Episode 948 Divine Power – 2
A certain figure defined Verden as a god.
Who is it?
It wouldn’t be Adrian and Isabella. Neither would Alpha and Beta. If there had been any signs, they would have noticed long ago.Above all, they do not truly revere Verden as if he were a god.
Osgar Fagan, Medrant Keden, Levana, Rateon Offniel, Grave Ludworth, and Aldanis sincerely recognize Verden as the third leader of Black Hour and the head of Eon.Melad Tastien regards him as the successor of Harkan Dajest, andJunia and Cain treat him as their senior.
‘Aldevan… … although he tends to idolize me, until recently he had never wielded any kind of power other than magic.’
Silis Riven di Estiria, Aiden, and Charlotte regard Verden as their benefactor, while Intelligence Officers Pale and Ferne go further and treat him as the leader of their faction. Theirrelationship with Callia de Esperensa is so close that it could hardly be described as that of a god and a believer. Naturally, Lobeline, who has known him the longest, feels the same way.
Principality of Liviant, Kingdom of Estiria, Autonomous Region of Midlos, Republic of Beldirn, Land Without a Master, Great Forest, Gargant, Great Hall of Black Hour, Prohas, Arnark Empire, Archenad Sorcerer Kingdom… … .
Verden looked back on the countless relationships he had formed while traveling the continent. There were many bad ones, but there were even more good ones.Whether intentional or not, he had helped others quite often as a result.
Elf.Dwarf.Beastman.Human.Demon.
Among them, how many situations were there where one could revere Verden as a god? Theonly one that immediately came to mind was the Desert of Silence.
The citizens of Tuhar are the most likely candidates. The faith of the desert was real, and they are practicing it by filling the void left by Ishur with me. However, the problem is that the duration of their faith is far too short.
Ishur was confined within the Great Temple of Tuhar for decades in order to attain complete divinity. Even then, he failed to fully complete his divine status.By comparison, the time Verden was worshipped as a god of Tuhar is merely a drop in the ocean. Surely, the power of divinity is not something that is born so easily.
It is confusing.
Verden frowned at the unfamiliar feeling of being repeatedly stuck.Since racking his brain like this wouldn’t yield an answer anyway, he put it aside for the time being and focused on other clues.
[Your Majesty Verden. Your Majesty the Demon King. ‘You’. Do you share the same heart?]
“What kind of mindset are you talking about?”“Shall I tell you a story from the past?”
Hiante playfully swung his legs back and forth alternately.
“Oldark is the primordial wizard and the first wizard. He is a ‘human’ who created the concept of magic by imbuing the world’s magical power with unique laws. He is, in a sense, the source and origin of all existing magic. As Verden and Alpha know, the world was actually unable to support that power, to the point where his magical output was limited.”
In the Administrator’s memory… The First Demon King employed various spells to subdue three powerful high gods and ultimately summoned a giant meteorite from space.In ancient times, before magic circuits existed, natural magic served as the power source, which led to the temporary depletion of the region’s magical energy.
The restorative power of nature could not handle the amount of magical power consumed by the first Demon King.
Such an Oldark was a ‘goddess’.
Verden and Alpha flinched.
“The first Demon King, a god?”“Of course, he wasn’t the kind of god who had attained divinity or wielded divine power. He was simply revered by countless people as if he were a god himself. Oldarc had no particular interest in things like gods to begin with, nor did he care about how others viewed him. He was truly free. He was as uninhibited as Verden, too. But…”
She shrugged her shoulders.
“Even if he had no such intention, Oldarc is a figure whom people cannot help but follow, isn’t he? He is human, yet a monster completely transcending humanity, a being whom even the ancient gods dare not disrespect—how could one not revere him? He is even the founder of magic.”“…….”“Thus, his followers, praising Oldarc’s abilities, knowledge, achievements, and deeds, regarded him as a god and offered prayers to him. In short, Oldarc was ‘not a god, but a human like a god.’”
Although she could not actually exercise divine powers, her presence was no different from that of a god, so her followers defined Oldarc as a god; however,from the perspective of the ancient gods, Oldarc was never regarded as a god.
───The primordial wizard. How arrogant! A being that is not even a god dares to try to bear the prestige all alone, without ‘her’.
───Since there is still time before ‘she’ arrives here… … this is also an opportunity… … I will endure the bloodshed… … I will deal with the primordial sorcerer who traveled alone… … I will cut down the World Tree… … I can turn the tide of battle… … .
It is a sin. To have harmed the gods with the body of a worm-like human. It is an error. Your very existence. I judge. Your death.
Major branch.
Just as the headless giant destroyed by a cosmic meteor specified Oldark as a non-god being, along with a small planet where three were one and a monstrous bird.
Verden said.
“In the current magical world, there are quite a few wizards who revere him as the God of Magic following the death of the First Sorcerer King. Is this story perhaps related to that?”“It is deeply connected. Just as the Oldarc of the past and the Oldarc of today are completely different. Anyway.”
Hiante crossed her legs.
“Oldark was great from birth. Even the highest ancient gods could not defeat him alone, as he seemed molded to be the master of the world. Here is the question: What were you like in the primeval era when such a formidable Oldark was defeated?”
[It was weak.]
The host did that at the arcadium.
───{‘You’ were not born with overwhelming talent like Oldarc, nor did you possess an immortal body and soul like the Gray Dragon. You were merely one of many powerful individuals. In fact, if ranked, you were clearly at the bottom. However, existence is fundamentally something that is perfected through the interplay of innate and acquired qualities.}
───{At that time, ‘you’ possessed something that Oldark and the Gray Dragon lacked. It was a ‘sense of duty.’}
───{‘You’ were always pure. As if molded from pure white. That is why you could do anything, and become anything. The ultimate will. Through that, ‘you’ ascended to become the most fearsome being in the world.}
Hiante nodded.
“Yes, in the distant past, ‘you’ were so weak that you could not even dare to be compared to Oldarc.”
She gave a bitter smile.
“Weak, but the kindest, most benevolent, and purest ‘God’ in this world.”
* * *
So ‘you’ were a god…
Verden, with his arms crossed, repeatedly tapped his forearm with his index finger.
“I understand that the Great Divergence, the first war to break out on a global scale, is a desperate struggle between gods who pursue only their own ideals and desires regardless of the fate of this continent, and gods who try to prevent chaos for their own various reasons. So, were you an ancient god belonging to the latter?”“That is correct. You were a benevolent god who cared for the weak who placed their faith in you. Because you loved peace more than the World Tree, you willingly joined the war alongside Oldarc and the World Tree. Amidst that struggle, the faith of all grew, and you, too, began to grow stronger.”
Hiante added.
“On the surface, anyway.”“On the surface?”“When the Host and I said that ‘you’ were weak, we had the period before the Great Split in mind. ‘You’ had already built up a high divinity from the moment the Great Split broke out, and after it ended, you acquired overwhelming power. However, you thoroughly concealed this so that neither the World Tree nor Oldark would notice.”“That means…”
Verden pulled his lips away a little late.
“It sounds as if you mean that you induced the Great Divide and brought about the downfall of the ancient gods.”“Because compassion is a soft and gentle nature, it may appear weak at first glance, but once it crosses the line, it is also the most terrifying force. Looking out only for one’s own safety versus sacrificing oneself for the peace of others—there is no need to even consider which is stronger. They are fundamentally different.”
In the silence, a gentle voice soaks Verden’s inner world.
“Unlike the modern transcendents designed by Oldark, gods do not possess the madness driven by a clear ideal. That is why they are free. However, even though ‘you’ are an ancient god, you came to harbor a unique ideal through a ‘catalyst,’ and while concealing that madness, you secretly induced the Great Split to annihilate most of the ancient gods. It is an undeniable fact that while ‘you’ cherished Oldark, the World Tree, and others, you used them.”
Hiante came down from the tree roots.
“The plan… that is, I got rid of the troublesome ancient gods, who were bound to interfere with ‘Fate,’ without any loss. Although there were other objectives involved, the War of Fate had, in fact, been steadily prepared since the Great Divergence.”“…….”“After so many years had passed and preparations were complete, ‘you’ met with Oldarc alone and spoke of the ideal you had harbored all along. Just in case Oldarc might understand. For if the greatest wall were to become a companion, Fate would be complete in itself.”
[But the persuasion failed.]
“Yes, that is how the Battle of Destiny unfolded due to the rift between ‘you’ and Oldarc. As a result, ‘you’ ended up falling asleep, but it was Oldarc’s defeat.”
She approaches.
“Why did Oldarc lose to ‘you’? Was it because she was unprepared? That is trivial. There is only one decisive factor that determined the outcome between the two.”
Hiante stood facing Verden with only a single step between them.
Because ‘you’ gave up your freedom first.
The eyes of time gazed into the blue eyes.
Freedom is vast, but ideals are limited. However, that is precisely why ideals can be deep, and because they can be deep, they can rise a little higher. It is precisely that difference that brought out ‘your’ superiority.
but.
“Since we are currently on the same level, we cannot predict the outcome.”“Does that mean the First Demon King also abandoned his freedom?”“Yes, by ascending to a divine status that was ignored in the primeval era. That is the reason why Oldark’s past and present are completely different.”
Hiante stood on his tiptoes and stretched his arms high.A soft touch landed on Verden’s chin.
“What about Verden?”“…….”“If Verden obtains divinity and breaks free from the hierarchy, he can regain his original freedom. By becoming a god rather than a transcendent being, he becomes able to let go of the ideals he had to choose to become one.”
Free God.
“Of course, one can abandon divinity and head straight to the end of transcendence. One can continue walking the path of completing one’s ideals as a transcendent being, completely unbound by faith.”
A transcendent being who does not become a god.
Or, you could even obtain divinity without giving up anything.
True God.
Verden has three options.
“However—if you become a true god through the third choice, you will become a god different from the World Tree. Maintaining the present means holding onto your ideals as well. You will ascend to become a corrupted true god, just like ‘you’ and Oldarc. If that happens, you will never be able to let go of the madness driven by your ideals again. Nor will you ever be able to be truly free.”
She asks worriedly.
“Freedom through power… The ideal Verden pursues feels dominant, but the meaning contained within it is so altruistic. It is a dream one could only hold because one was a weakling crushed by unreasonable power.”“….”“Verden can regain his original freedom. Right now. Without ever being a weakling again. And yet, will he insist on his own ideals?”
A faint shimmer of moisture flickered in Hiante’s eyes.
“Will Verden make a sacrifice?”“It is an ideal I chose from the start. There is nothing to abandon. From the beginning, I do not sacrifice for the sake of others, nor under the coercion of anyone else.”
Verden asserted.
“Because sacrifice is something you choose.”“Because sacrifice is something you choose.”
Hiante said at the same time.
That is my answer.
Hiante slowly stroked Verden’s face with her small palm.
That mindset is the true qualification of a god.
Now that the choice has been made,it is time for the consequences to follow.
Now it is time to awaken to the divine.
