Chapter 856 God of World Creation (1/2)
What sort of an existence were gods?
Since ancient forerunners reverently bowed towards the lightning in the skies and the great surging rivers, the concept of gods slowly appeared in the human mind.
They were thunder, mountains, fire, water, even the most powerful magical creatures of the wilderness or unstoppable avalanches.
They were profound forces human could never control, and all that they would never understand.
Gods, in old days of yonder, symbolized the venerable unknown that one should be cautious of—at least, during ancient times.
Since when had that changed? It was when humans no longer saw them as the greatest protectors and destroyers, but an achievable target. The precursors of certain paths would hence view them as respected leaders, seniors, and not some untouchable heavenly deity.
That was probably the moment when humans develop curiosity and obtained their own power.
Because they had ceased worshipping and started thinking, everything in the world thus changed.
When curiosity about the unknown overcame fear, when one's own power could recreate divine miracles, humans would lose all reverence. They would hunt the beasts they once saw as deities and conquer dense jungles that were former holy lands. They would also raise building and cities out of stone, stopping violent thunderstorms and torrential rains.
As time flew, and those who wielded supernatural powers increased, every natural phenomenon in the world would lose grounds for veneration. Ancient totems and beastly deities would hence vanish, with darkness conquered by the lights of lamps—large vessel with high strung sails would cross the revered seas, and most ancient gods would thus become a part of human civilization. They would use the fire god's blessing to cook food, the thunder god's gifts to animate machines, hang the divine radiance of the sun god high above their homes and the power of the tempest god to blow-dry their hair.
Be that as it may, there were still powers not in other's control. Some powerful beings still command ability that surpassed human logic, just as there were much unknown and darkness in the Void beyond the world… therefore, the gods never vanished, but remain existent and embodying power human and civilization could not grasp.
Even in the present, in the Starfall Era.
***
In the bottomless Abyss, the Chaos receded and the curtains of the night diminished.
When the energy from the Great Mana Tide gushed into the Darkest Abyss, the white waves had intertwined with the dark Chaos into a massive vortex and create an ancient sight. The six gods, the Supreme champions and the Legendary champions who were repelling Chaos corruption all knew that the most dangerous moment had passed.
The God of Life gently removed his connecting to the sealing core anchor point. The Chaos tides had all been utterly subjugated by the light of the Great Mana Tide as every energy across the galaxy converged upon that location. They were still abiding with some natural rule, hence rebuilding the Vortex Creation at the Abyssal Paradise.
The process would certainly be long. Time was necessary for the Darkest Abyss to be restored into the original root of world creation, but it remained better than the start.
”When could your wish actually be realized…”
Pure white divine power refluxing and gathering into one form, the deity wearing a veil stared at the black and white Abyss. It could not help murmur with a complicated tone, as if questioning itself, ”Is this Multiverse truly worth so much sacrifice from you and I?”
”It is.”
Behind the God of Life, steel-grey divine force appeared as the God of Conservation and Reformation materialized out of thin air. As the other deities following behind him, the dwarven god said, ”It is worth it any time.”
”Back then, when our forebears drew tinder from burning forests to obtain the power of fire, there were those who asked: was it worth sacrificing so much?”
”Back then, when our forebears fought monsters in forests and plains with thousands left dead, there were those who ask the same question then, too: was it worth sacrificing so much?”
”At the beginning of our history where words had just been invented, when elements and combat aura truly combined with our civilization. Countless geniuses and the most intelligent of forebears had died experimenting with measures and rituals to awaken Extraordinary powers, although those experiments appeared to be mere simple mistakes now.”
”At the time, countless asked in doubt: was that worth it?”
”The answer is: of course it was worth it.”
Because everything was the sacrifice demanded by progress.
The God of Conversation and Reformation walked to the God of Life and gave it a good kick on its buttocks, forcing the ethereal and noble deity to plonk down blankly on the floor while Ezerg himself sat in front and growled, ”Little Eleven. I know you were close to him and often saw him as your brother… but that is precisely why you must never disavow his sacrifice.”
”Without cost and sacrifice, there would be no obtainment and harvest. He had filled the ditch for us so that this plan would succeed—your hesitation now shames his honor!”
”You are now the God of Life and not that person in the past. Remember your identity, for you are a True God who defeated the most dangerous foe in the name of exploring remote frontiers. And it's not just you—all of us have to act as the finest leaders and play our part as the greatest supernatural beings created from an entire civilization's honor and skill.”
Behind Ezerg, the other four gods were showing different expressions: Scottson laughed once bitterly, Merlin and Yolanda stayed impassive, with Merlin being naturally impassive and Yolanda concealing his thoughts.
Zerming, meanwhile, stroke his beard, sighed his beard and spoke.
”Alright. Now that everyone's memories are mostly restored, there is no need to fight over such matters.” The God of Wisdom of Choice said, before looking around at the Abyss that was filled with the light of the Mana Tide. ”Many had sacrificed for this, with our former comrades and friends left as nothing but marks, their Divine Dungeon Shrouds hence wafting the Infinite Horizon and the Mycroft continent… though there were certainly tribulations, this is not the worst outcome.”
The god whose identity remained unknown for the time being stared at the Darkest Abyss and said quietly, ”Eve—God of Life, it was the choice you made then. Could you be lost now?”
”I did not retrieve my memories at the time… I… I simply don't know…”
The God of Life mumbled. Endless memories appeared in her mind: dusty but now extraordinarily memorable.
A huge grey-haired man was laughing as he carried her and ran over the bridge, with the thunderous waves scaring her to the point that she was shrieking and clenching his head.
A fencer was guiding her as she learned to ride a horse, but she had forgotten her riding crop, with her legs going soft at once when she demounted.
As the youngest one, everyone had doted over her. The ones who treated her best, aside from her mentor who had picked her up from the ruins of a village in the battlefield, was the grey-haired knight, a person who was like her brother.
The memories—luminous and dark, warm and miserable, happy and blank. The memories that belonged to a human…
How could she have forgotten?
At the thought, the God of Life slowly arose, the mist in her gaze clearing as she spoke quietly after a brief silence.
”Just a little loss of composure… I've used too much divine power to maintain a calm mind.”
”It's good that you've calmed down.”
Ezerg glanced at her and nodded, before turning to the Abyssal Paradise. ”Our next task could only be accomplished with our full might—pulling a world from the Vortex of Creation, even if it is just a frame. It's not a simple matter.”