Chapter 107: Welcoming

The figure of the Entity slowly vanished into the air, leaving the Pantheons to themselves within the vast Consciousness Space. For a brief moment, no one spoke, as everyone seemed to be processing everything that had just happened.

Odir was the first to rise from his knee. He looked toward the newly appointed Pantheons and placed a hand against his chest.

"I welcome the new additions to the Council of Pantheons. Let us, the old Pantheons, guide you through this place."

He turned around and began walking.

"Follow me."

The others followed, including the remaining old Pantheons. Those who had only just received their divine authorities followed closely behind Odir, their curiosity drawing them deeper into the unfamiliar realm.

Upon arriving at the main entrance of the Council of Pantheons, Odir stopped and pointed toward the enormous circular table.

"That is the Roundtable, and that, of course, is the throne of the Entity."

His finger then moved toward the upper left side of the structure.

"There are twelve rooms over there, and another twelve over there. Feel free to choose whichever room suits you."

Everyone listened carefully, including the proud Ragnir and the somewhat ignorant King of the Beastmen, Valadin. Though they carried powerful divine authorities now, they were still unfamiliar with the place that would serve as their home.

Odir opened his hand, and an apple suddenly appeared within his palm. "As you have been given a portion of the Entity’s power, you have been granted abilities that are beyond anything you could have imagined."

He tossed the apple lightly before catching it again. "This apple appeared out of nowhere. Food and other simple objects can be created if you visualize them clearly, although attempting to create something like a living organism or something excessively powerful seems to cause the ability to malfunction, preventing it from appearing."

Odir smiled. "Now, let us cut all the formalities. We will become brothers and sisters, after all."

Almost immediately, the atmosphere began to change.

Trias walked toward Akuma, studying his face for a moment. "You are that child..."

"I am. To think we would meet again."

"It is all thanks to His Grace."

On the other side of the room, Calean’s gaze settled upon Valadin.

"You have my crown."

"I did."

"Cool. It suits you."

Their conversation ended almost as quickly as it had begun, the two staring at one another with cold expressions.

After exchanging a few brief words, Trias eventually walked toward Rize.

"Rize Drough... The descendant of Retian Drough. To think I would meet you here in the Council of Pantheons."

Rize bowed slightly.

"Trias of the Defying Nine. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Now, it’s not just me and little Eazi-chan being the only female Pantheons."

Rize looked at her with a confused expression. "Eazi-chan?"

Trias smiled warmly. "You will meet her soon. Right now, she is sleeping in my room."

Rize blinked, seemingly even more confused by the unfamiliar name. Meanwhile, Trias simply smiled, already knowing that the moment Rize met Eazi, he would understand why she had mentioned her so casually.

Nearby, Coasta stood quietly, seemingly unsure of where he belonged among the others. He remained silent until another Pantheon approached him.

"It must have been strange for you, right? I remember the first time I came here. The Entity was sitting upon that throne, and I was completely confused, not knowing what I was supposed to do."

The Pantheon smiled faintly. "But eventually, I grew accustomed to it."

Coasta lowered his gaze. "We fishmen were never really interested in forming relationships outside our own race, aside from trading. Our people were shocked to learn that almost all of the lands were occupied by some unknown entity, and then, all of a sudden, everything went dark in an instant."

His voice became quieter.

"My child... My family... They are gone now, aren’t they?"

Odir approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Below are the lands of the Afterlife. We might be able to request the Entity to bring them here. Rest assured, Coasta. The Entity has plans for this world."

Elsewhere, two figures stood together in one of the corridors, their arms crossed as they looked toward the others.

"Grampa, do you think we could become as strong as them?"

"Grampa doesn’t know, unfortunately. But it is certain that we are unable to become as strong as that individual."

"The True Creator, huh..."

Sebastian glanced toward the others before looking back at Pandi. "Well, we can support our people from up here, and you can play as much as you want here. So there should be no issues."

"Play, huh..."

Pandi’s expression became slightly uneasy.

"But those monsters still scare me. Are they going to appear again?"

"They might."

Sebastian gently patted her head. "But Grampa will protect you."

Odir then gathered everyone’s attention once more. The conversations gradually faded as the Pantheons turned toward him.

"As the Entity said, we are the guardians of this world. We are also the ones responsible for guiding its progress and ensuring that its civilizations continue to improve."

He raised his hand. "And with that responsibility comes abilities that allow us to influence the world below."

The Pantheons gathered around him, their attention fixed upon every word.

Odir began explaining the skills he knew, detailing how they could interact with the world, guide civilizations, grant blessings, and influence the development of their people without directly controlling their lives.

The new Pantheons listened carefully.

"There is only one unspoken rule here in the Council of Pantheons, and that is that we eat together as the sun sets. Aside from that time, you are free to explore the world, train, observe, guide, or simply do whatever you wish."

The Pantheons watched, nodding as Odir explained everything before they each went their own way. Some went directly to their assigned rooms, only to find them completely empty, nothing but endless void filling the space. Others immediately went outside, eager to explore the world they had been brought into.

Odir smiled as he watched them disperse. He remembered the time when there had only been three of them, yet now, almost every seat in the Council of Pantheons was filled. For a moment, he could not help but feel a strange sense of pride at how much their small group had grown.