Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"With your lives and everything you have, we offer reverence to the Father of Stars, the Falling Light, the great child of the Titans, the venerable and immortal Astraeus!"

"Since All Gods are the beginning of your glory..."

"Then they shall also be the end of everything for you."

The ritual officially commenced, standing atop the nameless desolate Mountain, the old man pointed his finger.

Everything of a person can be sacrificed, yet a part must still be reserved for the God.

So under his manipulation, within Nafplion City, as the fire of Sacrifice started to burn on the bodies of Demigods, the nearly undetectable essence of Divine Blood remained silently before them.

...

Silver Moon City, Wasteland District.

Underground Palace.

Countless remains, endless and boundless.

Walking on hills made of stacked bones, the Grand Sorceress Erwin moved forward all the way.

The faint candlelight brought a little brightness to this enormous Space, yet when the flickering Fire lit up the Hell-like Underground Palace, the Light instead became an accomplice of Darkness.

Expressionless, the middle-aged man was initially uncomfortable with the scene before him.

But as the most obedient disciple of his teacher, facing the increasingly aged and immobile old man, he had no choice but to do all the experiments that required hands-on work himself.

Once, twice, three times... as the frequency increased, he got used to it.

Until today, he could cold-bloodedly open the abdomen of a beast, extract a gestating Demigod embryo that had only developed for a few months, and then maintain the lives of both while extracting the most primordial Life Residue from the nascent creature.

Or engage in even more forbidden experiments while eating... the kind that would cause mortals to lose sleep for days even upon hearing a bit.

Ah, Time... truly the greatest Strength in this world.

In the face of a long enough period, anything can be adapted to.

Sometimes, in reflection, Erwin was also surprised.

When did he start deviating from a diligent and honest youth to this path?

"...Can't remember."

"But the teacher is right."

"Given endless Time, even an ant can become a Dragon."

"Let's think about it thoroughly once I've obtained immortality... for now, I'll complete the tasks assigned by my teacher."

Clearing the chaotic thoughts from his mind, Erwin ascended the high platform made of piled bones step by step.

It seemed that the one penetrated by the writhing blood vessels finally noticed his arrival, and the figure slightly trembled, slowly lifting a head resembling a skull.

"Your Highness Astraeus, esteemed God of the Stars, I have come to see you again."

"..."

Bang——

"To thank you for your relentless dedication, providing me with countless descendants and even your divine body, I have brought you a Sacrifice again."

Bang——

"This is the reverence of mortals towards you, our paltry contribution to an esteemed Deity—wait, I understand your eagerness, but please refrain from moving just yet."

Bang Bang——

"You must wait a while longer, your Sacrifice needs time to arrive... and once you savor the nourishing blood feasts, a new batch of breeding beasts will await your grace."

Bang Bang Bang——

"Don't rush... I know you can barely contain yourself. But oftentimes, patience is a virtue."

Clang——!

Unable to utter a sound, the desiccated body furiously banged against the invisible barrier, unable to budge it even slightly.

Witnessing all this, the middle-aged man remained expressionless, as if the tone in his earlier words was not his own.

Erwin knew that at this moment, the God of the Stars was only capable of hearing, barely able to discern his presence.

And given his mind, corroded by the Blood Sacrifice and consumed with Hatred, it was impossible for him to calmly contemplate Erwin's intent.

In previous days, to avoid wasting hard-gathered sacrifices, ensuring the Deity's precious Strength wasn't consumed in resisting the Artificial Magic Net, Erwin would avoid further agitating his spirit.

But at this moment, his words were sharp as a knife.

From describing the lives of the Deities on Earth to sharing 'moving stories' from his experiments.

As time passed, the middle-aged man coldly observed the increasingly weakened yet angrier and more despairing Deity.

There was no joy in it for him, but this was his task.

The sound echoed in the desolate Underground Palace, the speech of a mortal resonating with the Deity's struggles.

Until a point, the Void around the Artificial Magic Net slightly trembled, with strands of crimson seeping through.

"...Huh? It seems the time has come."

"Your Highness, your feast has arrived."

A mocking tone, cold eyes.

At some moment, the Space where Time Freeze had also been prepared opened, and leveraging the Artificial Magic Net, even Astraeus was easily shrouded in the accelerated Time.

As the middle-aged man watched, the shriveled body at the center of the Underground Palace began to recover at a visible rate.

This is a God... even after enduring millennia of torture, with enough Divine Power, bodily injuries can be easily healed.

However, Erwin knew that according to previous rules, the ritual would end at this point.

After all, the Blood Sacrifice of mortals was to replenish the divine body's vitality, not to restore the God of the Stars' Strength to a point where he might break free.

To prevent this, every previous sacrifice had been meticulously selected—yet this time, it was different.