Chapter 46: Wandering Gods
“Leona Crepeus,” a gentle female voice echoed through Leona’s mind.
She stood in a vast expanse of darkness, two naked figures embracing tightly before her, surrounded by flickering stars, like dying candles in the wind. She recognized this place. This was where she had battled the Lord of Submergence, where Abyss had used his soul to create a giant potato chip, binding the Outer God to her will.
After the Lord of Submergence pledged his allegiance, she had indeed felt a surge in power. Whenever she used her Dou Qi, streaks of lightning, imbued with the Lord of Submergence’s power, crackled around her. It didn’t directly enhance her strength, but it amplified her destructive capabilities, and it was controllable, making it incredibly useful. This divine power had also aided Abyss, proving crucial in their escape from the Lord of Nightmares’ dream realm.
Just when she thought the Lord of Submergence had fulfilled his purpose, she found herself back in this strange space.
But the massive black cloud that had once represented the Outer God was gone. In its place stood the two embracing figures.
She had seen them once before, a fleeting vision as she was escaping the dream realm.
They weren’t hallucinations after all.
“Leona Crepeus,” another gentle female voice echoed, this one different from the first, likely belonging to the other figure.
“Who are you? If you have something to say, come closer. Don’t hide in the shadows. I won’t bite,” Leona said, frowning.
The two figures remained silent for a moment, then vanished, reappearing before her. Leona finally saw their faces. They were beautiful women, their long golden hair cascading down their naked bodies. Their facial features resembled those of elves, but they lacked the pointed ears. One had pure white eyes, the other pure black, their pupils invisible. Their appearance was unusual, but Leona didn’t find them frightening. They were strangely beautiful.
“I am Kalmishura, the Goddess of Darkness,” the woman with black eyes said.
“I am Salbenite, the Goddess of Light,” the woman with white eyes said.
“I don’t recall seeing you two among the Nine Gods. Where did you come from?” Leona asked, her voice suspicious.
The Nine Gods worshipped in Hai-Teweru were: the God of Order and Judgment, the God of Life and Harvest, the God of Love and Beauty, the God of Light and Shadow, the God of Nature, the God of Magic, the God of Conquest, the God of Death and Slaughter, and the God of Storms. Clearly, light and darkness weren’t governed by separate deities. If these two women were telling the truth, they didn’t belong to this world’s pantheon.
Could the Lord of Submergence have split into two deities? If given enough sustenance, could he split again? Then Abyss could create a Lord of Submergence farm, eliminating the need to deal with other troublesome Outer Gods.
Spending time with Abyss had influenced her thinking.
“We come from a world called Bystine.”
“A world destroyed by the invasion of an Outer God.”
Each goddess spoke half of the sentence, Kalmishura first, then Salbenite, their voices synchronized, their minds seemingly linked.
Leona, her curiosity piqued, asked, “Your world was destroyed by an Outer God? What’s your connection to the Lord of Submergence? Did he destroy your world? Or… are you the Lord of Submergence?”
“The Lord of Submergence… We don’t know him. His name isn’t in our memories.”
“The Outer God who destroyed our world was called Ganakreb, known to his followers as the ‘Lord of Bullying’.”
“The death of the last living being marked the end of our world. Gods cannot survive in a world devoid of life.”
“Our world was gone, so we left.”
“We drifted for a long time, our minds blank.”
“We finally awakened, and we saw you.”
“Leona.”
“Crepeus.”
Their words were fragmented, but Leona pieced together their story. Their world had been destroyed by an Outer God called the Lord of Bullying. They couldn’t remain in a lifeless world, so they had left, drifting through the void until they arrived here. And they didn’t know the Lord of Submergence.
A possibility occurred to Leona—perhaps these two goddesses were the Lord of Submergence, but they had lost their memories during their transformation, some force turning them into a fear-driven Outer God.
“Have you considered why you encountered me after drifting here?” she asked, wanting to confirm her suspicions. “Did you become something else while you were unconscious?”
The two goddesses looked at her, their expressions unreadable. After a moment of silence, Kalmishura spoke.
“We were the guardian deities of Bystine, tasked by the Creator God to protect our world.”
“But we failed, and we had to leave.”
“We didn’t know what would happen when we left our world. We slept, and we awakened.”
“We are here, bound by a force beyond our control.”
“A voice within us tells us that you are our master.”
“Even though you’re mortal, we are your servants.”
Leona’s suspicions were confirmed. These two deities, like the Nine Gods, had been peacefully guarding their world until an Outer God, the Lord of Bullying, arrived and destroyed everything. Unable to remain in their lifeless world, they had left, undergoing a transformation, merging into a single entity, a new Outer God: the Lord of Submergence, who had then invaded Hai-Teweru.
So, this was how Outer Gods were born? From the remnants of destroyed worlds, their native deities transformed? And if that was the case… Wouldn’t their numbers keep increasing?
So Hai-Teweru wasn’t the only world facing this threat. There were other worlds out there? What was the Creator God doing?
“Master, we will teach you the language to command us.”
“Using this language, you and those closely connected to you can access our power.”
“But using our power comes with a price. If the cost isn’t paid, the balance of the world will be disrupted.”
“Will you accept our teachings, Master?”
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