Lilith, with her small party, sped through the dark reaches of the Forest of Chaos toward the Vespera River.
Their destination was the Steel Echo Mountains, where the dwarven city was hidden - the only hope of providing Lilith's subjects with decent homes and clothing.
Leading the group was Bungo, who, with terror in his eyes and all the strength of his small hands, clung to the fur of a rushing werewolf. Just behind him, astride the powerful Varg, raced Lilith in her demonic form, with two other goblins bringing up the rear.
One of them was Gorgoth's only son, the young and ambitious Throk.
The wolves the goblins and Lilith rode sprinted like the wind, slicing through the air and dodging protruding tree roots. Only when the sun began to hide behind the horizon and the forest filled with long shadows did the group reach the riverbank.
"Let's rest here," Lilith ordered.
The werewolves immediately braked, and the goblins slid off their backs. Bungo fell flat on his back on the ground, nearly dead from exhaustion, gasping for air with his mouth wide open.
An unsettling, heavy silence had prevailed throughout most of the journey, and it persisted now. Lilith watched the wolves slowly drinking water from the river, then shifted her gaze to Gorgoth's son.
"Throk," she began, sitting comfortably on a fallen tree trunk. "Are you Gorgoth's only son?"
The young goblin immediately ran up to her and fell to his knees, an expression of supreme excitement on his face.
"Yes, Great Mistress! I am the only son of Gorgoth!" he cried with pride. "It might not be apparent, but my father was extremely busy managing our village. Because of that, he had very little time for siring offspring, which is why I am his sole heir."
Lilith hummed under her breath, analyzing his words.
"Hmmm... Is it true that your race reproduces at such a staggering rate?" she asked after a moment.
Throk nodded fervently.
"In our tradition and culture, every strong goblin should have at least seven offspring before old age catches up with him."
Lilith felt a shiver down her spine.
Seven?! she thought in disbelief.
"In our village, that number was slightly lower," Throk continued, looking at the river's current.
"We usually had about five children. All thanks to the protection of the sacred beast. Because of it, we didn't have to worry about our bloodline dying out completely."
Lilith understood the brutal logic of their existence.
For beings so weak, siring dozens of children was the only way to survive - the hope that at least a fraction of them would live to adulthood.
Throk's voice suddenly turned somber.
"Unfortunately, our race is very weak. We only develop up to a certain point," he added, looking at the darkening sky. "Even my father, who is the strongest goblin I've ever seen, would have huge trouble winning a fight against these werewolves."
Lilith, seeing the young goblin's sadness, didn't know what to say. She decided to change the subject, asking about something that had intrigued her since the battle in the ruins.
"Why exactly did you call that beast 'sacred'?" she asked curiously. "After all, it just ate your kin, didn't it?"
Throk nodded, his gaze wandering toward the first stars piercing through the treetops.
"Yes, the sacred beast ate our kin," he admitted in a quiet voice. "But compared to other races that hunt us, it wasn't that demanding. More importantly, though... it was a true saint."
Lilith raised her eyebrows, looking at the small goblin with disbelief.
"A true saint?"
A note of religious fanaticism appeared in Throk's voice, and his eyes flashed with a strange light.
"It was the heir of the Mother of Monsters."
"Mother?" Lilith repeated, feeling an unnatural silence fall over the camp.
"She is our original progenitor," Throk continued, clasping his hands. "According to our beliefs, it is thanks to her that we goblins were created, but also all the other monsters of this world. She is the source of all life that does not come from the sun."
The goblin became animated, and his story gained momentum, carried by the echo of legends passed down from generation to generation.
"The stories of the old goblins say that we weren't always this weak. Our ancestors, through the blessing of the Mother, were able to exceed the limits of their own race. They had powerful skills and fighting capabilities we can only dream of today."
His voice suddenly weakened, becoming heavy with regret.
"However, over time, the knowledge of how to ask the Mother for grace and how to break the shackles of our weakness vanished with the death of our empire."
"You had a Goblin Empire?" Lilith barely hid her surprise.
Throk nodded, his face contorting into a painful grimace.
"Once, this entire Forest of Chaos belonged to us. We had cities, armies, and order. But then he came... the Great Monster, whom the legends call the Consul of the Pale Necropolis."
The goblin shivered, recalling the description of the invader who became the end of their civilization.
"He brought absolute silence with him. The legend says he was a being who believed that the chaos of life was a mistake, and only the eternal order of death made sense. When he entered our empire, he created a domain where the very air became pale and dead. The weaker of our ancestors fell on the spot, turning into mindless corpses, and the strongest, whom we called heroes, simply withered before our eyes."
Throk lowered his head, tracing patterns in the sand with his finger.
"We couldn't escape his voice. He issued orders that no one could resist, as if he were the judge of all the dead. In a single night, our empire turned into a city of the undead, a great puppet theater in which he was the sole director. They say that in his most terrifying form, he looked like a feathered serpent covered in scales and oil-stained feathers. The mere sight of that being made flesh rot, and his white flames burned life down to the very root."
Lilith listened to Throk's tale with growing wonder.
She lifted her head, staring at the flickering points in the night sky, her thoughts plunging into an analysis of the legend she had heard.
So, according to them, goblins once ruled this vast forest? she thought, furrowing her brow.
Then an enemy came who slew them and turned them into mindless corpses...
The legend is likely exaggerated, as oral traditions usually are, but if there's a grain of truth in it, how is that possible?
She looked askance at Throk.
In her eyes, the boy might seem strong by his species' standards, but he was still terrifyingly weak compared to, say, the Werewolves.
How could such a race ever hold power here?
Did these beings truly enjoy the grace of this 'Mother' in the past? Lilith wondered.
And does this Mother even exist?
A being who gave life to all monsters... doesn't that sound a bit like...
[A God]
MINERVA's voice finished for her, resonating in her consciousness with extraordinary clarity.
Lilith flinched, hearing her system companion speak up suddenly.
You think so too, dear? she asked in her thoughts.
MINERVA ignored the affectionate term and replied in her dispassionate, analytical tone:
[Every world possesses a Deity that is the embodiment of the rules governing that reality.]
So this Mother from the legends is a Deity of this world? Lilith felt a thrill of excitement.
[It cannot be ruled out; however, there is currently no evidence confirming this theory]
Lilith furrowed her brow, questioning the logic of the situation.
But would such a God allow another Deity, like the System, to play with its world and change its rules?
[The System is not a God]
Lilith's eyes widened, her breath nearly stopping.
What?
How is it not?
Didn't the System send millions of lives from other dimensions to this world and grant us all these powers?
If it's not a God, then what is it?
[The System is simply a principle created by a certain powerful being.]
MINERVA explained.
[It is sent to successive worlds to spread these principles and integrate them with local reality.]
Hooo... so the System is just a tool used by this powerful Entity? Lilith thought, trying to grasp the scale of this information.
[Confirmed.]
MINERVA replied.
[However, do not think the System is weak. It possesses power greater than any single deity.]
Hoo, you seem quite proud of that, Lilith smiled inwardly.
[Of course.]
MINERVA replied with a clear note of pride in her voice.
[After all, I myself originate from the System, so one could say I am someone on the level of a god.]
Lilith gave a crooked smile, amusement flashing in her eyes.
Yes, yes, I'm glad I have you with me, my little Goddess in a box.
But as you can see, we already have one 'Mother' in this world, so there's likely no room for a second God.
[There is no rule stating that only one Deity can reside in a single world.]
MINERVA countered immediately.
[Most worlds possess pantheons in which many powerful entities exist simultaneously.]
Lilith felt her heart accelerate again.
So you're claiming there are more Gods in this world too?!
[Likely.]
MINERVA cut her off.
Hearing MINERVA's confirmation, Lilith felt an icy shiver run down her spine.
Goosebumps momentarily covered her skin, and her heart fluttered in her chest like a trapped bird.
The vision of powerful, celestial beings watching her every step made her feel suddenly very small and vulnerable.
But... doesn't that mean we, the Demon Kings, will be hated by these Gods?! she cried out terrified in her thoughts, clenching her hands on her knees.
After all, our task is to conquer their world!
MINERVA, what happens if some god gets pissed off at me and just sends a lightning bolt or sweeps me off the face of the earth with a flick of a finger?!
Lilith grit her teeth, a very vivid image appearing in her head.
I'd be furious in their place!
Imagine you have your perfectly cleaned house. Every pillow on the couch is exactly where it should be, fresh flowers are in the vase, and the kitchen smells like cake.
And suddenly, without knocking, some stranger walks in with muddy boots.
He smashes the table, breaks your favorite dishes, and says this is his house now.
My blood would boil!
I'd grab the nearest heavy object and throw the bastard out the window!
Why would gods react differently when we barge in and wreck their order?!
MINERVA's voice in her head remained unmoved, even irritatingly calm.
[Please do not think of Gods as human beings. Treat them more like Concepts.]
Concepts? Lilith repeated, furrowing her brow in disorientation.
[Most Gods are the embodiment of a certain principle or element.]
MINERVA continued.
[They often do not possess a body in the human sense of the word. A God can be the Sun, can be the Moon, the forest, or the Ocean itself. Of course, there are deities that take human form, but this only happens when they are the embodiment of the concept of "Humanity."]
Hooo... but they are still the Gods of their world, aren't they?! Lilith wouldn't give up.
I still don't believe they wouldn't be angry at invaders from another world. I'd definitely be pissed!
[Even if some deities still retain remnants of consciousness,]
[They do not have the ability to touch you.]
What are you talking about?! Lilith nearly snorted in her thoughts.
These are GODS!
Beings that create mountains, move stars, and decide the fate of millions!
You think they couldn't just... flick me like a mosquito?!
Before Lilith could fall into another wave of panic, the system cut off her deductions:
[You are correct,]
MINERVA admitted, then added after a short pause:
[But they are still GODS.]
Lilith wanted to snap back, but the system continued:
[They are higher beings. So drastically higher that a lower being like you will likely never even meet them.]
Lower being? Thanks for the compliment, little goddess from a can! Lilith thought bitingly, her mouth twisting in a grimace.
[Gods reside in the World of Gods, not this one,]
MINERVA continued unmoved.
[As long as you do not intentionally try to enter their domain or seek direct contact with them, you should be completely safe. To them, your conquests are like the movements of ants on the lawn in front of their house. They see them, but they rarely feel the need to intervene.]