“So in the end, that guy just wants to recruit us to work in his world?” Loki rubbed her cheek and couldn’t help laughing.
“First he swings a stick to show off his power, then he tosses out a sweet date to display his sincerity.
That’s a pretty slick move.” “But I have to admit, I’m tempted!” Whether it was embarrassing or not didn’t matter.
For the gods, as long as something was interesting, that was enough.
Besides, if you wanted to absorb a bunch of willful, self-indulgent gods under your banner, how could you possibly succeed without flexing your muscles and showing your fists first?
After all, in the Denatus1, there were far too many idiots who either couldn’t understand human language—or pretended not to understand even when they could.
“An otherworld completely unrelated to our Heaven…
that does sound enticing…” A male god rested his chin on his hand, his eyes brimming with eagerness.
“What do we do?
It feels impossible to refuse!” “Aren’t you afraid you’ll get slaughtered and eaten the moment you step out the door?” another god countered more cautiously.
“That blood rain phenomenon earlier—everyone more or less understands what it was, right?” “If it’s truly an otherworld entirely outside Heaven’s control, then the revival method we rely on probably won’t work there.
At that point, our lives would genuinely be in someone else’s hands.” The key was that the other party clearly possessed the strength to sweep aside all the gods single-handedly.
In their understanding, a being who ruled Heaven could only come into existence in two ways: either Heaven’s origin itself gained intelligence, or the gods slaughtered each other in a grand battle royale until only one remained.
It certainly couldn’t be that some mortal inexplicably ascended the throne.
Thus, some cautious gods expressed that they should at least verify his character first.
If he truly was the victor of a divine battle royale, wouldn’t they be delivering themselves right to his table as delicacies?
Wouldn’t that be absurd?
“But the battle maniacs of the Rakia Kingdom seem to have already gotten on board ahead of us, haven’t they?” Another god raised a concern.
“If that bunch of idiots under Ares gain benefits in the otherworld and surpass us, can you imagine what will happen?” The Denatus Hall fell into silence.
One’s own failure was terrifying, but a companion’s success was even more agonizing.
Were they supposed to just sit there and watch those obnoxious fools catch the rising wind and soar into the sky—only to come back and flaunt it in their faces?
How could that possibly be allowed?
Absolutely not!
“No way!
Either we all go together, or none of us go.
No one gets to sneak off on their own!” A bearded god slammed the table, voicing the thoughts of many present—of course, if I were the one sneaking off, that would be another matter entirely.
But since they had already lost the initiative, they at least needed to find a way to drag down the Rakian gods’ advantage and catch up.
As for truly giving up this opportunity and continuing to play house in a world they had already explored for billions of years…
was that a joke?
“I am Ganesha.
Everyone, I suggest we refrain from making any rash decisions.
At the very least, we should seek the opinions of the greater gods before determining our choices.” The elephant-headed god responsible for maintaining order in Orario saw the scheming expressions around the hall—people already plotting how to trip up their companions before anything had even been settled—and could only step forward helplessly.
“The greater gods are more closely connected to Heaven’s origin.
Among them, Ouranos, Zeus, and Odin are also in the lower world.
Why not consult them first?” “To be fair, Ouranos is one thing—at worst he’ll just play it safe.
But are you sure it’s necessary to listen to the other two old fossils?” Apollo, the sun god who fancied both men and women, couldn’t resist complaining.
“That guy Zeus lives for adventure.
If he hears about an opportunity like this, he’ll run faster than anyone.” “I agree,” Hephaestus added with a cold laugh, folding her arms.
“If nothing unexpected happens, he’s probably already shamelessly heading to the Rakia Kingdom through his connection with Ares.” Bluntly speaking, Zeus had been one of the most dedicated gods over the past millennium when it came to building a familia and cultivating adventurers.
Much of the information left behind by his team—maps of reached dungeon floors, ability status records of familia members, and methods for acquiring Development Abilities—had become the foundation of Orario’s current adventurer training system.
Ten years ago, his familia and Hera’s familia had stood side by side as the two strongest factions reigning over Orario since the gods’ descent, boasting multiple Level 7 and Level 8 adventurers.
If not for their failed subjugation of the Black Dragon, which resulted in the annihilation of their core forces, Orario would never have entered the era of the Twin Kings under Loki and Freya.
Even so, the two familias still held the record for the deepest dungeon floor reached—officially the 59th floor, though in reality they had already reached the 71st.
“For us gods, ten years is but the blink of an eye.
Do you really think Zeus and Hera, who were driven out of Orario just a decade ago, wouldn’t immediately act upon discovering a brand-new chance to rise again?” As she spoke, Hephaestus’ gaze never left Loki and Freya.
After all, it had been those two who had led the charge ten years ago to expel the crippled Zeus and Hera familias.
That grudge ran deep.
“Ugh, I’ve only been sitting in this position for ten years.
Why does something like this suddenly pop up?” Loki first covered her face with her palm, but within seconds her expression hardened again.
“You think I’m scared of those relics from the old era?
Unless Maxim, the Empress, and Alfia crawl out of their coffins, I wouldn’t even glance at two crippled familias whose main forces were wiped out!” Freya likewise resumed her usual composed posture, a bewitching smile curving her lips.
“I’m looking forward to it.” Of course, what she anticipated was not the possible resurgence of Zeus and Hera—but the unknown existence that had descended from beyond.
A heaven beyond heaven…
For such a concept to give birth to self-awareness—just how radiant would the soul from that otherworld be?
…
Meanwhile, outside the military camp in the Bashe Mountain Range.
Tian’el stood beneath the stiff, stunned gazes of Ares, Hermes, and the other gods.
“Y-Your Majesty, just now you…
and these souls around you…” Ares stared slack-jawed at the young man encircled by countless motes of light, his mind utterly unable to keep up.
“It’s nothing.
I merely greeted your brethren in Heaven.
As for these…” Tian’el extended his right hand, sensing memories, emotions, and wills settling within his palm.
“Since I made the trip, I had to bring back some local specialties, didn’t I?” Aside from these special souls—hoarded by the gods and unwillingly allowed to reincarnate—there was nothing else in this world’s Heaven that had caught his interest.
Divine Assembly