Horace, Marika, and Messmer spoke in unison: "...Huh?"
Even Godfrey, who had been yawning the whole time, seemed jolted awake by those words and let out a muffled syllable: "Hm?"
Lilith looked at their bewildered faces, especially Marika's expression of "what nonsense are you spouting?" She rolled her eyes and patiently explained:
"My little one isn't like you, Marika. His 'Godhead' actually isn't much different from a true deity's. What he lacks is 'quantity.'"
Marika's brows knitted tightly. Clearly, she hadn't understood a thing: nope, not a word.
Lilith took a deep breath, as though teaching an idiot. "What is that lousy gate, at its core? Spirit Summoning! It's a giant horn that attracts spirits of high Godhead to possess a 'Vessel,' using that spirit's essence to elevate the Vessel's Godhead!"
"In other words..."
She pointed at Marika B. "Back then, you let the thing hiding inside the Erdtree possess you! That's how you acquired the Elden Ring's 'identity'! Get it?"
Marika froze. She seemed to understand a little, but not quite.
Lilith continued, addressing Horace. "So using that lousy gate would be utterly pointless for you. Your own Godhead is already 'high' enough-so high that the gate couldn't possibly attract a spirit with a higher Godhead to possess you. At most, it's a shoddy loudspeaker. It could shout itself hoarse and still never draw in a true god, because you're already standing on that level yourself!"
"What you lack is the 'power' to fill that 'level'-vast quantities of Spirit Energy!"
Horace understood at once. So I'm not a false god, but an underdeveloped deity! I'm a baby god!
Wait, by that reckoning, doesn't the Formless Mother really count as my mom?
Lilith was still complaining. "You're such a strange little one. I've fed you so much milk, yet you