Chapter 604: [The Journey of Sun] [18] [The Breakout of Factions]

After doing a little more experimenting with the Authority over Souls, I moved back toward my palace.

From the limited knowledge that I have of the situation, I know for sure that Soul is an integral part of Amun-Ra’s upcoming powers.

Though I don’t understand, of all the things, why Soul?

He already had incredible control over the Authority of Sun, so why go after Soul as well?

’Either he wants to broaden the range of his authority...’ I mused to myself. ’...Or perhaps there is more importance to the Authority over Souls for an Outer God.’

My knowledge was limited, so I can’t make a concrete judgment over it.

The one thing that I am sure of, though, is that I can’t separate the Authority from Amun-Ra’s body.

’The only way for me to fuck him over is to find any loopholes in the Authority and set a trap.’

...To do that, I still need a much deeper understanding of the power than I currently have.

As I moved through the sky, I noticed quite a few mortal clans had started to prepare their military.

I would have normally ignored such a thing, but after all that happened, my paranoia warned me that something must be happening.

I slowed down in the air and looked toward the ground.

Thousands of mortals were moving around their settlements, carrying weapons and supplies while others were reinforcing their walls.

Some of them were even gathering magical beasts and preparing them for battle.

’...This is strange.’

There was no reason for so many clans to mobilize at the same time.

I descended slightly and spread my awareness as far as I could.

The moment my perception spread across the surrounding area, I noticed something even more unusual.

Almost every clan was preparing to fight against each other.

’...What the hell is going on?’

I continued moving while keeping my divine sense spread across the land.

The farther I went, the more signs I found. It was undeniable that they were preparing for a war.

’....I don’t like when things happen without my understanding.’

Ignoring the obvious signs of distortion in the world, I arrived at my palace.

As I lowered myself at the entrance, the guards quickly got down on their knees.

Though, I kept on staring inside the palace because I felt an unknown presence.

I walked inside and found a strange man standing below the stairs of the throne room.

When he saw me, he quickly lowered his head. "Your humble servant, Thoth, is at your disposal."

The man looked like a mortal at first glance, wearing a long white robe with several golden markings covering the edges.

His skin was dark, and his head was covered by the head of an ibis.

He felt unbearably weak to ordinary eyes, but he had a refined and hidden divinity.

’...Thoth, the God of Knowledge.’

I guessed from the old mythology related to them.

I stared at him for another few seconds before walking past him. "Why are you here?"

Thoth followed behind me without hesitation. "I came because I believe you are unaware of what is happening."

I paused on my ascent to the throne and glanced over at him. "...That’s a bold statement."

"I am aware." He didn’t sound intimidated.

Most Gods lowered their heads whenever they stood in front of Amun-Ra.

This man was respectful, but I couldn’t feel fear from him.

I walked over to the throne as I sat down while placing my chin over my palm. "What exactly am I unaware of?"

"The mortal war." He said, staring at my face.

"What about it?"

"It has nothing to do with the mortals." Thoth calmly adjusted his robe. "I do not know why you killed Osiris, but your decision has radicalized Isis."

"....."

I kept my silence without giving any explanation for the actions of Amun-Ra.

Thoth didn’t seem like he was interested in it as he continued. "She has most definitely rebelled, and right now she is gathering all the gods against you."

"...All the Gods?" I slowly lifted my head.

"Almost all of them." He replied. "Perhaps only Lady Amunet is on your side."

’...Yeah, no. I don’t think she is.’

Still, I knew Isis was angry, but I had assumed she would first focus on finding a way to bring Osiris back.

Instead, she was already gathering the Gods against Amun-Ra. ’...How quickly did she manage to do that?’

It would be impossible to gather allies in such a short period of time.

’...Perhaps, something in this world was predetermined to happen.’

Maybe Isis was supposed to betray Amun-Ra in the original timeline as well.

As a main architect of the pillars, a time when she recognized what they did was bound to come.

’...Does that mean she was indirectly involved in the failure of Amun-Ra?’

"Osiris was one of the most respected Gods among them. His death alone was enough to create suspicion." Thoth continued, taking my attention. "Isis is gathering everyone under his name."

I kept my silence as I stared at the man standing in front of me.

"Enlighten me then." I said calmly. "What are you doing here?"

Thoth remained as confident as ever and replied. "It would be foolish to join the losing side."

I leaned back on the throne without speaking anything else. Though, I would be lying if I said I didn’t find sense in his words.

Amun-Ra had ruled through overwhelming strength for thousands of years.

Thinking that they could kill him now would be foolish. ’Still, I believe Amun-Ra wants this war to happen.’

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

Even if Isis managed to gather every God under her banner, none of them individually possessed enough power to challenge me, and even together, I wasn’t sure they could truly kill me.

’....What if I killed a God and the Authority over Souls absorbed the god’s soul?’

The chances of that happening were not low. If Amun-Ra can bind the power to his body, then he could also manipulate it as well.

I turned my gaze and asked him. "What would happen if I kill a God and show off my strength?"

Thoth fell silent for a whole minute before he shook his head. "As things are, killing even one of them would radicalize them even more."

"Even if I make it clear that they can’t defeat me?"

"Especially then." He replied with utmost certainty.

I kept my gaze on him before I slowly asked. "...Why?"

"Because fear can make people reasonable, but it can also make them reckless." Thoth calmly looked at me. "If you kill one of their allies in front of everyone, the remaining Gods will no longer believe that surrender is an option."

I tapped my fingers against the armrest. "So they will fight."

"Yes."

"..."

Goddamnit, his words made sense even though my mind was screaming to just try it.

I calmed myself down before I thought about it logically.

There are things even I cannot understand, especially when it comes to Amun-Ra.

He has spent thousands of years preparing for something that none of us fully understand.

Even though he told me a lot of things, there was no denying he could be manipulating me.

’...I can’t trust anything he says.’ I looked at the green light still faintly lingering around my hand. ’I cannot let him win.’

Taking in a deep breath, I glanced at Thoth. "Be my messenger and tell every God that I would spare them if they come under my banner now."

Thoth looked unconvinced as he replied. "They won’t do that, my lord."

"Just warn them." I said coldly. "Think of this as my last-ditch effort to keep those gods alive."

The man lowered his head and replied. "As you wish."

As I looked at him walking away, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

Things are becoming more and more complicated, and I still don’t have a clear picture of everything.

’...Putting aside everything, I still need to find what my condition for winning this game is.’

If I focus too much on defeating Amun-Ra, then I might lose myself in the process.

’...I need to understand the rules before I make another move.’

Amun-Ra had already told me that the eight pillars were necessary for the game to end.

But he never explained everything about the conditions of victory.

I knew what would happen if he became an Outer God before the convergence point, but that didn’t necessarily mean that stopping him was enough for me to win.

’...There has to be something more.’

I stood up from the throne and walked toward the large windows overlooking the city.

I placed my hand against the window as I stared at the distant settlements.

Without moving my eyes from the beautiful scenery, I asked aloud. "...What could possibly make you manipulate the entire world to be happy, Amunet?"

There was no answer to my question, and I slowly turned around and looked toward the throne.

The woman stood close to it with a complicated look on her face.