"Please stop."
Before we knew it, the unicorns carrying us had approached the giant World Tree. The Seraphim standing guard came up and requested that we stop.
Naturally, Luna and I, not wanting to cause a disturbance before Father, stopped the unicorns.
"Please reveal your divinity."
Wings are the symbol of divinity, the measure of power, and the standard of status. Such a request from the Seraphim was natural.
Luna, who had dismounted from the unicorn, revealed her twenty-four pairs of wings, and following her, I revealed my twenty-nine pairs.
"Pr... Praise the Light!"
"We are in the presence of greatness."
The Seraphim, shocked by that magnificence, all bowed their heads in unison. They must have figured out who I was from my twenty-nine pairs of wings.
"You all wait here."
Luna commanded the angels who had accompanied her.
"Understood."
But Ariel was different. This was a gathering only High Gods and above could attend, but her divinity met the standards of a High God.
Naturally receiving the envy of the other angels, she followed behind me.
"Supreme God Artemis and Great God Luna are entering."
The Seraphim's clear voice rang out. The gods sitting here and there heard the news of my entrance and stood up, bowing their heads slightly.
Proud gods though they were, they hated bowing their heads more than anything, but this was respect for the one who defeated Armageddon, the gods' greatest enemy.
I received their greetings and sat in the seat of honor. As soon as I sat, all the gods took their seats.
"It's been a while, Lady Artemis."
"Good to see you, Lady Artemis."
At the Supreme Gods' greetings, I smiled and responded. The Supreme Gods deserved respect by their very existence, and they were comrades who had made the most distinguished contributions in the fight against Chaos and the demon gods.
Of course, among them was a Supreme God I didn't like, but I had good relationships with most of them.
After a few more gods entered, Odin's voice announcing the opening rang in our ears.
[My sons and daughters. It's been a while.]
Everyone bowed their heads at the loving sound wave. But I sensed from Odin's voice that his life force was nearly at its end.
[Soon, my lifespan will end. But we eliminated Chaos, and with you all here, I'm not afraid. But I worry about the children who rejected me.]
"Those traitors should be completely wiped out!"
"We should sweep them all away!"
Heated reactions burst forth. Perhaps they were remembering their friends and lovers who fell at those traitors' hands during Ragnarok.
[However, they too were once comrades who fought Chaos alongside you. Do not fight them. That's Chaos's scheme to sow discord so they can build their own strength...]
"We will obey your command."
On behalf of the hesitating gods, I bowed my head and declared I would follow Odin's will.
[Ah, my daughter. My first child. I hope your words are sincere. Your power frightens even me. I only hope you walk the right path.]
At Odin's words, I could feel the Supreme Gods' bodies flinch. Unlike the other gods, they've felt my strength firsthand. The words that even Odin fears me must have hit home.
[If I'm destroyed, will you promise never to be the first to fight with the children who rejected me?]
This is a last will. Yeah, a will.
I felt tears flowing without realizing it. During my life as a god, Odin has been like a father to me. Now that very being senses his destruction is imminent and is trying to leave me his last will.
"Of course."
[A clear answer. Good.]
No matter how warlike I am, I wasn't so crazy about fighting that I'd go against a dying wish. Father Odin seemed satisfied with my answer.
Before long, the gathering of gods began. Statistical reports about each sacred land followed, and I was first. I reported on the resources produced, the promotion of angels, and the advancement of gods within my sacred land, and Odin listened.
It took considerable time for all the gods to finish their reports, but at this gathering too, the place that showed the most dramatic growth was my Upper Sacred Land, Astarte.
Thanks to that, I received praise from Odin and respectful looks from various gods, and was granted a massive amount of karma, the gods' currency.
Karma—the stage before conversion to divinity. You can use this karma to gain massive amounts of divinity. Naturally, in the divine realm, this has value beyond just currency.
I'm the one with both the most divinity and the most karma, so while I face the gods' jealousy, no god objected because those results all came from my own effort. Some might lament not receiving divine status before me, but that too is their own capability.
Luna also received a considerable amount of karma. Excluding the Supreme Gods, she was at the top, receiving the ninth-highest karma. If she converted that karma to divinity, maybe Valhalla would see the birth of another Supreme God.
[With this, the gathering is concluded.]
At Odin's declaration, all the gods stood and bowed their heads. But everyone's expressions were dark. They'd sensed that Odin's lifespan would end in the not-too-distant future.