Chapter 123

Governed by four deities, all things followed order, and the world operated according to the rules they had set.

In the beginning, only the forms of living beings began to change.

Later, they developed intelligence and gained the ability to think independently.

And after that, the races formed their own sense of territory, drawing boundaries based on the range of influence of each god.

At first, the gods paid no attention to these changes, which they considered utterly trivial.

So what if they had gained intelligence? They could think, act on their own will—wasn’t that better? It facilitated the refinement of order.

But the gods ultimately underestimated the beings they had personally created...

They underestimated the value of sentient hearts and independent thought.

The Elf God taught the races to cultivate the land, but living beings waited for others’ fields to ripen, then seized them at harvest.

The Demon God taught humans magic, but they used mana as a weapon to harm one another, leaving injuries and ruin.

The Dragon God taught the importance of strength, only to witness the strong bully the weak, boasting gleefully in their might.

The Human God preached the meaning of love and compassion, yet gave rise to the darkness of hatred and jealousy.

It was as if light had been brought into the world.

When people turned around, they discovered shadow.

At some point, certain races began crossing borders without the gods’ permission, launching assaults on others.

Slaughter and bloodshed shocked the gods—and baffled them even more.

Under the rules that had been established, why would conflict even exist?

"You didn’t stop it?" Sheffy spread her hands as she asked the question. "You just said the world was governed by the gods back then. If things like that happened, shouldn’t divine punishment have come down—make an example of one to warn the rest? Uh... wait, were there monkeys back then?"

"Of course we stopped it. Dragon God Sanolade was enraged. He descended upon the world, and with a single blow, utterly annihilated the evil race that had, for the first time in history, initiated war. Because of this, he earned the title of 'God of Dominion'."

"I guess... that helped, but probably not much," Xiarette sighed thoughtfully. "That’s how it’s always been recorded through history... Wherever there are people, there’s war. As long as there’s desire, or luck, there will be killing and theft."

"You are correct. The complexity of life’s thoughts... far exceeded our expectations."

This little girl of the Human race was not wrong.

After the Dragon God unleashed his wrath, all races of the world did indeed quiet down for a time.

But even without war, theft, crime, murder, or deceit began to spread across nearly every race.

These rapidly spreading negatives, like a virulent disease, confounded the powerful gods and constantly reshaped their understanding.

"We once naively believed that as long as the Four Gods existed, the evils of the world would be completely cleansed."

"Evil is like picking up grains of sand from the sea... Pick up one, and two more appear. Sift out two, and what you get is a mix of mud and silt—endless and overwhelming. Living beings revere and fear us, but if we govern solely through slaughter, it only further provokes the darkness within their hearts."

"Later, we gods personally involved ourselves in observing and correcting certain races. Without exception, all of them were led to destruction."

"Yet those we failed to observe in time... unexpectedly developed systems of their own. Flourishing and orderly—it was truly wondrous."

In lands untouched by gods, governments gradually formed. They developed agriculture and began their earliest forms of trade.

It was a logic both intriguing and full of irony.

—In the wild regions where gods never set foot, prosperity began to bloom.

—In places where the gods often intervened, decline set in.

Those races that depended heavily on the gods made no progress whatsoever, because all they ever did was pray for divine blessings every day, without any desire to strive forward.

In contrast, the races that had no choice but to rely on themselves, with no path of retreat, attained everything they were capable of attaining.

It was ironic—reality itself seemed to mock the gods' actions as nothing but misguided.

And the gods had no choice but to reflect on the reasons behind this.

"At that time, we came to realize a troubling truth—that perhaps these small lives... could not bear the weight of divine favor. Maybe... the right choice was to vacate this world, and allow its lifeforms to decide their own fate."

"And so, after tens of thousands of years of descending upon the world, the Four Gods gathered for the first time, for this very matter."

Aimeris’s gaze suddenly shifted toward the east.

No one knew whether she was recalling a particular altar in the eastern lands from tens of thousands of years ago—where the gods once held council.

But the East was vast, and no one else could tell where exactly her eyes were fixed.

As for the outcome of that divine assembly... it was as expected.

It left the Four Gods disheartened, but it was a conclusion grounded in reality.

—Life no longer needed us.

We had done all we could. The rest should be left to these small lives to decide for themselves.

The gods were too powerful. Their very existence had become the greatest obstacle to the world's order.

"So basically, you all decided to retire."

Sheffy snapped her fingers, summing up that earth-shaking divine assembly in a single sentence.

Although having it put so lightly left Aimeris a bit irritated, she couldn’t refute it—it was a spot-on summary, and she couldn't very well lash out.

"Yes... that’s one way to put it. I agreed with their view. We should find some secluded place, withdraw from the world, and let the stars of this world move along the paths they were always meant to, without further interference. Besides... we’ve been weary of worldly matters for ten thousand years—we’ve long been tired of it. But what I didn’t expect... was that the other gods would go to such extremes."

Extremes.

It referred to what the Demon God Tieer proposed at the end of the meeting—if they were going to disappear, then they should disappear completely.

Just hiding away somewhere?

That wouldn’t do. Who’s to say one of them wouldn’t change their mind someday and come back to meddle in the world again?

Why not let go of attachment, and make a clean break once and for all?

【We have roamed this world for ten thousand years—is that not enough?】

"I agreed to disappear, but I could not accept the notion of 'disappearing completely'. At that time, mortals still revered the gods, kneeling in prayer each day, upheld by faith. If the gods were suddenly gone, that faith would collapse, chaos and war would erupt, and without a final safeguard, who could guarantee that the flames of war wouldn’t sweep across the land and utterly destroy civilization—destroy the wish we gods had strived toward for ten thousand years? Therefore, I proposed seclusion instead. The Four Gods would check one another, with no need to walk the path of mutual destruction."

As Aimeris said this, her tone suddenly grew heavy.

"What surprised me was that—besides me—the other three gods actually agreed with Tieer’s view without hesitation. It was as if... they had reached a consensus beforehand."

"That’s kind of strange..." At this, Sheffy seemed a bit puzzled. "Your way of thinking seems pretty reasonable. And they just accepted disappearing? Just like that? I mean, gods are still gods, right? Let me put it this way—say I had a whole lake of fish, and I kept fishing until the number of fish dwindled. Then I realize I should back off for a while, let the fish population grow again, and then fish later. But I wouldn’t..."

"...go so far as to disappear forever!"

"Ugh... why is it fish... Never mind. In any case, I already felt something was off at the time. But I didn’t want to argue too much with them. Let them do as they please—but I would act alone, and continue to protect the world from the shadows. Yet Tieer, that wretched wench, struck while I was down... She actually mocked me for being afraid of death, for being greedy for power. She said we gods, born of heavenly essence, would merely return to the stars even if we destroyed ourselves—so why should we care about power or death!"

Waves of golden ripples surged through the space, shaking the small bench beneath them. It was clear that Aimeris was seething with genuine rage.

To hold on to such fury for ten thousand years... one could only imagine how deeply it ran.

Aimeris slowly descended to the ground.

Just like she had, long ago, fallen from the heavens to the mortal realm.

"Utterly despicable... The other three gods actually joined forces to stop me from leaving. Their reasoning was that if they disappeared completely but left me in the mortal world, it would surely invite disaster. Without the mutual restraint of the Four Gods, one would become absolutely powerful, and peace would be lost forever. But how could I commit an act against the very principles of divinity...! And yet those three gods would not listen. They struck together, sealing and suppressing my divine power, trapping me in an eternal spatial rift. What was supposed to be the divine assembly of the Four Gods... became a trap for me. And later generations even claimed the war started because of me... I hate them—I hate the gods for their arbitrariness and extremism, I hate this world for its absurd betrayal, I hate...!"

"Okay okay okay, hold it right there, no more hating. You're already a golden statue—what’s the point of all this hate? So, how long were you sealed for?"

"Over ten thousand years. The seal loosened slightly, and only then could I take on this incomplete form, drifting within the rift of time and space."

"Wow, that's... quite the tale. Xiarette, take note—when it comes to living life, you can’t be too stubborn. Even the gods ended up like this, let alone us."

"Sheffy, your reasoning always comes out of nowhere."

But it was true.

I mean, seriously—if she didn’t agree with what the other gods said, couldn’t she have just pretended to agree first? Once all of them fulfilled their so-called promise to "completely disappear," wouldn’t that leave her with the whole sky and sea to herself—freedom without limits?

Maybe Aimeris had guessed Sheffy's thoughts, because she shook her head, fully dismissing her naive, childish idea.

"Who says gods don’t have selfishness... They said 'completely disappear,' but had they really made up their minds to go through with it?"

Xiarette mulled over those words repeatedly, gradually sensing that they concealed a rather terrifying implication.

"You mean... the gods never really disappeared? They’re still somewhere in this world? That kind of thing... is it possible? It’s been so long."

"Who knows."

Aimeris let out a cold chuckle.

Even in such a casual tone, she showed no mercy as she laid bare the hypocrisy of the gods.

"The four of us gods lived in different realms for tens of thousands of years. Who can say they didn’t have some selfish attachment to the land they once ruled? From what I know, the Elf God Enor truly disappeared—but ever since her disappearance, the Elf Tribe’s territory suddenly rose straight into the heavens, becoming the World Tree! Enor’s divine authority was 【Infinity】—then where did 【Infinity】 go?"

And that wasn’t even all.

For the first time in ten thousand years, Aimeris had the chance to speak her mind—there was no way she wouldn’t finish airing all this mess.

"The Dragon God, famed for absolute strength, also vanished. But why did the Northern Territory, where he once lived, rapidly grow in power, to the point of now giving rise to so-called 'higher races'? Where does their divine protection come from?"

"Especially that damnable Demon God Tieer..." At her name, Aimeris practically ground her teeth in fury, her hatred palpable. "That two-faced wretch called me a coward clinging to life, greedy for power. But since her disappearance, she’s vanished without a trace—no one knows where she went! Did she truly choose self-destruction? Who would believe that! If she’d really perished back then, then how did the Abyss of Demon Magic she controlled pass its teachings on to the Demon Clan? Almost every magic the Demon Clan uses now... carries the trace of her boundless mana."

At this point, Aimeris paused for a moment.

She suddenly turned to look at the two listeners before her.

"This world... is far more turbulent beneath the surface than you can imagine. And I have a feeling... that in this era, something major is about to happen."

Her voice echoed for a long while.

Sheffy waved her hand to break apart the lingering sound.

Tch, this damn goddess—she even added echo effects to her own concluding line! Trying to sound cool or something?

Well... it did sound cool.

Thanks—Sheffy had just picked up a new trick. Next time she needed to put on a show, she’d pull that move. Duly noted.

Unlike Sheffy, who was wholeheartedly focused on learning new techniques without distraction, Xiarette, after hearing Aimeris’s explanation, found herself considering all sorts of possibilities.

If everything she said was true, then the other three gods who once guarded the world were each potentially time bombs—any one of them could plunge the world into chaos or even total destruction.

They had each been nurturing their respective races for over ten thousand years.

If one day they were to develop some new ambition... that would be truly terrifying.

But if Aimeris’s story wasn’t the whole truth... that would be an entirely different issue.

The more Xiarette thought about it, the more it made her head ache. Fortunately, Sheffy’s optimism had long ago taught Xiarette a simple truth:

—There’s no point worrying about things that are vague and uncertain.

If you can’t even tell whether something’s true or not, then stressing over it right now is useless. Might as well enjoy the present!

With that thought in mind, Xiarette scooted a little closer to Sheffy, took a bite of a donut, then stood up and faced the golden radiance that had once again risen and hovered midair.

Even when facing a god, Xiarette showed not a hint of hesitation.

"Thank you for explaining all of this. For now, I’ll believe you really are Lady Aimeris. We’ve roughly understood the situation, but the real question is—why did you invite us here, and why tell us all of this?"

"Hahahahaha, very good, very good! You speak far more directly than that little brat beside you! As expected of a child of the Human race—far better than the annoying Demon Clan runt! It’s destiny!"

You—you—you... you're trying to start a fight, aren’t you?!

This time, Aimeris had gotten smarter. She didn’t keep pushing it.

Because that Demon Clan brat’s mouth looked like it was about to go off again.

More importantly...

She believed everything that needed to be said had already been made clear.

Indeed, it was time to reveal her true purpose.

"Though the gods love mortals, we also need mortals’ help. I am still in a sealed state—my mana is not even one ten-thousandth of what it was. Only my divine authority remains active; I can do nothing on my own. I must regain faith, and before the other gods act, reopen the pages of myth."

The golden light around Aimeris flared brightly.

Every word fell like a stone into a still lake—clear, resounding, and powerful.

"Sheffy Harl, you are unique—I can feel it. Even among the Demon Clan over the past millennia, you are a special existence. Even I cannot discern the limits of your mana. I do not know how much divine protection Tieer granted you, but your magic is unfathomable. The heavy seal placed by the gods is already loosening... I believe that with your power, you can break through it by force."

She then turned toward Xiarette, continuing without pause.

"When that time comes, the combined seal of the Three Gods will become meaningless. Xiarette, you are the Hero of the Human race, and your mana shares the same origin as mine. When you wield the Holy Sword, the output of your magic can serve as the key to shatter the final layer of the gods’ seal—allowing me to fully reclaim all of my divine authority."

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