Goodness Home, Inner City.
The [Summoning Gate] appeared.
The [fourth-rank divinities] emerged from within in orderly procession.
Every [fourth-rank divinity] froze briefly upon stepping out.
Then they looked at An Kai, their faces full of bitterness.
Those bitter expressions meant they already understood their predicament.
From this day forward.
They were An Kai's slaves.
Their bitter expressions lasted only a moment before they dared maintain them no longer.
Instead, each [fourth-rank divinity] immediately tried to accept their circumstances and recognize their new status.
Flattering expressions appeared on their faces, like lapdogs suddenly seeing their master return after a long absence.
Their every word and gesture brimmed with ingratiation.
Of course, some of the [fourth-rank divinities] felt awkward about it.
They were precisely those who had shouted before dying, "The [God of Light] will avenge me!"
Standing before the [Summoning Gate], they looked down at their restless toes, which kept scuffing the ground. "These feet of mine really are something."
"Come here."
A quiet command suddenly sounded beside one [fourth-rank divinity] who was staring at his feet. He hurriedly raised his head and saw An Kai smiling and beckoning to him.
At this point, continuing to play dead was no longer an option.
With no other choice, the [fourth-rank divinity] staring at his feet quickly looked up, his smile full of embarrassment and unease, like a puppy caught secretly chewing its master's shoes.
He trembled as he approached An Kai, stopping three times with every step.
"M-my lord, you called for me...?"
An Kai raised his hand and patted the [fourth-rank divinity] on the face. Slaps rang out as though he were scolding a watchdog he had raised from a pup. "Do you remember what you said before you died?"
An Kai's tone had not changed at all. It remained perfectly