Chapter 564: The Promise

Davey's expression hardened at Kain's words.

"It's not that surprising that the Abyss is moving."

"No, what I mean is that the entire Abyss has begun to mobilize. They've decided it's challenging to harm you with the power of individual entities, so now they're preparing to attack you with full force."

Davey slowly narrowed his eyes as he rose to his feet. He then casually waved his hand, casting a silence spell around them.

"How can you know about that?"

"Valkyries were originally created to battle the Abyss."

Davey slightly raised his brows at this unexpected revelation. Kain seemed different from the others—competent and potentially useful, yet there was something oddly unsettling about him.

"You're aware that in the Abyss, apart from the Abyssal Princess, there are other entities?"

"Of course."

While the Abyssal Princess, a culmination of countless thoughts, couldn't touch Perserque, others intensely desired her. Davey had witnessed this several times before. Even severed tentacles had yearned for her.

"You've already dealt with more than two of the Abyssal Princesses, who are practically as powerful as the Abyss itself. They probably think it's hard to defeat you with mere force alone."

In truth, one had a particularly bad affinity, and he had defeated another by drawing upon all her power. But he doubted the Abyss had considered that. It felt like he was embodying the saying, "Come at me, I'd die if hit just once!" In other words, Abyssal creatures must be assuming Davey was strong enough to even kill Sleesia—the body and the spirit of Perserque.

"They desire Perserque, the key to becoming a god, a shard of the god."

"Correct. It's already known, but we need to make sure. If Perserque, who can become the Queen of the Abyss, falls into their hands, Thanatos will awaken before long."

"The repercussions?"

"The fall of all lands, including this one. The light will extinguish, and eternal darkness will descend. If Goddess Freyja is the dawn, then Thanatos is the dusk."

He knew about it, but the tangible details made it all the more bitter.

Kain, with his gentle tone, looked up at Davey. "Goddess Neltarid has conveyed two prophecies to you."

"Go on."

"Firstly, embrace the outsiders. Their power may seem insignificant, but the manner of their strength contains the blessings of Neltarid. I can't say anything about their character, but they will be immensely helpful in the battle against the Abyss."

Davey could see the logic in his words but was still reluctant. "Hmm..."

"Do you have concerns?"

"Outsiders, those gamers from Earth... It's fine. I have no issues with them being from Earth. Not all of them would cause problems."

Indeed, he had once saved a boy with the ridiculous name 'Citrus Soda' and sent him back to Earth. The issue was not their nature, but the current situation.

"Neltarid introduced this land as a game to humans. There must have been some constraints, making them unable to recognize this as reality."

They perceived it as a game, negating the sense of reality. Except for a few who could intervene, no one recognized this place as real. As a result, the humans treated their experiences and interactions in this land lightly.

"Everywhere it's the same. No creature is more cruel than a human seeking pleasure and fun."

"Can't you make them realize the reality?"

"I'll handle that. If I get in touch with that deity Neltarid, I'll convey a message: stop sending outsiders. If they send another psychopath like Grim Reaper, I'll use the last resort we have, regardless of any alliance."

For outsiders, whether this place was a game or reality, it was just a place for enjoyment. The early outsider, Grim Reaper, with demonic powers, had unleashed his twisted murderous urges freely. Many innocent lives were lost because of him. Kain remained silent at Davey's words.

"Understood. Let's move on to the second point, which is the main issue." Kain then retrieved a small, wall-colored stone from his pocket.

"Is that?"

"It's a trace of the Absolute Gem."

"The Absolute Gem?"

At Davey's question, Kain let out a brief sigh. "Yes, a gem containing the power to create stars. It's essentially a part of a god. It originally belonged to Lord Neltarid, but... now it lies dormant somewhere in this world." Hearing this, Davey looked at it with mixed feelings. "Please, find it for me. I have scoured this continent, but the Absolute Gem has not appeared. I suspect it may have fallen into another world connected to you."

Davey thought of many continents. The Yurgian continent where Evanov was. The Peslisa continent, the homeland of the Death Lord. Berdel, Atrellia, the World of Martial Arts, Earth, and so on. There were so many.

"Speaking of which, why is there no entry to Earth?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure about that."

Neltarid is indeed a suspicious god. It's true Davey received much help from him, but blindly trusting a god might be the most dangerous thing one can do. The most baffling thing was the very existence of the god Neltarid. If Goddess Freyja and Thanatos are clashing like the two sides of a coin, then where did Neltarid come into play?

"So, essentially, you want me to find the gem on your behalf?"

"I'm asking for your help. It's too much for me alone. Let's get moving right away."

Davey fell silent at his words and then just looked at him without saying a word.

"Why are you doing that?"

Davey took a step toward the smiling boy, reaching out and grabbing him by the collar. And then, while gripping the boy's collar, he beamed a bright smile.

"I'll only forgive such overstepping once."

"Gulp!"

Davey conveyed three things.

"First, don't try to ruin someone else's marriage."

"What...?"

"Second, I'm getting married soon, so don't interfere."

"..."

"Third, don't bother me for a while."

Even if the world ends, Davey would go for Perserque. With a cold gaze, Davey dropped the boy.

For some time now, he felt caught between gods and the abyss, unable to achieve his original purpose. There was still so much he wanted to do. He had not fully lived his youth yet, so he would achieve anything and everything.

"How long are you asking me to wait?"

"About six months?"

"Are you out of your mind?! The abyss won't wait for you! Once they start pouring out, not just this land but all dimensions will end!"

"That's only if you do nothing." Davey's statement startled the boy. "Valkyria, a race created to fight the abyss, right? Then there must be something to counter it?"

The boy remained silent at Davey's words. Then, he finally sighed. "Alright. I'll try to delay it. But you must find the Absolute Gem."

"I'll do my best to work it out as well."

The feeling that washed over Davey when he took the green jade fragment from the boy was strange. A sense of elevation, initiative, and even an unshakable confidence, as if under the effect of some drug. Without hesitation, Davey threw it into his pocket plane.

And then, as the boy was about to leave, Davey threw a question.

"Hey, Kain."

"Yes?"

"Neltarid is a god too, right?"

"What kind of blasphemous question is that? Of course."

Davey scratched his cheek with a finger and asked as Kain protested, "Does a god have a fixed form?"

Kain looked at Davey quizzically. "Which answer would you like first?"

"A god's form. It's quite unusual for a god to have a specific form when they descend, isn't it?"

"That's correct. Gods have a transcendent will, without form. Being bound by a form is the prerogative of a created being, not a constraint for the creator."

"But the fact that God took on the appearance of Rinne specifically means?"

"It means that in the past, for some unknown reason, she once descended in the form of that particular being."

"Davey, what does that mean?" At that time, a silver-haired girl walked up to Davey's side. It looked like she had woken up from her sleep.

"Perserque."

"Davey, it would have been nice if you told me about things like this."

"Most of what I'd tell you wouldn't be pleasant."

"... So? Will you continue?" When Perserque softly asked Kain, he hung his head low before answering.

"I think I roughly understand what you're saying, Davey, but one thing is certain: neither God Neltarid nor Goddess Freya would have a fixed form."

A god is not a deity for just one race. Therefore, what an elf perceives when seeing a descended god would inevitably be different from a human's perception. There had been a time when Goddess Freya descended upon Rinne's body.

"That must be what you mean." At that statement, Perserque remained silent.

"The second question is... God's priest. Neltarid might know, but I was designated as Goddess Freya's priest since the time I contained divine power."

"A priest of the god..."

"What I want to ask are two things. Why was I designated as her priest and why a priest in the first place?"

Kain responded, "Well, I don't know everything. I too am unstable. I only know about the Valkyria race, but I don't even know what happened during their existence."

"Hmm..."

"To be honest, just for you to hear, there isn't even a way to prove the existence of the Valkyria race."

Kain, sounding rather bitter, extended his hand toward Davey. "If it's hard to trust me, then believe in the gods. Regardless of the circumstances, God Neltarid probably wouldn't appreciate the abyssal Thanatos resurrecting alongside Goddess Freya."

Common enemies created bonds. That was the nature of Davey's relationship with Neltarid.

"What will you do?"

"I'll visit on my way."

"Then, I'll leave the other world in your hands."

Kain summoned large wings on his back and slowly dispersed, disappearing from view. He felt different than the naive and clueless Kain Davey had known.

"A soul in twos..."

"Two souls?"

"It's not like a split personality. Literally, there are two souls in one body. Such cases are rare to see..."

"Davey, can we really trust this god named Neltarid?"

"Let's trust for now. If there was a problem, Goddess Freyja probably would have given me some kind of hint."

The fact that she said nothing meant that Davey could use the word that gods loved the most.

"Damn it, everything goes according to fate."