--This chapter is written in Catherine's POV--
I was surrounded by lions, and I couldn't even blame that damned planet for it. It was all my fault.
I shouldn't have trusted Lapis, even for a second.
Lapis: "...Something wrong, Cathy?"
Sitting next to me on the couch, she had a beaming smile on her face
I knew any careless words would end up being my last, yet I couldn't afford to disrespect her, or any of the other Gods in the room.
They were all stronger than me.
Some reeked more danger than Lapis herself.
Catherine: "...No, I'm-"
Lapis: "Oh, I know! It's because you're shy!"
Her pretend innocent smile grew wider.
She grabbed my hand, forcing me to stand up and dragging me around.
Even though only a few eyes bothered looking my way, I felt my heart racing uncontrollably.
Lapis: "Heya! How is it!? Having fun?"
Either she couldn't read a room, or she could read it too well and wanted to see me dead.
Of all the Gods she could've chosen to interact with, she chose the one leaning against the wall, silently watching the Lens of Divination from afar.
The man with ashy skin and red eyes glanced towards her before turning his attention back to the scene playing on the Lens of Divination, but he didn't ignore her.
??????: "Surprisingly, yes, little Titan."
Abdure, the First And Final Flame, was one of the oldest Gods of fire, yet his demeanor was closer to that of a God of water.
His voice was calm and collected, lacking the explosive energy other fire Gods were always happy to show.
Even his looks betrayed his identity a little.
His hair was a claret red, closer to wine than to a flame.
His skin was dark, almost ashy, as if already burnt.
But his eyes, devoid of light as they were, still frightened me.
It was like looking at a giant, dead star.
One that could explode at a moment's notice, burning brighter than ever and consuming everything in its path.
Lapis: "Eh? Are you really!?"
She nonchalantly invaded his space, forcing her own face into his view as she bent forward.
As soon as his hand dropped toward her head, I felt the air melting my skin.
It was only a wave.
Just the air pressure.
And it still stopped my breathing.
Abdure: "They are weak but... I can see the fire burning in their hearts."
He began patting Lapis' head, barely acknowledging my existence.
Lapis: "Then... Which one did you like the most?"
The tournament happening before our eyes was not the same as what we had planned.
Instead of picking the eight survivors of a group of eighty thousand, we divided the first phase of the tournament into eight rounds, with one champion emerging victorious over the ten thousand mortals they'd face.
And still, this was the closest phase to the initial premise.
Lapis liked my idea to make matters more interesting a little too much, and according to her, so did the Gods she invited.
With sixteen arenas, the Divine Event was set to go on for much longer.
Though admittedly, it made for a more entertaining spectacle...
Abdure: "The guy with glasses who won her Arena 5."
Lapis: "See, Cathy? Told ya it'd be a hit."
I would sell the entire world if it meant getting Lapis off my trail.
When she started meddling with the contestants of my world, I simply allowed her to do as she pleased.
Catherine: "I'm glad. I tried my best to select interesting champions..."
I needed to toe the fine line between respectful and forgetful, so I kept my voice low and added nothing to the conversation.
Thankfully, he only glanced at me once and nodded his head.
?????: "No way! If we're talking about hearts, the blonde girl from Arena 1 got mine racing. The way she attacked the barrier and refused to fight until the end... It was lovely!"
The woman who shouted from across the room was Azure, another God far too old for my liking.
Her deep, dark blue hair flowed neatly, and her smile was surprisingly warm.
Without an ounce of fear, she leaned on Abdure's shoulders.
He tried taking a step away, so that she'd fall, but she insisted on resting her arm on him, for some reason.
Azure: "Am I right, or am I right!?"
She started poking his chin like a child.
His eyes squinted at her, but just like Lapis, she didn't seem to get a clue.
????: "Hey, old man! You're gonna let her mess with you like that?"
I knew standing up from my seat was a mistake.
The number of troublesome gods was increasing by the second, and Hwa was far too busy buttering up the room's biggest shark to bother with my plight.
This time, it was a God known as Lazo.
Since his myth originated in my world, I was familiar with him, and it didn't surprise me to see that he was accompanied by a woman fully clad in white armor.
With his massive, white angelic wings on his back, they were a bit too bright for my liking.
Thankfully, the Heavenly White Vestment was much quieter than her owner and only spoke when prompted.
Abdure: "...There's a hierarchy to be followed, and you'd be wise not to challenge it, kid."
As I thought, he was holding back his true nature.
The moment he was challenged, even slightly, his eyes and hair flared up.
Abdure: "Wanna throw?"
Lazo: "I'm down."
Their eyes were launching sparks at each other.
The Divinity they naturally expelled made the air grow so thick that I felt I'd faint.
Meanwhile, the two main culprits of this whole thing, Lapis and Azure, exchanged giggles.
Sensing my death approaching, I looked around the room, searching for the exit.
However, it felt like the walls were closing in on me.
And then suddenly, a hand landed on my shoulder.
My heart stopped for a second, but when I looked at who was behind me...
I wished my heart had stopped for good so that I could play dead.
Asdrea: "If we're talking about favorites, this man from your arena eight gotta be mine!"
The King of the Gods.
It didn't get any higher than that.
And yet, he walked around like an uncle in a family party, with a wide smile on his face and an oddly friendly attitude.
Unlike Lapis', it didn't feel fake or forced, which only terrified me more.
It didn't make sense.
Every story portrayed him as a monster like no other, matched only by the Merchant and the Rose Queen, if that...
He was acting.
I knew he had to be acting.
And despite that, I still couldn't read past the surface of his eyes.
Lapis: "Oh! Yes! That's the one! Pay attention, you'll be thrilled~"
Thanks to the absolute onslaught that happened on my Arena 5, my world was slightly ahead of the others, entering its last arena.
While there were various interesting participants in the other arenas, in this one, there was only one man whom Lapis and I wanted to focus on.
Unlike his sister, he immediately accepted the circumstances and killed anyone approaching him.
He stayed near the barrier as it shrank, creating a small kill zone that, after a while, none dared approach.
Lazo: "That sword..."
Suddenly, he couldn't face Abdure anymore.
His eyes widened, glued to the Lenses in front of us.
Lapis: "Something wrong?"
Lazo: "...Nothing."
Ever since Lapis and I started watching that man, we'd realized Elizabeth wasn't the only legend he wielded.
The sword in his hand, when transformed into her humanoid form, was the picture of Cassandra Novaes, the Accursed Black Sword.
The twin of Diana Novaes, the Heavenly White Vestment.
And the woman who, according to the legend, had grown so corrupted by the blood of the demons she had killed that even they saw her as something hateful and deplorable.
The Prime Angel, Lazo, had no option but to destroy her.
And now, a random mortal wielded her as he pleased.
It was obvious that there was more to that story than Lazo would tell.
However, I wasn't brave enough to say anything, and even Lapis only teased him without exposing him.
Though the look in Diana's eyes practically did the job for us.
Hwa: "What makes him so interesting?"
Even though I was surrounded, he barely spared me a glance.
But of course, with Asdrea around, it didn't take long for him to show his face.
And he even had the gall to act as if we were friends.
It might've been better to kill him and flee.
??????: "He appears to be a summoner, but... The demon he called is Elizabeth. A woman whom Abdure and I saw die."
Lapis: "Grandpa!"
Ythyleon...
No...
Ythyleon: "Sorry for being late. I'm having trouble with a certain Merchant, you see?"
The only God said to be as old as Asdrea was the only one not to bow before the King.
Instead, he first gave his granddaughter a warm hug.
Then, his massive hand landed on my head.
He could easily break my skull like a small nut, yet he found it more entertaining to pat me until my hair was completely messy.
Even though I wanted to increase my Divinity quietly, without anyone noticing my existence...
I had the hands of the two most powerful Gods in existence gripping me.
My brain couldn't process the situation anymore, so I froze.
I became a simple statue, so unoffensive that it wasn't worth destroying.
Abdure: "A necromancer, then? But how? I burned Elizabeth's body and soul; it should be impossible to bring her back."
Asdrea: "Gifts are often mysterious."
His voice changed a little.
It was oddly noticeable, and the entire room fell silent.
Asdrea: "He is weaker than that demon, yet when he summoned her... He stepped forward."
His hand left my shoulder.
Looking at it, I saw him clench his fist with enough strength that it would've shattered me.
Asdrea: "He leads... He's a king."
Having fully turned towards the Lenses, Asdrea's next move made even the old Gods catch their breath.
He simply stepped forward, as if mimicking the man reflected in the Lenses.
With crossed arms, he lifted his chin to watch it more.
Asdrea: "Fascinating... Catherine, was it?"
I should've used a fake name.
Catherine: "Yes...?"
Asdrea: "That world has an interesting history. Do you wanna hear about it?"
He had a cheerful smile on his face.
A frightening, cheerful smile.
