"Why?" The one asking wasn't El, but Anchus, who had finished dealing with the believers and was sneaking back in disguise. He was also deeply worried about the current, oppressively dangerous situation—it felt like a storm was about to pour down. Even though the great god El had awakened his own consciousness, their enemy was no longer the relatively weak Moon God Ah Sin.
Facing the enemy lineup—a terrifying formation consisting of Nena, the High Priestess of the Lord of War, eight gods including the Moon God, the Lord of the Underworld, and the Sun God, along with their most powerful priests—Anchus simply did not believe the god he worshipped, El, had the power to resist. Even the "God of Flame and Destruction," Avando, before he was defeated by the Lord of War, couldn't have managed it. The Lord of War himself was also in danger of perishing.
Although Lucian and Francis had spoken "flowery rhetoric," painting such an exhilarating picture that Anchus's spirits soared and the future seemed extraordinarily bright, when it came down to actual, concrete danger, he still preferred to trust his own judgment rather than blindly waiting for a great existence beyond all definition and imagination to grant El power.
After hearing Lucian and Francis's simultaneous denial, El's gaze remained as deep as the Endless Sea, betraying not a hint of surprise. He spoke slowly and firmly: "State your reasons."
Lucian subtly bared his teeth. Regardless of whether El's "condition" was worsening, at least now he seemed more godlike, his presence far more imposing. After all, a state where a mountain could collapse before him without his expression changing was obviously more convincing than being irritable, impatient, and prone to panic.
Exchanging a glance with Francis, who simply smiled and kept silent with no intention of speaking, Lucian understood he was waiting for him to take the lead—a test of his grasp on the situation and a way to probe for anything amiss.
*So cautious*, Lucian thought to himself, *still not letting his guard down even now.* He carefully chose his words: "Because this is an opportunity. A very good one."
"An opportunity? To die completely and enter the Underworld?" Anchus's head throbbed just thinking about the enemy, whose numbers and strength had increased more than eightfold. His courage evaporated, and he secretly grumbled that Lucian and Francis, in their effort to win the theological debate, had exposed the great god El's true identity, inviting the Lord of War's wariness and jealousy. He suspected El himself, to ensure the plan went smoothly, had revealed his true identity to Francis and Leviathan—so his resentment was tinged with a hint of envy. He had worshipped and served the God of Flame and Destruction for over twenty years, only to be surpassed by two newcomers who had joined the Secret Prayer Society even more recently.
Lucian replied with a solemn expression: "Why did the High Priestess of the Lord of War command the Moon God and the Lord of the Underworld to act tonight? Why did she also compel the gods and priests of the other six denominations?"
Er nodded with an unfathomable air, as though he had already grasped everything Lucian meant to say, then turned his gaze toward Francis, signaling him to fill in the details for Anchus.
"Because the Lord of War is afraid. He fears your greatness, Lord El—fears that under the radiance of your boundless divinity he will fall and perish. So before he has ascertained the true extent of your power, Lord El, he does not dare act rashly. Nor do his priests dare to deploy themselves impulsively. Should you have truly awakened completely and restored your supreme divinity, such an attack would risk inviting the tragedy of his own downfall."
Francis delivered a lengthy string of flattery and praise, but the actual meaning was simple enough: he and Lucian had inflated their boasts to stratospheric heights, spooking the Lord of War into genuine wariness of the "God of Resurrection, Abundance, and Salvation" and His mountainous divine majesty. That was why he had ordered and compelled the other eight gods and their priests to act instead—so that should anything go awry, the blame could be deflected onto a private dispute among gods competing for worshippers and the right to evangelize in the river valley.
During the theological debate, Francis and Lucian had deliberately portrayed the "God of Resurrection, Abundance, and Salvation" as a lawful and benevolent deity. For such a god, so long as the justification was appropriate, He would not pursue the matter further. And judging from the intelligence gathered on the Lord of War and the other gods, Lucian and Francis believed that every deity in both the Angenorma and Babur pantheons would instinctively refuse to believe in an omniscient, omnipotent being—after all, gods who had been killed or deceived through stratagems were a dime a dozen.
"So that's how it is…" Anchus considered it carefully and realized that Naina had indeed refrained from attacking on the spot and had not launched a direct assault—there was unmistakably a whiff of such reasoning behind it. Er gave an almost imperceptible nod, a faint smile touching the corner of his mouth before he forced it back down.
"But we still face eight gods and their high priests." Anchus remained deeply worried. "That's still far beyond anything we can hope to contend with at our current strength. Wouldn't it be better to withdraw while we can? The great Lord El has awakened His own consciousness, and with the passage of time He will only grow more powerful. When that day comes, we can crush them all by sheer force. There's no need to risk so much for a short-term gain."
Lucian felt the urge to break into a cold sweat once more, worrying that if he spent too much time with these people, he might lose his own sanity. He gave a low cough and said, "According to what Mr. Francis has described, my lord can only slowly restore His power and ascend back to supremacy by defeating other gods and stripping away their divinity. If we flee now, the Lord of War and the other false gods will discover our weakness and lose all restraint. Being hunted down is hardly a pleasant prospect."
Seeing Anchus about to speak again, Lucian cut in first: "Anchus, think about it. Setting aside the Moon God Ashin and the Lord of the Underworld, only one of the remaining six denominations can possibly obtain the river valley evangelization rights we leave behind. That ratio is exceedingly low. Don't you think some of them might have other ideas? For instance, accidentally killing the Moon God during the siege. Or setting a trap to claim the greatest credit. Or perhaps genuinely cooperating with us to turn against and slay the other gods?"
"Absolutely," Anchus said without the slightest doubt. Er had already settled back into his deep, serene composure. "This is indeed our opportunity. But Leviathan, Francis—how do you distinguish which denomination is genuinely willing to cooperate and which one plans to betray us for profit?"
Francis laughed heartily. "Why would we need to distinguish?"
"Huh?" Er couldn't help but let out a questioning sound.
"Their positions are far too complicated, and they shift as the situation evolves. With our current intelligence and resources, it's simply impossible to determine precisely who would be an ally. When it comes to a matter that could result in one's own fall, every god's past reputation and record of cooperation becomes worthless," Francis delivered his thoroughly negative assessment.
Anchus looked at Francis, puzzled. Then what should they do?
Lucian took over the conversation: "Since their positions are inherently unstable — they might be thinking of cooperation one moment and betrayal the next, making them nearly impossible to read — then why should we even try to distinguish who is an ally? We need to shift our approach. Instead of trying to figure them out, we should use our own actions to make their positions firm — and turn them all into allies!"
"The Lord of War dreads and fears you, the great god Er. Doesn't the Sun God, the Earth Mother, and the rest fear you as well? Aren't they speculating and worrying about your strength? If we project power, project confidence, and show that we are not the slightest bit afraid of the Lord of War, then will they choose the slim one-in-six chance of fighting over a single prize, or will they join forces with us to drive out the Lord of War's priests and share the river valley together?"