On the third floor of the Unified Divine Realm's temple, several figures stopped at the end of a corridor.
In front of them was the entrance to the [Room of Stopped Time], which led to the Deep Divine Realm.
Facing the door, even the Goddess of Seal Ariadoa felt a little nervous. What lay beyond was a truly extraordinary existence.
Next to her was Valkyrie. Unlike her usual arrogant and overbearing demeanor, she now wore a slightly gloomy expression.
Just as Valkyrie was about to open the door, it opened on its own, revealing a woman who, from a human perspective, appeared to be a very kind and gentle middle-aged lady.
"Lady Ishtar."
"Yes, come in. The three gods of the Deep Divine Realm are waiting for you~"
Although Lady Ishtar didn't say much, Ariadoa could clearly see the concern in her gentle eyes.
Seeing that Ariadoa had returned safely, she seemed visibly relieved. It also looked like the worry she had borne earlier—when Ariadoa's condition was unknown—had caused a few more wrinkles and signs of age on her face.
As they walked inside, they passed cabinets lined with the souls of the gods.
As Ariadoa walked, she noticed that the cabinet holding her own soul had dimmed in color—meaning it was currently empty. This was because her soul had previously been eroded, and to prevent the darkness from spreading to the souls of other gods, it had been entirely released into her physical body.
At the end of the long corridor of soul cabinets, a large and mysterious painting was displayed.
In the painting, a winding path led to a temple atop a cliff.
Though it appeared to be just a painting, Lady Ishtar didn't stop walking—she stepped right into it, startling Ariadoa, who quickly followed.
In the blink of an eye, the scene in her vision matched the painting exactly: a narrow path leading to a cliff-top temple—the residence of the gods of the Deep Divine Realm.
Following the path and reaching the stone steps before the temple, Ariadoa saw two figures already waiting outside.
One of them had the pristine white wings usually sealed away from the goddesses of the Unified Divine Realm. She wore a dazzling dress and had long hair tied behind her. In short, this goddess was more beautiful than any Ariadoya had ever seen.
The other was a towering male god, standing five meters tall, with a commanding aura and a muscular physique.
"Lord Nemeiel, God of Law, and Lord Chronoa, Goddess of Time—High Goddess Ariad—"
As Ariadoa spoke in a somewhat nervous voice and began to kneel, her shoulder was grabbed by Valkyrie, preventing her from kneeling.
"No need for formalities, Goddess of Seal Ariadoa. Please tell us what you saw."
It was the Time Goddess Chronoa who spoke, her expression deadly serious.
Ever since the appearance of the God of Violence, Merseys, she had lost the ability to observe the other world [Yadetre]. Some force had interfered with the Deep Divine Realm and erected a barrier around that world.
"Understood."
Though still nervous under the gaze of the two gods of the Deep Divine Realm, Ariadoa began recounting everything she had seen and heard.
When she mentioned the appearance of the God of Violence, Merseys, she clearly saw the expressions of the two gods shift, a grave and solemn aura spreading from them.
As for Valkyrie—her expression didn't really change. She just looked… annoyed.
"You said that undead summoned the Valhalla Gate, which devours entire worlds?"
Time Goddess Chronoa was visibly shaken. It surprised her more than even the appearance of Merseys.
Likewise, Ariadoa noticed a cold sweat forming on the face of the God of Law, Lord Nemesiel.
"Valkyrie, as someone who has used Valhalla Gate yourself, do you think that might have been an auto-counter summoning technique, set in advance?"
This question came from Lord Nemesiel to Valkyrie.
"Impossible. Being able to activate Valhalla Gate means only one thing: that guy was truly present in that moment. He didn't just devour the entire world—he also consumed part of Merseys. No unconscious auto-cast spell could ever achieve that."
As Valkyrie spoke, her eyes gleamed with a fierce light, and her body trembled—not with fear, but excitement. Her silver aura surged wildly.
"That Valhalla Gate… it's the one I've spent everything trying to summon!"
At that moment, the Goddess of Destruction Valkyrie radiated an overwhelming possessiveness that startled Ariadoa. Valkyrie looked like she was going mad—like she was becoming a demon god.
No—wait. With the heavy breathing and flushed face, wasn't she more perverted than even that pervy forest goddess?
"Ah~~~ Since it appeared again, it proves that the Valhalla Gate still exists—it didn't disappear! I can't hold it anymore, I'm going to summon it right now and see!"
Valkyrie's eyes became glazed over, and she hugged herself, making strange noises. Her divine power flared again with terrifying force.
"[Breakthrough Potential—"
Suddenly her expression twisted into a frenzy. She looked skyward and shouted loudly, shocking the others around her—this woman had clearly lost it.
"Valkyrie, that's enough."
A calm yet powerful voice echoed from within the temple.
As it spread through the surroundings, Valkyrie's face slowly relaxed, and she withdrew her terrifying aura, though she pouted a little in frustration.
Then, Ariadoa saw a third figure walk out from the temple gates—the third god of the Deep Divine Realm, and its supreme leader: the God of Creation, Brahma, also known as the parent of all the gods.
"Brahma, let me ask you—Is Arthas still alive?"
At Valkyrie's question, the other two gods also turned to look at Brahma.
After all, Brahma had previously told them that what they saw wasn't the real Arthas. Now, Valkyrie's claim seemed to contradict that—was there a lie somewhere?
In response, the God of Creation Brahma closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he spoke,
"According to the principles governing the countless worlds under the Deep Divine Realm, the Arthas that emerged from the Twisted Staff at that time was indeed not his true self—it was his remaining soul power. But anything after that... is unclear."
"Huh? Unclear? Wait—unclear?! You mean even the Law can't comprehend it? Then doesn't that prove that the guy really was the real Arthas? But then why would he use Valhalla Gate on himself? Wait—don't tell me… he split himself into multiple fragments? Maybe he's hidden in the other sealed weapons too?"
As Valkyrie spoke, she became even more excited.
She believed her hypothesis was correct—that there was still a chance to meet him again. She really, really wanted to steal his Valhalla Gate.
At that moment, Ariadoa really wanted to ask: Can someone please tell me who this Arthas person even is?
Compared to that, the issue of the God of Violence potentially reigniting war across the Unified Divine Realm didn't seem all that important anymore.