The realm of the demon god, a world ruled by war and blood, as the limiter was removed from all the mortals, the realm went through a massive shift. The old power struggle between the realms' denizens became even more destructive than ever before. People did their best before, but now they could do way more, and their attacks affected more people. The demon god's realm was in ruin.
The realm of the human god was also going through war, but instead of power-hungry leaders, the human god's realm was full of war between sects of religious people who tried to mask their ideologies as their god's wishes. Unsurprisingly the state of the human god's realm was just as bad since the strongest members of each sect and their Gifted tried to pass their new power levels as blessings from the god who approved of their ways.
The dreamer god's realm was usually in peace, but after the limiter was broken, some people got a big head and started rebelling and taking over the world. Of course, a rebellion against god doesn't go well, but they reap what they sow. Not to mention that even before the limiter was broken, the dreamer god's church was up to no good, and this new shift did not slow their goals from being achieved.
The true god's realm was as peaceful as ever, even though some got way stronger, William, the true god, went to the mortal plane on many occasions and built a good relationship with the denizens of his world. So no one wanted to abuse their power, and anyone who tried got put down too fast for it to have any significant effects.
The realm of the weather god has never been in a worse state than after the limiter had broken. The divinity that was used to suppress mortals was also used to keep the barrier between the realms, So there won't be wars between the other realms, but since that divinity was released, Antony, the weather god, took all the people who could work to the godless realm to support his army. And since no one was working the farms, and their god had forsaken Them, the people left behind were running out of food quickly.
Ironically, the criminal god's realm was in the best state since its creation. The power struggle between the many crime lords stopped when one of the crime lord's organizations received a larger boost than the others. Because of many powerful members who had reached their limit before the limiter was broken, and when they got the power boost, they used it to take control of as big a territory as they could. This act made the rulers of the other territories very defensive, so they stopped fighting among themselves and got to appreciate a time of somewhat peace.
The godless realm wasn't in a much better state than the other realms since it always goes to ruin during the tournament. Although this time, both the contestants and the people of the realm were stronger than ever. And wars became bloodier than in past tournaments, though there was no large-scale massacre like in past tournaments.
********
After the revelation that Mary had a gift, Ishtar took her to see Danniel to find out what gift she had.
"Have you ever used any form of magic that seemed unusual?"
Danniel asked Mary, who sat in front of him as if it was an appointment with the doctor.
"Not as far as I'm aware."
Mary answered anxiously.
"Sigh... Look straight into my eyes."
Danniel said, and his eyes glowed brighter than usual.
Mary looked into his eyes and felt like his violet-colored eyes pierced through her.
As if he could see all her weaknesses, past, and much more.
She was in a deep trance as she looked directly into his eyes, but then he blinked and severed the connection.
A smirk appeared on Danniel's face, and he was shaking excitedly like a kid who received a new toy.
"What is it?!"
Mira asked worryingly.
"You have Tempus's gift!"
Danniel announced meaningfully.
"...?"
Mary had no clue how to react.
Danniel expected this reaction and readied for an explanation.
"He was a god who created nothing and did nothing of worth to mortals in his time."
Danniel explained happily.
"So why do you look so excited?"
Mary asked, confused by the light shining excitedly like a fire.
"There were many gods who wanted the ability to manipulate time. You can see that just by looking at how many gifts can give people different ways to see the future, but they all failed," Danniel said happily, "Tempus also failed, but he was the closest to succeeding. He developed a way to reincarnate with most of your memories back in your past once you die. Normally even if a mortal would reincarnate, it's unlikely that he will keep his memories, and even if he does, he can't reincarnate to a time before he dies. But by manipulating divinity, Tempus made it possible. Your gift is exactly that. The ability to travel back to your past when you die!"
Danniel explained happily, and his eyes shined even brighter.
This gift was perfect for Danniel's plans. Even if they were to fail, so long as Mary stays with Shu, if Danniel's plans fail, Mary would give it a retry.
"So I can return by death?"
Mary wanted to clarify.
"Hmm, yes. I'm so happy you are with Little Shu. With you by his side, he will be unstoppable."
Danniel said, and Mary blushed a little.
Seeing Mary blush like that, Danniel leaned back on his chair and chuckled.
"Do you, by any chance, have a crush on Shu?"
Danniel asked Mary.
"Of course, I don't have any feelings for that perve."
Mira said and pouted.
"Well, I hope this won't make him any less useful. I can't let such minor things damage my TOOLS."
Danniel said and emphasized the word tools.
"Don't treat Shu like a tool! He is way better than you are. And he at least won't use people..."
Mary started shouting at Danniel, but seeing a devilish smile expanding on his fair face, she understood what her lushing out meant and stopped her rant.
"Why did you stop? I support your opinion fully. If you ever need my help making him do something, as his patron god, I swear I will help you do it as long as you won't hurt him. And please, call me Danny."
Danniel said with a broad smile on his face.
"Thank you for your help, and please don't tell Shu about what just happened."
Mary practically begged him.
"Okay, I'm not that big of a jerk, right? Ishtar?"
Danny said and looked at Ishtar, who gave him a cold stare. This wasn't the first time he had "bullied" someone who acted like a tsundere.
"Well, now that this is over, Ishtar, I need you to train her."
Danny said, and Ishtar sighed.
"Well, let's go, kid."
Ishtar said, and Mary followed her out of the room.
"Where are we going?"
Mary asked Ishtar.
"To the west, I will train you in chanting and fighting on the way."
Ishtar said, and the two of them headed to the west.
********
"So, what are you going to teach me?"
Shu asked Chaos excitedly.
"First, we are going to the Nippon Mountain. You are going to meet your family."
Chaos answered.
"Aren't you supposed to train me? Why do we need to meet with my biological family?"
Shu asked.
"For a long time, I believed that one cannot get stronger without at least suppressing his inner monsters, and this philosophy has never let me down."
Chaos said with a serious expression and tone.
"Why can't I be with Mira instead of Alexander?"
Shu asked desperately.
"Mira is the one who taught me that I needed to face my inner monsters and let go of my past to master my power and save my friends in the present."
Chaos said and shuttered Shu's hope.
"Are you and Mira dating?"
Shu asked Chaos out of nowhere as they walked towards the east.
"No."
Chaos answered quickly, and when Shu tried to dig further, he glared at him.
Being glared at angrily, Shu just walked silently in fear for an entire day after that.
********
"What can you teach me?"
Alexander asked Mira, who was sitting on a rock watching him for more than five minutes.
"So it's, really, that serious."
Mira sighed and rose.
"I was told that you have God's Creation and that because of that, you believed you were a god, but things didn't work out, and Shu beat you. What? Now that you received immortality, you believe you truly are a god?"
Mira asked Alexander while walking toward him.
"No. I NEEDED to believe that. And with such a strong power, who can argue that I'm not?"
Alexander said, and images of his family, master, and "him" flashed through his mind.
Alexander created a sword and tried to attack her, but the moment the blade reached her, she slid it across her arm and punched him in the guts.
"It's good you have guts, but please understand your current power level better."
Mira whispered into Alexander's ear as he fell to the ground.
He lay on the ground in pain for the entire first day of training.
When he could talk again, the first thing he did was apologize and bow down to his "all-powerful master." as he worded it.
********
"You are very skilled. The only issue is that you are weak, and your technique is flawed."
George Adom said to Thomas.
"How can you make me stronger?"
Thomas asked.
"I will make you go through Shu's training."
George said happily, and Knowing how strong Shu was, Thomas was excited to see how far he would go.
********
"You rely too much on magic."
Mrs. Hella said.
"What can I do about it?"
Hannah asked.
"I'm not skilled enough to teach you how to fight without magic, but I will help you learn how to enhance yourself with magic by imbuing your muscles with magic."
Mrs. Hella started teaching her.
********
After Emilia woke up and the misunderstanding was cleared, she helped Dasheng Zhizi to notify his existence to Danniel.
"So, what is your connection to the demon god?"
Dam asked the stone monkey.
"Some stuff happened between my dad and the demon god during the last Multi Realm War, and I asked him to let me reincarnate with my memories from back then when he needed me so that I could pay for my father's sins."
Dasheng Zhizi explained his backstory without much detail.
He didn't even want to share his backstory, but to make Dam trust him, he had to tell the truth.
"I won't even act as if I understood anything you said, but now that you told us who you are, you are welcomed to join us."
Dam said and put his hand forward to shake hands, and Dasheng Zhizi shook his hand.
The three of them left the city and started traveling to the east to the place where Danniel told them they could reunite with Shu.
********
The next time all these people met would be in three years. And in three years, a lot can change.