"Let there be light!" A gentle, resonant voice echoed through the physical world, illuminating the Astral World and Spirit World.
Endless warm sunlight poured from the distant Astral World. A deity cast a merciful gaze upon the war-ravaged land.
Under the intense sunlight, the epicenter of the ancient god war began to heal. The deity was mending the entire world.
Storms and tsunamis triggered by earthquakes subsided, chaos in the Spirit World and Astral World was tamed, and the world reverted to its prior state.
The sunlight also bathed countless humans terrified by the divine war, soothing their minds and even shifting their faith, compelling them to pray and kneel before the god's might.
"Praise the Sun!"
Many heretics began to praise the sun.
Today marked the Ancient Sun God's true ascent onto the historical stage, no longer veiled.
Henceforth, all Second Epoch records would be unable to ignore this day.
While ancient gods fought and killed over pride, unleashing world-ending calamities, the Creator, unwilling to see all living beings suffer, awoke from slumber.
He opened his eyes to the world, pitying his creations and raging against the ancient gods who brought destruction and harm.
He loved his people, once again bathing the world in sunlight and warmth.
This would be inscribed in the Creator's holy scriptures.
At this moment, all ancient gods could only watch the sunlight envelop the world, powerless to intervene.
Even those who fled the explosion—Gregrace, Ankewelt, and Farbauti—were in poor condition, needing time to stabilize.
Moreover, when Lilith cried "betrayal," the so-called alliance among ancient gods shattered.
Today, nearly half of the eight ancient gods perished, an event unseen in centuries of conflict.
Henceforth, ancient gods would no longer trust their fellow mad gods.
Who could guarantee they wouldn't be the next Lilith?
The Ancient Sun God chose this moment to step onto the historical stage, having foreseen it in some future possibility.
The terrifying storm dissipated, and the world's rifts began to mend.
Clusters of divine power remnants and beyonder characteristics broke through spatial constraints. Some fell to the ground, forming forbidden zones of life; others landed in the hands of demigods and angels of the same sequence.
Two enigmatic figures, as if anticipating this, flickered countless times within the storm, seizing many characteristics.
It was Truman and Sasrir.
After the Celestial Worthy's will was suppressed and extinguished, Truman returned to the ancient god battlefield, rushing with Sasrir toward the sky of scattered characteristics!
In his hands were numerous Mother and Moon pathway characteristics, meant to be returned to their owner.
He also claimed many Prisoner and Hunter pathway characteristics, alongside miscellaneous divine items too fragmented to form proper characteristics.
Sasrir reaped his share, while the Goddess of Misfortune, having secured all Darkness characteristics and nearly half of the Fool's, acted, claiming a crimson moon.
Witnessing this, many angels and subordinate gods snapped to action, grasping at the divine remnants and characteristics.
The subordinate gods of the fallen ancient gods, gripped by fear, dared not take even the characteristics before them, fleeing instead.
This was a feast. The largest share went to those three, but many characteristics still fell to various angels and subordinate gods. You could never predict how many characteristics a mad ancient god had consumed.
Upon an ancient god's death, those characteristics burst forth.
When most characteristics above demigod level were claimed, Truman nodded lightly to the goddess and Sasrir, then wandered away.
He returned directly to the City of Deep Darkness, a concealed city.
After all, he was the Darkness pathway's inaugural pontiff.
At his residence, Truman cautiously activated the secretive divine power in his divine badge, then sealed the entire house with phosphorescent dreamlight.
Finally, he opened the Book of Dreams, retrieving a coffin woven from flora brimming with boundless vitality.
The coffin was small, barely fit for a teenage child.
"Hiss!" Truman opened it, gasping, "Did you keep a 'Beauty Goddess' characteristic?"
The girl before him bore Lilith's likeness, impossibly beautiful. She was the feigned-dead Lilith, this body her revival contingency.
Crafted by Lilith and the Ancient Sun God, this body had shed most beyonder characteristics.
"I'm roughly equivalent to Sequence 7 of the Moon pathway now," the girl said, opening her eyes. Her blood-red pupils carried the ancient gods' signature indifference.
This wasn't the madness inherent in characteristics but her lack of humanity.
Literally. After losing her ancient god essence, her state was pure indifference.
"My condition has never been better…" This surpassed her time in the Book of Dreams.
Then, Lilith was an ancient god; now, a mere Sequence 7 Sanguine. The Book of Dreams' ability to temper madness shone brightest now.
With a gentle wave, the coffin transformed into a beautiful floral crown atop her head.
The coffin itself was a Mother pathway Sequence 2 characteristic, "Desolate Matriarch."
"Why choose to fall to Sequence 7?" Truman studied her.
This sequence was too low. If Truman, the goddess, or Sasrir harbored ill intent, Lilith could truly become history.
"I trust you," Lilith said, her tone flat, staring at Truman.
Truman's lips twitched, chuckling, "Well done. You've mastered a human skill—lying."
He wouldn't easily believe her. A Lilith without humanity couldn't even grasp "trust."
Her true reliance was likely the floral crown. If needed, she could leap to "Desolate Matriarch," perhaps?
"These are yours." Truman returned the Mother and Moon pathway characteristics to Lilith.
As she took them, the indifference on her face seemed to soften slightly.
"Climbing the sequence pathway, I can retain the most stable humanity upon ascending the divine throne, truly resisting…" Lilith explained to her ally, "This was his suggestion."
She spoke with wariness, referring to the Ancient Sun God. After witnessing his power, she understood what a true god was.
Ancient gods? Merely stronger lunatics.
"The crimson moon?" Lilith asked, tallying the characteristics.
"The goddess took it," Truman replied, watching her. She nodded lightly, as if expecting this.
The two goddesses had planned this in the last Dream Council.
The crimson moon was likely part of their deal.
(End of Chapter)