Outside the spirit world, between the spiritual and material worlds.
In an indescribable way, the authority and soul that Set once possessed came here in an instant and were about to fall into the center of the fifth spiritual world.
He couldn't hear Ra's comments and exclamations, but if he could hear them, Seth would probably just have a strange expression on his face.
"Bo~"
The magic net fluctuated slightly, causing a slight ripple in this gap.
As early as the beginning of the Second Era, this place, which was created by the opening up of the spiritual world, was still filled with endless time and space. The power extending from the spiritual core isolated it from all connections with the material world, and even the primitive gods were afraid of it.
Until the end of the Second Age, a huge net formed by the burning of silver fire covered everything. It was woven by the laws of spirituality and elements and became a bridge of communication between the two.
Therefore, in a sense, the magic network has a lot of connections with the spiritual world and the real world, because the elements do have connections with both.
As the Third Age passed, the Magic Web grew larger and larger. In today's world, it is rare to see a place that is not covered by the Magic Web.
"…"
"...Foreign land, this is their world, Chaos..."
The pain that reached the origin within the blended souls suddenly struck Set's heart.
Just like Shu before, no matter what, as a god, they can always hold on for a while.
Shu saw the seven spiritual realms at the end of his life, and for Set, it was not difficult to maintain consciousness until he met Chaos.
Of course, this is the limit. Seth is sure that the current situation cannot be maintained for long.
The Ka and Ba are constantly destroyed and reunited, and the spiritual order of Hermenu is seen through by the existence behind it. Then a new order is filled in, forming a different soul structure.
Set could vaguely guess that perhaps his soul after death would be transformed by this foreign god into one or a special life, and even many characteristics of the Egyptian gods would be preserved.
"Maybe Shu is the same. He knows that he won't be at peace even after his death. No, we are not mortals. How can we be at peace after our consciousness is completely extinguished?"
The closer I get to death, the clearer my thoughts become.
Seth looked at the vast world in front of him, which was much larger than Hermeneus, and his mood gradually became nervous.
On his body, a black-gold light that was constantly fading was flowing. The black part in particular faintly echoed with that huge world.
This is the power of the world, the power that constitutes the rules of the chessboard. Unlike Shu, when Set was captured, he did not lose strictly speaking.
Although his failure was inevitable, since Kash, to whom he had given the power to control the desert insect beasts, was not dead yet, he could actually linger on for a while, just like the Rain God and the Sky Goddess who would suffer the same fate after a while.
But Seth chose to resist, and God satisfied his desire to die.
After all, the little power he had left could not protect him for long. Once he entered the spirit world, it would completely dissipate. And no matter what, as Set, he was doomed to die.
Buzz——
The magic net vibrated slightly, and even though it took a long time in my mind, it was actually just a moment.
Set's soul shuttled through the strings of the magic web, and this huge web connecting spirituality and matter was spread out before him.
Seth didn't know what this structure was, or what it was used for. But when he sensed the aura that was similar to the black light on his body, he decisively discarded some things that did not belong to him.
The next moment, the desert and storm god of Hermeneu was pulled into the fifth level of the spiritual world.
The part of him that belonged to wind was pulled away and fell towards the newly formed wind element interface; the part of him that belonged to earth fell to the other side and began to evolve into a new earth element interface.
The prototype of the water elemental level also began to emerge, waiting for the upcoming "feast". The fifth spiritual world vibrated and trembled, as if cheering for its own perfection.
But this has nothing to do with Set. The Pillar God of Hermeneus died here completely and became another victim of the war between the two worlds.
He is not the first, and certainly won't be the last.
·········
Chaos, present world, Underdark.
Beneath the earth and above the underworld, lies the underground world between the two.
This place is called the 'Underworld' by the few creatures on earth who know of its existence, meaning a place that never sees the sun and is shrouded in darkness.
Of course, some people simply call it the underground world, because they believe that the underground is a vast world that is similar to the underworld and the size of the earth. Although they have only come into contact with a tiny part of it, they cannot simply use the word "region" to describe it.
In short, scholars' arguments are always so strange that a name or description can make them debate for a long time. But no matter what this place is called, it will not harm its danger.
Legend has it that a beautiful but cruel and cunning underground race lives here. Even the few adventurers who have managed to return alive claim that there are dragons here.
Dragons are naturally powerful like monsters, but they have the same intelligence as humans and are even a race that can reproduce normally.
Although few people have seen real dragons, legends about them have long been circulating among people.
…
"roar--"
In the fiery dungeon, a gigantic red dragon was crouching in the center of the lava lake.
A deep roar echoed in the cave, and it seemed to be on guard, because beside it, there were several large dragon eggs absorbing the power in the air.
There is no doubt that this is a red dragon that is about to raise offspring.
Although as a naturally evil dragon species, this kind of dragon originally born in the Underdark is not actually keen on raising offspring, but at least they will fulfill their responsibilities when the baby dragons are just born.
If nothing goes wrong, it will wait here until a few dragon eggs hatch, and then raise them until they are at least big enough to hunt on their own before driving them out. This is its usual procedure.
However, this time, it may not be so lucky...
Whoosh——
"roar--!"
The red dragon was already extremely alert, and the moment the unusual movement occurred, it opened its mouth and subconsciously spewed out a breath of dragon fire in the direction of the sound.
The blazing flames seemed to be able to burn everything. In the red dragon's impression, not many lives in the world could face the flames it spewed.
brush--
There was no obstacle for a moment, as if the two existed in different dimensions.
The Liuxing, shining with black and gold light, flashed by, passed through the dragon flame, and shot directly into the body of the red dragon.
Time and space seemed to freeze for a moment, and the next moment, with a loud bang, the red dragon's dozens of meters long body suddenly exploded and turned into fragments all over the sky.
The fragments fell like snowflakes, and the seemingly powerful red dragon fell on the spot in an instant.
However, surprisingly, when the dragon blood that was shattered all over the sky fell to the ground, it strangely formed new eggs of different sizes. They had the aura of a red dragon, but they were not that similar.
"…"
"...who I am?"
"I am Set? I am Anubis? I am the red dragon?"
"I am the spirit of Hermeneus... I am the spirit of Chaos... Where is Hermeneus?"
"…"
It was as if the memory was confused. After a while, an illusory figure appeared in the quiet cave.
He has a human body, a head that looks like both a wolf and a dog, and a pair of wings that resemble dragon wings.
His eyes were sometimes confused, sometimes crazy. I don't know how long it took before a little clarity appeared in his eyes.
"...I see. Am I alive again, or am I just another person with memories?"
"Long... I didn't expect that there was someone who thought of going with me. But his luck wasn't as good as mine, and he hasn't woken up yet."
With a flash of his body, the creature with a dog's head and a human body found a dragon egg and sat down on it.
After the previous review, he finally understood roughly what was going on with him.
A world war, he himself - let's just say he realized the coming of death. However, the power of the world is so strong, and the power of the outer gods is also not something he can resist.
He wanted to find a way to save himself, but he had neither the wisdom of Thoth nor the strength of Ra, so he had no choice but to take a gamble.
So when the outer gods took action, Seth decisively gave up the idea of continuing to live for a while, and instead took the initiative to seek death, but it was also a way to survive from death.
His own power is so small that he cannot fight against the world or the outer gods, so borrowing power is the best solution.
Before he completely lost the bet and Kash and the beast tide in the human world were destroyed, his life was still protected by the forces of the two worlds.
Thus, such an adventurous plan took shape in his mind. With no other options left, Seth gambled everything without hesitation.
Even with the protection of the world's power, he knew that he was doomed to die. It was a complete pipe dream to escape from the hands of the outer gods.
Fortunately, the theoretical offspring between him and Nephthys had not yet been born, so Set chose to take a bold gamble.
He pulled out the 'Ba', whose offspring was still in the womb, and projected his thoughts into this soul that symbolized the emotions and desires of the Egyptian gods.
As Set, he is the trophy of the Outer Gods, and everything he owns is difficult to escape, but the rules of the chessboard do not involve blood and heirs.
So when Set realized the other side of the magic web, which was the power of Chaos's appearance, he decisively carried out his plan.
But now... Seth really didn't know if he had succeeded. In fact, he vaguely felt that 'he' might indeed be alive, but that probably had nothing to do with 'Seth'.
"Does the continuation of memory and cognition mean survival? Rather than saying that I am Set, it would be better to say that I am a new god who inherited his memory."
"Since I am supposed to be his descendant, my name will be 'Anubis' from now on."
Anubis, the dog-headed man, made his choice, and in fact, his current appearance is derived from this.
Originally, Anubis, the Egyptian god of death, was such a god with a dog (wolf?) head and a human body. He was even better known than his father. The dragon wings on his back were naturally from the bloodline of the red dragon.
After all, Anubis found that his current form of existence seemed a little strange.
After devouring a red dragon, he had intended to take over its body directly, but when Anubis tried to do so, he sensed some secrets deep within the dragon's bloodline.
The dragon race... This alien race was probably not native to Chaos, just like him. So the moment Anubis discovered this, he changed his plan.
He is not the god of Chaos and does not have an immortal essence. When he loses his authority, he naturally no longer possesses the power of a god.
But the secret he discovered from the red dragon made him change his mind. Anubis was surprised to find that there was another way to master power in this world.
"...Binding oneself to a race, as the source of the race, forming a false authority to transform beliefs, and thus possessing divine power?"
"As expected of an existence that survived the disaster of the destruction of another world, it can actually come up with this method."
Some people admired that Anubis followed suit.
He gave up on seizing the red dragon's body at that time, and instead created a new race based on his own 'Ba' and the red dragon's flesh and blood.
This is not a true creation. Without the authority of life, it is difficult for Anubis to do this. However, he should be a god with a dog's head and a human body, so he actually molded this species according to his own image. If nothing unexpected happens, the appearance of this new species will also inherit this characteristic.
Of course, when Anubis chose to bind himself to a race, the influence became mutual. So when this new race had the red dragon vein, he also grew a pair of dragon wings.
"I don't know what god I should call it now. According to the broken memory fragments of this red dragon, there is a strange regional god in this world called Chaos, which is a bit like the patron god of Hermenunom (city-state)."
"They generally don't have authority in the true sense, but they all possess divine power. Hmm... they are bound to a region, and their divine power will not end as long as the region is not destroyed. They can be called regional gods. Then I am bound to a race, and my power will not end as long as the race is not destroyed. Can I be called a racial god?"
No matter what kind of god it is, it is just a title after all, but the power is real.
So Anubis quickly put this idea aside, it was just a small matter. There was nothing wrong with calling these gods without real authority as quasi-gods.
"What happened in the past is in the past."
"What I need to do most now is to make the Kobolds multiply and grow, and become an indispensable part of the world."
This is the eternal life that even Set did not have. Thinking of this, Anubis couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
It turns out that it is better to be born well than to do well. Compared with the world of Hermeneu, the gods who grew up in Chaos have left them far behind as soon as they were born.
But then again, the God of this world... doesn't he know at all that his own world is being invaded?
Maybe the red dragon just had too little contact with things, Anubis could only think so.
But no matter what, he still kept the doubt in his heart.
Anubis' arrival was inconspicuous. Few gods cared about this remote and desolate underground world.
The boiling and flowing world power also concealed a lot of movements, especially the black-gold light that enveloped him and descended. For the few beings who could sense the collision of world power, this feeling was no different from before.
But this was exactly what Anubis was thinking. He had just arrived in a foreign land and he just wanted to spend some time in peace.
So Anubis suppressed his previous doubts and began to think about the existence that he should be wary of in the future.
Compared to Hemenu, which only had the Nile River and the desert flowing through the world, this world was still too big and too mysterious for him. The Red Dragon's broken memories could not allow him to understand the reality of this world at all, and many contents were like flowers in the fog.
Therefore, before developing the tribe to a certain extent, Anubis just wanted to hide underground and be a complete kobold while developing the kobolds.
"...Isis, I, the existence behind the Dragon Clan, I know of three outsiders, and I don't know if there will be others. Compared to Hermeneus, Chaos is much more open, and more powerful than ever."
"According to the logic of how the world works, He should have received many more powerful visitors from outside the domain before, otherwise my arrival would not have been so smooth."
With a slight flicker in his eyes, Anubis felt that perhaps one of the remaining nine gods could escape.
The battle between the two worlds was not a crushing defeat, and Hermanu had some ability to resist from the beginning to the end. Under such circumstances, it was not surprising that someone could escape like him.
"It's easy to talk to others, as everyone is trying to escape, but I can't let Isis find me. If La survives, it's best to stay away from him."
I thought to myself, there is no need to say much about the former, because the other party is a traitor, and although Anubis is the betrayed party, it does not mean that he can forgive you with a wave of his hand, and then the two sides will not interfere with each other.
He said that he didn't bear any grudge against the other party, but would Isis believe it? Anyway, Anubis himself would not believe it, not to mention that he was a fish that escaped from the hands of that terrible outer god.
Although he didn't know what level of existence the other party was in this world, and what position Bila held in Hermeneus, Anubis just wanted to stay as far away from Him as possible.
As for the problem of Ra, it is not that complicated. It is simply because Anubis does not want to continue to hang out with his old boss, nor does he want to attract too much attention from local gods.
He was once the God King of another world, a being above the true God. If he died, then that would be the end of everything. If he survived, he would be like an oversized light bulb that could attract everything.
"In the final analysis, everything depends on the strength of the force."
"Given my current state, there probably won't be a weaker god than me in the entire history of the world."
He shook his head slightly. Having lost all authority and power, and being tied to his race, Anubis' strength at this moment was weaker than ever.
His race still only had a few eggs, and it was unknown how long it would take for them to reproduce. And most importantly, Anubis was surprised to find that in this alien world, the gods could not steal their natural priesthoods.
Is a god who cannot rob the priesthood still a god? Isn't everything for such a god destined at birth? Anubis didn't quite understand this. You know, even the sun god position of Ra was robbed from the original god Atum.
Although Chaos' world was more powerful and orderly, the solidification of the priesthood did surprise him. This might be a good thing for the world, but not necessarily for people like him.
"The only good news is that in the Red Dragon's impression, there are things called 'totem spirits' and 'natural spirits' in this world. They were often originally wild beasts, plants, or even rocks, and then for unknown reasons they gained wisdom, thus developing beliefs, accepting sacrifices, and even being able to 'raise the country' and become gods."
"But this kind of existence seems to be able to be killed and their authority taken away."
The reason why the Red Dragon knew this in his memory was because he had his eyes on the authority possessed by a totem spirit that had not yet become a god.
In its impression, it seemed to be a humanistic priesthood called [Excavation]. The red dragon wanted to use this field to dig more treasures in the underground world and gain more powerful power.
Now it is dead, but Anubis feels that this priesthood is meant for him.
"It just so happens that this is an underground world. As the birthplace of the Kobolds, it is inevitable that excavation and smelting are needed. It seems that my luck is not that bad."
"Time in Hemainu has been passing more slowly recently. I hope that before it ends there, I can have a foothold here."
Making a decision secretly, Anubis hesitated for a moment, then he spread his dragon wings and gathered the eggs under his body.
On his first day as an alien god in Chaos, his first task was to hatch eggs.
······
laugh--
Tick-tock…tick-tock…
Hermenu, the fall of Set is only the beginning.
The black tide seemed to sense the breath of the fountain of life from those humans, and several empty spaces appeared in the tide, and no insects or ants were willing to approach.
And it was with this opportunity that Aaron successfully came to Cash.
Under normal circumstances, it is impossible for legs to outrun horses, but in the face of insects and jackals everywhere, mounts become a burden.
After a short and thrilling fight, when Cash's weapon pierced the enemy's abdomen, Aaron finally succeeded in piercing his chest with a sword.
Tick-tock…
Blood flowed down the weapon, splashing blood on the ground.
Aaron drew his sword and stepped back. With a dull thump, Cash's body fell to the ground.
Aaron covered the wound on his waist and abdomen while looking at the corpse's wide-open eyes. He recognized the sudden attacker from his clothes and the items he carried.
The ruler of Nubia, a defeated general of Ramses II, might have imagined yesterday that he would command his army to destroy cities and strongholds, avenge the defeat of the Hebrews, and defeat Egypt.
But now, he died so easily. He had no time to realize his grand ambitions, and just fell in this inconspicuous corner.
"My Lord, these insects and ants are still attacking. Although they have no commander and their movement is unsystematic, their numbers..."
"No problem."
Waving his hand to interrupt his men, Aaron looked back at the towering tree.
In a short period of time, the tree has more than doubled in height, but the number of holes on it has also increased.
Rainwater seeped through it, the sound of meteorites hitting the ground continued, and a little bit of it even fell through the holes.
However, after just a rough estimate, Aaron felt that the problem was not serious.
"It will be fine. God has seen the suffering we have endured, and He has given the high priest even greater power. This sacred tree that blocks out the sun and sky is proof of this."
"Soon, this disaster will be over."
Speaking calmly, after this period of disaster, Aaron felt that he seemed to have grasped the key points.
"Maybe... there will be a major epidemic in the world soon."
"It was because of the excessive rain that the lives lost, or it could be due to something else."
Before he finished speaking, Aaron saw the giant tree on the horizon tremble.
The tree shrinks and falls back to the place where it was born.
The rain in the sky lost its barrier, and the falling meteorites hit the earth directly. The earth without shelter seemed to be about to be flattened, but at this moment, Aaron smiled instead.
"This is the miracle the Hebrews paid for with their lives."
The next moment, the clouds in the sky were cut apart, and the falling meteorites turned into powder.
The sun shone on the earth again, and the rolling black tide fled in all directions.
The survivors knelt on the ground, devoutly thanking the gods for their protection; the corpses were exposed on the ground, all white.
Aaron waved slightly, signaling the people around him to come closer to him.
"Get ready to go back."
"Go back to the city and thank the high priest for his grace."
"…Yes, sir."
The surrounding soldiers looked a little strange. In their opinion, Aaron led them to fight the enemy and came up with various ways to solve the problems.
However, all of this is not as good as the miracle of Moses. He just sat there and prayed, expressing his opinions with compassion, as if he was the savior.
If the blessing of the gods had not fallen on him but on Lord Aaron, would they not have had to suffer so much and could have left Egypt long ago?
The answer is unknown, and no one dares to question it.
The soldiers began to collect the bodies of their comrades and then returned to the city under construction.
They want to bury the bodies so that the souls of the dead can rest in peace.
…
As the sun shone, cheers could be heard from all over the city.
At the core of the new city, Moses held the scepter that had returned to its original form.
Perhaps because of the nourishment of the fountain of life, or perhaps because of the watering of blood, the scepter's appearance became more ancient and mysterious, and the power within it increased day by day.
When he realized that simple defense could not cope with the attack of natural disasters, and when he saw countless insects and ants pouring in from the outside world with the help of the perspective of the sacred tree, Moses subconsciously wanted to destroy them, and then he succeeded.
The giant tree turned back into a staff, and then exploded with power beyond his imagination.
The clouds were parted by Moses' will, the falling stars turned into dust, and the ant beasts that invaded the city were annihilated into ashes. However, holding this staff, Moses could not feel the slightest happiness.
The more suffering it endured, the stronger the power of the scepter would be. But Moses would rather it remain an ordinary piece of wood, rather than the holy object that can control the wind and rain.
"Almighty Lord, is it true that our bloodline is born with original sin? Even with your great power, we must atone for our sins before we can be redeemed?"
Somewhat confused and at a loss, the smell of blood lingered around him. Messer didn't know how many of the hundreds of thousands of people had died, but his intuition told him that it must be a large number.
"...High Priest?"
"Yeah, I'm listening."
When Moses came back to his senses from his trance, he noticed that there was someone next to him.
He was looking at him with excitement, as if worshipping the miracle performed by Moses.
"It's like this. You just dispelled the disaster, and people in the city are celebrating. I wonder..."
"I will go, but it is not me who dispels the disaster. It is God who dispels the natural disasters caused by the gods of Egypt."
He opened his mouth to correct it, and Moses nodded in agreement.
He really should encourage people's hearts. The disasters they have suffered recently are too many.
…
The sky, where the nine pillars of gods are located.
Not much time passed, and only five of the nine pillars that originally stood between heaven and earth remained.
Thoth escaped temporarily only because, strictly speaking, there was no such thing as a winner or loser between him and Isis.
There were only three available gods left in front of Ra: Osiris, the god of the underworld, Nephthys, the patron saint of the dead and homes, and Geb, the god of the earth.
The scene was a bit deserted. Nephthys was silent, Osiris' eyes flickered, and Geb seemed to be frightened. After all, his wife, the sky goddess Nut, was captured right next to him.
The prestige that La had built up over tens of millions of years was almost gone, and none of the remaining gods were willing to take action again.
Everything that happened before seemed to prove that taking action was a precursor to death.
"There's no point in delaying it. If we continue in the current state, when the world ends, everyone will naturally be judged as the loser."
Sitting upright on the celestial sphere, La said calmly.
He seemed to realize that he could not force the gods to take action, and so he chose to persuade them with words.
"…But if we are going to die anyway, dying late is better than dying early. And no one can guarantee that there will be no turning point in the future."
There was silence for a moment. Seeing that no one responded, Osiris did not look in the direction of Ra, but stared at Thoth opposite him.
"Besides, if there is anyone who has a greater chance of winning the previous round, isn't it you, Your Majesty?"
Of the remaining gods, Geb was at a loss, and he was afraid that he would die. Thoth might be the one pulling the strings, and it was unknown whether he had any plans.
As for Osiris himself...he originally had no backup plan, but when he discovered Isis's betrayal, he suddenly realized that this might not be the case.
You know, who was the one who prepared the wedding with Isis? Wasn't it him?
Although he later learned that it was just a substitute created by the other party to fake his death and escape, it was also because of the other party's involvement that he, a god of agriculture enjoying the sunshine on earth, became the god of the underworld underground.
If Osiris felt wronged before, and even secretly angry about Isis's foreign offspring who came from nowhere, it is another matter now.
Traitors are good. When others suspect that you are a traitor, you'd better be a real traitor, not a fake one.
Judging from all the current signs, Isis has indeed boarded the ship of the foreign gods without knowing when.
I don't know if as a member implicated by the other party, I still have a chance to turn from evil to good.
Chapter 381 Book of the Dead
With his eyes lowered, facing Osiris' seemingly unintentional questioning, Ra seemed to be still paying attention to the situation in the human world.
The impact of the deaths of the four pillar gods was direct, but also potential.
Most of the insects and beasts summoned by Set were destroyed, and the rest fled in all directions. After a period of powerless resistance, with the death of the sky goddess and the lake goddess Tefnut, the climate of Hemenu changed permanently.
This is not like the natural disasters controlled by the gods before, which, although horrific, were orderly and well-targeted.
But with the death of the gods, the origin they represented was extracted, and the cycle of the world seemed to be affected.
Frogs and flies fled from lakes and swamps, and mosquitoes spread everywhere, carrying diseases. La could already foresee another disaster that would sweep across the earth, with corpses strewn all over the land, regardless of race or status.
This is irreversible. Unless the world makes up for the missing parts and regenerates the corresponding gods, or if He fails completely and becomes part of another world, there is no possibility of any cessation of this.
However, La did not care much. Although the disaster in the world looked terrible, it actually caused Hemenu to gradually shift more power to him. Moreover, in a short period of time, these influences would not defeat the core of the Egyptian dynasty.
This was enough. He had protected the Egyptians for a long time and helped them build a strong dynasty. Now it was time for them to repay him.
Not only these mortals, but even these gods are the same.
Everyone knows that Ra defeated Atum, the previous sun god and the original god of Hemenu, and became the new sun. But how many people remember that most of the nine pillars of gods today already existed in that era? They were born because of the original gods, and the name "enneading" was also passed down from that era.
In the battle between the old and new suns, few people knew what roles the other gods played. And when Ra succeeded in becoming Ra Atum, no one cared about these things.
Just like in the myths of the old times, Shu and Tefnut were the first generation of gods created by Atum, but as Ra ascended the throne of the sun, human myths also easily changed.
People believed that Shu, the god of the atmosphere, was born from Ra's breath, Tefnut was born from his cough, and from these two the heaven and earth were born.
Nothing seems to have changed, except the name of the original creator.
But Laco still remembered these things, and every one of them should be grateful for his kindness at that time.
"Osiris, so you don't want to leave."
"You want to stay here and pray that the Outer Gods will spare your life?"
Without even raising his eyes, he was able to see through Osiris's little thoughts.
Although Set's murder of Osiris did not happen in this world, the event itself is not important; what is important is the internal logic it reflects.
The fact that Osiris was murdered by his own brother even when he had the upper hand shows how mediocre his ability was.
With this little ability, you want to learn from others and surrender to the enemy? After being tricked by Isis, Ra admitted that the other party was smart and worthy of being the one he had chosen. But Osiris...
Silently, under the cover of his sleeves, a long scroll fell into La's hands.
The part of Thoth's eyes that was still on the source sea moved slightly, and he noticed the gently swaying robe. After just a moment's thought, he guessed what it was.
Among the nine gods, only Osiris had changed his main duties, from the god of agriculture to the god of the underworld. This poor guy actually dared to rebel at this time...
"I'm not praying for my life, Ra, I just thought maybe we should talk."
"As far as I know, you were seriously injured a thousand years ago, and you recovered from the injury through reincarnation. Is that true?"
Oblivious to the movement on the field, Osiris asked again.
"Yes, you mean my opponent is "He"? Yes, there is "He"."
Still without looking up, La gave the answer calmly.
"If that's the case, then, dear Lord Ra, is this also the reason why the gods from other lands are unwilling to communicate with us?"
"Compared to us, the existence of Isis proves that the Outer Gods are not incapable of communication. Or... you actually don't want us to communicate."
The tone became more and more impolite. Osiris didn't think that he could do anything to him in this source sea. And after that, it was uncertain whether the other party could survive.
The Outer Gods may not necessarily kill them all, but those who have been enemies for a long time will most likely not be able to escape.
As for the other party's ruthless killing of those gods before... In fact, from the perspective of the Egyptian gods, without knowing the existence of Chaos, they had a different understanding.
The creation myth of Hemenu is very different from that of other worlds. It is said that Nun, one of the symbols of the primordial water, gave birth to the first god Atum. He fell from the lotus, and the sun shone on the boundless water from then on.
However, as the first god in the world, Atum was the strongest god at that time, but in fact he was also the weakest god, because all of Hemenu's divine duties were superimposed on him at that time. Therefore, restricted by the special laws of this world, his power not only did not become extremely powerful, but was weakened instead.
The priesthood other than the sun greatly reduced his power, so driven by instinct, Atum began his so-called journey of "creation".
He separated the wind from the atmosphere and created Shu, and separated the lake from the rain and created Tefnut. He ordered the two to marry, and then handed over the ministry of the sky and the earth to their offspring Geb and Nut, and ordered them to marry and give birth to more beings that carry his ministry.
With each priesthood he reduced, Atum became more powerful, until a certain moment, when he felt that he had the power to surpass all the gods, he stopped the division.
He believed that the heavens and the earth were created by him, and that the gods were also created by him. They had neither reason nor power to resist him. Therefore, even if there were still some priesthoods other than the Sun, Atum would no longer separate them, and Hemenu's creation of the world ended.
This also provided an opportunity for Ra to usurp the throne later.
Thinking back, Osiris knew that when Ra became the new sun, he learned the lesson of Atum and stripped away the remaining priesthood. For example, Bast and Sekhmet were gods who came out of his eyes and were born.
The purity of the priesthood allowed Ra to truly possess a power that no other gods could challenge. From then on, no one dared to challenge his position until the arrival of the outside world.
However, according to Osiris's understanding, although the gods from outside the domain killed the four pillar gods, that should be the result of their choice to be enemies with him. Even if they died, perhaps the outer gods would separate them again to create new gods in order to maintain the pure power.
No way, it shouldn't be possible. There is no way that Atum's example can be seen before, and there are no gods who want to control so many relatively weak divine powers at the same time?
It is absolutely impossible. How could anyone do such a thing that goes against common sense?
"…La, that's it."
"This may be Hemenu's war, and it may be your war, but it is not necessarily the war of all gods. We should think in a different way instead of resorting to force for everything."
Glancing at the other gods, Osiris saw that Thoth seemed to be looking at him supportively, and Geb looked approving as if he had grasped a life-saving straw.
Sure enough, he was not the only one who thought so, everyone had the same idea, but they just didn't dare to say it out loud.
"In short, I hope to stay here for the time being and wait for the situation to change. Of course, if God Ra is willing to display your supreme power and destroy everything, that would be great."
The voice echoed over the source sea. Under the golden mask, Ra's expression was not clear.
He was still looking at the world, but Osiris thought this might be a way of escaping. After all, for thousands of years, no one had dared to contradict him like this.
"...Osiris."
After a moment of silence, La raised his head slightly.
His eyes were calm and indifferent. Perhaps it was the authority accumulated over millions of years. Osiris actually felt some subconscious palpitations.
"I'll give you one more chance. Obey my orders and do your best to destroy the sinners in the world. If you can do that, I will forgive you for your actions."
"No need, Your Majesty, I stick to my own opinion. What you think may not always be right!"
Taking a deep breath and looking at the dead eyes, Osiris spoke.
"very good."
He nodded slightly, and the corners of La's mouth seemed to move under the golden mask.
"Well, Osiris, since you want to stay in the Source Sea, I will grant your wish."
"As long as you don't regret it."
The fingers under the long sleeves moved slightly, and the long scroll emitted a magical light.
In the human world, similar creations are not uncommon in the tombs of pharaohs of all dynasties.
It is called the "Book of the Dead" by mortals. It records praises to gods, curses against threats, and also records the life and achievements of the pharaohs as proof of their merits during their lifetime.
People believed that the god of the underworld Osiris would use this to judge the good and evil deeds of mortals in their lives, and then ride on the boat to the next life.
Everything was so orderly, as if it was a tradition passed down from ancient times. However, there was one thing that many people had forgotten, that was Osiris...it seemed that he was not born as the god of the underworld.
He was originally the god of agriculture in the human world, controlling the prosperity and decline of all plants. If nothing unexpected happened, the underworld had nothing to do with him.
Then the question arises, almost all the important powers in the world of Hemenu were born in the beginning, and then split off by Atum. So before him, which god exercised and held the power of Hades?
"It is the god Ra, of course. Or rather, this is one of the powers that Atum once did not separate from."
"The sun boat of Ra holds some divine power. Whenever the sun sets, it sails through the water systems of the underworld and the netherworld. When it sails out, it means the sun rises."
"The sun constantly interweaves between the world of the living and the world of the dead, so it also symbolizes 'rebirth' and 'rebirth'. However, when Ra took over the throne, in order to ensure the purity and strength of his own power, he decided to give up the power of Hades."
As the god of wisdom and writing, Thoth knew this very well, because he assisted Ra in giving up his authority over the underworld.
Because of the connection between the sun and the world of the dead, although Ra decided to give up this divine power, he ultimately did not choose to directly create a corresponding god, because this would cause him to completely lose control of this authority.
So he asked Thoth for help, and the two worked together to create the artifact [Book of the Dead].
By mastering the Book of the Dead, Ra would be able to influence the afterlife without weakening his power. He drew on the power of the Eight Primordial Gods through his rebirth, and relied on the power of this power.
Corresponding legends and myths were spread among the people, and the authority bestowed upon Osiris actually originated from this. Even Thoth knew that although the magic separated after Isis' death belonged to him, the "life" in it was refined into the "Book of the Dead" by the god Ra.
He tried to create a divine weapon that was superior to everything, just as he was superior to the gods, but unfortunately he failed in the end. However, this did not affect the power of the Book of the Dead, nor did it affect its control over Osiris.
Buzz——
The scroll vibrated, making a subtle sound. At the same time, Osiris' body vibrated as well, and some kind of invisible connection began to form.
Osiris's expression suddenly changed. How could Ra attack him in this sea of origin?
"You think too much."
"I'm not hurting you. I'm just taking back what's mine. Even though that thing... is everything you have."
The voice was calm, and the scroll flew out of Ra's hand.
Unlike the original myth, Osiris, who was murdered by Set and became the god of the underworld, did not lose his original role as the god of agriculture. But now, as a god who was banished to the underworld, the authority of the god of agriculture has long been taken back.
Ra tried to merge with [Life] with his divine power, but failed as expected. But no matter what, Osiris had no power to resist him now.
"etc--"
Snap——
There was no unnecessary confrontation, and it was even more straightforward than the process of the outer gods taking action.
Osiris, who had just tried to challenge the status of the god Ra, was transformed into a picture in the Book of the Dead, and the fear of his dying moment was vividly portrayed on it.
What's the point of 'abandoning darkness and joining the light'? Osiris died on the spot without even seeing Isis.
The outer gods are certainly scary, but as the Lord of the Egyptian gods, is the knife in my hand no longer useful?
"Now, there are only four left."
With a casual pull, he drew out some power from the Book of the Dead and threw it to Nephthys, the patron saint of the dead and homes.
"Under my command, bring about a final catastrophe and spread the dead across the land."
"All those who have died, those who have died in the past, those who are dead now, and those who will die in the future, will be resurrected and serve as soldiers to execute my will."
"Let the earth be divided, and bones be strewn across the ground. Let disease, pain, and curse spread across the rivers and mountains."
"Not just the Hebrews and Egyptians, all the dead are among them - what do you think, Nephthys and Geb?"
No one except Thoth knew how Ra killed a pillar god with the snap of his fingers.
Gabe only felt that the common sense he had built up before was constantly being shattered recently. Compared with Ra and the Outer Gods, he was just a chess piece crossing the river, with no way back.
"...As you command, Your Majesty..."
The other person's smile looked uglier than crying, but La didn't care much.
Whether they succeed or fail, La can accept it.
He had seen more and more clearly the methods and power of the Outer Gods. Although they were powerful, they were not invincible.
"If the world can push me to the top of this field, then..."
With a calm expression, La glanced at Thoth.
Let him slack off, it doesn't matter if he is the only one left.
After all, Toth had done a lot for him. At least before he really failed, La believed that the other party would not dare to do anything.
Chapter 382 Seven Difficulties
in the Human World.
Heliopolis, Golden Temple of the Sun.
"…"
"... the mighty Nile and the fertile black soil."
"Her rivers watered the black earth, and her milk nourished Egypt."
"Praise the black soil, praise the Nile."
"Long live the source of all waters!"
"You came into this land, you came in peace, and gave life to Egypt."
"O hidden spirit, you have led the night into the day. We celebrate your guidance and praise your majesty."
"You planted the garden that Ra cultivated, giving life to all who walk;"
"Water the earth without ceasing, as you descend from heaven."
"Treasurer of food, giver of grain, you bring light to every home!"
"…"
Over Heliopolis, the dark clouds had dispersed and the devout were chanting hymns.
In recent days, more and more believers have gathered near the holy city, some with their families, some on pilgrimage alone.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered here, singing hymns praising the gods day and night.
Whether it is a ballad recording the deeds of gods or text recorded in a book of the dead, it carries hymns praising the Nile.
The devout singing reached the clouds, making the city seem even more sacred and extraordinary.
…
Da Da——
In a corner of the holy city, as the organizer of everything, Qasim looked gentle and distant.
His fingers tapped the wall lightly, as if he was accompanying a hymn. Believers in the distance cast their respectful glances at him. This was the most perfect servant of God on earth, the priest who had always stayed in the land of the gods.
"...Aibu."
"Teacher, what do you want?"
"You have been busy for a long time to settle these believers who came from afar. Aibu, do you know why they are so pious?"
After a long time, the sun set.
Cassim seemed tired, his eyes slightly closed.
Beside him, Aibu stepped forward to support his father and teacher: "That's because God exists."
"Since it exists, it is natural to believe in it."
This is what Abu thinks, and it is also the perception of most people.
As an objective thing, why don't people believe in it?
"Really? Think about it again."
With a gentle smile, Cassim continued to ask:
"If we have to believe in God just because He exists, then there are many gods in this world."
"Egypt has its own gods, and those sinners have their own gods. Tell me, why should we believe in the gods of Egypt instead of their gods?"
"…That's because Ra will protect us and guide us forward. Foreign gods will only protect their people, so our faith will only be dedicated to Ra."
After a moment's silence, Aibu gave his answer based on logic, but this answer was so straightforward.
People are willing to believe in gods because they can bring benefits, not because of their power and greatness.
"Haha, Aibu, in fact, many qualified priests know this. Even if they don't know it at the beginning, they will gradually know it in the process of spreading the faith."
"But this can only solve the reason why people believe in God, but it can't solve the current problem, you see-"
The melodious singing was still resounding, but Qasim, the nominal leader of the holy city at the moment, was talking about the source of faith.
"In the past, God had brought good weather and driven away disasters to the Egyptians more than once, but never before had there been such a massive pilgrimage."
"But now there are hundreds of thousands of people gathered here, and even people from Upper and Lower Egypt are still rushing here. Tell me, why is this?"
"…"
"…Because they encountered a disaster."
Taking a deep breath, Aibu seemed to understand what his father wanted to teach him.
"I understand... As far as God is concerned, the good things he gives to his believers are only temporary at best."
"When people first encounter divine grace, they are ecstatic; when they receive divine grace for the second time, they thank the gods for their gift. But when they continue to receive divine grace, they just get used to it."
"So the gifts of the gods must never be quantified, nor can they become customary rules. If you do so, it will only make the gods lose their mystery and the believers lose their reverence."
"Let the present reality give them fear, and let God become the hope of avoiding fear, but this hope is ethereal and vague. Therefore, the rewards of criminal law are unknown, and its power is unfathomable."
"Of course, the premise of all this is that the gods really possess supreme power."
The more he talked, the more Aibu felt his faith in God was shaken.
This is a way to help the gods develop believers, but even after knowing this he himself cannot become a devout believer... Thinking of this, Aibu was impressed by his father's experience and wisdom, but also felt a little ridiculous.
"That's how things are in this world, Abu."
"The most capable officials of the dynasty do not believe in the law, but the people do; the most capable servants of the gods do not believe in God devoutly, but the believers are devout."
"Of course, there are exceptions, but they are too few. Aibu, the reason why I asked you to think about this is to let you see through the logic behind it. In this way, you can become the most trusted servant of any god."
His voice was calm, and Qasim never hesitated to express his old age and weakness.
He had told Aibu a long time ago that he would not live for more than a few years.
"Okay, now that we've finished talking about business, it's your turn."
"Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Today's teaching was completely timely, because Abu suddenly came to see him at this time.
Kasim was also a little surprised. What did he come to see him for?
"Teacher...Father."
Changing his words mid-sentence, Aibu gritted his teeth and said, "I'm seeing those hallucinations again."
"I saw the sky being torn apart. In the distant land, in a place that I could never see, the yellow sand was sucked out and flowed to the edge of the world."
"The stars are shaking, storms are disappearing and being born again. The water vapor that flows between heaven and earth is split into four parts...Darkness spreads across the world, and black smoke rises under the sun. The pillars in the sky are crumbling one after another, and the falling debris will kill two-thirds of the creatures on earth."
"Is this really an illusion, father? I feel it is so real, like a miracle happening in the past, present and future. I have always had an uneasy feeling in recent days, I——"
"This is an illusion, Abu."
Cassim interrupted, his expression calm.
"Only Ra is the all-seeing god. What you see is not the truth."
"…"
"Maybe you're not in a good mood because of your recent busy schedule. Well... you can take a rest for a while, think more about what I told you before, and help the believers around you who are in trouble."
"Thinking and practice are both indispensable."
"...I understand, teacher."
Suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, Aibu bowed slightly and left with full of doubts.
Behind him, Qasim watched him leave silently.
After a long time, the high priest of Heliopolis returned to the Temple of the Sun.
He stood in the corner and did not join in the prayers of the crowd, but listened quietly to a hymn, then raised his hand to signal.
"High Priest, what do you want?"
"I'm sorry to interrupt your worship of God, but I have to come here."
Cassim spoke with a smile, facing the statue and his back to the crowd.
"I want to announce an oracle."
Wow——
There was an uproar in the place. Unexpectedly, the gods sent down another decree.
The temple seemed to have flashed with golden light this morning. The believers in the city thought that this was just a change caused by the gaze of the gods, but they did not expect that this was another oracle.
"As you think, I received the command of Ra in the morning; I interpreted it at noon; and I proclaimed it at evening."
With Abu's words flashing through his mind, Qasim turned around and looked at the people kneeling in the temple.
"God said - the foreign peoples with sinful blood are still wandering on the earth, and the foreign gods will bring a curse on the people of Egypt."
"Frogs will come out of the waters and cover the houses, fields, and roads; and lice will come out of the ground, biting people, livestock, and the king."
"Beetles will come and destroy the pastures, and the plague will infect the livestock. Everyone who is infected with it will die, and those who are not infected with it will break out of boils."
"In the end, the foreign gods will turn the water into ice and fall from the sky to the earth. They will also turn the sand into locusts and flies that will eat up all our food."
"This is the evil god's sin - he will bring seven disasters to this earth and curse all the people raised by the Nile."
Wow——
The crowd was in an uproar again. They looked at Cassim in disbelief and at the statue behind him.
Each of the seven disasters is enough to make them suffer, let alone all seven added together.
If this disaster really befell them, they didn't know how many of them would survive.
"High Priest, the oracle from God Ra should tell us how to solve this problem, right?"
Someone asked tentatively, and looking at people's expectant eyes, Qasim smiled and nodded.
"The people on earth have let God down, and have not yet been able to eliminate the sinful alien races."
"So Ra called up the creatures from the underground and asked them to return to the human world to carry out his will."
Profaning the dead... This was a taboo in the Egyptian doctrine, but if it was done by the god himself, then Cassim didn't know what it should be considered.
But compared to these, he thought more about other things.
The Curse of the Foreign Gods...
It is not known whether this was a curse directed at the Egyptians or whether they were simply the innocent victims.
······
Clatter——
In the world of Hemenu, the eight gods are a certain manifestation of the world.
From the primordial water, all things came into being.
However, everything in the world has its positive and negative sides, and there is order and chaos. Compared to Chaos's stable and quiet Tartarus, Hermeneus's chaos is scattered among the laws of the world and gathered in the dark places of the world.
Crash——
In the river flowing underground, in the space and time that both exists and does not exist, a huge monster lies there.
On its body, spots of gold and silver flames were still burning, colliding and extinguishing each other with wisps of black air.
The power of the flame was so strong that it often took several points of strength to destroy the black gas. However, as time went on, the black gas seemed to become stronger.
It was as if it had received some kind of blessing, and with every breath, its power became purer.
Click——
Click——
The giant was obviously feeling uncomfortable as its body twisted and its torso collided with the invisible chains.
But its eyes were closed and its consciousness was still sinking.
The biggest threat to the two sun gods was finally completely suppressed by Ra. According to Ra's previous estimation, it would take at least hundreds of years for it to break free.
Apophis, the Chaos Serpent of Hermeneus, is said to be the source of chaos that was born with the sun.
If Atum, the first sun god, represents the beginning of all things and is the source of all birth, then Apophis is the end of everything and is the demon that destroys everything.
Its only purpose since its birth was to destroy all order in the world, so much so that in the most ancient times, the sun god Atum had to fight with it every day.
Mortals have passed down the story that when the sun sets, it means that the sun god is riding the celestial sphere to the other side of the world to engage in a life-and-death battle with the Chaos Serpent; when the sun rises, it means that the god has defeated the demon who wants to destroy everything and is back to rule the world.
However, unlike other gods of Hermeneus, Apophis has no reason, and as the embodiment of chaos, it is also immortal. So no matter how many times it is defeated, it will still be reborn in the new night.
Therefore, the Egyptian Ra was not as autocratic as the god-king Chaos, because for a long time their most critical job as the sun god was to suppress the monster that destroyed the world.
Of course, all this ended with the coming of Amon-Ra-Atum.
When Ra stole the power of the Eight Primordials, he truly possessed the power to suppress Apophis.
With just one strike, he inflicted unimaginable trauma on the Chaos Serpent.
For hundreds of years, it has been difficult for it to wake up and cause chaos. However, with the recent changes in the world of Hemenu, the Chaos Serpent seems to be changing as well.
Click, click, click…
The sound of the chain breaking became more and more frequent, especially when the climate and celestial phenomena in the human world were disrupted by the fall of the Pillar God, and it collapsed more and more quickly.
As the opposite of order, Apophis seemed to have taken the most perfect tonic when the world was in turmoil.
Even though the power of the world did not lean towards it like it did towards Ra, it was growing stronger day by day, and instinctively broke the shackles that bound it.
"Hiss… huh…"
Apophis's eyelids trembled slightly as he roared and breathed unconsciously.
It seemed like it was about to wake up, but it seemed like something was missing.
This is the first time it has been put into a deep sleep since its birth. To wake it up again, we can either rely on time or stimulation.
As for what kind of excitement can reach the abyss of the world, where Apophis sleeps... I'm afraid no one can predict it before it actually happens.
It is also impossible to predict how the Chaos Serpent will react, driven by instinct, when faced with a natural disaster that could destroy the world.