I would guess that origin skill gained by being the sole authority over a world would be something an over-diety would have, like the poor goddess crying at the end of the previous chapter.
Also no competition for followers, she can grow her own followers in a vat dimensional storage. Why fight over mortals to worship you when you can make your own! Make your own world today! Be a world builder not a role player.
Thankfully she stopped herself from naming her pocket world 'miniature world'. I am sure she is going to grow the world larger and larger once she bothers herself to, so it would be pretty confusing to be named miniature world when the world is the largest around.
Pfft at her being a big sister figure to the amnesiac God of Life whose domains she has usurped.
Good that she has finally gone over to name that neglected spider. Though it seems as if the butterflies have come out as winners with three named among them. I also see a conflict brewing due to the queen ant and bee almost obstructing the ascension of the other insects (and anrchid).
With Aurus teaching me magic, I decided to actually make a new villa near the crystal slab. I already plan to do this, but I have to do it now because of Aurus.
He said he wants to stay beside the crystal slab because he is still recovering. He needs to absorb a lot of mana for his former strength to return. He also really likes the area itself because, in his words, it looks like the ideal place for him.
I can just make a new magic crystal inside my inventory, but Aurus really likes this spot so I didn't do so and just make a new villa so he can sleep on a proper bed.
I don't care if he is originally an orb of light! He looks like a child, and it will bother me if I just leave him sleeping on the ground!
So with the new villa created, I told him that he can live here and choose any room he wants.
"I want to be with Oneechan!~"
And he said that with a gaze that just makes it hard for me to refuse.
With that arrangement, he is going to sleep along with me.
I think it's fine. He's just a child.
The ants and the honey bees also moved to my house as my caretakers. I actually don't need one but they insist, so it just ends up like that. There are also my other insect worshippers who want to move on my villa so I just let them.
That's what happened yesterday. Today I am currently listening to Aurus in the living room about magic and how to use it.
"First, you have to know about the Mana. Mana is the essence that the soul produces. Every living being has a soul, even the planet itself, so everything in this world can produce Mana!"
"Mana is the foundation of magic. If you want to use magic, you have to learn how to control Mana. To control Mana, you need to know how to connect to your soul! Only souls can control Mana, so this is an important step!"
"How to connect to your soul? It's very simple Oneechan! You only need to meditate and have a mental look upon your inner self!"
Those are the summary of what he told me.
Meditation is one of the simplest and most time consuming methods to learn about connecting to the soul. Another way is to let someone guide you and flow the mana within you until you can control it yourself. The soul is like our inner body, and whatever it feels can be felt by our physical ones, so if someone keeps moving mana within our veins, we will also feel it even though it's our soul that it is interacting with.
It's not about moving them with our mind. We actually have to move our soul with our feelings. Based on him, the soul is the foundation of our ego, our heart, and our existence. Without the soul, we will simply be flesh puppets without any will of our own.
So essentially, we have to be one with our hearts if we want to be aware of it.
That's really hard for me. It's not really my fault. It is the fault of my Scientific Knowledge that it becomes hard for me. Since acquiring it, I became more critical with logic and reasoning that instead of trying to just do things with my feelings, I keep wanting to find the reason how things are done through scientific facts.
So being told to do what is basically controlling a new form of energy through feelings alone just makes me skeptical.
But Aurus wouldn't lie to me. He talks so earnestly and with a lot of cheer in his voice. Why would he lie to me about magic?
So I just tried doing what he said even when my scientific mind strongly disagrees with this notion.
Let's not think how something like a soul exists through scientific reasoning and just believe that I can do it. I remember always feeling my mana being drained whenever I use the functions of my Dimensional Storage, so I try to remember it and then simply try to replicate how I feel it moving within me.
"Dive deep within your consciousness, and then find the warmest spot within yourself. That is your soul." I heard Aurus tell me from my side.
I continue with my meditation while taking note of what he said.
Let's see... meditation is about self-reflection and just isolating our senses from the outside world, right?
Then I should try focusing entirely on myself.
First, I stop listening to my surroundings and just listen to what I am thinking. I do this until the only thing I can hear is my own breathing.
Next, I stop myself from feeling outside stimuli and simply focus on myself. I continue trying to do this until the only thing I can feel is my own warmth and breathing.
I am floating on a beautiful space of light. Lines that made up the dimensions of different shapes cover the entire space of colorful lights. Everything is warm and welcoming. It feels as if I am enveloped by the warmest and most comfortable hug in the world.
I thought my eyes were open, but when I tried to move my gaze around to savor the scene of beautiful lights, I felt myself opening my eyes and the image of that beautiful scene vanishing instantly. It was replaced by the face of the young child teaching me with a worried look on his face, and an aura of divinity covering his entire visage.
"... Are you alright, Oneechan?"
I look around and see that the skies has already gotten dark. The automatic function of my lights has already activated, all of them already switched on to give light all around the villa.
It's already evening? But I thought it is still morning?
While thinking like that, Aurus steps back and then claps at me.
"Congratulations, you are in sync with your soul now!"
I am in sync with my soul?
Oh... right. I can feel it. My whole body has become lighter and it's like my senses have expanded.
I can also see it. The starry-like streams of energy that I instinctively identify as Mana, and those beautiful white waves that I identify as Divine Energy.
Aurus also has Divine Energy swirling around his entire form.
Aurus has Divine Aura.... wait!
"Aurus... tell me, are you a God?"
My newfound knowledge about the Divine tells me that only those who have divine energy are either saints, holy spirits, divine beings, or deities like gods.
He looks at me innocently. "You didn't know? Aurus is the God of Life, Oneechan!"
... Ah, so he is the God of Life...
WHAT!? This kid is a God!?
I'm actually talking to a God? How come I just learned this now!?
"Ah... You're a God huh... I see..."
He is a God. That should be a shocking revelation. In fact, I initially got shocked because Aurus is a god. Gods are the big shots of every Isekai. That's a literal trope!
Though strangely, I don't feel that surprised. He is a God, but I just don't feel he is that special.
"... Did Aurus do something wrong, Oneechan?" And now he looks as if he is going to cry.
I quickly move close to him and hug him.
"No! You didn't do anything bad! It's Oneechan's fault for being surprised!" I tried rubbing his head and just cooing him to calm down. "Still... why do you keep calling me Oneechan anyway? If you are a God, you must be a lot older than me?"
"Mhm... Because Oneechan is bigger and beautiful!"
"Oh? Really! That's so cute!~"
Kyaaa!~ This child is so precious!~
I don't care if he is a God anymore. Calling someone small like me as beautiful?
Yeah, it's official. This kid is mine!
I am his big sister! No one can take that from me! Aurus felt blissful at the touch of the most beautiful being he saw. It's not just because of her physical appearance.
'Un... Oneechan is so beautiful!~'
His eyes gazed beyond her body, and into her soul.
Her soul that was like the whole creation itself. A kaleidoscope of different colors and shapes that perfectly complement each other, and created a sight so beautiful that it couldn't be explained in mere words.
And it kept expanding. Her soul was like a gem that kept improving on each moment. It was like a treasure that kept evolving. A beauty that transcends everything beautiful in the universe.
More than that, she had the same authority as him, and her growth was a lot faster than his own. It wouldn't take long before she surpassed his prime.
And he doesn't mind at all. Because even if he was reduced as a lesser god, he would prefer that so long as he was beside her.
Because he really liked her, and he hoped he stayed as her little brother so he could always be at her side. The next morning, I quickly started learning how to control mana.
That is incredibly easy though. With my Arcane Knowledge, I quickly learned how to control mana.
And by controlling mana, it is now possible for me to use magic.
The principles of magic are really simple. I just need to know how to control mana, and then know the structure of the element that I want to use to convert mana into that element. This is how basic magic is cast.
I have scientific knowledge, and it's at the high level that I have knowledge that is much more advanced than the one from my world.
We should convert mana within our soul before we release it to the outside world. Just releasing the mana within our body without thinking about the process of our magic will simply waste our mana. This is where the knowledge of mana composition and the knowledge of the structure of our soul will be helpful.
We have to actually know the form of the mana before actually using it. There are different types of mana. Inner mana, which is a mana that came from within our body. Natural mana, which is a mana that naturally occurs in nature and the planet. Then miasma, which is mana that comes from evil beings or other malicious creatures or places.
There is also the life force, which can act as a replacement to mana, but that goes to the Spiritual Knowledge instead of Arcane Knowledge as it is not considered a part of the magical curriculum based on my Arcane Knowledge. There is also the necrotic force, but again that's spirituality instead of magic.
Next is the structure of the soul. Controlling the mana within our soul is very dangerous. If we did something wrong, it will hurt us spiritually. That is dangerous because damages to the soul permanently affects a person.
So learning the structure of the soul is very important. Every being has a different soul. Even plant life and the planet itself has different souls. No one has an identical soul to another. Literally everyone is unique.
There might be others that have a lot of resemblance to the others, but at the core of their form, there are still differences between theri souls. So the theory that every soul is different is greatly supported. At least my Spiritual Knowledge says so.
Thankfully, it is easy to know how our soul is structured. It might be hard to see other people's souls, but it is easy to visualize our own soul so long as we dive deep within ourselves.
By learning the structure of our soul, we will know where we can move the mana safely and where not to move it or else it will damage our soul.
Surprisingly for me, my soul is structured like an open space. I can move my mana everywhere without limit.
By having more space within the soul, it will be easier to turn mana into something else, and even build up the form of the magic without any problems. I can cast big spells without worrying about hurting myself, because there is no blockages within my soul!
How very convenient!
Because of that, I managed to use all the four elements, and everything I can think of by using scientific knowledge.
Now, if I can just use any of these magic to get back to my world. There is still the issue of coordinates even if I learn a magic to create portals to another world.
I decided to train my magic all day until all of them leveled up to two. That's what I do all day before playing with the insects and Aurus, and then cooking something delicious for us.
Short chapter for now. I feel a bit tired...
I hope you also find this chapter good even if its a bit short...
Thank you for reading, and see you on the next chapter everyone!~
She can finally use magic now, seems like things are gonna start snowballing even faster after this. I love how utterly bullshit her everything is. Now I'm especially looking forward to seeing the princess and her troupe meet the god they now worship, only to find out he is just a follower of his 'onee-chan'.
So I decided to finally observe the people from the other side of the continent after I am satisfied with my progress on my magic skills.
I am actually going to try later in the future, but while I am practicing magic, Aurus said something interesting about them.
"The Canedisians? They are Aurus' worshippers!" He said when I vocally said my thoughts out loud about those people.
I am very curious about them, but I don't feel as desperate to talk to them as when I first got to this world. I already have companions in this place, so why should I find more?
I also don't know how they will react if I show myself to them. I still don't know if they are good or bad.
I will admit I am very nervous to meet with strangers. They can't compare to my insect worshippers who literally came to be because of my experiments, or Aurus who is a literal God that earnestly proclaims he wants to be my little brother.
With my little brother's assurance though, that changes things. I ask him about them and based on him, it seems like they are his followers from another continent. Their history is vague as they don't talk much about it, but they keep calling themselves as people of the Canedis, or Canedisians, and they simply want to survive and also pray for his guidance.
He said that he will be able to know about their history if he recovers back to his prime. Right now he can simply hear their prayers.
Hearing their prayers huh... now that he said it, I also keep hearing beautiful hymns and songs in my name on Fusion. Just taking a peek into my own world let me see that almost every inhabitants of that world are creating statues of me or saying their prayers in my name.
It just hammers in the fact that I am essentially considered as a God. Even I am becoming a bit aware of that myself because of what I can do.
Like, who else can create a world out of nothing other than a God?
It's just that I am using my cheat abilities to circumvent that world creation business, but it is still a feat only reserved for higher beings. Everyone on Earth would also think like that. Even I am thinking that whatever I am doing is not just a normal Isekai cheat skill thing.
It just feels weird for me think myself as a God. It might be more than half a year since I found myself in this world, but I am just a normal highschooler before all of this stupidity happened.
But that is only me. Everyone seems to think I am already beyond them. Even Aurus thinks highly of me.
Anyway, going back to what I am doing, I am standing near the village of these Canedisians. Aurus comes along with me with my insistence.
They might be his followers, but that doesn't mean I should be friendly with them instantly. I bring him along because he knows them more than me.
I only come here to greet them and also know about them for a bit. At least I'd like to be their acquiantance first and get to know them more before thinking of actually befriending them.
Now, I wonder how this meeting will go?
Those are my thoughts as I walk forward with Aurus holding onto my hand. A month had passed since the sudden appearance of the trees at the outskirt of the village occurred. The faith of the people towards the God of Life became stronger, and everyday they prayed on the wooden altar they made for the God, and weekly did their outdoor masses with Sister Clarent.
They acquired stability during this month. The expedition group became hunters and transporters who goes to the Ancient Forest and hunted their food and took some valuable stuff they could get like herbs and fruits. The nearby trees were cut down for logs, and a loghouse was built recently on the outskirts where those trees were located so the lumberjacks could cut and process trees quickly. A wooden bridge was made on the river so they could connect dirt roads to the loghouse on the outskirts.
They had built a granary and other storage houses to store their resources. Every week, Alya took stock of these inventories and made plans for how to use it in a week.
Alya's work was easier than the first time they got here. With their daily lives becoming stable, problems became fewer. They would still need a lot of food and for the crops to grow so they could truly become self-sufficient, but otherwise they had nothing to worry about.
If this keeps on, they would steadily progress and their population would grow. She already envisioned that after fifty years, they would have double the population, or even triple that if people became more enthusiastic.
But that was simply her vision. It was her hope that the next generation was the one who did their revenge to the empire. They would teach their children about their culture and history so the spirit of their nation would live on, and also the atrocity of the Agelard Empire against their nation.
Today she thought it would be a peaceful one. Nothing had happened for a month now. Everything was going smoothly.
So she was surprised when her knight captain called out to her, telling her about two strangers coming to their humble village.
"Two strangers?"
"Yes... they claim they come from the Ancient Forest." Garoth replied to her confused inquiry.
That was surprising for her. She thought they were the only ones who lived on this continent. The Cursed Continent was known as a lifeless place after all.
"Have you identified them?" She narrowed her eyes, a bit alarmed at this.
She thought there might be some people from Lescatie who learned of their plans. They might have sent spies to them.
Garoth looked at her with a complicated expression. His lips quirked a bit in nervousness as he told her something interesting.
"It was a girl with a black hair and purple eyes, and a small boy with bright green hair and golden eyes."
She quickly honed onto the description of the boy. Those features were seemingly similar to the God of Life. A hair that was the color of nature itself and eyes that held the golden color of life.
Quickly, she left her hut and went towards where these strangers were. When she got to the center of the village, she stopped on her tracks as she found them.
Sister Clarent was there, already bowing to the young kid with hair the same color as the blade of grass, and his golden eyes held a deep brilliance in it as if it was like the light of the sun itself.
But more than that, her Magic Sight, a special ability that could detect every magical phenomena, could sense a great surge of power within him. It was pure unlike the three forms of mana.
"Divine..." It was Divine Energy.
Though she was confused. He had the same hair and eyes as the God of Life, but the records said he was also a tall man who wore holy robes that depicted nature itself, and he held an ancient staff that was said to be created from the very first tree that existed in this world. This kid wasn't tall, he only wore a robe that might look ancient but doesn't have any symbolism in it, and there was no ancient staff on his hand.
What's more, he was said to have an intellectual gaze and a gentle smile that doesn't leave his lips. This kid only had the brightest smile as he greeted the children while he stopped the sister from bowing to him.
Though, he wasn't the most eye-catching. She thought he would be when Garoth described his appearance, but the cute petite girl who wore a foreign white coat and uniform was the most baffling. Not because of her appearance, but because of the sheer amount of mana gathered within her body.
"Oh... are you the leader of this place? Sorry for coming in so suddenly, I got curious about our neighbors so we decided to visit!" The female stranger said after she saw her and walked closer to her.
"Right. I heard from my knight that you are living in the Ancient Forest." She was tensed, but she tried to speak to her normally even when her heart pounded harder as the girl got closer to her.
"So you call that an Ancient Forest? It sounds good, I'll call that the Ancient Forest then!" The girl nodded before she continued. "Oh right, sorry for not introducing ourselves. That is my little brother Aurus, and I am his big sister. Call me Hibiki. It is nice to meet our neighbors here!" She said with a smile on her face.
'Sister!?'
She was shocked. She already became stiff when she heard the kid's name, but this girl claimed she was his sister.
'That young boy... is Lord Aurus!?' She screamed within her mind. 'And he has a sister!?'
She doesn't know why the lord looked like a kid, but if he was the God of Life, then this girl might be stronger than him. If she was the big sister, then it was natural to think she was stronger.
"Ah... I-its our pleasure!" Her knees felt weak, but she tried to hold on and stood straight. 'No... maybe they are the children of Lord Aurus? They said Gods can have children between many races... does that mean these children were demigods? Or are they also True Gods like the Cardinal Pantheons?'
Being a human, Alya tried to rationalize it with their human concept. Aurus was depicted as an adult. He couldn't have just become a child and act like a child. There was also no record that stated he had a sister. So it was more reasonable to think they were his children.
It was also normal for children to have the same name as their parents. That's how she reasoned it within her mind.
She couldn't just see the intellectual god on that child. He looked far too innocent and friendly to be the same as the one they worshipped.
'Is Lord Aurus telling us something...? Is he giving us the honor of entertaining his children?'
Alya clenched her fist as a fire lit in her eyes.
'If that is the case, then we have to do our utmost to entertain them! We have to win their favor! For the glory of our nation!'
In the end, Alya decided to win their hearts. If they were truly children of the god they worshipped, then she had to please them.
The survival and the rise of their nation depends on it. That she fully believed.
While she thought of that, Urano Hibiki just stared at the princess with a tilt of her head. Confused what she was thinking. Okay... how did it end up like this?
"Please have the first bite of the boar meat. It is the juiciest part of the boar that came from the Ancient Forest!" Their village chief said rather enthusiastically.
I am sitting on what they called the guest of honor's seat along with my little brother and on our table were a collection of meat and fruits that came from the forest. In front of our table was a bonfire where some of the women danced around it in what I considered to be a tribal dance of some sort.
I actually don't understand. It's not like I study this kind of thing.
"Oh! You cooked the meat so well! That's good, you have respected its sacrifice by not wasting anything!" Aurus said.
"I am honored by your praise, Lord Aurus!" Alya quickly replied, now attending to my little brother's needs.
Somehow, they became incredibly respectful of us. Even though I haven't said anything, it seemed like they immediately discerned Aurus' true identity. Though why are they also acting as if I am his equal?
Well, I did say that I am his sister, but I am expecting to be seen lesser than him. I personally don't see myself as worthy of being a Goddess, and I think I don't look like a Goddess. I'm just a normal japanese highschool girl who coincidentally acquires a cheat ability that makes it possible for me to do feats that a god can do.
I'm basically a fluke compensating through my cheats.
It bothers me a little...
"Please eat up more and don't hold back anything. If you need something from us, please just tell me and I will try to meet your demands!"
I feel somewhat guilty. It's like I am trying to take advantage of them just because their God visited them. I think I should give them something after this. It will bother me if they only give us something when, as far as I know, they have been living off of the stuff in the forest which is incredibly far here.
Right... I'll do that. For now, I am very curious about this meat. They have roasted it on a fire. I know because I saw it.
Let's see how the meat tastes. I use the wooden western utensils they have given us and stab the meat with fork before putting it in my mouth.
... Oh! This tastes good!
I had fun eating the boar meat they prepared for us. Despite being simply roasted, all of its flavors had been soaked onto its fat. They knew how to roast meat, who would have thought?
Aurus seemed to be having fun, so we decided to stay for a single night. Next time I had to give these people something.
Writing dialogue is my weakest talent when writing. It is just hard for me to write something like that...
I think this will be the only chapter I can upload today... I hope it is fine...
Tsk tsk Hibiki, if you quack like a goddess, walk like a goddess, have a world in your pocket like a goddess, you are a goddess.
I admit, she has really quickly ascended from a regular school girl to someone ridiculously powerful, and it might seem to her that she has cheated her way to power. But it is likely the existing gods of this world were simply born or created by that over goddesses ) as gods. It is not as if they ascended from mortals through sheer hard work. Thus their godhood is as legitimate as Hibiki's, maybe even less.
Coming to the conclusion that they are the Aurus' children instead of a mini Aurus' and his adopted big sister is unexpected but a reasonable conclusion to come to. I wonder if that will last the next day when Hibiki gives them whatever ridiculously over the top reward she gives them.
The sky was pitch black when Alya awoke. She and her subjects usually woke at sunrise, but they had to start a lot earlier to appease their guests.
Women from the relief team quickly started meal preparations, while their men did their heavy work. Children and the elderly were still resting. Hibiki told them the Divine Children would only stay for a night. Alya and every able-bodied man and woman was obligated to prepare for their departure.
Alya had given them her room, the only decent bedroom she had. Despite that, she felt ashamed for having offered something so meager. Alya's room was humble and lacked fine decorations. The two didn't seem to mind and slept together in it.
The divine duo rose with the morning sun and mingled with the children and elderly. Alya and her servants were about done with the feast when Alya heard a commotion near the river.
"What is happening?" She and her knight walked toward the riverbed and saw the young divine goddess and their young kids gathered at the water's edge.
What she saw stopped her in her tracks.
"If it's this much, I think you will have a lot of things to eat now, right?"
In the river were bundles of live fish. They swam energetically beneath, but their numbers were so numerous that they were visible on the water's surface.
"Wow! You're so amazing!~"
"Oneechan! Can you show us some more?"
"Fishy!"
The diminutive goddess smiled at them.
"What do you want?" She asked a young girl.
"Uhmm... can you also make butterflies?"
"Of course!" Hibiki said before she stood up and then cupped her palms together. Then she opened them wide, and butterflies flew in droves from her open palms.
The children gasped in amazement, while Alya and her knight watched in awe. It was a beautiful display of the small divine's prowess.
'Though... is it just me, or did she just use magic?' Magic Sight made her sense the activation of a magic spell when Hibiki closed her hands. 'Right... there is no need for her to use divine powers for small parlor tricks. Lady Hibiki is simply indulging our youths...' She shook her head. 'Ah right... we are almost done...'
She got closer to them until the others noticed them.
"Oh, Village Chief. What is it?" The young goddess asked.
"Greetings, Lady Hibiki. We are just done preparing a feast, and if it wouldn't be troublesome for you, we would like you and your brother to partake in a meal with us."
"Ah... Yes, we would love to." The young goddess turned to the children. "Okay everyone, it's time to eat. Playtime is over!"
The other children whined in disappointment, and Alya couldn't help but tremble. Though she immediately felt relieved when she saw Hibiki simply regarding the children with a small laugh.
Alya couldn't help but think that Hibiki was pretty great with kids. Talking to strangers was hard for me, even if they are kids.
Good thing everyone is pretty polite, though I think it's all because of my adoptive little brother.
After a meal with them, the two of us finally left the village. Before that though, we went near the log house, and then I changed a lot of the landscape into a forest so they could have a lot of trees. I told Aurus to claim this achievement before we left.
I think giving them a lot of trees to cut and fishes to catch will help them a lot. That is my repayment for their hospitality.
The next time we visit here, I'll have to think of something more appropriate. I am sure they will be just as hospitable if we visit again. I'll need to come up with something more appropriate to properly repay them. The next day after the two gods left, Dylan's party came back. They were shocked at the great change in the village.
"W-what... Lord Aurus had two children!?" Dylan exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, as you can see... Lord Aurus... which is the name of the God of Life Aurus' youngest child, made a miracle by raising trees from the ground. His sister Hibiki made fish from nothing." Alya explained.
Dylan glanced at the river and saw their hunters busy spearing fishes. Currently, they had at least six, demonstrating their skill despite only having a single score on all of their status.
He was baffled that the God their village worshipped had children, and those children visited the village and blessed them with trees and fish. It might not sound much, but for a developing village like theirs, this was a great boon.
"We managed to please Aurus' children, and Lady Hibiki said they will visit once more in the future." Alya looked incredibly happy as she said that. "Until then, let us prepare for their return!"
Dylan could easily understand where she was coming from.
"You want us to go to that mountain and look for any possible caves to turn into a mine, right?"
"That is right... A wooden statue won't suffice. We have to show our utmost devotion to the Great Lord Aurus by making a stone statue of his children! I would have preferred gold, but it can't be helped as we have nothing else in our hands right now! So that is why..." The princess continued to rant with a lot of excitement.
The mountain that emerged in the distance. Just like the ancient forest, it would take them a week arrive by foot. The horses Sylca tamed would reduce the journey to three days. The only problem was that they also needed experts when they went to the mountain so they could accurately find a suitable spot for them to establish a quarry. A mine would also be better, but as they only needed stone, so a quarry was a good alternative.
'This is the first time I've seen the princess smiling in a long time... it might have taken a literal divine intervention, but I am glad she's happy again...' Dylan thought, amused as he watched the princess animatedly talk about her plans for the eventual return of the divine children. Aurus was confused about this morning. Despite Hibiki displaying her prowess, she wanted Aurus to claim it was him who did it. Gods thrived on faith, and doing godly feats was just one way for Gods to attain more divine energy from their followers. Hibiki was essentially giving him free faith with what she was doing. That troubled him.
Hibiki was strong. She was already a Goddess in his eyes. She could move at speeds impossible for humans, create wondrous technologies without the usage of magic, and even create life itself. Even the time she carried him as she skipped through the entire length of this continent to get back to their territory was a testament to her prowess, a strength only reserved for gods.
So he was curious why she seemed reluctant about that whole deal. He thought anyone would jump for joy at the thought of being recognized as a god.
In the middle of the night, he stood at her door, knocking gently on it until his big sister opened it. Just looking at her when she opened the door made him mesmerized. She truly was perfect.
"What is it, can't you sleep?" Hibiki had her phone in her hand, its light illuminating the darkness.
He was curious about the device but decided to continue with his plan.
"Oneechan... Can Aurus sleep with you?"
With that request, his big sister quickly brought him to her bed and he was quickly tugged tight with her fluffy blanket. Hibiki's bed was large. It could fit three people easily. He didn't know why she made it this big, but she seemed happy, saying something about five-star hotels. Like many of her references, it flew all over his head.
Hibiki lay on the other side of the bed and moved so she was close to him.
"How about this? Can you sleep now?" She looked at him attentively. Her phone was put above the pillows as she gazed at him, while her hand gently rubbed his head.
He was happy that she pampered him whenever he asked for it, and he felt sleepy by her touch. So sleepy that he nearly forgot why he'd climbed into her bed in the first place.
'Ah! That was close!' He thought in panic before Aurus turned his body so he was face to face with his adoptive sister. "Oneechan... this morning, why did Oneechan not claim the forest restoration as Oneechan's achievement? Why give it to Aurus?"
Hibiki froze, and her smile turned tense. "Well... it's because you are amazing! I want everyone to know how amazing you are!" Then she laid her head on the pillow beside him as she stopped rubbing his head. Now she looked at the ceilings as she continued speaking after a short silence. "... Honestly, it still feels weird being seen as a Goddess. It just... doesn't feel like it's real...?" She sounded confused.
"Why? You made life from scratch... isn't that enough to consider yourself a God?" He sat up and turned to her with a tilt of his head.
"It's nothing like that... I simply took advantage of my cheats. It's not like I had all of this before I got here... I was just a normal person before all of this happened..." She glanced at him. "Is there something wrong with that?"
Aurus was a bit surprised to hear she was a normal person. He wondered what her past was. He only knew she had been living here for some time. There was so much about her he didn't know.
"... Aurus is curious. Where did Oneechan come from?" He was a bit excited as he leaned closer to his sister in excitement.
"... Well, it's not like I have any reason to hide it. I came from another world."
"Oneechan came from another world!?"
That was surprising for him. He thought she was a native here. Her soul had this world's signature, so he never suspected she was an Outsider.
"Yeah, I got transported here against my will..."
Aurus looked at her with pity. If it was against her will, then that meant...
"... Do you miss your home, Oneechan?"
If she had her own home and she was taken away from it by force, then it was natural for the girl to miss it.
"... Yes... I miss it." She was honest, and even when she looked reluctant, she said it without hesitation. "I want to see my parents again..." She shook her head. "But of course, it's not like I will abandon you. This place has become precious to me, and I will take this place along with me if I find a way to get back to my world!" She said so with a smile.
Aurus felt moved, and he was glad that Hibiki quickly recovered from her somber expression, but she hadn't fully answered his question.
"Then... Is Oneechan bothered being called a Goddess?"
"Of course! I can't just accept it instantly! I have been living as a normal person all my life, it's not like suddenly being able to create a lot of stuff will make me instantly accept I am a Goddess! My parents raised me to be humble!" She sounded rather offended at that.
"Sorry!"
"It's fine... it's just... is it alright for me to have this much power? I only improved myself to survive, but now that my excitement has cooled down, it's making me nervous. Is it alright for me to think of myself so highly above the others? It feels like I am being arrogant if I do that...?"
He held her hand and looked at her seriously.
"Oneechan is worthy! Being a Goddess is not about just being powerful! You are very thoughtful and humble to others even though you have more power than them... that alone made Oneechan better than any God!"
"... Wow, that's so cute!"
"Uwaa! Oneechan!?"
His sister swooned as she pulled him into a hug and let his head rest on her modest bosom. He felt a bit shy and at the same time comforted at her pleasant scent and her warmth.
"But you are right... I already have the power, and my status already considers me a Goddess. It might be weird for me, but I think I have to get used to that. It is always like that, getting used to things in this world." She rubbed the back of his head as she smiled. "Thank you, I really needed that..."
"... Un..." He couldn't speak much as he felt embarrassed, though his sister didn't think as much.
It didn't take long before he fell asleep at the embrace of his adoptive sister, while she hummed softly near his ears.
"My starting point has been rough, but I am fortunate with my cheat abilities... I wonder, did my other classmates get transported to this world too, and if they did, how are they I wonder?" Her inaudible mutter wasn't heard as he fell deep into a pleasant slumber. 'Yakumo's dead! Fuck, Yakumo's dead!'
A teenage Japanese guy ran as fast as he could, his face a rictus of desperation and fear. His feet stomped on the coarse dirt and dead branches without care as he rushed forward, occasionally looking back with tears on his eyes.
Morinosuke Hando was being hunted, and his classmate, Tsukimichi Yakumo was the first one to die at their hands. She died in front of him.
It was such a sudden event that he was still shocked. He only managed to move after an invisible attack slammed into him.
Yakumo was unfortunate that she died so easily. She doesn't have as much protection as he had. It was only thanks to his own cheat ability that he managed to survive.
But that wasn't enough. Since coming to this world, this was the first time he experienced something this dire. He doesn't remember having offended someone. They simply want to enjoy this other world with their cheat abilities. How come someone was hunting them?
He heard a sharp whistling behind him, and if not for him quickly jumping aside, he would have lose his head.
"Aaaa!" He let out a disgraceful scream after his clumsy roll on the ground. Then he turned around and froze when he found a tall man already standing a few steps away in front of him.
It was a guy with white hair and scary sharp eyes. He wore a tattered robe, and beneath the tattered robe was a tightfitting sleeveless black fabric that hugged his fit-looking body and black pants. He lazily held a large sword on his head as he gazed at him with disgust.
"Stop moving, bastard!" The guy was crass, his voice was grating to the ears. It was like a bully who was trying to sound menacing.
The only difference between those bullies was that this guy was terrifying. Hando could feel the immense strength of that guy, and the aura he was releasing that could devour the entire dead forest where they were located.
Alarm bells rang within his mind, and he quickly rolled around as the tree behind him was cut in half. His movement was incredibly fast that even with his Finesse V, he couldn't keep up with him.
Hando ran once more using his natural immense speed. Though he had to move away after a few steps and jump to the side once more as another wave of slash gouged out his intended path.
"This shitty Outsider! Always making my job harder!" The guy cursed as he walked towards his prone form.
He tried to stand up but was too late to stop the large blade from hitting his stomach. If not for his protection, he would have instantly been bisected. Instead, he was simply blown to the far side of the dead forest. Many trees fell as a large plume of smoke spread into the air from where he impacted the ground.
He coughed a lot. Blood and spit left his lips as he held onto his stomach. He felt the enchantment on his clothes vanish after that single hit, much to his surprise.
'No way... my enchantment... my cheat enchantment on my clothes that can even resist the claws of a dragon, got destroyed simply with that guy's sword?'
He turned to the side and saw the guy already nearby. Despite being blown a few kilometers away, this guy easily reached him like it was nothing.
"Why! What did I do to you? What did we do to you!?" He screamed as he tried to stand up. His scream made the guy stop, which gave him the courage to continue. "We don't remember offending anyone! Me and Yakumo were simply living as Adventurers in the Cybel Kingdom! So why are you attacking us!?"
He was already preparing some enchantments, and also repairing other enchantments that had been destroyed from his body. He had to buy time for a few seconds so he could counterattack if the guy ever attack.
Though his chance doesn't come as the guy instantly vanished from his sight, and then his own vision rolled around.
"Eh?"
In an instant, the white-haired guy was already behind his headless body. His own head fell on the ground with a sickening crunch. Then without any mercy, the foot of his killer crushed the head of the Japanese student. Creating a splatter of red on the barren ground.
"You ask why? It's because fuckers like you don't deserve to live!" Even though no one heard him, the murderer still replied to the one who killed.
"He's already dead..."
Light suddenly gathered on one spot before it turned into a woman wearing a priestly robe that hugged her body. The guy simply turned to her with a grunt.
"How many is this?"
"That's the seventh Outsider we killed this year."
The guy clicked his tongue. "Fuck! Those shitty Gods tainting this pure land with their bullshit!" He glared at the night sky, his fiery rage easily obvious to those who saw him.
"It can't be helped. We have no way to open the Gates of Heaven to kill those beings. The Heretical Outsider administrating this world stopped us from doing so..."
"Hmph... we have to wait for a chance once more." He gritted his teeth. "Everything will be just fine if all of these shitty Outsiders die!"
"There is no need to rush, Aegerys. Our long-held wish for a world without Outsiders will come. It doesn't matter if it takes us thousands of years." The priestess calmly said.
"Whatever... clean this shit up."
Aegerys turned his back on her and then vanished from the scene like an illusion. The priestess nodded before she stared at the headless body of the boy.
"... It is truly disgusting." She muttered, her calm expression from awhile ago changing into a face of pure disgust.
In a moment, the headless body was set ablaze in white fire. After a while, nothing remained of Morinosuke Hando but a bloody smear on the ground and a pile of ashes that was once his corpse.
In the Elvarantia Continent, there exists a secret order that hates the Cosmic Pantheon that administered this world, and every God that exists in the world. They hated every being that wasn't native to their land based on their own recorded doctrines.
This included the Lost Ones, those who were either transported, summoned, or reincarnated in this world. They hunted them down and killed them mercilessly, regardless of what they did.
To them, the Lost Ones were the spawn of the Cosmic Pantheon, the ones whom they blamed for every problem in this world.
In this continent, no gods existed. This secret order had killed every single one of them.
For them, only their path was right. Everyone else was wrong.
First of all, I'd like to announce that this story finally has a beta-reader, so updates will become slower but the quality will be a lot better!~
Next, I did say this story will have dark scenes in it. This chapter is more blatant than the previous chapters where I subtly hint at it (or outright tell it on monologues). Both light hearted scenes and serious dark scenes will be written here, so I hope you expect more of it because... well, I am more comfortable writing stories that shifts between both lighthearted and dark scenes. (Blame my edgy teenage fanfic writing years...)
Finally, I would like to thank everyone for always reading, commenting, and liking the story. All of you are the best. Cheers!
It had been a few days since the visit of the divine duo. Dylan's party and the mining experts traveled to the mountain to find a suitable spot for a quarry. Already, they found a good place to begin digging, and now they were giving a cursory look at the area. A quarry was an attractive alternative, but they wanted an actual cave they could turn into a mine.
Surprisingly for Dylan, they found one. He already expected it would be impossible as it was a newly created mountain out of nowhere. They found a vast hollowed part of the mountain, and deep within the hollowed part was a small cavern.
"What fortune... we found a vein!" One of the mining experts among them suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" Dylan was surprised at that.
The small cavern was dark. Barely any light could enter due to the angle of the hollowed part of this mountain. The dim light was enough that they didn't need to use torches, but it was pretty hard to discern what the cavern walls looked like in the dark.
The mining experts quickly moved towards the cave walls and then pointed at them. "You see this coarseness and its slight smidge of color? That's raw iron there!" The miner said. "We simply need a pickaxe, and we can take these out!"
"Ah..." Dylan simply hummed. He couldn't understand. It looked like the same rocky wall as the others around here.
"So how about it, leader? Are we going to choose this spot, or should we look somewhere else?" Ultera muttered beside him with a yawn. It was obvious she already felt bored with this.
"Yes... we will choose this one." Turning to one of his men, he said, "Fors, go back to the village and inform the Princess. We will help the miners make an outpost here."
As they had planned to build something in this mountain for mining, they had also brought three carpenters and two masons, along with a cart full of logs and other building materials. Using them, they could quickly build a temporary hut for what they originally planned as a quarry.
Fors nodded and left their group. Fors was the only one Dylan's party could rely on ever since the beastkin twins and the half-elf ranger decided to live in the Ancient Forest. While they occasionally helped them whenever they were in the forest, they hadn't left it for a while.
This was where their new lives would begin, and Dylan also felt it was fair for them to choose as they weren't adventurers anymore.
After Fors left, they quickly helped to build the outpost for the miners. The plan was to gather enough stones to build the statues of Aurus' children. The princess hoped that they could finish that before the next visit of their patron's children.
"Okay, let's start working!" He called out, and the others bumped their fists high and responded by shouting vigorously. Dylan's group was unaware of it, but deep within the mountains were precious magic crystals and other magical ores on different spots of this cave, one of them was incredibly near the spot that they chose as their mine.
And on that spot near their mine were some creatures. Hibiki was unaware since she only duplicated the mountain and not the inhabitants of this mountain when she first put it in her inventory. However, other beings already living nearby noticed this. The animals from the ancient forest and other nearby lands that Hibiki terraformed had migrated to this mountain. One of those were snails from the tropical ancient forest.
These snails traveled to the mountain through the river connecting both habitats. They found themselves within this close cavernous chamber full of magic crystals through the uneven cracks and winding paths of the water stream. Small holes suck them in, and through a miracle, these snails made their home within these damp caverns.
They had been here for a month now, and being snails, they clung to the magic crystals and used them as their sustenance. Due to this, they quickly evolved and grew larger.
The others were unaware of the giant arcane snails that inhabited beyond their small mine. It would be a surprise for them in the future. I have been captured by a beautiful woman with humongous breasts.
"Creator-sama! ~"
This woman who is incredibly affectionate to me has the lower body of a spider reminiscent of a Darwin's bark spider. Obviously, I know who she is. This is the recently awakened Orbweaver, the one I named a week ago.
The first thing she does when she wakes up is go straight to me and then suddenly smother me with her cheeks while she hugs me tightly. She is incredibly tall, and adding her spider body doubles her height. If she stretches her limbs, she might become a lot taller.
"Cease thy actions, Orbweaver! You are being rude to The Almighty One!" Queen Bee exclaimed. I think I can sense an intense bloodlust on her way.
I don't even know how I can discern bloodlust. I just know she is doing that.
"Eh!? Am I being rude!?" She quickly unlatched me from her hug and turned me around to face her.
Despite being a beauty, she acts like a child. Her two pairs of dark purple eyes are gazing at me with a tremble. They are turning glassy, and I think I am seeing hints of tears slowly forming in her eyes.
Anyway, her face would normally be disturbing with those eyes, but I actually find her cute. Her upper body proportion is also enviable. It is making me rather conscious of my own body.
... Well, I am still sixteen. I can still grow!
... Right, Orbweaver.
"No, it's fine if you want to hug me, but please tell me before you do so. You kinda surprised me there..."
I already detected her before she even got behind me. I just didn't think she would cling to me this tightly.
"Sorry!"
She quickly put me down and bowed her head, along with her whole upper body. Swinging them up and down and causing her generous proportions to... well, bounce around.
Ugh... this can't go on. I have a little child living with me here!
"Before we continue with all of this, can you please wear this?" I gave her a simple dress that will generously cover her upper body at least.
"Of course, Creator-sama! ~"
Orbweaver took the black dress and wore it through her head. Well, I made it so it can be worn easily. She can't wear something normal with how her lower body is structured.
As for the dress, I made it on the spot. I can easily do that inside my inventory with my multitasking.
I have also given clothing to the other insect girls. I can't just let them run around naked when we have a young boy here. Queen Bee and Queen Ant are the first ones who got it a week ago as they are the only monster girls I have before the others evolved from my naming.
I know he is a God, but he looks like a child. I can't let them taint Aurus's eyes with something so indecent!
Arrus arrives just as the other insect girls finish putting on their dresses. He rubs the sleepiness from his eyes before looking at me with a bright expression.
"Oneechan!"
In an instant, he hugged my waist once more. He is also pretty clingy, but he is just a child so whatever.
"Good morning Aurus. What do you want to do today?"
He looked up at me with me and then smiled.
"Can we play, Oneechan? Aurus wants to play that again!"
"Ah... that. Well, I think that will be fine."
As to what he is referring to, that is a new game we made between ourselves as fellow gods. A game that is only possible for us.
Yes, we are making lives.
I meant that in a more miraculous way. Not that scandalous one! Get out of the gutter, my mind, he's a child!
Anyway, after preparing for a few minutes, the two of us stand beside the purple magic crystal while my insect worshippers are watching in the distance.
"Ready?"
With his nod, we quickly look at the ground and then use our powers over life to create what we want.
"Domain: Life" is not just limited to making a holy land with my authority of life in it. I can also use the concept of life to make new living organisms, or even give life to other beings.
Of course, I am simply editing the genetic structure of one of the plants growing beside this crystal slab.
It's a simple game really. The most impressive lifeform wins in our game. We can only make something that is harmless and beneficial to the ecosystem itself. Aurus easily wins our matches because he is incredible at making life.
For example, he made magical glowing flowers, a golden butterfly that glows in the dark, and even a type of weed that promotes soil and plant growth from its immediate vicinity. He did that without using any science. He only did it with his own knowledge.
Even with amnesia, he still retains knowledge about his abilities. He said he is very limited now and can do more when he recovers his full strength, but what he can do now is a lot more versatile than me, who is still stuck thinking scientifically.
Right now, I rearrange the genetic structure of the plant in front of me so it will produce 200% more oxygen than it was used to. That's the peak of what I can do to this common tropical grass. As for him, he simply makes a small sapling that he quickly turns into a tree that bears golden apples.
Obviously, he is the winner. Again.
"Amazing! Aurus is so good at this!" Being more mature, I praised him instead of mulling over my loss.
There is no need to feel sad at my loss. This is just a game, and he has more experience with this than me. It's a good pastime for me and I am learning a lot with this.
Anyway, since our talk that night, I have come to accept my nature as a Goddess. It is still weird to me, and I am unused to it, but it's not like I can keep denying that aspect of me. My cheat ability turned me into a Goddess.
Since then, I have become more open to this kind of activity. It doesn't hurt anyone, and we are making a lot of positivity in the world with our little creations.
"Right... do gods usually play like this?"
I was so curious that I let out those words before I could think things through.
Well, whatever, I already asked it so might as well...
Aurus stares at me for a moment, before he takes a thinking posture.
"Nah, it's fine. I'm just wondering because we are playing something like this. This game made me curious if gods also do something like this as their pastime..."
I noticed a brief grimace on his cute face before he spoke.
"Aurus doesn't remember, but Aurus thinks other Gods are much worse than dead plants. That's what Aurus thinks..."
There is a sense of certainty beneath those unsure words. I can detect something within it. It feels like a sense of distrust to the ones he is referring to.
If the amnesiac god feels that the gods of this world are worse than the literal death of plants, which he cherishes by the way, then they might have done something incredibly bad. I mean, Aurus is so pure and innocent. If he said they are bad, then it is obvious to think they might have actually done something bad!
I mean, Aurus wouldn't just lie. At the same time, he might have a confirmation bias. It might be his memories coming back to him, and whatever he recalled about the gods of this world is unpleasant.
I will have to personally verify whether the gods of this world are bad. Aurus is already a confirmation that there are gods here, so if I ever actually leave this continent, I will surely meet them in the future.
"Aw~ Don't look sad, Aurus! ~"
His troubled face looks so cute that I can't help but pull him closer to me for a hug.
"Oneechan!?"
"It's fine. I'm just asking anyway... there is no need to think so deeply about it."
After calming Aurus down, we continued playing while my insect followers watched us. Few mortals knew this, but the Heavenly Realm was separated by many parts. It was a nebulous space that expanded depending on the whims of its inhabitants, though that doesn't mean every god could go anywhere in this place.
They made their own realms and separated themselves from each other as each continent had its own set of pantheons. Each pantheon respected this separation, as it made it easier for them to establish themselves in a certain region. Having competitors would make things headache-inducing, and it would be another devastating war if they ever tried to fight amongst themselves for faith.
Every pantheon had a set of gods, and some gods had the same domain as the others. So separation was a good thing so there would be no conflict of interest.
That doesn't mean there weren't any fights. Gods love conflict. It gave them the opportunity to raise their faith and gain more power.
Gods were born from belief. There were two ways for a God to be born. Either something or someone who existed before or during their existence had been venerated into something higher, or enough people believed in something to give birth to a new deity.
In the Continent of Lescatie, the Faith of the Twelve Cardinal Gods was the main religion. It was a religion that spanned all over the continent, and other budding gods within the continent stayed as a regional deity. They couldn't rise in power because the Cardinal Gods took all of the opportunity for themselves.
However, due to that, they lost any competition. They couldn't just extend their reach to the other continents. The Ragnarök had induced great damage to their numbers that even one of their numbers, the God of Life, fell a long time ago. They didn't need a repeat of that.
That said, they didn't sit on their hands doing nothing.
"Ahahahaha! This human empire is such a riot! They actually invaded the small kingdoms due to my words!"
A skeletal hand slammed against the smooth stone armrest of the ancient throne as a giant grim reaper in an elaborate dark robe laughed uproariously. The grim majesty of this divinity was like a lie with how much he laughed, his whole gloomy realm reverberated with only his cold booming voice.
"You did amazing there. With that human empire's actions, the other human civilizations are declaring war against them."
A woman with long silver hair, and three pairs of wings symmetrically aligned behind her said. Her face, which was usually in a perpetual state of peace, was now a lie as she spoke to the robed skeleton with a cunning gaze on her rainbow-colored eyes. Her white flowy robes radiantly shone with the eternal light that illuminated her realm of heavenly clouds, and the ephemeral floating rings behind her spun slowly like a clock, giving a feeling of divinity at her sight alone.
Both of their realms, while infinitely far, were also incredibly close. As they were part of the same pantheon, their realm was connected. With a thought, they could temporarily merge their realms to talk.
They were part of the Cardinal Pantheon. The God of Death, Axarthaneos, and the Creator God, Azulvanya. Both of the highest order in the pantheon, and based on recorded text from their religion, both opposed each other.
That couldn't be far from the truth. Every God in a pantheon was connected. They were companions. Whether humans perceived they were bitter enemies or not, it was up to the god whether they would live up to the tale, or simply pretend as if they were like that.
Because, while belief formed the foundation of their existence, it didn't control them. They could do whatever they wanted after they were born.
"Such a shame Aurus is gone. It would have been great if he was here." Axarthaneos said.
"Right... he always makes an interesting scene whenever we play around."
"I still remember the time he blessed a human to purify the undead army of my apostle. It's so hilarious how he tries to prevent my undead army by throwing a tantrum!"
"Oh... I think he called it showing the wrath of the god. His chosen champion did manage to destroy that undead army..."
"And then that champion turned into an undead. Talk about irony!"
Both Gods chuckled at that memory.
Aurus was always serious as far as they could remember. It was funny for them how he tried to stick to how people believed what he was. With his personality, they managed to create many legends that only increased their divinity.
With Aurus gone, everything became dull for them. The new god of life wasn't as interesting as Aurus. She couldn't even raise a new religion. They were so close to declaring themselves the Eleven Cardinal Gods. It would damage the image of their pantheon so they could only force it to stay like that.
"Ugh... if only that administrator didn't interfere with our fun, that human empire would have summoned the heroes from another world. We wouldn't have to resort to Plan B..." Azulvanya sighed.
"That's right. They are no fun!" The skeletal god also sighed.
"Well then, the preparations are done right?" The goddess asked as she turned her gaze to the side.
Multiple realms opened up, showing the other major gods of their pantheon.
"All five divine weapons have been put in their respective spots!" The God of Earth, a being with the appearance of a stout dwarven smith, said.
"I made a new ley line in the western region. Will that be all?" The God of Magic, a bespectacled man wearing an elaborate scholarly robe full of magical symbols on it, was the next to speak.
"I found the otherworlder you are talking about. I already managed to steer him to our script!" The Goddess of Water said.
The others also reported their success. Everything had been prepared so they could enact a grand show that would increase all of their faiths.
"Well then, you will be the enemy this time God of Death. Please make sure to make a wondrous show for those humans."
"Ahahaha! I am always the villain in our story! So leave it all to me!"
The Creator God and the God of Death grinned at each other.
""Let the game begin!""
The two spoke at the same time, their mirthful laughter echoing throughout the Heavenly Realm.
Sorry for the long delay, that is actually my fault. My beta is pretty fast, it's me who got stuck at certain parts that this chapter got delayed...
This chapter shows the perspective of the Gods. Well, specifically the Gods of Lescatie Continent. Consider them the norms when it comes to the Gods of this world.
I hope you have fun with this chapter too. Thanks again for reading, and see you on the next chapter everyone!~
Looks like the giant snails are going to be the first conflict that the refugees face here. Though I can always hold out hope for a more symbiotic relationship.
So Hibiki has accepted her new reality. That game looks like a great exercise and now that she has leveled up she could put up a better competition for Aurus before she quickly surpasses him.
We haven't really seen her use her creation domain much, have we? We have seen her create a lot of things, like the dresses this chapter, but has it been a direct use of her domain of creation using her divine energy or merely using her vast mana to make things as she has been doing all along?
The local gods behaviour does explain that anti gods faction (that we saw killing those two otherworld students).
So the gods call the over-burdened over-goddess the administrator eh? Thus seems to imply that she does not interfere in the world much directly, only makes rules and steps in when someone , be they mortals or gods, step too far out of line.
There is also another god of life. That makes it 3 gods of life we know of : Aurus, Hibiki (who is also a goddess of creation), and the new god we've learned of.
Makes sense, there are multiple pantheons, so multiple gods holding the same domain is inevitable. Moreover Aurus and Hibiki are not part of the 12 cardinal gods pantheon. Hibiki never was and Aurus has been thought of as dead and replaced by an incompetent newcomer.
We haven't really seen her use her creation domain much, have we? We have seen her create a lot of things, like the dresses this chapter, but has it been a direct use of her domain of creation using her divine energy or merely using her vast mana to make things as she has been doing all along?
You have absolute authority over the Concept of Creation.
You can create, change, and improve everything in creation with Divine Energy. Every creation you make is immune to tampering.
You may declare an area as your sanctuary/territory/domain. Declaring an area as yours will turn it into a holy land where your authority is absolute. The size of this divine area depends on the level of your Divinity.
You have absolute authority over the Concept of Life.
You can create, change, and improve every sentient and sapient being with Divine Energy. You can turn everything into sentient and sapient beings with Divine Energy. Every life you make or improve is immune to tampering.
You may declare an area as your sanctuary/territory/domain. Declaring an area as yours will turn it into a holy land where your authority is absolute. The size of this divine area depends on the level of your Divinity.
Nothing much changed on the description of my authorities other than the number of holy lands that I can declare. The whole world of Fusion is already my holy land for both of my domains, so I can't just declare another holy land in that world.
I can make a new world, but I don't feel like doing so. I might accidentally create humans in that new world, and I don't feel like I am ready for that kind of thing.
I don't plan on playing God. A single world is enough for me.
So even if I can make another holy land, I'll just hold onto it. It's not like I am obligated to do it right now.
Anyway, there is a hidden function within my authorities that I immediately notice when it levels up. They have improved.
Ever since I gained Divinity and these domains, I have this instinctual knowledge of how much Divine Energy I need to do something. For example, if I wanted to create an ant from nothing, then I only need a small amount of Divine Energy, but creating a human requires a lot more. Based on my Divine Knowledge, humans are more complex, so I need a ton of Divine Energy to create them from nothing.
Of course, I use an alternative when making things. I use my Mana.
Being the essence of a soul, Mana is a good alternative to do miracles. I just need a hundred times the amount of Mana compared to using Divine Energy. Because my existence has been elevated into something more after acquiring Divinity, my soul becomes something more, and the Mana my soul produces is a lot purer than when I was still a human.
This means that instead of needing a hundred times more Mana to do a miracle, I simply need fifty times more. This is the case if I want to do miracles like creating things from nothing or creating life.
I am only doing minor miracles like making a gram of any materials I know, even artificial ones. I am also making a single gram of every element that exists in my world.
Why am I doing that? Why not make a bunch of them?
Because I have my Dimensional Storage!
The duplication function of my Dimensional Storage is totally busted, and unlike doing miracles through my authorities which costs fifty times Mana than simply using Divine Energy for it, the duplication function only needs a single unit of Mana to create a bunch of duplicates for them. It doesn't matter what kind of thing I am duplicating, their mana costs are the same.
Well, the size matters too. The mana costs of duplicating larger stuff are additive, not exponential, and I have a humongous amount of Mana. My Mana Regeneration also makes the cost insignificant, allowing me to duplicate things infinitely. There is also the Mana Core, but I don't even need to mention that as it is just a better Mana Regeneration skill.
My fourth inventory is still empty, so I decided to put all of these elements and materials I made in my fourth inventory.
Why am I making them anyway?
Because I want to make a lot of stuff!
Just because I can make anything I imagine now doesn't mean I lost my interest in technology. I might have gone overboard with my terraforming, but it's not like I only want to do that. I simply do some landscaping because the entirety of this continent looks dull.
Now that everything else looks good, I finally decided to indulge in my new hobby: making technological wonders!
"What are you doing, Oneechan?"
"I am making a local system hub." He looked confused, so I turn to him and show him my phone. "You see this? This is a phone, and most of its functions are unavailable because there is no satellite here, or even a network hub for it to work. I am making that right now!"
"That small device that has lots of moving images?"
"Yes."
I said while resuming my work. We are a few kilometers away from my second villa. That crystal slab is the territory of many of my insect followers. I don't want to cut off the trees just to build this one.
What I am essentially building is a local network. I don't feel like making a satellite now that I know God exists here. I also don't have a reason to build it as we are the only ones using it anyway.
So I will make a localized network. I don't need a satellite for that. A close network system is enough for what I am planning. Not only that, I am also building a lot of things in tandem with this.
My Scientific Knowledge and Technological Knowledge are above my world's level. It includes stuff that even some of the scientists from our world don't know yet, or I assume they still don't know yet.
"Hmm... Is Oneechan going to make Aurus one of those too?"
"Yes. I'll create a phone for you! I am sure you will like it!"
Mobile phones are one of the greatest technologies of humankind. They have music, videos, document files, and most importantly, games and anime!
I have a lot stored in my phone. I might as well share it with my brother.
And I won't just be satisfied with giving him a duplicate phone. I will give him a new model that I personally made.
It's not just him. My insect followers will also have phones, and then we can play games with the local system hub I am making.
I have plenty of time on my hands anyway, so I might as well give them some entertainment while I am at it. I like building stuff, and I like modern conveniences. Introducing these technologies with them is also a plus. I want to play multiplayer games again after so long!
That's basically what I want to do this week. This is my new project.
Everything has been trivialized with my vast array of abilities. My inventory lets me skip the procedures for making all the delicate parts when making the core system and other essential parts of a closed network system. I also have my magic and my authorities to make things easier.
With Time Dilation, a spell from the Time Magic skill, it only takes me until the afternoon to build a local network hub. Ethereal Clones, a spell from Illusion Magic, let me make holographic clones that can interact with reality. Shrink Space, a spell from Space Magic, made me shorten the space between one point to another. I use these spells in tandem not just to create a local network hub, but to do my other projects.
So essentially, I quickly finished everything I planned for a week within a day. Once again this made me aware how ridiculously powerful I am.
... I just have to stop getting a big head on it and I am sure I will be fine... I hope... ... I can't believe this!
After I was done building everything and crafting phones for us, I gave Aurus one and was hoping he would find something he would like.
I already copied my offline library to that new phone, so there are a lot of stories, manga, and even anime he can read or watch there. There are also offline games, and some online games I modded so it will work in my close network. It's a private server that only works for us.
Technological Knowledge essentially made me a great programmer too.
I am so excited to see what my little brother will choose, but it all came crashing down when he revealed he couldn't understand anything that was written there.
How!? We can understand each other!? Why can't he understand written Japanese!?
"Oneechan, don't you know? Everyone can understand each other because of a Law!"
"A Law?"
He explained to me after I inquired about it.
The Law of the World, or simply called The Law, is a fundamental law of the world. It is what makes everything in this world function. Like how a Sun shines on the skies, or how light illuminates the surroundings, or how objects blocking the light will cast a shadow, or many things that we simply think as normal.
Without Laws, everything wouldn't work in reality.
Aurus said there was a very strong God beyond the Heavenly Realm who imposed this Law on this world so every sapient being could understand each other. He doesn't remember the reason why that Law was imposed upon the world. He only recalled that it was this very strong God who imposed that Law.
This didn't mean that written letters were translated like spoken ones. It's only due to this Law that we can understand each other.
I see... now that I think about it, the way his lips move is different from what I am hearing. He is clearly speaking Japanese in my perspective, but it seems like he is actually speaking his own language.
Anyway, this is a conundrum. They can't use the phone without knowing the language to them. English doesn't do it either. When I try changing the language of his phone to English, he still doesn't understand. This means that they don't use English alphabet or any of its equivalent.
I asked him to give me an example of their written language and he made a very complex symbol that is like a mix of hieroglyphics and Nordic runes. He said it is a sentence for "A fulfilling life".
It seems like they have 300 symbols, each being mixed to create logograms. There are countless combinations of these symbols, creating a complex language system that rivals traditional Chinese texts.
I don't even know how they can understand that, and it seems not even Aurus knows the meaning of every symbol combination. He knows many, but not everything.
Numbers are, thankfully, a lot easier to translate when he writes it. They might be using a different symbol for it, but it still has all the ten types of numbers in it like zero to nine.
My Wisdom score makes it easier for me to remember this information. I easily learned their numerical system.
Anyway, it seems like I will have to teach Aurus my language. I also need to include my insect followers on that.
I won't give up on my goal to play multiplayer games with them! Now that I have a lot of time to myself, and I only need to improve my magic to hopefully learn a spell that will take me back to my world, I can just do my own thing while trying to level up my magic skills!
I know that eventually, my abilities will get to a higher level and there is a chance that one of them can take me back to my world!
I feel confident in my ability to do this. Gaffrand, the New Imperial Capital of the Agelard Empire. Home to the Hero Sevran, a legend that many Agelardians idolized due to his prowess. Two layers of enchanted stone walls protected the city. High towers were evenly distanced on the outer walls. On the first layer of the walls were various houses made of refined stone and fine lumber. Roads were paved with smooth stone, and many people walked busily.
The inner layer had pristine structures of silver and gold. Manors that could host hundreds of people, beautiful gardens, and large establishments of renown lined the roads. In the center was the Imperial Palace itself, its shining white stone brick walls a testament to how meticulously the Emperor's servants preserved the ancient building's splendor.
But beneath the glorious imperial city, hidden in the labyrinthine passageways of the sewers, there existed a hidden base where people in dark blue robes gathered. They had necklaces with an elaborate reversed cross and an ebony skull in the center of it.
"Report. What's the status on the surface?" The only man whose scarred face wasn't obscured by his robe spoke as he looked down at the gathered cultists.
"Everything is going according to plan, Deacon Vixol. Lord Gazenoff is still bedridden with the poison, and the Emperor is moving along with our plans."
"The Blue Lion Alliance is preparing a conference to respond to the Empire's actions. Our moles infiltrated their summit, so we are simply waiting for their reports."
"We have unleashed the Great Tyrant of the Sands to the civilized communities in the Eastern Desert. We are just awaiting the result of the new Eastern Tower Sage's death."
"The Northern Tower Sage is waiting for our call. They are prepared to cause chaos in our God's name."
The man with a face full of scars nodded. He chuckled.
"Kukuku... everything is going according to plan then--"
"--Deacon Vixol! It's an emergency!"
He glared at the young cultist who entered.
"What is it?" He growled. His whole figure emanated with a swirl of dark and cold energy as he gritted his teeth at being interrupted.
"The Ring of Manakyte is missing!"
"What!?"
The Ring of Manakyte. One of the legendary artifacts left by a legendary hero who was said to be the last champion of the deceased God of Life. It was also the national treasure of a small kingdom called the Canedis Kingdom, a kingdom founded by one of that champion's spouses.
"... What did Escher said? Where did it go?"
"... The Undead Hero said it was beyond the Gulf of Andecai!"
Escher, the name of the last champion of the God of Life, who was turned into an Ancient Lich after he died of old age by the grace of their God. Now he was an eternal slave to the cult that worships this God.
And he could feel every artifact that was connected to him, as he was the one who created them all.
"Tch... What did it cost?"
Of course, being a legendary hero from the Age of Gods, using Escher's service wasn't cheap. Even though he became the slave of the God of Death, asking anything from him was expensive.
"One hundred thousand souls..."
"... We have to burn another country then." He grunted. Then his eyes lit up as an idea came to him. "That is right, Escher said it was beyond the Gulf of Andecai, right?"
He chuckled after that young cultist nodded in confirmation.
"Perfect. Beyond is the Cursed Continent. Isn't that the place where those Canedis survivors fled?"
Understanding dawned on the other cultist and all of them stared at him with malicious smiles on their faces. Their eyes glinted with viciousness.
"If those Canedisians have it, then it is just right for a punitive force to pursue them. It just doesn't sit right for loose ends to remain after all " He shook his head at that. "Tell the Emperor to amass an army to the gulf."
The others perked up, already knowing the next thing their sector leader would say.
"We will hunt down the remaining Canedisians. As for the Merchant State of Andecai? They will be destroyed by the might of the Empire!" He spread his arms wide as he looked above the ceilings. "In death, the gentle darkness will embrace them! Beyond the realm of the dead waits a true ascendant! The true superior God that awaits us all!"
"Let us guide them to the arms of the God of Death! Their destruction will be our blessing!" He finished with a wide smile.
""For Axarthaneos!""
The others followed, spreading their arms wide and fervently chanting hymns of praise.
Sorry for the long delay, it's getting harder for me to write longer chapters. I might write a shorter one next time...
Hope you have fun with this chapter. See you in the next chapter everyone!~
Hibiki will through great effort get an audience with the over-goddess so that she can go home, her view of the over-goddess inflated to this mighty omnipotent figure by the various tales she hears from Aurus, the other gods, and secret societies in the know about the real truth.
Finally as she kneels in the gleaming grand halls of the over-goddess at the pinnacle of the world, or perhaps beyond it, she catches her first glimpse of the over-goddess. Divine, immaculate, and giving the vibe of a responsible, overworked, stressed office lady, long suffering the incompetence of her subordinates.
Hibiki will through great effort get an audience with the over-goddess so that she can go home, her view of the over-goddess inflated to this mighty omnipotent figure by the various tales she hears from Aurus, the other gods, and secret societies in the know about the real truth.
Finally as she kneels in the gleaming grand halls of the over-goddess at the pinnacle of the world, or perhaps beyond it, she catches her first glimpse of the over-goddess. Divine, immaculate, and giving the vibe of a responsible, overworked, stressed office lady, long suffering the incompetence of her subordinates.
This is very unfortunate, but I think I will take a short break writing this story.
I really like this writing this one, and I am very excited with the progression now that it is going to get intense, but I got burnt out. I have a vague plan of what I want to write, but it feels like a drag everytime I put a word on my notepad. It is getting hard for me to write the words, even though I have a general idea where I want this story to go...
So I will take a rest, and when I feel refreshed enough, I will come back here. I will try to get back to writing this story sooner...
That's it for now. Thank you for reading the story everyone!~
So, it's been 2 months, and you've done other things. Which is fine. But I just want to make sure you haven't forgotten about this story. I really hope you don't abandon it.
