Chapter 436 – The Meeting That Went Off Topic
The council of Olympus had dragged on as usual.
Arguments over demigods, mortal politics, and divine duties finally wound down, and Zeus gave his usual words of dismissal.
Normally, everyone would have left by now.
But today, nobody moved.
The Twelve sat in their thrones, silent, their gazes all fixed on one person.
Aphrodite.
She sat as she always did: draped in pink silk, long legs folded, chin resting lazily in her hand, eyes half-lidded as though this entire meeting had been a bore. And yet… something about her was different. Every single god could feel it.
Hera narrowed her eyes.
"You've been behaving strangely since yesterday."
"Strange?" Aphrodite tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
Athena's voice was cool and sharp.
"Half of Olympus saw you yesterday. Walking hand-in-hand through the city with a mortal."
"Not just any mortal," Apollo muttered. "Him."
The room stirred at the name that didn't need to be spoken. Everyone already knew.
Alex.
The man who humiliated Apollo in front of hundreds, the same one who had faced Zeus without flinching, the same one who walked into Olympus as though it belonged to him.
Poseidon leaned forward on his trident. "And this morning," he said with a low rumble, "three men came to your temple offering treasure—gold, jewels, relics. You refused all of them."
"I did," Aphrodite said simply.
There was a sharp crack as Hermes' jaw nearly hit the marble table. "You—you refused? Are we talking about the same Aphrodite who can't go a week without—" He stopped himself when she glanced at him. "Never mind."
"Why?" Hera asked. "You've never refused before."
"Because none of them were him," Aphrodite said, as if it were the simplest truth in the world.
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
Ares leaned forward with a grin. "So it's true. You've fallen for that human."
"He isn't just human," Athena said under her breath.
Hermes leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You're telling me that one mortal has completely replaced the treasures of Olympus? Just like that?"
Aphrodite's lips curved into a faint smile. "He isn't like any of you."
That was when Hermes' grin returned, mischief lighting up his golden eyes. "Alright then," he said, tapping the table with one finger. "If you're going to be that smug, we're all thinking the same thing, so I'll just ask."
"Don't," Artemis warned.
"How big is he?"
The room went dead silent. Even Zeus raised a brow, unsure if he should be amused or furious.
Without the slightest hesitation, Aphrodite answered, her voice ringing across the hall:
"Over ten inches."
The hall erupted like a thunderclap.
Hera made a sound like she'd swallowed lightning.
Athena blinked and looked away, as if suddenly fascinated by the floor.
Poseidon threw back his head and laughed until the waves outside answered.
Artemis covered her face with her hand.
Apollo went pale.
Demeter muttered, "I really should have left earlier."
"Eleven, to be exact," Aphrodite added casually, inspecting her nails. "Since you're all curious."
Hermes collapsed forward over the table, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. "I WAS JOKING! THAT WASN'T MEANT TO BE A SERIOUS QUESTION!"
"And now," she said with a serene smile, "you know."
"Eleven!" Hermes wheezed again, tears running down his face. "No wonder he beat Apollo—he's carrying two weapons!"
Zeus pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice low with irritation. "This meeting is adjourned."
But Aphrodite wasn't finished. With perfect calm, she added, "And he knows how to use it."
Silence dropped like a hammer.
Athena's spear slipped from her fingers and clattered to the marble.
Artemis muttered something profane into her palm.
Hera looked at Aphrodite like she had just admitted to starting a second Trojan War.
Apollo slumped in his chair like a defeated man.
Hermes fell forward on the table, laughing so hard his golden hair almost brushed the floor. "Eleven! That explains everything!" he managed to gasp.
And then, with a grin that promised trouble, he straightened slightly and said, "You know, the green one is going to be furious when she hears this. She'll probably come looking for another man just to attack you from both sides."
The hall fell silent again, all eyes turning to Aphrodite to see if she would take offense.
Instead, she gave a slow, serene smile and said without the slightest hesitation, "I don't need anyone else."
Hermes blinked. "Oh? Decided to stay loyal now?"
"I don't want to anymore," Aphrodite said calmly. "Alex can already do it."
Several gods froze mid-breath.
"…Do what?" Artemis asked, even though she already regretted speaking.
"Grow another one," Aphrodite replied as if she were commenting on the weather. "With magic."
A stunned silence followed, broken only by Apollo choking on his own saliva.
Hermes' jaw dropped open. "You're saying—"
"Yes," Aphrodite continued before he could even finish. "He uses both of them. At the same time. Perfectly."
The sound of someone's cup dropping to the marble floor echoed across the hall.
"And," she added with an expression of pure, unashamed satisfaction, "both of them release at once."
The room turned into chaos for a second time.
Zeus slapped a hand over his face. Athena muttered something about leaving Olympus forever. Artemis sat back, speechless. Poseidon's booming laugh filled the hall again while Apollo was whispering "I didn't need to know that" under his breath.
Hermes was wheezing, his voice breaking from laughter. "Two! He—he's got two! This mortal's not just a man, he's an army!"
Aphrodite just smiled and rested her chin in her hand as if she had simply described the weather on a sunny day. "That," she said softly, "is why there's no need for anyone else."
The uproar that followed nearly shook the pillars of Olympus.
The hall was still echoing with laughter, shock, and half-screamed protests when a quieter voice cut through the noise.
Athena had been sitting stiffly the entire time, her posture perfect, her face composed—or at least trying to be. Now, with an effort that looked almost painful, she leaned forward just slightly, her grey eyes avoiding Aphrodite's.
"…Does it… really feel that good?"
The room went so silent that even the fountains outside seemed to stop flowing.
Artemis, sitting right next to her sister, froze as everyone turned their heads. Then, with a muttered curse, she added in a sharp whisper, "I was going to ask the same thing. Just—just for knowledge."
The other gods stared. Poseidon nearly fell off his throne laughing again, Hermes almost bit his tongue, and Apollo made a strangled noise that was somewhere between a groan and a prayer.
Aphrodite blinked once, then smiled slowly.
"Yes," she said, her voice as soft as a purr. "It feels that good. Better than anything you can imagine."
Athena's cheeks flushed a shade of rose that no one had ever seen before on her calm, disciplined face.
Artemis turned her head sharply away, her ears red, but the stiffness of her posture betrayed how closely she was listening.
Aphrodite tilted her head, looking at the two of them with amused eyes.
"You wanted the truth. I'll give it to you. When he uses both…" She paused just long enough to make the air unbearable, "…you can't even tell where one ends and the other begins. You just lose yourself."
Artemis made a small, barely audible sound like a growl, and Athena's knuckles whitened where her hands gripped the armrests of her throne. Neither of them said a word, but the expressions on their faces made the hall explode again.
Hermes slapped the table so hard that it cracked. "I'm done. I can't. This meeting has turned into something else entirely!"
"Maybe next time," Poseidon wheezed, "we should invite him here. Give a proper demonstration!"
"POSEIDON!" Athena and Artemis shouted at once, their voices overlapping so perfectly that for a moment the hall almost shook.
Even Zeus groaned into his hand, muttering something about how this was supposed to be a council of gods, not a gossip session about one human.
Aphrodite only sat back in her throne, serene as a queen, one leg crossed over the other, a faint smile playing on her lips as she said, "You asked. I answered."
The two virgin goddesses—one of wisdom and one of the hunt—couldn't even look at her anymore, their faces still red as they stared at the marble floor.
The entire hall dissolved once again into chaos.
Chapter 437 – Back to the House That Waits
The teleportation ended with a faint ripple in the air.
Alex stepped out of the distortion and into the quiet of his living room.
Compared to the noise of Olympus, the house felt like another world—warm, familiar, and peaceful.
That peace lasted exactly three seconds.
"Alex!"
The voice came first from Airi, then from Hanabi, then Iris—three figures rushing in from the dining room almost at the same time.
They all stopped just in front of him, arms folded, expressions sharp.
"You went to Olympus," Airi said flatly.
"And came back without telling us a thing," Hanabi added, her red eyes narrowing.
"Everyone outside is gossiping," Iris said softly, tilting her blindfolded head slightly. "Even I could hear the rumors. So… what happened?"
Before he could answer, another set of footsteps came from behind.
Amaterasu herself entered with her daughter, Yuka, both visiting for the day.
The sun goddess had a calm, composed look, but her daughter looked like she could burst with curiosity.
Even Yuka's ears twitched. "Mom! Is it true the whole sky was talking about him?"
Ciel, Morgan, and Rene remained silent. Their symbols glowed faintly on the back of Alex's right hand, a reminder that although their bodies weren't out right now, they had seen everything that happened in Olympus through his eyes. They didn't interfere, but they knew the story already.
Alex looked around at all of them and said simply,
"Sit down. I'll tell you."
They gathered in the living room, some on the long sofa, others on the floor cushions. Amaterasu stayed quiet, folding her sleeves elegantly while Yuka immediately took a spot closest to him, eyes shining with curiosity.
Alex told them everything.
From the moment Aphrodite asked to walk with him, to the streets of Olympus, the district of love, the garden of pink blossoms, the night, and finally… the chaos of the council.
He left nothing out. Not her vow, not the way she chose to change, and not the uproar that followed when she told the entire council about him.
By the time he finished, the room had gone very, very quiet.
Airi was the first to speak. "So the entire council knows now."
Hanabi exhaled loudly and muttered, "Those gods… I bet they won't shut up about it for months."
Iris hid her mouth behind one sleeve, but her voice carried a hint of amusement. "So the goddess of love is serious. She's different now, isn't she?"
Amaterasu nodded slightly. "Even I could feel her tone was not the same as before."
Yuka had been silent the whole time, sitting cross-legged and staring at him.
When she finally moved, it was to climb up onto the sofa beside him and smile brightly.
"Then that means…" she said slowly, her little hands clapping together, "I'm going to have another new mother!"
The room paused as all eyes turned toward her.
Yuka beamed. "First it was Vira! Now Aphrodite! Yay!"
She hugged his arm like it was the best news she had ever heard.
"She's pretty, right? Pink hair? I saw her once. She'll be nice to me! I like her!"
Her innocent enthusiasm made even Hanabi blink and stare, unsure whether to laugh or scold her.
Alex reached over and patted her head, his voice calm. "Don't decide things on your own."
"But it's true, isn't it?" she asked, looking up at him with bright eyes. "She's going to come here eventually, right?"
Alex didn't answer that. Yuka took that as a yes and grinned even wider.
The rest of the women exchanged looks—some exasperated, some thoughtful.
Ciel's symbol on his hand pulsed faintly, as if she were smiling quietly.
Morgan's was silent, but Rene's seemed to hum with amusement.
Amaterasu, however, sat with perfect serenity, her golden eyes calm as she finally said, "If she does come here, I want to meet her myself. I will judge with my own eyes."
"Me too!" Yuka said quickly, raising her hand.
For a long moment, there was only the sound of the wind chimes outside, the world inside the house so calm that the madness of Olympus felt like a dream.
Finally, Airi sighed, a long breath of resignation. "Well. I guess we know what you were doing."
Hanabi crossed her arms. "I still think we should keep an eye on her. Goddess or not, she's competition."
Alex didn't answer, only leaning back into the sofa as the conversation turned into a low hum of arguments and teasing. Yuka refused to let go of his arm, her smile bright enough to light the whole room.
The sound of clinking plates and the rich scent of grilled fish and herbs filled the dining hall.
Alex stood at the kitchen counter, plating the last dish before carrying it out himself. The long table was already crowded — Airi, Hanabi, and Iris had taken their seats, Amaterasu sat with quiet grace, and Yuka was bouncing in her chair, peeking at every dish that came out.
With a soft shimmer, the three symbols on the back of his right hand glowed and three figures stepped out: Ciel, Morgan, and Reyne, returning to physical form just for this meal.
Ciel brushed her hair back and sat beside him without a word.
Morgan folded her long silver hair over one shoulder, her usual cool expression unchanging, though she eyed the food with an air of approval.
Reyne, with her calm yet faintly proud presence, gave a quiet nod and sat at the end of the table.
Once everyone was seated, the house grew lively with the sound of clinking chopsticks and small conversations.
After dinner, they moved to the living room.
The large screen on the wall glowed softly, tuned to the news. Everyone had grown used to it by now — the channel was no longer split between "ordinary news" and "hidden world news." The two worlds had been merged. What used to be whispered about behind closed doors was now discussed openly on prime-time broadcasts.
The anchor on the screen spoke in a calm voice.
"As humanity continues to adjust to the coexistence of the supernatural, the effects of last month's revelations continue to spread. Today, we revisit the story that has caused the most unusual kind of craze: the search for a single strand of hair belonging to Alex Elwood…"
On-screen, footage began to roll: shaky video of people combing through streets, footage from city CCTV showing where he had once walked, and interviews with groups who had found or bought strands of black hair and tried to refine medicine from it.
Alex let out a deep, weary sigh and pressed two fingers to his temple.
"This again…"
Hanabi raised a brow. "Still? After all this time?"
"They won't stop," Morgan said softly. "They've seen what it can do."
The newscaster continued:
"Reports confirm that those who consumed refined elixirs made from a single hair have awakened, showing increased mana purity and strength. There have been documented cases of martial skills sharpening to superhuman levels, and in rare instances, new affinities awakening.
One of the most notable examples is Lady Charon, a socialite from the western regions. Originally known only as a wealthy patron, she purchased a strand of hair at an underground auction. After refining it into a high-grade medicine, she successfully awakened a rare affinity for Space, previously unseen in her family bloodline…"
On the screen, Lady Charon appeared — elegant, poised, and radiating a faint dimensional energy.
Airi crossed her arms. "And all of this from a hair?"
Ciel glanced at Alex, her golden eyes calm. "It isn't surprising. Everything about you is excessive."
Amaterasu quietly nodded in agreement, while Yuka tilted her head, curious.
"So… are people just going to keep looking for your hair forever?"
"Apparently," Alex said with a sigh. "Even after all this time, they haven't learned to leave it alone."
Reyne's voice, low and steady, came from the end of the table. "If even a single strand carries so much essence, they will never stop. It's the nature of mortals — and gods."
The broadcast moved on to crowds flocking to places where he had walked weeks ago, checking CCTV to trace his path. Auction houses now displayed his hair like sacred relics.
Alex leaned back on the sofa and muttered, "This isn't over yet, is it…"
Hanabi smirked faintly. "You've basically cursed the world with good luck by shedding a single strand."
Airi added softly, "I'm just glad it's only your hair. If it were something more…"
Her voice trailed off as the rest of the women looked at Alex with expressions that were somewhere between admiration and exasperation.
He didn't respond, just closed his eyes and breathed out heavily. This was going to be another headache.
Chapter 438 – The Report of the Black Fortress
The screen flickered, shifting from the frenzy of hair auctions to another topic.
The anchor's tone changed, becoming more serious.
"Our next report concerns an event that has been a source of fear and fascination for decades. Since the barrier between the human world and the supernatural community has dissolved, the flow of information between the two has accelerated. Tonight, for the first time, the supernatural community has agreed to release detailed information about a figure who changed the course of history: the mysterious armored warrior known only as… the Void Knight."
The image changed to a wide shot of a frozen wasteland, taken from a helicopter.
Antarctica.
The anchor continued:
"Until recently, this incident was sealed from human records. It took place years ago, when a large meteorite fell deep in the Antarctic ice. What emerged from within was not stone. Witnesses described it as a humanoid creature made entirely of black and red sludge — a thing that devoured everything around it."
On the screen, older footage appeared. Grainy, shaky, but real.
Gods could be seen standing against a towering creature. The atmosphere was thick with divine energy, ice cracking under the weight of each step.
"The Olympian gods who responded to the threat engaged immediately. Ares, in particular, attacked with his spear, striking it with full force… only to discover that the creature devoured anything it touched."
The footage froze on the moment Ares' spear impaled the sludge. There was a blinding flash. When the image cleared, the spear was gone, and black-red liquid crawled up his arm like living mud.
The next shot showed him cutting off his own forearm with a blade of light.
"In that instant, the creature consumed his weapon and his flesh, growing stronger. It fled, leaving a trail of decay. Everything it touched — snow, ice, life — was corrupted, and the corruption itself became food, making it stronger."
The footage showed more scenes of chaos. The creature darted between the gods faster than the eye could follow, tearing through barriers, devouring summoned constructs, becoming something monstrous with every passing moment.
"It moved with unnatural speed, feeding as it advanced. The ground it walked on collapsed into rot. It was mere moments from reaching Athena herself when—"
The screen cut to a massive flash of blue-white light.
The beam pierced the creature's body with pinpoint precision, tearing a hole through its center. The impact carved a crater nearly a kilometer wide into the Antarctic ice.
"The attack came from more than two hundred kilometers away."
The footage zoomed in, showing a small, distant figure moving through the blizzard, clad in sleek black armor lined with faint blue circuitry.
"The Void Knight."
The next clips were fast: the armored figure teleporting to the crater in an instant; black blades unfolding from his arms; his body moving in a blur as he fought the thing.
Unlike the gods, who used overwhelming power, his movements were efficient, mechanical. He dissected the creature piece by piece, never letting it consume more. The longer the fight continued, the weaker it became — until, at last, the black sludge was nothing but ash blowing across the Antarctic wind.
"After the battle, he placed a device in the center of the crater — a black pillar with blue circuitry. The corruption melted away, cleansed, as if the pillar itself was burning it out of the world."
The image shifted to that pillar: tall, sleek, humming faintly with an alien pulse.
"It was the first time the supernatural community had seen such a device. Since then, other pillars have appeared wherever large-scale corruption threatened the world."
Then the report cut to footage of the Space Fortress, floating in the void above Earth — the massive black structure, lined with the same blue light as the armor.
"When the Space Fortress appeared to destroy more than twenty thousand corruption-bearing meteorites, its design perfectly matched that armor. There is no doubt now: the Void Knight built it."
The anchor looked directly into the camera.
"The identity of the Void Knight remains unknown. He never speaks. He never gives his name. And he has never demanded recognition. He simply appears where the world is collapsing, repairs it… and vanishes."
In Alex's living room, no one spoke for a while. The screen showed the fortress rotating silently above the Earth, vast and cold like a second moon.
Hanabi crossed her arms. "So they've finally told the full story."
Airi exhaled slowly. "People are going to be talking about this for months."
Reyne glanced at the screen, her eyes calm. "It doesn't matter. They still don't know who it is."
Morgan tilted her head slightly, her pale blue eyes fixed on Alex. "You really didn't want to talk to anyone back then, did you?"
Alex didn't reply. He just stared at the screen for a long moment, then reached for the remote and turned the volume down.
"I thought that part of my life was over," he murmured quietly. "But it looks like they're never going to let it go."
The news shifted to a live feed of public forums and comment streams.
Since the merge of the supernatural community with the human world, people no longer argued about whether magic was real—they argued about everything else.
And today, the hottest topic in every country was the same:
The Void Knight.
Comments scrolled rapidly across the screen, translated automatically into dozens of languages:
"Wait… so it wasn't the world governments who built that fortress?"
"All this time, they told us it was a global collaboration!"
"They LIED. They let us believe it was 'human effort' while it was that guy the whole time."
The anchor's voice explained over the flood of words:
"At the time of the meteorite crisis, the official announcement was that every country on Earth had worked together to create the fortress. That story remained for years, and only now, with the release of supernatural archives, has the truth been revealed."
The screen split into multiple feeds: vloggers shouting into their cameras, live podcasts, and social feeds with hundreds of thousands of viewers.
A woman with short hair yelled into the screen, "Do you know how many nights we couldn't sleep, thinking meteors were going to wipe out the planet? And now they tell us there was just one person who built that thing? ONE PERSON?!"
A middle-aged man in a different stream spoke with quieter anger:
"I get why they lied. At that time, if the truth came out, there would have been chaos. Riots everywhere. They thought people needed a story about humanity's unity to stay calm."
Another user replied instantly in chat, "Yeah, well, we still feel deceived. And now? That fortress is still up there. That guy doesn't even talk to us. We don't know who he is!"
In contrast, some messages were calmer, almost grateful:
"I don't care who built it. He saved us. Without him, none of us would be here right now."
"Maybe he never told anyone because he doesn't want power. People like that… they don't come often."
"I just want to say thank you. Whoever you are, thank you."
Another user typed, "Does anyone realize what kind of brain it takes to shoot a beam from 200 km away and not miss? That's not something countries could do."
Despite the heated arguments, there was a common thread running through all of it:
a deep, collective unease.
The idea that one silent figure, not any nation, had saved the planet made people realize just how small they really were.
And now, with that fortress orbiting above, they were forced to ask themselves the question no one had wanted to say out loud:
If he wanted to, could he destroy everything?
The news anchor's voice continued:
"Trust in world governments has been shaken. Many citizens now question what other truths were hidden from them. However, there is also understanding from those who recall the panic of that era. Back then, the unknown could have destroyed society from within before the meteorites ever struck."
The live feeds continued to scroll, comment after comment, some angry, some grateful, some afraid.
Back in Alex's living room, the screen reflected in everyone's eyes.
Hanabi shook her head. "They're restless. And they're going to keep talking about this for years."
Airi's voice was soft, thoughtful. "But at least they know now."
Alex leaned back on the sofa, his expression calm but unreadable. "Whether they know or not doesn't matter. That day, what had to be done was done."
The live news feed continued, but now the focus had shifted.
Within half an hour of the supernatural community's announcement, the online world had changed direction.
Chatrooms, forums, and video platforms were no longer just arguing—they were selling.
A bright, fast-talking streamer popped up in a corner window. Behind him was a hastily photoshopped image of the black armor.
"Alright, everyone, you've seen the footage, right? The Void Knight's armor is the single coolest thing to exist on this planet. I'm opening pre-orders for replicas right now! Full-size, wearable, with glowing blue lines—exactly like the one in the video!"
Within seconds, the comments on his screen scrolled so fast they were unreadable.
"Shut up and take my money!!!"
"I'll buy ten!"
"I'll wear it to work!"
On another channel, someone else was already sketching and uploading 3D printable files for cosplay armor.
"Blue LED strips included," the voice-over said proudly. "We can't teleport or shoot beams, but at least we can look like we can."
Large corporations weren't far behind. Advertisements started appearing mid-livestream:
"Inspired by the Void Knight – new fashion line! Black jackets with blue circuitry patterns. Limited edition!"
Another company launched a teaser for a VR game concept:
"VOID KNIGHT: THE GAME. Defend the Earth yourself. Pre-register now!"
Even the comment threads had changed:
"Forget the governments, I just want that armor."
"He could have ended the world but instead gave us a new fashion trend."
"Black with blue light—this will be the new standard. No one's allowed to wear red anymore."
Back in the broadcast studio, one of the anchors rubbed her forehead, trying not to laugh.
"We are also receiving reports that multiple online stores have started taking orders for Void Knight–inspired gadgets. Please be advised these are all unofficial and most likely scams."
In Alex's house, the screen reflected in everyone's eyes as the chaos grew.
Hanabi let out a low whistle. "It's been thirty minutes. Thirty minutes. And they're already selling shirts."
Yuka jumped up from the sofa, bright-eyed. "I want one! Papa, can I have the blue-glowy armor?!"
Alex sighed, dragging a hand over his face.
"This is what happens when people don't know what else to do."
Morgan crossed her arms, her silver hair falling like a curtain as she muttered, "At least they think your design is stylish."
Ciel glanced at him, golden eyes amused. "Do you regret making it look that cool?"
Alex didn't answer. His expression was unreadable, but the small, quiet exhale said everything.
Chapter 439 – The Man Wrapped in Gold
The broadcast moved on, and the screen behind the anchor changed again.
This time, the topic was no longer the Void Knight, but another figure—a name that had begun to circulate more and more in the merged supernatural community.
"While the Void Knight remains the most mysterious figure of our era,"
the anchor said,
"he is no longer the only one who has shaken the balance of the world.
The supernatural community has confirmed that the second-most enigmatic person alive is known only by a single name… Aten."
The footage changed to an image of a gold-covered book, floating in a barrier of magic while being scanned by scholars.
"The Book of Aten was discovered just four months ago,"
the reporter continued.
"Its contents changed everything we know about the limits of healing magic.
What was once considered impossible—regenerating damaged souls, mending scars that even divine magic could not reach—was made possible by the knowledge in this book."
Clips of healers, temples, and magicians all across the globe flashed on-screen. Doctors and priests were seen studying the book in reverence.
The scene cut to a simple sketch—rough, hand-drawn, but already famous.
It depicted a man completely wrapped in black bandages, his face entirely covered, wearing a long, flowing yellow cloak that hid his form, with only a faint glow of gold outlining his shape.
"The god Aten.
For months, almost nothing was known about him.
No images have ever been captured—only a sketch made by witnesses.
Even when he appears in person, cameras fail. It is as if he does not exist on the lens."
The news anchor paused as the next report began.
"However, a reliable source in the supernatural community has confirmed that two months ago, Aten directly intervened in one of the greatest events in the Egyptian pantheon:
the complete resurrection of Osiris."
The screen shifted to scenes of temples along the Nile, massive crowds celebrating under the desert sun.
"According to those close to the Egyptian gods, Osiris's body was shattered beyond repair thousands of years ago, and every attempt to restore him in the past ended in failure.
Resurrection spells are among the rarest and most dangerous forms of magic—they almost always result in deformity, corruption, or incomplete revival."
The report slowed, emphasizing every word.
"But this time, the god Aten restored Osiris without a single flaw.
No side effects.
No loss of divinity.
No cost."
Scholars and priests were interviewed on-screen, their voices mixed with awe and fear:
"There is no explanation. This is not a spell we recognize."
"Even a god cannot restore another god without consequence. This is beyond divine law."
"If Aten wished, he could rewrite the meaning of life and death itself."
For a moment, the broadcast showed a blurred image of Osiris himself, standing before a temple.
The caption read: 'Returned. Whole. By the god Aten.'
"Exactly how Aten performed this miracle remains unknown.
Some believe the Book of Aten contains the secret.
Others believe the book is only a fragment of his knowledge."
The report ended on the sketch again: a faceless man wrapped in black bandages, his golden cloak billowing as if in a wind that no one else could feel.
"With the revelation of the Void Knight earlier today and the confirmation of Aten's power, the world is forced to accept a simple truth:
there are forces now walking among us who stand outside the understanding of both mortals and gods."
On the screen, the official broadcast gave way to a storm of online discussions.
Everywhere — from ordinary social media platforms to supernatural community forums — the sketch of Aten became the new icon of fascination.
In one corner of the screen, comments scrolled nonstop.
"He looks like an ancient mummy, but… cooler?"
"Yellow cloak, full bandages, no face showing. It's like a puzzle you can't solve."
"This guy revived a god. A god. And we don't even know what he looks like under the bandages?"
Some threads were dedicated purely to dissecting the clothing details in the sketch.
Others speculated on what kind of magic could hide a person's true form even from divine vision.
A livestream opened from a popular supernatural historian, a middle-aged scholar with glowing tattoos running down his arms.
"We are entering an era of mysteries," he said, pointing at the image behind him. "First the Void Knight, now the god Aten. Two figures who never speak, never appear without a mask, and who change the world without asking for thanks or power. People want to know if they are friends, enemies… or the same person."
The chat exploded.
"Same person???"
"Imagine if the Void Knight took off his armor and he's this guy!"
"No way, one uses tech, the other magic. Totally different."
"But… what if it's BOTH?!"
On forums, fan sketches began appearing within minutes. Some drew Aten as a shadowy figure emerging from golden sands. Others combined modern cyberpunk style with Egyptian motifs, imagining what might lie beneath the cloak.
Hashtags like #GodAten and #MummyButCool trended worldwide.
A smaller one rose just as fast: #MysteryDuo, referring to the Void Knight and Aten.
In the supernatural communities, people were a little more cautious. They knew how dangerous it was to speculate on beings far beyond gods. Yet even there, fascination was winning over caution.
"Wrapped in bandages, covered in gold, faceless, silent… If you stood in front of a god like that, what would you even say?"
"You wouldn't say anything. You'd just move out of the way."
The screen returned to the studio, the anchor concluding:
"The sketches of Aten are now circulating globally. Scholars say these are only artistic interpretations, but that hasn't stopped the public imagination from running wild. For now, Aten remains as untouchable as the Void Knight — a figure out of reach, wrapped in gold and mystery."
The livestream ended, but the online storm only grew fiercer.
New forums were opening by the minute, all dedicated to Aten and the Void Knight.
Some of the larger ones had already split into fan clubs:
The Cloaked Ones – devoted to the god Aten.
The Black Fortress – dedicated to the Void Knight.
And, unexpectedly, a third group that appeared almost instantly:
The Mystery Duo, for those who didn't care who was who, as long as the two of them existed.
In chatrooms, debates raged like wildfire.
"Aten could bring a god back to life without side effects. That's insane!"
"Void Knight built a fortress that destroyed twenty thousand meteors. Also insane!"
"So who's stronger?"
"Tech vs magic. Classic matchup!"
Someone posted two pictures side by side:
On the left, the sketch of Aten — a faceless man, his entire body wrapped in black bandages, covered by a long yellow cloak, like a silent, eternal puzzle.On the right, a frame from the Void Knight fight in Antarctica — high-tech black armor traced with glowing blue circuitry, standing among frozen craters.
The caption under the images read:
"If these two fought, who would win?"
The replies came in by the thousands.
"Armor wins. He can teleport and shoot beams across 200 kilometers."
"No way. Aten literally rewrote the laws of life and death. He'd just revive himself!"
"Void Knight can erase an entire city in one shot. Aten can resurrect an entire city. It's like opposites!"
"I bet they're secretly allies. They just show up in different outfits depending on the problem."
"Nah, one is all about tech, the other about magic. It's like science versus myth."
Fan clubs began creating artwork almost immediately.
Some painted Aten and Void Knight standing back to back, one wreathed in golden light, the other in blue.
Others went further, creating wild theories that they were brothers, or even the same being choosing different forms.
Merchandise pages appeared so quickly it seemed they had been waiting:
T-shirts: "Team Aten" (yellow designs) vs "Team Void Knight" (black and blue).Phone cases with glowing circuit patterns or gold wrappings.A banner that simply read: "Who Needs the Twelve Gods?"
In one popular thread, someone wrote:
"Think about it. These two don't even talk. They show up, fix things, and leave. No speeches. No demands. Just action.
If the Void Knight and Aten ever stood side by side… nothing could stand against them."
Replies flooded in.
"New dream duo."
"Better than any government."
"If those two are on the same side, then the rest of us are just… extras."
The anchor's voice returned faintly over the scrolling feeds:
"In just a few hours, the public fascination with these two figures has reached an unprecedented level. Arguments continue to escalate over which of them holds more power, but one thing is clear: they have already become legends to both the mortal and the divine."
The feed showed the side-by-side images again.
One — a man wrapped in black bandages and gold.
The other — a figure clad in sleek black armor and glowing circuits.
Two silhouettes that now loomed over the imagination of the entire world.
The television muted itself with a soft click. Alex had finally pressed the button, his expression unreadable. The room was filled with the glow of the screen showing Aten and Void Knight side by side, the entire world arguing about which one was stronger.
Hanabi leaned back on the sofa, arms folded, a slow grin spreading across her face as she glanced at him.
"So," she said, her tone deliberately casual, "how does it feel knowing the entire planet is fighting over whether you—in gold bandages—or you—in shiny blue armor—is stronger?"
Alex didn't even look at her. "I don't care."
"Oh, I'm sure you don't," she said sweetly. "I mean, you've got fan clubs now. Do you want me to order a shirt for you? 'Team Me' or 'Team Also Me'?"
Airi stifled a laugh behind her sleeve. Yuka practically fell off her cushion laughing. "Team Also Me! That's so funny!"
Hanabi wasn't finished. She leaned closer, her red eyes gleaming. "And the best part? Not one of them realizes they're arguing about the same man. You could walk past those fan clubs and they'd try to recruit you into both sides."
Finally, Alex glanced at her with a slow sigh. "Do you enjoy this?"
"Very much," Hanabi replied without hesitation. "I can't wait for the day when one of them invites you to a debate about which version of yourself is cooler."
Even Morgan, usually silent, gave the faintest smirk at that.
Chapter 440 – Seeds in a Silent World
Three days passed.
Alex stood in the courtyard of the house, his hands tucked in his pockets, looking up at the clear sky. It had been a while since he'd had a stretch of time with nothing demanding his attention. No meetings, no divine summons, no unexpected chaos from Olympus.
Free time. A rare luxury.
He glanced down at his right hand where Ciel's golden symbol glimmered faintly.
"Ciel," he said calmly, "let's go to World Frontier."
The golden mark pulsed. "You want the flow rate changed?"
"Yes," he said. "One to a thousand. I want time to stop for a while."
"As you wish."
The air shimmered, and a gate of golden light opened before him.
In the next moment, the familiar weight of another world settled around him.
The fortress he had built in World Frontier loomed behind him, massive and silent. The sky here was a deep, infinite blue with clouds rolling slow like a painted sea.
It was quiet. The kind of quiet that belonged to a world with no one else in it.
Ciel's voice, soft but curious, drifted through his thoughts. "So? What do you plan to do with this free time?"
"Agronomy," Alex replied.
There was a beat of silence. "…You mean farming?"
"Not just farming," he said. "I want to study soil, growth, crop cycles. Something I've never done before."
"…Alright," Ciel said, amusement clear in her voice. "I'll adjust the land's mana fields so you have perfect conditions for research."
"I'll handle it myself. Just make sure time flows slowly."
"Done."
The fortress came alive at his command.
Dozens of thin, humanoid robots—his silent assistants—moved out from the structures, carrying materials. Within minutes, they began constructing a new facility on the open plains beside the fortress walls: a research center dedicated to agronomy.
Alex watched the construction for a while, then walked down to the fields where the wind brushed tall, wild grasses.
It was strange. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't building weapons or defenses. He was going to build something that simply created.
A scent on the wind made him pause.
Then came the sound of soft paws on the ground.
"Fenrir," Alex said quietly.
From the horizon, a large silver-grey wolf ran toward him, fur glistening like frost under the blue sun. She slowed as she approached, golden eyes bright with recognition.
They stood facing each other for a moment. Then, with a low rumble of greeting, she brushed her head lightly against his arm.
"It's been a while," Alex said, resting a hand on her head. "How have you been?"
Her voice echoed in his mind, deep and soft. "I could ask you the same. It has been too long."
"I've been… busy."
"And now you come here to rest?"
"I came to do something different," Alex said. "I wanted to see this place again."
Fenrir's tail swayed slowly behind her as she sat on the grass beside him, looking out across the silent plains.
"I like it here," she said. "There are no cities, no noise. Only the wind. Even the fortresses you built… they are strange, but beautiful. They do not bother me."
Alex glanced at her. "You prefer this world to the other?"
"This world feels like it belongs to no one but itself," she said. "The other worlds… everything there has been claimed, marked, fought over. Here, I can run and there is nothing to take from me."
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The construction of the research facility continued behind them in silence, robots assembling walls like clockwork. The wind stirred the tall grass, carrying the faint metallic scent of the fortress mixed with the clean air of a world untouched.
Fenrir's ears flicked. "You will grow plants here?"
"Yes," Alex said. "I want to learn how life works from the ground up."
She tilted her great head slightly, studying him. "Then perhaps I will watch."
"You can," Alex said. "There's plenty of space."
They walked slowly away from the fortress walls.
Beyond the cleared area where his research center was taking shape, the world opened up wide.
Here in World Frontier, after Alex had cleansed the land, nature had reclaimed everything.
Vast green forests stretched endlessly in every direction. Rivers as clear as crystal wound through the plains like silver ribbons, catching the light. The oceans glimmered a deep, clean blue with no trace of corruption, no sign of any civilization except the ruins of cities long ago destroyed. What remained of those ruins stood like silent monuments, stone skeletons half-buried in moss and vines.
Where there was once rot and corruption, there was now life.
Creatures moved freely across the plains:
flocks of birds that had no counterpart on Earth, deer with translucent antlers, herds of thick-bodied reptiles that resembled nothing Alex had seen before.
And among them, massive shadows moved in the distance.
Fenrir padded beside him, her paws making no sound on the soft grass, golden eyes sweeping across the vast horizon.
"When I first smelled this place," she said, "I thought it would be barren. Empty. But you have turned it into something else. It is vast… and beautiful. It feels alive again."
Alex glanced at her. "You thought it would be just a wasteland?"
"I expected only scars and sand," she admitted. "But now… there are forests, clean waters, creatures I have never seen before. Even the sky feels clear in a way the other worlds do not. It is strange, but I like it."
A shadow of something massive passed over them.
Alex tilted his head up just in time to see a creature soar above, wings stretching wide like sails, a body shaped like something out of a prehistoric age.
Fenrir's gaze followed it lazily.
"I also like the meat here," she said suddenly.
"…The meat?"
"There are beasts here that are unlike those in any other world," she said, licking her lips. "Especially the ones with two legs and tiny arms. Their flesh is tender and rich."
Alex blinked. "…You mean a T-Rex?"
"If that is what you call it," Fenrir said calmly. "The ones that roar loudly and think themselves kings. They taste like kings, too."
He gave her a dry look. "So you've been hunting dinosaurs."
"Of course," she said, tilting her head in amusement. "They are too loud, and they try to bite everything. It is better that I eat them first."
As they walked, they passed the skeleton of a once-mighty city, its broken towers covered in green vines. Flowers bloomed in windows where glass had long since shattered. Roots broke through stone streets that no one had walked for hundreds of years.
Fenrir's gaze softened as she looked at the ruins.
"This is what the world was before corruption," she murmured. "And now you have made it so again."
Alex glanced at her. "You like it like this."
"Yes," she said simply. "This is how a world should be: vast, full of life, with no one fighting over it."
In the distance, a herd of large reptiles—something between an elephant and a brontosaurus—moved slowly, their long necks dipping to drink from a river. And beyond them, further out where the plains touched the forest edge, smaller creatures with sharp, predatory shapes darted in and out of the trees.
Fenrir's golden eyes narrowed on one of those shapes. "There. That is the one I told you about."
A dark figure stepped out of the treeline for a moment: thick skull, short forearms, a powerful tail. The roar it gave shook the trees before it vanished back into the green.
Alex's mouth curved slightly. "Definitely a T-Rex."