Chapter 506

"That requires a momentous event, one that reminds the entire world of the demonic nature, uniting them with us to utterly annihilate the heretics." Tiberius knelt on one knee, the god of Justice, and pondered for a long time:

"But revealing the greatness of Justice comes at a price. Will the other five emperors allow it?"

[If they didn't, would they have pushed me to the forefront while remaining silent? Tiberius, you've forgotten my teachings: to practice righteousness, one must first forget about being understood by the world.]

[The rules of the trial were set by the Great War. Now that we have reached the end, a new order needs another Great War to be established. I am not concerned with empty fame, let alone you?]

These words were like a shot in the arm for Tiberius. He was no longer hesitant. Upholding Justice required bloodshed. Even His Majesty did not care about reputation, so what did he care about?

It's very simple. The old order has reached its end, and the despicable demons have taken advantage of the situation. The saying goes, "If you can't beat them, join them." According to the principles of fairness, there haven't been many brain-damaged demons causing trouble in thousands of years.

This path to advancement is blocked. Those powerful individuals, unwilling to be buried by time, will seek other methods, resorting to any means necessary to research immortality. And the best material, isn't it the already immortal Divine Race?

Two hundred years ago, one of His divine servants was captured by mortals and used as research material. This unbelievable event also brought a more direct threat:

Unable to gain immortality through trials, the strong will resort to any means necessary. For the sake of the absolute hegemony of the Divine Race, they have no choice but to use the heads of the remnants first, and establish a new order that can last for ten thousand years through another Great War.

"As you have said, lasting peace must be forged with a brief bloodshed." The God of Peace also knelt on one knee, and with a flick of his finger in the air, a map of the continent appeared.

Castles like Abyss Fortress and Lighthouse City shimmered with light, as if the Supreme God's gaze swept across them, searching for a place to ignite conflict and set off war.

Nothing besides God can live forever.

[In each of the major pantheons, authority derives from the chief god, and all must obey the reasonable commands of their respective rulers.]

Yuki stood in a desolate palace, his hands behind his back, reading the inscriptions on a giant pillar.

This is the core technology of the Divine Race. In this instance, even Epic Tier IV beings will age and die; the only difference is the length of their lifespan.

Humans, no matter how strong, only live to be about two hundred years old. Demons, however, vary in age depending on their species, and their average lifespan is around five hundred years.

"Has no one thought of unlocking the secret of immortality from other angles, such as by targeting the 'Divine Race' itself?"

Yuki turned his head and looked at a man with short, sky-blue hair. He was wearing golden armor and had a very handsome face. The round table was full of wine jars, and he was lazily curled up in a recliner.

This temple had no servants, only various weapons and mountains of armor.

"Just as Father said, you outsiders are born rebellious." The young man sneered. He was none other than Dias's son, Isaac, who became a god twenty years ago.

Dias sent Him a letter explaining that Yuki was a trustworthy person.

Even after becoming a god, Father Commander will always be Father Commander. Although he is clumsy with words, loves to drink, and often makes his mother angry, he never misjudges people.

Whether you believe Yuki's version of events or not, at least you won't get angry over such a trivial matter.

This was agreed upon before departure. Yuki is also a good person; he didn't immediately bombard people with questions or try to uncover secrets. He always takes a gradual approach when trying to persuade people.

He glanced at the mountain of armor and banners, then at the wine jars in front of him, and casually asked, "Are you the god of gladiatorial combat or the god of wine?"

"Of course it's the god of gladiatorial combat. Dionysus, that fat guy, is in the 'Civilization Pantheon,' while I'm a subordinate of the 'Conflict Pantheon.'" Isaac glared, his temple exuding an aura of war.

"Then why not join the Demon-Hunting Army? Divine office is authority, and authority in battle should be very useful."

"No way, no way. War is all about legitimacy. Those guys from the Sky Pantheon are going crazy, why should I go crazy with them?" Isaac waved his hand listlessly, propped his chin up, and stared blankly at the wine jar. "But after refusing to lead the team, no one has invited me again. Tsk, what else can I do in such a boring place besides drinking?"

It seems you're finding being a god rather uninteresting.

Yuki glanced at him, and they chatted casually as if it were a friendly conversation, but Yuuki figured out a key detail.

There is a third force among the Divine Race. They are neither born into the demon race and persecuted, nor do they want to follow the Sky Pantheon into madness. They are the silent majority.

If I were the god of the sky, I would certainly mobilize the power of these gods. What method could I use to get them to join the war?

"Father is indeed wise. He saw at a glance that the threat to Abyss Fortress was not the Sea Demon or the dragons, but the Divine Race themselves. Sending you here was a brilliant move."

Isaac interrupted Yuki's train of thought, which made the latter roll his eyes again.

Damn it, that's what I figured out.

He was too lazy to argue, so he pulled up a chair and sat down, quite intrigued. "So, you've also noticed something's wrong?"

"Nonsense, a fool can't become a god!"

"Then what do you think is wrong?" Yuki focused his attention; a god, in terms of both status and information sources, was far superior to him.

"The Sky Pantheon is going berserk, recklessly expanding its attack range."

"I know that. What I need are the details, I need to know who is going crazy and why."

Yuki leaned forward and saw Isaac deep in thought, holding up the wine jar in silence for several minutes.

"Say it then!"

"Uh, I don't know either."

Yuki's hand trembled, and he almost slapped the other person across the face. "Don't you know what a teapot is? You really are father and son with Dias."

He shook his head, reorganized his thoughts, and tapped the table. "Do you trust me?"

"I can't trust him for now, but since Father has ordered you to investigate this matter, I will obey."

Obedience to orders is ingrained in the very bones of every Abyss Fortress Keeper; it has nothing to do with trust.

"Alright, I'll ask and you answer. You can remain silent about matters involving the secrets of the Divine Race."

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

Yuki took a sip of the milky-scented liquor. What he needed was a source of information; he didn't need this idiot to do the analysis.

"I heard you were among the last group to become gods before the Great Hunt?"

"Yes, that was 20 years ago. I passed the seven trials, and there were only five people before me." Isaac puffed out his chest, about to describe his thrilling epic, when Yuki raised his hand to stop him.

He couldn't be bothered to listen to this guy's bragging and asked directly, "When did the Great Hunt begin?"

About ten years ago.

Ten years ago?

Yuki narrowed his eyes, seizing the crucial moment. "If I remember correctly, the God of the Sea and the God of the Underworld also went ten years without delivering Oracle. Could it be the same for the God of Conflict?"

"More or less, but I asked His Majesty Sorion about this, and He said it was a unanimous decision of the supreme gods, and He would carry it out." Isaac raised his head, thought for a moment, and then added, "Also, I've confirmed it; His Majesty is indeed asleep, it's really true."

Abyss Fortress can only pray; whether or not it responds is the God of Strife's business. But Isaac is a direct servant of the gods, and he can still sense his boss's state.

"Good excuse, you can't verify it at all." Yuki. Ordinary gods couldn't go to the Divine Realm. He rubbed his cheek and extracted the information from Mebius:

"If I'm not mistaken, He must have given the Great Hunt a rather convincing reason, such as the remnants of the demon race would sooner or later wreak havoc on the human world, forcing Him to step in as the executioner. But the more real reason is that the existing trials can no longer continue."

"This world constantly produces powerful beings, like your father, some even stronger than gods. But in this world, only the Divine Race can live forever. In the past, the trials provided them with a goal to strive for. But with the extinction of the Great Demon, the number of trial subjects is decreasing. They cannot become gods but do not want to die, so they will definitely find other ways, such as finding a breakthrough from within the Divine Race themselves."

Yuki seemed to be talking to himself, Isaac listened quietly, his mouth growing wider and wider, the wine jug tilting, the wine wetting his clothes.

This, this, this...

Is this person a monster?

He guessed correctly, but the reason why the Great Hunt was a top secret could not be heard by those gods of demonic origin.

Why should we be the ones to be targeted when the trial can't proceed? There are plenty of powerful humans who have committed evil deeds; why not use them as the targets of the trial?

Isaac went to great lengths to uncover this secret; how could this person, who has only been here for two days, possibly have gotten hold of it?

"No, who told you that?" Isaac sat up straight abruptly, all his languidness vanishing, his thick eyebrows furrowed, exuding a murderous aura.

"There's no need to tell you. The so-called secret is hidden in historical documents. Just look at the number of people who became gods every millennium, and then look at the immortality maxims in your temple. It's not hard to find out." Yuki his wine indifferently, tapping his head with his finger. "This is basic logic. What are the core interests? The core conflicts are related to them. Any ruler, whether a god or a king, must resolve the conflicts of interest among the majority of people."

Isaac changed drastically; he finally understood why his father had referred to Crown as a friend in the message.

With exceptional intelligence, able to deduce clues from the smallest details, he couldn't help but adopt a questioning tone. "Do you think this reason is plausible?"

"Logically, it's flawless. The old order has reached its end, and it must either come from the top down or from the bottom up." Yuki took another sip of his drink, then suddenly changed the subject. "But this still doesn't explain the strange behavior of the other five main gods. I can accept that the God of the Sky bears all the blame for the world's injustices for the sake of Justice, but why are the other main gods not replying to my messages?"

"This... is perhaps the purest Sky Pantheon?"

Isaac explained that, apart from the Sky Pantheon, the other pantheons all had demons or dragons who became gods. Moresa would definitely ask the God of the Underworld why, but because she still had some pride, she didn't reply after reading the message.

But Yuki shook his head without even thinking about it, "Impossible. Praying to the Supreme God isn't a public phone call. If they all agree, why wouldn't the God of Conflict let you participate?"

Wait, that makes sense. Why doesn't His Majesty answer my prayers and dispel my doubts?

Isaac snapped out of his reverie, tried to think things through, and then dared not think about it anymore.

Yuki is implying that there is something wrong with the six main gods themselves, but who can prove that? Apart from the ascension ceremony, no one has ever been able to pass through that gate.

Before Isaac could ponder this further, Yuki asked him about the second rule.

"Is this authority derived from the division among the six main gods?"

"Yes." This time the God of Gladiators was very firm, adding, "Therefore we must obey the orders of our respective rulers. Note that these are reasonable orders; we certainly cannot be ordered to commit suicide."

Authority is the rule of the world; in other words, the six main gods collected the rules through the Great War and then distributed them to everyone?

"Are they really that kind?"

"Outrageous! Fine, I'll tell you the truth. The six of them alone can't rule the world, so they naturally need to distribute authority."

This answer is reasonable and explains why the Demon-Hunting Army fight so bravely and why everyone wants to try to become a god, which not only represents immortality but also the right to rule the world.

Yuki still felt there was something wrong with this, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Oh, right, I just remembered something. Recently, many people have become gods, but they are all from the Sky Pantheon."

"Is that strange?" Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"That's not surprising. Each main god reigns for a thousand years, and most of those who become gods after a thousand years are from their own pantheon. But this time it's too pure; there's not a single one from another pantheon." Isaac shook his head, and seeing Yuki's expression, he explained further:

"Your Majesties have some authority left to bestow upon the new gods, but I estimate it's not much, which is why everyone is so anxious."

Yuki nodded. The authority in this world is quite interesting. For example, Isaac is a Conflict Pantheon in the pantheon of conflict, and it makes sense for him to hold the same divine office in other pantheons as well.

No matter how much you subdivide the power, it will inevitably be limited. The Divine Race have one person in each position, so there probably aren't many left.

At first glance, it seems like a normal thing, and there's nothing wrong with supplementing one's direct lineage. But if we Repulsion the logic Yuki's conjecture, then something's not right.

Is this a case of a certain school principal using the suppression of dissidents as a pretext?

I was right. The sky god Sorion is up to something, and it's definitely not as simple as He has made it out to be.

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief. Only by identifying the enemy could he have a plan. This wasn't just wild speculation; it was based on the cause Repulsion of the 'Destruction Mission'.

He must cause trouble to disrupt the existing order and carry out his mission; the question is how big of a commotion he causes.

No One Survives, No One Survives. Such a terrifying dungeon name shouldn't be a battle between gods with a clear distinction between the strong and the weak. Players have a million ways to stand on the side of the victor.

"Are gods of demonic origin persecuted?"

Isaac, somewhat out of sync with the train of thought, shook his head and said, "No, that's not true, but there is surveillance and exclusion. I received news that 'Shadow God' Morgas seems to be contacting them, jointly submitting a petition to His Majesty Sorion."

"Is this Morgas very powerful?"

"He's stronger than me. He's the left hand of the gods in the Civilization Pantheon, the one who controls all the shadows in the world."

That was a second-tier god; without a doubt, Moresa was one of them.

He suddenly understood why Moresa had changed her attitude. In their eyes, players were also a force that could be united, but given a choice, players would always side with the stronger.

"Does the Sky Pantheon have any countermeasures?"

"I don't know about that. I don't think so. Gods are strictly forbidden from fighting each other; whoever does so becomes a public enemy."

"Like proverbs inscribed on stone pillars?"

"Not quite, it's more like the law."

That's right.

Yuki couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth. Wasn't this just deliberate indulgence? Even a fool would know that if this continued, the god of an unorthodox origin would surely rebel.

You've already taken all the blame for this world's misdeeds, what harm is there in taking on one more? Why not strike first?

The two exchanged a glance, Yuki saw the fear in Isaac's eyes. The latter wasn't stupid; he'd already been practically forced to say those words.

"His Majesty Sorion intends to eliminate even the alien gods along with them!?"

"Yes, but the problem is why not eliminate it now? Doesn't He know that the demons across the continent have united and only need an excuse, a group of leaders, to stir up a huge wave?"

"This... this isn't right." Isaac felt his mind was in a complete mess. Wiping out the demons wasn't so bad, but why make things harder for himself?

Why not extinguish the fire when it first starts, instead of letting Blazing Prairie? Even if it is extinguished, how many more people will be burned to death?

He even considered Yuki's question: the Divine Race are all set up, could it be that they want to eliminate the gods who originated from the demon race to make room for the successors?

"I'll report to His Majesty Niels immediately! We must wake him up!"

"Don't go. If it's really a joint decision, you'll die if you do it, and Abyss Fortress and I will die too." Yuki grabbed him, his analysis not digging a hole for himself, and he knew that this father and son seemed carefree, but were actually very meticulous, otherwise they wouldn't have known about the actions of the otherworldly gods.