The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

I hid my wavering eyes at Poseidon’s words.

Not all gods had left this land.

Somewhere, there were still gods residing, just like Poseidon before me.

“…It is a great honor to know that gods still remain in this land.”

Words I could only utter with Poseidon towering above me and my head bowed low.

Had he seen my expression, he wouldn’t have taken my words at face value.

[Hmm. It’s not that glorious.]

“What do you mean?”

[Even the gods who remained in this land were not unscathed by the war.]

There, barely visible, was a tiny scar compared to his massive stature.

I thought, ‘With a body the size of a house, why is he whining over such a trivial thing?’ but of course, I didn’t show it.

“Which sacrilegious being dared to inflict a wound upon Lord Poseidon?”

[I don’t know.]

“…?”

I was speechless at his bold statement.

[It was during the final moments of the war, humanity’s last stand. All the gods who remained in this land bear this scar. And none of us know how it was inflicted, simultaneously at that.]

A scar that struck all the remaining gods in this land in a single blow.

“So, at the moment the gods gathered, something delivered a massive impact.”

[No, that’s not it.]

I thought it was a natural deduction, but Poseidon shook his head.

[We were all in different places. We believed we had won the war. It happened in an instant. When everyone returned to their respective domains, each god bore this wound. The locations varied. I was wounded on my nape, while another god was wounded on their side, and yet another on their chest. Individually, they were insignificant attacks.]

Indeed, even to my eyes, it wasn’t a significant wound.

With a body like his, a wound like that might have caused some bleeding, but nothing more.

Assuming gods even bleed.

[But after receiving this wound, a problem arose.]

“What is it?”

[Our bodies are bound. To this place.]

“…!”

Startled by his words, I quickly shut my mouth. I almost gasped in amazement.

After taking a breath, I spoke.

“…So that’s why you remain here.”

[Indeed. The other gods are the same. All the remaining gods in this land are bound. It’s a wound that doesn’t fade, no matter how much time passes.]

A technique that simultaneously struck gods in different locations, sealing their movements.

I couldn’t fathom it now, but it was clear that the humans of that time hadn’t suffered a complete defeat.

It was amusing to think that these great gods had become nothing more than oversized ghosts trapped in this land.

“Is there no way to undo it?”

[I don’t know. The nature of the attack hasn’t even been identified yet. Most gods have gone to the world of salvation, and the remaining ones are bound, so even if we wanted to find out… Our enemies were quite cunning.]

So, most of the gods in this land were in a similar situation to Poseidon.

‘Poseidon said he was wounded the moment he returned to his domain. Then other gods are probably also bound to their original domains.’

That meant we could either bypass those locations in the future or, better yet, prepare ourselves and seek them out.

The problem was that I didn’t know who the remaining gods in this land were.

“…Lord Poseidon.”

So I spoke.

“Would you tell me? The gods who still remain in this land.”

[What do you intend to do with that information?]

“If I hear their individual stories, I might discover a way to break their confinement.”

[It’s pointless. If even the gods cannot break free, what can a human do?]

“Of course, it would be a daunting task for me. But I can listen. To the voices of the gods who may have discovered something after all this time.”

[…Hmm.]

“Other gods may have come up with some clues or solutions. But with their movements restricted, it wouldn’t be easy to convey them.”

[Are you saying you’ll do it in their stead? Become the one who gathers the voices of the gods?]

“Yes.”

At my words, Poseidon stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

To add more weight, I added another sentence.

“Perhaps my pilgrimage was orchestrated for this very purpose.”

From experience, gods loved the word ‘fate’.

Or rather, they loved to see humans being guided by fate.

Poseidon believed I was on a pilgrimage to unexplored lands, so my claim that our encounter was some kind of guidance would sound plausible enough.

[…Haha.]

After a moment, Poseidon let out a low chuckle.

[Very well. It would be absurd for a god to hinder a human who wishes to follow divine guidance.]

I hid a triumphant smile.

Then Poseidon said to me.

[But there’s a condition.]

I knew it.

Gods always loved conditions.

“What is it?”

[There’s a bastard in this land who possesses the power of a god but didn’t participate in the war. If he had been there, we could have achieved victory much more easily. Find him and bring him to me. I want to look him in the face and ask what he was thinking.]

I broke out in a cold sweat at Poseidon’s words.

Possessing the power of a god but not participating in the war. A bystander, then.

“Were all the gods not bound to their places like Lord Poseidon?”

[He’s not a god.]

…Not a god despite having the power of a god.

No way.