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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Ruby
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The archangel Garenmon was kneeling in front of Yuma.
“You can bring as many people as you wish.”
Garenmon explained to Yuma with a humble attitude.
“We can accommodate up to a thousand people.”
“I see.”
He had no intention of bringing a thousand people anyway.
Since this was the first time, he planned to bring about 100 people.
In fact, he had narrowed down the personnel to exactly 100 people.
Yuma sent a servant to deliver a return order to Cloney who was at the Red Magic Tower.
He intended to depart as soon as Cloney returned.
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One hundred people had gathered in front of the imperial palace.
Bell and Cloney were noticeable at the front.
Everyone in the imperial palace and among the empire’s leadership knew that these two were subordinates of Grand Duke Yuma.
The cat-tribe swordswoman Hestia looked at the former saint Ermel beside her.
“I’ll be back. I need to keep checking if the temple construction is going properly…!”
Ermel, being only at 3rd circle, didn’t meet the criteria for personnel selected to enter the Celestial Realm.
The standard for mages entering the Celestial Realm was 4th circle or higher.
Hestia thought she spoke quietly enough that no one would hear, but her words reached Yuma’s ears as he stood on the platform.
Yuma stared at Hestia intently for a very brief moment.
Hestia quickly raised her head and gulped when she felt Yuma’s gaze on her.
It was clearly a look that knew something.
Yuma already knew that the empire’s temple, originally built to honor the god Incrinew, had been changed somehow.
He already knew that Hestia and Ermel were building some strange temple dedicated to him.
After all, that land belonged to him in the first place.
Territory bestowed upon him by Brigitte, the empress of Asteth.
When Rephil, the architect in charge of godless temple construction who had questions about the strange architectural plans progressing under Hestia and Ermel, came running to Yuma asking what to do when Hestia tried to make him the person in charge with strange words.
If they had proposed tearing down the existing temple structures and building something entirely new, he would have told them not to waste their time.
But since it seemed they were just adding a statue to what was already there, he told them to leave it be.
He found it quite fascinating that Hestia and the former saint Ermel were playing together.
He didn’t want to interfere with their enthusiastic play.
Of course, if Yuma were to see the current state of the godless temple’s construction site, he would likely tell them to stop everything immediately.
Because not only the chief architect Rephil, but all the workers had become extremely enthusiastic about the project.
The workers who had witnessed Yuma defeating the Demon King during the demon realm invasion and, more recently, eliminating the unidentified being Barbatos, had begun to take Ermel and Hestia’s words quite seriously…!
That the God of War truly existed and should be worshipped.
Ermel firmly grasped both of Hestia’s hands and said:
“Don’t worry! We’ll complete it safely!”
Hestia put her index finger to her lips.
“Y-your voice is too loud! Shh-!” “Shh…”
Hearing Hestia’s words, Ermel hurriedly covered her mouth.
Yuma saw all of this but pretended not to notice for now.
He merely resolved to visit that temple after completing his schedule in the Celestial Realm.
The celestial apostle Garenmon had come down riding in carriages. Massive carriages pulled by snow-white horses.
Three carriages in total. Enough to carry all the personnel.
The three carriages carrying all the personnel shot up toward the sky simultaneously.
Whoosh!
The eye of the celestial gate opened wide.
The three carriages approached very close to the celestial gate.
Then, an intense light burst from the celestial gate, which had taken the form of an eye.
The eye shape completely disappeared, and a white light that looked like a mirror rippled.
An entrance.
The carriages slipped through the light that had activated like a door.
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The Divine Realm.
Once again, gods had gathered at the Hall of All Gods.
However, the gods gathered this time were not the Eight Evil Gods, the Eight Main Gods.
They were gods of lower rank, those of the 1st and 2nd hierarchies.
More than thirty gods had gathered here.
The reason for their assembly was simple.
The Eight Main Gods had suggested cleaning up the Middle Realm, and there was a need to discuss this.
“Is this even a topic that needs lengthy discussion?”
The god with huge red bat-like wings,
“The cycle of the Middle Realm is something that must be done eventually anyway. It seems nothing has changed in our duties except that the timing has been moved up slightly and there’s one more human that must definitely be killed.”
Most gods slowly nodded at Akamtun’s words.
It was something that had to be done eventually.
There was no gap in that statement.
However, there were certainly gods who were reluctant about this situation itself.
These were gods who were actively supporting certain countries on certain continents.
As a nation’s status rises, the status of the god supporting that nation slowly accumulates as well.
These were gods who were slowly building their divine status by utilizing this law of the divine realm.
For them, having the nations they were nurturing become sacrifices for the continental cycle was not a good thing.
It could mean the disappearance of the source of divine power they had been relatively easily extracting.
Which country in which continent would be destroyed?
Or should they completely submerge that continent and save another continent entirely?
“Shouldn’t the elves also be purged this time?”
In response to the words of a massive tiger that looked like a mountain god, a being that looked like a skinny black corpse opened its mouth.
“When there are far more inferior beings, why are you trying to kill the relatively superior ones…?”
The tiger twisted its mouth.
“The ones you’re nurturing aren’t the white-eared ones but dark elves, aren’t they? Well, dark elves should be purged too.”
“…Do you want to die?”
The debate among the gods continued.
They debated fiercely, considering their own interests in a form very similar to the selfishness possessed by humans.
How to exterminate half for the cycle of the Middle Realm.
That discussion clearly seemed like it would be very long.
Yuma looked at the Lord of Heaven, Arten, who was standing before him in an awkward posture.
“N-nice to meet you. I am Arten, the master of this Celestial Realm.”
“I’m Yuma.”
Yuma didn’t feel like mentioning his rank in the empire.
After all, this was the Celestial Realm where such things would be of no use.
“You’ve properly implemented what I conveyed through Garenmon, right?”
Arten nodded greatly at Yuma’s words.
“Yes, except for the uncontrollable monsters of this Celestial Realm, no one in the Celestial Realm can kill you or your companions.”
A restriction.
Yuma wished for the Heavenly Lord Arten to fulfill that restriction.
After all, they were the ones who had tried to kidnap him and Bell to make them apostles.
To stay in a place with such beings, it was essential to place such restrictions.
“Hahaha, since I made an incorrect judgment, placing such restrictions is only natural! Yes!”
Arten said so with a bright smile.
But that was just his own thought.
To anyone watching, it was merely a bitter smile.
Yuma looked at Arten with [Search Vision].
He could tell that the restriction had been properly applied by looking at the status window displayed by his Search Vision.
Yuma nodded.
This would do.
“There’s no need for unnecessary conflict then.”
He had obtained the maximum stability possible in the current situation.
All the high-ranking celestial beings, including Arten, flinched at what Yuma had just said.
They had all witnessed Yuma confronting the god of battle, Barbatos.
“I’d like to receive guidance. To hunting grounds and training grounds.”
At Yuma’s words, Arten looked to the side.
Standing there was the Valkyrie Brenhilt.
A Valkyrie with long snow-white hair tied in a ponytail.
“Guide them, Brenhilt.”
Brenhilt approached Yuma with a faint smile.
And without hesitation, she knelt down.
“I behold the great being who has achieved divine slaying.”
Seeing this, Arten momentarily stood rigid and thought:
‘…Sh-should I have knelt down too?’
Arten briefly pondered seriously at his right arm’s unhesitating submission.
In the end, he didn’t kneel.
After all, he was the master of this Celestial Realm.
All 100 members of the Asteth Empire, including Yuma, followed behind the Valkyrie Brenhilt.
Countless celestial beings looked at the empire’s members.
Most looked with dry gazes, but the still young celestial children stared with round eyes and expressions of wonder.
“First, for a place where many can enter together, there’s the hunting ground on this outer path.”
A plain that looked no different from Earth at first glance.
Beyond that plain was an opaque space.
Brenhilt approached that space.
“I’ll show you this place first.”
Everyone headed to the outer path following Brenhilt.
The first day of life in the Celestial Realm had begun.
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