Chapter 645: The Road to Godhood!
Silver-white flames burned across the sky, causing the ancient abomination to let out another heart-wrenching wail. The sound alone distorted space.
In an instant, the ancient abomination that had once blotted out the sun vanished, reverting to half an eyeball, floating in the sky and radiating thick black mists of sin.
From the eyeball came a voice of furious defiance: "Damn reptile! How dare you desecrate a god like this? Do you think the great Orc God will let you get away with it?
Red Dragon, maybe you think you're invincible—but that's only because you're in the Prime Material Plane! Soon, you'll understand: in the vast multiverse, the name of Gruumsh strikes fear into all beings!"
"Chaos Evil Eye Ivannis, right? What an arrogant name. But it seems you've misunderstood something."
Cassius flapped his massive wings and leisurely ascended to the sky. He snapped his clawed fingers and bared a menacing smile on his draconic face.
"This is my domain. What gives you the right to threaten me?"
In an instant, the silver-white flames engulfed the half of the evil eye, burning fiercely as if to completely purify it.
"Red Dragon, you think you can burn me to death? Ridiculous! I am an immortal entity born of a god's body. Even after thousands or tens of thousands of years, you still cannot kill me!"
Amidst the swirling flames, the Chaos Evil Eye laughed maniacally—but that laugh quickly faltered.
—Ivannis realized in horror that this flame wasn't an ordinary dragonfire—it was a flame of order, similar to sacred fire. It was even burning and stripping away his immortal traits!
One must know, the immortality of ancient abominations is birthed from twisted divinity!
"Th-This... This is Zaphkiel's flame?!"
How could a chaotic and evil Red Dragon possibly wield such power?! In Ivannis's memory, such power should only exist within the ruler of the heavens!
"H-How could this be?!"
"No! No—I'm sorry! You are a powerful Red Dragon! Please stop, Your Majesty Cassius! Your Majesty Cassius!"
Amidst the flames, the Chaos Evil Eye trembled violently, howling in agony. Black tendrils from within flailed and thrashed in the air, no longer showing any of its previous arrogance.
Yet the silver-white flames still burned. Cassius shook his head slightly and said, "No, not enough. You just tried to kill me. I need a reason—a reason not to kill you."
"Red Dragon—no, Your Majesty Cassius—even if you erase my will, you still cannot endure Gruumsh's divinity. Killing me is pointless!" the Chaos Evil Eye howled in anguish, defending itself frantically.
Cassius shook his head again: "Eliminating a potential threat—isn't that meaningful enough?"
Under his control, the flames didn't subside. Instead, they burned hotter, as if to consume the will within that half eyeball completely.
The Chaos Evil Eye could feel its immortal traits slipping away little by little. Though the rate wasn't fast, it was enough to drastically weaken it—or even erase it entirely.
At that moment, the ancient abomination finally tasted the fear that mortals feel in the face of death.
The Chaos Evil Eye screamed within the flames, its voice trembling: "No—Your Majesty Cassius, I know the secret to godhood! Do you wish to become a true deity?!"
Cassius stared at the Chaos Evil Eye with great interest. A glint appeared in his pale golden eyes, and even his breathing grew slightly faster.
"Ivannis, are you saying... you know the secret of ascending to godhood?"
The secret of godhood—even in his previous life, Cassius had never discovered it. After all, to players, gods were mysterious entities "without health bars," supreme beings atop the multiverse, separated from mortals by an insurmountable gulf.
Even those top-tier players who broke past Level 20 hadn't found a path to divinity.
In pursuit of godhood, the "Sun Emperor" Aragon I sacrificed his empire, causing the once-mighty Holy Federan Empire to crumble.
In pursuit of godhood, the ambitious Arcanist Karthus created the world's only Level 12 spell, causing the floating city of Elaina to crash to the ground—and with it, the once-glorious Netheril Empire perished.
These events, which shook the world and rewrote history, were proof of mortals' desire to become gods. And as an ambitious emperor, Cassius—just like his predecessors—was quite interested in godhood.
In Cassius's eyes, this Chaos Evil Eye, though extremely dangerous, was far more valuable than any mythic artifact. It was essentially a living encyclopedia.
Hearing the Red Dragon's inquiry, Ivannis quickly lowered his half iris, enduring the burning flames, and tried to flatter him: "Of course, Your Majesty Cassius. I am the eye of the Orc God.
The Orc God has ruled the orcs since prehistoric times, fighting for dominion over the mountains. I possess all His knowledge and wisdom and know the secrets of many gods."
"Very good."
Cassius slowly flapped his wings, approaching the Chaos Evil Eye, staring intently at the burning eyeball. His pupils flickered.
"Tell me everything you truly know—or else..."
He extended his massive claw. Chaosfire, Orderflame, and even solar blaze intertwined in his palm: "I'll let you taste annihilation."
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty Cassius."
Under the Chaos Evil Eye's frightened gaze, Cassius bared his teeth in what he thought was a gentle smile: "Tell me—do I look more like a god, or a dragon?"
"..."
The Chaos Evil Eye stared with wide eyes, casting an innocent glance at the Red Dragon.
After a long silence, it tried to gauge his thoughts and cautiously said: "Your Majesty Cassius, you are the most extraordinary being I have ever seen.
Though you haven't obtained a godhood, the divinity and divine power within you far surpass that of an ordinary demigod. You also wield multiple domains and possess incredibly pure essences. I've only seen this in those ancient beings.
Coupled with the inherent traits of a dragon—your power already surpasses many godly avatars and demigods."
Cassius nodded slightly, his expression unreadable, and continued questioning: "Then how do I become a god?"
The Chaos Evil Eye extended a tentacle covered in eye sockets, smiling cryptically with a raspy voice: "Your Majesty Cassius, as far as I know, mortals have three main paths to godhood.
The first is to obtain a Primordial Divinity. These divine sparks are born from the world's laws, aligned with roles shaped by cosmic change. However... after countless ages, most have long been seized by ancient gods."
These primordial divine sparks seemed completely unattainable.
But Cassius stroked his chin thoughtfully. If players could change the world, could they not also affect the laws—and create new divine domains?
For instance, a God of Meteorfall, a God of Biology, perhaps even a God of Steam and Machinery, or a God of Gunpowder and Firearms...
If players influence the world significantly—as the one who controls most of the players, the ruler of the Ember Empire, and the founder of Feiansu's industrial system—Cassius was the strongest contender for these godly domains.
The Chaos Evil Eye extended a second tentacle and continued: "The second way is to receive the blessing of a powerful deity and become a subordinate god, like the Three Gods of Death—they were once the lucky few..."
Here, the Chaos Evil Eye suddenly shifted its tone, becoming excited: "Your Majesty Cassius, if you could lead me to the Orc God—He is generous beyond measure. He would surely grant you a divine role.
Then you could become the God of Dragon-Orcs, enjoying unmatched honor and status within the orc pantheon. We would share immortality! Just imagine, it's practically—"
At this point, the previously eloquent Chaos Evil Eye abruptly shut up, instinctively retracting its tentacle.
"Ivannis, do I look like a fool to you?"
—Cassius stared coldly, silvery flames leaking from between his teeth, as though about to unleash fire powerful enough to banish all chaos.
"N-No, of course not. You're the shrewdest Red Dragon I've ever met."
The Chaos Evil Eye trembled as it extended a third tentacle. This one had eye sockets full of fangs, which opened and closed while dripping with thick black fluid.
"R-Right, Your Majesty Cassius, I've noticed your body contains substantial divine power—even remnants of a god's divinity. Perhaps you could use that to ignite a divine spark and become a true—"
Cassius laughed in fury. His gaze turned colder, the killing intent in his pale golden eyes now undeniable: "Ivannis, this is your last chance."
A torrent of flames burst forth, engulfing the Chaos Evil Eye. Cassius's voice became a furious roar: "Lie to me again, and I'll annihilate your will entirely! Reduce you to a thoughtless immortal shell!"
The Chaos Evil Eye struggled in the flames, begging wildly: "No! Your Majesty Cassius! I was wrong! I won't deceive you again!"
Cassius stared coldly at the writhing Chaos Evil Eye and made no move to retract the Orderflame.
When dealing with ancient beings like this, one could never be careless. A single slip could mean falling into their trap. Everything they showed might be just a ruse.
After the betrayal of the Vengeful Demon, this Red Dragon—while still hungry for power—had learned caution. He would no longer let greed cloud his judgment.
Why was Cassius so sure the Chaos Evil Eye was lying?
Simple. He knew exactly where his divinity came from—from the "Heart of Karrikex"—a source of endless trouble and madness.
That power was so deranged that even someone as mighty as Cassius could be corrupted by it, driven temporarily insane.
It was only after killing Jelrazaks and obtaining the source of Orderflame that Cassius felt safe enough to use Chaosfire freely.
Just using that power came with heavy costs. If he used the remnants of Karrikex's divinity to ignite godfire and ascend—he could already guess the consequences.
Cassius gave a cold smile and asked: "Ivannis, if I really did what you said—what would happen?"
"Your Majesty Cassius, I was wrong! I truly don't dare anymore!" the Chaos Evil Eye screamed without answering.
Seeing its reaction, the Red Dragon increased the firepower. Silver-white flames surged into the Chaos Evil Eye's core, corroding its immortal essence.
"No, no! Your Majesty Cassius, please stop—I'll talk! I'll talk!" The eye's screams now carried an almost human-like sob.
"A-After igniting godfire with another god's divinity, the side with more divinity can influence the lesser side's will—gradually converting them into itself..." the Chaos Evil Eye weakly explained from within the flames.
"Heh, just as I thought. You can't easily trust these ancient abominations. Their words are half-lies at best."
Cassius mused, then continued to roast the Chaos Evil Eye until it could barely lift a tentacle. Only then did he reluctantly withdraw the flames and ordered: "Keep talking—or I won't let you go."
The Chaos Evil Eye weakly raised a charred tentacle and rasped: "But the third path to godhood is also based on this principle.
Divinity might have a physical form, whether in the Prime Material Plane or the Outer Planes—for example, the Magic Goddess's Divinity Cloak."
"Of course, gods fiercely guard these 'Divine Symbols,' with terrifying traps and powerful guardians—usually their main bodies within divine realms."
Cassius pondered a moment and asked: "So you're saying I could seize their divinity, ascend to godhood, and devour them in return?"
The Chaos Evil Eye shuddered and couldn't help but marvel at the dragon's greed and confidence. He actually wanted to rob a god in their divine realm!
Not even its true body—or even its father, the mighty Orc God Gruumsh—had ever dared such audacity.
But then it thought: if this Red Dragon really invaded a divine realm to steal from a god—wouldn't that be its chance to escape? The Chaos Evil Eye secretly rejoiced.
With the Orderflame blazing beside it, it trembled and answered: "Of course, Your Majesty Cassius. That third path I mentioned is exactly this:
A bold mortal may steal most of a god's divine symbols and use them to ignite divine fire, becoming a new god—and dethroning the original."
The Chaos Evil Eye didn't mention the widely-known "faith-based ascension" method—because back when it was sealed, faith hadn't yet become fuel for divine power.
"Very well, that's enough for today. Remember—never lie to me again."
Cassius nodded slightly, then extended his claw and unfurled his wings. Under the terrified gaze of the Chaos Evil Eye, he unleashed his full power and activated [Imperial Domain].
The Chaos Evil Eye was swept up by a powerful surge of energy and slammed into the ground. It struggled: "Your Majesty Cassius, you wrong me! Everything I said is true! What are you doing? You promised—"
"Ivannis, you're too dangerous. You make me feel unsafe," Cassius said calmly, then clenched his claw.
[Imperial Domain: Seal]
In an instant, vast laws poured forth. The elements, space—even time—around the Chaos Evil Eye abruptly froze.
Then Cassius chanted an ancient Draconic incantation under his breath. Countless glowing runes formed chains on the ground, intertwining and layering to bind the Chaos Evil Eye in place.
As if still not satisfied, Cassius curled his claws. Nearby rocks pressed inward. The ground shook violently, then suddenly rose, forming a towering hill that buried the Chaos Evil Eye's seal beneath.
Once the dust settled, Cassius patted his claw and nodded with satisfaction: "From now on, this place is an Imperial Forbidden Zone. Maximum secrecy. Any trespassers must die."
After sealing the Chaos Evil Eye underground, Cassius continued pondering the godhood paths pried from its mouth.
Though he couldn't fully trust the ancient abomination's words, Cassius could verify the truth through his own experiments.
Primordial divinity, subordinate godhood, divinity theft, faith-based ascension...
"Looks like... I've got quite a few paths to godhood." A wicked grin crept onto Cassius's face as pale golden light flickered in his eyes.