I randomly lost consciousness one evening during a training session.
As I was losing myself, I wondered if I had overexerted myself, but then I awoke in a place I recognized:
The place above the clouds, where Osidon had brought us when we first arrived.
I wondered if it had been a mistake, and it seemed that all the other gods around me did too.
There were still so many of us, hundreds.
Some of them looked slightly different, having changed their outfits and now carrying weapons.
There was no chatter, as our voices seemed not to work in this strange realm.
Then, as it had before, Osidon's face appeared out of nowhere.
It looked the same as it had before, seemingly made from the clouds, and incredibly large.
"Greetings, gods, it's good to see you all again. I hope that your time spent as gods has been going well. We have lost many of you, but those that remain have gained a great amount of strength. Some of you have even managed to reach the second tier of godhood."
Some. So there have been more than just Lucifen? I need to catch up.
"For those who think that they are falling behind, do not worry. The reason I have brought you here today will grant you an opportunity to catch up. The worlds are changing, as some of you may have guessed. Nexus has been completed."
Nexus? I wondered, confused, and from the faces of the other gods, it seemed they had no idea either.
"Now, Nexus is the chain link between worlds. Not only does it allow world visits, but it introduces many other things as well. My fellow Absolutes and I have been working hard to create many different worlds to spice things up; however, today I will only introduce you to a single new feature: the Abandoned Worlds.
As you may be aware, once a god dies or abandons their world, it begins to corrupt. These corruptions give birth to dangerous beasts, who, upon defeat, will increase your power level immensely and allow you to become stronger."
My mind flashed to the beast of the first Tragedy. If they are all that strong, then how are we meant to even beat them?
"The Abandoned Worlds come in tiers, depending on how long they have been abandoned. Tier 1 being the weakest and Tier 10 the strongest. Afterward, the worlds cease to exist. Beasts will roam the entirety of the corrupted worlds, meaning there will be more than enough for to go around. Whatever else you happen to stumble across in these broken worlds is yours for the taking. Oh, and please remember that other gods can roam these worlds at the same time as you. If you run into an enemy, I have no control over what happens to you.
To access these worlds, you will be given a Realm Crystal. It is an orb that will be placed inside the home that you were given as an award for Battle 001. Simply tap the crystal and say which tier of world you wish to travel to, and you will be transported there. The world you are transported to will be random, as long as it is within the tier you have chosen and only people on the pathway to godhood can enter these worlds.
Regarding world visits, it is simple. Tap the crystal and say the name of the god's world you wish to travel to. The crystal will notify the god, allowing them to accept or decline the request. Once accepting, you must say a time limit, which determines how long the god will be allowed in your world. Be careful When accepting invitations, as gods can attempt to destroy your world upon arrival."
There was so much information to take in that I felt there was no way I would be able to process it all.
But what stood out to me most was something Osidon had glossed over: that we could eventually grant a disciple godhood. I wondered how that would work.
"The battles will go on as usual, though they will increase in intensity and scope as time goes on. By the time Battle 003 comes, I assume we will be seeing a lot of powers used from the second tier of godhood."
I know this is a lot to take in, my children, but overtime you begin to understand these new features in more detail. There is much to learn within these systems, and we only hope to expand on them further.
Now, gods. Gain strength in the abandon worlds and build alliances through the world visits. You will need all the help you can get for future events, as times are truly changing in the realms of the gods."
And with that, my consciousness began to fade, and we were returned to our homes.
---
I awoke in the palace, with the floating crystal in my chambers.
It hovered a meter off the floor and was as large as a small boulder.
It was jagged in shape and a bright red color that seemed to emit some sort of light.
I dared not touch it, lest I accidentally send myself to a world I wasn't prepared for.
Then I remembered the words of Lucifen. He wished for me to visit him.
Perhaps I should send him an invitation to test out the features of the realm crystal.
I hesitany tapped my finger against the cold surface of the crystal, and it glowed brighter.
"Lucifen, God of Deception." I spoke aloud, and the crystal began fo let out a quiet humming noise for a few moments, which I assumed meant I was waiting for a reply from Lucifen.
Them, the crystal hummed even louder, and I was once again dragged into another world.
---
I awoke on my feet in another palace, though this time it wasn't my own. The design of the room was slightly different.
"Hello again, Vale. It's great to see you in person again."
I turned around to see Lucifen standing in front of me, with a smile on his face.
"Osidon has truly given us great news. These abandoned worlds. They've presented to us a great opportunity to start picking off the other gods.