innate power of priests, but fundamentally, it was due to the fusion of Geladridion’s and the evil deities’ powers.
The natural occurrence allowing the body to adapt to immense power.
Therefore, hybrid priests, having adapted to power, could create greater changes with the same amount of divinity.
But what if it went beyond that? What if a Lesser Divinity became a priest?
These beings, themselves the laws of Geladridion, becoming priests would inevitably lead to the creation of monsters surpassing hybrid priests.
And Aslan immediately understood the Supreme Divinity’s strategy upon realizing this.
Expanding converts while avoiding the gaze of other evil deities.
In other words, utilizing Lesser Divinities turned into priests.
“Damn.”
A muttered curse.
The Warrior God looked at Aslan curiously as Aslan raised his head to meet his gaze.
These individuals, the resistance force situated in the world’s crevice, were destined to fail.
Their defeat was inevitable.
The world was meticulously orchestrating their failure.
The moment Aslan realized this,
…KWAAGGGAH…!
A distant explosion echoed.
A faint boom barely audible.
Followed by the cries of humans spreading.
It was a surprise attack exceeding the expected two days.
