novelraw Chapter 414: Probing by the Gods of the Dylan Continent
Chapter 414: Probing by the Gods of the Dylan Continent
With the discussions among the crowd below concluded, the gathering entered its final wrap-up phase.
The Transcendent beings of the three Divine Pantheons finally finished their deliberations. After scheduling Sacrifices with their respective Believers, they stepped back into their Realms:
The gates of the Heavenly Kingdom opened once more. Saint Peter smiled down at Angus. "Do not worry, young Bishop. Do what you believe is right, for the Lord is with you!"
This legendary figure—Saint Peter, the very first Pope of Christianity—showed Angus the utmost appreciation. "Every believer will be rewarded, but every perpetrator of Blasphemy will face punishment!"
After he spoke those words, the gates to the Heavenly Kingdom swung wide. Everyone witnessed the breathtaking vista within: blue skies, white clouds, rolling green meadows, a holy city, and a host of Angels soaring through the air!
This picture-perfect scene imparted a unique sense of purity and beauty to the onlookers, further deepening the devotion of The Faithful!
On the other side, Baldur looked at Freya, his eyes shining with admiration. "Keep up your efforts, Archbishop. Perhaps you too will receive Odin's blessing and become a new Valkyrie!"
"The Pantheon and Valhalla are both beckoning you, and the World Tree stands as your most stalwart backer!"
With those words, he tilted his head toward the sky and called out softly, "Heimdall, open the Bifrost!"
Under the watchful eyes of the entire world, a massive pillar of rainbow light skyrocketed, painting the heavens in seven vibrant colors and whisking the deity away in an instant!It was a performance of sorts—displays of Divine Faith were omnipresent—but it was also merely the daily routine of the Asgardian Pantheon. This was simply how they traveled.
The remaining deity, the Feathered Serpent God Kukulcan, appeared remarkably composed. His very presence here was already an immense honor. The phantom silhouette of a feathered serpent manifested behind him, illuminating the sky once more!
"The Gods have returned, and so we bestow upon you the blessings of the divine!" Kukulcan declared to Carl. "From this moment on, every Devout Person who prays at the Feathered Serpent Temple may attain their own Animal Spirit Body!"
"You are the spirits of living creatures, a part of all creation. This power rightfully belonged to you all along, and now, it is returned!"
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Carl. "A leader soaring like an eagle should not be bound to a single arm, nor should he be confined to one place!"
The very next second, Carl felt an unbearable, itchy ache sprouting from his severed limb. He gritted his teeth and endured the sensation, completing the entire process of regrowing his lost arm in front of everyone's eyes!
"That looks much better!" the Feathered Serpent God remarked as he prepared to depart. He left them with one final command: "Go and aid those suffering from the disaster. They are your true kindred!"
He was the deity whose departure caused the least amount of Turmoil, yet his display of power was in no way inferior to the others!
...
"This is what it means to be Deities... cooperating, clashing, and turning on each other in the blink of an eye!" Hal remarked with a sigh, standing among the group of Overseas Students.
They had all assumed that this deity named Kukulcan had appeared to express his gratitude to the other Gods. None of them expected his arrival to result in the others Being Exposed and embarrassed!
"Of course they had to face Being Exposed!" Lova whispered. "Because the ultimate victor cleaning up this battle was The Church. The Church has already secured the broadest territory for Divine Faith in this world. They need to maintain their Divine Pantheon's influence over this land, so they had absolutely no choice but to do this!"
When you thought about it, it was perfectly understandable. It was impossible for Deities to genuinely lack any desire for Divine Faith, especially in front of other Divine Pantheons. Even if they initially had no such ambitions, they still had to fight for their pride, right?
Therefore, they were fighting for face and for Divine Faith. At the very least, Lova could feel that the religious structures he had left behind in Malmö had accumulated a significant amount of extra Wish Power.
And the Dazzling array of methods displayed afterward to harvest Divine Faith left them utterly amazed!
When had the Gods of the Dylan Continent ever seen such tactics? Their methods mostly consisted of War and plundering. Due to the frequent Divine Wars and the boundless might of their Deities, they lacked such delicate methods to precisely guide a world's Wish Power. In truth, they never needed to; they simply didn't have the environment for it.
To them, employing such schemes was far less effective than choosing To Have a Fight. Consequently, witnessing this spectacle felt exceptionally novel.
They also guessed that these other two Divine Pantheons were likely similar to the Asgardian Pantheon—factions backed by immense power. Otherwise, they wouldn't have spent so long choosing To Speak Sarcastically without showing the slightest hint of feeling threatened.
They could see that these Deities clearly understood each other extremely well. Judging by the rules of the Dylan Continent, they had probably engaged in countless Wars already. Only because they couldn't vanquish each other would they resort to such political maneuvering.
The more they speculated, the more it made sense. These Deities must have existed for countless Eons, possessing their own worlds, infinite resources, and exclusive Divine Pantheons. They might have fought innumerable Wars, clashing until the heavens and earth capsized without ever declaring a clear victor. That explained why they could chat so amicably now.
"Alright, a notification from His Excellency Loki has arrived. Let's leave this place!" Lova's voice rang out. Guiding the three Deities—who all felt this had been A Worthwhile Journey—he departed from this world and returned to Europa, his Divine Kingdom.
He borrowed the power of the Bifrost for the return trip. Since it had just been activated, it would be a waste not to use it.
"His Excellency Loki will arrive here shortly. You are free to move about as you please, and you may also transmit the information you've gathered here back home!" Lova declared. "I won't be able to accompany you. I am at a critical juncture in my ascension. I will seek you out once I fully Ascend to Godhood!"
Naturally, his words were laced with a heavy dose of bragging, leaving the three Deities before him with complicated expressions.
They knew Lova's background and history of development, which was exactly why they felt such inexplicable emotions. He was just a Demigod, an existence infinitely far beneath "True Gods" like themselves. Yet, in the short time since joining the Aesir Religion, he had successfully completed his metamorphosis from a Demigod to possessing Weak Divine Power. Who wouldn't be jealous?
This was especially true considering he now possessed such a massive "future Divine Kingdom" and had a formidable Divine Pantheon backing him. It was safe to say that, barring any bottlenecks or unforeseen accidents, in a few tens of thousands of years, they might have to start attaching the honorific "Crown" to Lova's name.
Of course, they did not want to accept this reality, nor did they want to admit that the fault lay with themselves. Thus, they began pondering a specific question: if it wasn't their own problem, whose problem was it?
As the colossal form of Jupiter swept past their vision, an epiphany struck them—if it wasn't their problem, then it had to be their world's problem!
Exactly! If they had joined this world, given their status and Power, they would have long since achieved Medium Divine Power or even Powerful Divine Power. Why would they need to suffer bitterly back home?
This was the Dylan Continent's problem! It was purely because their own world was too weak that it led to such stagnating results!
At that realization, their eyes lit up brilliantly...
Right as the three Overseas Students from the Dylan Continent began their deep reflections and self-analysis, back on the Dylan Continent itself, the deities wielding Powerful Divine Power were holding a small gathering of their own:
"Oggses, I still refuse to believe that such a Rift leads to a world this terrifying!"
Within this unknown Plane, several colossal beings had gathered to debate the future of their world!
They were the Seven Great Deities, the most formidable entities in this world: the Lord of Radiance, the God of War, the Chief God of Order, the Abyss Lord, the Archduke of Hell, the God of Death, and the Goddess of Magic.
Every single one of them possessed a Divine Rank of 20, wielding Powerful Divine Power that represented the absolute pinnacle of this world. Although there might be other forces in this world equal to theirs, it was fundamentally impossible to shake their dominant status.
This was because they were not only mighty in power but also the leaders of the most supreme churches and factions. They were the true arbiters of this continent.
The deity who had voiced the question was the Abyss Lord, Phillips. As the eternal rival of the Chief God of Order, he naturally wanted to cause a little frustration for his counterpart.
Hearing his rival's words, Oggses nodded. "I don't believe it either, which is exactly why we are having this discussion. I want to debate this with all of you: if what lies on the other side is not the world they have described, then what could it be?"
Hearing this, the Deities fell silent.
If they knew the answer, they wouldn't be gathered here. It was a situation that left even Deities at a loss. For the first time, they felt that events had slipped out of their control. A world so powerful that it struck Fear into the hearts of Gods had abruptly and unreasonably manifested right before them?
Eventually, the Lord of Radiance broke the silence. "Since we are all here, and we all wish to know the truth, let us activate our Stone Tablets... Through these Stone Tablets, we should be able to glimpse certain aspects of that realm!"
The Stone Tablets, also known as the Keys of the Gods, were artifacts left behind by the God Above God when he created the world. There were eight in total. Seven were held by these seven figures of Powerful Divine Power, while the final one remained in the God Above God's own grasp!
These Stone Tablets were imbued with the power of the God Above God, allowing them to peer into certain times, spaces, and futures. This capability was also the greatest justification for their Rule over this world.
Hearing his proposal, the seven Chief Gods each brought out their Stone Tablets and placed them forward, assembling them together into a fragmented, incomplete device.
Right before activating it, the Goddess of Magic couldn't help but ask, "What exactly are we probing for? A Creator God? Deities? Or..."
"Let us probe the authenticity of that world. They definitely have Deities, so probing for Gods is meaningless. We would be better off probing whether the overwhelming might of their world is actually real!"