The next second, the Platinum Dragon Lord completely overturned his own conjecture.
No, He absolutely is not!
His draconic eyes widened as he stared at the ground in shock.
The 'God' gently pinched the ten-meter war lance between its fingers. Its four faces twisted into a grotesque, unified smile.
"Bahahaha!! Your Eminence, show them your true might!"
Caspond threw his head back and laughed. Not a shred of sanity remained in those maddened eyes.
As his voice fell, the 'God' let out a chilling giggle. Its body began to swell from its original ten-odd meters.
Twenty meters. Thirty. Fifty. All the way to one hundred!
The 'God's' four differently colored faces were now supported by that spindly torso, suspended high in the sky.
"Hmmm..."
Like a beast choosing whom to devour, four pairs of pitch-black pupils gazed greedily at Diborne City.
The once ten-meter silver war lance now looked like a slender needle in Its hand.
With a slight squeeze of its fingers, the silver lance snapped with a sharp crack and dissolved into motes of light that scattered on the wind.
My strongest seventh-tier spell did not work at all!
Drained of mana, Calca leaned weakly against Helant. Disbelief shone in her beautiful eyes.
The bizarre 'God' before her had ignored her attack outright. It was utterly illogical.
Zesshi Zetsumei also knitted her delicate brows. She watched the now-colossal 'God' with keen interest.
The Lich King she had seen in Thousand Leagues Astrologer's vision had been about this size.
Since your strike failed, let me—
"Uwah!"
Before she could finish, the 'God' opened all four mouths. It spewed countless black threads that linked to everyone present at an impossible speed.
"What is this?"
Quaiesse frowned in puzzlement and tried to touch one of the threads, but his hand passed through empty air.
Below the walls, tens of thousands of black filaments neatly pierced the same number of private soldiers.
The dense web of threads blotted out the sky above Caspond and the others, hiding every scrap of blue.
After failing to brush the thread away, the Satyr turned in surprise. "Your Majesty, what are these strands?"
"Heh! No idea." Caspond shrugged, smiling as if it were only natural.
The Satyr tugged at his beard. He listened to the rising panic behind him and sneered inwardly. If I had not already seen that thing's power, I would swear you were an enemy spy sent to mock me!
At that moment, the 'God' moved. Its spindly hands rose to its mouths as it plucked the black strands one by one.
A black mist then seeped from its gaunt torso and crept along the threads.
Those linked by the threads suddenly heard faint, chaotic whispers at the edges of their minds.
"Pray… believer… desire… tasty…"
Remedios' body trembled at the sound. Terror spread through her heart like ice water.
Her sword hand shook uncontrollably. Her legs lost all strength and buckled beneath her.
I'm… afraid!?
She stared in disbelief. Every defender atop the wall was likewise gripped by inexplicable dread.
Even Clementine, who always mocked her, clung to Helant's leg with teary eyes and shivered.
Loneliness, fear, and helplessness spread like a plague through the ranks.
Only the Holy Queen, Zesshi Zetsumei, Quaiesse, and Helant remained unaffected. They stood calm and upright amid the growing despair.
"Sir Helant, what is happening to them?" Quaiesse stepped closer, brows tightly knit.
"Must be a spell that strikes the soul," Zesshi Zetsumei murmured. She rose on tiptoe to gaze at the thousands of noble troops weeping below.
"What will it do?"
Boom!
As if answering Quaiesse, the world went black. Countless memory fragments flooded everyone's minds.
Calca stared in bewilderment. Huh..?
A child version of Calca knelt in a temple. Her tiny hands clasped piously. "Great Four Gods, may the people of the Holy Kingdom always know peace and prosperity…"
What… is this?
She saw a translucent thread extend from her younger self. It merged with countless similar strands within the temple.
The threads twisted and wove into a tall, thin figure that studied the statues of the Four Gods. Then it shaped four matching faces upon its own featureless head.
Calca covered her mouth. Her face drained of all color. She gripped Helant's hand tightly. That is how the 'God' was born?!
At the same moment, everyone except Zesshi Zetsumei, Quaiesse, Clementine, and Helant relived their first prayer to the Four Gods.
And all of them witnessed the birth of the 'God'.
The same thought arose in their minds. When this 'God' first awakened, it had not been so grotesque or malevolent.
In those memories, the 'God' could not grant wishes, yet neither did it show any evil.
It simply watched the believers and listened, bewildered, to their desires.
Until...
"By the Four Gods, let my house bleed enough coin from these lowly commoners!"
A greasy-faced noble bowed piously. A pitch-black thread drew from him into the 'God'.
Watching that strand, Calca half-closed her eyes and asked Helant softly, "Did dark wishes twist It?"
"Exactly." Helant squeezed her hand in reassurance.
A glint flashed in his eyes. Such tainted Faith Power was harder to stomach than Peroroncino being gay.
Thus, although the Faith Devourer could absorb centuries of the Holy Kingdom's Faith Power, Helant had tossed it aside like trash and created this trinket.
One prayer followed another.
"Grant that my coup succeeds, Oh, mighty Four Gods…"
"Let my murder remain hidden, I beseech the Four Gods…"
"May our line rule these wretches forever, O Four Gods…"
One thread, two, three… Within just a few years, countless black strands sank into the 'God'.
Its four faces shifted from bewilderment to something eerily indescribable.
"Let me live a few years longer, great Four Gods…"
An aged noble finished his plea and drew his last breath.
The 'God' stood before him. It hooked a spindly finger and drew the old man's soul into its mouth.
It chewed the spirit as though savoring a delicacy…
____
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