A dark red star drifted quietly through the universe, its lonely path accompanied by a divine realm orbiting close by.
This was the God of Sacrifice's domain.
A towering figure, cloaked in a red robe, sat in deep meditation. His face was grotesque like that of a dragon, with four massive horns curving down, each adorned with dagger-like ornaments hanging from them.
Tomorrow was going to be a great day. For the God of Sacrifice, it was a time for an unprecedented and grand lecture.
According to reports from his followers, the hefty investment they had made in the Gray World had yielded excellent promotional returns.
Shapeshifting magic advertisements and front-page headlines in the newspapers—all of them were about the teachings of the God of Sacrifice. Even the lowest beggars had received free copies of the paper, along with three days' worth of free food.
With such a blitz of publicity, the upcoming divine lecture in the Gray World was sure to be packed to the brim, with crowds overflowing into the streets.
The God of Sacrifice, deep in his divine realm, was reminiscing about the past and eagerly preparing for his upcoming presentation.
He must not disappoint those hopeful souls.
Lectures were one of the most common methods for gods to recruit new followers. The core idea was to find people who shared similar values, individuals willing to walk alongside the god or even serve as their loyal devotees.
When those with the same worldview gathered together to worship the being who embodied those values, that was the essence of the relationship between a god, their religion, and their followers.
In other worlds and older times, the methods of preaching and evangelism had long since become outdated and ineffective.
Those grand, yet vague, approaches to preaching were no longer drawing in many followers.
Every god, over time, developed their own unique methods of spreading their teachings. Yet, despite these innovations, lectures remained the most recognized and effective way to recruit followers in the current era.
Gods typically focused on their birth world, viewing it as their foundational territory. They would send low-level missionaries to spread their word, hoping to expand this base.
But the complex doctrines and rigid rules of these religions always presented an imposing barrier, keeping most mortals at bay. Whether it was the revered gods of ancient eras or the neutral and darker gods of today, they all shared a striking similarity when it came to creating rules and regulations—they were in sync.
They all believed that if someone was to be a follower, they must adhere strictly to the god's likes and dislikes. Those who didn't conform to the stringent laws weren't welcome.
Yet, as time progressed, the gods, not as sensitive to time as mortals, eventually realized that the universe had expanded.
Not only had new worlds been born, but new races, professions, and entire new realms had come into existence.
The first of the Supreme Gods had appeared suddenly in this era, bringing with them the vast, unfathomable cosmos and countless supreme authorities.
They shattered the understanding of the lesser gods and told them plainly: "Your methods are absolute garbage," then laid down new rules—
"We think you've taken things a little too far."
"There's no need for evil gods to hide in the shadows like moronic cultists, holding bizarre secret gatherings, making absurd rules, and painting their faces with blood like some form of circus joker.."
"The ancient epochs have long passed. The righteous gods of old have faded into distant, unreachable legends. Their faith and values no longer have a place in this era. If you wish to continue growing, you must focus your strength and broaden the communication between worlds. Those creepy, insular rules from your little cults should be scrapped entirely."
"You can decorate your churches however you like. Feel free to openly promote your faith and teachings. Reduce your greed and madness, and give mortals something in return. If you try that, you'll find that many more people will respond to your message."
"Every life has a different value. The origin and makeup of every world's beings are different."
"Different origins lead to different values. Different values lead to different desires. Some gods may not find what they seek in their own worlds, but there are always other realms to explore."
"In a universe built on limited order, seeking limited chaos, it is through this delicate balance that the cosmos moves forward. This is the ultimate law of existence."
With the proclamation of the Supreme Gods, the world moved swiftly into an unknown future. Once the shackles of rules were lifted from mortals, they either self-destructed or developed to levels that left even the gods in awe.
In this process, countless mortals rose up, trying to slay their gods. After all, divine power wasn't unreachable. For third-tier gods, they were originally nothing more than Gods of planets or pocket worlds. Their divine strength had limits and could indeed be killed.
However, the true death of a god meant falling into the endless stream of time, becoming a wax figure, rather than a simple destruction of their body.
A god's death was different from the mortal concept of death. And even after their demise, mortals who remembered the god could still armor up and recreate the god's image.
So for mortals, killing a god meant toppling their local church, tearing down their towering temples, and destroying the temporary vessels used for the gods' descent.
For mortals, this was enough to achieve their goal of shattering part of the gods' influence. To this day, there were still worlds that refused to let gods in, holding enough power to throw the gods into oblivion.
But these worlds were merely small inconveniences.
In time, they too would be conquered by the gods. With the era of violent, warlike preaching fading from history, lectures—where gods descended to personally recruit followers—became the prevailing method of spreading faith.
Conquest through force could only rule for a moment.
Conquest through ideology could rule for millennia.
Compared to the empty promises of bishops, mortals placed far more trust in gods who descended themselves. Even though the power they received from the gods came at a high price, it was tangible—something they could hold in their hands.
In contrast, the priests who took money but didn't deliver results were despised.
"According to the reports from the Gray World, over the past week, tens of millions of flyers have been distributed. Whether human, minotaur, vampire, dwarf, troll, or kobold—there isn't a single region that hasn't been reached."
The God of Sacrifice's plan was simple: through this offline lecture, he would let the world understand the beauty and value of sacrifice. For instance, sacrificing two low-star monsters could summon an eight-star giant beast.
Even fictional creatures could be created. Of course, such creations required the fusion of flesh or souls from the sacrificed beings to produce the desired result.
This was a power that could captivate the masses.
Who else in this world could temporarily create such fictional creatures besides him?