Several faces turned dark, and some adopted frowns of disbelief.
The man with the crystal of black and white around his neck scratched his chin with a thoughtful expression.
The Mad Bishop puckered her lips and produced a strange smooching noise.
The Head Faction leader leaned against her seat and tilted her head.
Replicus let out a sharp breath of mana.
"I see..." he said. "So three Deities really are gone from Aigas."
Pherdanta by his side looked astonished, and her eyes under the helmet shook when she realised that her master was buying into this story.
She didn't know, of course, like Replicus did, that this was true. The Penetrator trusted Serenity as an information source. She had never really lied. Her only crime was withholding information.
"You expect us to believe that?" another of the Faction leaders spoke up, a curvaceous lady with her skin turned blue from her neck to her feet which were bare, her body covered to the thighs by a blanket-like dress. "That doesn't make any sense. How could mortals become Deities? The strongest among us can reach Divinity but that is not the same as acquiring the power to create worlds!"
Another chimed in, his voice like a whisper carried in the wind.
"How can the Deities leave when they make up this world? Odd, isn't it?."
Another one also spoke.
"There's drama even among the Deities? That's one I've never heard."
The general consensus among individuals outside Pelian about the Deities, was that they were more like rigid forms of existence that followed simple sets of rules instead of sophisticated beings that constantly monitored – with great, complex scrutiny – the world they made.
This belief came about because aside from granting blessings which allowed individuals to become Foundation Stagers, the Deities didn't do much else. Perhaps even this was like an automated mechanism that did not even require them to be involved. Many had stopped believing in the Deities, and some outright insulted them, yet no judgement came. Those same people could go to the temples and have a Priest read their Direction without consequence.
The message from the Purity about the Deities mainly fell on deaf ears, and this story which the Emissary had told, seemed just as ridiculous. In fact, it sounded more like a deviation to the topic.
"What does all this have to do with why you didn't intervene anyway?" another one of the Faction leaders asked with an impatient tone.
The Emissary looked displeased, but somehow it maintained a sturdy level of patience.
"Well, the choice to believe or not is yours. In any case, there are two reasons I chose not to intervene. One is because this enemy – this masked man – has created a lot of countermeasures against Divination and invading perceptions. Even my eyes are limited in what they see of him and his activities. He has probably been alive for hundreds of years, and a great understanding of how various enemies of his could thwart him."
"He was prepared. I have no idea how many Creeds he implemented to ensure that once whatever he planned began, it couldn't be stopped, but I can tell, it was a lot."
"I also managed to just barely discern that he has multiple countermeasures against his death, especially during the process he carried out. I believe he almost died whilst siphoning the power of millions of souls."
This time no one hopped to speak when the Emissary took a pause.
Another thing had become clear.
The millions of lives were reaped in order to gather souls.
"The second reason was because he was tied to another man. The one who caused the calamities occurring in Pelian as we speak."
Replicus' sockets darkened a little.
"Guissepo..." he muttered.
The faceless entity continued, seeing as everyone was still paying attention.
"The Immortals, and those left behind by Quintess and Listafelle, were told not to interfere with Boron's unsealing. They could watch other uninvolved parties make attempts, but not directly attempt to stop it. It was only a matter of time before Boron found someone good enough to unlock the key left for him, and now it has happened. However, the man responsible for this required the masked man's aid in order to accomplish his goal. Therefore, in a way, the Immortals couldn't act against him either. All that to say, this was inevitable."
This, to most of the Faction leaders sounded like a cheap excuse with a sound backstory, but some of them did stop to think.
So what was happening now, was Boron's unsealing?
Wasn't that extremely bad?
What did it entail?
Was a Deity walking on Aigas right now?
Wouldn't it be better to deal with that first?!
The Emissary felt the wave of confusion and frustration and answered before the flurry of questions came.
"For now, Boron's unsealing is not the most immediate concern. Boron's body is the Under, a course layer under us. He can't dismantle himself from Aigas. At least not so quickly. However, a Deity is not limited by a physical body. They can manifest their soul as physical concept or attach themselves to something strong enough to hold their soul – even if it severely limits their power. This has yet to happen, and if it does, all of you together won't be enough to stop it anyway. That is why, I need you to chase after the masked man instead."
While some semblance of belief had began to show among those present, the fact that the Emissary thought it wiser to ignore a Deity and chase after a man seemed preposterous.
"You make out this masked man to be some kind of terrible threat. What is he after?" the woman in the velvet cloth said.
The faceless entity turned to her.
"When Quintess and Listafelle left, they bestowed three individuals with sets of tremendous power. These three are called Heralds, and their powers as well as memories have be passed down to their offspring through the years. I believe the masked man wants to take these powers and combine them to achieve something. At the moment, he is headed for Edagon, where one of the Heralds is. That is why I need you to stop him. He is already plenty powerful as he is right now. We cannot afford to see him get stronger."
Replicus' sockets flashed.
"The power of the Deities...? By the manner you're speaking, it seems he's already on his way. The Premium Age Royale must have ended more than 12 hours ago at least, and he must've left for Edagon soon after. Why did you delay telling us this if you want us to catch him so badly?" he asked the Emissary.
As the only person who believed most of what the faceless entity was saying, Replicus engaged with the creature.
The other Faction leaders looked to him, some surprised at the urgency of his response.
The Emissary looked pleased. At least someone believed his words.
"Because it is not easy to reach Edagon," he replied.
"To reach Edagon, you have to pass the Central Boundary, the point that splits Aigas into the northern half and the southern half," the Head Faction leader said while looking at Replicus. "And on this Central Boundary, the Purity has stationed their strongest Paladin Champion to stop all voyages further north."
...!
From the looks of the other Faction leaders, this wasn't common news.
They all looked surprised to learn that the Purity had such a thing in place.
The number one Paladin Champion...
Replicus couldn't imagine how strong such an individual was.
He had only ever met two Paladin Champions.
What would their Divine Blessing be like?
Something ridiculous, probably.
Why would such a heavy unit, such a valuable force be placed there?
Did the Purity not want anyone curiously poking at the Giants, perhaps?
"There is another reason," the faceless entity said.
Everyone turned their attention back to him.
"The skies and seas past the Central Boundary are hard to traverse. Flying, levitating, spatial warping, time flow... all of these are twisted the further north you go. Even with a headstart, he's not getting far."
The Head Faction leader frowned.
"I've never heard of this. What makes the skies and seas there so different?" she asked.
The Emissary chuckled for the first time.
"As I said, you are mere children, yet I'm sure you know the answer," it said before taking a seat on the field.
"Because of the Ashing of Time, of course..."
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