As a False God who had been involuntarily drawn into the Main Plane, Hectos, God of Flame, had survived the hunt by the gods' Believers while other False Gods fell one after another for one reason: he always trusted his instincts.
At the slightest sign of trouble, he teleported somewhere far away.
As long as I run fast enough, the gods' lackeys can't kill me.
So although he saw nothing unusual, he chose to teleport to safety first and only then consider what he might have overlooked.
As teleportation Radiance flickered around him, the servants throughout the manor began to glow with teleportation Radiance as well. None of them reacted. They had been through this many times before.
"Your vigilance is commendable, but it's terribly rude for a host to run away when guests arrive." A voice rang out across the manor.
The teleportation Radiance around Hectos and his servants abruptly went out.
Then Jiang Hao appeared in the manor with Antonio.
The moment Jiang Hao arrived, teleportation magic ceased to work throughout the estate.
This was his ability: What God Wills Becomes Reality!
Hectos cast several teleportation spells in succession, but each one flickered once and died. He looked like a human-shaped lightbulb with a faulty connection.
After several attempts, Hectos finally accepted that he could not teleport away. He narrowed his eyes at Jiang Hao and Antonio, Divine Power surging around him. "Who are you?"
"An old friend," Jiang Hao replied.
Both were False Gods born from the faith and blood sacrifices of the native peoples of the Heart of Nature Plane. The tribe Jiang Hao's former self had belonged to had once encountered the tribe that worshipped Hectos.
At the time, Hectos's tribe had been renowned in the region for its size. It had more than ten