Game of the World Tree

The casket promptly opened, releasing a deep surge of deathly power.

Evé gently dispelled it, and Hela’s cool and lazy voice echoed a second afterwards.

“Your Highness Evé, congratulations upon your victory in the war.”

“It’s just that if you can, I hope you could keep a low profile as much as possible. Just now…Uller went to the gates of the Netherworld and made a big fuss.”

“Hence now, it seems the entire heavenly realm knows about my supposed ‘war of faith’ against Uller.”

Then, the deathly power unfolded slightly, revealing a picturesque scene before Evé…

It was a silver giant with a divine axe and bow, cursing loudly in front of the passage to the Netherworld.

Evé immediately recognized the attire of the silver giant without hesitation—it was Uller, the god of winter and hunting.

However, Uller in the image was extremely angry, completely devoid of the dignity of a true god.

Uller caused a commotion at the entrance of the Netherworld?

Evé was slightly stunned, with her expression also showing a somewhat amused look.

Isn’t it too silly for a true god with a weak divine power to make a scene right at the doorstep of a god, who is ten times more stronger than him?

Not to mention that the owner of the house he’s forcefully intruding into has more superior control and output of their divine power.

Especially since Hela also inherited the legacy of the Primordial Death God, which also likely possessed one or two true divine artifacts..

Evé really couldn’t believe the audacity of Uller.

This brute… does he really not know the meaning of the word “death”?

But as this thought crossed Eve’s mind, she quickly understood the complexities of the situation.

Firstly, although Hela held median divine power and ruled the Netherworld, she found herself trapped within its boundaries for certain reasons.

Therefore, Uller was confident that Hela wouldn’t easily retaliate even if he made a scene at her doorstep.

Moreover, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows in the Netherworld is also eyeing Hela’s authoritative position, waiting to see if she would respond, so that he could help out her enemies…

Uller has the support of the God of War on his side, a genuinely powerful deity who gathered several races, including pure-blooded orcs, under the banner of his faith.

Looking at it from Uller’s perspective, since Evé didn’t let the soul of his incarnation return to him and even annihilated it, Uller must have thought that only Hela could do such a thing, causing him to rage at the entrance of the Netherworld.

Since he had the backing of the God of War and the assurance that Hela was trapped within the confines of the Netherworld, Uller must have gone to her doorstep to ascertain his assumptions under the guise of making a scene at the Netherworld’s entrance.

This hunter brute, whose seemingly foolish on the outside, is quite clear-headed now that she think about it…

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that he may really have been somewhat influenced by the abyss will due to the long-term possession of the withering heart, thereby becoming somewhat apoplectic as a result.

However, since Uller immediately came knocking at Hela’s doors, it may indicate that he still hasn’t figured out Eve’s real identity yet.

Perhaps Hela had actively covered for Evé after their deal; otherwise, Uller wouldn’t have directly stormed in within her territory.

Thinking of this, Evé felt a bit more grateful towards the Goddess of Death…

Then, she continued listening to Hela’s message:

“As for the two questions you asked me… my knowledge is quite limited on that regard.”

“Regarding the secret of the World Tree being besieged, I’ve heard some vague information about it but nothing concrete. However, one thing’s for sure: the gods in the heavenly realm do indeed fear you.”

“Your growth will strengthen the origin of the realm of Seigües, which will ultimately lead to the eventual ascension of the entire plane…”

“And Saigües’ ascension will benefit all creatures living within the realm, enhancing their overall strength. Perchance it may even result in the resurrection of some slumbering ancient deities…”

“But whether it’s the improvement in strength of the mortals or the revival of ancient beings, those possibilities are not what ‘they’ up above would ever want to see.”

Upon hearing this, Eve’s previous doubts were finally clarified to some extent.

This reason is similar to what she had speculated!

And this can explain why the World Tree, despite its inherent ability to purify abyssal power, is still rejected by the heavenly gods.

However, Hela whose situated in the Netherworld, is not as concerned about it since the power of faith is just an added bonus for her, considering her role in overseeing death.

The Primordial Death God whom she inherited its legacy was an ancient deity, and if it weren’t for wanting to use the power of faith to restore her divinity, then Hela probably wouldn’t even bother developing her own followers in the first place.

“However, speaking of which…”

Hela’s voice continued, now with a hint of mockery.

“Although the heavenly gods besiege the World Tree, they are also quite apprehensive about such endeavor. In fact, they dare not even label the World Tree as an evil god…”

“Do you know why?” The Goddess of Death asked rhetorically.

How would I know?

Evé was speechless.

Of course, Hela quickly explained, her voice still filled with mockery and disdain.

“Because…birthing true gods of faith is originally the role of the World Tree. In a sense, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the World Tree is the divine mother of the gods of faith.”

Goddammit!

Upon hearing this, Evé was truly astonished for the first time, with her mouth even hanging wide open.

The World Tree… is actually considered the divine mother of the true gods of faith?

“Therefore, although the remaining Ancient Ones didn’t ultimately prevent the newer gods from targeting the World Tree, they did however establish some agreements with the other gods and the most important one being the reputation of the World Tree.”

“And if I remember… touching your core is also a clause within their agreement.”

“Of course, due to curse magic and the nature of dimensional portals, they find it difficult to make contact with your core.”

Hearing this, Evé finally understood why, after a millennium, the natives of the Saigües still had a favorable view of the World Tree.

But then again, now that she has inherited the World Tree, what does that make her?

The stepmother of the gods?

Hmm… no, that title is too damn ridiculous.

Evé sighed, then continued listening to Hela’s third response:

“As for the artifacts of Yggdrasill…they were all seized by the gods after the heavenly war.”

“From what I know, the Eternal Lord obtained the Source of Elements and the God of War got the Nature’s Crown, but the Scepter of Life was broken into pieces and scattered all over the mortal world. However… rumors say that some true gods are collecting the fragments of the Scepter and possibly intending to restore it.”

“As for information on other artifacts outside the three major divine artifacts, I don’t know much. Presumably, they were also obtained, lost, or destroyed by the heavenly gods…”

Is that so?

Listening to this news, Evé couldn’t say she was disappointed.

In fact, the fate of these artifacts was similar to what she had already speculated; it’s just that she didn’t know in particular whose hands each artifact specifically landed into.

“Eternal Lord and the God of War…”

Evé murmured to herself.

The Eternal Lord is the patron deity of humanity, the main god for which mankind believes in. His full name is Eteo, the Lord of Eternity and Radiance, a true god with formidable divine power.

Meanwhile the God of War is revered by the savage races such as pure orcs, lizardfolks, and trolls. His full name is Lodour, the God of War and Destruction, similarly a true god with powerful divine power.

Simultaneously, these two were also the main force in besieging the World Tree a thousand years ago.

Ever since Evé revived and checked the records about the thousand year war on the World Tree, she had noted their names in her little book.

Hela’s messages concluded at this point.

Howeverat the end of her message, Hela added a special sentence:

“I used up all the divine blood crystals from last time, please send me some more.”

That’s the reward.

Eve’s heart stirred.

However, a few blood crystals aren’t something she’s concerned about now. After listening to Hela’s messages, Evé finally closed the Casket of the Dead.

She then took a deep breath and began contemplating the next steps of her plan…

“Now that I know the truth about the World Tree being besieged, I’m now somehow half relieved.”

“There’s still a possibility of the Scepter being lost in the world of Saigües. They are still useful for me even if they are just fragments. I can let players search for them.”

“The Abyss may indeed become a source to strengthen my divine powers but I have to first find the stronghold of the Abyssal Evil Gods in Saigües…”

“Hmm, they are probably hiding in the underground! Or perhaps the Dark Mountains…after all, the native elves know some old legends relating to these beings in their folklores…”

“I guess I can set aside the matters regarding the half-orcs for a bit, considering Hela wants me to lay low for the time being. It’s probably a good idea to shift my attention to finding those evil gods instead.”

“It seems that now is finally the right time to expand the players’ range of activities even further.”

— 261 —

【 TRUTH BEHIND THE HEAVENLY WAR 】

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