Arthur stood still, the weight of everything he'd just learned sinking in. Just one conversation with Enyalius had revealed more about the world's buried history than any book or archive ever had.
With a sigh, he eased the pressure surrounding Enyalius and offered him a hand.
"I'll help you find the others," Arthur said calmly. "But don't forget—your life belongs to me now. You serve under me."
Enyalius grimaced, clearly unwilling. "You expect the God of War to take orders like some errand boy?"
Arthur smirked. "I'm the God of Entertainment. Dionysus. And right now, I'm stronger than you. So yeah, I expect obedience." He paused, then added, "You can call me Arthur."
Enyalius narrowed his eyes. "God of Entertainment...? That's a new one. Never heard of such a thing—even in the Divine World."
Arthur shrugged. "You will."
Then, without warning, he gave Enyalius a light kick. "Now stop whining and start looking. We're finding the others."
"...Right," Enyalius muttered, rubbing the back of his head as he followed behind.
They wandered deeper into the cave, their footsteps echoing against the eerie silence. Eventually, they came across corpses bound in weakened chains—dried husks of what were once divine beings.
Enyalius dropped to his knees. "These... these were my men. My loyal followers..." His voice trembled with grief. "I failed them."
Arthur's gaze lingered on the remains for only a moment before he continued on. "Don't lose focus. We'll find whoever's left."
But hours turned into days, and no other gods were found. The cave system was far too vast, a labyrinth of stone and silence.
'Seems I got lucky finding Enyalius so early,' Arthur thought, eyes scanning the endless corridors.
After two days of fruitless searching, Arthur called it off.
"We're heading back to the surface," he told Enyalius.
During their time together, Arthur had learned much. His understanding of the world expanded—and with it, his suspicion. Solarus, hailed as a righteous god, didn't seem so noble anymore.
That alone erased any lingering guilt Arthur had for leading his own faith—the Cult of Dionysus.
Meanwhile, Enyalius walked behind Arthur, his expression heavy. He was clearly disheartened—they hadn't found any of the other chained deities in the past two days of exploration. They were too far scattered... perhaps too deep within the cavern system.
He shook his head and silently followed Arthur.
At the edge of the cave, Arthur glanced at him and tossed over a folded outfit. "Here. I'm not bringing you back to the surface looking like that."
Enyalius caught the clothes and quickly dressed without a word.
Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder, and within seconds, light flared from the talisman in his other hand. The world around them blurred—until, in a flash, they reappeared at the outer edge of the Nether Realm, near the Anus Gate.
Enyalius blinked and glanced around the dark, twisted landscape. His brows lifted subtly as he looked at Arthur with faint awe.
'He has a teleportation artifact that works in Aides' Realm?' he thought. 'This realm was corrupted by the divine war—most spatial techniques fail here. Even gods were forced to travel by foot... And yet he broke through that rule?'
He looked at the now-vanished talisman dissolving into particles of light, then turned to the vast, corrupted landscape before them.
His gaze drifted over the eerie horizon, where the strange moon glowed red, casting a distorted light over the dark land. His thoughts whispered, 'This realm used to be different... It might've been somber, but it wasn't this... corrupted.'
Arthur, catching his distant expression, raised an eyebrow. "You good?"
Enyalius let out a tired sigh. "This place holds too many memories," he muttered.
Arthur nodded slowly, then asked, "I've been wondering. The air here's so dense with energy—even now, my ring is absorbing mana like a sponge. What's fueling this place?"
Enyalius chuckled bitterly. "You remember that chain of yours? Now your belt?"
Arthur glanced down at his waist and nodded.
"There are more like it," Enyalius said. "Many more. The cave we came from? It's just one of dozens. Each chain that binds a god draws their divine essence endlessly... feeding the realm itself."
Arthur's eyes narrowed in realization.
"That's why the creatures here are so strong," Enyalius continued. "They're born from the leaking power of imprisoned gods. This whole realm thrives on stolen divinity."
Arthur's expression turned contemplative. "I see... So the realm itself is being kept alive and empowered by their suffering."
The knowledge settled heavily in the air. Content originally comes from NoveIꜰire.net
Moments later, the two returned to the surface of the mortal world.
As his feet touched solid ground, Arthur's eyes narrowed. A faint pulse tugged at his senses—a magical contract had just been activated.
His lips curled into a smile.
'So... Princess Mary finally signed.'
'Perfect. Now the kingdom's future is in my hands. And the royal family... will soon be nothing more than background noise.'
Though he had the power to wipe away obstacles, he knew better than to move rashly.
Arthur activated the World Traverser function on his Bracelet of Lifeblood Veins, instantly teleporting himself—and Enyalius—into his Hellfire Park office.
The moment they arrived, Arthur's expression darkened.
His clone was kicked back in his chair, feet up, casually playing video games on the H.E.S console.
The clone turned, eyes wide with panic. "A-Arthur! You're back?"
Arthur's gaze was cold as ice. "Didn't I tell you to manage things while I was gone? You're here playing Pacman—in broad daylight?"
Before he could finish, Arthur dispelled the clone with a flick of his finger. A flood of memories and data poured into his mind, and he immediately winced.
"Damn it," Arthur muttered, rubbing his temples. "That idiotic clone. He messed up everything... Firfel and Vivienne are pissed, and he wasn't even there to announce the Star Wars release."
One of the downsides of his Shadow Clone technique—each clone was creative, but also unpredictable.
Enyalius, observing the whole scene, commented, "So... we just saw another version of you. I take it that's a Divine Technique? Similar to the one used by the Shinobi God of Japon."
Arthur blinked. "Shinobi God of Japon?"
Enyalius nodded. "Yes. I remember him well. That god used shadow clone techniques like it was second nature. One of his signature moves."
Arthur frowned. "Now that you mention it... Why were there so many gods back then? Today, there are only three. But in the past...?"
Enyalius gave a dry chuckle. "Three? Back then, there were thousands."
Arthur's eyes widened.
"The world was divided," Enyalius explained. "Each kingdom had its own pantheon. In one continent alone, you could find dozens of different gods being worshipped. Some lands had gods of war, others had gods of art, nature, shadow... and so on."
He paused, letting it sink in.
"Each realm followed different laws," Enyalius continued. "Japon had samurai and shinobi as its champions. The west had knights and mages. The north followed elemental spirits. It was a complex ecosystem of belief and power."
Arthur nodded slowly. "And four hundred years ago... it all changed?"
"Not instantly," Enyalius replied. "Even before that, the number of gods began to shrink. The weaker ones either died out or became vassals to greater gods. Over time, the world's belief system started to consolidate."
Arthur crossed his arms. "Then came Solarus."
Enyalius's expression turned grim. "Yes. Him and the other 'Outer Gods.' They invaded this world... not just to rule it, but to reshape it. Refine it."
Arthur raised a brow. "Refine?"
Enyalius looked away, hesitant. "This world... it's still young. It hasn't fully matured. But once it reaches a certain threshold—something will happen. That's why They want to control it."
Arthur's expression darkened with thought.
Whatever that "something" was... he had a feeling it would change everything