Chapter 95: The Gods Behind the Door
"You..."
Lakdevo hesitated to speak.
After a few seconds of deliberation, he finally voiced his thoughts:
"Do you intend to let your true form descend upon the earth?"
"Mhm."
"Perhaps."
At that moment, both Lakdevo and Sylvia fell into silence.
However, Hethorik’s aura had already begun faintly shifting beyond the level of an Apostle, and the influx of the Tenth Divinity into his body seemed to have reached its limit.
It was then, just as his roar—now completely saturated with malice—reverberated throughout the entire City of Alova—
Buzz.
A strange vibration echoed from the high heavens, reverberating through the boundless darkness.
Simultaneously, the sky of the Manifest Realm was torn apart by an invisible force, and an enormous door began to take shape above the heavens.
Surrounding this double-leafed door was a sky bursting with brilliant colors, and stars twinkled dazzlingly.
Lights of various hues, fused with the colors of Spirituality, cast a veil of mystique over the door, which appeared both unadorned and resplendent.
As she beheld such a magnificent foreign vista, Sylvia’s brow slowly furrowed. A tremor rose from deep within her Spirituality.
Hmm? That sensation didn't seem to come solely from her own Spirituality?
She tilted her head slightly, glancing at Lakdevo, who had curled himself into a tight ball on her shoulder, and couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
It helped ease the weight in her heart.
"Is it really that serious?"
She spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone, while the fat crow answered in a voice just as shaky:
"M-Master, that is the gate to the Divinity Realm!"
"Behind that door lies the Kingdom of Gods!"
Hearing this explanation, Sylvia gave a slight nod. She wasn’t particularly surprised; instead, she quietly exhaled in relief.
Because she had already suspected it.
Then, she turned her attention back to the now fully materialized double doors. As she stared at the gap splitting open between them, her furrowed brow began to relax.
It seemed the Nine True Gods would not simply ignore the birth of a new god.
And according to Lakdevo’s account, the tenth divine throne had undergone a mutation, a fact now further corroborated by Hethorik’s current state.
Perhaps the appearance of the Nine Gods would interrupt Hethorik’s deification, returning the City of Alova to reality.
As if to confirm her speculation, a deep and resonant voice echoed from the slowly parting door:
"You shall not ascend by this means."
The voice was accompanied by the bloom of pure-white light, causing the darkness shrouding the city’s sky to tremble violently and begin to collapse.
"Indeed."
"The kingdom has undergone a reversal—ascending to godhood through this will inevitably lead to a fate of annihilation."
At that moment, another feminine voice echoed, echoing the words of the previous speaker.
However, what She said was somewhat thought-provoking.
A fate of annihilation? Whose fate? Hethorik’s own? Or that of the gods—or even the entire world?
And what was the "kingdom"? A euphemism for the Tenth Divine Throne?
And the "reversal"?
Sylvia’s mind was filled with questions, but none of them really mattered at the moment.
Judging from the current situation, the gods appeared to oppose the ascension of the King of Loathing and Hatred to the divine throne.
With that in mind, she no longer cared whether she had been exposed to the gaze of the gods. Instead, she turned to Lakdevo and teased,
"Seems like our worst-case scenario now is going on the run."
But the fat crow didn’t respond to her light-hearted remark. Instead, his expression grew increasingly grave and silent.
The next second, he shook his head and said,
"Master, I don’t believe Hethorik failed to foresee this."
"Moreover, the relationship among the Nine True Gods is extremely complicated. They... they rarely agree on anything."
"Hmm?"
Just as Sylvia was slightly stunned, the massive shadow dragon at the city center let out a heavy, labored breath.
Then, it slowly raised its head, gazing with deep purple eyes at the immense door suspended in midair, at the myriad hues of light spilling from the opening. It spoke:
"No... I do not believe I will face annihilation."
"On the contrary, if I succeed, I shall become a case study for your research."
"From what I know, reversals have not only occurred on the Tenth Divine Throne, have they?"
"The kingdom’s reversal wasn’t complete, because the god of this throne has yet to be born. That’s why you’ve gleaned no useful clues from it."
"And to prevent misfortune from spreading, you chose to seal it along with its divinity."
"But I, after centuries of research, have finally uncovered its secrets—and found a way to draw it out."
"This alone proves my brilliance."
"At the same time, I am also willing to wager myself—bet that ascending the throne won’t cause me to lose myself entirely, and that I can gradually stabilize my condition."
"Believe me, all of you—this is a deal where you stand to lose nothing."
"Not only do you gain a living case study that can serve as a reference for your own schemes..."
"Even if something goes wrong with me, you can still seal me away to prevent further deterioration."
At this moment, Hethorik's voice turned somewhat hoarse, though he managed to suppress the malice within it.
Behind the door, however, no one responded immediately—it seemed there was a moment of hesitation.
Seeing this, the smile that had just begun to form on Sylvia’s lips vanished in an instant.
"Unacceptable."
"His deification will inevitably result in the destruction of the city he resides in."
"And the foundation of his convergence lies within this city—the two cannot be separated."
The god who had first spoken once again voiced Their opinion.
But what followed was a cold sneer:
"Radiance, must you pretend to care? If a city is destroyed, so be it."
"Are believers truly that important to us?"
Seeing that the attitude of at least one god had begun to shift, Hethorik immediately picked up the thread of conversation:
"Your Grace, God of War, if I succeed—and do not lose myself—then I can become your ally."
"An ally?"
The God of War let out another scoffing laugh.
"That’s right."
Hethorik nodded his massive head slightly, his tone taking on a hint of persuasion:
"I know why you launched that war three centuries ago."
"You wished to bring your Emperor back through that foolish mortal, but failed for lack of support."
"And now, I am willing to become your ally—all it would cost you is your support right now."
"Even if I fail, your losses would be minimal."
At that moment, the God of War fell silent, while mocking laughter echoed from behind the door.
Standing on the ground, Sylvia listened to the voices reverberating throughout the city. She pulled a pocket watch from her inner coat and checked the time, the expression on her face gradually fading.
Just then, a gentle voice—though laced with clear disapproval—suddenly rang out from behind the door:
"Hethorik, remember your place."
"You are a dragon."