Chapter 315: Karma (XXXIII) [Entering The Divine Realm]

“Mhm… Succubus really are something,” I cracked my neck slighly.

After a whole messy night with Lilith, I finally said goodbye to the Demon Kingdom and hurried over to the Holy Nation.

Honestly, I had considered leaving alone, but bringing Christina with me made more sense. She could actually manipulate Divinity.

In the Divine Realm, Divinity was just like mana… the mana of that world, the thing that made everything work.

Without it, a god was a cripple.

And yeah, although absorbing the Yggdrasil would make me an infinity container of Divinity… if one discovered that…

I’d definitely become some kind of cauldron…

So my plan was simple: have Christina act as my attendant, even at the academy. The least she could do after betraying me, right? And I doubted anyone except the Goddess of Light would recognize her anyway.

And yeah, although absorbing the Yggdrasil would make me an infinity container of Divinity… if one discovered that…

I’d definitely become some kind of cauldron…

So my plan was actually having Christina act as my servant, even when I’m at the academy. I mean, that’s the least she could do after betraying me.

And I also doubt anyone except the Goddess of Light would recognize her.

“The Goddess of Light, huh? She might be a problem since she’s one of the main investors of the Divine Academy…”

Going to the Academy was probably the best thing I could do right after ascending, mainly because of the resources given to the students.

Among those resources, many things could help a lower-level God like me to break through as fast as possible.

Especially those divine crystals, which are similar to mana stones, and by absorbing them, you can increase the speed of your cultivation.

And the Academy had no shortage of them.

“Aestrea!”

A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. Her soft hands grabbed my arm, pressing it firmly between two large, warm mounds.

“Christina?”

“Mhm!” She nodded, her lips curling into a sweet smile as she leaned against my shoulder.

“Are you ready?” I asked, looking straight into her dim pink eyes.

She nodded slighly.

Without another word, I waved my hand, and the streets of the Holy Nation vanished around us, replaced by a dazzling expanse of light.

Countless crystals floated in the air like stars caught mid-breath.

In their center stood a massive tree, its roots threading through reality itself.

The Yggdrasil.

“Master~”

A meticulously annoying voice called out to me, smooth and sing-song.

“Yumi…”

Right beside the Yggdrasil, there she was: the clown-faced woman with her deep, unsettling grin. That smile was so wide it almost split her face in two.

By now, though, I was used to it.

“You really decided to bring her, huh?” Her glimmering eyes flicked toward Christina, who stood calm and composed, though her grip on my arm tightened.

I nodded slightly.

“She’ll be useful to me.”

“Mhm~~” Yumi hummed, spinning on her heel like a dancer before turning back to the Yggdrasil.

“I’ve already sown Yggdrasil’s seed,” she sang, her voice dripping with strange delight.

“You can go now and absorb it to your liking, my dear Master~”

I took a slow step forward.

The Yggdrasil’s roots coiled along the floor like veins of light, pulsing with life. Each pulse echoed through the air, soft and rhythmic, like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to the world.

As I neared, the ground itself trembled faintly.

I raised my hand and pressed my palm against the trunk.

The instant my skin touched the bark, I felt something stir.

Golden threads of Divinity slithered beneath its surface like rivers of molten light. They reacted to my presence, to the chaotic energy sleeping inside me.

And then…

Crack.

The bark glowed beneath my palm.

The golden light dimmed, replaced by swirling darkness, deep and heavy like ink spreading in water.

My Chaotic Energy was leaking out, twisting with the Divinity flowing within the tree.

I gritted my teeth as my hand began to shake.

“Easy…” I muttered, pushing my focus inward.

The energy pouring from the Yggdrasil was pure, far too pure.

Each drop that entered me clashed against my Chaotic Energy, like holy fire colliding with black storms.

The sound of it roared in my mind, hissing, rumbling, whispering, every emotion of the world pouring into my veins.

And still, I absorbed.

My vision flickered.

The chamber wavered, light bending, space distorting around me. The air became thick, charged with power.

“Fascinating…” I heard Yumi’s voice faintly, muffled by the growing hum.

The Yggdrasil’s roots began to move, slowly, almost like they were breathing. They coiled tighter around the crystal ground, glowing brighter.

Each pulse sent a jolt of divine energy up my arm.

My veins lit up like rivers of fire under my skin.

It hurt… a lot.

But it meant the process was working.

The Divinity seeped deeper, mixing with the chaotic storm inside me. The two forces screamed against one another, neither wanting to yield.

Darkness and light… chaos and order…

It was beautiful.

I closed my eyes, focusing, forcing them to merge, to understand each other, even if just for a moment.

And then it happened.

Boom!

A wave of raw energy burst from my body, shaking the entire hall. Crystals cracked, fragments hovering midair as the Yggdrasil shuddered under the pressure.

The glow dimmed, and the chaos inside me… stabilized.

And then… in my dantian, a small tree silently took root.

“Huff…”

I opened my eyes.

The Yggdrasil had been transformed into a wisp of energy that slowly condensed around my dantian, enveloping the small tree with Divinity.

“…Heh,” I exhaled, lowering my hand.

“So that’s what it feels like…”

When I turned, Yumi was already watching me, her lips curved into that familiar, wry little smile.

“Now what?” I asked, brushing the dust from my hands.

She clicked her tongue softly, tilting her head as she walked closer. Her steps echoed faintly against the cracked crystal floor.

“I didn’t expect you to absorb the Yggdrasil so flawlessly~” she said, her voice dripping with amusement.

Her finger traced a slow line down my arm before stopping at my wrist, her eyes glimmering like crescent moons.

“But now…” she whispered, her grin deepening.

“It’s quite simple.”

With a flick of her hand, the air twisted, and a small, spiraling portal bloomed open beside us, its pull strong and irresistible.

Before I could say anything, we were already drawn in.

When my vision cleared, I found myself standing again on that same ancient battlefield… the one where I had erased more than a thousand angels.

The air still carried the faint metallic scent of divinity burned to ash.

“Just order the Ascension Gate to open~” Yumi purred, twirling a lock of her hair as her eyes glowed faintly.

Order it, huh?

I let out a small breath.

“So, I’ll have to use the 『 ✯Words of Law ✯』again.”

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and spoke softly:

“Open the Ascension Gate.”

The world trembled.

A blinding light tore through the dark sky above.

Clouds split apart as a massive, divine portal unfolded, rings of gold and white spinning in harmony, releasing a deep, melodic hum that shook the ground.

Then, from its center, a staircase of golden light extended downward, majestic, endless, reaching all the way to where we stood.

I felt Christina’s fingers tighten around mine.

Her eyes reflected the radiance above, soft and uncertain.

I glanced at Yumi one last time.

She was smiling faintly, her painted grin softer than usual.

“Goodbye, Yumi.”

“Good luck, my Master~” she sang, her voice fading as the wind began to pull us upward.

Without another word, I stepped forward with Christina.

The moment our feet touched the golden steps, the world dissolved, swallowed by light, as we were drawn into the Divine Realm.

…

“…Mhm~, mhm~”

As soon as Aestrea vanished through the portal, Yumi began to hum softly, her voice light and melodic.

She twirled in a small circle, her feet barely touching the ground as she hopped playfully, skirts fluttering around her.

“Master’s in the Divine Realm~”

“Master’s in the Divine Realm~”

Her tone rose and fell, weaving into a childish tune that slowly grew richer, almost haunting.

Each note shimmered with faint traces of mana, the air trembling gently around her as she swayed side to side.

Her hum became a song.

Her song became a spell.

And as the last note left her lips, the ground beneath her lit up, lines of light etching themselves into the earth, forming a massive, intricate magic circle.

From its core, divine light erupted.

A shadow stepped forth.

Chronos.

He emerged from the radiance, tall and solemn, the faint glow of time-energy rippling around his body.

“Ehe~ my dear Master has entered the Divine Realm,” Yumi sang softly, her grin widening as her voice turned almost dreamy.

Chronos said nothing at first. His gaze fixed on the place where the Ascension Gate had been moments ago, his expression unreadable.

“…That fast, huh?” he murmured at last, more to himself than to her.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen yet…”

FWIP!

Before the sound even finished, the edge of a spear gleamed at his throat.

Yumi’s playful smile vanished. Her eyes darkened into narrow, predatory slits, her voice dropping into a cold whisper.

“Huh? Do you actually dare to do something before the promised time?”

The pressure of her killing intent cracked the ground beneath them, a faint vibration running through the air.

Chronos froze, and his breath hitched. Even he, a god of time, felt the weight of her gaze clawing at his divine core.

“…N-no…” he stammered, sweat beading down his temple.

Yumi tilted her head, her grin returning, slow and wicked.

“That’s what I thought,” she said sweetly, lowering her weapon.

Then, her tone turned sharp, her voice slicing through the silence like glass.

“Now get out of my sight, ant.”

Chronos didn’t hesitate. He dissolved into motes of light, vanishing as if time itself had swallowed him.

Yumi watched the space where he disappeared, humming softly again as if nothing had happened.

Then, with a spin of her heel, she clasped her hands behind her back and began to sing once more, her voice echoing through the empty battlefield.

“Master’s in the Divine Realm~”

“Master’s in the Divine Realm~”

She continued singing in a bright, childlike, and utterly unsettling way.

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