7

CHAPTER 7

"Crossing over to another world is never easy. The passage to the other side is fraught with myriad dangers. Without the power of the divine, it is impossible for one to survive in the passage."

After saying this, she paused, watching his reaction carefully, searching for any notable change in his expressions and mannerisms.

There were none. Simply curiosity. He seemed to be processing the implications of what she revealed.

'Hmm… It seems my speculations, worries, and suspicions were for naught.' She thought. 'His intentions seem pure, like the pope said. I shouldn't have had doubts. As expected, the pope is always right.'

She did not pause for long before continuing to enlighten him: "And aside from the danger of the void tunnels themselves, the gods will not support one who attempts to enter or leave Cute Predator Star (this world). In fact, they will actively oppose and try to stop them."

Cassian's brows furrowed at this point. He opened his mouth to voice his curiosity.

"This world actually has its own gods? I thought there was only one?" He asked.

"Mm?" She raised a brow after hearing his question before a smile appeared on her lips as she tried to hold back her laughter.

"LO.L. Why do you think that with all the divine abilities the great benevolent goddess in her endless mercy has gifted us, we still hide in the shadows? Why not actively use our abilities in the open and subjugate the world so we can expand faster and more easily?"

"…" Cassian had no words. He had always thought about it but not too deeply. He had his own theories but never actively investigated. "Why?" He asked.

"Well, if the benevolent goddess who is from a different world can grant us divine gifts, why can't the gods of this world do the same or even more?"

"Ah…" On hearing those words, he finally had a eureka moment. "So that's how it is."

The [Apotheosis Seekers] were not making big and bold moves in the open because the servants of other gods, the gods of the planet, will stand in their way.

So far, they might even just be tolerating the existence of a foreign god's cronies because the cult hasn't made any moves that largely negatively affected their interests.

A single force would surely cave in a direct confrontation against a group of forces that are already individually more powerful than said force.

'However, from what I have seen so far, it seems it's only a matter of time until the [Apotheosis Seekers] grow strong enough to be a tree too tall to be felled by the other forces.

They've been growing steadily and stealthily over the years.'

"How many?" He breathed in and out before asking, trying to satiate his curious thirst.

"Eh?" The priestess didn't immediately understand his question.

"How many gods of Cute Predator Star are there?" He clarified.

"Oh? That?" She didn't think much before she answered; it was like common knowledge to her. "Six. There are six gods and goddesses in this world."

She also added some extra information: "There are two gods, Asgard and Bartand, the twin gods worshipped by the Pure Duality Religion. The other four are Gronia the goddess worshipped by the believers of the Tranquility Religion, Yaxine the goddess worshipped by the Black Heaven religion, Old Sovereign the Eastern—"

"What?!" His shocked reaction interrupted her narration. "Old goddess! Y-you don't mean…" He stuttered. "That woman that appeared half a century ago and suddenly declared herself president of the Eastern Nations and everyone over there started worshipping her as their goddess! They're really not insane and dumb like the rest of the world thought?! She's really a goddess?!"

Frankly, he should not have been so surprised. He had already seen evidence that divinities really existed. Hell, his arms were wrapped around one such evidence at that moment.

However, just like the rest of the world he had continued to believe that Old Sovereign, whose real name was rumored to be Kim Yu-Ri, was actually a dictator that had led her home county to conquer other countries on the eastern continent and united them into her own Empire which she led to repel other foreign nations that she claimed had sunk their claws into and suppressed their continent.

'Now it all makes sense… Those videos were not fake as most of the world believed! There really were superhumans deployed by that Empress… er, goddess, in those wars!'

He nodded with newfound understanding.

"I guess I owe Mrs. Whyte an apology," He chuckled with a wry smile as he remembered his girlfriend's mother who was one of them. "I always thought her firm belief in her goddess to be irrational. A goddess descending to live in plain sight amongst mortals? Who would have thought?"

"Heh. Gods are not the only supernatural existences mingling with the humans in plain sight, you know," she said. "Vampires, wer

ewolves, banshees, ghouls, amongst others also do so. It's just that no one believes it and most of those that see evidence do not dare or live to publicize it, and those that do are shunned and/or silenced. I can bring you along with me on missions that involve other gods' minions and supernatural beings after you are knighted and receive divine powers from the goddess."

"Hmm…" He nodded and smiled. "That would be lovely." He paused before adding:

"So… we kind of got off track," He said; "The reason why not everyone gets to cross over to the other side at the same time."

"Mm? Oh. Yeah, I guess so. But not really…" She inhaled and exhaled before she coughed up more information. "Anyway, the point I was getting to was related to the last goddess. Amongst the six divinities, she's the most powerful one and the one who appears to be the most passionate about interfering in the Benevolent Goddess's great work."

"Celestina, the Divine Monarch, ruler of all other gods and goddesses, and also the only daughter of the creator of the Cute Predator Star we live in," she added.

"Daughter of the creator of the planet?!" He was intrigued to say the least. 

"Uh-huh," She nodded in affirmation.

"If she's so powerful and special, then how come I have never heard about her?" He asked. "I doubt there's even related information about her or her father on the internet."