Chapter 251

Chapter 251

Achieved the seamless delivery of the perfect being into reality.

Yet, in return, it also dispatched the most troublesome enemy.

With a grim expression, Lane stood still, the shadows entwining him reverting behind him into Ogler, who looked at Lane with concern, "Lane..."

At this moment, the clashes between the other malevolent gods and the ancient deities also came to a temporary halt. The malevolent gods retreated, while the ancient deities transformed into pillars of light, instantly reaching the heart of the forest.

Lane looked upon them, recognizing Bestia from before but being unfamiliar with the other Old Gods.

Bestia took the initiative to introduce, "They are all members of the Council of Thirteen Perfect Ones, and currently, the most powerful thirteen Old Gods in the Dream World."

Pausing for a moment, she added, "Though now, there are only eleven of us."

With the fall of the previous Pastoral God and Bader's betrayal, the Council of Thirteen Perfect Ones was now comprised of only eleven members.

As Lane studied them, the Old Gods also gazed curiously at this newly-born Pastoral God, who was simultaneously their youngest brother.

"Greetings, you shine brighter than I had imagined." A golden-haired, blue-eyed deity, draped in a resplendent white Greek robe, resembling an aged but radiant god, extended an olive branch to Lane first. "I am Apollo, your elder brother, born before you."

"…Hello," Lane hesitated for a moment, unable to bring himself to address Apollo as 'brother.'

Apollo didn't seem to mind and replied with a warm smile. "Oh, when Bastet whispered this to us discreetly, we thought she was joking. It's incredible that our mother has indeed brought you into existence."

By 'mother,' He referred to the Dream World.

Lane pondered for a moment, sensing an underlying meaning in Apollo's words. "Was I not supposed to be born?"

"Not quite," Apollo waved his hand. "It's difficult to put into words..."

"A changer of destinies," Odin interjected, his legendary eye of boundless wisdom fixed on Lane as he spoke softly. "An existence bearing both the powers of the old gods and the taint of the fell deities. It is unlikely to align with most strands of fate, thus, upon birth, such a one would inherently become a challenger to destiny itself."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of realization stirred within Lane. Once again, the phrase 'Disruptor of Fate' from his guiding word resonated in his mind.

"Yet it seems I haven't altered the destiny of Bader's descent into the real world," Lane smiled wryly. "I'm sorry. I was the one who attempted to redeem them all, yet now I've inadvertently placed them back into peril."

Though player feedback currently suggests that Baldur vanished upon appearing in the real world and the ship landed safely, Lane still nurses a sense of guilt, aware that an unprecedented battle is likely imminent in reality.

Hearing this, the Old Gods did not respond. Apollo merely chuckled softly. "Then you're mistaken, little Lahn."

He looked at Lahn with a gentle and encompassing gaze. "Ever since you appeared in the Dream World, and since the Perfect Ones made their choices, their original destinies have undergone tremendous changes."

"If you don't believe me, check if your power has increased once more."

Hmm?

Lahn was taken aback. He looked at the Old Gods, only to see that none of them, whether they stood with folded arms, coldly observing from the side, or those standing around him with curious eyes, contradicted Apollo. Bestia even nodded at him directly.

Feeling a sudden impulse, Lane closed his eyes and swiftly peered into the Gap of Dreams. There, on the seventh platform, he noticed a new platform had emerged.

No one was more aware of what this signified than Lane, for he had previously altered the fates of the multitude in the Hidden Masses and the New Harbor. Just now, with the players' assistance, the Perfect Man had deviated entirely from his original destiny!

Startled, he opened his eyes. Apollo, seeing that Lane had grasped the situation, beamed with a radiant smile. "You see now, don't you? You've utterly altered the Perfect Man's fate line. Originally, we could only watch helplessly as the Perfect Man in the Dream World marched towards its demise."

Lane regained his composure. "Due to the Mythical Rites?"

"Partly, but not entirely," Odin said coolly. "In truth, each of us gods possesses some ability to glimpse the threads of fate. However, knowing fate doesn't necessarily mean we can defy it."

Bestia said, "You're the exception because your existence wasn't inscribed in any fate line from the very beginning. The same applies to your followers; their fate lines often fluctuate."

Zeus, with a casual expression, interjected, "You have no reason to blame yourself for letting Bader escape. That guy has been preparing for far too long. Even if he didn't seize this opportunity to enter reality, he would've found another way."

"And you, the rebel against fate, the miraculous child unconstrained by any world line – it was predetermined that you would engage in a battle with him after inheriting the godhood of the Pantheon," Bestia continued.

Lane's mind stirred. "Is it because of that legend in reality?"

In the religious metaphors of reality, there was a well-known saying.

The death of the Pantheon, and the birth of Jesus.

In Greek mythology, the death of the Pantheon indirectly symbolized the end of the polytheistic system. Simultaneously, a great religion emerged on the eastern coast.

Seeing the confusion on the faces of the other old gods, Lane explained the ambiguous timing of the Pantheon's death and Jesus' birth, and how, since the rise of religions in reality, the half-human, half-divine Pantheon, known for his lascivious tales, had become an embodiment of human wickedness. His signature goat horns had even become a symbol of evil.

Night Goddess Nyx chuckled and said, "What an interesting notion. I suppose that's his doing as well. Our beloved Lightbringer still enjoys such artistic nuances behind closed doors."

"Speaking of that legend, in the Dream World, it corresponds to the Pantheon's death, which led to the defeat in the war against the dark gods," Bestia softly explained to Lane. "It was then that we realized the issue with the mythic rituals. Since the previous Pantheon's demise, we've ceased appearing before mortals."

Aurigus chimed in, "In Baelor's palace, he replaced his original legend with the Bible, or perhaps the Bible itself was part of his plan on Earth to make himself the sole deity."

Lanen pondered, "So that's how it is..."

This did indeed carry the sense of destiny inheritance. If not for the death of the previous Pastoral God, the outcome of the battle between the Old Gods and the Evil Gods might have been uncertain. It was even possible that Baelor had turned to the Evil Gods due to his defeat in war.

Now, having inherited the Pastoral God, he had also become a thorn in Baelor's side.

"In the Dream World, mythic rituals are poison to the Old Gods, but once we step into reality, Baelor would likely become the 'God' as written in the Bible," Apollo rubbed his forehead. "And your battle against Him will determine the future of both the real world and the Dream World... Are you confident?"

Lanen came back to his senses and gave an exasperated smile. "It's hard to be confident."

This wasn't the second timeline. There were countless humans in the real world, and Christianity was the world's largest religion.

Just thinking about how much those massive beliefs would amplify Baelor made Lanen's head spin.

"Is there a chance we can gang up on Baelor in the real world?" Lanen couldn't help asking. "I can open the doors for all of you."

Bestia replied, "Do you think the Evil Gods would just sit idly by?"

They're merely retreating temporarily, not permanently blinded. Once the Old Gods leave the Dreamworld for reality, they'll be ceding it to the malevolent deities.

In the end, this battle will still come down to Lane alone...

Ah, wait, that's not right.

A large hand secretly took hold of Lane's wrist. Looking up, he met Ogul's calm gaze.

As before, whenever Lane looked back, Ogul would always be standing by his side.

"Don't worry," Beast said. "Though we can't enter reality, we can at least offer you our final assistance."

Confused, Lane looked over. Beast blinked. "Your Ark."

Lane suddenly understood and retrieved the silver quill pen. The Old Gods present gazed at the slender pen with a hint of nostalgia in their eyes.

Beast poured the mental energy he had extracted from the Perfect Man into the pen. As the Ark passed through their hands, chains emerged from within the Ark, shattering one by one. This seemingly ordinary feather pen began to radiate a brilliant glow, until only Baldur's last chain remained.

"Little Lane, do you know why the Ark requires the sealing of all thirteen Perfects?" Best asked softly. Lane pondered for a moment and replied, "Because it can manipulate human subconsciousness?"

"Indeed, in a way, the Ark is the key to unlocking human minds. Its greatest power lies in its ability to rewrite the collective subconscious of humanity," Best explained. "For instance, if Badder were to obtain it and break the final seal, He wouldn't need to laboriously plan for a millennium. In an instant, He could create a super-religion or erase human culture or knowledge from people's minds, sending them back to prehistoric times."

Wow.

Lane was startled, truly taken aback. He had used the Ark before, but only when the first seal was broken, with far less potent effects. "That means it could toy with human civilization at will?"

"Exactly. After all, this is something that embodies the 'path to divinity' for all Perfects," Best said. "Of course, since the final seal remains unbroken, it can't do such extreme things just yet. But you should still handle it with care. I believe this can be your weapon against Badder."

"Like how you awakened the Perfects with the New Myth," Apollo said earnestly, "This time, use a new myth to defeat that 'God'."

Lane glanced at him, a spark of inspiration flashing through his mind. He nodded solemnly.

Finally, he opened the 'Door,' walking into it with Oger under the watchful eyes of the Old Gods, returning to reality.

The Forest of Pan instantly fell silent. The Old Gods began to depart one by one. Best looked around and sighed. "Now, the Dream World will become dull and quiet again."

Apollo, who hadn't left yet, glanced at the cat beside Best's feet and said helplessly, "Didn't you anticipate this day, hence your special protection of the feline race?"

"Hehe, you noticed me," Bestia scooped up the feline, which was playfully circling her feet. "People can be troublesome, but cats are much more adorable."

The cat purred in agreement, tilting its head to rub against Bestia's chin affectionately.

Under Bestia's doting care, the felines were on their way to becoming a dominant force in the Dream World, at least within Bestia's domain, where harming cats had become an unspoken rule.

Apollo gazed at the charming feline for a moment before shifting his eyes away before Bestia could grow suspicious. He couldn't help but wonder if he should also take on the responsibility of protecting other races, or else the endless years would be too dull.

But before that,

Apollo looked up at the sky. With the departure of their master, the forest barrier vanished, and the red moon reappeared above the Dream World. Though the evil deity had temporarily retreated, it still lurked in the shadows, waiting.

No longer burdened by the need to protect humanity, the Old Gods, on their return journey, lashed out at a few weak Old Ones in a fit of rage, sparking minor conflicts.

Resolving the strife in the Dream World had to come first before he could entertain such thoughts.

Apollo chuckled softly, summoning his Solar Chariot and charging towards the crimson moon.

Step one: reclaim the moon's position.