Within Lucian's semi-materialized world of consciousness, the brilliant and radiant star of Destiny spun violently, the deep, dark vortex of the black hole shifting from behind to the front. It emanated a terrifying gravitational pull that seemed capable of devouring everything, bending the surrounding light ever so slightly and making time itself appear to slow down. All manner of sensory probes and lines of sight subtly deviated from their original trajectories.
Chanting the words of prayer, Lucian wore an expression of extraordinary solemnity. Suddenly, the "Seed of Spirituality" lurched into motion like a glutton encountering a feast, or a wolfhound spotting bloodied prey — it trembled violently before plunging rapidly into Lucian's chest, erupting with a holy, pure, cool radiance that enveloped his entire body.
"Hmm? His resonance with the lunar domain is this strong?" El sensed the changes occurring within Lucian and, attributing the minor deviation to the same phenomenon as the previous perfect-resonance Seed of Spirituality, merely raised an eyebrow in mild surprise before withdrawing his gaze. He nodded with satisfaction — regardless of how long "Leviathan" had been part of the Secret Prayer Society, accepting the Seed of Spirituality meant he was a trustworthy Ring-Bearer, and his talents needed to be put to good use.
Jacob was similarly taken aback for only a moment before averting his eyes. Their reactions prompted
The silver moonlight faded, and Lucian appeared all the more serene and unfathomable. He then threw a demonstrative punch, and as expected, left an afterimage lingering in the air.
"Your constitution is exceptionally well-suited to the lunar domain's Seed of Spirituality. The effect has been optimal." El had originally intended to say the effect exceeded his expectations, but catching himself — he was the supreme deity, after all, and could hardly appear uncertain about what effects a Seed of Spirituality of his own making would produce — he corrected himself at the last moment.
Jacob chimed in as well: "Judging from your bearing and that punch just now, you can rival a mid-tier god-blooded hero. You're truly the Seventh Apostle now!"
"All is the grace of the Lord." Lucian seemed to have been influenced by the Seed of Spirituality, his demeanor growing ever more tranquil, his joy not particularly effusive.
El nodded, then upgraded Jacob's Seed of Spirituality as well, bringing him to roughly the peak of the sixth tier. He let out a soft sigh: "A pity I completely destroyed the Lord of the Netherworld. Otherwise, I could have tracked down his divine domain and absorbed his divinity of death from his avatar."
He appeared to have fully accepted the narrative that it was his own "divine intuition" that had slain the Lord of the Netherworld, and thus radiated confidence. For gods, once the true body was destroyed, all avatars would perish simultaneously — unless some extremely special method was used to sever the connection.
Lucian's cheeks bulged slightly as he suppressed the urge to burst out laughing, then chose his words carefully: "Supreme Lord, while I was swimming along the bottom of the Solna River, the tides carried me to what appeared to be the Lord of the Netherworld's divine domain. Perhaps his remaining treasures are still there."
The Art of Imprisonment sealed its target within a self-distorted pocket of space. Unless one's strength exceeded that of the caster or the casting artifact by three full tiers or more, it was impossible to break free by brute force alone. And if the seal could not be broken, the target would be imprisoned there permanently — even if the distorted space eventually returned to normal as the magic's potency faded, the prisoner would be lost within the spatial labyrinth, either destroyed by spatial storms or condemned to eternal captivity.
Of course, this applied only to the target themselves. They could project their power outward and leave a message, requesting someone to come to their rescue. In that case, as long as the seal's location could be pinpointed or confirmed through divination magic, it could be undone with the corresponding ninth-rank spell, the Art of Liberation.
Having used the Sun Scepter's innate Art of Imprisonment to help El escape danger, Lucian understood perfectly well: the Lord of the Netherworld's true body had been sealed, but his avatars would remain unaffected, their strength merely diminished to varying degrees as the connection weakened.
"His divine domain was at the bottom of the Solna River? Not in the Valley of Death at the river's source?" El replied with considerable surprise. As the former chief deity of the Babel pantheon, he had a rough idea of where the Lord of the Netherworld's domain should be located. "Could it be that he feared my retribution and relocated his domain? What a waste — the Valley of Death was perfectly suited for the domains of death and the netherworld. Or perhaps, before this debate, he had already reached an agreement with the Lord of War, which was why he felt secure enough to move his domain here. Does this mean the Lord of War's early arrival in Husum City and the convening of the theological conference were indeed part of some scheme?"
He harbored no suspicion that the "pious Leviathan" would deceive him on such a matter.
After a few more questions, El noticed that Francis, Jacob, and Leviathan had no answers to offer, and chose not to waste time on a matter with no leads. He shook his head: "Though Anatanus would certainly never expect us to return to Husum City while being hunted — the most dangerous place is often the safest — now that the Lord of the Netherworld has been utterly destroyed, there's no need for us to take the risk of going back. Once we hunt down the other false gods driven out of the river valley one by one and locate their divine domains, will we ever lack for treasure?"
El — formerly known as the treasure-and-beauty-obsessed Avando — had learned to rein in his desires ever since "awakening his consciousness" and igniting his ambition. Nothing mattered more than reclaiming the supreme throne. Once he held all authority in his grasp, would he ever need to worry about a lack of treasure or beauty?
With that, El chuckled and tossed the rotting laurel-wood box to Lucian: "You're so fond of treasure — consider this a reward, and a token of appreciation for your devotion."
Lucian caught the box and looked inside. At the bottom of the half-decayed moonlit case, a fine layer of silvery luminescent powder remained — the residue left behind after El had absorbed the Moon Goddess's divinity.
"Lunarian
Lucian had originally planned to find top-grade Ice Crystal Stone and Dead Soul Stone to mend these two magical items, but Lunarian Stone powder would obviously yield better results and a higher success rate.
The smile at the corner of Francis's lips froze ever so slightly, as though he felt a pang of heartache.
Regarding El's ambitions, Jacob spoke cautiously: "Still, we must be careful. These false gods may throw themselves entirely into the Lord of War's service and set traps using themselves as bait. We should bide our time, wait for the Lord of War's patience to wear thin, and then carefully select our targets."
"I understand." El nodded and smiled. "Leviathan is clever and perceptive — young, talented, level-headed yet driven. Francis is powerful, erudite, eloquent, and profound in wisdom. And you, Jacob, are meticulous and methodical, excellent at plugging gaps. The three of you complement one another perfectly — you are the finest aids I could ask for in restoring myself and returning to the supreme heights."
He paused deliberately, and once Francis and the others had expressed their devotion, he continued: "Francis, I'm very pleased with the angelic hierarchy you proposed. You shall serve as the highest-ranking angels who follow me — Seraphim. Francis, your power leans toward destruction and death, so you shall be the 'Angel of Death' who conducts soul judgments in my stead — also called the 'Angel of Judgment,' or the 'Angel of Justice.'"
"Jacob, you were the first to follow me and spread my word, so you are the 'Angel of Revelation' — also known as the 'Angel of Redemption.' And Leviathan, you are the youngest of the Apostles, brimming with vitality like the morning star at dawn, heralding the arrival of light. Therefore, you are the 'Angel of Radiance,' also called the 'Star of the Dawn' and the 'Son of the Morning.'"
Lucian felt a slight twinge of embarrassment. Even in this otherworldly plane, he simply couldn't escape the shadow of "the Fallen Morning Star."
"Very well. I shall return to my divine domain to consolidate my divinity and divine authority. Jacob, return to Britan City and oversee the evangelization efforts, and dispatch other Apostles and believers to assist Francis in monitoring the remaining false gods — record their movements and prepare for future hunts. Leviathan, proceed to the second designated meeting point to await Anxius, and return secretly to Britan City with him. Begin covert proselytizing along the way." El issued his divine decrees, assigning tasks. Since Lucian "couldn't fly," he would remain behind to rendezvous with Anxius.
"We faithfully obey the Lord's decree," Francis, Jacob, and Lucian answered in unison.