The overwhelming divine energy radiating from the Loki Familia drew an immediate response from countless gods. Ordinary adventurers and citizens of Orario could only feel an immense pressure in the air, utterly clueless about the true cause.
However, the sight of so many gods converging on the Loki Familia's grounds left even the dullest observers with a sense that something extraordinary was amiss.
While mortals gathered outside the Familia's estate, they dared not trespass. The Loki Familia's territory was sacred, and barging in uninvited could result in dire consequences.
In Orario, intruding into another's Familia's without permission wasn't just a breach of etiquette, it was a death wish, with no one willing to intercede on behalf of the offender.
"Loki, what's going on? Why is there such strange divine power coming from your residence?"
Some of the gods close to Loki wasted no time in demanding answers. Their bluntness was unsurprising, as gods often spoke directly, valuing clarity over pleasantries. Their curiosity had been piqued, and they wouldn't rest until they got to the bottom of things.
You're quick," Loki said with a resigned sigh, glancing at the impatient gods, "But I'm not planning to keep this under wraps. Finn, Ais, come out!"
She gestured for Finn and Ais to step forward. Loki wasn't particularly surprised at how quickly the gods had arrived, as divine power, especially of this magnitude, was like a beacon.
If she'd been in their position, she would've done the same, rushing to investigate anything related to divine power.
When Finn and Ais emerged, the gathered gods turned their attention to them, their expressions shifting from confusion to shock.
"This is… divine power. But it's strange. Where did you obtain such an unusual divine power?"
"No… this isn't from some external source." Another god interjected, his voice tinged with disbelief, "This power is internal, it's their own divine power. But how is that possible? Humans can't generate divine power! Loki, what is going on here?"
The gods stared at Finn, Ais, and the others in stunned silence, their expressions a mixture of fear and bewilderment.
"Have you forgotten the one type of being capable of producing divine power?" Loki's voice cut through the murmurs, "Only gods. No one else. What you're witnessing is the divine power emanating from them. And the reason is simple: they've become gods!"
"Even the weakest god is still a god. These are the first beings in this world to ascend to godhood, separate from us, the gods born from the heavens and earth at the dawn of creation!"
"A new god has been born!"
Loki's declaration rang out like a bombshell, shattering the gods' composure.
"No… impossible! How can such a thing happen? We gods were born at the beginning of time, created by the world itself. We are the first lifeforms, how can any other being ascend to godhood?"
For eons, no creature had ever become a true god. At best, some had come close, but they could never cross the final threshold. Even the descendants of gods, while powerful, were fundamentally incapable of attaining true divinity.
"If you're too ignorant to believe something, don't assume it's impossible. Perhaps it was impossible in the old world, but the emergence of a new world has created this opportunity!"
Her words, a calculated mix of truth and deception, left the gathered gods visibly shaken. Their jealousy and anger manifested plainly on their faces, their eyes almost glowing green with envy.
"Loki, what are you hiding about that world? What secrets have you kept from us?"
This time, even Freya, who is normally composed, couldn't hold back her frustration.
As one of the gods who had initially shared information about that world, she now felt betrayed, believing Loki had withheld crucial details.
Loki said nonchalantly, "I haven't hidden anything from you. Everything I know has been made public. What you're seeing now is thanks to the first and final flame of that world."
"The light in that world was brought by fire. The First Flame was about to be extinguished, and the living beings of that world struggled endlessly, even burning themselves as fuel."
"But after the connection between our two worlds, that world found new hope. The First Flame was already very fragile."
"Finn and his team defeated all the Lords of Cinder, collected their embers, and with the help of the Fire Keeper, carried away the First Flame, which contained traces of divinity."
"At the time, we didn't know this would happen. We thought the First Flame would simply enhance Finn's strength, and that was something he earned through his own efforts. This information was shared with everyone."
"But who would have thought that it also contained divinity? The divinity resonated with their blessings, pushing Finn and his team's power to incredible heights, reaching the absolute limit of what their blessings could offer. Thus, they eventually fused."
"This fusion would normally take a long time, but with the help of a special existence, their divinity and power fused rapidly, ultimately breaking through all limits and turning them into new gods!"
Loki explained everything in one go. While Asahi wasn't afraid of trouble, Loki didn't want to completely push the topic of divinity onto him. Still, Asahi's ability to help integrate divinity into power was undeniable. Loki, being the goddess of trickery, told a tale that was half-truth, half-lie.
The gods present were left with no choice but to accept this explanation, as there was no other.
Could Loki have shared her own divinity with others? Ridiculous. Once one becomes a god, divinity transforms into divine power. With divine power sealed, divinity, being an incomplete form of divine power, can evolve into divine power, but divine power cannot revert to divinity. Sharing it was simply impossible.
At this moment, the gods who listened were filled with jealousy, their eyes glowing with envy.
It was unavoidable, after all, this was the appearance of new gods! While it had no use for the gods themselves, it held unimaginable value for the members of their Familia.
Every Familia's gods in this world wished for their Familia members to live long lives, but nothing in existence could surpass the lifespan of a god. After all, the lifespan of any god begins in the billions.
So now, their eyes gleamed with envy.
"Wait, Loki! Who is this 'special existence' you mentioned that helped them fuse their divine power? Even gods find it difficult to achieve such a thing!"
Freya, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up. Only a god could truly understand the time required for divine power to be born. For someone to assist in fusing it so quickly was beyond reason. What kind of existence could achieve such a feat?