Ch. 451..460

Chapter 451

"Then... I think I’d rather wait."

Hearing Hadurt’s statement, Lorwynn was floored. He had finally agreed to have someone other than Lyrun to help him ascend, yet Hadurt had decided against it all of a sudden and forcibly changed Lorwynn’s perspective.

"Are you sure about that?" Lorwynn asked, looking Hadurt in the eyes.

The former holy champion nodded and looked at Jack. "How long will it take for you to ascend?"

"As soon as I’m done clearing Earthen Keep, my only goal will be to ascend," stated Jack.

"Then, do you mind if I wait?" Hadurt asked with a friendly smile. "I want to be the first demigod you choose and the first god to ascend. That’s what I originally promised Daruun when I joined, so why not wait a bit longer for a chance of being even stronger?"

"Hadurt, why--"

"Lorwynn, stay out of this." Hadurt walked up to Jack, ignoring Lorwynn’s stare and the surprised looks of everyone else. "If you can raise the strongest faction of gods, then I want to be the first of the strongest!"

"The first of a new generation..." Sterfen mumbled to himself, excited to see this taking place. "I think it’s a great idea! It will also help prove just how strong Jack’s demigods are, let alone how strong they’ll be after their ascension."

"But I don’t want to form a faction!" Jack shouted, not liking where this conversation was heading.

Lunara giggled, "Jack, you’ll end up creating a faction whether you like it or not, at least from the perspectives of the other gods. If anything, you’d become the true leader of the neutral gods since Daruun doesn’t do anything besides speak with us. Wouldn’t that be best for all of us?"

"That... Maybe..."

"Then it’s settled! Hadurt will be the first to join the Legendary Faction!" Sterfen shouted, getting the other gods to all smile.

"Legendary Faction?! What is that supposed to mean?!" Jack complained.

Eedaj chuckled, "It makes sense, Jack. When a demigod ascends, their title has something to do with what they’ve achieved. Well, in terms of achievement, even gods struggle to compare to you, Jack. You have so many achievements that the only way to encompass them all was to give you the title of "Legend", something no other hero has been given by necessity. And since you would become a god capable of wielding the abilities of other gods, wouldn’t calling you the God of Legend be the only fitting title?"

Jack whimpered and chuckled at the same time. "But that’s so pretentious..."

"All the more reason it’s a fitting name," added Eedaj, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"I like it!" Hadurt pumped both fists into the air. "I’ll be the first legendary god!"

"Can’t we call it something else?" Jack asked one last time.

Sterfen shrugged. "Can you think of something better? Feel free to let us know."

Left at a dead end, Jack’s train of thought started to run more laps through his mind but failed to think of anything on the spot.

"Either way, Hadurt will become the first demigod to Jack. That means he’ll wait here in Gilga while Lorwynn and Kori grind in Earthen Keep till their ascension," Eedaj concluded.

"Then... let’s get this over with..." Jack sighed, unable to change everyone’s minds. "Let’s start with the pacts. Kori, Dad, step up."

"Jack..." Kaldor also stepped forward, asking, "Can I also make a pact? If it’s so great a thing, then please allow me to offer you my skills as well."

Not against the idea, Jack nodded. He then performed three new pacts, increasing his list of available skills greatly. It was getting much harder to navigate so Jack decided to take a moment and reorganize it a little.

Jack kept the option of searching for skills based on which inheritor they came from, But Jack also added a new filter. Now, he could look at all available skills at once. Spells and skills could be separated or joined on a single list, depending on what Jack wanted. Also, he separated everything by level. All spells were separated by tier and all skills did the same, being either low, mid, high, or personal.

While Jack reorganized his skill list, Lorwynn and Kori were officially chosen as demigods. However, there was a change. Kori was still selected by Lunara, but Lorwynn was chosen by Rikko as Lorwynn wanted to increase his abilities in battle. Also, Rikko’s lightning paired well with Lorwynn, and now Lorwynn would be able to use select wind spells to get even faster.

Things were decided and everyone was informed that Jack’s speech would take place the following morning.

It was already noon, given that Jack woke up midday, and Jack paced himself as he got up and petted Bowzer. "How are you feeling?"

"I’m great!" Bowzer licked Jack’s face, toppling the hero to the ground with his increased size that matched a fully-grown, mutated grizzly. "With my father joining us, nothing could be better!"

"I’m glad..." Jack sighed, waiting for Bowzer to let him back up. "Are you still a demigod?"

"No..." Bowzer admitted with a frown.

Jack nodded and petted Bowzer again. "Probably because your dad isn’t a god anymore... Do you want him to choose you again? Since we’re at the same level, we’ll become gods at the same time if he chooses you again. And that’ll make him stronger, something we could use."

"Yeah! I like that!" Bowzer licked Jack again, unable to contain his happiness.

"Then tell your dad when he gets back from Earthen Keep. Sadly, you won’t be coming with me so you’ll wait here," added Jack. "But you’re more than welcome to join any of the war efforts alongside the others! I’m sure they’d like to have a lv. 70 join the party for protection."

"But we’ll be stronger than that! You’ll kill Pestro, remember?!"

"Right... That should give us a nice boost!" laughed Jack, happy to remember that. "Well, I’m going to visit Karronteel and Dragov. Want to join me?"

"Nah..." The fox shook his head. "I’ll spend some time with my father before you all leave tomorrow."

Jack petted Bowzer one more time before Bowzer ran off to catch up with Kori and the other gods.

Looking back, a thought came to Jack’s mind. "Eliza... How are you feeling?"

Nervously, Eliza chuckled and blushed. "Well... I can confidently say that you’ll be a father soon."

Not saying anything, Jack walked up to Eliza and embraced her tightly. "You don’t have to go and fight if you don’t want to... I’m sure we can find more time for that after the baby..."

"Thanks, Jack..." Eliza pecked her husband on the cheek and nuzzled her head into Jack’s neck. "I’ll keep that in mind."

Jack finally let go but he retrieved a scroll and placed it in Eliza’s hand. Then, Jack retrieved two more, handing one each to Maura and Daliea. "Please use these if there’s any chance you’ll be hurt. They’ll safely bring you back to my office."

"But... you don’t have many of these, do you?" asked Daliea. "I’ll be fine without--"

"I insist!" Jack stated. "If you care about me, then accept them and promise that you’ll use them to escape any danger that comes after you while you’re away. I refuse to lose any of you, even if that means a nation falls without your help."

"Jack..." Maura’s eyes were watering, just like the others. "Okay... I promise."

"I also promise!" Eliza nodded and smiled as a tear of joy streaked down her cheek.

Daliea sighed and nodded. "I too will promise... Thank you, Jack."

"For my wives, this is the least that I’ll do." Jack pulled all three into a hug, not letting them see his own eyes start to water. "I’ll be gone, so I want to make sure you’ll be safe while I’m away. But you can still call me if something comes up or you need my opinion on a situation, okay?"

None of the women replied verbally, but they all nodded while holding tight to their husband.

 

Chapter 452

A large courtyard door opened. Jack carefully closed the door behind him, still feeling some aches throughout his body.

"Jack..." Dragov called out happily.

Smiling, Jack descended the steps and replied, "Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, just a little sore."

Beside Dragov were two more beasts, a wyrm and a dragon. Dradich bowed his head to Jack while Karronteel casually turned around as Jack reached the final steps. The dragon spoke, "Have you come for me?"

"I came to talk with you. You still want to hear about what happened since your sealing, right?" Jack asked.

When Karronteel nodded, Jack added, "To help me explain some things, I had to go get someone..."

At the same time, the courtyard door reopened as a grey-skinned elf stepped in and flew down the steps in record time. Landing, Eedaj smiled and bowed his head to the large fifteen-meter tall dragon. "I’m Eedaj, also known as the Mind God. It’s a pleasure to meet such a prestigious beast like yourself. You’re Karronteel, correct?"

The dragon nodded, taken aback by Eedaj’s self-introduction. "You... are a god?"

"There are many gods these days, for more than there were during the era of your people," replied Eedaj.

"Then tell me... How much time has passed since Halmut and Skaryn ascended? And what happened to my people?"

"I’ll answer every question I can." Eedaj waved his hand to retrieve two chairs and a giant cushion. "Please, have a seat. It’ll be easier for us to speak this way."

Karronteel nodded as he and Jack took sat down, allowing Eedaj to start explaining, "As for the exact amount of years since their ascendance, I’m not sure. My brother and I were the fourth and fifth gods to ascend and it’s been over five thousand years since then. Now, before I explain a bit more, I must ask you this: Who is Moranti to you?"

"Moranti?!" A smile spread across the dragon’s face, sensing that a piece of his old home was still around. "Is Moranti still living? Please tell me that Moranti is alive. There’s no way anyone could’ve defeated him!"

"Calm down..." Eedaj paused, giving the dragon a moment to breathe and regather himself. "I know that Moranti is still living, but I’m not sure what his current conditions are."

Catchin on slightly, Jack asked the dragon, "Does that mean you know Moranti too?"

"Of course! As our champion, it would be a disservice to doubt his strength!" shouted Karronteel, still showing some of his emotions.

"Moranti is a Spectral Dragon..." Shaking his head, Jack sighed. "That gives me all the more reason to save him next!"

"Save him?! What’s happened to him?!"

Both Eedaj and Karronteel stared at Jack as the hero stated, "Daruun told me--"

"Daruun?!?! You know Daruun, Jack?!" Karronteel interrupted them again, acting all the more surprised.

"Karronteel... What is Daruun to you?" Jack questioned.

"He is the almighty one that aided Halmut and Skaryn in their ascendance. Though we knew little of him, we recognize him as a being above deities."

"That’s shockingly true," Jack replied. "Anyway, I’m a hero that Daruun chose to represent him in this world. For that reason, I’ve been named as Daruun’s champion while I gather and lead the neutral gods against the other godly factions."

"Godly factions?"

"Long story short, Halmut and Skaryn eventually became enemies and formed their own godly factions. They helped others ascend, much like Daruun had helped them. Only, they forced every deity they helped into a strict contract, unlike Daruun. Eedaj is one of the neutral gods, the gods that received Daruun’s help to ascend without contracts or binding seals," Jack explained.

"Then... Why must you war with the others?" asked Karronteel.

"We’re only fighting them because they started this," answered Jack. "What will soon take place is the second godly war. The first only took place between Halmut and Skaryn, as well as their factions and all of their mortal followers. That nearly ended the world but never truly ended. We’re trying to stop this before they end up destroying the world again."

"I see. So, as Daruun’s champion, does that mean you’ll become a god?"

"Yes. Very soon, many others, including myself, will ascend to godhood. That’s the reason I wanted to talk with you, Karronteel," stated Jack. "I wanted to ask if you would be willing to join me for that. As equals, of course."

"That means I’ll also become a god in time... But if we must face the other gods, then would we also be facing Moranti? I refuse to--"

"Moranti is actually under a lot of stress right now. He was captured and contained by his fellow chaotic gods after Moranti revolted and killed two of them," answered Jack. "Lucky for him, Skaryn is still sealed and is unable to activate Moranti’s contract, let alone learn about Moranti’s rebellion."

"Then--"

"Like I said earlier, I plan to free Moranti and help him break his contract," Jack continued. "So, knowing that we’ll soon free Moranti and that you’ll join me in ascending, would you like to travel with me?"

"So long as we’re true equals, then I’ll consider it. But you’re still too weak, in my opinion," added Karronteel.

Jack laughed, "Maybe when I summoned you, but I’m stronger than you are now. If you want to test that, then be my guest."

Staring cautiously at Jack, Karronteel didn’t agree immediately. The dragon then asked, "Show me your level, then. If you’re at least stronger than me by a single level, I’ll agree to your request."

With a sigh, Jack removed his cloak and momentarily deactivated his innate ability to block prying eyes. "Read ’em and weep!"

Karronteel didn’t understand what Jack had said, but the dragon was astounded to see that Jack was over ten levels stronger. "Lv. 72?! But how could that be possible when you were so weak before?!"

"As Daruun’s champion, I’ve created many ways to gain EXP that you might call peculiar... But it allows me to take full advantage of moments like that battle to farm EXP better than anyone else!"

"Farm EXP? What’s the meaning of that phrase?" asked the dragon.

"It means that I can gather EXP in many different ways so that way I level up much quicker," Jack answered. "Once we form a mutual seal and become companions officially, we’ll be linked mentally and through EXP. That way, you’ll level up just as fast as I do while I get stronger by having access to your bloodline?"

"What do you intend to do with my bloodline?!" Karronteel suddenly shouted. "I’ll have you know that--"

"Chill!"

While Jack shouted, he activated his bloodline skill but kept it controlled to not stress his fatigued body. The hero only altered his left arm, which wasn’t as sore as the right, allowing it to become a singular claw to replicate Dragov’s claws.

"See?" Showing off his transformed arm, Jack continued, "I can only do this because Dragov is one of my beast companions. When I form a mutual seal with a beast, I can recreate their bloodline strength. It was something that Daruun gave me a while back."

"Oh... So that magic is from Daruun..." Shifting from suspicion to shock, Karronteel took in the sight of Jack’s unique skill. "Daruun must truly be a being that stands over gods, as I’ve never seen or heard of such magic."

"Everything I have now is in part thanks to him," added Jack. "So, does that mean you’re willing?"

"Yes, I’ll remain true to my statement. As you are now much stronger than me, I’ll join you as a companion on equal footing," stated Karronteel. "However, know that even with you’re higher level, you aren’t strong enough to kill me. Should you ever--"

"I’m glad we can be friends!" Jack shouted, not letting Karronteel finish his threat.

The two then performed the mutual seal, officially making Karronteel Jack’s fourth and final beast companion.

 

Chapter 453

After the sun hid for the night and the moon crossed the sky, all was peaceful in Gilga. However, not all was calm.

Given six weeks, the stories of the Leisure Guild’s monumental victory had the chance to scatter across the continent. And with the threat of the syndicate still fresh in the public’s mind, Gilga was instantly labeled as the new safest city in all Kartonia. A flood of immigrants flowed into Trodar with all hopes of feeling safe yet again.

The wars between Trodar and it’s former territories was halted as they were too busy trafficking the wave of immigrants. Also, the citizens of those three nations were now wanting to seek peace with Trodar or even reunion with their former nation.

Prachten and Iscantor weren’t against the thought of reuniting, but the nobles running Limneer were more against the thought than ever. After their dramatic defeat and getting caught acting contrary to the war pact, those nobles knew that Trodar wouldn’t be lenient with them. They understood that Trodar might likely wipe those nobles out.

To counter such thoughts, they had started to spread false rumors all sorts, failing to sway many of its citizens from fleeing to Trodar. Morals were no longer an issue, so long as the nobles could retain their lives and power.

With crowded streets well into the night, Gilga was peaceful yet extremely busy.

When the sun began to climb the following morning, the filled streets began to part and make a path. Most didn’t understand what was happening until they spotted a small parade of people, beasts, and a large cage.

Recognizing the simple insignia on the flags that were sported, everyone did their best to clear a path for the heroes of Gilga, the same heroes that had attracted those immigrants in the first place.

At the front of the line, Jack walked with his three wives. Bowzer and Kori walked behind them in their fox forms, startling all of the new arrivals to Gilga.

The parade moved south of the guild’s main entrance. It took much longer due to the size of the crowd, but they eventually stopped after reaching Jack’s statue in the southern regions of the city.

More and more people hurried there, mixing into the already-packed streets.No one wanted to miss whatever announcement the Leisure Guild had planned. Most of the current citizens hoped to hear that the guild would formally accept the responsibility of running and directly protecting them, no longer remaining a third-party that could choose to act only if it wished. Hoping for such a statement, the streets filled while Jack retrieved a raised podium from his storage and waited for the crowd to reach its limit.

When there was hardly enough room to raise one’s arms within the crowd, Jack held up his arms and drew everyone’s attention. "People of Gilga! People of Trodar! Finally, we, the Leisure Guild, will be making a statement about the recent battle against the Chaos Syndicate!"

All went deathly silent. None dared interrupt or mishear Jack at that moment.

The hero continued, "There are some things that need to be clarified. First and foremost, I want to make one thing very clear... I was not the one who saved you!"

Jack’s voice echoed over the streets and the heads of the crowd. They didn’t know how to react to that statement.

"The one who saved you is far braver than I! For years he traveled alongside me and then he took on the responsibility of caring for the Leisure Guild and Trodar after I left you long ago," Jack explained. "The man who saved you was Tralon Dyrshire!"

"Those who were present in Gilga that night remember a vibrant flash of purple light overtaking the eastern field. That was one of the greatest spells ever cast. That was Tralon’s dying spell!" Jack shouted. "Tralon understood that there were two options. Either the syndicate’s army would raze the city and the Leisure Guild would be forced to sacrifice the city to win the battle..."

Pausing, Jack let his words marinate in the crowds’ minds for a second. "Or... Tralon could sacrifice his own life without any hope of resurrection in exchange for the lives of the city! Being who he was, Tralon found himself unable to witness the deaths of you all... He found it repulsive to imagine the destruction of the city he helped construct from the ground up... That marvelous man, Tralon Dyrshire, is your savior... not me."

While the Crowd joined Jack in a moment of silence, Jack gathered purple energy around his hand.

To the shock of the crowd and those from the Leisure Guild, Jack turned and sliced his hand through the air time and time again. A thin wave of sharp spatial energy left Jack’s hand each time, aiming directly for the giant statue. Cleanly cutting through, those Spatial Slashes destroyed the statue and reduced it to rubble.

Looking back to the crowd with some water in his eyes, Jack continued, "As I am was not your hero, I don’t deserve such praise! I’m still living and will prove my worth in the near future but Tralon proved to be a better man already. It’s only fair that his statue should stand there for us to admire and remember for the eternities. None should forget his sacrifice!"

The crowd roared! Caught up in the moment, everyone’s perspective of Jack changed at that moment, as well as their perspective of Tralon.

Most everyone believed that Tralon was an aging war veteran on his last legs with nothing much to add to the city, besides his former reputation. But now... It hurt just to realize how wrong they were. With Tralon standing up to save the entire city at the cost of his life, amidst a battle that involved gods, it proved just how influential the aging mage could be.

As for everyone’s opinions on Jack, they were both humanized and idealized. With Jack being the former Legend of Trodar, the person that all kids grew up hearing stories about, he instantly became the idol of the city.

Seeing Jack step down from the spotlight in order to give Tralon the honor the fallen mage deserved was shocking. It was selfless, not something expected from the selfish ancient hero. And adding the genuine emotion on Jack’s face was what cemented the citizens’ new view of Jack. Not as the ancient hero but as the hero of this generation. Not as a former legend but as the current representative of the gods. Not as a selfish idol but as a caring human.

"Never forget his sacrifice!" Jack shouted again. "Tralon was the shining example of what we wish to accomplish, so I’ll never forget him. And to honor his wish to protect this country, I tell you all now that the Leisure Guild will resume control over the Trodan Council to guarantee your safety."

Cheers filled the entire city. Such a guarantee was equivalent to life and death for the citizens and especially eye-catching for those new immigrants.

Continuing, Jack added, "Also, know that we’ll be increasing the size of the city walls! We want to make sure that all are welcome withing Trodar and especially Gilga. With that, we’ll also be introducing more gods into our ranks. Allow me to introduce them."

One-by-one all the gods stepped forward. Kori didn’t at first but Rikko nudged him forward until it was too late.

"We have Rikko, the Goblin God of Trickery and a master tactician!"

Doing a backflip and dancing in place, Rikko showed off for the crowd and reveled in the excitement.

"Next is Kori, the Hell-flame Fox God who defended the west gate to the point of sacrificing his godhood. But rest assured, he’ll ascend yet again along with others," Jack added. The crowd was amazed but Jack continued down the line while the other gods simply waved. "There’s Lunara, the Water Goddess, the Nine-headed Glacial Hydra, and the wife of Sterfen, God of Secrecy, formerly known as the Assassin God. Also, make note that they’re both my parents, of which I’m very proud.

"There’s also Dragas, the Goddess of Seduction, one of the most beautiful women to ever live. You’ve already seen Eedaj, the Mind God, but Guuro, the God of Greed, otherwise known as the God of Bussiness has also joined us in Gilga," added Jack. "They’re all--"

"Don’t forget me!"

 

Chapter 454

"Don’t forget me!"

Jack, the gods, and the crowd were all astounded to hear that billowing shout. It came from the distant rooftops further south.

"Hurry up, or we’ll move on anyway!" Sterfen shouted with a chuckle.

"Just wait a moment! Practice some patience why don’t you!"

"Sure, coming from the guy who wasted almost two months searching for his rival only to fail in the end," Sterfen teased. "All you had to do was wait before Jack could take you to him!"

The crowd was stunned to see two deities bantering so casually. It was too far outside of their expectations.

As the new arrival dashed to find his place in line, Jack continued, "Finally, there’s Jin, the God of Discipline, the rival of the well-known Sword God."

That statement shook the hearts of the crowd.

From Jin’s attire, he was clearly a samurai so it made sense for a samurai god to rival the Sword God. But imagining that there was suddenly a figure that could match Tyre’s supremacy with a sword was difficult to take in so quickly.

Not minding how startled the crowd was, Jack went on, "With everyone here, the Leisure Guild’s goal is evident, but I’ll be honest with you all. If you think that battle was the worst you’d ever seen, then allow me to remind you of the bloodshed your families faced no more than five centuries ago during the Godly War. The recent battle with the syndicate is only the beginning, hence why the Leisure Guild has summoned all of these deities to Trodar, as a means to defend against the next Godly War that is to come!"

Terror and fear racked on the souls of everyone listening. But before they fell into despair, They heard Jack continue.

"However, unlike before, I and these deities stand between Trodar and the rest of the world. Should anyone, god or man, dare invade on our land and our ideals, then we’ll lay waste to them and their forces! So long as the Leisure Guild stands, so will Trodar."

Rising up from the pits of despair, the crowd’s fervor reached an all-time high as they cried and shouted for the Leisure Guild.

"As proof of my words, we’ll now kill one of the gods who dared to trample over Trodar!"

All went quiet as the large cage was carried over toward the platform. Then, Jin stepped up and lifted it off the wagon and onto the pavilion, center stage.

Inside the cage was a hulking man with some cuts and dried blood all over his body. His height was equal to two normal people, as was his width. The most defining features, though, were the boils all over the man’s face and his pig-like snout, making his appearance naturally repulsing. But look in that broken man’s eyes could kill as he glared at Jack, the gods, and the crowd.

Stepping down from his raised platform, Jack unlocked the cage and stepped inside. He eyed Pestro without any hint of fear. Shouting, Jack stated, "For causing terror and strife to Gigla and the Leisure Guild, I sentence you, Pestro, the fallen Demon God, to death by my hand!"

"You... mortal... can’t..."

"Say what you like, but in your current state, killing you won’t be difficult at all," stated Jack, not giving into the broken threats of a battered god. Retrieving a sword, Jack placed the blade to Pestro’s throat. "Try all you want, Pestro, but you can’t move your body nor connect with your mana. Right now, your life is mine to take."

"Fool!" Pestro shouted as loud as he could, startling those in the front rows of the crowd.

But the blade then covered itself in purple energy as Jack slashed across Pestro’s thick neck. Alone, the sword wouldn’t have punctured the god’s durable body, but with Spatial Slash the blade drew blood.

Losing blood at an alarming rate, Pestro knew that Jack’s attack had managed to do enough to slowly take his life.

"I--"

Before Pestro could utter another word, Jack leaned into the blade and jammed it further into the open slit of Pestro’s neck.

"Not another word... Your life and EXP are already mine."

Blood spilled over the cage floor and onto the pavilion. It was a gruesome sight but the crowd eagerly watched as Jack gradually snuffed out the life of a crippled deity that everyone knew and joked about. The moment was surreal and captivating.

Lunara leaned her head onto Sterfen’s shoulder as the two of them admired their son’s tenacity.

All the gods knew that Jack would be the one to slay the Demon God for the EXP, but they never thought Jack would do it so publicly, using Tralon’s memory and the appearance of all the gods to culminate in Pestro’s public execution.

Life remained in Pestro’s eyes as he tried to bore holes into Jack through his stare alone, ultimately failing. The Demon God clung to his life for as long as he could. He fought death for more than fifteen minutes until Jack and his bloodloss eventually caused the light in Pestro’s eyes to fade, leaving them dull and without sheen.

Once Pestro’s final breaths were gone, Jack removed his sword from the god’s throat and held it up high for all to see. "Those who dare attack us will be slaughtered, men and gods alike! If you wish for such protection, then join Gilga and Trodar, supporting them with your energy and time to make it a paradise among a world at war!"

With his words finished, Jack closed his eyes to take in the fanatic screams of the crowd. But Jack was actually checking his new achievement and raised stats.

First off, how could Jack not immediately spot his instantaneous rise in level? In a single leap, Jack’s level shot up from lv. 72 to lv. 81. He was sure that it would’ve been higher but Jack also split that EXP with four beast companions, which only proved how outrageously powerful gods were in comparison to mortals.

Also, it was evidence of the EXP curve. Though it was far more difficult to level up with each level, the difference in earned EXP from killing a mid-level opponent and a high-level opponent was insane. Killing a god-level opponent only proved to be the steepest part of that EXP curve without a doubt.

Suddenly, a massive roar sounded out from one of the beasts in the guild parade.

All eyes shifted to the purple dragon that was happily roaring. Thanks to Jack, Karronteel just reached lv. 74, thus beginning his third and second-to-last evolution.

With a few flaps of his wings, Karronteel took to the sky as his body started to grow. Not only was he getting larger and physically stronger, Karronteel’s unfathomably sharp claws were getting sharper and longer. The sheer amount of spatial energy pouring out of the dragon’s massive frame was awe-inspiring to the viewers.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jack shouted, "Everyone! Allow me to introduce one of the latest additions to the Leisure Guild. As you all can see, this dragon is unlike any you’ve ever known. In fact, his species existed long before even Ancient Kartonia and his bloodline can rival even Halmut’s. With the same bloodline as Moranti, the God of Space, this Spectral Dragon is a personal friend and companion of mine, going by the name Karronteel. With his help, the Leisure Guild has grown far stronger than we were without him!"

Going from speechless to crazily screaming, the crowds were enraptured by Karronteel in all manners. Seeing such a beautiful, magnificent beast was inherently amazing, not including the unheard-of bloodline strength that the public couldn’t even imagine.

That day would later be dubbed as Tralon’s Day, a new Trodan holiday which the Leisure Guild publically celebrated for the remainder of the day with food, wine, and an open market within the Fat Goose and Celestial Crane.

 

Chapter 455

Leaning over the chipped viewing table, Halmut’s gaze was sharp yet calm. He spoke, "Lyrun, summon the others. It’s time we discuss preparations for war."

"Right away, your excellency." With a bow of his head, Lyrun pulled out his contact crystal and began to summon the holy gods one-by-one.

Halmut continued mulling over the recent events of the world in his mind.

The syndicate was practically abolished, leaving the chaotic gods with little to no forces left. Contention among the chaotic gods had become obvious by Tralbok wielding Moranti’s scythe. Also, a chaotic god had actually been killed and it wasn’t at the hands of a holy god, or even a god at all! Not to mention Kori and Lunara joining the neutral gods, despite Kori losing his godhood for the time being.

Mumbling to himself, Halmut closed his eyes and nodded, "Things are much different now... I wonder how we’ll trample this new rising force?"

Racing toward the Olympic Chateau, a dragon was rocketing through the air. It’s scales matched the darkness of a night sky, easily noticed in juxtaposition to the white clouds underneath the beast. At twenty meters long, the black dragon slipped through the barrier without a hitch and slowed his sound-barrier-shattering speed with his mighty wings, which had hands near the ends of its wings.

Those hand touched down on the ground as the beast landed on the pavilion outside of the conference room, where Halmut and Lyrun found themselves.

"Perchet, come. It’s been too long..." Halmut greeted the new arrival amidst his soft mumbling.

Perchet’s long ear twitched, catching Halmut’s whispered mumble with no trouble at all.

The black dragon didn’t adjust his gaze or turn toward the conference room. In fact, it had no gaze to adjust. The black dragon had no eyes or eye sockets. As a proud Nocturnal Dragon, it relied on it other heightened senses to live its life without any weakness.

Rocking slightly from side to side, the dragon walked with the front hands of its wings and its hind legs. Though Perchet had no sight, he showed no struggle in finding the entrance to the conference room.

"Use your human form... That way we can discuss things over the viewing table..." mumbled Halmut, not leaving his train of thought till the others arrived later.

Nodding, Perchet took a deep breath as his body gathered dark energy and shrunk down. In his human form, Perchet seemed to be an average man with long black hair, in a black robe, with a black blindfold wrapped over his eyes. Now in his human form, Perchet found his seat and took a sniff.

"Why was Sterfen in my seat?" Perchet asked, turning his ear toward Lyrun.

Used to Perchet’s mannerisms, Lyrun casually answered, "Well, Sterfen only took Naparn and I as hostages in exchange for his wife’s contract. No big deal, really."

"Oh... that’s interesting..." sighed Perchet, nodding and grabbing his hairless chin.

The hard-to-read Nocturnal Dragon kept his stoic appearance as he too joined Lyrun and Halmut in waiting for the others. He was always the first to arrive as Perchet was very punctual and well-organized.

*****

"BLAST!"

Tralbok almost destroyed the chaotic gods’ viewing table in rage as he watched Pestro slowly receive a dishonorable death at Jack’s hands.

The other chaotic gods were mumbling amongst themselves, not daring to sit on the same side as the rarely enraged God of Time. They kept their thoughts to themselves until Tralbok was ready to talk more openly.

Five minutes passed as Tralbok did his best to calm down. Though he wasn’t fully calm, he was now at least clear-headed.

"What should we do about this?!" Tralbok shouted, waiting for the other four chaotic gods to respond in some way.

One spoke up with a more relaxed tone. "Tralbok, how are we supposed to fight now?"

When Tralbok didn’t reply, that god elaborated, "With just us five, facing the holy gods will be nearly impossible. Adding the now-rising neutral gods into the mix only worsens our chances of success. Should we just wait for those two factions to fight?"

"Not a bad idea... But I don’t think it will be that simple," Tralbok replied. "With Pestro falling like this, I shouldn’t have revealed myself with Moranti’s scythe. Then, at least the holy gods would’ve kept our strength in question to an extent. But now... I think we’ve become the target of both the holy gods and the neutral gods. Oosam, do you have any ideas?"

The god who spoke earlier nodded and continued, "I think we need to go into complete hiding."

"Then what should we do about Choron and Moranti?"

"Hmm... that’s the hardest thing to say..." Oosam itched the scruff on his face. "As for Moranti, I think we should kill him."

Suddenly, Tralbok burst into chuckles. "That’s easy to say, but do you have any idea as to how we can pull that off?"

"Why not simply gift him? I’m sure we could reach an agreement of a temporary ceasefire with Halmut should you offer Moranti as collateral," reasoned Oosam. "With Moranti’s life in Halmut’s hands, I’m sure the great Sun Dragon will agree to hunt us down after dealing with the neutral gods, so long as we don’t offend them in the meantime."

Tralbok nodded. "True... That’s very doable... Then the rest of us would only need to hide and wait for the war between the neutral and holy factions to die down. We’ll have to focus on gathering the last two enchantment keys while they kill each other... But what about Choron? We didn’t manage to catch him before he fled."

"Given his relationship with Sterfen, maybe we should count him among the neutral gods," Oosam added.

"I agree. I’d rather play things safely than wait for the unexpected to happen..." agreed Tralbok. "Then, for the time being, we’ll be splitting up. Keep your contact crystals ready at all times and search for the final enchantment keys at the cost of your life. I’d rather congratulate a resurrected ally on a job well done than scold a frightened wimp that couldn’t stand up for our cause as a whole."

All other gods nodded, keeping Tralboking severe methods of "scolding" in the back of their minds.

Tralbok added, "Now, you’re all excused to scatter and find new homes outside of Talrania. I’ll pay a little visit to Moranti. I should wake him up before dragging him to Halmut."

Chapter 456

While the rest of the guild was bringing out food and eye-catching merchandise to lure the crowds northward toward the Fat Goose and Celestial Crane, Jack and everyone returned to the guild property. Pestro’s divine corpse was still in the cage, carried along with them.

Once they were in the clear with everyone to the northern end of the guild property, Lorwynn and Kori stepped up toward the cage. Both entered without hesitation and Lorwynn was beaming with excitement. They readied themselves to steal Pestro’s dwindling divine potential.

Kori meditated for a moment as he honed in on the smallest morsel of energy found inside of his body, the latent fragment of Lunara’s energy that was waiting to catalyst Kori’s missing divine potential. Finding that, Kori brought that energy to the palm of his hand carefully. With that slowly showing itself, the former Fox God placed his hand on Pestro’s bare chest.

Everyone noticed a tiny stream of dark energy rush out of Pestro’s chest and into Kori’s arm.

That energy quickly reabsorbed into Kori’s being, glittering the area around him with dark energy that faded into water energy before dispersing completely.

Following Kori’s example, Lorwynn slowed his breathing as he focused on the morsel of energy that Rikko had left inside of him. It took Lorwynn an extra couple of minutes to focus that divine energy into his palm, but he managed to do it without losing control. He placed his hand on the same part of the corpse’s chest as Kori removed his hand. And similar to what had just happened, a rush of dark energy entered Lorwynn’s body before turning into a blend of wind and lightning energy as it faded.

Jack glanced at Hadurt, asking, "Are you sure about this? You may not--"

"Jack, what level are you now?" Hadurt responded with a question.

"Lv. 81."

Smiling and letting out a sigh of satisfaction, Hadurt explained, "Remember when I first met you? You weren’t even lv. 50! Yet you’ve already cracked the eighties to become one of the strongest mortals across Kartonia. If you wanted, you could probably compete with me."

"I don’t know about that," Jack chuckled.

"Either way, I’ll stick by my decision. If waiting just a bit longer means my potential will be that much greater, then I’ll wait however long it takes," added Hadurt, getting all the gods to smile.

"Jack... We need to talk."

A new voice caught most everyone off guard, all expect for Sterfen and Lunara. Looking back, Jack noticed a familiar deity running towards them. Trax was about to bow with the ninja continued, "We need to talk now before it’s too late."

"Ok..." Noticing that Sterfen and Lunara weren’t surprised, Jack assumed Choron’s entrance into the guild had something to do with them. "Then we’ll go to my--"

"Now, Jack!" Choron insisted. "Whatever you’re doing now can wait. It must. Unless, you want to lose your chance at saving Moranti?"

"What..."

"Moranti just informed me of Tralbok’s new plan. He wishes to bargain with Halmut with Moranti as collateral in an attempt to buy the chaotic gods time," stated Choron. "It’s a last-ditch effort to keep the holy gods from hunting them down until you’re eliminated."

"That means--"

"Yes, Tralbok should be leaving any moment now. He already stole Moranti’s contact crystal, so I know nothing else."

Karronteel yelled and roared in fury, not really saying anything but showing his rage. But the others ignored the Spectral Dragon as they didn’t plan to let that happen no matter what.

Hurrying to his map screen, Jack found both Moranti and Tralbok near the center of Talrania. The other gods were in Talrania too, but only three remained in the center while the others were currently fleeing and scattering.

Apart from Moranti and Tralbok, a third chaotic god was approaching them, as if he had started to flee but was now returning.

"It seems they haven’t left yet... I guess Tralbok asked for help since he knows Moranit likely spoke with you," Jack explained. "Oosam is about to meet with Tralbok, then I assume they’ll be leaving the moment Oosam arrives."

"Then there’s no time to waste!" Jin stepped up and threw his arm around Jack’s shoulders. "At lv. 81, you should be able to teleport all of us nearby, right, Nephew?"

Laughing, Jack smiled back. "Yes, but not everyone can come."

"Well, you can’t leave me out of this!" Jin boasted, slapping Jack on the back.

"We’ll come too." Lunara pulled her husband forward. "Moranti is one of the few dragons that I whole-heartedly respect. I’d hate to see him fall now."

"Count me in." Eedaj nodded, adding himself to the impromptu roster.

"I’m coming as well," added Choron. "Moranti has always taken care of me. If I don’t step up now and help free him, I’d be considered an ungrateful coward."

Shrugging, Jack chuckled. "Then I guess we should go now. Everyone else, just wait here and keep an eye on the city. We’ll be back shortly."

Everyone agreed. They were all smiles as those five gods gathered around Jack and placed there hands on his shoulders. Then, that band of five gods and a powerful demigod was carried away in a flash of light.

*****

"What took you so long!" Tralbok shouted as Oosam shuffled toward him.

Oosam bowed his head. "Sorry, I was the first to leave after you dismissed us so it took me some time to return."

"Anyway, let’s go already!" shouted the God of Time.

Behind him was Moranti, in an additional set of chains that restrained the God of Space by the ankles and wrists while completely restricting the use of his hands and feet. Moranti had no way to separate his hands or feet. Clearly, Tralbok didn’t want to give Moranti any chance of escape and had accounted for that.

The duo of jailers took off through the air, dragging their prisoner behind them, who was forcefully flying the other way with as much strength as he could muster while cuffed. Moranti couldn’t stop them while his powers were restrained, but he could slow them greatly.

They darted through the sky in a hurry, not caring if others saw them between the gaps in the clouds. All they wanted was to travel as quickly as possible and flee. So long as they were fast enough, Choron would have no way of tracking them.

Though they were right about Choron’s abilities, neither Tralbok nor Oosam knew about Jack’s system, let alone the map function that Daruun had given it.

When they neared the Korten border to the north, both gods suddenly stopped.

Moranti also stopped fighting back. Instead, he started to laugh without a word. With his spatial awareness, Moranti had long sensed those new arrivals but was glad that both of his captors finally noticed what was going on.

"Come out!" Tralbok shouted.

"Then come down," responded a voice. "If you want to talk first, then let’s meet on the ground. Otherwise, don’t expect us to show mercy."

Recognizing Eedaj’s voice, Tralbok squinted and looked to Oosam. "Shall we?"

Oosam only replied with a nod. Then, three more of Oosam split out of the original. The same happened for Tralbok and their prisoner. All four versions of the group split up into different ways, in an attempt to fool the four different divine presences that they felt within the clouds beneath them.

It was a perfect diversion. However, there was one thing that they hadn’t accounted for, nor could they have anticipated it.

When the four different versions of the chaotic gods separated, Jack was hiding his presence along with Sterfen so that neither of them could be sensed. And with his mini-map out, he had a natural counter to the Illusion Gods, schemes. Though it was hard to discern which of the groups was true, Jack was able to tell which group possessed the stronger divine energy as that group was the most recognizable by the system.

With Jack calling the shots, all four of the undisguised neutral deities swarmed downward toward the same version of the group with no hesitation whatsoever.

Trapped and startled to have been caught so easily, both Tralbok and Oosam were caught off guard but immediately heightened it for a possible battle to break out.

 

Chapter 457

"I see you found us, Eedaj," Tralbok calmly spoke, unfazed. "Mind elaborating as to how you did it so quickly?"

"That’s not for me to say, as I wasn’t the one who found you," replied Eedaj. "Now, hand Moranti over, along with his scythe, and we’ll allow both of you to leave peacefully."

Tralbok chuckled. "You think a band of low-level gods can intimidate us? Sure, I know that Sterfen is hiding somewhere, but that won’t make much of a difference. Don’t force me to--"

"Don’t worry about me!" Moranti shouted with beaming arrogance, refusing to be used as a hostage. "I may get hurt, but Tralbok and Oosam can’t kill me. Just do what you need to!"

Hiding his contempt for Moranti with a smile that wasn’t a smile, Tralbok continued, "If you want to fight, then we’ll oblige. But don’t expect us to back down so easily. We’ve got somewhere to go, so hurry up and decide whether you’ll risk your lives in vain or not."

Having said his piece, Tralbok resumed his journey with Oosam. But he was cut off by Jin.

"I’ve heard you gave Eedaj a tough time not too long ago. If you’re that strong, then allow me to try my hand," Jin confidently stated, relaxed and ready to do battle.

"You, a lv. 91 wants to duel with me?" Laughing, Tralbok shook his head. "Sorry, but I don’t have time to waste on small fry."

At that remark, six illusory arms took form and attached themselves to Jin, a glowing katana firmly gripped in each hand. "So be it." Jin darted forward, swinging toward the God of Time.

Aware of Jin’s strange ability, Tralbok avoided the attack in place of blocking it. Even with a five-level advantage, Tralbok had to acknowledge Jin’s abilities to evade defenses almost completely with his phasing stills.

Eedaj rushed toward Oosam. With each of them wielding dark and illusion magic, Eedaj didn’t want to leave the others to face the tricky god and find themselves at a disadvantage. Choron joined him as well. That way, two lv. 93’s were up against the lv. 95 Illusion God.

While Jin was striking toward the evasive God of Time, trying his best to force Tralbok to the ground.

With command of cosmic energy, all gods could levitate and carry themselves through the sky naturally. However, Tralbok’s natural speed mixed with lightning magic meant the God of Time would have the advantage in the sky against Jin who was a skill-based warrior without wind or lightning affinity.

Aiding Jin in that effort was Lunara. At lv. 93, Lunara rose in the sky and took to her true form. She then dove down toward the duo.

Not left with many options, Tralbok covered himself in lightning and dashed downward at a slant. The God of Time made sure to advance forward while also dropping toward the ground to avoid the diving hydra.

Jin took a different approach. As Lunara fell, Jin flew in a straight line northward.

When he made contact with the colossal hydra, Jin disappeared. His phasing skill left Jin unaffected by the falling beast. This allowed Jin to keep up with his enemy using simple Geometry.

Then a voice went off in Jin’s mind.

’Now.’

Nodding to himself, Jin darted again toward Tralbok. He aimed for just ahead of his enemy, hoping to hit him mid-flight.

Tralbok scoffed at the futile efforts that both gods put against him. Since Oosam was keeping Choron and Eedaj busy, who were both faster than either Lunara and Jin in terms of a chase, Tralbok focused on fleeing rather than fighting. He readied his time magic and prepared to evade.

Abruptly, the sharp whistle of wind sounded from a nearby cloud. For some reason, the cloud parted yet Tralbok found nothing leaving the cloud.

Before this scenario had taken place, Jack had already purchased Sterfen’s passive stealth skill for six thousand skill points. It was all thanks to having publically executed Pestro, which awarded Jack with his first-ever divine reward for ten thousand skill points and a one-time achievement named [Not even gods are safe].

Adding the one thousand five hundred and sixteen points he already had, and Jack gladly paid for the ultimate stealth skill, leaving him with five thousand five hundred and sixteen skill points for later.

With both of their stealth skills, Jack and Sterfen had been patiently waiting in that cloud. Their plan would only call for a single moment, so they would have to wait.

Now, they finally acted.

With Jack pouring all mana into his minokawa form, Sterfen clung to him as Jack launched them out of the cloud while still invisible. That’s why the clouds had parted.

But Jack didn’t stop there. Though his body was weak and would struggle in a prolonged fight, Jack had the stamina for a burst of intensity. The moment Jack rocketed out of the cloud at full speed, Jack then cast Time Stop.

Tralbok went wide-eyed as he felt the familiar sense of time magic being cast by another. But he was too late to stop it.

Both Jack and Sterfen used that single second of Time Stop to the fullest. Jack’s unadulterated speed delivered Sterfen to his target. With an unguarded throat, Sterfen sliced into Tralbok, attacking so cleanly as to keep blood off of his knife.

The second passed and Tralbok immediately placed a hand over his throat. Turning back a second’s worth of time, Tralbok healed himself in the only way that could possibly seal one of Sterfen’s wounds.

But that left Tralbok wide open to Jin’s incoming attack. In tangent with Jin’s attack, Lunara’s nine heads all released roars with icy breath attacks to keep Tralbok from evading Jin.

Covering himself in lightning and preparing to receive Jin, Tralbok stared as the eight blades of the samurai neared him.

However, just as the blades pierced his flesh, Tralbok was left baffled. All eight blades phased through his entire body. Not a single scratch was left on Tralbok or inside of him. The God of Time was utterly perplexed as to what Jin was doing.

Tralbok then noticed that there were only seven swords. One of Jin’s hands were unarmed.

Nothing was making sense to Tralbok as Jin’s attacks and entire body phased through the God of Time.

At least, it didn’t make sense until the charge was over.

Tralbok rushed ahead but felt that something was off. Now, there was no resistance coming from the chain behind him.

Turning to face Jin, Tralbok’s confidence instantly dropped to well passed his stomach.

Jin’s target was never Tralbok in the first place. The samurai had phased through the God of Time, forcing himself to remain steady while still feeling some slight effects from the electricity dancing around Tralbok. But that didn’t stop Jin from attacking his true target.

The God of Discipline had swung all seven of his swords through the cuffs keeping Moranti at bay. Yet none of them had a single scratch on them. That’s because Jin had directly attacked the locking mechanisms inside, enacting Jack’s plan to perfection.

With the locks shattered, Moranti took a deep breath as he ripped the cuffs off of his person. Exhaling, Moranti wiggled his fingers and toes. Finally, after five hundred years, he was free.

Lunara halted her icy breath. Jin stepped aside. Jack kept his transformation with Sterfen on his back, both still invisible. Tralbok was speechless as his throat immediately dried.

"Finally!" Moranti shouted as he stretched his body, popping most of the joints across his body. Then, he eyed Tralbok with a smile that wasn’t a smile. Moranti simply asked, "Now, will you return my scythe or would you like me to be merciless?"

Before Tralbok could muster together some words, Jin spoke up, "It should be in here."

Moranti and Tralbok looked to find Jin holding out a ring. It was very familiar to both of them, especially Tralbok.

Chapter 458

Thinking back a moment ago, Tralbok originally thought he had miscounted. But it was then that Tralbok realized why he spotted only seven swords. The eighth hand had stolen the God of Time’s storage ring while Jin phased through him. It was a feat worthy even of Rikko.

With a big grin, Moranti didn’t hold himself back. The God of Space snatched the ring and scanned through its contents with haste.

"Oosam! Get us out of here!" Tralbok shouted in pure terror, not wasting any time as he rushed toward the Illusion God with abundant use of time and lightning magic.

Oosam also acted immediately, aware of the sudden shift of the situation. A storm of false doubles exploded out from the Illusion God to form another perfect diversion. The true Oosam reached Tralbok with his wind magic and used a spell scroll to teleport away.

They barely managed to miss the beautiful scene of Moranti finally reacquainting himself with his long-lost personal weapon. It felt like a piece of him had rejoined him to make Moranti feel whole.

Glad their unorthodox plan worked out in the end, Jack let loose a long sigh.

"Before I congratulate you all and thank you, lets head somewhere else..." Moranti clung to his scythe, jabbing into his body without doing himself any harm. At the same time, a rush of spatial energy inundated the area to envelop all of Moranti’s rescuers.

Unlike the times when Jack and Tralon had teleported, there was no flash. Instead, the spatial energy seemed to implode into nothingness.

On the other end of their teleportation, everyone reappeared in Gilga. They were in the sky overlooking the Leisure Guild. Also, they were now gathered together and no longer spread apart like before. Not only had Moranti teleported them all away, but he had repositioned everyone with little to no difficulty.

Removing the scythe from his body, Moranti brought the blade to his lips and kissed it. Only after that did he look to everyone else with a smile. "Who is it I have to thank?"

Jin chuckled and pointed Jack while he dispersed his illusory arms. "My nephew planned that, so he should get most of the credit."

"So you came up with that little scheme? Thank you!" Moranti stored his scythe and opened his arms with a toothy grin. Jack was then teleported in front of Moranti, making it easy for the God of Space to embrace his hero. "You don’t want to know what would’ve happened if you were much later. If we were closer to Olympic Chateau, Torian may have shown up and ruined everything."

Keeping that in mind, Jack chuckled while he patted Moranti on the back. "Does this mean you’ll be joining us?"

"Duh!" shouted Moranti. "If I wasn’t the first god to form a contract, I would’ve known better in the first place!"

"I’m glad to hear that. With you on our side, Halmut will bide his time before attacking," Eedaj stated. "Your presence here changes everything. It means we’re now the strongest faction."

"I wouldn’t say that..." Moranti sighed, catching the others off guard.

Choron added, "He’s right. But let’s get back to everyone else. It will be easiest to explain things only once."

"Right... Then let’s go..." Jack nodded and let go of Moranti.

Jack was the first to land, reverting to his normal form and leading the gods toward the restricted area. At the same time, he called everyone telepathically to inform them of the rescue party’s return.

The rescue party was the last to reach Dragov’s courtyard, but they were only a few minutes behind the others.

Moranti was eager to speak his mind. However, the God of Space was immediately sidetracked from the moment he stepped into the dug-out courtyard. The sight of another from his race nearly drove Moranti to tears.

"Jack... How did you--"

"That’s Karronteel," Jack answered while Moranti pointed at the Spectral Dragon testing his new strength against Dragov’s hard exoskeleton. "He had been trapped inside a summoning amulet that I got from one of the auction houses. Since none of them understood the ancient text, I got it for cheap."

Suddenly, Moranti pulled Jack in for another hug. Only this time, Jack felt his shoulder moisten.

"You should go and talk with him. He’s a huge fan of yours!" Jack joked, nudging Moranti forward.

Rather than run, the God of Space instantaneously teleported to the bottom of the steps. He now stood in the air between Dragov and Karronteel, the water still apparent in his eyes.

At first, Karronteel and Dragov were confused but Moranti’s form changed in the next instant. Moranti expanded into a fifty-meter tall Spectral Dragon, awing both of the sparring beasts.

"Moranti!" Karronteel shouted in excitement. "I-it’s really you! I knew you’d be alright!"

The fifty-meter Spectral Dragon nodded and smiled at the twenty-five-meter Spectral Dragon. "You’re Karronteel, right? Have you already partnered with Jack?"

"Yes!"

"Good... He’s the one who saved me just a few moments ago," Moranti stated, sending waves of gratitude over Karronteel’s heart. "I saw what he was capable of and I agree that he’s the most suitable partner. Only, as he’ll soon ascend to godhood, so should you."

With the simple extension of his long tail, Moranti touched the younger dragon’s forehead. A dazzling purple light burst out from within Karronteel, not surprising anyone.

"Now, you’ll do our people proud," added Moranti.

"Always!"

Karronteel understood what had just happened thanks to witnessing Lorwynn and Kori activating their temporary potential. Like the others, Karronteel had proudly become a demigod.

"Make sure to ascend as quickly as possible. If you don’t ascend soon enough, I may lose my life," Moranti stated, startling everyone apart from the gods. Continuing, Moranti sighed, "Such is life... We have to accept past decisions and make the most of them."

"Why do you say that?" Jack asked.

Turning to the young hero, Moranti answered, "Because that’s what’s stated in my contract. I was the first god to accept a contract so the conditions could never get so complicated. My only condition is that I need to reach lv. 99."

"You mean you need to reach lv. 99 before Skaryn is unsealed?" reasoned Jack.

"Something like that..." Moranti shrugged. "There’s a chance that Skaryn won’t do anything though, so long as Tralbok doesn’t kiss up to him like always."

"What level are you now?"

"Lv. 97. But don’t underestimate me. I’ll go toe-to-toe with halmut if I need to. I can’t overpower that pestro but it’s almost always a fair fight," stated Moranti. "That’s not counting when he cheats though. Halmut does that a lot..."

"No kidding..." Lunara angrily sighed, reminded of many past memories involving both Halmut and Naparn during the Godly War. Kori also nodded, completely understanding how they felt.

Jack couldn’t help but chuckle to hear Moranti using Pestro’s name in such a way, catching him off guard. But he quickly returned to his thought about Moranti’s unexpected statement. "When you say that Skaryn may not do anything, what do you mean?"

"Just that. Is that hard to understand?" the God of Space chuckled.

"I thought that--"

"You don’t know Skaryn or Halmut." Moranti explained, "Let me preface our discussion with some background information.

"Back in the day, thousands of years ago, Skaryn and Halmut were companions bearing the first-ever mutual beast seal. Together, they ascended to godhood with Daruun’s divine assistance. They remained great friends for quite a while but being the first to ascend fueled their greed unlike ever before."

While most everyone was startled, Moranti continued, "I was the first strike against their friendship. As aiding demigods ascend gave EXP, both of them fought to have me join them. I chose Skaryn in the end because he didn’t threaten me or try to control me. Also, his offered contract was much better than Halmut’s, so it was a no brainer."

"But why are you sure he wouldn’t do anything?" Jack continued to instigate.

"Because we’re also mutual companions."

 

Chapter 459

"Because we’re also mutual companions."

"Huh..."

Jack’s mouth was left open, unable to form words as his brain short-circuited momentarily.

Continuing, Moranti added, "Sure, Skaryn’s a strict guy and he can get triggered pretty easily but he’s a good friend."

"Then... If he’s such a good friend, why on earth did you rebel?!" Jack shouted, totally thrown for a loop along with the rest of the mortals and gods present. "Wait, what do you mean triggered?!"

"I learned that from some of you ancient heroes long ago," Moranti laughed as if relishing in fun memories. Then, he showed them all a smug shrug. "I don’t hate Skaryn, I hate the faction. And if I killed some of the idiot pestros, like Pestro was, it was to remove the factions altogether."

"But that... Why would that..." Jack’s brain was aching from the confusion. "Can you explain a bit better, please?"

Sighing, Moranti obliged. "Fine... Then let me add this. Skaryn may have gotten me to join him, but we didn’t officially form a faction until after Halmut had already helped three demigods ascend. Before we knew any better, they were parading themselves around the world as the self-proclaimed ’Holy Gods’ and labeling me and Skaryn as the ’Chaotic Gods’. Halmut started everything, not Skaryn."

"That’s true," Eedaj added, reaffirming the statement for the others to more easily take in.

After that, Skaryn had no choice but to recruit more. He understood how competitive Halmut was and that Halmut would stop at nothing to get what he wanted," continued Moranti. "Apart from Eedaj torturing that stupid Magma Dragon to death, the first god to die unjustly was one of ours.

"The god following me was ambushed by the holy gods and killed by Halmut. That’s when I killed their newest member while he was sleeping in Olympic Chateau. The pitiful fool didn’t even know he had been killed by the time his head was removed from his body..." Moranti sighed, bringing his tangent to an end.

"Anyway, now you understand that Halmut was the driving force for the conflict. But Skaryn did join in, so he’s not guiltless," added the God of Space. "Depending on what happens next, I’d be interested in knowing how Skaryn would react should after his unsealing."

"What do you--"

Choron cut into the conversation, "Moranti... Are you going to talk about it or not?"

"Right, right..." Moranti sighed again, resuming the true explanation. "Knowing Tralbok, I won’t assume that we’re the strongest faction. Not with his loyalties being so fickle."

Jack caught wind of what Moranti was implying, but it was Sterfen that spoke next, "You mean Tralbok may switch sides? Can he do that?"

"It wouldn’t go against his existing contract to form a second contract," answered Moranti. "He’s the kind of man that doesn’t mind servitude if it offers security. For years he’s been debating jumping ship. And now that Choron and I have left officially, Tralbok will most likely try and convince the remaining chaotic gods to join him and the holy gods."

"That’s quite an assumption..."

"He’s right," Eedaj spoke up again. "I noticed it slightly during our first battle but it was at the forefront of his mind when we rushed to Moranti’s rescue. He was originally planning to offer Moranti in exchange for a better standing in the holy gods."

Breaking out in laughter, Moranti shook his head. "I guess he was even more cunning than I gave him credit... That two-faced pestro..."

"Now that you’re free, can’t you just kill him? What’s stopping you?" Jack continued his questions, trying to get as much information as possible before redesigning their game plan.

"I could... but finishing Tralbok off is much trickier than you think," Moranti stated. "His time magic is hard to counter and he always carries at least one item for self-regeneration on him. That annoying pestro is the most cautious god I’ve ever known. However... that means we now have a self-regenerating item!"

Taking out Tralbok’s stolen ring, Moranti greedily smiled for all to see. "I’m sure he’ll try to get another such item off of Halmut, but at least we have his wealth!"

"So, in other words, the remnant chaotic gods will likely join the holy gods," Jack summed up the conversation. "Shouldn’t we just kill them now then?"

"We could try, but I’m sure the holy gods will intervene this time. Given Tralbok, he’s probably got a contact within the holy gods, right?" deduced Sterfen.

"Correct..." Choron nodded. "His contact is also ours, only Tralbok doesn’t know that Lyrun is two-timing the holy gods."

"What?!" Eedaj shouted in question.

"I told you Lyrun was on our side!" Sterfen added, nudging Eedaj in the side.

Moranti turned to the Mind God and stated, "I’ve been in contact with Lyrun for a few centuries now, thanks to Choron linking our crystals in secret. It’s obvious he hasn’t told you or the holy gods about that, so I can only assume that he’s done well to hide his tracks."

"But... I thought--"

"Lyrun is more complicated than you know," Choron added. "Since that incident, have you ever been able to read your brother’s mind while your own mind was clear of rage? Or do you blind yourself still?"

"That..." sighing, Eedaj didn’t know what to say but he was already getting angry just thinking about his relationship with Lyrun.

"Either way, Lyrun is the one who told us about Tralbok’s possible betrayal and the various offers he’s given the holy gods," Moranti continued. "He’s also the one who warned me and Choron before Tralbok caught me with the contact crystal and redid my chains. Also, he’s the one who warned Choron to flee before Pestro arrived at his temple."

"That..." Eedaj wanted to ask if what they were saying was true but it was clear as day for the Mind God. He saw straight through their emotions and found their statements to be true at the deepest levels of their consciousness.

"Than... what about the incident of my people? How could he--"

"Eedaj, calm down." Sterfen walked up and placed both hands on the elf’s shoulders, rubbing them down. "Relax... then we can talk more clearly and you’ll better understand them."

"Right... Sorry..." Taking some deep breaths, Eedaj refocused the best he could. "Then... has Lyrun ever told you about his side of that story?"

Moranti shrugged, as did Choron. On the other hand, Sterfen spun Eedaj around and nodded.

"I told you, he didn’t take part in that," stated Sterfen. "He genuinely wanted you to join the holy gods."

"But why would he be so interested that he--"

"He had been deceived by that long-forgotten Magma Dragon and Halmut. What Lyrun wanted was for you to be accepted as a holy god so that the other elves would better relate with you and the other Greis elves," explained Sterfen, instantly silencing Eedaj. "I never told you the rest because you would’ve never believed me. Now, I think you’re in a position where you have no choice to believe. So, after reading my mind and hearing all of our words, do you believe that your brother was so spiteful of you after having a few centuries to mature?"

Finally considering that possibility, Eedaj struggled to accept that in his heart. It was so radical to his beliefs for thousands of years, so those feelings wouldn’t change instantaneously.

"With the holy gods about to grow again, it’s only a matter of time until they eventually strike another war," Moranti returned to the original topic.

"Then... what do you think we should do?" Jack asked. "I’ll recover all of my old treasures at the bottom of Earthen Keep and those two will quickly ascend this week. That should leave our strength about even."

"I disagree," replied Choron, "and so would Lyrun."

 

Chapter 460

"I disagree, and so would Lyrun."

"Then, please, tell us more," added Jack.

Moranti continued, "There’s one key factor that you don’t consider. You know how most of the holy gods are beasts, so have you considered those powerful beast races in your plans? Or did you just assume that the holy gods had the association under their control?"

"True, but normally, that wouldn’t be too much a problem... Unless..." Sterfen paused, altering his opinion after considering recent events. "Halmut’s going to raise more gods, won’t he?"

"Maybe he already has," replied Moranti. "All I know is that Halmut has been keeping his favored races hidden away. The Magma Dragons, Storm Dragons, Flood Dragons, Quake Dragons... those four races remain loyal to Halmut out of a mix of fear and respect. And given half a millennium, I can guess that at least one from each race is near the cusp of immortality."

Reconsidering that into the equation, Jack’s mind was in overdrive as he tried to piece together a working formula for eventual success.

"That changes everything... Sterfen, did you know about this?" Jack turned to his father, annoyed to have just heard such crucial information.

"It wasn’t of much consequence till now. How could I not know when you consider your mother?" reasoned Sterfen.

With a sigh, Jack thought in silence for a moment while the others waited for his next question.

A few minutes passed but Jack kept quiet, leaving everyone in suspense for the next question or crazy scheme Jack would cook up. Then, they all smiled to see Jack retrieve Daruun’s crest.

"How about I get some help from you all?" Jack asked while holding the crest out toward the gathered gods. "I’ll still be the main contributor, but having your help should keep me from passing out afterward."

The gods chuckled and stepped forward. Once all the deities had placed a hand on the crest, Jack began filling the crystal sphere with mana. And now that he was lv. 81 with lv. 6 mana capacity skill, Jack was confident they could pull off the summoning without much worry.

But even with Jack’s absurd mana stores, his mana was practically gone before the crystal sphere reacted. Jack cast Greater Replenish and continued with a nod to the gods around him.

Now, they also started to pour in their mana. With deities aiding him, Jack got the crest to fully light up before he ran out of mana for a second time.

In a dazzling burst of light, this time Jack got to witness Daruun’s magnificent arrival.

"You’re lucky I was taking a break..." Daruun sighed and chuckled as he scanned the many faces and figures gathered. "So, Jack managed to set you free, Moranti? Too bad you’re still under contract. Otherwise, I would eagerly welcome you as a son."

Moranti smiled. "Don’t worry about it. With Jack’s crazy leveling, it won’t take long. And he’s going to Earthen Keep, so I’m not worried."

"Good. You shouldn’t be." Daruun turned to Choron next. "Sorry, but you’re also under contract for the time being. I can’t make you my son until that’s changed."

"I understand." Choron nodded with a simple reply.

"As for you... Come here! I can finally accept you as my official daughter, not as a daughter-in-law!"

Lunara ran into Daruun’s arms as Sterfen also joined in to form a group hug. The relief in Lunara’s eyes was beyond description, something that would take days to describe and years to experience.

Then, pure white light left Daruun’s body to envelop Lunara. It seeped into her, filling the Water Goddess with tender warmth. A burst of that white light filled the room again as Lunara was officially welcomed into the family as Daruun’s newest daughter.

"Thank you, Father..." Lunara cried as she was embraced by Daruun and Sterfen. "Thank you, Sterf..."

"For you, anything..." Sterfen whispered softly.

The moment lasted a few seconds before Daruun released them. He looked to Kori and smiled sorrowfully. "I’m sorry it ended up like that..."

"Don’t worry about it," stated Kori. "Losing an arm meant I was able to track my son, letting me save his life. I consider it a blessing."

"I’m glad you see things so clearly... I’m excited to welcome you into the family as my grandson. And now, I have my first-ever great-grandson!" Walking to the foxy duo, Daruun petted them both. "Welcome to the family, Bowzer!"

"Thanks!"

Both foxes licked Daruun as they enjoyed the familial bonds of the neutral gods all the more. That left Jack and the others as Daruun returned to face the group. "I don’t have much time, so we’ll have to be quick about it. What else do you need of me, Jack?"

"Before I forget, there’s something I want you to hold onto." Looking to Eedaj, Jack asked, "You still have it on you, right?"

Surprised to realize Jack’s scheme, Eedaj nodded. The next instant, a crystal ball with all manner of etchings and patterns was brought out of Eedaj’s storage.

"That... You have one of his keys?!" Moranti was baffled and excited. "Wait! Why are you giving it to Daruun?!"

"Because that way no one will ever be able to unseal Skaryn," reasoned Jack.

"But--"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t."

Moranti thought hard, trying to think of something new to say. He ended up turning to Daruun and asked, "Is that the best thing to do? What’s wrong with unsealing Skaryn?"

Daruun sighed and showed a soft smile. "That’s hard to say... Skaryn is more complicated than Halmut, which is both a good and bad for this case. It’s good because there’s a chance he may be of aid to our cause but there’s also a chance that he would absolutely ruin everything."

"There’s a chance he would help us?!" Jack shouted in question. "How?! Then why does my system want me to prevent his return?!"

"All of these questions shouldn’t be asked right now," stated Daruun. The God of Fate waved his hand to float the enchantment key toward him, taking it into his hands. "For now, I’ll hold onto it."

Jack quickly opened his system but was disappointed to see that his quest to prevent Skaryn’s revival was still active, even after Daruun took the enchantment key.

"Now, is there anything else?" Daruun asked. "If not, I’m awfully busy and--"

"Wait!" shouted Jack. "How should we handle the reserve forces that Halmut’s been saving? We held back the syndicate, but that was with sacrifices. And now some of our key fighters will ascend and face gods instead."

"Then it sounds like you’ll need to increase both your mortal and immortal forces. You need to hurry up and leave for Earthen Keep, or you’ll take too long to reach your tomb and those two may not ascend," reasoned Daruun. "As for facing those beasts, you’ve already got a few races loyal to you, so why not better incorporate them into your forces?"

"What do... You mean the storehouse?" asked Jack.

"It would be a great start, enough to face the association together with your current forces. As for facing the dragons... Have you considered your party’s potential strength? What about after you level up all the passive skills you’ve been ignoring? With some leveling, couldn’t they challenge dragons? Dragov is already lv. 86, so it’s a matter of getting the others to catch up," explained Daruun.

"And what about the wars that are about to break out?"

"Jack, you shouldn’t be worried about anything. In fact, I don’t think anyone should contact you until you return from your tomb," Daruun stated, stunning everyone. "I’ll be frank. Trouble won’t stop coming. But with everything you’ve prepared and everyone you’ve gathered under the Leisure Guild, they’ll manage without you while you’re in Earthen Keep."