Ansu woke with a start.
Before him lay a boundless expanse of pure white, where the power of holy light surged like a tide, warm and familiar.
This was... the power of the Goddess of Holy Light.
But why did she suddenly summon him? He wouldn't become her Chosen One until two thousand five hundred years later... right?
Wasn't there already a Chosen One in this era?
Did she summon the wrong person?
Ansu didn't dare to speak rashly. He remained silent, quietly observing his surroundings.
Soon, light and shadow churned nearby, and a tall figure slowly coalesced.
“Hmm... Why is it a spiritual body?”
A gruff, deep male voice rang out, carrying an undisguised scrutiny.
“Holy Light, is this the Chosen Agent you selected?”
Ansu focused his gaze.
The speaker wore a classical-style muscle cuirass, a brilliant red plume rising from his bronze helmet, and a cloak that billowed slightly in the windless space.
Strength, conquest, competitiveness, an unquenchable will to fight... countless materialized concepts stacked together in Ansu's perception to form a clear name.
He was War.
The God of War.
Even though his face was obscured, the overwhelming pressure rolling off him was enough to take Ansu's breath away.
Then, Ansu saw the true host who had summoned him here.
A pristine white staircase extended upward, and at its end floated a sphere of pure white light.
There was no human silhouette, no concrete form—only a gentle, brilliant orb of light.
Bathing under this holy light, an indescribable warmth and peace welled up from the depths of his heart...
The Goddess of Holy Light.
“...Why?”
The light enveloped Ansu. After a moment, a clear emotion wafted from the radiance—confusion.
“My Chosen One is not... human.”
“Chosen One?” The God of War sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. “Do you even know what a Chosen One is? That is a privilege reserved only for the head of the Righteous Gods. It requires the collective blessing of the gods' wills, birth amidst a world-ending calamity, and bearing the destiny to change the world.”
“What is he?” The God of War stared at Ansu. “He is... a dead man.”
The Goddess of Holy Light simply repeated calmly, “I feel it... He is my Chosen One.”
It was a conviction bordering on stubbornness.
Clearly, she believed she had not summoned the wrong person.
“Suit yourself.”
The God of War left behind a final remark, “His ambition is certainly not small,” before his figure completely dissipated into the white light.
After a long time.
The voice of the Goddess of Holy Light echoed once more, no longer filled with doubt.
“You bear my mark.”
Ansu fell silent for a moment, then spoke honestly, “I am indeed a Chosen One, but not of this era.”
The Goddess of Holy Light fell silent.
The orb of light gently enveloped him, as if sensing, or perhaps confirming something.
“I understand.”
Ansu paused. What did she understand? Did she understand that he came from the future, or something else...?
Before he could figure it out, everything before him suddenly collapsed.
“Come with me.”
...
Everything before Ansu's eyes became a bizarre blur, as if he had fallen into an absurd dream.
After a long time, his vision suddenly cleared.
A classically luxurious banquet hall unfolded before him.
A magnificent golden dome hung high, and crystal chandeliers poured down cold light, illuminating a long table draped in snow-white brocade below.
Silver tableware and crystal goblets filled the table, and a sacred yet eerie atmosphere filled the air.
Ansu's gaze swept past all of this and landed squarely in the center of the long table.
On the table lay a corpse.
It had a humanoid outline, with tattered, gorgeous robes scattered around its body, the hems embroidered with ancient symbols.
His face was likewise obscured, but the residual aura was ancient and majestic, carrying a profound weight that transcended eras, making Ansu's soul tremble.
The God of Light, the ancient deity of light from the First Era.
Information flooded into his consciousness like a tide. Without the need for spoken or written words, it was carved directly into the depths of his perception.
Gods and divine realms could not be gazed upon directly by mortal eyes; they were incomprehensible and indescribable.
The scene before him was merely the form Ansu could comprehend after the gods were projected into the physical realm.
What seemed to be an elegant, bustling banquet was, in reality, a gathering of gods sitting around to feast upon this divine corpse.
Feasting upon the authority and divine spark of this ancient deity.
In the projection, the Goddess of Holy Light appeared as a woman in a pristine white robe. Her face remained impossible to look at, but the outline of her figure was slightly clearer.
The God of War sat at the other end of the long table, his bronze helmet resting beside him as he used a short knife to crudely carve out his own portion.
Ansu's gaze swept along both sides of the long table. Obscured phantom after phantom sat scattered about—some in human form, some in beastly form, and others in states of shadow. All of them were currently participating in this very feast.
Suddenly, at the long table, the God of War let out a sneer.
The reason was the late arrival of a deity enveloped in a faint, watery-blue shimmer.
It was the God of the Sea, an ancient existence from the First Era just like the God of Light. Yet, despite standing by the long table for a long time, no one offered him a seat. In the end, he could only receive a tiny portion of the scraps on the very edge.
Ansu began to pay attention to the other deities.
Seated near the middle, enveloped in an emerald-green glow, sat a deity that resembled a gnarled ancient tree, sitting quietly.
The God of Nature, Aiseweida.
He did not participate in the feast; only a glass of pure water stood before him.
And in the darkest corner of the long table, a figure almost completely integrated with the shadows slowly leaned forward.
The God of Night.
He did not act directly like the other deities, but instead turned slightly toward the Goddess of Holy Light and the God of War, as if seeking some form of permission.
The Goddess of Holy Light nodded gently, and the God of War waved his hand dismissively. Only then did the shadow reach out to take a very small portion from the divine corpse.
The movement was silent, without making a single sound.
...
He didn't know how much time had passed when Ansu suddenly came to his senses.
Before his eyes was still the night sky of the City of a Thousand Stars, the starry sky veiled by thin clouds, twinkling faintly.
He quickly organized this bizarre “Banquet of the Gods” in his mind, dismantling it piece by piece using logic he could comprehend.
That divine corpse was the ancient God of Light from the First Era, and this feast perfectly corresponded to the war that had just concluded in the mortal realm.
While mortals waged war, the gods were also playing their game.
The Goddess of Holy Light, the God of War, along with several lesser deities, had formed an alliance to jointly slay the ancient God of Light of the First Era and divide his power.
The Goddess of Holy Light took the authority of 【Light】, while the God of War obtained the authority of 【Judgment】, causing the power of both to skyrocket.
Other deities also received some benefits to varying degrees; for instance, the God of Night received a divine spark fragment.
Ansu fell into deep thought.
After witnessing this banquet of the gods with his own eyes, a brilliant idea suddenly struck him regarding how to deal with the God of Clamor and Filth.
Gods were not eternal and unchanging; new gods could replace the old.
The ancient deities of the First Era fell one after another during the wars of the Second Era, and the new gods achieved leaps in power by “feasting” on the authorities of the old gods.
The God of Clamor and Filth could likewise be replaced.
In that case...
Ansu suddenly recalled the plan of the Rationalist faction. Hoffman and the others had mentioned that the authorities of 【Knowledge】 and 【Rationality】 originally existed in the foundation of the “God of Magic,” only that they had been suppressed by corruption all along.
He knew the ending very well. Hoffman's efforts to awaken the rational side of the God of Magic were destined to fail.
But what if they used a different approach?
Following the laws of succession between new and old gods, could they tear him apart from the inside... thereby heavily wounding, or even completely destroying, the God of Clamor and Filth?
Ansu's eyes suddenly lit up.
If they make a god, then I will make a god too!
...
Rate on N.U.
