Chapter 141: Inescapable Fate
The Harbinger of Death will track the traces of death.
In simple terms, only places where many people have died will actively attract the Harbinger of Death to appear. It is not surprising that the Harbinger appeared in Modo, as a terrible disaster resulted in a significant loss of life, with the number of missing and dead people likely approaching a thousand. This scale could attract the Harbinger, and if there were a vulnerability in the planar barrier, it would not be unusual for the Harbinger to appear in Modo.
However!
It is quite strange for the Harbinger to appear right in front of them.
Firstly, there are no dead people nearby; this area is very close to the primeval forest, and even if a war broke out, it would not be here. Moreover, according to Soren’s current divine-level perception, there are only three people here, and there is no aura of death, making it very unlikely to attract the Harbinger, let alone that the Harbinger is continuously watching them.
Ildis also seems a bit unsettled by the Harbinger’s gaze; it’s an awkward situation where killing it is not an option because it might offend the God of Death, but not killing it feels odd.
When the Harbinger dies, its soul returns directly to the God of Death.
Because they are beings created by the God of Death, after the soul returns, the God of Death can see most of the things the Harbinger witnessed during its life (Note: Things witnessed within 12-24 hours before death).
Could it really be the God of Death watching them?
Soren feels that it’s unlikely.
Although the Saint’s Cataclysm also affected the God of Death, its impact on the God of Death System should not be significant; if Soren remembers correctly, the God of Death can choose not to descend into the mortal realm but instead fall into the spirit world and the Shadow Plane connected to the mortal realm.
“Which God of Death could it be?”
Soren’s footsteps catch up with the witch ahead while his mind races; it’s better to leave first and see what the avatar of the Goddess wants to do in this form.
Currently, there are three most powerful Gods of Death.
The first is the King of the Dead – Klanvor. One of the favored sons of destiny, he became a deity in mortal form, inheriting the powerful abilities of the ancient God of Death – Ye Ge, making him the strongest deity in the God of Death System. The second is the sealed God of Murder; he also possesses part of the God of Death profession but focuses more on the Killing Domain that evolves from death. He has been sealed for a long time due to madness and is unlikely to emerge now.
The last one is the God of Death – Naraku.
A similarly powerful God of Death, but he is referred to as the enemy of goodness, the hater of life, the harbinger of darkness, the gloomy king, and a wicked existence known as the Harvester of Flesh and Blood.
Aside from these three, there are other deities holding parts of the God of Death profession, like the death goddess in the desert, Osiris (the God of Death in the Muhammadu system), Urogalan (the God of Death in the halfling pantheon), and several other race-specific Gods of Death. However, these are not prominent Gods of Death. Their realms have not been established in the Underworld but merely hold partial dominion over death. These deities can essentially be ignored since the God of Death System has not included them.
“Could it be the King of the Dead?”
Klanvor is often called the Lord of Eternal Sleep, whose doctrine states that the dead should not be disturbed. Priests actively appear around the world to comfort and guide those undead that have been awakened. He was the lover of the current Goddess during his mortal life. The two became gods simultaneously due to the favor of destiny, but their identities as lovers were shattered upon becoming deities.
For a long time,
the King of the Dead’s attitude towards the Goddess has been ambiguous because the current Goddess is not the previous one, and she is not his lover.
The title “Mistress” has always been used by the Goddess. Each successive Goddess is essentially a composite.
Just like how Soren’s fused divinity and divinity allows him to eliminate the residual consciousness of the previous deity through his strong will, the current Goddess, who became divine relying on the mortal identity of Midnight (the Goddess’s name when she was a mortal), cannot do this. Therefore, the current Goddess embodies two consciousnesses, inheriting memories and thoughts from her mortal life, yet also merging with the memories and thoughts of the previous Goddess.
This equates to a form of resurrection.
A slightly gentler form of resurrection than that of the Demon God of Fear; the second Goddess was also resurrected in this manner.
As a result, after becoming the Goddess, the relationship between the two lovers became somewhat strange.
This wasn’t necessarily problematic.
However, the God of Murder plunged a dagger into their relationship out of revenge; before completely going insane, this Lord of the Dark Day effectively destroyed the romantic relationship between them with a conspiracy, leaving them almost feeling like strangers.
Mortal thoughts are fragile.
Being elevated to divinity as a mortal, their thoughts, spirit, and soul all undergo transformations. These two deities have changed more significantly compared to Soren; the brief memories of their mortal lives ultimately faded into the river of history.
Then.
The emergence of the God of Slaughter, the rise of the Arcane Empire, the destruction of the Arcane Empire, the fall of Father Oak, etc.
Over the long course of time, their relationship has been significantly diluted.
The two deities seem to have less and less overlap; for a long time, the Goddess has only maintained a relatively close relationship with Lady Silver Moon.
“The possibility of the King of the Dead is greater! But we cannot exclude the possibility of the God of Death – Naraku!”
“It seems He has always wanted to destroy the living.”
The God of Death – Naraku is an extremist, believing that death is the ultimate destination, and thus he is often referred to as the Hater of Life. He has a poor relationship with the King of the Dead, and there are many internal conflicts within the Gods of Death.
Soren is unsure what the appearance of the Harbinger represents, but he knows that the fall of the Goddess is definitely not so simple!
………………
Dozens of kilometers away.
Once he confirmed that the Harbinger had not followed, the witch before him finally stopped.
Ildis quickly walked over to the witch’s side and said somewhat obsequiously, “Your Excellency, have you finished your business?”
The witch slowly shook her head and replied lightly, “No.”
“You can call me Midnight. Using ‘Your Excellency’ can attract some troubles.”
Your Excellency is a title of respect.
It is generally used to address legendary professionists or individuals of very high status.
Midnight?!
Soren shuddered slightly upon hearing this name, and thereby became more certain of some of his assumptions.
Midnight was the name of the Goddess during her mortal life. However, this name has gradually faded from the annals of history, and she hasn’t used it for over a thousand years, especially after her relationship with the King of the Dead – Klanvor deteriorated; the name hasn’t appeared in any texts related to her since.
Mortals know almost nothing about this name.
The Goddess’s most important enemy is Lady of the Night, and her close alliance with Lady Silver Moon primarily arises from their common foes.
Long ago, the Lady of the Night secretly created a Shadow Magic Network to counter Lady Silver Moon and the Goddess. The Goddess views the Lady of the Night’s actions as a direct threat to her divinity, and as a result, her bond with Lady Silver Moon has grown increasingly tighter. For a long time, the Goddess’s ultimate goal has been to incorporate the Lady of the Night’s Shadow Magic Network into her divinity, even if it means sacrificing her last remnants of humanity and good nature to fuse with that dark power.
The Goddess’s transformation began here.
In pursuit of her final objective, she abandoned certain things and prepared to merge with the Shadow Magic Network. This change also strained her relationship with the King of the Dead further, eventually leaving them almost like strangers.
A somewhat dilapidated town appeared ahead.
At this point, it was already getting late.
Ildis suggested they take a rest here, and Soren had no objections. The witch before them silently nodded.
This is a town ravaged by war.
The unrest involving the Lizardmen has not been resolved, and the guards on duty vigilantly monitor everyone. There aren’t many guests in the inn, and the owner seems somewhat fearful of the three wizards’ arrival.
Nightfall comes.
A figure appears in Soren’s room.
Lying on the bed, Soren had not fallen asleep. He slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the witch before him, and then got up, gesturing invitingly towards the table beside him.
“Are you looking for me?”
The witch’s expression was cold. During the day, with Ildis nearby, many words couldn’t be said because this mortal didn’t know her identity.
Soren wouldn’t show up without reason.
The Goddess would not believe he coincidentally encountered her, so her expression was quite distant. There was even a hint of hostility.
Soren met her gaze directly and said, “Yes.”
“I am looking for you.”
“And I hope to offer you some assistance.”
Assistance?
Hearing this, the Goddess of Magic paused momentarily, then her expression softened a bit as she sat down on a nearby chair, slowly asking, “What kind of assistance?”
A divine radiance emerged.
The Goddess of Magic gazed at Soren and spoke slowly, “Soren.”
“The God of Half-Elves and Wanderers.”
“A human outside of fate.”
“In just two years, you’ve risen from being a mortal to a deity! … Recently, you killed the Beast King and inherited his Tracking divine profession. It’s not surprising you can find me, but I’m curious why you want to help me?”
Soren’s expression displayed a hint of surprise as he said, “You know me?”
As a brand-new god, he was astonished by the Goddess of Magic’s knowledge of him.
“Of course.”
A trace of playful amusement appeared at the corners of the Goddess’s mouth as she continued, “You seem to not quite understand the world of deities! … True! … You ascended just before the approaching turmoil! … You have not entered the realms of the divine! …”
“The Gods have been quietly watching you.”
“The moment you elevated to the godly throne! … They were already watching you! … To be honest, your existence makes many gods feel threatened! … Because they think your growth is simply too fast! …”
“Fortunately.”
“The coming catastrophe has temporarily distracted them; otherwise, as a new god, you might need to learn to adapt to certain rules! …”
Soren remained silent.
After a moment, he finally looked up and smiled at the Goddess of Magic, slowly saying, “Alright. I’ve finished discussing my matters. Perhaps we should talk about yours next.”
“For a long time.”
“The Goddess of Magic seems unable to escape a certain fate! … Perhaps you’ve already sensed it! …”
“Right?”
Upon hearing Soren’s words, the Goddess’s expression suddenly changed!
In an instant.
The atmosphere in the entire room grew tense, as if a powerful, irresistible magical force was isolating everything from the Material Plane.
The first Goddess of Magic met death.
The second Goddess of Magic met death.
The third Goddess of Magic is about to meet death.
That is their fate!
It seems each Goddess of Magic ultimately cannot escape death; they fall more easily than the other gods.
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
