Ch.354Chapter 354 – The Purpose of God (1)

After entering the seal.

Chris began to absorb the warm light into his body.

As the golden divine power seeped into him, Chris immediately realized what he would gain from this seal.

‘The memories and information from the other seals are being unlocked.’

He had received knowledge from other seals before.

But there was knowledge he couldn’t access because he lacked power, lacked qualification.

All that remaining knowledge was now being unlocked.

‘…Perhaps reaching this point means I’m now allowed to know these things.’

Only one seal remained.

Chris thought this must be Evgenia’s intention—that he was now ready to know much more.

And as Chris was about to examine those memories,

he felt an inexplicable bitterness.

‘…This isn’t my feeling.’

The source of the bitterness was Evgenia’s own emotion.

It must have remained within the memory.

‘…Perhaps she didn’t want to reveal this to her successor?’

Or maybe she thought it would be too heavy a burden?

Chris pondered the meaning briefly,

then shook his head and steeled himself.

“…Even if Lady Evgenia felt bitter about it, these must be memories she left because I need to know them.”

Therefore, he must read them without hesitation.

Chris nodded and faced Evgenia’s memories.

“I have the qualification.”

Various scenes began to appear before Chris’s eyes,

and he reached out to read those memories.

+

As Chris released the fourth seal and began to absorb its power,

golden divine energy enveloped him, forming a cocoon-like shape.

I stepped back, knowing he was successfully absorbing the seal, and waited for him.

“…Chris.”

I noticed Kara kneeling, hands clasped together, waiting for Chris with a reverent posture.

“Are you worried about Chris?”

“It’s partly because I’ve never seen something like this before. …But somehow I feel Chris is experiencing bitterness.”

She can sense his feelings?

Just as I was about to ask, Kara looked at me again and spoke.

“Don’t worry. This emotion isn’t Chris’s… it belongs to someone else… Evgenia… what did that deity leave behind?”

After saying that, Kara clasped her hands together again.

“Regardless, all I can do is pray that nothing happens to Chris.”

“I see.”

I nodded quietly after hearing Kara’s words.

Come to think of it, Kara was a saint who served Chris.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to react sensitively if something happened to him.

And gradually, the cocoon surrounding Chris began to dissolve.

“…Is it over?”

“That was faster than usual,” Eve said quietly.

Well, Chris had become a deity after the third seal, so it wouldn’t be strange if he processed the fourth one more efficiently.

Chris stood up, leaning on his staff.

He staggered slightly.

“Chris, are you alright?!”

“Kara…”

Kara, who had been kneeling, rushed to Chris as if that position had been to gain momentum.

She immediately supported Chris, who smiled awkwardly and said:

“I just lost my footing a bit. I’m fine.”

“Even so, you need an examination…”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

Chris spoke with embarrassment, but Kara was already examining his body.

Chris looked at me with an ambiguous smile, and I smirked at the sight.

“Fortunately, there are no external injuries.”

“No, I just lost my balance a little when standing up… Anyway, thank you for worrying, Kara.”

Chris said with a smile.

Then his expression darkened slightly.

“Chris, did you gain anything from this seal?”

I asked out of concern, wondering if he had seen something unpleasant.

After thinking for a moment, Chris opened his mouth slightly.

“Lady Evgenia’s memories.”

“Memories?”

“Memories I received before but couldn’t access without qualification. Newly acquired memories… about the past we knew, discovered, and didn’t know… and…”

“And?”

Chris took a breath.

“…The purpose of the deities… of Emiris.”

Chris said quietly.

+

A little later, we settled comfortably near the seal.

This area was safe, and more importantly, Chris wanted to talk here before leaving.

“I’m sorry. I thought it would be better to tell you here rather than after we return.”

I nodded quietly at Chris’s words and said:

“Is this not something to be discussed openly?”

“Basically, yes. Of course, I think those we can trust can hear it.”

Kara nodded slightly at Chris’s words.

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“Then, I’ll begin the story.”

Chris sighed lightly before speaking.

“Since Kara is here too, I’ll explain everything slowly from the beginning.”

Chris spoke quietly.

“First, let me start with the fact that we who are called deities are beings from another world, and that there were native deities born together with this world when it was created.”

“The beings from another world could gather faith and convert it into power, while the native deities could gather faith but couldn’t convert it to power, right?”

Sera immediately answered, as we had heard this from Rubrum.

Chris nodded and said:

“Yes. That’s ultimately why all the native deities disappeared except for the ‘First Dragon.'”

“There were such beings…?”

As Kara’s expression became slightly puzzled, Chris continued:

“One day, as this world was created and the native deities were peacefully caring for the newly born beings, powerful entities from another world arrived.”

Chris looked quietly at Kara as he spoke.

“They each possessed unique abilities… perhaps powerful enough to be called divine authorities. With these abilities, they began to invade this world.”

“Bad guys, then.”

Kara said quietly.

Chris smiled faintly and replied:

“In reality, the beings from the other world had no choice. Most of them were exiles who had lost their homes or been banished for various reasons. Some came out of simple curiosity or whim. Whatever their reasons, they fought to survive in this world, so I think it’s hard to blame them outright.”

An invasion carried out in desperate struggle to survive.

It meant the beings from the other world had reasons they couldn’t back down.

Of course, the native deities whose homeland was invaded would have felt the same.

“The otherworldly beings and native deities fought fiercely. As a result, the native deities began to vanish one by one. However, the otherworldly beings didn’t escape unscathed either. After fighting and killing each other for ages, finally only nine otherworldly beings remained, and among the native deities, only the most powerful one, the First Dragon, survived.”

Chris took a breath before continuing.

“It was a volatile situation. The First Dragon was incredibly powerful, but by then the otherworldly beings had also become extremely powerful. As I just mentioned, the otherworldly beings could convert faith into power, and they had gathered faith from those who betrayed the native deities or were abused by them, as well as from followers of other deceased otherworldly beings. They had become strong enough to challenge the First Dragon.”

And just as battle was about to break out:

“Two otherworldly beings proposed to the First Dragon that they stop fighting and coexist.”

“Two of them?”

“The Guide, Evgenia, and…”

Chris paused to catch his breath, then continued:

“The Caretaker, Promete. These two beings.”

Evgenia and Promete.

I’d heard a lot about Evgenia, but Promete was new to me.

“Do you know this person?”

“I don’t know.”

“…I don’t know either, Kay.”

“Don’t know.”

Eve, Sera, and Beatrice all showed expressions of unfamiliarity.

Naturally, I didn’t know the name either.

“I don’t know either.”

Even Kara, who knew a lot about deities besides Chris, seemed unfamiliar with it, suggesting that people here normally wouldn’t know.

However, there was someone among us who recognized the name.

“…I never expected to hear that name…”

“Sia?”

Sia began to mutter quietly.

Chris seemed to realize something momentarily upon seeing this, but soon returned to his original demeanor.

“I’ll continue. The Guide and the Caretaker were the strongest among the otherworldly beings. When they opposed the war, the Lover and the Keeper of Etiquette followed them.”

“…The God of Love, Hati, and the God of Etiquette, Zeole.”

Kara muttered quietly.

“When nearly half of the beings opposed the war, the Conqueror resisted. But the other three, including the Courageous One, maintained neutrality, and soon they chose peace.”

“Did the First Dragon accept that?”

“It’s said that he neither affirmed nor denied it, but took the attitude that he wouldn’t care as long as they didn’t attack first.”

Whether this was because he was confident he could defeat them or because he was secretly relieved, there was no way to know.

In any case, the battle between the First Dragon and the nine otherworldly beings never took place.

But according to Rubrum, they didn’t stop keeping each other in check.

“The First Dragon created dragons, and the dragons created magic to check the otherworldly beings. The otherworldly beings came to be called gods, and as gods, they shared their power with their followers and gathered faith to grow stronger.”

The background of how magic and divine arts were born.

This was content we had heard in Rubrum’s lair.

“And many more years passed. The First Dragon disappeared, and the nine gods coexisted.”

Chris spoke with a slightly dark expression.

“The gods cared for most races and grew stronger from their faith. But even they had beings they abandoned.”

“Abandoned by the gods?”

From a deity’s perspective, it would be more beneficial to care for everyone rather than abandon them.

Yet there were abandoned beings.

“…Although they were called gods, their limitations were clear. They were called gods because they gathered faith and became powerful in this world, but they weren’t omnipotent beings… It was natural that some would fall outside their gaze, becoming abandoned and discriminated against.”

Chris spoke somewhat sadly.

“The God of Compassion, Promete, couldn’t stand by and watch this situation. He wanted to protect everyone. He sought a way to protect the abandoned ones, and eventually used his power to create a space where they could live and relocated them there.”

“Did he establish some kind of residence or country for them somewhere?”

“It was more profound than that.”

A more profound story.

It seemed he didn’t simply prepare a space somewhere, but literally created a new space.

For example:

“…Did he create an entirely new dimension?”

“That’s right. Specifically, he created a new dimension within the boundary of a larger dimension. It wasn’t a completely separate dimension.”

Beatrice expressed surprise at Chris’s words.

“Was that possible for that deity?”

“Promete had the most followers at the time, making him the strongest god, so he could manage it.”

Gods grow stronger by consuming faith.

It seemed that with so many followers, he was on a different level of strength compared to other gods.

“He forcibly relocated the abandoned ones to the dimension he created. Not out of malice, but to protect them as quickly as possible. Soon, those relocated by Promete…”

“Were called demons. And the space created to protect them came to be known as the demon realm.”

Sia spoke quietly.

“…You know about this?”

“Despite appearances, I’ve traveled the demon realm for many years. I remember seeing the origins of the demon realm in ancient ruins there.”

Sia spoke with a light sigh.

“Unlike humans, dwarves, or elves, the reason why those called demons have many different types when examined closely is because others collectively called these forcibly relocated abandoned races ‘demons.'”

Come to think of it, those called demons were quite diverse.

There were succubi, vampires, dark elves, and even strange creatures that transformed into giants.

Even though they could be called by more specific names, they were generally lumped together as “demons” because of this background.

Sia spoke again.

“Promete, the god who created the demon realm, tried to watch over the demons from time to time. However, although it was for protection, he had forcibly relocated them and couldn’t do much more, so the demons became dissatisfied with him.”

“The God of Compassion, Promete, unaware of their dissatisfaction, tried to be their strength. So he finally bid farewell to his followers and crossed over to the demon realm.”

“To bestow and awaken the spirit of compassion to the abandoned ones. However, the beings of that land had already harbored much dissatisfaction toward him.”

Sia took a breath and said quietly:

“As a result, Promete was killed. By the demons.”

Kara was shocked at those words.

“…A god was killed?”

“Chris himself said that gods aren’t perfect beings. Moreover, when he crossed over to the demon realm, he shed his followers and consequently lost much of his power, making him easily captured. He was slowly drained of his power and finally killed by the demons.”

Sia spoke bitterly.

“The God of Compassion was branded with the disgrace of having fallen to become a demon god, and even his name and existence were erased.”

Chris spoke with bitterness.

“…In Lady Evgenia’s memories, there’s regret that she should have stopped Promete.”

“Regret, huh.”

“…Perhaps memories of wanting to turn back time if she could.”

Chris spoke quietly.

As if in response to her mood, everyone around became silent.

“Continue.”

Sia broke the silence.

Chris nodded and resumed the story.

“And many ages passed. The demons, who had gained divine power and strengthened themselves in preparation, rose in rebellion.”

“Though Promete died, the space he created still remained and functioned. It was meant to protect the demons, but to them, that space felt like a prison. But Promete, who could have released them, had been killed by them, so they couldn’t easily escape.”

“So they tried to forcibly escape that space and return to their original homeland.”

“And they wielded violence and force to achieve this. Using the divine power they had usurped.”

Sia spoke quietly.

“Promete died after being slowly drained of power. That power was shared among the demons of that time, with their leader taking the largest portion. As a result, he became almost as powerful as a god. He was… the first Demon King.”

So that was the background of the first Demon King’s birth.

He was someone who had usurped a god’s power and ultimately killed that god.

“However, as Promete died, the demons who usurped his divine power developed a vulnerability to other gods’ divine power. Perhaps the nature of that divine power changed because the god died.”

“That’s the reason demons are weak against other gods’ divine power.”

In a way, they paid the price for usurping power.

But those who had decided to kill a god and escape from there wouldn’t have stopped.

“And the Demon King used Promete’s power to summon beings from outside. Beings who could oppose the gods.”

“Later, the gods called them demon gods as well.”

Chris said quietly.

“If you trace their origins, they were beings similar to those who had ascended to godhood in this world… except they took the demons’ side and challenged the gods. Beings similar to gods who sided with demons. That’s why they were called demon gods.”

“And the demons began their invasion with the combined power of these mighty demon gods.”

I already knew the name of that invasion.

“The name of that war was…”

“The war we call the Demon War.”

Chris nodded as he spoke.