Herder, standing in the demon realm, watched the emergence of the Divine Domain in stunned disbelief. Jealous fire burned in her heart.
"Hateful... I'm supposed to be the chief priest!"
She had submitted.
So why was the other side moving so fast?
Cain, standing beside her, stared at the battered Antun and exclaimed, "What kind of monster is that? It gives me the feeling of a mortal enemy."
"A true dragon of the starry sky. A favored pet of the gods, active in their domain."
"What? You're saying that thing is just a pet?"
Cain was dumbfounded.
Such a terrifying existence—and it was merely a god's pet?
Then the true god behind it could probably obliterate him with a single glance!
His heart burned with battle lust. He wanted to charge out and fight.
But a figure appearing in the starry sky froze him in place.
A woman in azure robes, a sword at her waist, eyes cold beyond measure. Terrible frost sword intent radiated from her entire body. Even from tens of thousands of miles away, it sent chills crawling down Cain's spine.
The ones who had descended to the mortal realm were Lu Xueqi and the Butterfly sisters—Shinobu and Kanao.
Lu Xueqi had at least visited other worlds before. But Shinobu had been working diligently in the temple without a moment's rest.
From the very beginning, when there wasn't even a proper temple, she had been tirelessly maintaining bonds between the sisters.
Lucian had taken pity on them for that.
He'd bestowed greater strength upon them.
Though Shinobu hadn't yet reached the divine tier like Lu Xueqi, she wasn't far behind—already at the boundary of Nine-Star.
The three of them arrived in the world of Arad aboard the starry sky dragon.
Shinobu glared at the prying eyes around them and snorted coldly. "Do not look upon what is not yours to see. Don't you natives understand basic courtesy?"
A soft snort.
And the Celestial Observatory exploded.
The laboratories of the Delos Empire erupted in flames before the horrified eyes of everyone inside.
As for Cain in the demon realm—that single snort drove him to one knee.
Herder, who cultivated divine law, was unaffected.
Casillas, guarding Central Park, felt the power fluctuations radiating from Shinobu and immediately shouted with excitement. "Did you see that? This is the power of God! Hahaha..."
Bibi knelt on the ground and prayed devoutly.
"I beg the gods to redeem us poor believers..."
Kanao received her plea and turned to her sisters. "I'll go over there and take a look. You two go bestow blessings."
"Alright, sister. Be careful."
Lu Xueqi had started later than the Butterfly sisters. Even though her strength surpassed theirs, she still addressed them as her seniors.
It was a matter of courtesy.
Kanao smiled softly and vanished into the sky in a shimmer of butterfly light.
Moments later, she appeared before Bibi and the others.
"Are you believers of God? Why aren't you with the main congregation?"
Gentle words.
Bibi and the entire Spinning Demon squad were taken aback.
She'd never expected it—the goddess had actually come because of her prayer.
Bibi swallowed hard and said in a low voice, "We can't get to the world of Arad. There are many poor souls here."
Kanao swept her gaze around.
Indeed, there were many people in rags living here—suppressed slaves, only just freed by the gods. They hadn't yet had time to practice the divine arts.
Among them was Sister Beladil, a lovely girl of an alien race.
Kanao spoke gently to all the believers. "Don't be afraid. The faith is fair and can give you a new future. I look forward to seeing all of you in the Divine Domain."
At the goddess's words, everyone wept.
They had been enslaved for so, so long. Their ancestors had been slaves for generations. There had never been a day of liberation.
Now, at last, the light had come.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Katie and the others greeted Lu Xueqi and Shinobu.
"Katie, believer, pays respects to the two ambassadors."
"Rise. God recognizes your work and has bestowed upon you the position of Plant Priestess. Know that this rank is no less than that of a chief priest."
"Thank you for God's grace."
Katie kowtowed again.
Shinobu then produced a staff fashioned from golden branches and handed it to her.
"A gift for Priestess Katie—a Three-Star Artifact, the Blessing of the Golden Enchanted Night, and a fragment of the Law of Wood."
Elves never lacked lifespan.
What they lacked was strength and weapons.
A Three-Star Artifact was unheard of in this world. Combined with the blessing of the Law of Wood, Katie's power shattered through to god-level Three-Star in an instant—surpassing the apostle tier entirely.
Apostle-class power was merely the lower stage of the divine level.
For instance, Shilock's apostles ranked low, their strength only at divine-level One-Star. Rotes was barely divine-level half a star. Even the formidable Cain stood only at the pinnacle of divine-level Two-Star.
The world's resources simply limited their growth.
The extraordinary power transformed Katie entirely. Her beauty became almost dreamlike—even Sauron, a fellow woman, couldn't help a twinge of jealousy.
Katie had been slightly older before, resembling a mature human woman. Now she'd reverted to a girlish form, comparable to Celia herself.
As all the believers chanted praises to God, Celia suddenly spoke up. "My lord, what will become of this world after you leave?"
She was deeply worried that once they departed, the world would be destroyed.
Lu Xueqi frowned. "Those who return to God's embrace will naturally receive His blessing. Those who resist will fall into eternal damnation."
"Many people fail to see the greatness and mercy of God and persist in their resistance," Shinobu added evenly. "This is wrong. And it is irrational."
In the past, she had heard from her sisters that the lower realms were all managed by priests—male priests.
But here, the priestess was a woman.
That alone proved one thing: the chief priest of this world had simply ignored the will of God.
Unforgivable.
Celia nodded silently. She understood the world's trajectory now.
Forget it. She was just a girl who'd lost her memories. What could she possibly prevent?
Let the wind carry her where it may.
She looked up at the divine light in the sky, and her body rose involuntarily.
The same was true for the others.
And Shilock, who had transformed into a seed, stretched comfortably in that radiant glow, basking toward the sun.