The azure radiance lasted only a brief moment before an unbelievably vast and magnificent metal fortress appeared in the vacuum left by the Superhumans, who had been steadily siphoning away the energy and vitality of this region.
At its heart stood an Astral Temple!
Unlike the Creator of Light, who had once adored the splendor of golden, sacred angels, Hayes, the God of Star-Gazing, preferred simplicity and practicality. The new temple arbiters were mostly dressed plainly, and had lost the domineering air they once possessed. The lingering fierceness between their brows was easy to see, the mark of their long struggle against the remnants of the Holy See.
From on high.
Hayes seemed like a god living amid the praise of hymns, detached from the mundane world. Dressed in simple, elegant white robes, he was graceful, composed, sharp, and possessed an enviable personal charisma and decisiveness. His handsome face no longer showed even a trace of the dignified age he had once borne.
The nourishment of Faith Power and the transformation of his God Body had truly granted him a new life.
But in contrast,
his desires were fading day by day. He was growing ever closer to the image described in the hymns sung about him. The prayers of countless believers had merged into his soul. At first, losing his desires had undoubtedly been a welcome relief, freeing him from worldly troubles and making him feel liberated. But as time passed, the loss of desire brought pain in its wake.
He had discovered that as his desires faded, so did his happiness.
His emotions were steadily approaching absolute calm, nearing disappearance. At times, he even felt a trace of fear toward the increasingly unfamiliar person he was becoming.
That was precisely why Hayes had finally made up his mind.