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Chapter 781: To Test A God

If there was something that Cynthia was concerned about… before leaving, she suddenly brought up another subject. “There are actually two items that are rather important to us, aside from just the gate. I wonder if you know where we can find them?”

The Lord of Blackstone gestured for her to continue, so she offered a thankful nod. “The first is quite a bit more conspicuous. It is a tower of crystal connecting heaven and earth.” Although not quite accurate on a literal level, it was a fitting description when talking to a society with this level of advancement.

Sure enough, the Lord knew immediately what she was talking about. “Yes… I have seen that, with my own eyes, in fact.” He answered with a solemn nod. “Within the Ashen Crag, the spear of light pierces upwards, penetrating the sky above. We have tried to investigate it, but the Ashenborn occupy that area, and will not permit any outsiders to enter.”

Cynthia thought it over for a moment, deciding that that wasn’t too bad of an outcome. What she wanted wasn’t the spire itself, but merely to know where it was and ensure it was protected. If it resided within the home of the Ashenborn, it was unlikely that they would harm it. “The other thing is… far more difficult to find. It is a crystal sphere, roughly the size of your fist. There should only be one like it in this entire layer, so I understand if you haven’t come across it before.”

The man thought about her words, stroking his chin. Ultimately, he shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Cynthia nodded, feeling that it was natural. She had only heard reports about some of the obscure locations that the orbs had been found. However, as she was about to say her farewells, Petra suddenly spoke up. “You said that the Ashenborn live surrounding the crystal pillar?” She asked with a serious expression, Cynthia looking over at her in surprise.

“That’s right?” The man responded, though he was not sure how that was such a serious matter, given that the delegate of their group didn’t bring it up herself.

Petra looked towards Cynthia with a wry smile. “The stone father…” She said simply, though Cynthia still didn’t seem to understand. Thus, Petra had to sigh. “If they’re living around the pillar where mana condenses and disperses every day--”

“A mana siphon?!” Cynthia’s eyes went wide as she pieced together what Petra was getting at, the rest of their party showing similar expressions. Even Udona seemed impressed, looking over at Petra with a smile.

“Pardon me, but what is this mana siphon that you are referring to?” The Lord of the fortress asked with a furrowed brow, as if feeling that he was missing some important context.

Cynthia cleared her throat, turning and explaining. “It’s a phenomenon that occurs when mana condenses too heavily in one area, and is infected by the thoughts of the living. We call it a mana siphon because it is the world’s way of relieving the pressure from this mana. Sometimes, these siphons can cause natural disturbances such as tidal waves or storms, or even spawn entities based on the fears and beliefs of the thoughts infecting the mana.”

“The crystal pillar we mentioned before is present in every floor. Its function is twofold. First, it connects this floor to every other within the world. Secondly, it regulates the day and night cycle by absorbing ambient mana in the air and releasing it as light. If enough mana is present, it is possible that a mana siphon could be triggered based on the beliefs of the Ashenborn.”

A look of realization appeared on the Lord’s face. “I see. You are referring to a conflux. We have encountered these as well, typically around our Magicite veins prior to establishing a ward to scatter the excess energy. Though I have never heard of them summoning religious figures…”

Cynthia shook her head. “It’s likely because your race doesn’t hold a particular religion in higher regard than magic itself. For the Ashenborn, the highest power is this stone father. Thus, when the mana gathers around them, it takes the form of what they believe he is. Their faith shapes his body and personality.”

“So he is a god, after all…” There was a look of frustration on the face of the Lord, but Udona simply chuckled.

“That’s not what a god is, good sir. A god is not shaped by their followers. We might gain extra power from their faith, but not to such an extreme. The order is simply backwards here… rather than the faith of the stone father emerging as a result of his appearance, he appeared as a result of their faith. Most likely, he is a mere monster made of mana, possessing the ideology that the Ashenborn imagined for him. Compared to the power of a true deity, it is like comparing a candle to an inferno.”

Those words seemed to relieve the man of his worries, allowing him to nod his head. “I see, I am glad that it is not to the extent I feared, at least. If you had to scale the stone father’s power, how would you estimate it?”

Udona thought that over for a moment. “My sister is more skilled at that sort of thing. However, if I had to guess, it would depend on how many times the mana siphon has been triggered. Each triggering would have a chance of supplying additional power to the stone father, if that happened to be the thought that triggered the siphon.”

“Assuming that the siphon happens near the crystal pillar, it would appear to you as if the day was somehow shorter or dimmer than normal. This is because the pillar would not have as much mana as it typically requires to maintain its functions. However, given the size of this floor, the difference might not even be noticeable to you.” Udona’s eyes closed for a long moment, her senses sweeping outwards.

“Aha… found it… my, that’s a big boy.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “If he were to leave his home… I’d say that he could easily topple a country or two. Comparing him with the power you all have shown, that is.”

The man’s eyes went wide once again. “How is that not a god, if he possesses such strength alone?”

Udona let out a faint sigh. “First, let’s fix your understanding of what it means to be a god. Thessa, would you mind assisting me here?”

Hearing one of the Greater Pantheon calling for her, the halfling goddess’s eyes went wide, and she quickly stepped forward. “Of course, ma’am! What can I do to help?”

Udona gave a faint smile, turning to look at the Lord of the castle. “Thessa here is the Goddess of Archery. If it relates to firing a bow, you may test her in any way you wish, no matter how extreme the challenge.” Thessa gulped nervously at that comment, though the Lord of the fortress simply looked pensive.

“I may use any test?” He asked, confirming Udona’s words. When the kitsune simply nodded, he hovered up from his desk, moving towards the window. “Very well… then, this shall be your challenge.” He held a pair of fingers up to his lips, beginning to chant in echoing runes. Once his chant was done, he pointed those fingers out the window, a beam of blue light shining out and striking the stone ceiling far in the distance.

“I have left a mark on the sky. Give me a demonstration of your destructive power while hitting that mark.” The Lord challenged, though Thessa’s eyes went wide nervously. “Do you believe that you cannot do it?” He asked with a raised brow.

“N-No, it’s just… is there a settlement in that direction? I don’t want to hurt any bystanders in the process.” The Lord blinked at her statement, before chuckling again.

“There is a great sea in that direction, which should be located beneath your mark. I didn’t want to risk your arrow being unable to fly high enough.” Thessa was immensely relieved at that, letting out a deep sigh.

“Then, I just need to destroy the mark with full power, right?” She asked, pulling the bow off her back. Once the Lord nodded, stepping out of the way, Thessa took a deep breath. “What I require is an arrow of pure annihilation, pursuing the target without end.” She grabbed where the string of her bow would be, a golden line forming, followed by a shining golden arrow.

The Lord’s eyes went wide as he sensed the power gathering in that arrow, while Thessa’s eyes seemed to turn golden as well. In her sight, the sky became closer and closer, until she could see the jagged rocks hanging down in the distance. There, far away, was a small blue dot no bigger than a fingernail.

Once she had confirmed the target, Thessa released her arrow. Wind swept up in a roar through the room, scattering papers and forcing anyone near her to retreat. The Lord maintained his position near the window purely through the force of his mana, watching the golden line trace itself into the distance.

Thessa was already putting her bow back, somewhat disappointing the Lord. However, he soon felt a reaction from the spell he had cast. The arrow had struck true, making him shift his gaze back to the sky. At first, there was nothing to see, but soon… soon, there was a massive burst of black and red light forming in a sphere, shattering the stone sky.

Stones could be seen even at this distance, pieces as big as entire city districts falling from above. He knew that he would have to explain this to the king later, but for now… now the burst of light was clearing, and he saw only a circular patch of darkness where the stone had once been. This patch was visible with the naked eye even when viewed from almost a hundred thousand kilometers away, showing the enormity of the destruction caused.

When the Lord realized the strength required to do this, and to do it in one arrow no less. If she were to truly attack a country, not only would that country be powerless to stop her, they might not even see her face before everything was destroyed. Thinking back, he even realized that Thessa was not the strongest of their gods. According to the report he had received, the fox-like goddess was the one who had the most powerful divine energy among them.

“Alex, could you fix that for us? I’ll throw in a bonus payment to make up for it.” Udona asked Alex, who looked at her with a surprised expression. Repairing something wasn’t normally in his repertoire, but he had a feeling that he knew what she was asking for.

“If you think I can do it, I’ll surely not disappoint.” He nodded his head, taking a deep breath and focusing. A golden paper appeared in front of the window, moving to cover it. Once it had done so, the paper seemed to become transparent, depicting the scene behind it.

With a wave of his hand, the black circle in the sky was filled in with the same stone material as the surroundings. Alex could feel his divine power falling as he began to peel away the paper, revealing the scene beyond to match what he had ‘drawn’ on his canvas. The hole in the sky was properly filled in once again, leaving the Lord dumbfounded at the sight. He even wondered if the destruction caused by Thessa had really happened, before remembering the feedback he received from his spell.

Gods are… truly something we should not provoke. He noted to himself, no longer questioning the power at their disposal.