Chapter 595: [The Journey of Sun] [9] [Osiris]

"....."

I sat on the throne with my eyes staring at the enormous open ceiling.

It had only been a few hours since Anubis checked my soul and left the palace. However, I kept my gaze on him without him even knowing.

It was an easy task. The body of Amun-Ra and his skills were absolute in this world.

’...Still, I couldn’t peek inside the temple of Isis.’

I let out a tired sigh and rubbed my face with both my hands.

Despite all the strength that I have, I still can’t take full control of the situation.

I don’t know what the two of them talked about, but if I had to guess, Anubis had found some fault in my soul.

’...And by extension, Isis must have also found out about it.’

Going forward, I need to keep in mind that Isis already knows my secret and she wouldn’t be easily fooled now.

It would be surprising if she didn’t use my secret as leverage or a way to blackmail me down the line.

What made me the most nervous was the thought of fighting the goddess soon.

If Amun-Ra is considered the strongest, Isis shouldn’t be that far behind.

She has all the information, battle experience, and wisdom to defeat me if necessary.

’...It would be best to not antagonize her until I am clear about what Amun-Ra’s plans are.’

Rubbing my temples, I stood up from the throne and thought about my next course of action.

’From what information I got from Amunet, Osiris’s death isn’t part of the ritual, but it’s still a part of Amun-Ra’s plan.’

...Why is that?

Why would Amun-Ra want the death of Osiris, who was by all means a loyal subordinate of his?

’Only one way to find out...’

I opened my eyes and flew up in the sky, and in just a few seconds, I was standing above the city of Abydos.

In just a few seconds, I felt a presence rushing towards me like a bolt of lightning.

A person’s silhouette outlined itself before it became clear. Osiris knelt in the air.

"My lord."

I looked down at him for several seconds without saying anything.

Even though he was kneeling before me, all I could see was respect rather than resentment.

"My lord," Osiris repeated when I remained silent. "You could have summoned me."

"Stand." I kept my voice cold as I looked over the city below us. Osiris slowly rose to his feet. "You seem surprised by my arrival."

"I was not expecting you to visit Abydos personally," he replied calmly. "Your presence here is unusual."

I turned my head toward him. "Is that a problem?"

"No, my lord." His answer came without hesitation.

"You may go wherever you please. I merely wished to know whether there was something you required from me."

Abydos was far more impressive than I had expected.

Massive temples covered the central district, while countless houses stretched toward the horizon.

The people below continued with their daily lives, completely unaware that two gods were floating above them.

...Yet I could still feel the scent of Amunet that elevated people’s happiness.

"How is the city?"

Osiris looked slightly surprised by the question. "It is peaceful, my lord."

"What about Isis?"

His expression became even warmer.

"She is currently studying several ancient records in her temple." A faint smile appeared on his face. "She tends to forget everything else when she becomes interested in something."

’...Motherfucker really loves his wife, huh?’

Now that I think about it, even back in Lumina, Isis has been known for her obsession with Osiris.

She has always been trying to revive her husband from death, but she failed every time miserably.

’...Wait, why is Isis a [Primordial Evil] again?’

Weren’t all Primordials supposed to be born from the dead body of the Creator God?

’...This doesn’t make any sense.’

Was this the part of the deal that Azreal made with Amun-Ra?

To take Isis back to Lumina and make her a Primordial?

’...No, that’s...why would Azreal do that?’

It was beyond my understanding what actually happened between the two of them.

’But it must be somehow connected with the condition for Amun-Ra to win.’

Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to kill Osiris to rile up Isis and make her do something that he desired?

’...No, that would be too straightforward, but maybe that’s part of the plan. Maybe there is more to Osiris--.’

"My lord?"

My train of thought halted abruptly when I heard the voice of Osiris.

I cleared my throat and descended slowly toward the city, with Osiris following a few steps behind me.

The moment my feet touched the marble road, the people nearby immediately lowered themselves until their heads touched the floor.

Nobody dared to look directly at me.

I ignored them and continued walking while Osiris remained beside me.

"Why are you following me?" I asked without looking at him.

"You didn’t tell me to leave."

I glanced at him. "...Fair enough."

The reason I didn’t change into a normal person before coming here was because I wanted to send a warning to Isis.

’If she does anything stupid, then her dear husband isn’t far from my grasp.’

I continued walking through the streets of Abydos.

"...My memories are a little fuzzy," I said, glancing at him. "Remind me what actual milestones you have reached in the last thousand or so years."

I made sure that my voice was sarcastic rather than serious.

Osiris seemed slightly confused by my question, but he didn’t dare question it.

He thought for a few seconds before answering, his expression becoming more serious as he tried to recall the events of the last millennium.

"During the last thousand years, Abydos has expanded considerably under my rule," he said calmly.

"We have established several new settlements around the city, strengthened our temples, and increased the number of priests serving beneath the Great Ennead."

I nodded slowly as though I was actually interested. "And your personal strength?"

Osiris became silent for a moment. "I have reached the lower layer of the Divine Realm."

’...Divine Realm.’

I glanced at him. That was considerably weaker than I expected.

If the power of the gods was anything like the system I was familiar with, then it would be a Low-tier God.

"...Anything else?" I asked, trying to sound casual rather than interrogative.

"...I have gathered a certain authority over the souls, my lord." He replied with a gentle smile. "Perhaps, I can now snatch two souls and make them one."

"..."

I paused and turned back to look at him. "...You can merge souls?"

"Yes, my lord." Osiris nodded. "It is still difficult, and I cannot do it with every soul, but I have improved considerably."

I slowly rubbed my chin. ’Authority over souls.’

That was something I hadn’t expected from him.

Considering how important souls were in this world, even a small amount of authority over them could become terrifying in the hands of the right person.

"How does it work?"

Osiris seemed surprised by my question. "You don’t remember?"

I immediately looked away. "Some of my memories are unclear."

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

Osiris nodded without questioning me. "Souls are naturally attracted to one another when they share a strong connection."

He raised his hand, and a faint green light appeared above his palm.

"The stronger that connection becomes, the easier it is for me to bring them together."

The green light slowly separated into two small spheres. "I can force them to overlap."

The two spheres gradually moved toward each other until they became one.

"But if the souls resist, the process becomes much more difficult."

I stared at the merged light. "Can you separate them afterward?"

Osiris shook his head. "Not completely."

I looked at him more carefully. "Why have you been developing this authority?"

Osiris’s smile slowly began to warm up as he replied. "For Isis. She has spent thousands of years researching the nature of souls. I just wanted to help her."

’So that’s why.’

I gave the god an odd look.

’...He really does love Isis a lot.’

If he could manipulate souls directly, then he could potentially interfere with someone’s existence itself.

"How strong are you when using this authority?" I asked, keeping my eyes on him.

Osiris lowered his hand. "Against another God?"

"Yes."

He thought for a moment. "I could probably affect someone weaker than me."

"And someone stronger?"

"I would need their cooperation."

Hm, that would be a reasonable development.

There was always a difference between having an authority and having enough strength to impose it on someone.

Still, I couldn’t shake the strange feeling in my chest.

’Why would Amun-Ra allow Osiris to develop an authority over souls?’

If Amun-Ra truly wanted Osiris dead, then allowing him to become stronger made no sense.

Unless...

I stopped walking again. ’...He needed Osiris to reach this level.’

Something immediately clicked in my mind making my vision clear about the entire situation.

’What if...’ I thought to myself, grimly. ’...What if he wanted to kill Osiris to steal his authority over souls?’