[Meanwhile, in the Divine Kingdom of the God of Nature, Natir]
The Divine Kingdoms of the chief Deities are very different when compared with their subordinates since for the chief Deities, they are actual Divine Kingdoms and not just an island artifact.
A Divine Kingdom is, in essence, a part of an Apotheotic being while also being a place within the 4th spacial dimension, Soul. The Divine Kingdoms within the 3rd Spacial Dimension are simply the shadows of the true ones.
Natir's was a simple one, at least when compared to Campbell's, his Divine Kingdom's shadow is a large creature made out of flesh, bark, fungi, bones, rhizome, roots and more. Its size is around the size of the Midoro Empire, with the Divine Kingdom's of the lesser 'deities' existing within this creature.
The throne of nature, where the God of Elves was currently sitting, was inside the 'skull' of the creature, and there, with a bundle of popcorn and a sugary drink, was Natir.
Due to being an Apotheotic being, Natir's true form could not be properly comprehended by any being that wasn't Demitic or higher in rank without injuries, madness or death, and so he was currently looking like a normal male elf.
There was a large 'screen' that projected all that His Divine Kingdom could 'see', and its gaze was currently focused on Antonio. The reason for why He was doing this was simple, because He was a cheapskate.
The 'company' that delivered Antonio to him had many options available to him, ranging from being able to watch him through the 'System's' eyes, a third person perspective, a first person perspective and more, but He decided to simply watch him with the help of His Divine Kingdom.
As for the rest of the given options, he decided to obviously pay for the body, mind and soul alarms, which would notify Him whenever Antonio gets hurt in the specified part of his existence.
The only downside is that His Divine Kingdom cannot do anything more than use the normal five senses of a mortal, with the Mind and Soul not being visible to him due to his lacking strength.
He had been watching Antonio's life ever since he was born and it had been pretty interesting, and it reminded Him of something that one of His lesser deities had once told Him:
"Isekai's are the best!"
Granted, at the time He did not quite know what an 'Isekai' was, but after getting a short run through and a copy of the memories of watching such shows, He was hooked.
Due to being in a solid alliance with all of the other chief Deities, and His nature as a Nature Deity, Natir was not a very active God, and so He tended to get bored very easily. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the Yvonnian Alliance, he couldn't start religious wars, crusades or anything similar.
He had 'played around' a bit with his believers by using one of His Avatars, but when you know that you are an extremely powerful Deity, the fun of an ordinary life goes away quickly. His current solution?
Watch how a mortal from another world tries to survive in a world where beings like him are persecuted and seen as 'Demonic Beings' while also giving him the task of making His Empire the greatest Empire on Yvon.
Another caveat of the Yvonnian Alliance was that no Deity or Angel can interfere with the happenings of the mortal world unless a Demonic Invasion occurs or one of the pantheons from the other continents decide to invade Yvon.
-"While still entertaining, watching an infant do basically nothing but study is starting to get very stale, even if Helena spices it up from time to time with her little 'tests'. Her sending an assassin after her son wasn't something that I was expecting from her..."
The Royal Families and Highest order of nobility aren't allowed to strongly believe in any Deity so that their judgement isn't impaired, as they had to think like a ruler, not like a believer. This also had the unforeseen side effect of essentially blinding the Deities on Yvon when it comes to what these people are thinking or doing.
The only reason why Natir even knew about Helena hiring an assassin was due to his unique Divine Kingdom.
And so, after skipping a few 'episode' by making time affect His section of His Divine Kingdom differently, Natir was now at the part where Callous, the assassin, was currently 'playing' with Antionio.
"Finally! Something interesting!
Now let's see what plan Antonio has in store, this is usually the part when the protagonist reveals their hidden strength on an opponent."
Of course, Natir was currently in His more 'stupid' mindset, with most of his actual thinking being currently done by a separate part of his mind. This is mostly because the memories he got of watching anime often times needed one to 'turn their brain off' in order to be enjoyed.
And so, Natir wasn't even thinking about the possible ramifications of Antonio revealing his hidden abilities or about how this could actually be a test made by Helena in order to truly know whether Antonio was a 'Demonic Spirit' or not.
[Back to Antonio]
-'Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck'
Antonio was currently trying his very best to not let out any sound as he saw the blades of the bagh nack slowly get closer and closer to his eyes but he could not manage to hold on and so he let out a frightened, albeit muffled, shriek.
This earned him a smirk from the assassin and yet another cut, but this time it was on his chest.
Tears had started to come out of his eyes as his current body was currently still very sensitive and not resistant to pain, this caused him to start having difficulty breathing and seeing, with his lips starting to feel like they were going to get torn off due to the adhesive.
'Why is there an assassin in my room? How did she get in? Why am I targeted? Why hadn't anybody come already? Why is my System silent!?'
Ever since he woke up and saw the assassin, Antonio immediately tried to summon his System in order to see if he can use its abilities to defend himself, either with the help of an item, skill, trait or anything else, but it was silent.
This made him panic even more as he was starting to think that he was caught, with this assassin simply being a scapegoat used to kill him by the order of the one that managed to discover his identity.
His wrists and ankles hurt as he tried to get out of the bindings but the rough cloth that Callous used ended up making him get hurt, with the skin on his limbs getting stretched and even torn due to the frantic moving.
The skin on his lips was starting to slowly tear, which made him feel even more pain and want to scream, leading to the skin tearing even more. It was a painful cycle, something that Callous waited eagerly to start.
Every time he would let out a loud enough sound, whether it was a groan or a struggle for breath, he would get another cut. The cuts were shallow and not even close to any vital arteries or areas that would cause him to bleed out.
Most were around his face, with some even to his temple which led to blood now starting to slowly flow downwards towards his eyes, making them sting and extremely uncomfortable. He tried desperately to pull at the bindings, wanting to clean his eyes and remove the blood, but he failed.
Callous was enjoying Antonio's suffering, but she still made sure that make a small cut whenever she would make a loud enough noise, which most times, was a laugh.
[Back to Natir]
-"Alright, so maybe he wants to hide his powers? Although I am not really sure whether that is a smart move right now, considering the assassin wants to kill him...
Also this mortal's torture methods are so bland..."
Natir was starting to get bored of the torture, it wasn't exciting at all when compared to other things. He was expecting a close fight between a child with fantastical abilities and an assassin that only knows how to inflict pain on the weak.
But this was so boring that he almost started counting down by 7 from 1000 in order to remind himself of a more proper torture scene.
"No, he doesn't have enhanced regeneration so he would die pretty quickly if that were to happen..."
His popcorn bucket was already empty and his sugary drink was not tasting as good as before.
Him getting Paul Smith to reincarnated on Midor was simply a way to alleviate some of his boredom, but it wasn't going well.
He was a self-actualized Deity so he could technically become stronger, but he hadn't even tried for two reasons:
-Lack of Motivation
-Lack of Resources
He was already the chief Deity of a powerful pantheon on a relatively large continent, all while not being in any conflict of interests with the other Deities due to the Yvonnian Alliance, so why would He want to become stronger? He was already immortal as a perk of being of the Apotheotic rank and the number of his believers was still rising.
Even if he did want to become stronger, he could not do so due to not having enough resources. Sure, his amount of followers is rising, but enough to raise in a minor rank? No.
Plus, after one passes the Ascended Rank, once cannot just sit on their ass and meditate and refine mana or ether within their body to get stronger.
After you form your energy core, you start needing more specialized things, items, energies, rituals, knowledge, etc. All based on the road one takes towards more power.
"Isn't he crying a bit too much? I don't remember crying this much over a measly cut when I was a mortal...
Also why is his mom just watching him get 'tortured' like this? I know that she hates 'Demonic Spirits', but still..."
Natir then went to make some more popcorn and also get more drinks before he decided to interfere.
[Back to the Mortal Realm, Helena's office.]
Helena Midoro, the mother of Antonio and Empress of the Midoro Empire was currently using a surveillance artifact to watch what was happening within her son's room. Her fingernails were dug deeply into her hand and she was tapping her foot on the floor repeatedly.
-'Come on...Do something, anything.'
She was silently hoping to see something miraculous happen, a saving grace, a deus ex machina, anything that will excuse her putting her child through such a painful experience.
She wants to see him act like a Demonic Spirit and not like a frightened child that thinks it is going to die while crying out for his parents. She wants to know whether the being that is being tortured is her actual son and not some unknown being that is using his body for their own gains.
What she didn't know was that someone else was also watching her, someone that Antonio was desperately begging for help. The Ultimate Conqueror System.
-'Looks like I was right to come here when that assassin appeared.'
The UCS (Ultimate Conqueror System) looked at Helena while also periodically checking up on its host's condition.
'That assassin was way too weak to be able to enter the palace undetected, so they must have been let in. The only ones that control who can enter the Royal Palace are the Emperor, Empress and Elder Council. The Emperor and Elder Council do not need to hire any assassins due to their nature, especially one that would target him.
That leaves you.'
The UCS looked on at Helena's nervous appearance, something that was very odd if one were to account for her nature and accomplishments, but it seems that motherhood has mellowed her out a bit.
'No, just becoming a mother shouldn't lead to her nature changing so drastically, that is extremely illogical.'
The Elvish Empress continued to look on as her son was getting tortured, the UCS observed her and Natir had already become bored. Three powerful beings know what Antonio is going through, but their feelings couldn't be more different.
Callous was currently simply watching as Antonio was trying his best to not let out any sounds, having already stopped her play so that she wouldn't make the small child bleed out.
The body of the young elf was covered in various cuts and scabs, coupled with some wounds to the inside of his nails and to the inside of his mouth.
His face was covered in dried out blood, tears, snot and even some sweat and his breathing was ragged. The skin on his lips was torn, which made him able to open his mouth once more but he desperately kept it closed.
He was starting to feel tired and afraid to die at the same time, a mix of acceptance and defiance. He wanted to rebel, to fight back, to make the pain stop.
But he couldn't.
His body was too weak, he did not have any special abilities or spells and there were no Spirits around either. He was all alone with a sadistic assassin and nobody was coming to save him.
The sound of rain was starting to become more and more loud while the fresh, humid air was mixed with the smell of blood and fear.
This continued for two more hours, with the game's rules changing with each hour. During the second hour, instead of a cut, he would receive a punch and during the third, he would get a finger broken.
Each punch was towards either towards the kidney, liver or solar plexus while the fingers were broken swiftly. The skin was torn but it could be seen that several of his fingers were now starting to swell up and turn purple.
Helena watched all of this without looking away, she wanted to be absolutely sure that he wasn't going to do anything that a 'Demonic Spirit' would do. Several tests were already made on Antonio by the strongest and most knowledgeable elves of the Midoro Empire and besides a blessing from Natir and the basic Nature Spirit Affinity and Spirit Sight, Antonio did not have anything special.
No hidden bloodline, soul treasure, hidden spirit companion, Beast Will, Unique Ability, mutation, innate law understanding or affinity, the blessing of a Deity other than Natir.
If he were to show anything, even mere moments away from what he perceives as certain death, Helena would lose all affection and simply let him die. If not, then she would simply bare with the shame and save her son.
A 'Demonic Spirit' absolutely cannot become the leader of an Empire or someone that has high political power, no matter what.
The UCS was simply observing the actions of the Empress, not worried at all about what will happen to its Host.
If he dies, so be it. The most important part is to not let the natives of Midor find out about the existence of yet another 'Demonic Being', no matter the cost.
Sure, it will be reprimanded later, maybe get its salary cut, but it is something small when compared to what will happen to it if the fact of its Hosts existence were to be discovered by the other Deities of Yvon, or worse, of the other continents.
Meanwhile, Natir had just returned with His snacks and drink and caught up with what He missed during the time He was away.
-"Damn, I guess I have to get involved, don't I?"
Due to having a connection with Antonio with the help of the blessing, the God of Nature could have stopped the Callous' 'game' before it even started, but He decided to simply watch how Helena was going to act.
Will she choose to protect her child at the risk of letting a 'Demonic Spirit' go unnoticed or will she choose to continue and watch her child get tortured while he begs for help?
Many talented children have been killed by various High Nobles and Royal Families in order to get rid of possible 'Demonic Spirits'. Many innocent, and only a few 'guilty'.
'Damn Campbell...'
"How should I explain my involvement? Maybe I could simply say that I didn't want the current heir of the Empire to die after it took so long for one to be born? Not having an eligible heir could lead to the instability of the Midoro Empire, so it could work...
Alright, then how should I involve myself? Maybe make a small 'miracle'? Maybe use the blessing in order to make a small descent?
No, that would just make him explode.
Maybe send an angel? They should be weak enough... No they would make him go mad or explode."
Due to being the part of Natir's mind that was in charge of simply having 'dumb fun', this Natir was having a hard time with coming up with a viable solution.
Thankfully for Antonio, Dumb Natir had come up with a solution just as the assassin Callous was about to finally kill the young elf.
[Back to Antonio]
-'I want to go home, I want to be back with mom and dad... Why haven't I missed them after coming here? I should have been panicking but instead, I was so calm...'
Antonio was currently blankly staring at the ceiling, trying his best to breathe, flinching with each breath as the bruises on his torso would hurt with every breath he took in and let out.
Callous was looking at her 'toy' with a look of great pleasure but also a bit of pity. She wasn't able to play with such high quality toys and so, now that her playtime is over, she was starting to have second thoughts.
-'Maybe I can just kidnap him? No, that's stupid. All that play had started to make me stupid if I had even thought that.'
She let out a wistful sigh as she looked down at Antonio, raising her hand in the air, pointing the long blade of the Bagh Nakh downwards.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to make your death a slow one. Well, relatively slow."
Just as she was about to slash at Antonio's throat, mere moments away, she suddenly noticed a strange glow that was coming from the young elf's chest, slightly higher than where his heart was.
Her hand wavered for only a few moments, almost less than a second, but that was enough.
The glow started to intensify more and more until it almost completely illuminated the room, leaving almost no shadows. The light was all encompassing, filling the room like a liquid so that even if an object were to 'block' the light, the light would still illuminate what was behind the object.
It was an illogical light, an impossible one.
A Divine Light.
The Divine Light was a sign of a forming Divine Energy Core, and this sign was also what caused Helena to make her move. She activated an artifact which sent a signal towards Antonio's room, activating one of the defensive artifacts.
Just as Callous was starting to get her bearings, a large root came out of the ceiling of the room, moving faster than she could react.
The root pierced through her skull then went through the rest of her body, impaling her and making her body remain upright even after her death. The Divine Light reacted to her soul and then encompassed and 'devoured' it.
This filled up Antonio's Divine Energy Core to the brim and even more, with the excess energy now being used to heal and strengthen his body while also making him pass out.
The assassin's body then started to rapidly rot and decompose as the root grew smaller roots which then grew inside the body, rapidly 'consuming' her body until only her clothes were left.
The UCS System and Helena were both staring at the projection of Antonio's room and the process of his Divine Energy Core's formation, both silent and thinking different but similar thing.
-"He was Lord Natir's Blessed... of course..."
-'Oh yea, Natir's blessing. Why would He give him a Divine Core though? There were other ways of doing it that would have cost Him less.'
Helena was now wallowing in regret as she finally knew why her child was so 'abnormal'. At first, she had thought that the blessing was simply something extremely minor, since that's what the tests had said.
But now that she saw how her child was given a Divine Core, she was now 100% that he child could not be a 'Demonic Spirit'.
But that also meant that she caused her child to be tortured and almost killed, not even treating him properly, simply because she was suspicious.
But before she started to belittle herself, she quickly made her way towards Antonio's room while alerting the whole palace of an assassin within her son's room.
The UCS decided to simply go back to its host's side and started waiting for him to wake up, already having an excuse for its behavior.
And so, this was how the Crown Prince of the Midoro Empire became an official Blessed of the God of Nature and Elves, Natir, even receiving his own Divine Energy Core in order to defend himself from an unknown assassin that had managed to infiltrate the palace through unknown means.
The news of his attempted assassination and the formation of his Divine Core was kept hidden, with only the Elder Council, Emperor, Empress and other High rank members of the Midoro Empire knowing about it.