Chapter 356 – Pantheon (4)
[Quest will be updated.]
[Quest will be updated.]
After settling one of the holy lands, the quest window was updated again.
The further I went, the more G.o.ds I killed, the more frequent it became.
The Hundred G.o.ds Temple is saying they don’t want to be a.s.sociated with me.
“I’m getting used to doing this as well.”
I said after settling the ruins.
As time went by, the time it took to complete each one decreased.
There was no G.o.d running away from their holy land.
The number of G.o.ds who came to help other people’s holy land declined.
Even those G.o.ds fled faster.
In a way, it was natural.
It would be better for the G.o.d to not help others’ holy lands and to prioritize their own safety.
It was a situation where they couldn’t focus on faithfulness and loyalty.
The lower G.o.ds who had gathered in the sacred place of each G.o.d of the Pantheon ran away at the start of the battles.
As if they were just waiting for the opportunity to do so.
Thanks to this, work was getting easier.
[All gates connected to Earth are closed.]
Hochi told us of the situation on Earth.
The chicken race seems to be over at this point.
It was a relief that the damage to Earth didn’t get bigger.
Of course, even if all the gates for the air raid were closed, the disorder would remain the same.
I asked Hochi to take care of it and ended the communication.
There may be two reasons for the gates being closed.
The gates were cut off when the G.o.ds who connected the gates to Earth were destroyed by us.
If that’s not the case, did they pull their feet out of the raid?
If it’s the former case, it does not matter.
However, in the latter case, I was thinking of catching them by tracking the gate that was connected to it.
I don’t want to set a precedent that I had been hostile and gone overboard.
Now that I have pulled out the sword, I will inform everyone who is watching this event or who will hear it later.
Once they bet against me, they will have to see the end.
I intend to make it so that they don’t think of me being hostile in the first place, so that there is nothing to be hostile to.
[Are you going to attack all the G.o.ds in the Pantheon? If you do, the story will be different again.]
Said the G.o.d of Hope.
[It is quiet now that your retaliation is limited to the G.o.ds who have invaded Earth. If it targets all the G.o.ds of the Pantheon, they will unite again.]
That was good advice.
There were not many G.o.ds who attempted to invade Earth directly.
It wasn’t a small number, but considering the scale of the Pantheon, it wasn’t too many.
The invasion of Earth was clearly a Pantheon scale event.
There was no direct intervention, but there would be far more intertwined G.o.ds.
I feel like I want to take care of them all, but I can’t.
The next place I visited was a place I had visited before.
When pursuing the G.o.d of Hope in the past, I had traveled around the realms of the G.o.ds from various rulers.
Then, I met a G.o.d from the rulers called the G.o.d of Gochang.
The G.o.d of Gochang once told the G.o.d of Hope that there would be no holy land left, and that further pursuit would be meaningless.
Some miscellaneous information was a bonus.
He was a peculiar G.o.d who had no hesitation in telling me the information I wanted, unlike a certain G.o.d who was stuck with his ego and stubbornness.
So I remembered it well.
“Wow, it’s been a long time.”
[… Please save me.]
Look at this
If you’re a G.o.d, you can’t easily say that.
They shout words like the G.o.d of Hope or surrender, but usually it was hard to even mention.
But the G.o.d of Gochang did.
Far from being defeated, he did it before the battle even started.
“I only know what’s long and short, but why don’t you try a fight?”
[Around you and the giants? No. Please save me.]
The G.o.d of Gochang mentioned the giants behind me.
There were twenty or so giants behind me.
Five hundred departed together, but as we continued to share our troops, it became like this.
Anyway, as long as I was there, I didn’t need a lot of them.
[I have no intention of fighting.]
The G.o.d of Gochang who I just met before I was killing the unknown G.o.d of the Pantheon.
The G.o.d of Gochang, who was in the sanctuary of the G.o.d of the Pantheon, ran away at the beginning of the battle, so I came after him.
“Okay, why are you struggling to become my enemy again?”
[I was called in by my master, the old G.o.d.]
So, by being there himself, he has become my enemy.
Because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
[But the old G.o.d is dead! So now I am free!]
With that tone, I remembered the house elf who shouted ‘Dobby is free now!’.
Maybe it’s an inappropriate comparison.
“So?”
[I will give you some helpful information. Please save me.]
It was the correct judgment.
The G.o.d of Gochang was once captured by me, but he was released in exchange for information.
Remembering that, it was natural that he once again offered to trade information.
But.
“Will you be okay? It would be a traitorous act.”
The fact that he was called a G.o.d of the Pantheon meant that he belonged to the Pantheon.
He might be a lower G.o.d.
[Because I am now free!]
As expected, I remembered the house elf.
There was no justification or reason to refuse.
[Did you have any more questions?]
Asked the G.o.d of Hope.
He was asking because he has been answering questions for me so far.
“No, I don’t really want to know more.”
[If so, what is the reason? Is there any reason to save that G.o.d?]
It wasn’t like that either.
I will again ask the G.o.d of Gochang for the information the G.o.d of Hope told me.
To collate information.
“Maybe there is distorted information.”
How to distort the information and what to gain through it was the choice of the G.o.d of Hope.
But the price will also be up to the G.o.d of Hope.
[… I don’t know everything perfectly. There may be some errors due to mistakes…….]
It was a lame excuse.
In order to contrast the stories I had heard from the G.o.d of Hope, I grabbed the G.o.d of Gochang and started asking questions.
In the midst of asking questions, the G.o.d of Gochang suddenly looked upset.
“What?”
[That… The G.o.ds of the Pantheon contacted me…….]
Saying that you are now free.
It seems that there wasn’t only one G.o.d that was entangled.
[The G.o.ds of the Pantheon are asking me to arrange a conversation.]
“With me?”
[Yes.]
The Pantheon wants to have a conversation with me.
Do they want to discuss how to end this incident?
There was nothing bad.
I also needed it.
“Good.”
* * *
The G.o.d of the Pantheon, who came to the realm of the G.o.d of Gochang, was a G.o.d with an ambiguous divine name called the G.o.d of Flexibility.
As soon as I faced him, I was bound to be surprised.
[Hey, does that count?]
[Of course.]
It was surprising.
Of course, it was natural for the G.o.ds of the Pantheon to play a part.
All of the G.o.ds who were choked by me and the giants were like that.
There was a marked difference from the subordinate G.o.ds, such as the G.o.d of Gochang.
However, there was a marked difference even compared to the other G.o.ds of the Pantheon who had their necks pulled out by me so far.
[The G.o.d of Flexibility has one of the best forces in the Pantheon. Considering that the entire universe is under the influence of the Pantheon, it is in fact one of the beings that can be called a master of this world.]
Is it that important?
Looking at this point, you could clearly see the difference between the Hundred G.o.ds Temple and the Pantheon.
Whatever the divine nature, no matter how powerful it was, the G.o.ds of the Hundred G.o.ds Temple could not escape the treatment as confined sinners.
[Would you like to fight?]
I would not.
If there is no reason.
[I know your struggles.]
Said the G.o.d of Hope.
It was because it was the G.o.d of Hope who remembered my appearance in the Tutorial.
I had no intention of fighting.
Of course, in the Tutorial, I tried to fight somehow when I saw a person stronger than me, but it was because of the longing for growth and greater power.
I did not enjoy fighting without reason.
I was neither a G.o.d of Battle nor a G.o.d of Challenge.
If the result was meaningless, I wouldn’t do it.
[Is the consultation finished?]
The G.o.d of Flexibility, who was watching me quietly, spoke.
After seeing me in silence for a moment, he seems to have noticed that I was talking to the G.o.d of Hope separately.
[I believe the G.o.d of Hope has surely provided you with helpful counseling, but I advise you not to rely on those words. He is a G.o.d who seems to represent the ugliness of the world. The closer you get, the more you will get used to the filth.]
It was indeed an accurate review of his character.
No, should I say that it was not a review of his character, but an evaluation of his divine nature?
[What is the mouth of that pig, who gained power because of me…….]
The G.o.d of Hope spit out harsh words.
Of course, it was only to me, so the G.o.d of Flexibility couldn’t hear it.
It wasn’t a curse for the emotional exhaustion.
It was a word that was told to me.
Words that seemed to look down on even the G.o.d of Flexibility where you could feel the mighty power, and words that imply that he has contributed to the acc.u.mulation of that power.
It was very consistent.
“Continue with the story. So what’s your suggestion?”
The G.o.d of Flexibility said that he had come to me for a suggestion, representing the opinions of the G.o.ds of the Pantheon.
[It is an agreement. I acknowledge you and your realm, and I will pay you a secondary price. In return, stop the indiscriminate air raids. Is there a price you want?]
The price.
Of course, all the G.o.ds who invaded Earth will have to pay the price.
It might be a problem because there are no other measures other than getting their neck in return.
“I can’t do it.”
[Well, I suppose so.]
The G.o.d of Flexibility conceded.
He didn’t dare try to persuade me with a different offer or force me back to the offer.
[If so, I should check one thing.]
The G.o.d of Flexibility said so and declared.
[The invasion of your realm was not the will of all the G.o.ds of the Pantheon, and other G.o.ds of the Pantheon were not related to the series of events. And the events between you and the related G.o.ds that will happen in the future are only a matter of you and those G.o.ds, and are not related to the Pantheon.]
Drawing a line.
Between the G.o.ds who directly invaded Earth and the entire Pantheon.
As long as the G.o.d of Flexibility said that, I had to acknowledge the line.
There was no need for proof of the declaration.
Because it was a G.o.d’s word.
It was a big concession.
Although the G.o.ds who invaded Earth were not all of the Pantheon.
It was by no means a small number.
I cut them all off.
There was nothing bad.
Although it was impossible to ask all of the members of the Pantheon for the price of the invasion of Earth.
On the contrary, the G.o.ds who directly intervened in the invasion could be defeated without any hesitation.
As feared by the G.o.d of Hope, all the G.o.ds of the Pantheon intervened, and there was no possibility of an all-out war.
I accepted the G.o.d of Flexibility’s agreement and the concession of the Pantheon.
* * *
This work was also showing an end.
The G.o.d of Flexibility limited the range of enemies.
Thousands of the G.o.ds of the Pantheon had to be beaten to end it, but it stopped at only a few dozens.
Should I say that it was good or was it futile?
Anyway, I got everything I intended.
[… It’s a way of thinking that’s not sane.]
Leaving the realm of the G.o.d of Gochang, I came to a planet that looked plain and peaceful.
I could easily notice the appearance.
This planet is not a single realm or a holy land of any G.o.d.
In places where the influence of a deity is strong, the everyday appearance does not appear so prominently.
Rather, it seems at first glance that it is engulfed in madness and absurdity.
I visited the holy lands of various G.o.ds, but I was able to consistently find them.
The place I came to was the coordinates where the subordinate G.o.ds summoned by the G.o.ds of the Pantheon, like the G.o.d of Gochang, fled.
If so, it means that the subordinate deity has fled to a place other than his own realm.
[Nothing to be surprised by. There are places where the religions of these different G.o.ds are in more balance than on any kind of sanctified planet. If you are a subordinate G.o.d, you may not possess any holy lands.]
It made sense.
[Most of the members of the Hundred G.o.ds Temple are like this. There are not many holy places. Because of restrictions.]
I remembered the worlds I had gone through in the past when I was in the Tutorial.
Certainly, most of them had a polytheistic worldview.
[There are places where the religions of the G.o.ds of the Hundred G.o.ds Temple and the Pantheon are mixed. Like this place.]
“What?”
[Maybe he knows and ran away here.]
After hearing the words of the G.o.d of Hope, I could notice it.
The power of a G.o.d approaching me quickly.
It wasn’t a G.o.dhood.
Of course it wouldn’t be.
The Hundred G.o.ds Temple usually cannot move directly due to restrictions.
And what is there is an apostle.
The apostle of a G.o.d I had known a long time ago was flying to me.
And I could face it soon.
“It has been a long time.”
[Yes. Indeed.]
It was a voice I had not heard in a long time.
The G.o.d of the Sky and his apostle.
It was the voice of the egotistical sword Aubutz.