"Neith, are you sure your memories are not problematic?" Lucas couldn't help but ask.
Neith said indifferently, "When demonic nature is cleansed, some memories and powers are also cleansed. This is a normal phenomenon."
"Lucas, your memory loss is severe, and your injury is worsening. It might be because you devoured too many of your own kind before, and too many memories and powers were cleansed."
Lucas nodded thoughtfully.
He now suspected that these energies, besides cleansing memories and powers, also cleansed intelligence.
And he was certain that these Gods were definitely not the masterminds behind Ragnarok.
At most, in some Multiverses, they merely considered themselves the masterminds.
Creator? Who exactly are you?
After ascertaining the background of these Gods, Lucas prepared to leave.
He made an excuse that he was about to die and wanted to see his homeland.
Neith and the other four stopped him, saying that this violated the Creator's command. If he insisted on leaving and was discovered by the Creator, they would also be punished.
Hearing this, Lucas fell silent again.
So it wasn't just imprisonment, but also collective punishment.
"Alright. Even if I can't see my homeland one last time before I die, and depart with regret, I cannot implicate you all. My brothers and sisters, farewell."
Lucas sighed deeply, bid an emotional farewell, then closed his eyes, as if resigned to his fate.
Before the others could dissuade him, a faint white glow appeared, and he transformed into specks of light and dissipated.
Afterward, the ethereal white glow receded from the Shadow Dimension, and it was once again occupied by black and white.
Neith looked at the spot where Lucas had vanished, murmuring forlornly, "So, was it because you were about to pass away that this world turned ethereal white? Lucas."
"Another kinsman has passed away. I wonder how many of us are left in this world."
She sighed, her gaze falling upon the divine throne Lucas had left behind.
After a moment of hesitation, she walked over and sat down, burying her head to enter a new round of slumber.
'Are our memories problematic? Lucas, did you discover something?'
'Also, I have no memory of you at all, so why do I feel such a strong sense of familiarity with you?'
From beginning to end, Neith had never doubted Lucas's identity, which stemmed from the inexplicable sense of familiarity she felt towards him. It was as if he was the most familiar stranger to her.
And because of this, the others also did not doubt Lucas's identity.
Headache.
After leaving the Shadow Dimension, Lucas felt a headache.
Every time he thought he had found the mastermind behind the World Tree and was ready to act, after observation, he would discover that there was someone else behind it.
Moreover, each new discovery would disrupt his original plan.
His original intention was to infiltrate the mastermind behind Ragnarok by converting the Ragnarok energy pool, taking down the opponent without bloodshed.
But now it seemed that the Gods who absorbed Ragnarok energy were not the true masterminds controlling Ragnarok. At most, they were beneficiaries of Ragnarok, and they only absorbed a small portion of its energy.
The bulk of the energy was absorbed by the World Tree itself.
Although its changes were extremely subtle, Lucas still noticed them.
Where the Ragnarok energy flowed, the World Tree branches became slightly thicker.
According to conspiracy theory, the biggest beneficiary of an event is the mastermind.
The World Tree had the greatest benefit in this. It itself was the biggest suspect.
But what role did the Creator play in all of this?
What did he intend to do by using the Ragnarok energy?
Was it merely to cleanse the demonic nature from the fallen Elder Gods?
The more he pondered, the more puzzled Lucas became.
The information he had now was still too little to piece together the truth of the matter.
After Lucas left the Shadow Dimension and conducted some more tests, he returned to the Earth-404 corresponding World Tree node.
Seeing that Odin, Hela, and Thor had not yet left, he told them of his discoveries.
"They are but crawling insects in the shadow, only able to hide in the dark, barely surviving by sucking the blood of others. Odin, were these the ones who forced you to take your own life?"
Hela sneered at Odin, finding his decision to commit suicide to seek the Loom of the Fates a joke.
It was a sign of his self-distrust, a surrender to fate.
Especially after learning the true identity of the Gods and their role in the event of Ragnarok.
"Sorcerer Lucas, is the Elder Gods a species born in other Universes of the Multiverse? How do they compare to the Watchers and the Celestials?"
Odin focused on the identity of the Gods Lucas mentioned, ignoring Hela's sarcasm.
These past few days, he had grown accustomed to Hela's taunts and veiled insults.
He couldn't defeat her, so what could he do?
He could only blame himself for abandoning his physical body.
"They are the earliest born Gods on Earth of the main Universe, Earth-616, with individual combat power comparable to the Watchers and Celestials."
"Among them, the outstanding ones like Gara, Oshtur, Chthon, and Set can match the high-end combat power among the Watchers and Celestials."
"Oh, and Oshtur and her offspring Agamotto, along with Hoggoth, when these three unite, they form the Vishanti, the God of White magic."
"Chthon, is also known as the God of Black Magic."
"However, the Elder Gods have declined, and overall, they should be inferior to the Watchers and Celestials."
"Individual combat power comparable to the Watchers and Celestials?" Odin frowned, his face filled with worry.
He didn't know much about the so-called Elder Gods of Earth-616, but he knew about the Watchers and Celestials. Though he didn't want to admit it, his power in his youth was slightly weaker than that of the Watchers and Celestials.
"And the God of White magic and the God of Black Magic are also Elder Gods."
"Vishanti, the God of White magic, and Chthon, the God of Black Magic, their reputations echo throughout the Multiverse. Almost every Universe with extraordinary power has their followers. If these two also stand with those Gods, then..."
As Odin spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Lucas.
Lucas, in front of him, came from Kamar-Taj, founded by Agamotto, one of the Vishanti. He also had quite a connection with the Vishanti.
"Odin, if you are afraid, then give Asgard to me."
Seeing Odin's worried expression, Hela said slowly.
Her voice was full of sarcasm and arrogance. "I will guard the glory of Asgard, and I will annihilate all enemies of Asgard."
"Hela!"
Odin raised his voice, sternly saying, "Some enemies, even with all the power of Asgard, cannot be defeated, do you understand what I mean?"
"You can't win at all. Old man, you really are old." Hela tilted her head to meet Odin's gaze, her aura even more dominant.
"Father, no matter who the enemy is, I will defend Asgard with my life." Thor did not side with Odin this time, but with Hela.
Facing Thor's rebuttal, Odin was not angry. Instead, he patted his shoulder in encouragement.
"Thor, I am glad you have such responsibility, and I believe you will become an excellent King of Asgard."
"Heh, old man. This boy wants to become the King of Asgard, but he hasn't gotten my permission yet." Hela's voice was distant, interrupting this scene of fatherly love and filial piety.
However, Odin ignored her, continuing to instruct Thor on matters a King should pay attention to.
Seeing this, Hela snorted and no longer bothered to make a fool of herself.
"Uh... first, let me say something."
Once Odin and Hela stopped arguing, Lucas finally managed to interject, "Chthon and Oshtur should not have participated in the Ragnarok event."
"Chthon is trapped in the Flickering Realm, willing but unable."
"The latter left Earth before the God-Eater War broke out and was not closely connected with other Elder Gods."
"Even other Elder Gods, although they benefited from Ragnarok, were not necessarily its instigators and manipulators. Their stance is not yet clear."
"The urgent task is to decide whether to sever the Loom of the Fates or keep it for now."
"Sever it!"
"Sever it!"
Hela and Thor said in unison, while Odin pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Sorcerer Lucas, I would like to hear your opinion first. Regarding your recent exploration of the true appearance of the World Tree, and your understanding of the connection between the Loom of the Fates and the Nine Realms' beings."
"If the Loom of the Fates remains, the inertial fate of Ragnarok will continue to drive the wars between Gods and Giants, Gods and Gods, and Giants and Giants."
As Lucas spoke, he glanced at Hela and Thor.
On Earth-404, they fought as soon as they met. After leaving Earth-404 and coming here, their relationship had become a little more harmonious.
(End of Chapter)
Read upto 50 Chapters ahead on
patreon.com/astralicity