Chapter 598: Coming from Beyond the World
Unfortunately, Muria could only look at the rules shown by the god for a couple of seconds before he had to avert his gaze. He couldn't handle such an overwhelming influx of information. Compared to this god, he was indeed too weak.
"So, it's a duel? Has Erathia's technology developed to such an extent?" the Nine Shepherds God remarked softly, audible only to Muria. Indira, whom Muria was holding, was entirely unconcerned and continued to devour the light emanating from the god.
"It seems I've disturbed you. Here, give me your world's coordinates, and I'll send you on your way," the Nine Shepherds God offered graciously, surprisingly accommodating.
"Why are you helping me?" Muria mustered the courage to ask. He didn't sense any bloodline connection. Although this being was immensely powerful, it wasn't an Epic Titan. Muria didn't feel any bloodline link.
"I know several of your elders. I wouldn't be where I am today without them."
Hearing this, Muria smiled broadly and felt entirely at ease. Such an entity had no reason or need to deceive him, so Muria provided the world coordinates to this fearsome god.
"Hmm, it's quite far," the Nine Shepherds God sighed softly upon receiving Muria's coordinates. Then, Muria saw the smallest of the thirteen light wheels behind him speed up, its divine patterns becoming blurred and unreadable.
A pure river of faith surged out, transforming into a starry silver snake that coiled around the Nine Shepherds God's arm. The god pointed, and divine power rippled through the void, creating a spatial vortex before Muria.
Muria's face stiffened as he glanced back at the stargate, a naturally occurring void miracle. Turning back, he saw a powerful entity creating a similar marvel through sheer force, making him feel insignificant.
He realized that, with his current power, he could tear space within a world but couldn't make a ripple in the void. Yet this entity effortlessly created a stargate, as casually as helping an acquaintance's child.
"Don't be surprised. You have the potential to attain such power and even surpass me," the mighty god reassured, smiling as he guided Muria's fleet into the newly created stargate.
"This kind of power..." Muria gazed at the light wheels behind the god, now providing strength with just the smallest one. Muria couldn't comprehend the rest and found it difficult to even look at the Nine Shepherds God for long.
Comparing this to the evil god he saw in the Eternal City of the Mechanic Emperor when he was young, that evil god was nothing but a weakling, not even worth a single hand of the current god.
"Go on, little one," an irresistible force nudged Muria into the stargate. The temporary gate began to close, returning everything to calm. Only a voice echoed in the void,
"Descendant of the Titans, I bless you. This battle will see you sweep all foes aside and return victorious!"
With the Nine Shepherds God's words, an intangible force spread, seemingly altering something yet changing nothing at all.
...
"The power of faith, that's indeed a god, but not an ancient god who holds the power of creation. Ancient gods don't need faith," Muria pondered, not even paying attention to his gradually recovering fleet, as there were no casualties to worry about.
"The Nine Shepherds God just used the power of faith, and he controls too many powers. I saw almost everything in him—forces of all things and beings."
Muria recalled every moment of his interaction with the Nine Shepherds God, reflecting on the initial scene where he saw laws related to his own future development.
"A god free to wander the void, far more liberated than the gods I understood, a god omnipotent over all powers? A perfect god with no weaknesses?"
Muria mused, then chuckled to himself, "An omniscient, omnipotent god? That's relative. There can't be a truly omniscient and omnipotent god. My perspective is too narrow now, so I see his power as perfect. But if I reach his level, I won't see him as perfect."
"Muria, look!" A voice full of astonishment sounded in Muria's ear. "We've arrived at the locust civilization's world."
"Mm!" Muria calmly looked ahead, seeing eight beams of starlight—one large and seven small—natural world radiance. Seven small worlds circled the central largest one.
"I see," Muria gazed at the distant worlds. Though still in awe of the Nine Shepherds God's power, his face remained impassive. As a leader, he had to maintain composure, no matter what happened, to avoid losing authority.
...
"What a beautiful sunrise!" The black locust man stretched all six arms, enjoying the sunrise before flapping his wings. He was off to wake his ugly, lazy slaves to start working.
If the slaves didn't work hard, his family wouldn't have enough income, meaning they'd have to ration food. His son trained at a kendo school, which required a hefty tuition, taking up ninety percent of the family's income.
It was a necessary expense. Graduating from the kendo school and earning a medal was the only way for lower-class locust people to advance.
"For my son's future, you damn slaves should get up and work." The middle-aged black locust man, slightly obese, wielded a thorny whip, lashing at the lazy slaves, "My son is the most promising genius in ten generations, likely to restore our ancestors' glory."
The middle-aged black locust man knew his origins. His home wasn't this barbaric, backward world but the infinitely beautiful Soros World. His ancestor was a decurion in the locust world expedition army led by the Black Shine God, who conquered this primitive world and, following the god's command, settled and thrived here.
"Three hundred years have passed, and my family has lost our ancestors' glory, becoming lowly commoners. It's this world's fault."
The black locust man thought angrily. If they were in the mother world, his family would have been geniuses for generations, never falling into decline. He might have become a noble decurion like his ancestor, and his son would have even better prospects.
"Whip!" "Whip!"... Frustrated by his current pathetic status, the black locust man lashed out harder at the stinking slaves.
These were weak-looking, "ugly" humanoid creatures, different from the locust people, with soft, glaringly white skin and fragile wings. They were naturally weak and lowly, born to be locust people's slaves, he thought. He knew these frail, ugly creatures were the world's original inhabitants. Even now, many of these pathetic white moth people formed resistance groups in the wilds.
How foolish and pitiful, he mused. Three hundred years ago, their ancestors ruled this world until the Black Shine God crushed their strongest resistance. Even now, some moth people still dared to resist, dreaming of reclaiming their world. The great Black Shine God didn't even bother with them.
But he was grateful for the resistance. Their existence justified the army's expansion, giving his son a chance to restore glory.
Driving the numb white moth people out of the dark, damp bug house, preparing them for flower field labor, the black locust man thought.
Rumble—roar—
A violent tremor came from afar. The black locust man, just out of the bug house, watched in shock as his twenty ancestral bug house courtyards collapsed in the quake.
"By the Black Shine God, my bug house, my wife inside!" Ignoring the blackened ash and fire-sparked smoke filling half the sky, he rushed to his bug house, digging frantically for his sleeping wife.
"You damn slaves, what are you staring at? Help me! If my wife dies, you'll all be buried with her." He shouted crazily...
At the world's center, in the bustling Black Shine City, a locust man shrouded in black flames looked up at the quake's source, a strong sense of dread washing over him.
"A terrifying entity has entered from beyond the world. Could it be those monsters that can survive in the void? How did they breach the world barrier?"
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