Chapter 252

*Fwoosh!*

A flock of plovers flutters up in surprise. Dogs and cats tremble in fear, rushing into their owners’ arms, while cows and horses panic, thrashing about before collapsing in a corner of the barn, heads down and eyes closed.

People wake up, soothing their children and tending to the elderly. Adults, unable to hide their unease, mutter among themselves. The tremors they thought would soon disappear never ceased, persisting no matter how much time passed. The earth continued to shake as if it had always been this way.

“What in the world is going on?”


“Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

No one denies that the continent is in turbulent times. But no matter how great a disaster, if it doesn’t happen near where you live, it feels like someone else’s problem.

The political intrigue among the high and mighty in the capital, the news of a distant volcano erupting in Citadel, or even the rumors of the Death God making moves—many people remained calm despite hearing such things. No matter how chaotic the world gets, surely it can’t shake the entire continent, right?

The continent is vast, and its people are many. Even as others trembled in fear, many continued to farm and live peacefully. No matter how the world turns, no matter what the powerful do, as long as me and my family are safe, there’s no need to panic.

“Ah, just when business was starting to pick up, this happens! My wine jars are all shattered. What kind of chaos is this? Sigh, my luck’s just rotten! Shattered like a broken jar, one day everything just goes *crash*!”

Even in troubled times, some profit. As people began drinking more, taverns experienced an unexpected boom. In times of calamity, some find opportunity and rise to prominence. When the world is in chaos, the social order collapses, and the gap between the powerful and the powerless narrows like never before.

The peace of recent times was an anomaly; the people of the continent were no strangers to turmoil. Many households had elders who had lived through such times. But even the most experienced among them were at a loss this time. They could only click their tongues, lamenting that living long meant seeing all sorts of things.

“Have I lived too long? Is that why I’m seeing such sights?”


“At eighty, I should be preparing my coffin, but this year feels like it might be my last. My sons, daughters, grandchildren, come here. Let this old man hug you one last time. When it’s time to go, I’ll go without regrets.”

Even the elders, who had weathered countless storms, trembled in fear. In their lifetimes, the earth had never shaken like this, and there was no precedent for such an event.

An earthquake? Yes, earthquakes are rare, but some have experienced them. Yet even the villagers knew this wasn’t an earthquake. The ground continued to shake without pause—how could this be an earthquake? Many feared it was a sign of the world’s end.

“Kill them! Kill them all! The world is ending! What’s the point of saving anything? If we’re going to die, let’s at least eat our fill first!”

It was no surprise that people began slaughtering their prized hens, something they’d never dare do otherwise. Their fear was justified.

No matter how strong an earthquake, its range is limited. Even historically significant quakes could pass unnoticed if you were far enough away. But this tremor, though weaker than an earthquake, had an absurdly wide range. It was eerily fair, shaking everyone equally.

The Imperial Palace shook, the Death God’s armies shook. It spared no one, regardless of status or class. Even the Demon Kings of the Demon World were startled.

“What’s going on? Are the humans testing some new magical weapon?”


“Emperor Harmail went to aid those humans, surely they wouldn’t…”

Their unease stemmed from their deep understanding of the continent’s vastness. The combined strength and resources of the human nations were enough to crush the demons’ spirits.

The humans’ lands were far more abundant than the Demon World, rich in resources. If they poured their capital and technology into it, couldn’t they create a weapon that causes earthquakes?

Of course, they couldn’t.

Moving the earth is no joke. If the Empire truly had the capability to create such a weapon, the demons would have been annihilated long ago.

If that were the case, they wouldn’t need to fear the Death God. Even the Imperial Palace and the Magic Tower were in a state of panic. The temples were no exception. With the ground shaking endlessly, countless meetings were called, and people moved frantically.

But what could such meetings achieve?

Even the most seasoned ministers couldn’t come up with a solution. No treasure from the Imperial Palace could help! Everyone knew this wasn’t a problem that could be solved with gold or jewels.

“What is this? Did the Death God pull some trick?”


“Impossible. If he had that kind of power, he wouldn’t have been so passive all this time. If he could shake the earth like this, he could have invaded the capital directly. Even if we all joined forces, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Even the calm Leyman and Elder Geher were at a loss. So were Xerox, captain of the Celestial Dawn Knight Order, and the Empire itself—a tiger that, though old and toothless, still had sharp claws.

But such things are useless against a landslide. This time, even the Empire’s masters felt a deep sense of helplessness.

“I could cut down the Death God if I saw him, but there’s nothing I can do about the earth shaking!”

Xerox, captain of the Celestial Dawn Knight Order, sighed as he looked at the sky. The emperor and royal family he served, along with the entire Empire, were in turmoil, and there was nothing he could do.

Never before had he felt so powerless since picking up a sword. Even he couldn’t hide his unease, let alone others.

“Nemi, isn’t the earth your domain? Did you cause this?”

Even the gods were uneasy. Nemi, the Goddess of the Earth, wore a strange expression as a flood of divine power surged into her. It was hard to tell if this was good or bad.

The Three Divine Gods and the Three God Faith had previously sent letters across the continent, urging unity in faith to face the coming battle with the Death God. Priests had mobilized to bring as many people as possible into the fold. The goal was noble, but the problem was that most who would follow the Three Divine Gods were already believers.

Followers of Oberta or Aldehir were unlikely to suddenly convert, and those without religion weren’t about to become devout believers just because priests urged them.

Thus, despite their efforts, the number of new believers was insignificant. It wasn’t enough to make a difference for the Three Divine Gods.

“If I had the power to cause something like this, I wouldn’t have needed to join hands with you two. I would have eliminated all other gods and become the sole deity of the continent. I could have easily removed the Death God, Modrig, before he grew this powerful.”

But as the ground continued to shake, people, desperate for relief, flocked to Nemi’s temples. Some believed it was her wrath, while others hoped she would stop the disaster. Even those who had never cared for the Three Divine Gods now prayed to Nemi.

Nemi herself was at a loss. As the Goddess of the Earth, her domain was fertility and bountiful harvests. Shaking a city might be within her power, but shaking the entire continent was beyond her. She had no way to stop it, nor did she know what had caused it.

“Is this a natural phenomenon? Is there a way to stop it?”


“There’s no way. We can only wait for nature to run its course.”

Such was the only answer she could give. Elysia and Hilrae were speechless, unable to shake their suspicions.

“On the surface, you’re one of the Three Divine Gods, but you’ve held the highest position among us for a long time. Are you hiding something from us?”


“Secrets! Secrets! Secrets!!! You’ve ruined the world with your obsession with secrecy! If you know something, spit it out! Have you forgotten we’re in this together?”

Elysia roared in frustration. If the Three Divine Gods had truly united, perhaps they wouldn’t be in this mess. If Nemi had been transparent, maybe things would be better.

But Nemi was truly innocent this time. She had no secrets or tricks up her sleeve.

“I’m sorry, but I truly know nothing about this. All I can hope for is that this anomaly stops before the truth comes out.”

If it became known that she had no solution, if prayers went unanswered and the situation worsened, even a fool could predict what would happen. Newly converted atheists would leave en masse, and even her most devout followers would be disillusioned.

From gods to humans, everyone felt the unease.

Even the unstoppable army of the Death God halted. The Death God stood still, looking around nervously.

“The power humans call magic flows without any disturbance…”

If humans had caused this, there would be no need to fear. But there was no sign of any artificial intervention. The force shaking the earth wasn’t magic or divine power—it was pure physical force, likely from something unimaginable.

It couldn’t be a person or any living being. It had to be a natural phenomenon, one of countless harmonies caused by nature.

“Is this a natural phenomenon? Or could it be the work of beings like my origin…?”

The Death God, born from the fusion of ancient divine power and Grimudo’s sacred essence, realized a terrifying possibility. If ancient gods had caused this, he stood no chance against them.

“Ah, what is this? What sin have I committed to face such trials at my age?”

The entire continent, even Citadel across the sea, was in panic. People feared another eruption of the Caldera volcano, though it showed no signs of activity. Even those who had experienced similar events before couldn’t remain calm.

“Could this be a sign of a new volcano erupting? Someone, say something!”

But even the Three Divine Gods couldn’t answer the chancellor’s questions, and the officials of Citadel were no different. They could only bow their heads in silence.