Torse Tomb — Forest near the Bonnie Blue Ocean
Night settled heavily over the forest.
A cold breeze moved through the trees, rustling leaves in uneven whispers, while the distant sound of flowing water echoed softly in the background.
Amid the darkness, a figure emerged.
An elderly woman, dressed in a long black gown, walked slowly along the narrow path. Her white hair fell loosely around her wrinkled face, her head slightly lowered as she moved with careful, deliberate steps.
She continued forward, cautious yet unwavering, until the outline of the Torse Tomb came into view.
The woman belonged to the Gladdy family—a lineage devoted to the God of Storms, known to maintain alliances with other factions, including the Moses family.
...
She believed in the prophecy, that one day, the god would return.
Because of that belief, she came often, bringing offerings in His name.
But this was not the true tomb of the God of Storms.
It was the resting place of his son… the being who had been corrupted by the Hakli whispers.
According to their faith, the true body of the God of Storms had long since been devoured by the God of Death during an ancient encounter.
And so, a doctrine was born:
That the god would one day be reborn, through the corpse of his fallen son.
With that belief anchoring her steps, she finally arrived at the tomb.
She entered.
The air inside was cold and still as she walked deeper, her footsteps echoing faintly through the hollow passage.
After some time, she slowed, Her eyes were fixed ahead, noticing that the innermost chamber… was already open.
...
Panic seized her. Her eyes widened as she hurried deeper into the tomb. Reaching the casket, she slowed, her trembling hands moving toward the lid.
Slowly, she opened the lid.
When she opened it, the place was empty, they was no corpse or anything visible in casket.
She stared in disbelief, her breath catching as her strength gave way. Slowly, she sank to her knees before the vacant coffin.
There was silence for a long time, until a soft whisper brushed her ears. It was one of the God's angel.
The words were spoken in the ancient language of Pteron, incomprehensible at first… yet somehow, she understood.
Why are you here…? I have risen.
Hearing that, her body began to tremble with joy, after some moments, she broke into a loud laughter.
"Yes…"
Her voice shook with something between devotion and madness.
"Yes… He has risen!"
...
Everise Street — The King's Mansion
It was still late into the night.
Catherine, her black hair falling loosely over her shoulders, rose from where she had been reading. She stepped out of her room and made her way downstairs.
Reaching the shelf, she took out a glass and filled it with water from the tap.
Just as she lifted it toward her lips, her figure blurred, and disseapeared.
In the next instant, her senses returned.
She was seated in the White Kingdom. The stone white pillars were covered with crimson. The invisible sun, casting unseen light over the hall. And the tables set, with such calmness. It was as though they were In a wonderful picnic.
At the far end, the blurred figure of Lumian was seated on the High Seat.
Mr. Beyond… heh. You really should set a fixed time for these meetings, Catherine thought bitterly, noticing the glass was no longer in her hand.
Straightening her posture, she composed herself quickly and turned toward the blurred figures, relying on her instincts as a Venerable to adapt.
"Good evening, Mr. Beyond. Good evening, Mr. Plunderer."
The others nodded in return, offering brief greetings to the figure seated upon the High Seat.
After the exchange, Lumian adjusted his posture slightly, a faint smile forming.
"Good evening, everyone," he said calmly.
"Mrs. Venerable… were you able to obtain the royal passes from the king?"
...
Mrs. Venerable maintained her calm, upright posture as she spoke.
"Yes, Mr. Beyond. He delivered them today. Shall I present them?"
Lumian gave a slight nod.
At once, Mrs. Venerable focused her thoughts. The air within the White Kingdom began to stir, currents of unseen force weaving together as three card-shaped outlines formed in midair.
Moments later, they solidified.
The cards drifted toward each member, settling neatly into their hands.
Receiving his, Mr. Revenger let out a quiet, awkward chuckle.
I'm not even in Betyl… but can these still be used?
He examined the card briefly.
Even so… something issued by a king should carry value. This might be priceless.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, he looked toward the High Seat.
"Mr. Beyond, I've been meaning to speak with you. About that minor dispute between Mr. Plunderer and myself, I did some investigation."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"It turns out… it was true. The Pale Moon Goddess Church was the one who were secretly in talks with the Obstaque Order, and hence established the thorough connection with the Order."
Mr. Plunderer let out a soft chuckle.
"So you finally understand," he said lightly. Then, after a brief pause, his tone shifted.
"That aside, there's something I've always wondered."
"In the records, the Almighty Sun God—also known as the Yellow Sun God in northern records—holds immense authority. Yet in historical ranking, the Pale Moon Goddess is placed above him."
"And from what we know… the Pale Moon Goddess was once human, not the original deity of that title."
He looked toward Mr. Revenger.
"Could you enlighten me on this?"
I'm certain you'll have an answer, he added inwardly.
Revenger exhaled softly, resting his crossed fingers beneath his chin as he looked toward Mr. Plunderer.
"This matter is actually quite simple. I'm surprised you're not aware of it… though I suppose that's not entirely your fault."
He paused briefly. "You've heard of the Twelve Highest Gods, haven't you?"
Mr. Plunderer and Mrs. Venerable both nodded.
Lumian on the other hand didn't reply, instead he became more observant on the topic.
Mr. Revenger, once again felt the same expectant gaze from everyone. His mouth twitched as he said Inwardly. One day, just one day... I promise I won't have an answer.
Letting out a quiet breath, he continued.
"This isn't a matter of strength," he said evenly. "It's a matter of belief."
Belief…? Lumian echoed inwardly.
"The power of a god is determined by the faith of its followers. The more believers a god has, the stronger it becomes."
"So the answer is simple—the Church of the Pale Moon Goddess has the largest following. That's why she's considered to be one of the strongest."
"And what makes you so certain this theory is correct?" Mrs. Venerable asked.
"It's not just my assumption. It's a widely accepted theory among historians and researchers."
Lumian, hearing this, slowly rubbed his chin.The Book of Testament states that the gods are remnants of the Creator… what remained after He fused with the earth. But if that's the case…
Does that mean gods are also born from the Creator's thoughts?
Because what Mr. Revenger is describing only works if the Creator actually thought of ideas before splitting and then getting a new form.
That also means another thing. The more people believe in those ideas that the Creator have thought about, the more stronger the deity is.
It could apply to cursed items as well. So their strength isn't determined solely by their age… but also by the weight of belief behind them.
Lumian's fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
…Interesting.
...
Mr. Plunderer nodded thoughtfully. "So… what is the actual historical ranking?"
Mr. Revenger spoke again. "According to existing research, the highest-ranking gods are ordered as follows—"
He paused briefly before listing them:
"The God of Beginnings…
The Skywalker…
The God of Infinites…
The God of Death…
The Goddess of Life and Prosperity…
The Goddess of Desire—embodiment of all sins…
The Pale Moon Goddess…
The Almighty Sun God…
The God of Rivers…
The God of Wisdom…
The God of Creation…
And Osiris, the God of the Underworld."
...
He exhaled lightly.
"Keep in mind, these rankings only account for those considered righteous… to some extent."
Hearing this, Lumian nearly let out a chuckle.
The Pale Moon Goddess… righteous?
He recalled how close he had come to dying.
There are still too many gods I've never even heard of…
Mr. Revenger continued. "Each of these gods also possesses angels."
He paused, then added with a faint smile, "For example, the angels of the God of Rivers are what we commonly refer to as… mermaids."
...
"However, I've heard that these mermaids are rarely seen… unless it's during the Day of the Apex."
The Apex… he knows about it?
Lumian's gaze subtly shifted toward Mrs. Venerable and Mr. Plunderer.
None of them seem to react about the statement, either asking any questions.
So they know as well…
He let out a quiet chuckle inwardly.
And here I was thinking that information was private.
But do they also know about performing roles… and obtaining laws?
Maybe I'll ask all of them about thier sorcerer profiles once more.
Before he could speak, Mr. Plunderer interjected. "That reminds me, I recently encountered mermaids while sailing near the Hartz Port Sea. They attacked us. If I hadn't just become a sorcerer at the time, the other passengers would've died."
Mr. Revenger sighed.
"That's exactly what I was referring to."
"The mermaids you hear about in fairy tales—the ones capable of taking human form and walking among us—those are the angels of the God of Rivers."
He paused briefly.
"The others… are not."
"They're simply mindless beasts that share the same appearance."
Mrs. Venerable's expression shifted slightly at the revelation. Though surprised, she seemed to have heard fragments of such claims before.
After a moment, she spoke. "Mr. Revenger… what about elves?"
"I've heard they didn't originate from the Creator."