Chapter 256: Ch 256 : God of White Flames

Sunny sat upon his throne, the silence of his palace a stark contrast to the chaotic roaring of the Gods outside.

He closed his eyes, letting his consciousness drift over the recent shifts in his empire.

The decision of copying Adam’s First-Born talent had been a resounding success. It wasn’t just a title; it was a key.

It had unlocked the potential of his body, allowing him to break through the bottleneck of S-Grade and ascend to SS-Grade in both Magic and Body Refining which may have taken a few more minutes otherwise.

But more importantly, it had unlocked the economy of his entire Pantheon.

The Talent Bank; the union of Mire and Yggdrasil was already generating faith at a rate that made his previous earnings look like pocket change.

The Gods were ravenous. They were lining up, millions of faith points in hand, desperate to inherit the powerful talents of their own creations.

And it was all possible because of that single, copied talent.

’Hierarchy is absolute,’ Sunny mused. ’Without the First-Born talent, Yggdrasil would just be a tree. A demigod cannot bless a God’

But by blessing Yggdrasil with the Chosen One of the Cosmos, a downgraded reflection of his own supreme status, he had hacked the system.

He had elevated a tree to a status higher than the Gods themselves, creating a path through which power could flow downwards.

It was a masterpiece.

His mind drifted to his next hurdle. ’When will my Manifestation Affinity reach SSS-Grade?’

His clones had been inside the God-Maker realm for centuries.

They were studying the very fabric of reality, pulling apart the laws of creation. And yet, the breakthrough remained out of reach.

A question that had plagued him since a long time, surfaced again. ’Why did Lady Sansa… the Mother Void… not bless me with the SSS-Grade affinity directly?’

She had given him Skill-Resonance, an SSS-Grade cheat code. But for creation, she had given him only SS-Grade.

’Is it possible,’ he wondered, a chill running through his body, ’that even She does not possess the SSS-Grade affinity?’

He shook his head, dismissing this thought. It was impossible. Creating a Void-Born like Adam, creating the Demon Lords, creating him… that required SSS-Grade Manifestation.

Only with that level of power could one create a soul from nothingness.

“I wish to meet you one day, Mother Void,” Sunny whispered to the empty air. “I have so many questions.”

Far beyond the boundaries of Sunny’s multiverse, in the expanse of the Multiverse of Arcana (the Card multiverse), a different kind of storm was brewing.

Here, divinity was not achieved through the slow comprehension of laws or the accumulation of faith. It was crafted. It was forged.

The path to Godhood lay in understanding the formulas of the universe, gathering rare materials, and compressing them into a Card.

Once etched a SSS-Grade card into the soul, the user became a God.

It was a system of shortcuts, and it was breeding monsters.

In the last few years, the number of Gods in this multiverse had exploded, rising from a single God to dozens.

But these were not benevolent rulers. They were tyrants. A God of Strength had no use for those who walked on the path of elements. A God of Fire saw water users as an impurity.

A great, bloody migration was underway. Families were torn apart, populations displaced, and trillions were slaughtered.

On a world ruled by the newly ascended God of White Flame, the sky was choked with ash, and the oceans were boiling.

“This is madness! He is straight-up killing trillions of people just because they don’t walk the Path of Fire?!”

The voice belonged to Merlin, a handsome young man with flowing blue robes.

He rushed into a hidden safehouse, his arms laden with scrolls and glowing cards.

He was a Demigod of Water, a being who should have been revered. Now, he was prey.

“Who is killing whom?” a melodious, concerned voice asked.

Calley, the Demigod of Ice, stepped out from the shadows. She was beautiful, her skin pale as frost, her eyes pools of deep sapphire.

She and Merlin had been partners for two thousand years, a union of water and ice that was legendary in their world.

“The God!” Merlin shouted, frantically stuffing items into a spatial storage card.

“He has gone mad. Migrating the population was one thing, but now he is purging anyone with an opposing path. He says it ’ruins the purity’ of his domain”

Merlin grabbed Calley’s cold hands, his eyes wide with fear. “We have to leave, Calley. We are Water and Ice. To him, we are impure. He will kill us.”

“Leave?” Calley’s voice trembled, but her feet remained planted. “Aren’t we in danger if we run? Maybe… maybe we should create a Fire Card? If we etch it into our souls, we could join him. We can’t fight a God, Merlin. We can’t escape.”

“That’s not possible!” Merlin argued, shaking his head. “He hates these kind of people the most. He calls them impurities of the soul. We cannot change our nature to please a tyrant.”

He resumed his frantic packing. “I have a plan. I have a way out. Just trust me.”

Suddenly, the air in the room grew blistering hot. A beam of white light descended from the ceiling, coalescing into a hologram of a figure wreathed in smokeless fire.

The God of White Flame.

“Merlin… Merlin…” the God’s voice was a crackling hiss, like burning dry wood. He licked his lips, his eyes fixed greedily on the water demigod. “I am a merciful lord. I will spare your pathetic, watery life… if you give me the treasure.”

Merlin froze. “I… I don’t possess anything. I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Do not lie to me!” the God roared, the hologram flaring. “I need it to create my new SSS-Grade Card. Give me the Heart-Bone of the Primordial Fire Dragon.”

Merlin’s blood ran cold. The Dragon Bone. It was his greatest secret, an ancient relic he had found in a ruin millennia ago. He had never told a soul. He had never written it down.

Except once. One night, in a moment of vulnerability, he had whispered the secret to the woman he loved.

He turned slowly, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He looked at Calley.

“Merlin, my dear,” Calley said. Her voice was no longer trembling. It was smooth, cold and indifferent.

She stood behind him, and in her hand, a Card materialized of a sharp steel. It transformed instantly into a blade, the edge resting gently against his throat.

“Why don’t you just hand it over?” she whispered, her breath cool against his ear. “It might save our lives.”

Merlin’s world imploded. The invasion, the danger… none of it mattered. The only thing that existed was the cold steel against his neck and the woman holding it.

“Calley…” he choked out, his eyes searching hers for a sign of coercion, of mind control. “Why? Is he forcing you?”

Calley laughed. It was a light sound, devoid of any warmth. “Force? Who can force the future Goddess of White Flame?”

She looked past him, casting a flirtatious, longing glance at the hologram of the God.

“He promised me, Merlin. If I gave him you… and the bone… he would help me forge a Divine Fire Card. I’m tired of being cold, Merlin. I want to burn as a Goddess.”

“After two thousand years…” Merlin whispered, a dry, broken chuckle escaping his lips. “After everything I did for you… this is how you repay me?”

“Finish this, Calley,” the God of White Flame commanded, as his hologram began to vanish “Bring me the bone.”

“Yes, my God,” Calley replied, bowing her head in deep reverence. Her hand tightened on the sword.

Merlin closed his eyes. Tears leaked from the corners, sliding down his cheeks. He was heartbroken. He was betrayed. But he was not stupid.

He had not survived two thousand years in this cutthroat multiverse by being helpless.

“I loved you, Calley,” he whispered.

His hand, which had been hanging by his side, moved with the speed that seemed out of the world.

It didn’t go for her weapon. It went for his own pocket.

He channeled his entire soul essence, every drop of his power, into a single card hidden there.

Buzz.

A sound like tearing fabric filled the room. A blinding, violet light erupted from Merlin’s pocket.

Calley’s eyes widened in horror. She recognized that aura. It was ancient and terrifying.

“That aura…” she gasped, stumbling back, the sword falling from her hand. “An SSS-Grade Instant Teleportation Card?! How?! Where did you get that?!”

She lunged for him, desperate to stop him, desperate to salvage her reward. “Merlin, no! Wait!”

But it was too late. Space twisted around the heartbroken demigod. Reality folded.

“This is bad,” Calley whispered, her face pale as she looked at the empty spot where her lover had stood. “He got away. What… what will I say to the God?”

She looked up at the empty air, fear replacing her arrogance. Merlin was gone. And he had taken the Dragon Bone with him.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep