Chapter 457: The Battle of Pharel (1)

“Pff—! PFHAHAHAHAHAAAA...!!!”

The woman with serpentine lips erupted in laughter, clutching her stomach as she glanced around the round table. Tears welled in her eyes, though it was unclear whether they came from genuine amusement or as a deliberate provocation toward the other gods.

In any case, one thing was certain—the others weren’t amused at all.

“Pharel can only be destroyed by Divine Power. When that Aegis first shattered part of the tower, I admit, I was surprised. But it’s understandable, since that shield carries Yula’s divine essence. Within the bounds of reason, I suppose,” she said, fixing her gaze on Yula.

“Of course, I would never have handed something imbued with my power to one of my creations,” she added, her words meant not only for Yula but also for the other gods, who had previously mocked her Calamity.

“Even so, that doesn’t mean the rules have been broken. Yula isn’t the only one. Some gods have bestowed wisdom upon their creations. Artifacts like that serve as proof of such actions,” the elder retorted, his tone firm.

“The same is true for humans. In some dimensions, science flourishes, while in others, magic rules everything. In one dimension, humans soar through the skies with magic; in another, they use steel machines to fly. We granted them wisdom to witness their potential.”

But the woman with serpentine lips smirked derisively. “And look where that potential got you. It consumed you.”

“Who do you mean?”

“It’s the so-called Supreme God, the Lord. He was the one who first devised the system of the Bladers, wasn’t he? All we did was follow his lead and select exceptional beings from our worlds to create Bladers.”

Her icy critique of the Lord drew visible displeasure from the elder god.

“There were safeguards, of course. Special powers like the Master Key, among others. Without those, no creation could possibly oppose a god.”

“That wasn’t a safeguard,” argued the elder. “It was a gift from the Lord, meant to provide even creations with an opportunity. Unlike us, who were born from the Primordial Rift, our creations have sometimes demonstrated the capacity to transcend their realms.”

“Free will.” Yula finally spoke up, as if to finish the elder’s sentence.

“Yes, free will—the one unique trait given to humans, enabling their potential.”

“Potential? More like sin,” the woman sneered. “Arrogant creations ultimately turned against their creator, killing the Lord. The gift of free will should never have been given, nor should the Blader system have been created. The Lord wasn’t fostering potential. He was merely showcasing his superiority by crafting divine knights.”

The woman with the serpent lips chuckled softly, her eyes on Yula.

“And what was the outcome? That gift became the very blade that turned against him. Even the omnipotent Lord failed to foresee it.”

At that, the gods shifted in their seats with visible discomfort. Though the word “omnipotent” should have been natural for them to hear, it clearly unsettled them.

“That’s not what matters,” the elder interjected, his tone sharp. “When the Lord fell, the primal energy known as dimensional force shattered, creating fissures. From those fissures, we were born—imperfect, yet granted access to that power. However, countless battles ensued over its possession, leading to deaths and new births.”

His gaze locked onto the woman with serpentine lips.

“And now, that power resides with a human. Clearly, it must be a shard of the Lord’s essence. While Yula will undoubtedly be held accountable for this later, our immediate priority is to reclaim the shard.”

He clicked his tongue in frustration, casting a disdainful glance at the other gods. The gesture, uncomfortably reminiscent of human behavior, made the scene doubly unsettling.

“Perhaps the Lord’s death has brought us an opportunity,” the serpentine-lipped woman mused. “Though I find that human unpalatable, he appears to be a new shard in my eyes. An opportunity.”

Skkrrrr...!

She pushed her seat away from the table and stood up.

“What are you doing?”

The tension in the room spiked as the gods turned their attention to her, waiting to see her next move.

“Why ask when you already know, Laffy—?

Ahem

.”

The woman’s sneer vanished. She bit her lip, as though realizing her blunder, and glanced at the man who had called her out.

“I got ahead of myself. In other dimensions, we’re just nameless gods. That’s the rule, after all.”

She then extended her hand toward the magical projection at the center of the round table.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think? Didn’t you hear what he said? I’m going down there to make my bid for victory.”

“You’re saying you intend to manifest in the mortal realm? Need I remind you that gods aren’t allowed to appear in dimensions they don’t govern?”

“Oh, spare me the lecture. If even humans have free will, why do you just carry your heads around as decorations?”

Thud!

“You...!!”

The elder god slammed his hand onto the table and stood, his anger boiling over.

“Rules aside, as gods who once served under the Lord, it is our duty to reclaim the Dimension Spiral, a shard of the Lord’s essence.”

The man who had been quietly observing with his arms crossed stood as well.

“If it’s for that reason, we have no choice.”

“You’re no better. You’re so large and yet sly as a snake,” the woman sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“But I don’t dislike it,” she went on.

***

“Ridiculous woman,” the elder muttered as he watched the projection. His gaze fell upon the woman and the man who had descended to stand before Karyl.

“No matter how powerful the Dimension Spiral is, he’s still human. What could they possibly hope to achieve by siding with him?”

“You don’t intend to go yourself?”

“Of course not. Trying to get ahead by being a mortal’s pawn is absurd, not to mention degrading.”

Despite her words, the elder’s gaze toward Yula was far from friendly. While both remained seated at the round table, their positions were fundamentally different.

Yula unwittingly clenched her teeth. Had there ever been a situation as humiliating as this? The rules of the game had been simple—if she destroyed Pharel, victory would be hers. But now, even Pharel’s destruction wouldn’t end it.

“If you want to go, be my guest. Honestly, I think it should be you who confronts that human,” said the elder.

“What...?”

“Our objectives differ. I need to conquer this world, and you need to destroy Pharel.”

Yula’s brow furrowed slightly at his words.

“You really think you’ll seize control of this realm before Pharel is destroyed?”

“Wasn’t it the same for the gods who unleashed Blood and Hekqet? If they didn’t believe in their victory, they wouldn’t have unleashed their Calamities,” the elder said nonchalantly.

Yula was growing increasingly uncertain whether staying at the table was better than descending into the mortal realm.

Damn it.

She couldn’t help feeling humiliated.

Even when the Bladers dared to challenge her in the Mythical Era, she had demonstrated the gods’ absolute might by delivering divine punishment. Those Bladers had been aided by dragons and Spirit Kings—beings of exceptional power who formed the foundation of their world.

And now, all gods, herself included, were being manipulated by a single human. And it wasn’t just her.

Yula glanced at the magical projection and then at the other gods around her. She tried to gauge their reactions, but that seemed to serve as a signal for them.

One by one, the gods around the table rose in unison.

***

“It seems Yula isn’t showing up.”

Karyl turned his gaze to the woman with serpentine lips, the first to appear.

“Do you know who she is?”

[It’s hard to say. Aside from Yula, who governs this world, we don’t know the gods of other dimensions. Each has their own domain separate from ours.]

[Just as there are multiple gods, there isn’t just one Spirit King. Every dimension has its own hierarchy, including spirit and human realms, among others.]

The Spirit Kings promptly answered Karyl.

“So, dimensions are like a hierarchy within their own structures. That means there are Spirit Kings for every dimension too?” Allen Javius asked with intrigue.

[Indeed.]

“Hah, so you ain’t that special after all,” Allen quipped, prompting wry smiles from the Spirit Kings instead of rebuttals.

“Yula likely won’t appear. After all that’s happened in her own domain, having her creations rebel twice, her pride must be deeply hurt,” the man snorted.

“Hmm...” Karyl folded his arms as he scrutinized the man. “Fine, then answer me this. Aside from Yula, are these all the gods there are?”

Initially, only two gods had appeared. But behind them, eight more figures stepped forward, their faces hidden beneath the hoods of their robes.

“There’s one more besides Yula,” the man answered.

Twelve, then,

Karyl thought to himself, recalling the reference to the twelve gods on the tablet in Riseria’s lair—also mentioned in the Church’s first scripture.

“Who’s the last one?”

“The one responsible for this ongoing Calamity,” said the man.

“The master of Lice,” the woman with serpentine lips added.

At that, Karyl nodded in understanding and pointed his finger at both of them.

“So that makes you two the ones responsible for Blood and Hekqet, correct?”

“Indeed.”

The pair’s expressions stiffened as they realized that Karyl wasn’t pointing his finger at them, but at the two reanimated Tarak behind them.

“Relax. Acting swiftly to seize an opportunity is nothing to be ashamed of,” Karyl told them, his tone patronizing, almost as if commending subordinates.

“...”

His words, however true, only bruised their pride further. However, they had no choice but to play along, as they were utterly dependent on Karyl now.

“With his death, the Lord’s power was scattered across the worlds. Who would have thought fragments of that power still remained...” the man whispered, his gaze fixed on Karyl.

“That fragment likely came from the so-called Realm of Exile, the forsaken dimension where the Lord was just before his death."

“The Realm of Exile?”

“A world abandoned by even the gods—a prison for all sinners. Just as humans leave heaps of trash behind, the gods also needed a place to discard their filth.”

Karyl shrugged, his disinterest evident.

“That’s your business, not mine. What matters to me is the survival of my world.”

“A fair concern,” the serpentine-lipped woman replied, addressing Karyl with an almost natural deference.

“Have you no pride?” Karyl asked provocatively.

“Pharel can only be destroyed by Divine Power, as shown by the shard left in your palm. With the Dimension Spiral, you have the right to stand among the gods, and even covet the Divine Throne,” she replied, her tone calm and unflinching.

“Of course, you’re still bound by the limitations of your mortal body, but...”

“Don’t think to equate me with the likes of you,” Karyl growled.

“Then how do you plan to make us the victors of Exordiar? You may be able to destroy Pharel, but that would only secure Yula’s victory. For us to win, you’d need to stop the Calamity already underway,” the man interjected.

At that moment, Karyl heard a voice in his mind—Israphil’s message.

[Reporting in. Suan Hazer has successfully unlocked the Relic of the Savages with Maktuun’s power. Aidan Hamil is carrying it to the battlefield as we speak.]

The good news drew a faint smile on Karyl’s face.

“Of course. Watch closely. Soon, the master of Lice will grovel before me, just like you two.”