Chapter 217
by fanqienovelChapter 217: The First Embrace of the Great Devourer
“Thud…”
“Crash—!”
The skull helplessly struck the ocean floor.
A hazy consciousness lingered for the moment.
Though mortal brains see neurons perish first—dying completely within three to seven minutes—deities followed different rules.
Their brains manifested as crystallized divinity—the Soul.
Thus, they outlasted neuron-based minds, preserving slivers of thought.
Yet without a Divine Body’s restraint, this thinking grew fragmented and fevered.
“Roar—!”
“Xidi betrayed me!”
“She’s a traitor!”
Blais’ Soul bellowed.
He blamed that core councilor, the noble Twelfth Seat, for his downfall!
This fury held logic:
Had Xidi not deceived him for a year, Blais wouldn’t have faced crushing defeat—his head torn off by the Giant God.
Rage also burned against his killer—the Giant God—mingled with dread and hatred.
“That Giant God…”
“No ordinary deity!”
“He evolves! Grows ever stronger!”
“His advancement outpaces any god’s imagination!”
“He’s calamity’s source—the Great Devourer who consumes all!”
“Should this persist… should he keep colluding with Xidi’s faction…”
Blais envisioned Fantasy Trees of Subspace toppling like dominos!
“Terrifying!”
“No—!”
“I won’t end like this!”
“This warning must reach them!”
Then—
“Crack—!”
Starved of the Divine Body’s sustenance, his Soul reached its limit, making a cracking sound.
“Bang—!”
"Crack—!"
The sound of a glass ball shattering echoed.
Invisible shards of divine rank released a tempting "scent," drifting outward.
After the Divine Body fell, the Soul would fracture, scattering divine rank "all over the ground."
At such times, opportunistic deities would crouch nearby, greedily gathering divine rank.
For instance…
"Woohoo! Woohoo!"
"Big haul! Big haul!"
"Grow stronger! Grow stronger! Grow smarter! Grow smarter!"
The blood octopus Outer Gods gleefully collected the scattered invisible divine rank, slowly absorbing it into their bodies.
"Quick! Eat faster!"
"After eating, we’ve got work to do—other tasks!"
"Right! Right!"
"Other tasks! Lure that fearsome alligator elsewhere! To where it belongs!"
Yet amid their frenzy, the blood octopus Outer Gods faced sudden misfortune…
"Whoosh—!"
The very center of the Soul suddenly morphed into a streak of crimson-gold light, streaking toward the heavens!
That was the Soul’s core—the deities’ "Divine Core." Only the mightiest chaos deities could forge a "Divine Core" within their Soul. When they fell, this Divine Core would burst free like an escape pod.
Within it lay the Soul’s most vital experiences and powers.
Though rebirth was impossible, it preserved the most crucial, fundamental knowledge.
Information within the Divine Core was deemed utterly reliable!
Should the Chaos Council seize this Divine Core, Blais’ accusations against Lady Xidi would go public, even becoming accepted truth.
Even as a core councilor, Lady Xidi would face dire consequences this time.
And the Chaos Council would fully turn its attention to that "Giant God," pouring immense resources into a joint hunt.
Trilobite’s hopes for an easygoing life would likely vanish.
This was Blais’ revenge against the "Giant God" and "Lady Xidi."
He poured his last strength into sending the message outward.
But would the shrewd Lady Xidi overlook this?
"Whoosh—!"
Just as the "Divine Core" sprouted translucent "energy-membrane wings," morphing into a flying insect bound for the Fantasy Tree of Subspace…
"Whoosh—!"
A shadowy figure darted past.
That was Gimmerly!
She spread her legs, balancing her wing membranes, and swiftly moved through the forest, carried by the "wind from the void."
Her sharp Double Eyes quickly locked onto the flying "Divine Core," which had changed into an Outer God from the Void.
"Where are you running to?!"
She tightened her leg wings and started a fast dive!
But she didn’t know that others also wanted the "Divine Core!"
A pair of scary eyes hid in the shadows, watching Gimmerly.
"Buzz—!"
Many Outer Gods from the Void flew over, flapping their membranous wings skillfully, blocking her way!
"Damn it!"
"It must be other groups in the council causing problems!"
"My flying in the void isn’t agile enough."
"If only… I could change it."
Right then…
A nearby Outer God suddenly blew up!
It burst with bright light and heat!
Gimmerly got a bad headache.
"Ugh… Roar—!"
She screamed and tumbled down wildly.
"Buzz—!"
"Thud—!"
She bumped into branches of the Fantasy Tree, stretched out her forelimbs, and finally grabbed a Fantasy Tree branch.
"Cough, cough…"
Gimmerly caught her breath at last.
But things didn’t look good.
"Whoosh—!"
Below her, a big Ether Dragon circled the bottom of the Fantasy Tree branch, turning around.
Near the trunk…
"Crash… Crash… Crash…"
A Star-Eater Plutonium Dragon stomped forward like a tank; it blocked her escape and squeezed the branch with its heavy body.
In the air…
"Whoosh—!"
The fixed wings, extended from her ribs, flapped!
An “Outer Predator” watched her intently.
Her escape route was completely blocked!
Misfortune never came alone; Gimmerly’s troubles were far from over.
“Ugh… Aahhh—!”
She screamed as her head throbbed more painfully.
At that moment, a massive wave of information flooded her mind!
After the Chaos Demon God organized and assembled this data…
“What is this…”
The information was simple but shocked Gimmerly deeply—[A rapid modification proposal for the Divine Body, based on the Great Devourer’s techniques and knowledge.]
Of course, it had a simple two-word name—[Initial Embrace (trial available)].
“This is clearly meant to control me!”
“Taking advantage of my weakness!”
“I… don’t want to die…”
“But I refuse to be tightly controlled…”
[Do you want change?]
[You can, for a high enough price.]
[Of course, you must act like a being; you who have always chased existence must make a humiliating ‘prayer’.]
A ghostly voice whispered in her ear.
Gimmerly looked up and glanced beside her.
It was a white phantom.
“Heh, I thought it was someone else.”
“Turns out it’s Arachne·Saraph!”
“Calling you Deposed Noble sounds polite, but bluntly, you’re just a stray dog!”
“You lost the ‘Bubble World’s’ support, surviving on hate alone; you can’t do anything but talk!”
“I won’t listen…”
“Boom—!”
The Star-Eater Plutonium Dragon shook the branch violently again.
“Ah!”
Gimmerly screamed and glared at the Star-Eater Plutonium Dragon, but it was pointless.
Most Star-Eater Plutonium Dragons followed Ye’s Foolish Act, confronting Gimmerly’s sister, Lady Xidi, but a few unruly ones ignored the Three Kings’ orders.
These creatures were incredibly foolish and easily tricked.
Clearly, from the suddenly “exploded” Outer God from the Void, the lured Star-Eater Plutonium Dragon, and the Ether Dragon swimming in the Sea of Ether, this was a trap aimed at Gimmerly!
“Boom—!”
The Fantasy Tree branch shook once more.
Gimmerly’s body swayed with it, and she almost lost her grip and fell.
But worse was coming.
“Creeeak—!”
The branch trembled, giving off an ominous crack!
The Ether Dragon gliding through the Sea of Ether was drawn by the noise.
It opened its mouth wide below, ready to devour the demon god’s flesh!
[Hurry, decide now.]
Saraph kept pressing her.