Chapter 521 (1): Fire Elements Won’t Lie to Fire Elements

In the depths of the distant, vast Astral Plane, light, shadows, and the void existed in harmony, creating a mysterious, glorious domain.

It was the Divine Realm of Sun.

From the outside, the Divine Realm seemed to lack a stable form. It appeared to be the concentration of starlight coming from infinite lightyears away, breathing and shifting in tandem with the universe. The light wasn't a blazing flame, but a gentle radiance brimming with life, capable of penetrating all void and reaching the most distant corners of the universe.

The Divine Realm of Sun consisted of nine levels. They were, in order: the Valley of Flare, the Garden of Power, the Peak of Courage, the Trove of Wisdom, the Corridor of Space, the Hourglass of Time, the Court of Judgment, the Radiant Sea of Stars, and the Palace of Dawn.

According to the Sacred Tome of the Church of Sun, the Palace of Dawn, the last level, was the Goddess of Sun’s residence and where all souls ended up. There, time lost its meaning, and only eternal light and peace existed. It was the ultimate heaven that all life sought. The goddess’s grace shone ever bright and bestowed upon everyone and everything an eternal power and wisdom.

Amid flickering light and shadow, Wayne emerged, murmuring, “The nine levels are just like Heaven. Kaleb must have referenced it. It’s understandable. If you can’t be original, copy the strongest one.”

Heaven, designed by Elohim, might not be the best, but since Elohim was the strongest, Heaven could be considered the strongest Divine Realm.

Unfortunately, Heaven wasn’t actually divided into nine levels; there was a hidden tenth level. Kaleb’s replication wasn’t perfect.

Wayne took a deep breath. He felt good.

The fire elements were thick around him. The radiance of the red, blazing sun cascaded like vibrant silk, with soft, dappled light. Countless fire elements floated about in the form of light particles. As soon as Wayne arrived, he became the most attractive figure present.

He was the brightest and the most attractive, and he attracted the most fire elements. Countless particles swarmed up to him like they were coming home, eagerly throwing themselves at him.

He was like a human black hole with impossibly great pull. Even the sun hanging in the sky was distorted by the force.

“Get in line. Don’t rush or fight. There’s a lot of space in me.” Wayne raised his hands and looked up at the golden palace ahead of him. Closing his eyes, he sensed the spatial patterns around him and confirmed where he was.

The magnificent divine palace seemed to consist of pure gold, its spire pointing straight at the sky—at the sun right above. The golden rooftop reflected blinding light, matching the sun up in the sky. The palace was entirely awash in a sacred, inviolable radiance.

In front of the palace was a giant scale that stood upright like an obelisk, representing justice and fairness and measuring good and evil, with no discrimination.

It was the seventh level, the Court of Judgment.

Past this level was the Radiant Sea of Stars, connected to the Astral Plane. Beyond the sea of stars was the Palace of Dawn, where the Goddess of Sun resided.

No matter how much Kaleb liked Wayne, She wasn’t going to just hand him the key to Her backdoor. Moreover, Wayne and Ines were breaking up. If She took him home, it would cause unnecessary misunderstanding.

If he mistakenly believed that Kaleb was trying to steal him from Ines, it would be awkward.

It was just right to allow him entrance to the seventh level. The two subordinate gods managing the Court of Judgment would welcome him and lead him to the Radiant Sea of Stars and the Palace of Dawn. It would be proper etiquette to demonstrate their respect for the distinguished guest.

While Wayne inhaled to his heart’s content, two newcomers appeared in flashes.

The man had a dignified face that seemed like the sun at noon, strong and powerful. His golden eyes contained the powers of storm and serenity. He had a stereotypical heroic face.

His strong build and smooth muscles strained against the dark golden robe he wore. On the sleeves and the back were the patterns of solar eclipse and storm, representing the power of weather.

When necessary, he could summon a solar eclipse and put the world in a calm, meditative state so that later, an even more radiant light would illuminate everything in the world, pushing its cycle and progress.

Of course, that was only the propaganda in the Sacred Tome of Sun. The real thing should be taken as the truth.

In Wayne’s eyes, he was a sweaty burly man, very much the style of the Church of Sun.

He was the Transmitter, Weaver the Storm of Eclipse.

The woman beside him was his polar opposite. She had red lips, pearly white teeth, and a stunning face. Her long hair seemed like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, golden with a hint of red. The strands swayed along with the glow, radiant like flowing clouds.

She was tall, slim, and elegant. The golden judge’s robe was cinched at the waist, sewn with intricate patterns of fire. It represented a phoenix’s courage for resurrection and a sun’s eternal light.

For an unspeakable reason, the fire around her chest area was distorted, as if space itself had been twisted.

She was the Harvester, Aroman the Eternal Phoenix.

The two subordinate gods were a perfect representation of the Church of Sun. The man was big, and the woman was quite big, too. Both had long legs, giving their crotch areas acrophobia.

“Mr. Wayne, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Weaver, an avatar of the Goddess. I’m known as the Transmitter and the Storm of Eclipse. Just call me Weaver.”

Weaver went up to offer his massive fist. Wayne blinked for a while before coming to a realization. He bumped his fist.

Although Wayne hadn’t worked out too much, the abundance of fire elements in his body had attracted the overly buff Weaver.

He was at least two and a half meters tall, and every one of his movements was accompanied by dancing muscles. His towering figure cast steaming shadows, giving Wayne quite a lot of stress.

Overly buff men were like that. They always inflicted their fellow men with indescribable pressure, making them worry that if they just turned around...

Ahem, anyhow, Weaver was a quick-tempered one. Because he was popular among fire elements, he showed the same level of hospitality.

“Goddess’s avatar, the Harvester, and the Eternal Phoenix,” the tall woman slowly said, breaking into a suggestive smile. “Mr. Wayne, you may call me Aroman.”

She was over a hundred and ninety centimeters tall. Although she hadn’t worked out too much, her slender body had an innate power and beauty, unlike the petite, frail members of the Church of Moonlight. Her space-distorting bosom similarly gave Wayne quite a lot of pressure.

He had to say the Church of Moonlight was too weak, evidenced by Kristen and Filomina. They always tapped out before Wayne even did anything.

He had thought that Darienne would clear the Church of Moonlight’s name and prove his impression of the members wrong, but that didn’t happen. While Darienne was energetic, she didn’t fare much better than Kristen or Filomina. All three of them were fuel-efficient cars. Wayne could get them started with a light press of the accelerator.

They needed a gentle touch, or they would go past the finish line way too soon.

“You’re too kind. Just call me Wayne.” He quietly put some distance between him and Weaver. Then he turned to Aroman curiously and said, “Am I imagining it? I seem to have met you somewhere.”

It wasn’t a pickup line. She did feel familiar to him.

“On the moon in the Chosen Land, my replica met you twice,” Aroman explained.

So you’re the phoenix!

Wayne came to a realization and stared at Aroman with greater curiosity. There was something he was hesitant to ask. To his knowledge, phoenixes were not only the Goddess of Sun’s pet, but also Her mount sometimes.

Picturing Kaleb riding on a phoenix put a solemn look on his face. He lacked the rendering materials to imagine the scene properly. If Kaleb didn’t mind, he would like to spectate.

Learning that Aroman was a phoenix significantly increased Wayne’s goodwill for her. Most of his superpowers were related to phoenixes. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he had referenced her skill tree.

She was more like Clark than he was. She was the child of the sun.

“Pardon my ill manner. I’ve been in your care. I didn’t expect the phoenix to be so stunning. I was so lost in your charm that I didn’t recognize you. I hope you'll forgive me.”

Wayne had always been quite adept at flirting with the opposite sex. Appreciating the gesture, Aroman shook his hand.

As soon as their hands clasped together, the active fire elements in Aroman’s body rushed toward Wayne uncontrollably. It caught her off guard. Which of them was the phoenix again?

Her affection for him also soared.

When it felt like something had clicked for the pair, Weaver cleared his throat and said, “Aroman, I knew you were acquaintances, but the goddess is waiting for Mr. Wayne in the Palace of Dawn. This isn’t the time for reconnecting.”

He let out a deep sigh.

Neither paid him any attention. Their hands remained clasped as golden light and red flames wove together, as if they never wanted to let go.

“Aroman!!”

“Huh? Oh! Sorry...” Aroman pulled her hand back and said honestly, “Apologies. It’s my first time meeting a charming man like you. Forgive my lapse of attention.”

“I’d say the same.”

“...” x2

“...”

(눈_눈)

This makes no sense, Weaver thought. I’m strong and should be more attractive than Aroman. What went wrong?

In the end, he concluded that it was a matter of order. Aroman had met Wayne first.

“Mr. Wayne, the goddess is still waiting for you. Come with me.”

Weaver blocked Wayne’s sight. When Wayne staggered back to clear his sight, Weaver felt a pang in his heart.

Are you for real? I’m a man like you. You and Aroman don’t even share a common ground!

***

The three of them moved past the Court of Judgment, heading straight to the Radiant Sea of Stars of the eighth level. Halfway there, to prevent Wayne and Aroman from feeling the spark and thus wasting more precious time, Weaver had been physically keeping them apart and enthusiastically introducing Wayne to the Divine Realm of Sun.

His enthusiasm unnerved Wayne. He had become the target of a massive hunk in the Divine Realm of Sun. What should he do?

Quick, he needed an answer ASAP.

While Weaver appeared to be a buff, brutish musclehead, he was actually quite intelligent. He wasn’t the kind of simpleminded hunk Wayne had imagined. On the contrary, the mature, wise-looking Aroman was the simple-minded one.

Because a certain Goddess of Sun was also a bit thick-headed, Weaver held an important status in the Divine Realm of Sun. He oversaw the Court of Judgment and helped the goddess manage the entire Divine Realm of Sun.

The Church of Sun was also his responsibility. The subordinate god whom the Great Sage contacted was Weaver. Aroman almost never made her voice heard in the human world. She was the absolute muscle between the two subordinate gods. She was in charge of throwing punches.

It was after Weaver’s explanation that Wayne realized the subordinate god was the main reason that the Church of Sun was filled with musclemen. His standards of beauty had led to the Church of Sun being filled to the brim with hunks.

The source of his fear had been identified.

Meanwhile, Aroman had taken quite a liking to Wayne and told him what She shouldn’t reveal, including confidential information about the Divine Realm that should not be shared without a good reason.

For example, the Order of Sun, which Wayne was worried about.

Valkyrie, or Cyrus, was his first love from August twentieth. So far, he had yet to make any progress with her. She refused to give herself away. She was so devoted that only Kaleb, the Goddess of Sun, mattered to her.

Because of Valkyrie, Wayne was particularly curious about the Order of Sun, organized to bring down a dragon. According to Aroman, the Divine Realm of Sun was divided into nine levels, each manned by a powerful demigod.

The Order of Sun was guarding the space between the eighth level and the ninth level, stationed on the path leading to the Palace of Dawn. Their duties were similar to those of the Order of Death in the Underworld.

Moreover, Kaleb’s Holy Maidens had similarly been serving Kaleb after entering the Divine Realm. That was an unspoken rule that the goddesses had all agreed to.

The Underworld had Night Gods, the Divine Realm of Darkness had Dream Gods, and the Divine Realm of Sun had Star Gods. The Holy Maidens of the three goddesses had always been treated well. They were able to start working right after graduation.

In comparison, the Holy Maidens of Nature were pure tools with a twenty-year term.

“You shouldn’t have told him all that, Aroman,” Weaver said exasperatedly. Wayne wasn’t one of theirs, so confidential information shouldn’t be shared with him.

Aroman didn’t care. It was easy to enter the Divine Realm, but not so much to get out. Wayne, with all his fire elements, checked all her boxes, and naturally, he would fit the goddess’s preferences, too. If someone like that entered the Divine Realm, he was most likely going to become the third subordinate god.

Since he would become one of them sooner or later, what couldn’t she tell him?

Aroman had never questioned that. When she met Wayne for the first time, she only thought their fire elements fit and nothing else. The second time she met Wayne, Wayne had entered the City of Sky with the Goddess of Moonlight’s permission.

Since the Goddess of Moonlight and their leader were tight enough to share a pair of pants, Wayne would surely become the third subordinate god in the Divine Realm of Sun.

Yes, he would become a colleague of theirs, a hundred percent.