"300 devotees..."
Owen looked at the quest requirements, his brows furrowing slightly.
The entire Annasi Village only had 223 villagers.
Among them, there were over a dozen children and several villagers currently away.
Even if every single villager in Annasi became a devotee,
there would still be a gap of over 100 devotees.
Where could he possibly find over 100 more devotees?
Owen pondered for a moment before shifting his gaze beyond the village.
"The village population isn't enough. The best way is to convert people from other villages into devotees."
At present, this seemed like the only solution.
However—
there was a major problem—
Owen had no idea if there were other gods in the surrounding villages.
Judging from the chat interface, this plane was filled with countless deities.
If he was unlucky, some of the nearby villages might already have their own resident gods.
In that case, to increase their Godhood rank, those gods would surely compete for devotees.
Peaceful coexistence?
Impossible.
Religious conflicts were always brutal and irreconcilable!
Devotees were the foundation of a god's existence.Devout believers naturally rejected and opposed rival deities.Once faith clashed, it would lead to a life-or-death struggle!
But, if one wished to grow as a god, they had no choice but to expand their influence
and attract more devotees.
The total number of devotees in this world was finite.
To increase one's devotee count, the only way was to take them from others.
If Owen hesitated, other gods would surely try to steal his devotees first!
"There's no room for hesitation!"
"Let Thomas send scouts to investigate the nearby villages!"
"If a deity has descended there, rumors will surely spread—it's impossible to keep such a thing hidden."
Owen's gaze sharpened.
"Even if there are other gods nearby, so what?"
With his hundredfold increase in tribute, his divine power growth far surpassed that of other deities, who only had a twofold increase at best.
The divine points they earned could never compare to his!
Their chances of ascending to Ancient God status were slim to none.
With his superior Godhood rank, his divine power was at least 100 times greater than theirs.
To him, they were nothing more than ants to be crushed!
Owen opened the Divine War system interface.
Previously, he had attempted to access it out of curiosity but had been unable to.
Now, it had unlocked.
Clearly, he had been unable to access it before because he hadn't yet become an Ancient God.
[Divine War]
[Activation Requirements]: Godhood Rank must reach 1 Star and the god must have existed for at least one year.[Activation Cost]: 100 divine points (cost increases with higher Godhood Rank).[Mechanics]: Once initiated, the system will forcefully match the user with an opposing god of equal or higher rank for divine warfare.[War Stages]:Devotee Battle: Devotees engage in battle. If the user's devotees lose, their god's strength is reduced by 30%.Vassal God Battle: The subordinate gods (Vassal Gods) or Ghosts of both sides battle. Losing results in another 30% strength reduction.God Battle: The gods themselves fight—to the death![Victory Rewards]:All of the defeated god's devotees.5 times the activation cost in divine points.Awakening Scrolls, Law Fragments, and other high-value rewards.
Owen's expression turned grave.
"A war between gods… a battle to the death!"
The "hidden hand" that had gathered all the gods in this world was clearly encouraging conflict.
And the rewards were extremely tempting.
For example, his current struggle to increase his devotee count would be instantly solved
if he won a Divine War!
In addition to massive gains in divine points,
he could also obtain Awakening Scrolls and Law Fragments!
"Sooner or later, all gods will be dragged into these wars—whether they like it or not."
"Some will enter voluntarily for power, while others will be forced into battle."
"This entire plane will plunge into absolute chaos!"
The inevitable result?
Countless devotees and gods will perish.
"For powerful gods, this is an incredible opportunity."
"It allows them to rapidly accumulate resources and grow even stronger!"
"They don't even give us a moment to rest!"
Owen narrowed his eyes.
The Divine War matchmaking system was also merciless.
Once a god actively initiated a war,
they would only be matched against opponents of equal or higher Godhood Rank.
In other words, only by being forced into war could a god face weaker opponents.
Additionally, raw divine power alone wasn't enough to guarantee victory.
The devotees and Vassal Gods of each side played a crucial role.
If Owen's devotee forces were too weak, he could lose 60% of his strength before even entering the final god battle!
"The other gods haven't reached Ancient God status yet, so they likely don't know about Divine War."
"If they did, I wonder if they'd regret selling their Awakening Scrolls so cheaply?"
Owen smirked and glanced at his remaining 234 divine points.
"It's time to prepare."
The Divine War wouldn't start immediately, but it would likely begin soon.
Without strong enough devotees, he would be at a major disadvantage.
Without hesitation, Owen spent 160 divine points in the Trading Channel, purchasing 40 Beginner Awakening Scrolls.
"Once other gods reach Ancient God rank, they'll see the Divine War details too."
"At that point, Awakening Scrolls will become highly sought after."
"Buying them in bulk later will be much harder—or even impossible."
For now, it seemed that Awakening Scrolls were only granted through the first-stage Path to Godhood quest.
Obtaining them through other means would be difficult.
After the purchase, Owen had 74 divine points left.
"A bit low, but still enough for now."
Even his most divine skill activations only required 10 divine points.
Besides, since Divine War required gods to have existed for one year, he still had some time to prepare.
"Even a year may not be enough—falling behind once could mean falling behind forever."
Owen narrowed his eyes.
Apart from devotees, he also noted the importance of Vassal Gods and Ghosts in Divine War.
Vassal Gods were subordinate deities.Ghosts weren't gods or devotees, but they played a key role in Vassal God battles.
By touching his god mark, he realized that when his devotees died, their souls would gather within his god mark.
Through Necromancy, he could transform these souls into Ghosts, turning them into his spectral army.
Unlike other units, Ghosts could operate outside his divine territory without losing power—
making them his primary offensive force.
"A year should be enough to create a solid Ghost force."
That Night
Despite the late hour, Thomas was still awake, training in his new divine skills.
Among them, one stood out—
[Dragonblood]
A skill that continuously refined his body with elemental energy, gradually transforming him into a dragon-like being.
By cycling through his abilities relentlessly, he aimed to reach Tier-3 Peak as soon as possible.
Only with strength could he better serve Deus Initium!
Exhausted, he finally collapsed into sleep.
But the moment he drifted off—
He found himself in a dream realm.
"Thomas!"
A voice boomed across the dreamscape—
the immense form of Deus Initium towering over him.
"From tomorrow onward, you shall spread My faith. Within one month, My devotee count must exceed 300!"
"Additionally, as My missionary, you are My eyes and ears. Learn about the nearby villages—especially any rival gods!"
Awestruck, Thomas immediately knelt.
"I hear and obey, O great Deus Initium!"