Not long after the awakened gods began to regain their activity...
One of them took the first actual step toward the main world.
Inside his divine space, the god stood before the ancient gate that had remained closed throughout his slumber.
Behind him stood several of his servants.
There was no fear on their faces.
Instead, there was clear anticipation.
This space had remained their lord's residence throughout his absence, and now they were about to see him leave it for the first time since his awakening.
The god raised his hand.
Divine energy gathered before him.
Then the ancient gate began to tremble.
Complex inscriptions appeared across its surface, and lines of energy gradually spread between them.
After a few moments...
The gate opened.
There was no ordinary path behind it.
Instead, an immense void stretched before him, separating his private space from the main world.
The god gazed into the void for a moment.
Then he stepped forward.
In the next instant...
The god appeared in the sky above Iberon.
There was no explosion.
The continent did not tremble.
Nor did the entire sky change merely because he had appeared.
He was not one of those existences whose mere aura could alter the world.
He was a Lesser God.
Powerful enough to surpass most of the beings living on Iberon, but his rank was not high enough for his mere appearance to make him the center of the world.
Even so...
The difference between him and ordinary cultivators was enormous.
The god stood in the air and looked around.
It was his first view of Iberon since his return.
The mountains.
The plains.
The scattered forests.
And the divine energy that had begun spreading through the air.
He slowly drew a breath.
Then he said:
"It has changed."
There was no great astonishment in his words.
It was simply an observation.
He knew that the world would have changed during his absence.
But he had not expected the changes to be this apparent.
He raised his hand.
Strands of divine energy gathered around it.
He watched them for a moment.
"Even the energy has begun to return."
Then he released his spiritual perception.
His will spread across a vast distance.
He could not cover all of Iberon.
He was not one of the higher existences whose will could cross boundless distances.
But he could perceive the surrounding region.
After a few moments...
His expression changed slightly.
He sensed the presence of numerous cultivators.
Some were weak.
Others were stronger.
And there were a few auras that he could not ignore.
He said calmly:
"It seems the world is no longer empty."
Then he moved.
The region he headed toward was ancient.
It had once been under his influence.
But it was no longer as he remembered it.
There were new cities.
Villages that had not existed when he entered his slumber.
Broad roads cutting across the lands.
Even some of the areas that had once contained temples dedicated to him no longer bore any obvious traces of his existence.
The god arrived above a large city.
He stopped in the sky and looked down.
The number of inhabitants was enormous.
Life filled the streets.
Cultivators came and went.
Merchants moved through the markets.
Children ran through the streets.
No one seemed to know that the god was above the city.
He watched for a moment.
Then said:
"So my name is no longer known here."
He was not angry.
To him, it was expected.
A long time had passed since he had last been present in the world.
Then...
He sensed something.
Beneath the city.
An extremely weak aura.
But one that was familiar.
The god lowered his gaze.
"A temple."
Then he descended.
In one of the old districts stood a small stone building.
It was not magnificent.
Nor was it surrounded by guards or an army.
It was simply an ancient temple.
The god entered without most of those inside noticing him.
Within it was a simple hall.
And at the far end...
stood an ancient statue.
A statue of the god himself.
He stared at the statue for a long moment.
Then said:
"You're still here."
An elderly man responsible for the temple approached him.
The old man suddenly stopped.
He did not know why a chill had run through his body.
He looked at the god standing before the statue.
Then asked hesitantly:
"Who are you?"
The god looked at him.
"Do you not know?"
The old man shook his head.
"No."
Silence descended.
Then the old man looked at the statue.
And back at the god.
His expression gradually changed.
He spoke in a trembling voice:
"Impossible..."
He took several steps closer.
He stared at the god's face.
Then fell to his knees.
"My lord..."
His voice stopped.
He did not know what to say.
He had spent his entire life worshipping an existence he had never seen.
An existence everyone had believed belonged only to the past.
And now...
That very existence stood before him.
Several other people appeared after hearing the commotion.
The moment they saw the god, they froze in place.
Then they began to bow.
"My lord."
"You have returned."
"The god... has returned."
The words spread throughout the temple.
Within a short time, people began gathering outside.
The god did not try to stop them.
Nor did he ask them to announce his return.
Instead, he sat inside the temple and listened to what they told him.
They told him about the empires that had emerged.
About the changes to the cities.
About the disappearance of some ancient bloodlines.
About the few followers who remained.
And about the temples that had been destroyed over time.
The god listened to all of it calmly.
Then he asked:
"Who rules this region now?"
The elder mentioned the name of the power that controlled it.
The god's eyes changed slightly.
"They did not exist during my era."
"They emerged after your slumber, my lord."
The god nodded.
Then asked:
"Do they know that this temple still exists?"
"They do."
"And they did not destroy it?"
"They had no reason to."
The god thought for a moment.
Then said:
"Good."
He did not ask them to reclaim the lands.
Nor did he declare himself their ruler.
He had only just returned.
For now, he wanted to understand the world he had returned to.
But news of his appearance did not remain within the temple.
It spread throughout the city.
From the city to the surrounding cities.
And before long...
One of the racial powers controlling the region began receiving reports.
A cultivator hurried into the command hall.
He bowed before the officials.
Then said:
"We have important news."
One of them raised his head.
"What is it?"
"A god has appeared."
Silence filled the hall.
"Where?"
"In one of our cities."
"Is he a Lesser God?"
"Yes."
The leaders exchanged glances.
The appearance of a Lesser God was not something that could be ignored.
But they did not panic.
A Lesser God was not an existence that could never be dealt with, and his first appearance had involved no hostile action.
One of the leaders asked:
"Has he taken any action against us?"
"No."
"Has he demanded any territory?"
"No."
"Has he attacked anyone?"
"No."
The leader thought for a moment.
Then said:
"Then we do nothing."
The others looked at him.
He continued:
"Just monitor him."
Then he added:
"If he wants to speak with us, we will listen."
No one objected.
It was the best way to handle the situation.
No provocation.
No submission.
And no declaration of war against a god who had done nothing.
Only...
observation.
Inside the ancient temple...
The god was still listening to his followers.
Their number was not large.
But they were still there.
And that alone was enough.
After a long while, the god stood.
He looked at the ancient statue.
Then at the elder.
And said:
"Continue maintaining the temple."
The elder bowed.
"As you command, my lord."
The god then headed toward the door.
He stopped for a moment.
And said:
"I will return."
He left the temple.
He raised his head toward the sky.
The divine energy was more apparent than it had been when he arrived.
Yet it was still far from the level he remembered from his ancient era.
The god raised his hand slightly.
Then said:
"I will need some time."
After that...
His body rose into the air.
He had no need to announce his return to the entire world.
But news of his appearance had already begun spreading.
A Lesser God had returned to Iberon.
And it was the first time since the beginning of the Divine Era...
that an awakened god had taken an actual step into the main world.
His appearance was only the beginning.
For elsewhere...
other divine residences were preparing to open their gates.
Other gods were regaining their strength.
And some of them...
were also preparing to look upon the world that had changed in their absence.