Inside the Divine Mound arsenal, Irukuga tightened his grip on the sword-spear in his hand, then drew a sharp breath at the stone statue before him.
In an instant, the golden armor upon the statue seemed to be drawn by some force, transforming into streams of golden radiance that wound around him before gathering anew over his body.
Now, with sword-spear in hand and magnificent armor sheathing his entire body, only his eyes and mouth exposed beneath the helmet, he perfectly recreated the imposing, arrogant god depicted in the murals.
Just then, he seemed to sense something. With an amused smile, he casually swept his sword-spear, cleaving a rift across the space before him. Once it widened enough for a person to pass through, he stepped inside and arrived upon that platform.
He glanced at the stone seat ahead, sat down without ceremony, then swung his sword-spear forward. Another rift appeared in the middle of the great platform.
After a while, the two members of the Revival God Association stumbled out as if dragged through it.
Irukuga smiled playfully. "My envoys, have you brought me any good news?"
The two from the Revival God Association looked over. Seeing him seated upon the platform throne, their hearts filled with uncertainty and alarm. With Il's light having dissipated, they had believed something had happened to this one. But why...
Then another possibility occurred to them. They hurriedly lowered their heads and saluted. "Honored Il, following your divine oracle, we found two more believers. They are still willing to fulfill the ancient agreement and serve the Ipal Gods."
Resting his elbow on the armrest and propping up one side of his face, Irukuga said, "Is that so? Then what do they ask for?"
The man in the golden mask cautiously replied, "They only