Across different worldviews, the definition of a god varies entirely.
Though all are called gods, some beings can only rely on incense and faith.
Once forgotten by mortals, they lose their divine might, or even fall outright.
Others, however, are incarnations of natural law, spokespersons for the authority of heaven and earth—capable of moving mountains, filling seas, summoning wind and rain with a single thought.
The Magic Gods of the Toaru world, the Aeons of the Paths in Honkai: Star Rail, the Law of Cycles in Puella Magi Madoka Magica…
though all are defined as gods, can those beings who overturn universes with a mere thought truly be compared to stray gods born from human wishes, who must rely on divine instruments to display their power?
There was no doubt—gods could not be measured against one another so lightly.
Within the Vast Expanse, Tian’el also possessed a divine identity, and not merely any god, but the Celestial Emperor—the pinnacle among gods, a god above gods.
Yet his foundation stemmed from his dominion over the Heavenly Realm.
As the controller of Heaven’s origin, he naturally ruled over the Three Realms.
He required no faith, nor did he serve as the embodiment of any specific law.
In essence, he was closer to an administrator—or even a shareholder—of the Vast Expanse itself.
The total scale of the Vast Expanse was roughly equivalent to three solar-system units.
The Human Realm and the starry firmament each accounted for thirty percent.
Heaven and Earth, underdeveloped as they were, each occupied fifteen percent.
The remaining ten percent was scattered throughout the corners of the Three Realms.
As Celestial Emperor, Tian’el currently held sixty percent authority over Heaven.
Converted to the scale of the entire Vast Expanse, that equated to nine percent of total authority.
Of course, scale and authority could not be entirely equated with strength.
The mass of a nuclear weapon was negligible, yet it was still capable of annihilating cities and countries.
If he stood within Heaven itself, Tian’el was confident that even a being whose power rivaled a star would not be his match.
Even now, though only a single strand of divine will had descended, with Heaven’s support behind him, he could still slaughter every god in this world of Danmachi working together.
The problem lay in this: what did the gods of this world truly represent to the world as a whole?
If their essence was in fact that of spokespersons for the world itself, then should they unite, it might very well trigger unforeseen consequences…
Tian’el had no desire to provoke a full-scale war between the Vast Expanse and this world at the level of worlds themselves.
If it came to that, he would rather abandon this world and choose another target.
After all, waging war externally while internal hazards remained unresolved—was that not simply asking for a faster explosion?
“Then it’s decided.
Ares, chief god of Rakia!” After repeated deliberation, Tian’el resolved not to head to Orario—the gathering place of the gods—but instead to travel to the nearby war nation of Rakia.
He was indeed quite tempted by the divine authorities of this world’s gods.
If given the opportunity, bringing all the gods of this world back to the Vast Expanse to work under him—and dissecting and replicating the authorities they had borne for hundreds of millions of years—would surely allow the Heaven under his control to grow at a tremendous pace.
…
Third floor of the inn.
Warm yellow lamplight.
The clean scent of wooden planks.
The faint sound of water.
Haruhime entered the bath chamber carrying a change of clothes.
Steam filled the room, giving the sensation of stepping into another world.
“Lord God?” The girl’s lips moved silently toward the empty air, yet she received no response.
She bit her lip before removing, piece by piece, the garments stained with dirt.
The fabric slid away.
The fox-girl lifted one foot and stepped into the bath.
As warm water wrapped around her tired body and glided across her skin, the tension she had held all day finally eased.
She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it over her face.
Through the mist, her emerald slit pupils gazed into the void—an intangible connection told her that the god she had resolved to serve was somewhere in that direction.
Shame crept up her heart like climbing vines, yet it was soon drowned by a far more surging emotion.
This humble girl was truly saved by Lord God…
just like the tales of heroes.
Lord Tian’el’s true body must reside in the legendary Heaven.
I wonder if I will ever have the chance to see it with my own eyes.
They say that only after death can a mortal’s soul ascend to Heaven and remain by the side of the god they worship…
Her thoughts spiraled in all directions.
Haruhime lowered her chin beneath the water’s surface, hiding her increasingly flushed face, leaving only a pair of moist eyes visible.
“Lord Tian’el…” Half a quarter of an hour later, the sound of water ceased.
Haruhime emerged wrapped in a loose bathrobe, its hem trailing to her ankles.
Upon entering the reserved guest room, she blinked in surprise at a shadow flying toward her.
Catching it, she realized it was a crimson long-sleeved kimono.
“There do not seem to be suitable spare garments here.
Try this and see whether it fits.” “Yes!” Sanjouno Haruhime’s gaze was slightly unfocused.
She removed the bathrobe at once and changed into the kimono.
“It feels very fitting.” “Good,” Tian’el’s gentle voice echoed within her mind.
“Now go rest.
Children should sleep more.” I am not a child.
Though she wished to protest, an obedient shrine maiden would never ignore her god’s command.
Thus Sanjouno Haruhime pouted slightly and ran to the bed, pulling the blanket up to her nose so that only her emerald eyes remained visible.
“Good night, little fox.” “Wuu~ Good night, Lord God.” As the curtains were drawn and the lamp extinguished, the room sank into dimness.
Yet less than a quarter of an hour later, the bedding began to rustle.
She turned to face the wall.
Then turned to face the window.
Then turned again, curling her tail completely into the blanket until she wrapped herself up like a bundled dumpling.
“Can’t sleep?” Tian’el’s voice sounded softly within her consciousness.
“Mm.
I’m a little afraid…” came the muffled reply from beneath the covers.
“Afraid of what?” Several seconds of silence passed.
A corner of the blanket was quietly lifted, revealing the faint redness at the edge of her eyes.
“I’m afraid that when I open my eyes, I’ll still be in the forest, and there will be no Lord Tian’el before me—only monsters.” Her voice grew softer and softer.
“If this is a dream before death, Haruhime wishes…
wishes to wake a little later.” Tian’el fell silent.
Such psychological shadows usually required time to heal.
After a moment’s thought, a gentle phantom of a young man appeared beside the bed, brushing a hand over the girl’s delicate face.
“Can you feel it?” “Wuu~ Lord God’s presence…” Haruhime blinked.
Gathering her courage, she extended a small hand from beneath the blanket and grasped the sleeve of the phantom.
Though it was only a projection, it possessed tangible substance.
She could truly hold it.
“Can we…
stay together forever?
Haruhime will become a good shrine maiden, and I will definitely grow nine tails.
Please, do not abandon me.” “Then you must work hard,” Tian’el laughed softly, reaching out to rub the tip of her fox ear.
“My time is very long—so long that you may one day grow tired of it.” “I won’t!
Absolutely not!
As long as Lord God is here, Haruhime is happy.” “Hehe~ Then grow up at ease.
Let your tails grow one by one, slowly.
Until then, I will wait.” “Then…
it’s a promise?” Her ear tips flushed red, yet she insisted on gazing at the god in her eyes.
“Mm.
It’s a promise.” With the god’s vow given, the girl finally closed her eyes in peace, her breathing gradually evening out.
Seeing this, Tian’el withdrew his projection and silently swept his divine will across the entire town.
It was an era where gods and mortals walked side by side, yet the atmosphere of this world did not seem particularly upright.
How should he put it?
There was some disappointment.
It seemed that not only the good and evil within human hearts required restraint—the gods themselves ought to be brought within the bounds of order as well.