During his discussion with Oberon, General Reynold stumbled upon a few intriguing discoveries within the laboratory, thanks to Oberon's assistance. He carefully secured these findings for later examination. Then, his attention was drawn to his Crimson Greatsword, which helped him piece together the puzzle of Oberon's revelations about Naka.
This discovery allowed General Reynold to connect the dots and see the bigger picture involving Dr. Nakamura. Despite the slight similarity in their names, he had never before made this connection, assuming they were two distinct individuals.
Who would have expected that the esteemed doctor and scientist, renowned for his advancements in aiding humanity's ascension to divinity, was also the benevolent god wielding immense authority akin to that of the Seven Great Gods and Nine Greed Gods?
After inspecting the gruesome experiments in the underground laboratory, General Reynold promptly dispatched a message to the other Seven Great Gods, alerting them to his discoveries before destroying every item in the lab. Unfortunately, during this chaos, Naka emerged, holding an injured and bruised Ilse in his grasp. It was evident that she had chosen to intervene to shield the Prismerions from Naka's fury, resulting in a confrontation that left her gravely wounded.
They observed as the remaining Seven Great Gods also arrived instantly, tearing open the hidden laboratory and exposing it to Paradise and the world. This signalled the start of a fierce battle between Naka and the Seven Great Gods. From Oberon's perspective, they witnessed all eight enter the Mirror Realm.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Within a few minutes, the Mirror Realm shattered, revealing the shocking sight of three of the Seven Great Gods plummeting from the sky - Marcus Chen, the great god of molecular mastery; Leina Petrov, the great goddess of divine healing; and Lieutenant Nathan Thompson, the great god of unyielding might - reducing their ranks to just four.
Meanwhile, the others were all heavily breathing and battered, including Naka, a sight they had never seen before. At this moment, Orion and Aerialia finally grasped why Aegis of the Arctic Deity held humanity in such high regard and why he had been steadfast in protecting the Oroin Cities for so long. It became obvious that humans - the manmade gods - were the only ones capable of bringing Naka to such a weakened state.
However, after losing three of their most vital members, whom Naka had mainly targeted, they realized they would need to do much more to win this war against Naka. Then, General Reynold retrieved one of the most intriguing items he had found in Naka's laboratory, the Vylkr energy he had been working on. Unexpectedly, instead of attacking Naka, he swiftly targeted Ilse, who barely had enough strength to protect herself after her battle with Naka.
Orion and Aerialia were left speechless as they witnessed the unfolding scene. Until now, they had experienced numerous shocking revelations within Aegis of the Arctic Deity's memories, unravelling the lies and presenting the stark truth that connected everything White Flame and Aegis of the Arctic Deity had previously disclosed.
As they watched the Vylkr energy slowly consume Ilse, its rapid spread through Paradise triggered an epiphany in their minds.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Naka unleashed his most potent arsenal in a rage, screaming, "Divine Apex - Quantum Conflux!" A dazzling light swept across the entire world. When the brilliance ebbed, they saw that two more of the Seven Great Gods had been slain: David Richards, the great god of flames, and Darius Johnson, the great Oracle of Unseen Paths.
The remaining Great Gods—General Reynolds, the great god of creation and illusion, and Amara Singh, the great goddess of technomancy —were too weakened to battle, much like Naka, who seemed drained after employing such a powerful technique.
None of the gods who had emerged from hiding, including those with alliances on both sides, decided to intervene as they observed the battle between the Seven Great Gods and Naka.
They had already surveyed the surroundings and learned of Naka's true identity from their informants. While some seethed with rage and sought revenge, others saw it as an opportunity to act. They waited for the chance to eradicate the Seven Greed Gods and Naka, creating an atmosphere of anticipation to see who would emerge victorious.
Sensing their intentions, General Reynolds ordered Amara Singh to retreat, recognizing that the battle's only outcome would be either one side emerging as the victor, albeit barely alive, or their collective demise—neither of which would bode well for humanity's current stability.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})They watched with bated breath as Amara hesitated before fleeing the now-transformed Paradise, which had turned into a battlefield. They left behind General Reynold, who was prepared to confront Naka alone.
Their eyes were fixed on Naka as he approached Ilse, witnessing in fear as the Vylkr energy slowly consumed her bit by bit, despite her feeble attempts to resist it with her weakened body. They were seemingly oblivious to the chaos engulfing Paradise.
Orion sighed resignedly, recognizing that the man before him wastrulyenamoured despite his madness.
In an instant, General Reynold drew their attention again as they sensed the unusual events unfolding around him. Naka and all those present also took notice of these occurrences, directing their focus toward General Reynold.
Dense divine energy encircled General Reynolds, and suddenly, the sky erupted in a wave of cosmic brilliance, painting the heavens with vibrant gold, azure, and crimson hues. It was like the clouds had dissolved, leaving a breathtaking spectacle behind. Suddenly, a staircase-like platform, enveloped in blazing creamy white flames, materialized before General Reynolds. Each step extended outward, aflame with brilliance, until it reached about ten steps.
"Hahahahahaha!" Aegis of the Arctic Deity roared in laughter as he observed the scene before him. "I finally understand how he had done it!" he shouted before shifting his attention towards Orion and Aerialia, who had directed their attention towards him.
"Despite being in various battles, the Seven Great Gods hasneversuffered severe defeatuntil now, making him realize that his formidable abilitiesare limited.To discover a way to defeat Naka, he surrendered his egoand decidedto embrace a deep understanding of the Divine Mysteries to attain greater powers than he currently has, accepting that he couldn't attain true divinity with the way he was."
"Through this act of humility and acceptance, which is not just physical but also existential, the Divine Mysteries recognized the purity of his intentions and the worthiness of his actions and responded to his genuine realization by granting him a chance of divine ascension, which would bestow upon him the full immense powers and status of true gods," he explained.
