Chapter 32: Taste my power

The reconstruction continued for another two minutes before the blinding radiance surrounding the three finally began to fade. Their trembling bodies gradually became still, and the overwhelming pressure that had filled the chamber dissipated alongside the light.

All three pantheons immediately released heavy breaths, their chests rising and falling rapidly as they struggled to recover. Their eyes were bloodshot, their bodies drenched in sweat, and yet something else had changed.

Liam could feel an aura surrounding each of them.

It was faint compared to his own presence, yet it was unmistakably different from the ordinary aura of a mortal. The three individuals now carried traces of his authority within themselves, making their very existence feel heavier than before.

"How was it?" Liam asked casually, as though he had merely given them a new piece of clothing. "The portion of my power that I have entrusted to you?"

Odir slowly looked down at his hands before clenching them into fists.

"I can feel my body changing from the inside. It is as though every part of me has been rebuilt."

Liam’s expression remained calm. "Do you regret obtaining this power?"

Odir looked toward him without hesitation. "If this power allows me to help my people, then whatever I endured was a small price to pay."

Olium nodded. "I feel the same."

Moleius opened his eyes, his expression remaining remarkably composed despite the ordeal he had just endured.

"So do I. If these abilities allow me to better understand and guide those who will follow my name, then I have no reason to regret receiving them."

Liam nodded slowly. "Good."

The single word echoed through the chamber before his voice became more authoritative.

"Then listen carefully, for what I have given you is not merely strength. It is authority entrusted to you by the creator of this world."

The three immediately straightened their postures.

"You have been granted the ability to influence the atmosphere within a specific radius, allowing you to manipulate the weather according to your authority. You have been granted the ability to temporarily possess the bodies of your followers, allowing you to see and experience the world through them. You may also observe your people directly from afar, watching over their lives without needing to reveal your presence."

Liam’s gaze passed over each of them.

"You have been granted the ability to understand every form of communication, regardless of language, dialect, symbol, gesture, or other means through which thought may be conveyed. Finally, you may briefly interact with your people when circumstances require it, allowing your presence to be felt without forcing yourselves permanently into the mortal world."

The three listened carefully, each nodding as they committed the information to memory.

Liam then raised one finger. "But power without restraint is nothing more than destruction waiting to happen."

The atmosphere immediately became heavier.

"There shall be rules." He raised another finger.

"First, significant direct intervention is prohibited unless there is sufficient reason to justify your actions. You are not to descend upon the mortal world whenever you become bored, nor shall you interfere with every insignificant problem your people encounter."

Another finger rose. "Remain distant when distance is appropriate. A god who constantly appears before his followers ceases to be a god in their eyes and becomes merely another ruler. Allow your people to make their own decisions, suffer their own consequences, and create their own history."

His gaze hardened. "Observe them. Listen to them. Guide them when necessary. But do not constantly interfere with them."

The three pantheons nodded solemnly.

Then Liam’s expression suddenly became almost cheerful. "And if any of you repeatedly disregard these rules..."

He smiled. "I may erase your entire existence."

"And should the circumstances become sufficiently severe, I may erase your entire race alongside you."

Silence consumed the chamber. None of the three doubted him.

After all, they had just witnessed Liam create food from nothing, resurrect the dead, reconstruct their bodies, and implant fragments of his own authority into their existence. If he claimed he could erase an entire race, there was no reason whatsoever to believe otherwise.

Liam then relaxed once again.

"One more matter."

He raised his hand, and three distinct lights appeared within the air before him.

"I shall assign an artifact to each of you. You will take these artifacts and find suitable individuals among your people to bear them. Choose carefully. The one who receives the artifact shall become the vessel through which your divine presence may be recognized by your followers."

The three watched the lights with absolute attention.

"When the time comes, reveal yourselves to your people. Announce your name, establish the domain that has been entrusted to you, and make your divine identity known. Let them understand what you represent and what you stand for."

Liam’s eyes began to glow faintly.

"And above all..." His voice descended into a deeper, almost overwhelming resonance.

"Tell them my name."

The words reverberated throughout the chamber.

"Let every follower who calls upon your names understand that your authority originates from the one who created this world. You may be their pantheons, their gods of wisdom, sacrifice, bravery, and whatever domains you shall eventually inherit, but your power ultimately comes from me."

Liam lowered his hand.

"You have been entrusted with power beyond anything you possessed during your mortal lives. Do not squander it. Do not use it for vanity, domination, or meaningless displays."

His expression softened. "Use it for the betterment of your people."

The three pantheons remained silent for a moment before simultaneously lowering their heads.

"We understand." They said in unison.

Liam leaned back upon his throne, feeling satisfied.

"Then go forth and become the gods your people have been waiting for."

Liam then activated Intangible Spectation, and his physical form gradually faded before their eyes until he vanished completely from the chamber.

Almost immediately, the three pantheons released heavy sighs of relief as the overwhelming pressure that had accompanied his presence finally disappeared.

Three assistants aquired.