Chapter 94: Unstoppable Abyss
“I’m curious, when did you realize I was planning to steal the Creator God’s power?” Abyss asked directly.
He knew he couldn’t hide anything from the gods, especially with his soul standing within their Divine Realm. Every thought was transparent to them. It was better to be open and honest than to try and deceive them.
He didn’t care if they disapproved. He wouldn’t stop regardless.
“From the moment you resurrected Saint Flora,” the Goddess of Magic replied, her voice calm and steady. “In fact, all five descendants of the ‘Transmigrators’ were under our observation. Flora, being the only one who could use Divine Arts, had a particularly strong connection to us. And then you borrowed a portion of her Divine Arts power to enhance your necromancy. We have to admit, you are quite bold.”
“Thank you,” Abyss said, bowing slightly.
“Rest assured, although you are a rebellious maverick, you are first and foremost a resident of Haitville. As the gods of this world, we will not interfere with your actions, as long as you do nothing to disrupt the balance of the world.”
“I am a necromancer with principles,” Abyss said, smiling politely. “Even without your reminder, I would abide by the necromancer’s creed.”
The Goddess of Magic nodded. As the guardian of magic in this world and the deity worshipped by all mages, she naturally knew the necromancer’s creed. And Abyss’s actions had indeed never violated it. The balance between life and death remained undisturbed, even with the emergence of such a powerful necromancer.
“Outer Gods originate from worlds that have already been destroyed. Their only purpose in coming to our world is to parasitize it, feeding on our faith, life force, and other resources to sustain themselves,” the Goddess of Magic explained. “Their goals are simple, but if left unchecked, they will eventually destroy our world as well. Your actions are beneficial to maintaining the peace of Haitville. That is one of the reasons why we will not stop you.”
“What if I eliminate the Creator God and take his place? Would that harm this world?” Abyss asked, spreading his hands.
“That is an audacious thought, and you are unlikely to succeed. Therefore, we are not currently considering that risk,” the Goddess of Magic said, her voice devoid of emotion. She didn’t seem to scorn Abyss’s bold question, simply stating facts with absolute rationality. “As someone who has studied Divine Arts, you should understand the concept of rank.”
Abyss nodded. He had learned about rank during his conversations with the deceased Divine Arts user and had further researched the topic. His battle with the Lord of Submergence was a testament to his understanding of this concept.
Rank, in essence, was the hierarchy of beings within a world, with gods at the top, followed by intelligent races, then unintelligent creatures, and finally inanimate objects. The Creator God wasn’t included in this hierarchy, suggesting his rank was even higher than the “gods”.
The difference between higher and lower ranked beings was significant. The Church’s reliance on Divine Arts users stemmed from their ability to channel the power of gods, whose rank surpassed all others. Therefore, Divine Arts used against non-divine beings were absolute, their effects unavoidable and only influenced by the strength of the Divine Arts user.
For example, if a Divine Arts user cast a spell to drain one hundred units of magic power from a target, that target, regardless of their defenses, armor, or fortifications, would lose one hundred units of magic power. Their only recourse was to increase their magic capacity, making the loss less significant.
The reason Divine Arts were so effective against undead was that ordinary undead were considered inanimate objects, their rank far below that of gods. They were also entities outside the natural order, making them susceptible to the immense corrective force arising from the rank disparity, resulting in their destruction.
The Creator God’s rank was presumably supreme. Abyss knew challenging him now was foolish. If the Creator God willed it, he could rewrite history, erase Abyss Belator from existence, or simply turn him into a skunk.
Therefore, Abyss had to act while the Creator God was away, seizing the power he had neglected to reclaim, hoping to gain the necessary rank to challenge him. With high-ranked power at his disposal, the Creator God might find it more difficult to eliminate him.
“It seems you not only understand rank but have also studied its applications,” the Goddess of Magic said, seemingly reading his thoughts, nodding again. “Conversing with someone as knowledgeable as you saves a lot of time. Now, we have a request for you.”
“I’m all ears,” Abyss said.
“The continent you inhabit is the only place in this universe with intelligent life. To prevent you from straying down a dangerous path and causing a world-ending catastrophe, we want to place a chain on your soul, allowing us to monitor your actions. If we deem you a threat, we can forcibly pull your soul into the Divine Realm, minimizing the harm you could inflict in a disembodied state.”
The Goddess of Magic calmly stated their rather domineering request.
They weren’t benevolent beings after all. Summoning his soul to the Divine Realm was simply a way to control him.
“Are you really going to do this?” Abyss asked, shrugging.
“Now, Belator, extend your hands towards me,” the Goddess of Magic said, tapping her staff gently on the ground.
Abyss pouted and extended his hands.
With a wave of her staff, a golden thread emerged from her heart and wrapped itself around Abyss’s wrists.
“You gods are certainly cautious,” Abyss said, sighing. “You know I wouldn’t do anything like that. It’s not my style.”
“Just a precaution,” the Goddess of Magic said, continuing her work. The thread tightened around his wrists, forming shackles, one end connected to her through the thread.
Abyss watched silently, his hands outstretched.
The thread tightened further.
A smile spread across Abyss’s face.
The Goddess of Magic, seemingly sensing his thoughts, raised her head fully for the first time. Her eyes, glowing with blue magical light beneath her hood, stared intently at him.
At that moment, the golden thread snapped, falling limply to the ground and vanishing.
“I’ll have to decline, my lady. I don’t enjoy being monitored. It feels as uncomfortable as being inside an ogre’s stomach,” Abyss said, chuckling, his teeth gleaming white.
The Divine Art, cast by a god, had failed on him.
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