“…You gods truly don’t resemble the divine beings people imagine at all.” A ripple passed through the void.
Tian’el’s true body, existing within the Vast Expanse’s Heaven, stepped forward and descended directly before Hermes, Ares, and the other gods.
Ignoring the shock of everyone present, the Celestial Emperor raised his hand and lightly tapped Hermes’ brow from afar with a fingertip— “A Divine Mirror?
Peeping isn’t a good habit.” Crack!
With a crisp snap, the invisible crystal lens before Hermes’ forehead shattered instantly, dissolving into a rain of glittering motes.
Within that shower of light, distant and indistinct gazes lost their anchor, like surveillance cameras cut off from their signal, their screens going dark all at once.
Clearly, as the representative dispatched by the gods to investigate the “Ares’ Fall Incident,” Hermes not only carried the commission issued by Orario’s Guild, but had also been under the open watch of the gods in Heaven, ready to receive support at any moment.
After all, in countless ages, this was the first time the world’s origin itself had manifested signs of sending a god to his funeral.
If they were not cautious, what if Hermes ended up dragged in as well?
It couldn’t turn into that old tale of one after another rushing in to save someone, only to fall in one by one, could it?
As for the prohibition against using divine power in the lower world…
the rules had been drafted by the gods themselves.
Temporarily lifting them was hardly difficult.
Not to mention that during the annual “Ganesha Familia Festival,” they were already permitted to use mirrors with functions similar to clairvoyance—the Divine Mirror.
In a sense, this could be considered Tian’el’s first meeting with most of the gods of this world.
“In that case, let me offer my greetings.” As he spoke, a streak of golden radiance flared from his fingertip, swelling in an instant into a pillar of light that pierced straight into the night sky!
BOOM—!!
The moment the beam struck the firmament, the void was forcibly torn open.
A white dome, a golden divine throne, cloud-wreathed corridors—wondrous visions were ripped out and spread before the eyes of all beings in the lower world…
…
Within the Heaven of this world, inside a grand assembly hall used for the gathering of the gods.
Thousands—tens of thousands—of divine thrones were arranged in concentric circles.
Yet at this moment, not a sound could be heard.
At the very center, a “Divine Mirror” one hundred feet in diameter trembled violently before finally freezing on the pale golden pupils of the god beyond the sky as he gazed down upon all beings.
The next second— BOOM!!
Cracks spread across the mirror’s surface.
From within those fractures erupted an immeasurably lofty and overwhelming will, sweeping through the entire assembly hall like autumn wind scattering fallen leaves.
“Holy hell, what a powerful shockwave!” A god who had been knocked from his seat cried out.
Only after staring blankly at the floor for quite a while did he finally react.
“Wait…
did we just get slapped?” A fellow sufferer beside him immediately replied, “Seems…
that way…” After a brief silence, excited shrieks erupted among the gathered gods.
“This is insane!
Someone just stormed Heaven!!!” Once this fact was confirmed, the first to respond were the battle-hungry faction— “Grab your weapons and charge!!” With an enraged roar from some unknown god, thunder exploded across the hall in an instant.
Countless silver serpents of lightning danced wildly.
Tidal waves, tempests, death, falling stars, blazing suns, calamity, fate…
The phantom formed from Tian’el’s will stood in the center of the shattered void, facing hundreds upon hundreds of divine radiances surging toward him.
The authorities of the gods complemented one another.
Working in tandem, they produced an effect far greater than one plus one.
There was absolutely no one under heaven who could confront them head-on.
Any such person would only be suppressed in disgrace and turned into a novel plaything.
Yet in the next instant, all offensives froze in place— The Celestial Emperor stood with hands clasped behind his back.
Behind him unfurled a vast painting: sun, moon, and stars hanging together; the three realms arrayed apart; dragons and serpents rising upon the land.
An entire otherworld was manifested.
Ancient, boundless pressure spread outward, and even space-time came to a halt.
Tian’el raised his hand, fingers slightly spread, and spoke a single calm word: “Silence.” BOOM—!!
All divine radiance was crushed midair by an invisible colossal hand, exploding into a torrential rain of light.
The gods did not even have time to cry out before that supreme will pressed them back into their seats.
Knees and armrests struck together in a perfectly synchronized thud.
Some who attempted to struggle were struck with rolling eyes, their heads tilting to the side as they collapsed into unconsciousness on the spot.
“A pleasure to meet you all.
I look forward to your guidance in the future.” The courteous voice gradually faded, and the young man’s projection naturally dispersed.
Silence returned to the assembly hall, leaving only the collective sounds of sharp inhalations—and then, after being thoroughly beaten, exuberant cheers.
“That was exhilarating!” “Who would’ve thought there was such a powerhouse beyond our world?” “A heaven beyond heaven, a god above gods—today truly broadened our horizons!” …
Orario, inside the Divine Assembly Hall.
Clatter— The wine jug slipped from Loki’s hand, divine liquor spilling across the floor.
But none of the gods present cared.
They all stared at the small Divine Mirrors before them, which had been observing events thousands of miles away—at this very moment, rows of mirrors shattered simultaneously, glass raining down like a storm before dissolving into remnants of divine power in the air.
“Just now…
who was that madman?” “He suppressed the entirety of Heaven by himself?” “What kind of monster did that idiot Ares provoke?!” Freya shot to her feet so abruptly that her chair toppled over.
Forgetting her usual poise, her fingertips trembled slightly.
“That aura…
how could such a concept even appear, let alone become a concrete ‘person’…?” It was like an ordinary human one day discovering that the planet beneath their feet possessed intelligence—and could take human form to punch them in the face.
To the gods, the faint yet unmistakable aura of Heaven’s origin entwined around Tian’el was far too obvious.
After all, the gods present had all been born from the origin of this world’s Heaven.
If they grew tired of living and killed themselves, they would revive there once more.
Thus, in their eyes, their brethren still above had just been thoroughly beaten by an incarnation of a foreign Heaven’s origin.
How horrifying was that?
Loki leapt directly onto the table, shattering a wine cup beneath her foot.
Rare gravity flickered in her pupils.
“Mother of—has this world gone completely insane?
How could something this outrageous even happen?” But she could not remain serious for even two minutes.
Revealing her true colors, she proposed as if making one of her usual pranks: “Speaking of which, how about we tinker around and see if we can wake up our own mom?” Our mom?
Do you even hear yourself, you lunatic?!!
“Good idea.
How about you take the lead in offering yourself as a sacrifice, Loki?
When all the gods of Heaven enter their revival period and only the last one remains, perhaps the favor of the origin will concentrate upon them.” A god who had been rendered speechless let out a snort.
To the children of the lower world, gods were near-omniscient and omnipotent beings.
But they themselves knew that was not the case.
Yet if all other gods who served as checks and balances returned to the origin, and the authority of Heaven gathered into the hands of one—without any restraint—calling that sole god omnipotent might not be an exaggeration.
“Enough!
Drop this topic!
We can’t seize each other’s authorities.
If we could, we wouldn’t have been bored for hundreds of millions of years.” A relatively stern-faced god slapped the table, signaling the others to look down at what had appeared before them.
“Right now, the most important thing is this.” “Huh?” Hephaestus wore a strange expression as she picked up the sheet of paper that had appeared on the table at some unknown time.
“What is this?
A recruitment contract?”