While the professors were tortured by the chaotic doppelgänger show, there were others suffering from Oknodie’s doppelgänger act.
They were the nameless ancient gods who had lent their power to Oknodie during the first round of the Spirit Body War.
[Somewhere… I feel a power from afar…]
[Someone has called my true name, and the power of the cause that had perished returns…]
The ancient gods were beings who engrave their existence onto the world and gain power by spreading their name far and wide.
However, if the scale of the world is small, it becomes essential to expand into other worlds to gain strength, and in a vast dimension filled with many world domains, they had to engage in contests of engraving with other world domain contributors.
In the vast dimension known as the Middle Realm, it was only natural that a time existed when a multitude of gods thrived, as indicated by the existence of a place called the Temple of Demigods.
[How can we talk about the possibility of the one who has awakened those who vanished in the competition and lost even their names being reborn in this universe…]
[I will not miss this miraculous opportunity that will not come again… All my powers shall be with you as I watch over you. Seeker of faith, my power will draw forth your belief!]
The gods generously granted Oknodie power.
This was to prevent any unfortunate events where Oknodie might die or get injured and fail to resurrect faith.
There was a reasonable explanation for why such great strength was given from the start.
Those who had become obsolete in society.
Those who had lost in the competition.
It would hardly be likely for such beings to seek out an ancient faith whose existence was even unclear.
The time and effort spent in finding traces of those who would have vanished even from historical records and scriptures is akin to a lifetime of a single person or the efforts of generations within a secret organization.
Guidelines emerged in the minds of the gods.
Elder Chief of the Secret Organization.
In order to fulfill the organization’s desire passed down through generations, finding the true name of the ancient god and calling out to the one in crisis and determination.
Of course, normally they wouldn’t easily grant power.
The secretive nature of not wanting to monopolize the power granted by the gods and not widely disseminating it is a form of arrogance and a realistic problem that such secret organization leaders commonly display.
If it’s not dangerously close to death, they conserve their power.
Without a sense of awe and devotion towards the gods, they conserve their power.
Such principles do exist among the gods.
But Oknodie was in a crisis with a formidable opponent commanding seventeen world domains from the very beginning.
[The conjurer who will rewrite the history of my faith is about to die the moment they call my true name!]
It’s a situation that makes you feel madly nervous.
The gods, not wanting to be thrown into the abyss of forgetting immediately after resurrecting and losing the sole believer, quickly granted Oknodie significant power.
This was a rather sacrificial investment from gods who prepared to lower their divine stature beyond the power gained from calling true names.
Of course, the power given was anything but ordinary.
Thus, it didn’t take long for similar beings to realize that they were gifting power to Oknodie’s various doppelgängers.
Hey, you too?
Yeah, me too.
It was a situation where powerful ancient gods active in the same era all poured their strength into one human at once!
If I had known it would be like this, I would have regretted not conserving my power. Yet, at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel glad that I invested a lot, thinking only some among these many ancient gods could be chosen while the rest would be discarded.
[Have there been precedents of forgiving humans who mocked the gods?]
[None.]
[I want to punish this arrogant human.]
The one who receives divine punishment from the god of rhetoric falls under a curse that will only provoke animosity from others no matter what they say.
The one who receives divine punishment from the god of truth cannot convey any truth they realize as the truth to others.
If one were to simultaneously acquire multiple such curses, a person whose life would be ruined under just one of them would have no choice but to live in regret and guilt, pleading for forgiveness from the gods.
When that time comes, the prophecy will be sneakily given.
The one wanting to buy divine punishment.
Lead them to find a true believer of faith and accomplish their will.
They ensnare the mind with pain and create new talents.
This was a familiar method to the ancient gods.
The many history of priests, nuns, wealthy individuals, nobles, and kings suffering from the wrath of the gods is so vast it’s meaningless to quantify.
“This energy… Ancient Evil Gods?!”
In a corner of the battlefield, a being with a soul akin to humans who once held the most brilliant wealth on the ground was startled by the spiritual essence of the gods.
Behold.
Isn’t it remarkable that a candidate who can inherit the will of the gods appeared so promptly?
The gods, displeased by Oknodie’s arrogance, quickly evaluated the vessel of Avalon.
And they were astonished.
It’s large.
The vessel of Avalon is certainly comparable to that of a high priest or pope, yet strangely, it felt infinitely small and shabby.
It took a considerable amount of time to realize that it was due to Oknodie’s vessel, which was utilized so naturally.
[What is this natural delivery of faith…?]
[The powers are transmitted without any loss of strength!]
[Just how much potential is there? An infinite potential where even the limits cannot be gauged!]
By merely filling their inner microcosm with their own realm, they could already reach a divine state; it was a vessel with immense potential to ascend to godhood.
And this vast vessel belonged to a mere eleven-year-old human.
[Memory Reflection]
The gods traced Oknodie’s past in their own ways.
And they read Oknodie’s actions during this round.
The gigantic secret organization that has taken hold of the world, the Wahyhiemhai Foundation.
The mysterious organization that became the forerunner of the foundation, Gyeolsa.
Oknodie was the highest-ranking successor among the secret organization’s heirs.
What’s more, she was the unprecedented disloyal daughter who killed her own father to elevate herself above him, with future potential that could rival that of a Demon King.
Though there were concerns regarding connections with alien gods, for now, they wouldn’t have to worry about that side for a while due to the excessive power used in the last war.
No matter how you look at it, it was a jackpot.
In the eyes of the ancient evil gods, who are mostly of malicious tendencies, such a perfect candidate for pope and apostle could not be found even throughout the long lifespans of the gods.
If that brilliant talent were to blossom, just how powerful would the church become!
The Mainstream 24 Gods of the Temple of Demigods that toppled the Man God?
Wrong.
This could be compared to the Unique God, Sofemia of the Sun, which is seen as the pinnacle of all gods.
They could rise to a post-divinity equal to the Unique God, surpassing the Mainstream 24 Gods by stepping up from their station just before perishing.
[My grand potential shall be entwined with this child.]
[The greatest investment will surely yield the greatest goodwill.]
[Only the most useful powers will be chosen by this child. I shall gladly grant even the powers I have saved!]
The ancient gods, overwhelmed with joy as if witnessing a confirmed ten-won Bitcoin, invested enthusiastically while preparing for losses.
With that enormous investment, they were on the verge of defeating formidable opponents and reaping the fruits of their labor.
Who will be chosen by Oknodie?
Who will gain the chance to ascend to the Unique God?
At that moment, when they were merely waiting for Oknodie’s selection, the child’s Spirit Body finally turned to the divine spiritual essence.
The raw gemstone of brilliant potential grinned broadly and said,
[Sorry! I appreciate you generously dishing it out, but taking this means the apocalypse route opens up, so I can’t accept it!]
Well, that could happen.
You’re just going to apologize to other gods, while taking only my divine class, right?
The confident gods, waiting only for selection, felt their confidence dwindle, while the impatient gods were enraged.
[To take the power and run away, it doesn’t matter if you have a large vessel; if it can’t become mine, it might as well be destroyed!]
[Even if I do not reach my true name, there exists an agent living in this universe who bears our curse, so you are not the only one with a chance here.]
[Until the day you show due etiquette, you shall walk while feeling the pain of Lego blocks stabbing into the soles of your feet with every step.]
Just as the gods’ divine punishments were about to pour down, Oknodie’s hand dove into her Spirit Body.
This reckless act of violating existence stunned even the gods who aimed to punish her.
What’s happening?
Is someone already doing self-mutilation due to divine punishment?
The confusion quickly turned to horror.
[Mana Overload]
[Mental Collapse]
The intricately rotating mana of Oknodie strayed from its path and began to engulf itself.
Whoa, while trying to watch, before they could even stop it, a flash of light erupted.
KA-BLAM!
The consequence of collapsing the power and exploding was, as expected, the death of the Spirit Body.
Ancient gods who draw power simply from memory.
Having borrowed the strength of many gods, just before obligations and divine punishments could pile on like a mountain, the debtor vanished.
Gone.
Cleanly escaping into death, erasing memories, and leaving the power that ancient gods gain from calling out true names vanished with the loss of Oknodie’s vast potential.
Even if they had wanted to punish her, their power to do so had also vanished.
[That ungrateful thing has returned…]
[But I have no power to punish…]
[Since memory is lost and true names sealed shut, the door of memories will not open, leaving the world’s memories behind, but there is no way to punish you…!]
Oknodie’s luck was due to the blind power without the thought of repayment, while the influence of lost powers was not even worth mentioning.
As the professors frantically tried to escape Oknodie’s trap, they were dumbfounded by the powers of the ancient gods that activated each time they tried.
The gods, caught in a pickle, could only move about anxious over being robbed blind while the professors flailed in panic.
It was impossible to stop the flow of Oknodie, who was gleefully messing things up.
“Whoa. You were having quite the fun.”
Bronze de Estrada.
It was so until the professor, who had no fear of Oknodie, sneakily appeared in the chaos.
“Stealing even the powers of the gods. Now, let’s see how this is done?”
As Bronze the professor ‘applied’ Oknodie’s method and seized ownership of the remaining power, the phenomenon that had been protecting Oknodie vanished.
“Finally! Now the Soul Weapon works perfectly.”
“Ah, this cool and heavy sensation. Just two hours, huh?”
“That long time of scorn and harassment… it was quite relentless.”
“Thank you! Professor Bronze!”
The professors regained their power.
As Oknodie’s doppelgänger carried out auto-hunting… no, auto-revenge on the professor’s behalf, beads of cold sweat began to form on her forehead.
“Shall we call it a draw?”
The professors, of course, pretended not to hear.
