The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic

Chapter 536 536: 536

The quiet star-filled space remained calm for a few moments after Christina spoke.

The distant stars continued to revolve slowly around them, and their soft light reflected across the four figures standing together.

Compared to the chaos spreading across the world below, this place felt strangely peaceful.

Kael remained silent for a moment. His eyes moved slowly from Christina to Nina and then to Asana. He studied their faces carefully, almost as if he feared that this moment would disappear the moment he blinked.

Nina was the first to break the silence.

She raised her hand and lightly touched his cheek. Warm flames flickered softly around her fingers but they did not burn him. Her eyes held both relief and lingering pain.

"You are staring too much," she said quietly, though a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Kael let out a small breath.

"I still find it hard to believe," he replied. "After everything that happened… you are all standing here."

Asana slowly lifted her gaze toward him. Her normally cold eyes had softened, and the icy aura around her had grown calm.

"You should believe it," she said quietly. "You endured far worse things alone."

Kael did not respond immediately.

Instead he lowered his head slightly and looked at the ground beneath them where faint starlight drifted like dust in the void.

For centuries he had walked alone.

He fought gods, demons, and entire civilizations. He endured betrayal, war, and endless death. Yet in this moment the thing that unsettled him the most was not battle.

It was peace.

Christina gently squeezed his hands.

"You are thinking too much again," she said softly.

Kael looked at her and shook his head with a faint smile.

"That habit never left me."

Nina crossed her arms and gave him a playful but tired look.

"You almost destroyed half the sky just to announce your return, and now you are standing here doubting reality."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

Nina replied while rolling her eyes slightly. "The entire world saw it."

Asana added quietly, "The heavens are still shaking because of it."

Kael let out a low sigh and looked upward.

Through the distant veil of space, faint ripples could still be seen spreading across the sky of the world below. The crimson glow had begun to fade slightly, but the impact of his breakthrough still lingered.

The quiet star-lit space remained calm after Kael's last words.

The distant stars continued to move slowly across the endless void, and their soft glow reflected across the four figures standing together. For a moment none of them spoke. The tension that had shaken the world earlier slowly faded into a quiet warmth between them.

Kael folded his arms across his chest and looked carefully at the three women standing before him. His gaze moved slowly from Christina to Nina and then to Asana. Curiosity appeared in his eyes.

After a short silence he finally spoke.

"There is something I still don't understand," he said slowly.

His voice carried genuine confusion.

"How did you all become Gods?"

Christina was the first to respond.

She let out a soft breath and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her expression remained gentle while her eyes looked slightly distant as if she was recalling old memories.

"My path was different," she said quietly.

Kael watched her carefully while she continued speaking.

"You remember what I used to do," Christina said with a faint smile. "I was an information dealer. I handled the information gathered by spies and informants across different regions."

Kael nodded slowly. He remembered those days clearly.

He and Christina had first met through an exchange of information during the time when war and political tension had spread across the world.

Christina continued speaking calmly.

"You and I came into contact because we needed each other's information," she said.

Her eyes softened slightly.

"Like a moth drawn toward flames, I was attracted to you."

Kael raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Christina looked at him quietly.

"I knew everything about you. From your birth to your fall. Every battle you fought and every betrayal you endured."

Her voice grew softer.

"Knowing all of that broke my heart."

For a moment she paused before continuing.

"After you disappeared, I began walking the path toward Godhood."

She slowly raised her hand and faint starlight gathered around her fingers.

"I started by slowly climbing toward the Demi-God realm. It took years, and then decades."

Kael listened carefully while she explained.

"When I finally reached that level, I began spreading my faith."

Kael frowned slightly. "Faith?"

Christina nodded gently.

"Yes. But not openly."

She smiled faintly.

"The gods could not detect it because I never declared myself a goddess."

Instead she spread rumors about a mysterious being who handled secrets and hidden knowledge. People began whispering about that being in small circles. Spies, merchants, nobles, and scholars began seeking that unseen figure for answers.

"I simply let the rumors grow," Christina explained calmly.

"I let people exaggerate the stories. I let the whispers travel across cities and kingdoms."

Those rumors slowly turned into belief.

Many people began praying secretly to that mysterious figure whenever they wished to hide something or learn forbidden truths.

"They worshiped the idea of mystery itself," Christina said softly.

"And they believed that someone was listening."

That belief slowly gathered strength over time.

"This continued for decades," she added.

"By the time enough faith gathered, I already had the power I needed."

She finished calmly.

"Then I broke through."

Kael sucked in a breath of cold air and shook his head slowly.

"Damn," he muttered.

"That sounded quite easy, but who knows how difficult it really was."

Christina only smiled gently without answering.

Kael then turned his gaze toward Nina and Asana.

"But you two…"

Nina crossed her arms and gave him a small smile.

"Our path was different," she said.

Her expression grew serious.

"The path to true Godhood was blocked by the gods themselves."

She looked toward the distant sky.

"The only way to become a true god was to kill one of them and take their authority."

Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.

"And that was nearly impossible."

Asana continued quietly.

"So we searched for another way."