Chapter 590

【 DIVINE ASSEMBLY 】

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Amidst the ethereal and sacred chants, the gods began to descend.

One after another, radiant incarnations of divine beings materialized atop the foremost thrones of the Pantheon. Each figure exuded a majestic presence, their arrival accompanied by the emergence of profound and vast divine wills that surged through the grand hall like invisible tides of power.

Evé maintained a calm expression, but inwardly, she was filled with curiosity. Without revealing her thoughts, she discreetly observed each of the figures appearing within the temple.

To her surprise, the number of deities present was far fewer than expected—fewer than one hundred.

Most of them appeared in humanoid or semi-humanoid forms.

To her surprise, the number of deities present was far fewer than she had anticipated—less than one hundred in total. Given the scale and prestige of the Pantheon, she had expected the great hall to be filled to capacity, yet many thrones remained conspicuously empty.

Most of those who had arrived took on humanoid or semi-humanoid forms. Their appearances varied in age, race, and bearing, yet all exuded a sense of profound authority.

Among them, the most eye-catching were the thirty-some figures seated in the central positions. Their robes were strikingly similar to obe another: pristine white fabric adorned with intricate golden trim, shimmering with faint divine light.

The design was no coincidence as it mirrored the formal vestments worn by the Eternal Lord himself, which was a hallmark of their status. Without a doubt, these were members of the Coalition of Human Gods, the largest and most dominant divine faction, and their placement at the center signified not only power, but their sheer influence.

And to the right, more than a dozen deities of varied and diverse appearances were gathered together. Many had the features of demi-human or tribal races, such as trolls and lizardfolk.

They were the League of War Gods, whom were the second largest divine faction in the universe.

Seeing these two major groups of faith-based gods, Evé felt a chill within her heart.

The Human Coalition and League of War had both been the primary forces in the siege against the World Tree a thousand years ago.

However, according to the inherited knowledge she had received, their combined numbers should have exceeded one hundred members.

Furthermore, based on Ouros’ memories, none of these deities had suffered any significant losses during their victory over the World Tree. Yet now, their combined presence barely reached sixty, which surprised Evé.

Deities belonging to the same faction would undoubtedly act in unison.

Thus, those who had not appeared were unlikely to have simply chosen not to attend.

There could be only one explanation: over the past millennium, at least one-third of the true gods who once joined the siege against the World Tree had perished.

It seemed that the Heavenly Realm had not been peaceful over the last thousand years.

After briefly observing the central assembly, Evé’s gaze drifted across the hall and settled on another cluster of figures who stood out amid the grandeur.

Seated slightly apart from the main gathering were eight deities, each clad in celestial robes dyed in shades of black or deep violet. Despite their shared corner of the hall, the group was visibly split into two factions—four deities on each side, divided not by distance, but by a palpable line of alignment and ideology.

The leaders of the two sides were both figures Evé recognized immediately.

One of them was a striking young woman with flowing black hair and piercing red eyes. Her robes, though dark, shimmered faintly under the Pantheon’s divine light, and embroidered upon her chest was a silver emblem shaped like a scythe. Despite the heavy atmosphere surrounding her, she appeared composed, even slightly amused.

As Evé’s eyes met hers, the woman turned her head ever so slightly and met her gaze directly, offering a faint yet courteous smile.

There was no mistaking her identity.

It was Hela, the Goddess of Death.

The other was an elderly figure completely shrouded in darkness, his expression cold and emotionless.

He was Hodür, Lord of Darkness and Shadows.

Aside from the major factions, several deities sat scattered across the outer thrones, each occupying a seat in quiet solitude.

These gods numbered around twenty in total. Unlike the tightly grouped factions, they had no formal alliances and belonged to no established group. Some had remained neutral during the war against the World Tree, either by choice or circumstance.

Evé’s own throne was positioned among these independent deities.

At that moment, Evé felt a sharp, scrutinizing gaze fall upon her. The divine will behind it carried a hint of hostility and judgment.

Startled, Evé turned to locate the source of the stare.

It came from the foremost section of the Pantheon, opposite the throne of the Eternal Lord.

There, a god cloaked in silver-gray radiance sat quietly, watching her.

As Evé met his gaze, he sneered and slowly turned his eyes away.

He was Lóðurr, the God of War and Destruction.

Evé was not at all surprised by his hostility toward her.

The descent of the gods had coincided almost perfectly with the sounding of the sacred bells.

However, Evé noticed that more than a dozen of the divine thrones remained unoccupied.

Or rather, they were not entirely empty. Only two deities were seated among them.

One was another familiar figure: Reinhardt, the Platinum Dragon King with silver hair and silver eyes.

Beside him sat a girl with golden hair and red eyes, adorned in robes embedded with multicolored gemstones.

In truth, calling her a girl was a stretch as she appeared no older than eleven or twelve by human standards.

She reclined lazily against her throne, yawning with an air of boredom.

Despite her youthful appearance, Evé sharply observed the deference Reinhardt showed toward her.

This naturally sparked Evé’s curiosity and speculation.

Including Evé herself, a total of eighty-nine true gods had descended upon the Pantheon.

These were the current rulers of the universe.

Gazing at the empty thrones surrounding Reinhardt and the mysterious young girl, Lóðurr, the God of War and Destruction, furrowed his brow slightly.

“Have the Ancient Gods still not arrived yet?”

There was a trace of dissatisfaction in his voice.

“If you have something to say, just say it. I will pass the message along,”

Said the girl lazily, who’s seated beside Reinhardt.

Lóðurr, the God of War, let out a cold laugh, clearly wanting to speak further. However, Rigdal, the Guardian of the Stars, quickly mediated the tension:

“It doesn’t matter if they haven’t arrived. As long as Her Grace Urinos is here to receive our message, then that will suffice. Your Grace Etriōu, you may begin.”

Urinos?

Hearing the name, Evé’s heart skipped a beat. In that instant, she realized the girl’s true identity.

It was the name of the Dragon Ancestor.

Evé had not expected the Dragon Ancestor to appear in such a form. The inherited knowledge left behind by her predecessor had little information about this entity so she had assumed the Dragon Ancestor would be an elderly dragon in appearance.

The Eternal Lord cast a deep glance at Ulinos, then gave a slight nod.

“Let us begin.”

“However, before we proceed, I would like to introduce a new member of the Pantheon. Many of you may already have heard of her: Her Grace Evé, Goddess of Life and Nature.”

As the Eternal Lord spoke, Evé felt dozens of gazes fall upon her. Some were curious, others scrutinizing, guarded, or indifferent.

“Her Grace Evé has already established her divine throne within the Pantheon. If anyone wishes to communicate with her further, you may do so after this assembly.”

“The reason you have all been summoned today is to discuss matters concerning the realm of Seigües. According to the predictions of His Grace Rigdal, the full unsealing of Seigües will occur in four years, possibly even sooner.”

“In light of this, we must begin preparations immediately.”

Only four years?

Hearing the Eternal Lord’s words, Evé’s heart tightened with urgency.

She knew that with her rising power and the subtle absorption of power from the cosmic void, the unsealing of Seigües would inevitably accelerate, but she had not anticipated that it would advance so quickly.

She had to attain the rank of Greater Divine before the unsealing was complete.

Her expression gradually turned solemn.

“The magical energy of Seigües is accelerating at a exponential pace, and all its inhabitants are becoming increasingly restless. I understand that many among you hope to expand your influence during this period, but you must all understand: these are extraordinary times.”

“To prevent unexpected incidents, to stop the sealed evil gods from escaping, and to avoid further damage to the core origin of Seigües during the unsealing process, the following rule is now in effect:”

“For the next four years, all holy wars are strictly forbidden within the realm of Seigües. Furthermore, no holy wars between gods may occur on its soil.”

The Eternal Lord Etriōu declared this with firm and commanding authority.

The expressions of the gods varied.

But for some reason, more and more of their gazes subtly shifted toward Evé.

Evé: “…”

Why does it feel like this rule is directed at her…?

Holy wars and divine battles…

In recent years, only two major conflicts had occurred within Seigües. One in the underground and another in the Desert of Death which coincidentally both closely tied to her.

And as for divine battles occurring in the world of Seigües, she was essentially the only one capable of carrying them out.

Anyone else who tried would have suffered the same fate as Uller.

Apparently, her recent actions had drawn the attention of the Pantheon. Now, specific restrictions were being put in place to prevent her—currently the only true god with her main body located within Seigües and virtually unchallenged there—from acting with impunity.

“Any violator shall be stripped of the Pantheon’s protection and regarded as having declared war against the Human Coalition and the League of War faction,” Etriōu continued.

Declaring war against both factions?

Hearing that, Evé instinctively began assessing what would happen if she truly did go to war against them.

But after a moment’s thought, she realized that doing so would be no different than exposing her identity outright. She was not yet prepared to sever all ties.

After all, she could not truly drag the entire world down with her, could she?

By this point, if Evé still failed to realize that this entire speech was a warning directed at her, she might as well have lived her two lives in vain.

Of course.

The gods were already struggling with the weakened seals and the rising power of the evil gods. If one of them was quietly growing stronger in the shadows, benefiting while others suffered, the Pantheon would not tolerate it—regardless of whether Evé’s identity was in doubt.

In that moment, Evé briefly wondered if she should have just avoided coming to the Pantheon altogether.

But that thought only lasted a second.

Because she knew clearly that even if she had not come, the warning would still have reached her one way or another.

Her rise had been too swift. It was only natural for the gods to become wary.

The Eternal Lord then continued:

“Additionally, it has been reported that in Seigües, a growing number of Fanatics have desecrated the statues of other gods, inciting divine judgment. The dignity of the true gods must not be defiled. Those affected are required to restrain their followers accordingly.”

As those words were spoken, Evé sensed several more gazes falling upon her.

One came from Lóðurr, the God of War. Another from Hodür, the God of Darkness and Shadows. The third was from Hela, the Goddess of Death.

The first wore a mocking smile. The second had an amused look in his eyes. The third displayed a rather peculiar expression.

Evé: “…”

So, once again, the message was clearly directed at her.

It seemed the gods had taken notice of the players’ Divine Punishment Bombs Tactics after all.

Evé guessed it was likely the incident when the First Legion used one against an orc legendary figure that had drawn divine attention.

“Violators shall lose the right to establish a temple in the Free Temple Zones.”

The Eternal Lord continued.

The Free Temple Zones…

To Evé, that punishment meant little.

The Free Temple Zones was essentially a benefit offered by the Pantheon, but Evé had no intention of establishing her own temple tp other places due to the many secrets she needed to keep hidden. Without setting up her own Free Temple, she naturally could not benefit from those of others.

In her view, both the reward and the punishment were irrelevant.

Even so, she would still need to impose some restraint on the use of Divine Punishment Bombs—or at the very least, to prevent the players from acting recklessly and making enemies everywhere.

As for Hodür… he could be left alone. Their relationship had already deteriorated beyond repair. Desecration or not, it no longer mattered.

“The third matter: with only four years remaining before Seigües fully reopens, and to prevent the Abyss from contaminating the material realm, I, in consultation with Lord Lóðurr and Lord Rigdal, have decided—”

“—to initiate a Holy Crusade against the Demons one year from now, in order to preemptively weaken the forces of the Abyss.”

As he spoke, the Eternal Lord swept his gaze across the Pantheon.

“All of you are required to participate.”

Holy Crusade?

Evé raised her head.

It was the first time she had heard the term.

At that moment, a familiar voice echoed within her divine consciousness:

“The Holy Crusade is a regular campaign waged by the gods of the Heavenly Realm to purge the forces of the Abyss.”

“Since the fall of Yggdrasill a thousand years ago, the spread of Abyssal corruption has greatly accelerated. In order to maintain the stability within the cosmos and more importantly, to prevent it from being dragged into the Abyss, a Crusade has been waged approximately every two centuries. To date, there have been five such campaigns.”

“In each of these Crusade, the gods either dispatch their Einherjar armies or personally lead divine envoys into the fringes of the Abyss, where they battle evil gods and demons.”

“Of course, due to the highly corrosive nature of Abyssal power toward true gods, many of the weaker deities from the the Human Coalition and League of War factions have perished or fallen into corruption during these campaigns over the past millennium.”

Upon hearing this, Evé’s thoughts stirred. She turned her gaze toward Hela.

The death goddess gave her a slight nod.

Those words had been transmitted through the private connection between them.

A Holy Crusade…is it?

Evé fell into contemplation.

Suddenly, she felt as if she had stumbled upon a new opportunity—one where she could both build prestige and at the same time, also siphon energy for herself.

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