Chapter 536 (2): New Divine Realm x Merging and Rebirth

If it were only about the pursuit of power, Wayne had already gained the entirety of the four goddesses’ knowledge and even taken over their Divine Realms. Creating a new Divine Realm wouldn’t make him stronger.

He had wanted to make the four goddesses stronger, but since he couldn’t settle on a position for himself, the new Divine Realm was only a combination of separate things. The united front was only a front, while the components were smashed together by force.

Under the circumstances, the four goddesses received no buff from the coalition, and the new Divine Realm was more of a project Wayne insisted on doing.

There was a solution. He knew very well where the problem lay: he had corrupted the Divine Realms, but not the core of the Divine Realms—the goddesses. Only by making Ines, Kaleb, and Siluk his vassals could he achieve the intended effect shown on the Book of Greed’s cover.

But again, what if that was part of Elohim’s plan?

Wayne opted for the same strategy he had employed for the Chosen Land. He gave the goddesses each a bracelet so that he could corrupt them when necessary.

Moreover, there were other incompatibilities in the construction of the new Divine Realm. Heaven and Hell stood out like a sore thumb among Darkness, Death, Sun, Moonlight, and Nature, so Wayne had not added them. Sky was also only part of the blueprint for now.

He imagined Heaven and Hell to be part of the new Divine Realm, but when he actually got working, he realized that they didn’t fit. Not only weren’t they compatible with the other Divine Realms, but they also overlapped with some.

Heaven overlapped with Sky, and Hell overlapped with the Underworld. Forcing the merge would only do more harm than good.

“There are three problems with the merging of the Divine Realms,” Wayne said with his eyes closed. “First, I lack proper positioning. Unless I make all of you my vassals, I won’t be the true center.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Aztimor said with righteous composure. “That makes sense to me. With the Final Judgment on the horizon, I’m willing to give up my freedom.”

Of course you’re willing. You think I don’t know that you’ve already been reshaped? x3

“Heeding your advice, I’ve decided to put aside my principles. I won’t be discussing it with you before corrupting you. The bracelet can do that at any time, so you should be mentally prepared to be my vassals.”

His eyes remained closed. “I’ll make you a promise. As soon as I evolve to a point where I can reverse corruption, I’ll liberate you .”

None of the four goddesses said anything. Their expressions were mixed.

Seeing that as silent permission, he continued, “The second problem is that I cannot find where to fit in Heaven and Hell. If we’re to be the new Life Alliance, the new Divine Realm will be one entity, while Heaven and Hell will be a separate entity. We can work together with some difficulty, but we cannot be together.”

“Perhaps that is a good thing. All this time, I’ve been worried that Elohim has something else up His sleeve. Although I’ve combed through Heaven and Hell, I’m still concerned.”

It would be a shame to leave Heaven and Hell, well-constructed worlds in their own right, outside the system, but Wayne couldn’t figure out how he should use them. They were in an awkward place under his framework.

I can’t be the God of Kings and bare my teeth at the goddesses every day while being the god of Heaven and Hell. Won’t it be ridiculous for me to fight myself in front of the world?

Wait, actually, that sounds interesting. I might give it a try someday.

“The third problem: Elian is still the Goddess of Nature with the Divine Realm’s Authority, able to enter the Divine Realm anytime. If Nature is incorporated into the system right now, the enemies will be strengthened.”

“If I integrate it, it’ll empower the enemy. If I don’t, the system cannot be established. It’s a tough decision. I’m open to suggestions. Since you all own the new Divine Realm, too, let’s put it to a vote.”

You make it sound so noble, but you just don’t want to take responsibility on your own.

The four goddesses exchanged a glance. Three of them pondered, while one of them followed Her instinct. In the end, they decided to integrate Nature.

Ines, Aztimor, and Siluk shared the same thought. If Wayne’s vision came to fruition, they would gain even more powerful Authorities in the new Divine Realm. Then, they wouldn’t have to fear Elian’s formidable power. They could take revenge and punch that prideful face to their hearts’ content.

Just thinking about it made their fists itch. They couldn’t wait to slap Elian and beat Her up on the ground.

Kaleb’s instinct told Her a simple answer: with the Divine Realms merging, and their Authorities enhanced, the four of them would be able to beat Elian to death together.

“Let’s incorporate the Divine Realm of Nature,” Ines said with a smile. “It’ll be a pleasant surprise if we manage to lure Elian in.”

Every time the goddesses talked about Elian, they were able to band together. Wayne lamented how crucial Elian was. Without Her, not only couldn’t he convince the four vermin with words, but he wouldn’t even change their minds through action.

He didn't vote, forgoing it since he didn’t want to be held accountable. The vote was four against one. The Divine Realm of Nature would be integrated into his divine system.

He summoned the distant Divine Realm over. When it flew past the cosmos above the Chosen Land, it encountered a long worm and ran it over at an accelerated speed before flying away.

“That stupid worm. Why is it still lurking around the Chosen Land? The end of the world is near. What is it waiting for?” Wayne was curious about why the Astral Worm lingered at that location, but he wasn’t going to corrupt the worm to find out. He put it out of his mind after the comment.

Who cared about what the worm was waiting for? It definitely wasn’t him.

Rumble!!!

In the infinite empty cosmos, a thunderous rumble shook the stars. Following a ray of green light, five massive glowing orbs slammed into each other. The green of Nature, the black of Darkness, the grey of Death, the golden of Sun, and the silver of Moonlight intersected in reality, transcending time and space. They began an unimaginable clash and integration. Storm and Thunder also roamed within, growing ever stronger in purple form.

Nature’s arrival was key. Like the last straw that weighed down the camel, the merge that had been taking place at a snail’s pace accelerated dramatically. It was as if two boosters had been installed on the snail, sending it flying into the sky.

The collision of incompatible information led to a chain reaction. The Divine Realms collapsed, and matter entropied. The earth, water, fire, and wind elements went berserk. The elemental tides ran amok.

The four goddesses blanched in horror when they sensed their powers declining at an alarming speed.

“No rush. Destruction is followed by rebirth. Take good care of your disciples and leave the rest to me.”

Wayne squeezed his eyes shut. A vast, boundless pale ocean emerged in the broken space, extending tentacles of waves to subdue the fleeing four elements.

The Book of Greed perked up.

Holy, you can’t just eat everything.

Wayne suppressed the urge to swallow the four goddesses whole. Gathering the four elements, he made them into a sphere. In the center, the information that represented the goddesses collided violently. They were agitated and unstable, unable to form a complementary whole.

Unless a great external force pushed for it, that was.

For my sake, try to get along from now on.

The pale ocean came roaring, enveloping and compressing the four elements, forcefully converting energy into physical matter. Then, the Laws at the core settled down gradually amid the low whispers.

The first to respond was the green Nature, carrying the pulses of the earth, the breathing of the wind, the silence of water, and the ruckus of fire. All that morphed into a verdant forest woven with winding rivers, composing the symphony of life.

Nature’s information settled down. Incredible vitality spread as ancient trees extended their branches, accompanied by vibrant life. The foundation of the new Divine Realm was thus established.

The information of Sun, Moonlight, and Storm and Thunder rose, while Death plunged. Darkness roamed across every part of the world. The dark space was like a massive canvas on which all information shifted to find its rightful place.

Wayne didn’t intervene. In fact, aside from using the pale ocean to force the compression and integration, everything had fallen into place on its own, as if this were the natural course of things.

Accommodating Darkness lay hidden in the depths of the world, able to give rise to infinite possibilities. Draped in the veil of night, it led the dim light to explore uncharted borderlands.

The grey Death sank below the land and formed a reincarnation cycle with the Nature above. It was where souls went and the starting point of new life. There, Death wasn’t something to be feared; it was a portal to a new world and a necessary link in the cycle of life.

Radiant Sun rode the golden chariot across the sky to bring hope and vitality and disperse darkness, awakening the slumbering world. Gentle moonlight guarded the serenity of night as the most prominent light source, lighting the way.

Storm and Thunder hung in the sky, creating the atmosphere and clouds amid rainstorms and lightning. It restrained the cycles of light and darkness and life and death. It showcased a might that was above all and symbolized change and rebirth.

The integration and rebirth continued. Nature and Death relied on each other, and Darkness and Light ran parallel, with Sun and Moonlight taking turns providing luminance. The new concept of time emerged...

This wasn’t only the outcome of information collision, but also the end product of the synergy between different powers and ideals. With the pale ocean nudging them, they formed a complex yet harmonious whole.

That was the surface. The goddesses and Wayne could see what was inside. The information had interwoven into something infinitely more reliable than when everything existed in silos.

While the world progressed steadily, the four goddesses sensed a powerful Authority awakening. It grew in power and quickly dwarfed the Authorities of the original independent Divine Realms.

Power!

The new Divine Realm was still integrating. Wayne cast his thoughts into the pale ocean. As if he had the new world in his hands, he took in all the changes that were taking place.

In one corner of the newly born world, the subordinate gods and demigods huddled together, lost at the sight of the foreign realm. Soon, though, they realized what was going on.

Sun and Moonlight stood together, while Darkness and Death gathered. Nature, on the other hand, had no friend. The three factions emerged.

They didn’t know what had happened to the Divine Realms or why everyone was here. All they knew was that the enemies of their goddesses were right in front of them, that they were heretics who could not be tolerated.

Let’s not waste time. Just draw your blades!

“Tsk, things will be busy...”

Wayne huffed. He separated the five factions with a wave. Once the goddesses woke up, they could tell their followers about the future.

Everyone belonged to one big family now, so they should stop breaking into fights for no good reason. It was bad for unity.

Following a pulse of light, a stunning figure appeared outside the courtyard. It was Seleucia.

The Goddess of Sky looked at the four wicked women who had their eyes closed. She seemed excited about something. Seleucia came up to Wayne and asked, “Boss, I feel strange. There seems to be something new in my body.”

“It’s power.” Wayne stood up and patted Her on the shoulder. “Congratulations. You’re now a god.”

“Huh?!”

She became even more confused. She had done nothing, but now She was a god? She hadn’t even seen the divine fire!

“Don’t think about something that complicated, or you’ll seem like the Goddess of ‘Wisdom’. You’re not like them. I’m not like them, either. Stop worrying about the divine fire. I’ve already given up on it.”

Wayne looked aside at the five chairs, one for each of the four goddesses and him. Now, it was time to add another chair.

“The Final Judgment...”

“Elohim...”

“I summoned a field card and put down a trap card. Now, there are five monsters on the board. It’s your turn.”