Yuma looked down at his feet.
There were no stairs to move forward.
This meant he had reached the top of the stairs.
Yuma felt his physical body had clearly changed. He raised his head and spoke to Ardorlac, who was still remaining as a thought.
“Thanks to you, it seems I’ve safely accomplished that molting thing.”
– Yeah, now this space has served its purpose.
Transcendence Altar.
The space created to bring forth the first beings to reach the gods in the Intermediate World had fulfilled its role.
“It looks like I can go out that way.”
There were no stairs ahead. But surely, in the pitch-black darkness, a glimmer of light existed.
Yuma was convinced. If he walked toward that light, he could leave the Transcendence Altar.
Step.
There were no stairs. But he kept walking. The light was approaching. It wasn’t just a small light anymore; it was right in front of him.
– Go.
– And if you could deliver a blow to those snobby ones, I’d appreciate it.
Evil God.
The fallen king of the Join Tribe, Ardorlac, who could not reach the gods.
Ardorlac was convinced that God had a hand in his failure.
= Dare you try to shatter the norms of this world? Even the Join Tribe is ultimately just mortals, you brat.=
That was the last thing he heard before being obliterated.
“I’ll make efforts.”
Yuma nodded and moved forward.
He poked the glimmer of light with his index finger.
Crack…
Cracks emerged. The world slowly began to break apart. Yuma headed toward the shattering world.
The Transcendence Altar completely collapsed. The thought fragment that was Ardorlac’s soul was also utterly destroyed.
Step.
Yuma finally stepped on solid ground after a very long time.
‘How much time has passed?’
He couldn’t gauge how much time had elapsed.
At that moment, a strange sound echoed from the sky.
Guh—guhung…
A black pillar suddenly appeared from the sky.
‘No, it’s not a pillar.’
Yuma realized it was not a black pillar but a door.
The direction very likely pointed to where the Astes Empire was located.
Grumbling…
Yuma turned his back to the faint sound. The griffin, Ethan, was curled up in a defensive posture, wings retracted in front of the ruined altar.
“Ethan.”
He said, approaching the griffin.
‘Looks like Brigitte sent Ethan here to wait for my return.’
The griffin, Ethan, stared at Yuma with sharp eyes typical of birds of prey.
It was indeed a human with gray hair and blue eyes, just like its master. But the aura emanating from Yuma was overwhelmingly powerful and also alien.
As Yuma got closer, Ethan instinctively felt the strange sensation dissipate. The figure before him was undoubtedly his master.
Yuma placed his hand on Ethan’s back.
“Let’s go, to the Empire.”
Grumble…!
Yuma climbed onto Ethan’s back. Ethan spread his massive wings and took off into the sky.
*
God.
Originally, a being one would have no reason to encounter in a lifetime.
Even Priest, a being somewhat connected to the gods, would only hear their voice a few times and never meet them in person.
Yet, here were four of such beings.
And they were physically manifesting in the Intermediate World.
The sizes of the gods varied.
Omertha and Yenkal were as gigantic as titans. Cryos and Galua had the average stature of adult men and women.
However, the size of the gods did not matter to those gazing upon them.
Celestial beings and elves gasped in awe.
“You truly… have manifested.”
Celestial beings, lycanthropes, elves, and humans.
The gazes of the four races were directed entirely at the gods.
One of the Eight Evil Gods, [God of Flames and Sorrow] Omertha.
Not among the Eight Evil Gods, but a first-tier battle god, [God of Revenge and Valor] Cryos.
A second-tier god, [Mother of Sinister Charity] Galua.
The 2nd Hierarchy God, [God of Shallow and Deep Armies], Yenkal.
From your gods’ physiques, overwhelming divine power spread forth.
The ones who felt the greatest terror from this powerful divine energy were not humans, but rather the three other races. Even among them, those at the pinnacle trembled all over.
Knowing full well the gap between themselves and the gods, they were even more tightly bound by fear.
Absolute.
A force so powerful that it wouldn’t even allow for defiance.
Following the orders of the current king of the Lycanthrope Kingdom, Berkan, the great warrior Wollenford, who had just fought like a beast, gritted his teeth against the feeling of helplessness rising from his toes.
Grrk…
The high elf Luine, with her hair flowing in aquamarine hues, swallowed hard as she watched the flame spirit Karenel moan in sheer terror.
She didn’t show such weakness even in front of demi-god retinues.
With a mere glance, it was evident that Karenel, taking the form of a phoenix, was exhibiting abnormal behavior that suggested a desire for immediate recall to the spirit realm.
Luine nodded her head, her emerald hair swaying in the breeze.
Just as she was about to summon Karenel back…
Cack…
A strange sound echoed.
“Uh…?”
A vacant sound slipped from Luine’s mouth.
The recall didn’t succeed.
Kryaaarrrk!!
The cry of the phoenix grew harsh. In the sky, Omertha’s right hand was scattered with azure flames.
Fwooosh!
The right wing of the phoenix bent sharply at a ninety-degree angle, flames swirling vividly in the air.
Karenel’s form was suddenly pulled toward Omertha. It was as if some telekinetic force were drawing her in.
The colossal phoenix, Karenel, was caught in Omertha’s right hand. Omertha squeezed her grasp tightly.
Fwoooosh!!
The phoenix Karenel released a plume of red light.
Kieeeeeek!!
Then, with a scream, she was absorbed into the palm of Omertha’s hand.
“High Elf,”
Omertha spoke, fixating on Luine, as if addressing a familiar entity.
“You should have managed your child carefully.”
It was a simple display of power.
A show of strength to instill fear in everyone standing upon this imperial land.
Luine’s most elite spirit had been chosen as the sacrificial offering.
Omertha’s words made the bodies of everyone surrounding the already half-destroyed imperial palace tremble.
“…Your Majesty.”
The words came from Michael, Luine’s direct guard knight, standing beside Princess Brigitte on the platform. His voice quivered slightly.
“It’s better to fall back… no, it may be better to completely withdraw.”
The aura.
They could clearly feel that the aura the gods were exuding was of a different caliber.
Brigitte felt the same awareness.
“You know that retreating won’t change a thing, don’t you, Michael?”
Brigitte gazed at the four gods watching the empire with her wall-eyed gaze.
Although her words were directed at Michael beside her, she was still unaware that every word they spoke was reaching the ears of the gods.
Omertha spoke again.
“Yes, now the very existence of the Gehergen continent rests in our hands. No matter where you flee, survival is impossible. Remain still.”
Those words were far from mere warnings. The weight behind them was palpable.
The [Mother of Sinister Charity], Galua, raised her right hand.
Tok—tok—dododododok!
Over a hundred cocoons suddenly materialized upon the floor of the imperial palace.
The [God of Revenge and Courage], Cryos, stomped his right foot forcefully.
Kugugugugu!
With a tremendous rumble, over fifty red statues shot up from the ground.
Inside the cocoons that Galua had set down were pitch-black giants. The red statues summoned by Cryos were all [Blazing Sura].
Bell felt utterly drained upon realizing that there were over fifty of those twelve-armed demons she had barely managed to defeat.
They weren’t the only ones resurrecting their retinue legions.
Kak—kak!
As the [God of Shallow and Deep Armies], Yenkal, clapped his hands, more than 150 insect minions surged up from the ground.
As the Great God Yenkal, taking the form of a gigantic scorpion, clapped his hands, around 150 insect minions soared up from the ground.
Princess Brigitte opened her mouth again.
She was aware that every word she spoke reached the ears of the gods, but precisely because of that, there were things she felt compelled to say.
“Along with your gods…”
In front of her, facing the nearly 300 demigod-level forces that had appeared, she felt more certain than ever that she needed to speak.
“O mighty beings.”
Duke Yuma recalled the words he had been advised to say and, as told by the Celestial Beings and High Elves, these were undoubtedly gods associated with the Evil God.
“Please tell us how to protect the continent.”
Omertha twisted his lips at that.
He raised his right hand high and opened his mouth.
Crack—
The “Crimson-Haired Cat-Folk Swordsman” broke the silence, beginning to move its entire body, perceiving all beings in front of it on imperial soil as prey.
Numerous chrysalises rooted in Galua slowly crumbled, and black forms sprung out from them.
The massive insect army’s eyes gleamed ominously.
“Seeing you ask how to protect the continent, not the empire, I guess you already know I intend to wipe this Gehergen continent off the map.”
A tense moment ensued.
The inhabitants of the continent felt the approaching clear shadow of death.
In that instant, a shadow overlapped over the ominous shade.
Then a voice echoed from the sky.
“There is no need to converse with them.”
Griffin Ethan landed next to Bell and Cloney, who were at the front lines.
Dismounting from Ethan, Yuma looked around.
‘Too late.’
The corpses of Celestial Beings, Elves, and Lycanthropes. Dead bodies of imperial knights and soldiers came into view.
“…Yuma.”
Bell, right next to him, gazed at Yuma with wide eyes. Cloney did as well.
Yuma patted Cloney’s shoulder.
“Stay back.”
He took another step forward.
It surged.
A colorless energy flowed from Yuma’s entire body.
‘It can be controlled.’
Divine Power.
Yuma did not bother to hide the surging energy enveloping his form.
He radiated the divine power surging from his entire being toward the gods, who were still soaring in the sky.
Crack—
The ground Yuma stood on split open.
Crack… crack…
Countless fragments of stone began to slowly rise into the air.
The Great Angel Garenmoon gaped.
“…Is this possible?”
The first beings to notice Yuma’s transformation were the Celestial Beings.
Celestial Beings.
Born to oppose the Evil Gods.
There was no way they wouldn’t recognize a divine presence.
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
Ermel hurriedly stood beside Princess Brigitte.
The second individual to notice Yuma’s divinity was Ermel, a former Holy Maiden who had communicated with the gods for years.
There was not a single tremor in Ermel’s emerald eyes.
“It’s the moment of Ascendance.”
Brigitte’s eyes widened.
“What…?”
Among the members of the imperial side, those who first recognized Yuma’s divine transformation were just them.
The gods had, of course, noticed it first.
Yuma had become a god.
The Mother of Sinister Charity, with a lower body made of bone and gray skin, trembled.
“How can a human become a god….”
Galua’s words were filled with disbelief.
“Setting that aside, do you really think the divinity of the one who just became a god… makes any sense?”
Galua looked at the other three gods, excluding herself.
None could understand the divinity possessed by this being called Yuma.
It far surpassed the bounds of their understanding.
“It feels as if we are facing that person…! This level of divinity!”
All three knew precisely who Galua referred to.
The strongest among the Eight Evil Gods.
The divine presence emitted by Yuma felt close to his divine nature.
The lowest-ranked among the Eight Evil Gods, God Incrinew.
Incrinew’s divine power was used as a shield to block inquiries of causality during the process of divinity awakening, but half of it remained.
Even as a minor deity, the Evil God is still an Evil God. Half of the divine power of a god that transcends rank flowed through Yuma’s body.
The divine essence used as a major ‘vessel’ in Yuma’s divine awakening belonged to none other than Barbatos, the Duel God, who was vying for the second and third ranks among the Evil Gods.
That’s right, the essence of two Evil Gods formed the foundation of Yuma.
[Name: Yuma
Lv.100(+???)
Race: God
Personality Trait: Cold and Collected
Strength: 110 Health: 125 Defense: 110 Agility: 130
Divine Name: ???
Rank: Transcendent Rank
State: Unable to gauge the divine power held due to divine awakening.]
Yuma recalled the advice given by Ardorlac.
– The first thing you must do is to proclaim a sanctuary.
– The sanctuary is where the myths of gods begin, the place where a god reaches their greatest power.
– You just need to perform it with the will to proclaim a sanctuary.
– If you establish a sanctuary in the Intermediate World, it will become the first sanctuary of the Intermediate World.
Proclamation of a sanctuary.
As Yuma embraced that will, something appeared in his right hand. It was a flag.
A flag flowing with golden light.
“What, what is that?”
The shallow and deep God of Military Might, Yenkal, gaped in astonishment.
Yuma thrust the flag down toward the ground.
Boom!
The flag was planted.
Golden waves spread broadly from the point where the flag was planted.
The atmosphere distorted.
[‘The Nameless God’ has proclaimed the ‘Geheregen Continent’ as a sanctuary.]
The voice that rang in Yuma’s ears was completely different from the sound of the status window that had echoed until now.
Omertha exhaled in surprise at the voice that echoed in his ears.
“…Huh.”
That voice didn’t just resonate with Yuma.
It was a voice that could only be heard by the gods.
Stellar Sound.
A law set by the Primordial God.
The moments when the stellar sound reverberates in the minds of the gods are few and far between.
Whenever another god ascends in rank, the stellar sound resonates in the minds of all gods.
And the Intermediate World was originally outside the territory of that stellar sound.
But now.
The stellar sound proclaiming that ‘The Nameless God’ has declared the ‘Geheregen Continent’ a sanctuary echoed in Yuma’s and all the gods’ ears.
This meant that the laws of this world recognized Yuma’s existence as a ‘god.’
[‘Searching for the ‘Divine Name’ of the ‘Nameless God.’]
There was no time to wait for the endless search to finish.
Yuma opened his mouth.
“This land, all of Geheregen, is my territory.”
That was the declaration of a freshly awakened god.
“You have trespassed on my land.”
Step by step.
Once again, he recalled the advice from Ardorlac, the king of the Join Tribe.
– Once this world recognizes you as a god, ‘Declaration of Divine Domain’ should be possible.
– If your divine essence and the concept of divine domain are legitimate.
[Flame and Sorrow God] Omertha.
[God of Vengeance and Courage] Cryos.
[Mother of Sinister Charity] Galua.
[God of Shallow and Deep Military Might] Yenkal.
Crack—
“All invaders shall die.”
The ferocious and violent aura rising from Yuma’s toes tightened the throats of the four gods.
“That is the law I have set for this land.”
Omertha, who seemed on the verge of burning everything, stood still.
“Omertha, what will you do? Will you attack?”
Yenkal did not have the mental capacity to answer that question.
The skies screamed.
Crack!
Naturally, they thought they were merely mortals.
They assumed that if the four gods combined their strength, they could easily kill him.
However, it was overwhelmingly powerful. The essence of the Nameless God, which still lacked a divine name, was terrifying.
Yuma made his decision.
The moment he saw the four gods and the minions of the empire sprawling thickly, the concept of his divine domain was complete.
The only way to eliminate them all in one fell swoop was like this.
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“Declaration of Divine Domain.”
Transparent light enveloped the entire ground of the imperial palace.
