Duke Yuma was experimenting with how to use his abilities.
Could he unleash them in the form of a slash like Barbatos did? He tried, but nope, slashing it out was a total flop.
Not created. Clearly not living up to the name God of War.
But of course, Yuma wasn’t the type to wallow in useless frustration.
Instead, he set out to find the reason. Why couldn’t he unleash a slashing attack?
‘When parrying, it felt totally natural to imbue Balmung with divine power.’
That didn’t mean he couldn’t use divine power at all.
And his divine art [Life and Death Duel] was working just fine, so there’s that.
There was only one possible doubt.
Blocked by the laws of the world.
The Sacred Voice didn’t provide the answers.
Instead, it was the foreign goddess of [Earth and Eternity], Leah, who gave him the lowdown.
[Gods have never not been gods. But you, Yuma, are a rather unique case of becoming a god from a human.]
That was true.
[It’s totally normal for a freshly promoted god to imbue a sword with divine power. But using divine energy for slashing attacks is a whole different ball game.]
Leah continued her deduction.
[Before you awoke your divinity, did you ever try using mana to turn a sword into a slash and attempt long-range attacks?]
Never.
[Right? So the laws are only recognizing the use of divine power based on what you’ve done so far.]
But oddly enough, creating a barrier was a piece of cake.
[Using defensive divine power without a hitch is only natural. It’s expected for a god to have the power to protect themselves and their believers!]
So, the remaining issue was simple.
He just needed to figure out how to prepare for a situation where he had to use divine power offensively.
The reason he couldn’t use long-range slashing attacks was that he’d never done it before.
So, all he had to do now was grab his sword and swing it to make slashing attacks possible.
-Exactly, Master! Now that you’ve stepped beyond being an ordinary human, swinging it around mindlessly should work out somehow! Since you’ve become a god, I’m sure you’ll achieve it!
Balmung’s surprisingly not-so-encouraging words echoed in Yuma’s mind.
It was true, though.
If he operated his mana, unleashed a sword wave, and processed countless blade strikes, he could definitely pour divine power into it and unleash all those corresponding sword paths.
-Take it step by step, and you’ll perfectly execute it!
You should be able to carry out the training splendidly.
Duke Yuma nodded.
For now, the reason he had shed the criminality seemed to be a stepping stone to becoming a god, but originally, it was to draw forth a power distinct from ‘Parrying’.
If he simply performed as intended, that was enough.
– Has the Master become the God of War?
The mana manipulation method had been adequately learned from Ego Sword Balmung’s technique.
The swordsmanship endlessly resided in Balmung’s mind.
Squee—
Stances of footwork, sword skills, and movements. Everything was rooted deeply within Balmung’s world.
– It’s also possible to have a mental duel with my past masters.
Thus, there was no problem training alone whenever he had time.
The mana wriggled from the dantian.
The very shallow sword energy mixed with divine power and swayed in the air.
Yuma very slowly but surely began to draw forth a martial force distinct from ‘Parrying’.
Whenever he had time, he swung his sword alone.
*
Yuma looked back at the gathered legions.
“Move in the optimal way toward the Silmaria Continent.”
The gazes of the different races focused on Yuma.
“When facing a being that appears to be a god, do not engage in battle; evade from your position and report to me.”
A booming response followed Yuma’s words.
Yuma raised his right hand into the air.
A piercing spear manifested at the tip of his index finger.
This was not the same scene presented to the other gods in the Divine Realm.
It was the [List of Followers], crafted in forms desired by each god.
It resembled a game interface.
The List of Followers.
The List of Followers was already an endless lengthy scroll.
This was because Yuma had not imposed strict regulations on the followers.
Regardless of race, those who believed in him.
Whether it was an obsession approaching fanaticism or merely formal worship or belief.
Without distinguishing those wide gaps, he recognized them all as followers.
Except for the Celestial Beings, who were created to blindly believe in and follow the Celestial Sovereign since the beginning, the different races here—Lycanthropes and Elves alike—were all included in the List of Followers.
This was all for the purpose of amplifying the mythic power of the Intermediate World.
Yuma’s gaze drifted down the List of Followers to the [List of Apostles].
The List of Apostles was the exact opposite of the List of Followers; it was completely empty.
No one had yet been designated as an Apostle.
Apostles fundamentally differed from followers. Followers are beings who, quite literally, have faith in the god.
The apostle is fundamentally different from a believer. A believer is simply someone who has faith in the god.
An apostle holds a position appointed directly by the god.
The apostle could accept the bestowed
According to the holy voice, the maximum number of apostle appointments could only be gradually increased to about ten.
‘I think I understand why.’
For an apostle to be designated, two conditions had to be met.
A desperate faith in the god and the accomplishment of achieving a certain level of prowess.
From the current standards, there was only one being eligible for apostle appointment.
Bell.
Stars appeared in Yuma’s eyes.
A blue star floating above Bell’s head.
The presence or absence of the blue star was akin to the possibility of becoming an apostle.
Above Cloney’s head floated a white star. The white star indicated that she was still ineligible for apostle appointment.
She was just one step short of being eligible.
In Cloney’s case, her faith in Yuma was sufficient, but her proficiency was lacking.
‘7th Circle…’
Once a wizard reaches the 7th Circle, categorized as a master, they could be appointed as an apostle.
Yuma was confident that he could soon make Cloney an apostle.
Beneath the apostle list was the [Holy Maiden list].
Only one holy maiden could be appointed.
Since Yuma had something else to discuss with Bell, he decided to appoint just one holy maiden right here.
“Ermel, come forth.”
The golden-haired, silver-eyed holy maiden, Ermel, stepped forward with wide eyes.
“Ermel.”
“Yes.”
Ermel quietly replied and knelt down.
“I appoint you as the holy maiden.”
A golden light radiated intensely from Yuma’s right hand.
That right hand moved slowly.
To Ermel’s forehead.
From Yuma’s extending right hand, a powerful radiance spread out.
A clear, melodious resonance, the holy voice, echoed in Ermel’s mind.
[The God of War has appointed you as ‘Holy Maiden.’]
Ermel felt an exhilarating sensation rising from her toes as the holy voice resounded in her mind.
Aptitude.
To become a holy maiden, one had to have the right aptitude.
Even gathering tens of millions of people, those with the aptitude of a saint or holy maiden are born vessels that can convert the divine powers bestowed by the god into holy powers.
Ermel was someone who had already proven that aptitude once.
There was no reason for Yuma to designate another holy maiden or saint.
The primary effect of holy power was undeniably healing.
It was healing.
The ‘Divine Healing’ had a power that was on a different level from the healing magic of the mages.
Ermel had come through that vessel.
Her pink lips slowly parted.
“Thank you, oh God.”
Ermel continued, her silver eyes shining brightly.
“May I create a prayer? Duke Yuma.”
Yuma questioned back.
“A prayer?”
Ermel nodded her head.
“Yes, a prayer that can further strengthen the faith of the believers.”
Yuma accepted those words.
“Go ahead.”
He thought there must be a reason for the experienced Holy Maiden’s actions.
“Yes, thank you.”
As Ermel finished speaking, a golden radiance flowed from behind her.
The brightness of that radiance was so immense and bright, it could be called the sun.
“….”
Yuma once again looked at the trembling ground.
As the mythic power slowly rose from the earth.
It seemed the appointment of the Holy Maiden certainly had a significant impact on the mythic power.
Yuma lifted a golden star above the heads of the believers in front of him.
The golden star.
The believers stared blankly at the stars floating above their heads.
Among those who had stars now hovering over their heads were also the Celestial Beings.
[Star of Observation]
The Great Angel Garenmoon muttered softly.
“It shines so brightly….”
In Garenmoon’s mind. No, the same phenomenon was occurring in the minds of all Celestial Beings.
The one to save this world was neither the Celestial Sovereign nor their own Celestial beings.
It was the God of War.
The being standing on the platform would be the one to eliminate all the Evil Gods and restore balance to the Divine Realm.
That thought had now culminated into certainty.
Yuma continued speaking.
“When the threat of death approaches you, this signal will reach me immediately. At that time, I will protect you with my divine power.”
It was like every member of the legion was given spare armor.
Armor that wouldn’t easily shatter under any force.
“So, don’t be afraid and do your part.”
The stars that had been hovering above each of their heads slowly faded away.
Of course, they didn’t just disappear uselessly; they were now engraved upon their bodies.
“We will depart shortly.”
Having finished what he needed to say to everyone, Yuma then called Bell separately.
To appoint her as the envoy of the God.
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