Chapter 115: Churches

A month passed, and throughout that time, the teachings of the Pantheons began spreading across the world. Most of their principles were based on the Divine Testament and the Abyssal Testaments, which had already begun circulating among the civilizations below, giving people something tangible to follow rather than relying solely on the words of their gods.

For the entire month, the Pantheons had revealed themselves to their chosen followers, delivered their teachings, and formed connections with mortals through divine intervention. Yet something unexpected had also happened during this period. They had somehow discovered that they could create artifacts within Consciousness Space, although the artifacts they produced were nowhere near as powerful or complex as the ones Liam himself could create.

Even so, the Pantheons took advantage of the discovery.

Using Short-Term Physical Manifestation, they descended into the mortal world and personally delivered their artifacts to their chosen Vassals. The objects became symbols of their authority, allowing their followers to prove that they had truly been chosen by a divine being.

Some were weapons, some were tools, and others possessed abilities that could only be described as miracles by the civilizations that received them.

During the first week after the Pantheons revealed themselves, many people remained doubtful.

Some believed the gods were nothing more than powerful creatures attempting to deceive them, while others openly mocked those who began worshipping them. There were even individuals who challenged their followers, demanding proof that these so-called gods actually existed.

Those doubts quickly began disappearing.

The Pantheons did not need to force anyone to believe. They simply demonstrated their power.

Coasta, the God of Water and Harvest, could call rain upon fields that had been suffering from drought. A single storm could turn dying crops into healthy fields, allowing entire villages to survive another season. His followers quickly learned that the words written within the Divine Testament were not merely philosophy, as his blessings directly embodied the teachings he had spoken.

Trias became known for another kind of miracle.

Whenever a mother struggled to deliver her child, her followers would pray to the Goddess of Motherhood and Protection. Trias would then use the healing techniques she had learned within Consciousness Space, carefully guiding the mother’s body through the process and ensuring that both mother and child survived when possible.

To the people witnessing such miracles, there was no longer any question.

The Pantheons were real. And they were listening.

The Abyssal Pantheons also began demonstrating their authority, although their methods were far different.

Le Von Dia, the God of Evil, began rewarding individuals who committed acts that aligned with his teachings. Those who performed deeds considered evil by ordinary society could receive strange blessings, powerful artifacts, or other rewards from their god, causing some individuals to deliberately seek out his approval.

Ragnir took a different approach.

The God of Pride rewarded those who possessed enough arrogance and determination to challenge even the gods themselves. Some warriors who openly declared that they would surpass him were granted blessings simply because they had the courage to make such a declaration.

This caused something unexpected to happen.

People began interpreting the teachings differently. Some followed the Divine Testament exactly as it was written, while others used the Abyssal Testaments to justify actions that would normally be considered unacceptable.

Entire groups began forming around specific Pantheons, and these groups gradually developed their own rituals, symbols, traditions, and methods of worship.

Churches began appearing throughout the world.

The first structures were crude, often little more than converted houses or gathering halls, but as the number of believers increased, larger temples were constructed. Priests and other religious figures emerged, claiming to have been chosen as intermediaries between the Pantheons and their followers.

Among all of them, one church quickly gained the greatest number of followers.

The Church of Bountiful Harvest became the largest religious organization in the world.

Its followers worshipped Coasta, the God of Water and Harvest, and its influence spread rapidly because food was an essential part of everyone’s daily life.

Farmers prayed for rain, villages prayed for fertile soil, and entire communities celebrated whenever Coasta’s blessings resulted in a successful harvest.

The second-largest organization was the Church of the Merciless Deity.

Most of its followers came from the demonic race, and its teachings were heavily influenced by Le Von Dia’s Abyssal Testament. Unlike the Church of Bountiful Harvest, which centered itself around prosperity and survival, the Merciless Deity’s followers built their society around strength, authority, and oppression, believing that those powerful enough to rule had earned the right to do so.

Another notable organization was the Followers of the Bladed God, who worshipped Rize.

Its followers were mostly warriors, swordsmen, and individuals who believed that strength and skill could determine one’s place in society. Their temples often doubled as training grounds, where aspiring warriors practiced with blades while reciting passages from the Abyssal Testaments.

The Mother of Mothers Church also began spreading rapidly.

Dedicated to Trias, the church focused heavily on motherhood, childbirth, protection, and the raising of children. Mothers gathered within its temples to pray for healthy families, while its priests learned advanced healing techniques that had been taught through Trias’s blessings.

The remaining Pantheons had yet to establish churches with large numbers of followers.

Some had only a few dozen believers scattered across different settlements, while others had individuals who worshipped them privately without belonging to any organized group. The Pantheons did not seem particularly concerned about this yet, as they understood that religions required time to grow.

With churches now spreading across the world, copies of the Divine Testament and Abyssal Testaments were placed within their temples.

Some churches treated the books as sacred scriptures. Others treated them as philosophical teachings.

And some interpreted the words according to their own desires.

But churches were not the only organizations beginning to emerge.

Where there were religions, there were also cults.

Groups began appearing that followed distorted interpretations of the Pantheons, combining different teachings or claiming that they had discovered hidden passages that the churches refused to acknowledge. Some worshipped the Pantheons without belonging to any recognized church, while others claimed that their own leaders had received revelations directly from the gods.

The Pantheons had successfully established religion across the world.

But they had also unknowingly created something else.

A world where faith could unite civilizations, divide kingdoms, empower individuals, and eventually become a source of conflict.

The age of the Pantheons had truly begun.