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Chapter 094: A God in Terroa

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Everybody in the 'amphitheater-like' conference room was blown away by her attitude. Who knew that even when she was doing her usual cold self, she would be hotter and more beautiful?

"You get back here, Gaia. We are not done yet."

Romano burst in anger.

It can be said his attitude just then was 30% just a display of character to show the personality of the Theocracy. What he didn't expect though was the brutal and blatant disregard of the Oracle despite the weight of its meaning.

In other words, to Gaia, being enemies with the Theocracy wasn't a problem at all and her attitude, not knowing whether she's only faking it or not, at his threat, is the biggest source of his anger.

Gaia didn't stop and when she walked passed the Dwarven Kingdom's representative's seat, Prince Duren, whose obvious hesitation was clearly cast off of his face. She made a glance at his side that made the prince lower his head in shame and regret.

—why am I hesitating?

——what am I so scared for?

He clenched his fists as he stared at her back. He followed that fleeting figure that had a procession of images of those who had stuck on the decision to follow her and the Werewolf King's decision and stance.

King Joffrey and the rest of the Council that stuck close to the Theocracy —90% of the entire Alliance's powers, minus two High Seats— looked on at the backs of those who are now on the "ignored list" of the Theocracy.

Right now, since they've already chosen their side in the table, they can only put their backs into the wall provided by the two High Seats that stood in front of Romano.

Thinking to here made Romano even more angry.

"Everyone! Are you really going to turn your back on the Alliance?" Romano's loud cry echoed in the walls of the conference room. "Siva cannot be trusted. And even if Gaia did indeed vowed and used her seat as a stake to guarantee Siva's clean side against the Demons, it was still clear that he's using all of you to bolster his own gains!"

The meeting's purpose was for them to listen to Siva's message. But even before Siva could even say a word of it, the meeting already collapsed on the inside —leading to a crack in the alliance and eventually a division where two sides had to glare at one another.

For the overall picture of the Terran Alliance, this was a catastrophic failure.

Many hesitated when they heard the words. Many paused on their tracks, look back, and then glance back the fleeting back of Gaia.

Some, realizing the weight of Romano's warning, went back to their seats.

"Gaia!" Romano yelled again. "You will regret this decision today! It's not me who's going to regret it but you! You broke this Alliance!"

Gaia was already 10 steps away from the door that these words rung in the ears of everyone.

She paused, gracefully looked back, and spoke to Romano with an icy tone: "If you really care about the safety of this planet, then even if you do not help in the eradication of the traitors, at least send a war contingent to help the Immortal Emperor of Tiara to defend his territory against the Bloody Church. That way, when I talk to Lord Siva about your stupid actions today, you will still have a merit that you can use in your defense."

The first half of her words was conveyed with the feeling of care to it. Her selfless tolerance and a deep patience made Romano frown even more. It was this rare trait of Gaia's that made him see her and Elvira's Legacy as a threat to the doctrine and beliefs of the Theocracy.

But then, the middle part and the last parts of her words, as soon as they heard it, made the majority of them dumbstruck.

—Did she just call Siva her "Lord" just now?

Although many doubted and thought they've just misheard it, many still felt stunned and shocked to their very core. Romano, even, was one of the 1st kinds who thought that he just misheard it.

He wanted to make her say that again but Gaia had already walked out of the room. The words she said was stuck on their minds like a ringing thunder. The last of the procession of supporters were already almost out of the room when Prince Duren, who's heart, however, was in turmoil, bit his lip, raised his head, glanced over at Romano, and then spoke, "Supreme Pontiff, I will have to apologize for today's indiscretion."

"Prince Duren! Don't tell me you—"

"—I'm sorry. Please excuse me."

The Dwarf Kingdom was a special existence in the Terran Alliance. They were once the mighty race of craftsmen, legends amongst the ranks of those Godly Creators of Divine Mythological Artifacts.

Although in the current Terran Civilization they're a race that was suppressed and shunned, they're still a mighty race of stubborn warriors who never backs down in the face of danger, brave until the last of the hairs on their beards are burnt.

"Let's go." Duren told his protectors as he pulled himself out of his seat then gave a bow at Joffrey in front of the council, and walked out.

Romano wanted to curse but he swallowed it. He instead punched the armrest beside his leg on his office back in the Theocracy and bent its metal frame... thereby venting his anger.

Silence engulfed the room.

The Alliance Meeting... ended in an abrupt and unglorified, unsatisfying, and awkwardly painful end, along with the collapse of their unity, and a crack brought forth by personal quarrels and the lack of open-minded restraint.

They all knew it that's why they shut their mouths.

*****

When the meeting finished, the Council Head of the Council of Elders of Jeremiah, a Minority Seat in the overall picture of the Terran Alliance, had a weird gaze at the door Siva exited.

He was one of those who denounced Siva earlier and even thought that for quite a few times, his and Siva's gaze met. Of course, knowing just how much he suffered humiliation and being duped of all those resources, as well as the political blow he gave them when he killed Longyun and Tabata in Walled City of Maria, the Council Head couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger, yelling till his lungs broke, condemning Siva of many sins, some even made up like stealing chickens or peeing in public that earned quite a few weird gazes from the other seats.

Romano, finding that the meeting was pointless, dismissed the session, leaving first as he didn't have the mental energy to entertain any other talk as of this time.

Joffrey and the rest were left there.

The Council Head of Jeremiah then summoned all his bravery and brought his avatar into Joffrey's side.

"King Joffrey, do you have a minute?"

"You have your minute. Talk." Too used as the superior, Joffrey gave a curt reply.

The Council Head hesitated then leaned closer to whisper: "Well, it's about Siva...."

Joffrey narrowed his eyes, a weird smile beaming on his lips. He can smell evil.

"What about him?" he asked.

"I know a few things that might help you deal with him... you see... he stayed in Jeremiah for quite some time and he had an ill-famed popularity in that part of the planet."

"Oh? I am interested. Let's talk somewhere else."

The two took another corner when exiting the conference room. It was the King's Corridor. The talk that transpired then may be small but it was a talk that could bring a lot of headaches for Siva.

*****

When Duren walked out of the room, he was then surprised to discover that just beyond the other door leading to the waiting room, was Siva's party along with Mohindra and Gaia on his left and right.

They were women of power whose names were as big as the moons in the night skies. Mohindra is the Vajra Clan Leader, a position comparable to a Sovereign of a Terran Country occupying one of the High Seat while Gaia was a name synonymous to "Magic" because she was the High Priestess of the Elven Forest but more because she was The Oracle who saved the lives of millions and millions of Terrans in their history because of her revelations in the past.

These women, both their status and their stance, when standing beside—but slightly behind—Siva, were clear indications that they were serving him as his... aides.

With his discerning eyes for intricate details, one of the innate traits of his race, he was actually so sure that they were acting a little bit subservient.

Duren was now sure.

—he didn't mishear it earlier.

Gaia did indeed call Siva her Lord earlier.

As a royalty himself, he immediately realized this but many of these other [seats] weren't aware of this fact yet seeing as, even though they were in here first, they still acted respectful with Gaia and not Siva.

Perhaps Gaia did indeed have good intentions when she invited them to attend here personally?

Duren thought.

The of the people in the waiting room looked on with dumbfounded expressions. Gaia was standing behind Siva like a servant as soon as she came but only Duren and a very small few had noticed it. There are at least 30 leaders here and only five or six noticed this fact.

"Everyone," Siva began, eyeing the last person to come into the waiting room. "Please relax." Then he flipped his hand and locked the room. It locked the visual and audible aspect of the area around the group, thereby preserving technological items and connection for this meeting's purpose and for maintaining their images.

Neither sound nor prying magic above Tier-4 can go past the locked space of this room.

In essence, people can still enter the waiting room but when they do, they wouldn't detect Siva or the crowd unless they have sharp senses that can pierce through this isolated space, but the latter would still see and hear that a person had entered the room, walk right past them, realizing that they are existing on the same world yet on a separate visible dimension.

Only when it was done did he continue, "As much as I wanted to express my appreciation on your trust with a banquet, the meeting to strike at the enemies is already on its last stages of preparations."

—last stages? Didn't it just ended catastrophically right now?

Siva's words were confusing. Does this mean that what happened in the conference room was just a prologue to the real meeting?

When their thoughts went to this direction, many eyes inadvertently directed towards Lady Gaia. It was her that called this meeting, after all. Does it mean then that what happened back there was a part of an even bigger plan?

Even Duren felt scared by this thought. Because if going against the Theocracy, filtering those with backbones and those who only wanted to curry a lot of favor to the Theocracy, and then scanning for those who really resolved at their decision was just a part of a plan... then Siva, who Gaia served, had indeed brought information that could mean the survival and death of their civilization.

After all, it was Siva who was the Theocracy's full-time enemy now, not them. They were only going to be ignored by the Theocracy but Romano will not send antagonistic forces to suppress them.

The scale of this "real meeting" had just gone up to a level that made the crowd of delegates silent.

"Gaia." Siva called, further making this crowd of leaders stunned once again. It's because when he called her, there was no honorific prefixes or any of the sort —he just called her by name as if she was one of his followers. "Please call the King of the Werewolves. We're starting the meeting."

"Yes, My Lord." Gaia replied and took action.

—BY THE GODS!!!

Gaia did indeed called Siva her "lord" earlier!

Their heartbeats quickened and many began to sweat over. What was the power behind this so called "Asgard" that it made Lady Gaia, The Oracle and High Priestess of the Elves, not to mention a High Seat of their Terran Alliance, become a mere servant?

When they thought of this fact, they recalled what Siva said in the meeting earlier —No— rather than it being spoken aloud, they corrected themselves as Siva didn't say it aloud and only murmured it as he maintained sitting down, receiving Romano's and the others' words of ridicule and contempt.

Siva said "...in my years of destroying planets and ravaging worlds, I was never called a criminal not even once. And yet here, a mere mortal speaks of such words to me... ah, truly, the Terrans that had survived the times were only those rats who did not know the enormity of the heavens."

There are many who heard that but ignored it for Siva, to them at the time, was just one man.

But now that they heard it, they all realized that it meant so much and so frighteningly huge, that the so called "enormity of the heavens" became huge to them as the matter of racial eradication.

What more, on Siva's words, he called them, the Terran Alliance —or the entire Terran Civilization at that— as mere rats.

Even more, once the few who thought of this had accepted this fact, they also recalled what Siva had offered them in exchange for full cooperation on their part: they will receive the blessing of the Asgard which he was the King—meaning— it was essentially Siva's blessings.

Picking up a few clues in the words he said back in that meeting——

—a sudden thought entered into their minds but as soon as that thought took root, it immediately got trashed because it was a ridiculous notion....

.............all except one person.

"A-Are you a God?" his shaky voice rung but it was enough to put the burden of Siva's 'information' that he said to be 'valuable' to be seen as something else.

God...

......is he really a God?

If so, then dayum, aren't they lucky to actually say 'yes' there earlier?

As ridiculous as it may be, perhaps it's indeed true because only a powerful God could look at the entire Terran Civilization as 'rats' and speak of it right on their faces; and it is perhaps only a God who could make Lady Gaia and Lady Mohindra mere servants to follow all his commands.

—Ah, if so, indeed...

——what he said earlier might really be the plans of a great God...

As ridiculous as the notion was, and as powerful as these two women are, especially Mohindra who is a Leader of a Dragon Clan, only an Immortal or a God could make them follow him like servants.

Gaia even confirmed it earlier, only the Immortal Emperor is the only 'Immortal' in Terroa and so it's not too far off a thought that perhaps, aside from the Divinities of the Gods back in the Theocracy, only Siva —King of the unknown Kingdom until he mentioned, Asgard— was the only surviving God at this current era.

—how glorious would it be if an actual living God would lead our civilization to prosperity!!

All of these leaders, without exception, including even the Dwarfs' Crowned Prince, Duren, easily accepted the fact that Gaia and Mohindra was a follower of a God, by their own volition, and aren't hypnotized nor were corrupted.

They even dismissed the idea that the two women were mind-controlled by the Bloody Church since it was long since been known that the Church of the Blood Dragon God was demonic in origin, and that the [Unbreakable Vow] of the Terran Alliance is intolerant of the Demons and Dragons alike.

As for Mohindra; as strong as the Bloody Church was, they can't fight a war directly with the Vajra Clan because, although they can win, the Bloody Church will still lose a lot of manpower and that it is not impossible for a survivor to run away from an eradication war —not to mention that a few of these survivors carry with them T-Devices that can be used as soon as they escaped from Horbe if it was actually destroyed.

Furthermore, if Horbe was attacked, Bardavon, the closest Terran Nation to the Island Country of Horbe, would have heard the news given that even though the Vajras are Neutral, it was still an SOP (stand operating procedure) and mandated by the Alliance Council, that they maintain close watch on this powerful neighbor.

So far, aside from the received news of a failed attack of the Bloody Church a week ago, there are no news of "eradication" that could have resulted if the Vajra Clan Leader is indeed been plotted to be mind-controlled by a third party. Adding to that that Mohindra herself is really strong; as strong as the [Elder Gods] from the ancient records.

As such, the possibility of a third party's intention was erased from their minds. Adding to that, Siva, who destroyed the Bloody Church and even killed a confirmed Land Dragon Clan member, an Elder of the Bloody Church, in Maria, was confirmed to be their enemy by Balaam —one of the two Popes of the Bloody Church— himself.

His black skin, known to the Terran Alliance since time immemorial, was the result of the curse from when he cleansed the Anazon Forest of the Dark Hunter that scourged it for many cycles endlessly.

If he was on the side of the Demons, or just by the Bloody Church, would he actually kill so many of their followers —even an elder of their Church, a Land Dragon Clan member—just to trick them?

It wasn't worth it and Mohindra, especially, being a Vajra, and their Queen at that, would have died or have electrocuted Siva if he was a member of the Bloody Church. After all, she wouldn't let herself be a subject of a person who killed so many of her people in the past.

As such, majority of these leaders didn't question nor doubted that Siva was either an Immortal or a God —but thinking of Gaia's confirmation earlier, Siva, right now, had already been put as a [God].

The biggest reason for this is because: for many thousands of years now, Gaia had already existed as a prominent figure in Terroa while Siva was an unknown variable who only emerged as of late. It means... Siva is either a traveling God, or a "God" who reincarnated into the body of a Mortal lately.

Ridiculous as this idea may be, it ain't impossible.

Gods are origins of [Miracles]; it wasn't impossible for Gods to do just exactly that.

After all, in their records, even to the doctrines of the Theocracy, once a God had received enough "divinity" from the Faiths of its followers, they can reincarnate into the body of a Chosen Mortal, who they call Heaven's Chosen, thus fully resurrecting the [God] of that one particular Church.

The Divine Crown Theocracy had existed for so many thousands of years now. It's not impossible if they one day did just that and then declare the Theocracy as the supreme ruler of everything under the skies of Terroa.

And for better or for worse, perhaps no one in Terroa would say no to their rule. After all, not only would they be scared of the Crusaders and the Paladins of the Theocracy, they would also be willing to follow a true living God into prosperity!

Either of the two possibilities was plausible and it was these reasons why, with the clues in front of them, it was easier to accept Siva as a Higher Being than to doubt him as an agent of the dark.

In the eyes of Mortals, Gods' Plans are absolute.