Chapter 162 Frankness
Aole's expression turned grim: "...So the divine seal is the slave mark."
Maxine's expression was serious. "Then the gods might try to take our bodies?"
"They're also trying to devour your souls. This process consumes a huge amount of energy, most likely by cultivating a strong belief in you." The professor added lazily, "In other words, those ghosts of the past are trying to artificially 'create gods.'"
This is a bit like a "reality show" on Earth. The gods write the script, secretly manipulate the environment around the characters, and pursue "traffic" by shaping "personalities".
He has not revealed anything about the "comics" yet, nor has he mentioned that he is from another world.
Everyone: “…”
It was so horrifying that I was speechless for a moment.
To be honest, even Maxine would rather believe at this moment that this was a trap set by a tyrant - like the old story told by the bards, to destroy the world or something like that.
However, the eyes of their good friend and newly minted god had turned into a majestic and beautiful golden color, like a stream of burning golden water. According to him, this was to observe their origins and, by the way, to monitor whether there were any fragments of the god's soul eavesdropping at this time.
Orel and Mashilin may not trust the tyrant, but since the person who spoke was their best friend with whom they had shared life and death, the balance in their hearts couldn't help but tilt towards him.
"Of course, this is just my guess. I'm about 90 percent sure it's correct. You don't have to believe it now. If you want to prove it completely, you need to capture another divine fragment."
The black-haired young man spoke with remarkable calmness, not realizing he was saying anything earth-shattering. "I've dealt with the God of Light and Glory, the God of Lust, and the God of the Sea to some degree. Now the only one left is Samuel, the God of Night and Death. Talon's sudden ascension three years early is likely related to that god. We have to give him a heads-up."
Seeing that no one spoke, the professor raised an eyebrow impatiently: "Do you remember when the divine seal on your body appeared? Including your past life and this life."
Maxine took a deep breath and began to tear off the bandages on her hands one by one, revealing a small, wave-shaped divine seal on the back of her hand.
"In my previous life, it was the day I successfully became an apostle-level warrior. It was about half a year ago."
For warriors, the apostle class is a dividing line, and she still remembers the joy she felt at that time.
The black-haired young man looked at her thoughtfully: "Have you been to the Temple of Poseidon?"
"……yes."
The fisherman's daughter at that time believed that the sea god had appeared, and excitedly ran to the dock to work as a porter. She earned enough money for her family's food for half a month in one go. The next day she was so tired that she couldn't even lift her arms.
"It was the same day in this life," she added dazedly, "but when I opened my eyes, there was already the seal of the Sea God on the back of my hand."
The professor remained silent and turned to look in the direction of the assassin leader - who was currently sitting on the sofa, his body stiff and his expression gloomy. Even through his brown skin, one could tell that his face looked extremely ugly.
Ole Asachi is the most devout of the three. Previously, out of concern for his friends' safety, he reluctantly accepted their disrespect for the "Outer Gods". This time, he was asked to believe that the gods he believed in were actually the culprits who were trying to seize his body and control his life. To be honest, the professor was a little worried that he would give up and become like those fanatics who he found unreasonable, and simply regard "dedicating his body to the gods" as the greatest honor.
That would be a big trouble.
"Ore is not that kind of person." The savior comforted him privately: "You may not trust him, but you can trust my judgment in choosing friends."
...These words were so convincing that he changed his plan and decided to take advantage of the opportunity when someone became a god to tell the other two the truth.
This was a risky move. The professor had originally intended to let the other party suffer a great loss, be tricked by the Dark God, and then take the opportunity to reveal the truth after the shock of the shattering of faith—the safest and most thorough approach. However, the downside was that the male protagonist, who knew him well, would most likely discover his plan, leading to a dispute and conflict with the protagonists.
Not realizing that he had escaped a fatal disaster thanks to his good friend, Ole buried his face deeply in his hands, saying nothing.
But what does it mean to "create a god"? What does it mean to "gather faith in him"? Could it be that all the pain, despair, and suffering he has experienced, all the things he is proud of, loves, and cherishes, are simply the manipulation of the god he believes in?
——Who is Orel Asagi, then? A vessel and puppet of the gods?!
He was trying his best to maintain the stability of the origin when a strange noise suddenly sounded beside him. Even Ole, who was gradually entering a state of collapse due to constant self-doubt, could not help but look up - someone, under the strange gaze of everyone, calmly took out a hand-cranked coffee machine from the luggage and curled up in the soft chair to grind coffee beans for himself.
…Damn it, that's not the point. Ole forced himself to focus on thinking about faith again.
Shaken faith is extremely dangerous for a warlock, and the more powerful they are, the more so. This means that at best, they will lose their resonance, and at worst, their very essence will be damaged.
He suddenly understood his friend's strange warning and the repeated hints he had made. He was obviously afraid that he would be stimulated too much at once and his essence would be damaged. This kind of silent consideration touched him, but he also felt a sense of shame.
...Does this mean that his good friend is still much stronger than him, even in terms of spirit?
The coffee beans seemed to be stuck, and the grinding plate was also lacking some oil. Ao Lei, with a serious expression on his face, was finally annoyed by the creaking noise and growled at the man in a low voice, "Can't you be serious?!"
Here, his heart was shattered and his perspectives were reshaped—that bastard was squatting on a chair grinding coffee beans! It felt like his life was mixed with the coffee beans, crushed together in circles in the coffee machine, and the harsh grinding sound was the mockery of a coffee tyrant.
"I've told you before, you don't have to believe me now. Just treat it as nonsense. This is the time I give you to prepare yourself mentally."
The professor didn't even raise his eyelids, intently wrestling with the coffee machine. "I've already given you a good buffer for Azuka's sake. What more could you ask for? Only an infant would rely on an unreliable external source for their survival needs, whether it's their mother, a god, or something else entirely—but you're an adult with your own agency."
He even took the time to give someone a very sarcastic look: "For example, I never expect you to have ready-made coffee on your territory, so I choose to make my own food and clothing."
Ole: “…”
He couldn't tell whether it was a sarcastic remark or an unusually strange exhortation - but he wanted to beat someone up, really wanted to.
Mashilin, who witnessed the tyrant's power head-on, couldn't help but look conflicted - she was clearly expressing goodwill, but was interpreted as a mockery. No wonder she got angry when Orel mentioned him, as childish as a little kid.
...Actually, if the target wasn't one of his own, it would still be quite entertaining. The red-haired girl even wanted to laugh at the wonderful irony. But if the other party ever got beaten, it would definitely be because of this mouth.
"My sir, please don't be too harsh on him."
Seeing his friend's attention diverted, even his previously dimmed and waning soul suddenly ignited with a bright burst of anger. Azuka, initially nervous, found himself in a state of amusement at discovering that his nemesis had somehow achieved his goal. He rubbed the back of his neck in a soothing gesture.
Mashilin's eyes suddenly became extremely strange.
"Not everyone's soul is as strong as yours," he whispered gently. Suddenly attacked, Ole glared angrily at his friend, who seemed to be leaning against his elbow. "I think he needs a little time."
"You also know that my soul is powerful." Nova glanced at the savior coldly: "So when did you agree to brand me with the divine mark?"
Aolei and Mashilin, who had just been indoctrinated with the astonishing concept that "the divine seal is the slave mark", said: "..."
Wait, this is something they can listen to?!
The Savior looked at him deeply: “…if you insist.”
This topic had come up many times, and he had once again witnessed this person's relentless determination to achieve his goal. His actions were as cold and precise as a command. He even suspected that if he refused, he would simply find another god to experiment on him.
...What's more, "Azuka" can never deny the dark and twisted desire that comes from the depths of his own nature.
He was chasing his moon, and the next step in the chase was to possess it, to bite it, to devour it. Even though he couldn't, he couldn't...but even the slightest opportunity to lick the other party was a deadly poison with temptation for the hound.
"What the hell are you two doing?"
Ole shifted his gaze suspiciously between the two of them. Seeing his friend remained silent, only glancing at him with a slightly gloomy expression, his expression was strangely terrifying. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up.
He began to unbutton his coat: "Marshiline, cover your eyes."
The red-haired girl suddenly reacted and immediately pretended that she hadn't heard anything. She covered her eyes with her hands - and then peeked through her fingers.
Alas, it's someone's fault for being thin-skinned. In fact, in her previous life, she had seen many bloody internal organs of others.
The assassin's muscular upper body was half-naked, and on his brown skin, from his lower abdomen to his right arm, there was a huge totem pattern that twisted like shadows and smoke, which was larger than anyone else's.
"This is the seal of the God of Night and Death," Ole briefly recalled grimly. "In my previous life, the seal appeared on my body three days before I met Azuka at the Scarlet Bazaar. In this life, just like Maxine, I returned to the day the seal appeared."
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