Sasrir

"Lord, we'll take our leave." Ouroboros left with Hermes, leaving only Truman and the Ancient Sun God in the church.

It was a gathering of fellow countrymen.

Just as when Truman had learned the Goddess's identity, he felt a sense of kinship, but the nature of this world still left an invisible barrier between them.

"Would you like a drink?" Truman asked suddenly. "Vodka! The real deal!"

He opened the Book of Dreams and took out two bottles of liquor.

Wish Fulfillment. Dreams had descended upon the world.

"This is a little something to welcome you." Truman handed over the bottles.

"...Thank you." The Ancient Sun God studied Truman for a long while before accepting them. His expression was peculiar, tinged with regret and nostalgia.

"It's been a long time since I last remembered that."

He unscrewed a cap and drank half a bottle in one go. "A familiar taste!"

"I believe the custom in the ancient eastern kingdom is to return a gift." The Ancient Sun God set down the bottle and looked at the Badge of Divinity on Truman's chest.

"I've got it!" He reached out and gently pinched the air. A sun seemed to gather in his hand, eventually forming a Sun Badge almost identical to the Badge of Divinity.

Truman's eyes lit up as he sensed its effect—Eternal Day.

Its main purpose was to ward off evil and purify, but it could also awaken sleeping beings.

"Thank you!" Truman took it and set it beside the badge containing Evernight's Sleepless Divinity. Dream Phosphor glimmered, and the two badges fused into one.

The Badge of Divinity now bore a different design on each side. The power of the sun and the stars surged within it, sustaining Truman's condition.

"Between Sleeplessness and Eternal Day, I might never be able to sleep again." Of course, that was actually a good thing for Truman.

Truman laughed. This was an unexpected bonus.

"Is there something you and that lady wanted to discuss with me?" The Ancient Sun God had indeed met with the Goddess!

"Of course. Cooperation." Truman's expression turned serious as well. The power of the Chaos Sea and the Dream Phosphor spread across the church, enveloping it.

"How do you propose we cooperate?" The Ancient Sun God held the cross in one hand and asked in a calm, gentle voice.

At that moment, he seemed more like a god than a man.

"The Ancient God Alliance, Lilith, and the Annihilation Demonic Wolf." Truman offered those few keywords.

The Ancient Sun God's expression remained calm, his gaze clear. He showed no reaction to them.

But Truman knew that something called the Authority of Omniscience had begun stirring in the Chaos Sea.

Though the Ancient Sun God had yet to reclaim the Spectator and White Tower Pathways, he could indirectly wield the Authority of Omniscience through the Chaos Sea.

He was making deductions, using endless knowledge to trace the threads of this era!

He lacked the Authority of Fate, but the Author was no less capable in that regard.

"Lilith..." The Ancient Sun God looked at Truman, thoughtful. "You've already convinced her?"

"No one wants to lose themselves." Truman didn't answer directly, but his words carried an implication.

"Good." The Ancient Sun God nodded gently, deciding to go along with the tide of the times. "For the details, speak with Sasrir."

Afterward, the Ancient Sun God walked beneath the enormous cross, closed his eyes, and began praying to himself.

It really feels like this god is slacking off...

Truman blinked, then obediently left the church and found Ouroboros and Hermes.

"Hello, Ouroboros. I'm sorry about what happened earlier." Truman turned to him.

The Chaos Sea's eruption had nearly swallowed Ouroboros.

"Hmm?" Ouroboros finally lifted his eyes from the Slate and looked at Truman. After a brief pause, he replied, "It's all right. You didn't hurt me, and you're a friend of the Lord."

He noticed the badge on Truman's chest. It carried a power he knew well.

"The Lord's Oracle told me to take you to meet Sasrir." Ouroboros suddenly remembered something and gestured invitingly.

"All right, let's go." Truman and his little sidekick, Hermes, followed Ouroboros through the Sun God's divine kingdom.

"The people here!" Hermes was stunned. They saw an immense procession of worshippers, accompanied by grand hymns that praised the god who brought sunlight to the land.

Of course, such things also happened from time to time in other human city-states. What shook Hermes most was that mysterious power surged within some of the people.

Most importantly, they showed no mutations. Their Spirituality was stable, and their Spirit Bodies were in a peaceful state Hermes had never seen before!

"O Sun, you grant us sunlight and rain, food and holy water..."

The hymns rang out without end as several priests led the singing. Their majestic voices stirred the true power of a god.

"What's going on?!" Hermes asked, dazed.

"They're Bards." Ouroboros was also praising the sun. Hearing Hermes's question, he turned to answer.

"Bards?" Strong confusion welled in Hermes's voice. An invisible membrane blocked him, keeping him from understanding what he was seeing.

"Sequence 9, Bard." Truman offered a timely reminder.

"Sequence 9?!" Hermes's eyes lit up. Everything suddenly made sense.

"You know about Sequences?" A voice came from farther away, and a figure appeared before the three of them.

The newcomer wore a deep black robe and had shoulder-length black hair. His face bore some resemblance to the Ancient Sun God's, but he was more handsome. His eyes were black, with faint traces of deep shadow.

His clothes were exquisitely tailored, adorned with silver threads, intricate patterns, and lavish accessories.

"Sasrir, what brings you here?" Ouroboros blinked, puzzled. "Are the buildings in the Lord's divine kingdom finished?"

Sasrir's face darkened. He gave a light cough. "I'm here to receive our guests."

"Oh." Ouroboros nodded. "Then I'll be off. I haven't finished painting my mural."

Ouroboros turned his attention back to the Slate in his hands, gesturing with one hand as he became completely absorbed in his own world.

"Ahem. Friend, give me two bottles of vodka!" The Dark Angel Sasrir came closer and spoke in a low voice.

"..." Truman opened the Book of Dreams and took out a bottle of vodka.

There was something strange about Sasrir. The Ancient Sun God's divinity completely overwhelmed his humanity; only when faced with those distant memories did his emotions stir. He was more like Adam as Truman remembered him.

But Sasrir, the King of Angels, seemed to have far more humanity than divinity—more even than Ouroboros.

Perhaps that was why he had been created...

Obviously, Truman preferred dealing with him this way.

"Ah! Now that's good liquor!" Sasrir gulped down an entire bottle. "Bayeharri!"

Truman simply scooped up a handful of Dream Phosphor from the Book of Dreams and stuffed it into Sasrir's bottle. The Dream Phosphor rippled, and the liquor inside refilled.

"What a convenient ability!" Sasrir exclaimed. As long as the Dream Phosphor remained alight, the liquor would never run out.

"Can't let him get his hands on it." Sasrir took another long drink, then carefully put the bottle away.

The Sun God might have had ways to obtain things from the old era, but those bottles definitely wouldn't have the effect of neutralizing madness.

Truman was demonstrating his value.