Chapter: 206
“Isn’t there… another way?”
“The other way…?”
The sage paused for a moment, selecting their words carefully before continuing.
“If you can restore the king of gods, Baal, to his divine throne, it might quell her wrath.”
“The king of gods? But Baal is already…”
“Yes. Baal has already been shattered into many pieces, and his essence has flowed into the Underworld. However, that does not mean the complete annihilation of Baal as a being.”
With a gentle tap on the table, the sage conjured an image that glowed faintly before them.
It depicted a long serpent biting its own tail—a representation of the cycle of life and death.
“All souls die, are reborn, live again, and then die once more. The souls of gods are not exempt from this cycle.”
“So, what you’re saying is… Baal’s soul…?”
“Yes. The soul of Baal, king of the gods, will be reborn as a human in three years. If we can guide and train this soul, which will have lost all memory of its divine nature, into becoming an extraordinary hero, and then elevate it back to being the king of gods…”
“Then his soul will return to where it rightly belongs, potentially calming her fury?”
The sage nodded slightly.
“However, this is merely a possibility. Among the countless futures I see, this is but a rare occurrence. Keep that in mind.”
“A possibility, huh…”
“Yes. A possibility for a potential future. Additionally, there is something you must do to delay her judgment.”
Hermes listened intently at the sage’s words.
“A task? What is it?”
“It takes a long time for a human to be born, grow, achieve great deeds, and become a hero. But the Goddess of Life may decide to judge all gods right now. Therefore, her judgment must be postponed. Otherwise, the age of gods will end before Baal’s soul, reborn as a human, can become a hero.”
“Postpone the judgment? How?”
The sage tapped the table once more, and a different image materialized.
It was a depiction of a large circle divided into four segments.
“When Baal disappeared, the remnants of what he left behind… There are gods who possess pieces of Baal.”
The sage pointed to each piece with a finger.
“Wisdom of the Sky. Power and Authority of the Sky. Emotion of the Sky. Body of the Sky. These are remnants of Baal, who was once the sky god.”
“That is…”
“You already know that the deities who possess those pieces are originally divisions of Baal. They were beings subordinate to Baal, but have now gained their own identities, rebelled against him, and become separate entities by obtaining Baal’s shards.”
“Wait, so you’re saying the deities are divisions of Baal? That’s news to me!”
“Oh, really? I apologize for that. But… it’s something you would find out soon enough. Consider it an early revelation.”
“No, what does that even mean…”
Ignoring Hermes, who seemed baffled, the sage continued.
“Anyway, it is common knowledge that Baal’s fragments are crucial components of each deity. Therefore, if we can return even some of them to the Goddess of Life, we could delay her anger.”
Hermes hesitated.
If what the sage said was true, then the Power and Authority of the Sky were likely parts of Zeus, his father and the head of Olympus.
To return that would be akin to carving out a major component of Zeus himself.
What would happen to him after such an important piece was removed? Hermes could easily imagine it.
“Isn’t there… any other way?”
“There is none. This is the only method.”
With the sage’s firm statement, Hermes sighed.
“I see…”
Though many of the claims sounded far-fetched, one thing was clear: the gods were being faced with a choice.
Sacrifice the deities to buy time for a future where the gods could survive, or head into a collapse together.
Naturally, they’d want to choose the former, but it wouldn’t be an easy task.
While the powers of the deities were lacking compared to ancient gods, they also possessed a level of strength that set them apart from other gods.
Four deities in total. If they had to be sacrificed…
“Wait. You mentioned that even giving back just some of Baal’s fragments could buy us time?”
“Yes. That was indeed the case.”
“How much time could we gain by returning just one fragment?”
The sage took a moment to think before responding.
“Depending on which fragment it is, but typically we could gain about ten years.”
“Ten years… then… does it not matter whose fragment it is?”
“That’s correct. What’s important to her is merely Baal’s fragment. The specific one does not matter.”
Hermes nodded slightly.
“Then… have any of the other factions, like the Aesir or the Ennead, come looking for you? I heard Odin had visited…”
“Yes. Odin, the leader of the Aesir, came in person. I cannot share what we discussed, but the emissary from the Ennead, Thoth, also arrived.”
“Thoth… that ibis-headed nuisance…?”
Hermes clicked his tongue briefly. Thoth had always appeared every time there was an issue between Olympus and the Ennead, meddling in every affair, and he truly didn’t like that god.
“Did any other gods come looking?”
“There were other gods who’ve visited, but they all seemed more interested in their own futures than pondering the fate of the gods. Outside of Odin and Thoth, it seems they haven’t spoken about this matter.”
Hermes nodded in understanding at the sage’s words. Considering the circumstances… no, it would indeed be a significant issue if Odin and Thoth were in the loop.
But at least the word hadn’t reached the Lokapala.
“Thanks for sharing this info. It feels like I can see a hint of a solution now.”
“I understand what you’re intending to do, but let me give you one piece of advice.”
“Advice?”
The sage nodded slightly before continuing.
“Ensure that no innocent lives are sacrificed. Don’t provoke the Goddess of Life into wrath. That is something you must remember.”
“Innocent lives… Right. Thank you for the advice. I almost overlooked something crucial. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Yes. Safe travels.”
With that, Hermes exited the shabby stone hut, hastily heading toward the Divine Hall.
He needed to prepare, and quickly.
Preparation for the war of gods.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Phew. I think I’ve sown all the seeds.
After Hermes left, I severed my remote connection with the sage.
The sage was a remote-controlled golem made from hewn stone.
“Was it really necessary to go through such a hassle?”
“Yup. It’s quite the nuisance.”
The help in crafting the deep forest where the sage resided came from Yggdrasil, and the assistance in making the sage’s golem and the hut was provided by Sagarmatha.
While I was receiving bits of help from the other kids too, these two were particularly helpful right now.
“The gods… If Mom wanted to, she could deal with all of them in one go.”
“That’s true, but…”
I absentmindedly stroked Sagarmatha’s head, who was using my thigh as a pillow.
“If that happened, all the gods would rebel in an instant, and they’d resist no matter the cost.”
They might even take their believers hostage to resist.
So, while it felt like a more bothersome approach, it was better to do this to avoid harming other lives.
Severe despair could produce an animal cornered into rebellion.
In this case, leading them into a narrow and treacherous path diminishes their chances of revolt.
“So you’re saying it’s time to murder each other then?”
“That would be the abridged version, yes.”
The four who possessed Baal’s fragments: Zeus and Odin, Amun and Indra.
Among them, Indra… I had met while traveling. The leader of Lokapala who had blessed Asterios.
That fellow would likely accept the end of the age of gods without resistance.
As for Odin, he had come to speak with the sage disguised as a shabby old man.
After realizing that everything the sage said was a trap meant to bring down the gods, he had returned, hopeless after understanding that their future was bleak.
Rumor had it he was holed up within the territory of Aesir, cooking something up… Hmm. I’ll let that slide for now.
As for Amun and Zeus… they were probably headed for an all-out war against each other.
To raise the human with the soul of Baal that would be reborn in three years into a proper hero would take… about thirty years or so.
Twenty years would only be enough for training; they would also need time to make a name for themselves as a hero. They would likely offer me three of Baal’s shards.
Moreover, Olympus and the Ennead were situated very close to each other, so it seemed they would growl at each other like rivals.
If there’s a reason to fight, they wouldn’t hesitate to do so.
“Does making a human into a god really require such a troublesome process? I feel like Mom could just create a god by sharing her divinity like she did with Sirius.”
“That’s something only I could accomplish. A typical god can never do that.”
Faith is incredibly important to a god.
If I were to relate it to a game, faith acts as HP, MP, experience points, and even currency for the gods.
To exist as a god, faith is essential; miracles are produced and powers manifested through the consumption of faith, and the more faith they gather, the stronger they become.
Additionally, faith serves as the medium for transactions between gods, much like currency.
“In a truly dire situation, they might divide their faith to share, but given there are other options available, it’s improbable, right?”
Unless there’s absolutely no other choice, the gods wouldn’t select that.
Well then, I guess I’ll just observe until the moment arrives.
Until the moment of completion for the loneliness and poison that devours each other among the gods.
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