novelraw Chapter 450: Brigid's Judgment
Chapter 450: Brigid's Judgment
This kind of choice left many observers from the outside world completely speechless.
For instance, the three foreign gods wore exceptionally peculiar expressions.
"Are they truly selecting a king, or is some powerful deity choosing their favored subordinates?"
"Is this trial, which requires immense restraint and composure, really just a royal selection and not a divine one?"
"The king who emerges from this selection could even be designated as a Chief God seed within their Divine Pantheon!"
It was no wonder they said such things. This unique selection process simply delivered too massive of a shock to them. A method so rigorous that it left every deity finding it unbelievable was treated as nothing more than a routine occurrence here!
They dared not even imagine how bitterly the gods of their own world would lament upon seeing certain candidates being directly "cleaned up" and discarded!
A God of War or a God of Brutality would deeply mourn the effortless death of the very first participant. Moreover, some of the subsequent candidates perfectly aligned with the concepts of certain Evil Gods they knew!
"If your Divine Pantheon contains Evil Gods, wouldn't they deliberately come here to harvest these kinds of Souls?" Faisal suddenly asked.
Merlin wore a look of absolute confidence. "Of course not. This trial is entirely controlled by the Dana divine family, and the druids are also assisting. How could they possibly..."Then his expression changed. "Wait... A portion of their Souls has disappeared..."
This abrupt turn of events prompted Merlin to vanish in a flash. However, before leaving, he still left an explanation for the three deities. "It should be the Fomorian giant race... They have returned from the land of the fallen once again. Do not worry, this is a realm protected by the gods. They cannot cross over, but it is true that Souls will be lost because of them!"
Hearing this, the three deities were not surprised in the least. As fellow gods, they understood the underlying rules of a Divine Pantheon far too well.
If there were gods of Light, there must certainly be gods of Darkness. If there were True Gods, there must also be Evil Gods. Otherwise, who would be left to control those hidden authorities and powers?
"But the giant race sounds rather familiar... If I recall correctly, the enemies of the Asgardian Pantheon are also Giants?" Hal remarked with a hint of Curiosity. "Are their Giants all this sort of evil deity?"
"Perhaps, much like our Hell or the Abyss, it is merely a synonymous term? Their Evil Gods, or even their pantheon of gods, might just happen to be Giants as well, right?" Faisal accurately hit the nail on the head.
They continued to watch. The choices made by the mortals before them still filled them with endless envy.
......
"Ah, I was wondering what I forgot! Since we already have True Gods, the world would seem far too unrealistic without Evil Gods!" Bai Yang muttered casually. The matter concerning the giant race was naturally a spur-of-the-moment idea that sparked after he overheard their conversation, but it conveniently filled in some gaps in his Setting design.
Besides, what they said made perfect sense. As a Creator God, he could not simply treat kind and righteous Souls as resources while dismissing the evil ones, right?
As long as evil Souls were placed in the right environment, they were still valuable sustenance.
In America, these wicked Souls would become Demons or Cultists. Meanwhile, in these regions, they could naturally serve as the starting power for Infidels, as well as the developmental fuel for those malevolent Sea Giants of the deep.
Under such circumstances, their malice, brutality, and rampant arrogance would no longer be flaws, but absolute advantages.
Perhaps in the future, these terrifying Souls could become the common enemy of the Celtic, Nordic, and Greek factions. They would also serve as a continued source of Wish Power for Bai Yang to harvest for a very long time to come.
"Only with enemies can there be battles, and only through battles can there be growth. They perfectly complement each other!"
Bai Yang was certainly no philanthropist. The future he had chosen would definitely not be one of peace and prosperity, but rather a highly stimulating clash of polar opposites!
The mighty power of Transcendence would be gradually distributed to every single person amidst this ongoing conflict. That was the best possible path.
Furthermore, humanity would also have different paths to choose from. They could join the ranks of the True Gods, becoming ordinary citizens or Transcendent Beings. Naturally, they could also enlist under the Evil Gods, turning into creatures driven purely by desire and power.
"Only desires that are wildly indulged can generate even more explosive Wish Power!" Bai Yang remained exceptionally clear-headed, and it was obvious he had many more plans in mind. "Once these powers accumulate, they can also be used to shape worlds. Realms similar to Hell, the Underworld, ghost realms, or a whole series of death worlds would all work perfectly!"
"These forces can also serve as our strength to strike at the Dylan Continent or other similar Universes in the future. If they are invaded by Evil Gods, and our True Gods send people over to assist, wouldn't that count as divine justice descending from the heavens?"
Hearing Bai Yang's rhetorical question, a dark shadow of speechlessness fell over Alvin's face. "I suppose it counts? If they truly cannot hold on any longer and we step in to help, they will certainly be grateful!"
Though both of them knew this was still merely a fantasy, as their development continued to accelerate, such immense power would sooner or later become a reality. The extreme concentration of Matter and Energy, along with the explosive Population growth brought about by the new world, allowed them to foresee this outcome.
We will save you from the fires of damnation. As for where those fires came from in the first place, that is none of your concern!
Their discussion regarding future designs paused there. Right before their eyes, the temptation of Eternal Life offered by the druids had ultimately caused many people to waver.
Many knew perfectly well that they might not be able to pull the sword from the stone, but the prospect of Eternal Life was absolutely real!
They stepped forward, sought out the druids, and exchanged for their share of the elixir of immortality. In doing so, they completely forfeited the right to advance any further.
There was a substantial number of these individuals, making up fully half of the people present—over seventy participants!
After exchanging their emerald fruits for the immortality elixir, some kept it firmly grasped in their hands, while others could not wait to gulp it down.
"Ah..." Those who drank it let out a sound of sheer, euphoric comfort, instantly drawing the side-eyes of everyone around them.
Their bodies seemed to expand, then contract, before finally returning to their original forms. However, they were now coated in a faint layer of fluorescence.
That radiance, which closely resembled a "Divine Gift", made them look less like Mortals and far more like true Deities!
Did merely drinking the immortality elixir push someone so close to godhood? Several people fixed their gazes on those still holding their potions. Stripped of all hesitation, they began to swallow the liquid one after another.
Seeing this unfold, another fraction of the people who were still holding onto their emerald fruits ran forward to trade them with the druids for the elixir.
The throne might not belong to them in the end, and even if it did, King Arthur had not lived forever. Thus, it was far better to use this opportunity to acquire the elixir of immortality.
Humans are inherently selfish creatures, so none of them felt there was anything wrong with this choice.
Only certain spectators from the outside world spotted the glaring issue. "They all think this is the end of the selection, but little do they know, this is still taking place within an illusion... They never had the option to choose an immortality elixir at all. This is simply a trial!"
"A trial means that everything here could be completely fake! They fell right into the trap!"
But the spectator was merely voicing his thoughts. Any rational person knew that in such an environment, very few could actually hold onto that pitiful "reason".
It was practically impossible. They were all pieces on the board, so they genuinely believed the trial was over. Come to think of it, the tragic death of Cuchulainn back in the day seemed to follow a very similar ending.
Wasn't Cuchulainn, a Mythological Hero of such immense strength, also lost in an illusion, heavily injured, and ultimately led to his death?
"It seems you have all finalized your choices!" Just as the very last person downed the immortality elixir in their hands, the druid suddenly transformed. Under everyone's watchful eyes, the figure shapeshifted into a special goddess of "absolute beauty"!
She was a goddess of innate grace and infinite elegance, possessing a beauty so profound it practically suffocated everyone who beheld her. It was as if the very concept of beauty was manifesting directly from her form!
"Respected Crown Brigid, will you be the one to announce the results of this Heart's Balance trial?" Merlin's figure appeared right on cue, pointing out the goddess's name and origins!
Brigid, the goddess of the hearth from the Dana divine family. The moment this name was spoken, every Civilization across the world simultaneously received information about her.
A goddess with almost no historical records, known only for the indisputable fact of her divinity, was slowly materializing before everyone's eyes. Her fingertips twirled with a certain special, elemental divine light as she asked, "Was the elixir of immortality to your liking?"
Upon hearing this question, everyone instantly froze. Then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the individuals who had consumed the immortality elixir began to violently clutch their own throats!
Their bodies were rapidly stiffening, and their life forces were being violently erased. That was no elixir of immortality; it was a horrifying, lethal poison!
"Even the Silver Hand could not achieve Eternal Life. Why did you think you could remain evergreen like the Tree of Life? Those who cower before the passage of time shall be forsaken by time itself!" Brigid's voice echoed out.
The next second, accompanied by the terrified screams of everyone who had drunk the elixir, the mist of the world before them dissipated. This group of people had completely transformed into small oak trees, taking root deep into the soil of this continent.
As for their Souls, just like the participants who had perished when their acorns shattered, they dissipated entirely into nothingness.
They had indeed attained true Eternal Life, standing alongside the Tree of Life. However, it was vastly different from the kind of immortality they had imagined...
This brutally ruthless judgment left all the spectators with violently palpitating hearts!
Fewer than forty of the final participants remained... This was the conclusion of the judgment, and the sheer cruelty of the royal selection trial!