Chapter 360: The Stake

Chapter 360: The Stake

The "Goddess of the Night" sat on a massive, broken stone throne, surrounded by a tranquil darkness that felt incredibly surreal.

"First meeting, how should I address you?"

A voice as soothing as a requiem echoed through the darkness, her beautiful face, veiled in a thin black mist, appearing and disappearing.

"Great Being of the stars, youngest son of the First Creator, or perhaps a random pseudonym you chose?"

"My true name is Luke."

The atmosphere grew even more profound as the "Goddess of the Night" seemed to ponder the implications of this name and identity.

Luke looked at the ancient, weathered palace and asked with certainty:

"Is this a dream?"

"More precisely, it's the 'Secret Realm' shaped like the Night Kingdom. Conversations here are safe from leaks."

The "Goddess of the Night" spoke softly, "At this stage, you should prefer to remain 'hidden,' shouldn't you?"

Luke didn't respond to this probing question. He stared at the "Goddess of the Night", whose body combined human and wolf-like features, and finally spoke after a moment.

"Are you receiving me through a projection?"

"The true deities are busy patching the rifts in the Astral Plane. They won't easily descend unless necessary. Each brief departure allows the Outer Gods to seep into Earth."

This was precisely why the seven major deities had rarely descended after the Fifth Era.

Her deep, dark eyes, like the brilliant stars in the night sky, turned to Luke:

"Moreover, your arrival was sudden and direct. I thought it would be much later before we met."

Luke didn't respond to this, instead asking, "When did you first notice me?"

"The commotion at your birth was too great. It not only disturbed the great beings lurking beyond Earth but also caused the First Will to stir slightly."

The "Goddess of the Night" scrutinized the being before her, a ripple of thought stirring within her.

Even from the divine perspective, piercing through the false facade, she could only see the physical form composed of the material world.

Apart from the physical instinctive feedback of the "Aether Body", the core "Spirit Body", the "Star Spirit Body" that communicated with the Spirit Realm and the Astral Plane, and the "Mind Body" that combined the mind and body, all appeared as voids, as if existing independently of the world.

Perhaps even among the great beings, this one before her was exceptionally unique?

The "Goddess of the Night" responded calmly, "Nocturne is my eyes. When you entered the 'Black Thorn Security Company' and interacted with Nocturne, I knew a 'guest' had arrived."

"I believe this was a result of your deliberate guidance."

Luke's expression remained neutral, and he didn't deny it.

"This was an experiment."

Indeed, being discovered by the "Goddess of the Night" was a deliberate act. Otherwise, even with her title as the "Mother of Secrets", possessing the power of secrecy, she would have at most been more likely to detect anomalies.

After all, his true form was the "Unnameable Unknown", the "Entropy Increaser of Chaos", and possessed the rank of an Elder God.

The gap between Elders and True Gods was immense. The "Supernova Sovereign" could suppress seven True Gods behind a barrier, and all the Sequence 0s on Earth combined could, at best, briefly hold back one or two Elders.

He spoke slowly, "If I could have a deity as an ally, this avatar's ascension would be faster and smoother."

"But you don't know the deities' attitudes."

The "Goddess of the Night" picked up on Luke's words, her voice lowering slightly:

"Your concealment is correct. Currently, most deities consider you a new threat. If they discover this avatar, they will move to eliminate you immediately."

In the eyes of Earth's deities, a great being from beyond the stars, the youngest son of the First Creator, even if not closely associated with the 'Fallen Mother Goddess,' the 'Desire Mother Tree,' and the 'Indeterminate Fog,' should still be one of those plunderers.

The information the "Goddess of the Night" revealed was within Luke's expectations. After all, his identity was indeed problematic. If he were a deity on Earth, he would make the same choice.

This was the main reason for Luke's concealment.

Luke glanced at the six additional arms covered in black fur that the "Goddess of the Night" possessed and asked calmly:

"What specific deities do you mean by 'most'?"

The "Goddess of the Night's" voice carried a hint of amusement as she revealed, "Currently, I can confirm that God of War Badheil is among those deities."

The God of War Badheil, one of the seven major deities, is the sole deity worshipped by the Fersak Empire, a major power in the Northern Continent. He was also the first major deity to fall in the original story.

Luke's lips twitched slightly at the mention of the name, and his gaze toward the "Goddess of the Night" became peculiar.

The paths of "Night", "God of War", and "God of Death" were adjacent. To ascend to the level of an Old One, "Eternal Darkness" had to incorporate the corresponding essence, the "Eternal Dark River", and the unique Sequence 1 Extraordinary Traits from the other two paths.

This treacherous woman was trying to use him as a pawn!

Luke skipped over the topic, lowering his voice. "So, what's your idea?"

The air grew heavy for a moment. The figure in the darkness was silent for a while before speaking softly.

"‘Primordial Hunger’ has left."

Earth, surrounded by Outer Gods, found it difficult to obtain information from beyond the stars. No one knew where "Primordial Hunger" had gone, but the "Goddess of the Night" had a suspicion. This suspicion became even more certain when Luke's clone arrived on Earth and subtly made her aware of it.

As the words echoed, Luke's brow furrowed.

The "Goddess of the Night", who was closely observing his expression, continued. "Your main body is dealing with ‘Primordial Hunger,’ so you hope to break the stalemate through your clone?"

Luke clapped his hands and nodded indifferently.

Speaking with someone intelligent is indeed easier. As you mentioned, I have an inherent conflict with 'Primordial Hunger,' similar to your conflicts with the God of War Badiel and the God of Death Salingel.

It was a conflict that could never be resolved.

The figure in the darkness paused after hearing this answer, then unexpectedly shook her head, her voice gentle.

"‘Primordial Hunger’ is a symbol of consumption, a sweeper of all things, an insatiable aggregator, naturally possessing a strong aggregation instinct. No one knows what will happen if you consume this Outer God."

Aggregation to a certain degree can lead to disaster.

Earth's destruction was due to the initial awakening and splitting, and the fall of the "Primordial God" and the "Master of the Mysterious" was because they couldn't control their aggregation instinct, attempting to incorporate excess essence.

Luke didn't get angry after hearing this but instead smiled.

"So you have no intention of cooperating. Your previous overtures were just a test, a way to confirm my identity?"

The "Goddess of the Night" remained silent. Her figure was faintly visible in the darkness, the stars on her intricate dress flickering, and the dark mist in the palace grew even deeper.

Luke took a step forward, approaching the "Goddess of the Night", his tone challenging.

"Right now, I'm just a Sequence 6 Adept. ‘Divine Blessing’ is only at the Sequence 5 level, and the divine essence from the ‘True Creator’ isn't much stronger than a typical Sequence 4. Do you want to try destroying this body of mine now?"

As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on the black-furred arms covering the "Goddess of the Night's" ribs and waist, as if unable to resist reaching out.

Just as Luke approached and his hand was about to touch the arms, a soft sigh echoed from the darkness.

The white mist suddenly thickened, and Luke's vision blurred, returning him to his original position. The figure in the darkness had changed slightly, the extra arms disappearing as if hidden away.

Luke clicked his tongue, feeling a bit regretful. He had missed the chance to get a glimpse of a True God's hide.

"I didn't mean it that way."

The "Goddess of the Night's" voice became ethereal and serene, tinged with a touch of melancholy.

"You call yourself ‘Luke,’ you cover your stomach with a blanket during naps, the meals prepared by your servant Parrot at 3 Narcissus Street are Chinese, and you chat in Chinese with Kline Moretti, or Zhou Mingrui, in private. You express dissatisfaction with the current state of the Rune Kingdom..."

"These signs reveal your origins."

Luke pursed his lips. "So what?"

"The era buried in the Old Days is a shared memory, a crucial period for the birth and growth of our humanity. Even though I have a long life, it remains my most beautiful memory."

The "Goddess of the Night's" voice carried more emotion. "Your arrival has changed the fate of some, for the better, but I can't see through you. I know too little about you to give you an answer now."

Luke mused. "So that's why you said I came too early?"

"Yes."

The "Goddess of the Night's" voice resonated softly. "I said that most deities consider you a threat, whether direct or indirect. Helping you would be a significant risk."

Luke rubbed his chin, understanding the implication. The Goddess of the Night was hinting that he lacked the necessary "chips" to be worth supporting, and the risk was immense.

"Amarnis, have you ever used one of our phones?"

In the solemn palace, the white mist paused for a moment, as if the nonsensical and irrelevant question had short-circuited it.

After a while, the Goddess of the Night’s voice finally sounded.

"No."

"No wonder you don’t understand the concept of ignoring risks and proceeding with installation."

A smile tugged at the corners of Luke’s lips. His figure suddenly became blurry and faded, as if he were about to vanish. When his form had faded to about half, it stopped and slowly returned to normal.

The massive figure on the stone throne had risen at some point, its gaze deep and penetrating.

For a moment, the Goddess of the Night felt that Luke’s body was about to leave, even though she was just a dream projection. Apart from the Path of the Gate, it would be difficult for even a regular angel to escape her “Secret Realm.”

The intense gaze pinned Luke, as if trying to scrutinize every detail to uncover the truth.

"What did you just do?"

"I just used a bit of power borrowed from my true self."

Luke’s tone was casual. Some information needed to be kept hidden as a trump card, while other information was more valuable when revealed to others.

"You said you don’t know much about me. Now you can add one more of my titles."

He smiled, removed his hat, and bowed, his words carried with the laughter.

"Let me introduce myself: the 'Elder God Beyond the Stars,' the symbol of 'Invasion.'"

"Actually, I prefer to call it 'Arrival.'"

If authority represents specific powers and abilities, then a symbol represents concepts and essences, much like the ability to control the sea and the concept of the ocean itself.

Even without support, a symbol remains a symbol.

This meant that when Luke’s avatar recovered to a certain extent, he could "invade" the Western Continent, which the Lord of the Secret had sealed off, a place where deities couldn’t reach, and obtain the necessary "Essence" for ascension to an Elder God!

The Goddess of the Night slowly approached Luke, her voice gentle.

"I understand how your true self managed to bypass the initial barrier to send you here. What Sequence level do you need to pass through the Lord of the Secret’s barrier?"

"Generally, the higher and faster, the better. I don’t want to stay at the 'Joyful Witch' stage for too long."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Goddess of the Night stopped, and the surrounding white mist took on a dangerous aura, as if it could engulf everything in the palace, leading to death in the darkness and silence.

Luke coughed lightly. "I have no interest in the Eternal Dark River, and I happen to know some of its characteristics."

"..."

The deathly aura dissipated slightly, weakening.

The deathly aura dissipated slightly, weakening, as the Goddess of the Night's voice sounded, "You've found a reason to take action against the God of War, have you?"

"..."

The deep aura slowed even more, almost disappearing.

"Is the Uniqueness of the God of Death in the Raging Sea?"

Darkness suddenly expanded, swallowing everything, plunging the entire palace of the Night Kingdom into complete darkness, robbing all of sight.

The voice of the Goddess of the Night echoed softly.

"You’ve maintained your humanity quite well."

A massive force surged, and Luke felt as if he had lost all his Beyonder abilities, becoming incredibly vulnerable. His body grew cold in the darkness, and he could only fall with the force.

A damp wolf’s kiss nipped at his neck, sharp teeth grazing his fragile throat, just a hair’s breadth away from breaking the skin, severing the veins, and taking his life.

"You’re quite brave."

Luke’s eyes were wide open, the darkness that deprived him of sight made his other senses sharper. The instinctual tremor of fear that threatened to overwhelm him also excited him.

The wolf’s kiss left his neck, and a soft yet cold voice sounded.

"Remember, I am just a dream projection, and this is just a dream."

A warm body pressed against his, sending waves of pleasant sensation. Luke couldn’t help but reach out to take control, but in the next moment, he was forcefully restrained, unable to move.

"Uh..."

Indescribable pleasure made Luke grit his teeth and hiss, as he was enveloped by "joy" and drowned in the ocean of desire.

The sound of a bubble bursting suddenly echoed in his ear.

"The 'Joyful Witch' has finished digesting."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end