The rest of the tournament passed by rather quickly. Now that the pool of contestants had been narrowed down so much, and their energy reserves depleted to this degree, each round was over after typically just a few moves. Those unfortunate enough to look away from the transmission would often miss a round or two of their favorite candidate, and may not even know how they were eliminated.

The final victor, unsurprisingly, was a combat-oriented triple deity. This was Roland Crom, the human God of Contest, Strength, and Speed. He wore a suit of divine artifact armor, and carried a golden spear, no doubt another divine artifact. Whether it was his equipment or his domains, he was able to outmatch most of his opponents. Only those with particularly unusual domains had been able to restrict him for a time.

“And there you have it, everyone!” Elisae announced on the stage, declaring the end of the competition. “As promised, everyone who lost their Virtual selves will have their equipment kept safely until you register a new self to come and retrieve it. Now, will our winners join us on the stage?”

“First, our third and fourth place contestants, Jace Laran and Aznod!” Two figures rose up from the audience, flying over to join Elisae on the stage. “And our runner-up contestant, Lana Seowith!” At her words, another figure flew out, this one the elven Goddess of Light, Darkness, and the Moon.

“As promised at the start of the event, the three of you will be allowed to requisition a personal training program from the Sky Citadel’s own Lifre.” Elisae announced, the three nodding their heads in gratitude. Even though they did not get the grand prize, this was still enough to give a large increase in their personal strengths.

“And finally, will our champion join us on the stage, Roland Crom!” She called out one last name, the armored figure of the human deity flying out to stand on the stage with a smile. “Not only do you have the chance to receive a customized training program, but you have also won the right to have an artifact personally enhanced by the Keeper himself! Do you have any words to give to the audience?”

Roland took a deep breath, clearly happy to have made it this far. He did not seem arrogant, but rather had an amiable smile on his face. “The words I have to speak go out to all gods, those who have lived their lives on one of the primary worlds, or within the Realm of Gods prepared by the Greater Pantheon.”

“Those who are content with such a life will find joy, but not strength. Presently, there are too many gods for the faith of man to properly enhance them. Only those with successful businesses on Sanctum may find true growth, while most deities will struggle not to lose their divine energy.”

“In the last stages of this tournament, those who persevered with those who had made a name for themselves and had received the praise of the people. Jace Laran, subordinate deity to Terra herself. Aznod, the Holy Chef of Udona. And finally, Lana Seowith, the protector of Gandor. Because of your accomplishments, you possess overwhelmingly more energy than other deities.”

“However, there is another way, a path for those who find themselves unable to make a name in this world crowded with gods. So far, only the High Mother of the Metong and myself have walked this path, though she did so without intention.”

“The path I speak of lies among the stars. Seek out new worlds full of life, and enlighten them. Become the god to that civilization, and guide them into the future. This is a slow process, I admit, but one with boundless returns. Those who achieve this path will have the faith of an entire world to fuel themselves.”

After giving this speech, Roland stood fully upright, arms crossed behind his back. Rather than offer words of praise to the tournament itself, or try to promote a personal agenda, he had said what he said for the sake of the other gods watching the event. More than that, he had said those words for the sake of the entire world. With less gods roaming the world, there would be more power returned to the hands of mortals. Or at least, such was the intention behind his words.

“Well said.” Another voice spoke up from the sky, covering the arena. From the Sky Citadel, two figures descended. The first was naturally the Keeper himself, while the second was Tsubaki, the two floating down from the sky.

“Will our four victors please join us in the Citadel?” The Keeper invited, looking towards the four contestants standing around Elisae. The four people looked at one another, pushing off from the ground to fly up towards the Keeper, who led them back into the sky.

Seeing this, Elisae was left to address the audience, and make announcements such as the amount of money that had been raised by the charity event. Meanwhile, the four champions of the event landed atop the citadel’s courtyard one after another.

The Keeper looked at the four of them with a faint nod. “The rest of you, please follow Tsubaki to meet Lifre, so you can make your requests for your training programs. Roland, if you could wait here, we can cover your prize.”

Tsubaki nodded her head, leading away the other three winners and leaving Roland alone with the Keeper. Roland waited patiently while the Keeper walked over to a nearby garden. “I do appreciate the words that you said just now.” The Keeper answered while looking at the flowers. “In truth, I had been concerned about that for some time, and was debating when would be the best time to address the issue.”

“I am pleased to have been of service.” Roland answered, the Keeper nodding at that.

“In that case, may I ask what artifact you would like to have enchanted?” The Keeper asked, turning to face Roland. There seemed to be a boundless energy within his gaze, one that actually made a god like Roland find pause for a moment.

“The artifact that I would like to have enchanted… is this.” He said, flipping his wrist over to reveal a golden sphere. “I have just received this item from Sorin’s workshop. Its purpose is--”

The Keeper spoke up before Roland had the chance to explain. “It erects a barrier half a million kilometers across, and establishes a rule. Those with divine energy wishing to cross the barrier must pass a contest of strength with a projection of yourself left within the jewel. If they try to attack the barrier, that projection will rush out to fight on your behalf.”

Roland blinked, nodding his head. “That is correct, sir.” He hadn’t expected the Keeper to know about this new artifact, which he had only just received a few days prior. Or, instead of saying that the Keeper knew about it, he might have been able to identify the properties of the artifact with only a glance?

The Keeper thought it over for a moment, before nodding his head. “If you’d like, I can strengthen the projection of yourself within the barrier. Alternatively, I could add multiple projections of various gods.”

“I would prefer if neither was the case.” Roland answered with a small smile. “As you noted, the barrier is both ways. I do not wish to lock the people of this world within a cage. Rather, I would ask that you add another function to the barrier, strengthening those that live within it.”

The Keeper looked at Roland in surprise, not seeming to have expected a request like that. “I see… That is certainly within the realm of what I can offer.” Saying that, the Keeper stroked his chin. “Have you supplied System Stones to the people of this world?”

“That’s correct, sir.” Roland nodded his head. “In order to guide them into the new age, I set up a trade agreement with the Metong to supply the world with these stones, in exchange for regular shipments of energy crystals required to produce them.” In truth, it was rather difficult for him to meet the demands of the trade agreement, as he had to do so from his own wealth. However, he planned to let the people of the world supply the energy for such in the future, once they had properly learned how to do so.

“In that case, I know just what to do.” The Keeper held his hand out, Roland passing him the barrier artifact. Nine domains lit up around the Keeper’s hand, Roland able to read the divine scripts for each. Games, Strength, and Wisdom occupied one section. Life, Education, and Contest took another spot. And finally, there was Enchantment, Magic, and Speed.

The Keeper closed his eyes, focusing on the usage of these nine domains. Looking at what domains he was using, Roland was already excited to see the finished product. And thankfully, he didn’t have to wait very long, the Keeper’s divinity rapidly fusing into the item.

Once he was done, the Keeper opened his eyes, passing the newly enhanced artifact back to Roland. “I’ve done what I can. With my added enchantment, those living within the barrier will experience an increased growth rate for levels and skills.”

“Thank you, sir.” Roland said, bowing deeply towards the Keeper. He wasn’t sure to what degree the enhancement was, but he would be able to test that out later. Just the extra addition of the effect itself would already provide his people with a great boon.

“Don’t thank me just yet.” The Keeper said with a smile, Roland looking up at him in confusion. “You have quite the trial ahead of you, young man.”

It had been a long time since anyone called Roland a young man, but he simply looked at the Keeper, waiting for an explanation. “That announcement you made isn’t only going to cause the gods to seek out new worlds for themselves. It will also create a competition for already claimed worlds. It is far easier to steal a world from a god that has already cultivated their world than it is for them to cultivate one themselves. Remember, fear is just as plausible a way to earn faith from the masses as reverence.”

Roland furrowed his brow at that, offering a solemn nod. “I was prepared for that outcome when I made the announcement. Sooner or later, the world would be faced with that problem, and it would not be my world alone that had to resist them. If the Keeper has any advice for me, I would be happy to receive it.”

The Keeper nodded his head. “My advice for you would be to cultivate subordinate deities among the people of your world. As you are already receiving the faith of that entire world, this wouldn’t increase anything in that regard. However, it will add an extra line of defense to your world, forcing them to not only defeat you, but any gods under your command.”

Roland listened to the Keeper’s advice, offering a small nod. “That makes sense. However, the people of my world are still far too primitive. Once they have grown to a point where I can begin safely cultivating subordinate gods, I will be sure to heed your words. Until then, I shall defend my people to my last breath.”

“That’s also a mistake.” The Keeper shook his head. “If it is the people that you are concerned about, then you should only fight a battle that you can be sure to win easily, at least until you have subordinates. Otherwise, the shockwaves of your fight could damage the planet you are aiming to protect. Worse yet, if you are defeated, the people of your world will receive an even worse treatment due to the temper of the god that defeated you.”

“Thus, if it is for the sake of your people, surrendering a world would be a wiser choice of action, should your opponent be strong enough to truly challenge you. You can always find another world to grow until you are strong enough to take it back. And until that time, you will still be receiving a measure of faith from the world that you surrendered, unless the one who acquired that world is such a benevolent ruler that the people do not wish for your return.”

Roland looked like he wanted to protest, saying that it was cowardly to back away from a fight like that. However, that would be placing his pride before the survival of an entire planet. Thus, he could only hold back his words, offering a nod. “I will keep your words in mind, sir.”