Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"So you're saying, the true name for it should be the [Artificial Magic Net]."

"And after failing down this path, your emergence became their new hope?"

In the vast underground space of the abandoned urban district.

Compared to before, the mental state of the God of the Stars, bound by the pale silver net on the altar, had clearly stabilized a lot.

Clearly, after a nearly frenzied venting, Astraeus seemed easier to communicate with now.

The implicit influence of a long life and godhood is a double-edged sword; on one hand, it makes the character of most deities almost unchangeable for thousands of years, on the other hand, it fortifies their will in an unorthodox manner, making it as solid as a rock.

Even hundreds of years of imprisonment are not enough to drive a True God insane.

Of course, no matter what, Astraeus was still somewhat affected, so Zephyrus naturally took this opportunity to inquire eagerly.

There were still too many doubts about what happened here that he did not have answers to.

Even for his own sake, he couldn't just leave without understanding.

"...Yes."

"Zephyrus, you were once a member of Mount Othrys, so you should have heard about Hecate's situation."

Not only his spirit, but as time passed, it seemed that Astraeus had also recovered from the damage of forcefully colliding with the barrier.

The resilience of a deity is so strong that, despite his body remaining emaciated, the God of the Stars' voice had stabilized a lot.

"I know."

"It is said that at that time, Lady Hecate was once regarded as a being without godhood."

"Until the end of the epoch, she wove the Magic Net and became a True God with Intermediate Divine Power overnight."

"Afterwards, with the power of the Magic Net, countless faiths converged towards her."

"Even today, no one knows her real level anymore."

Nodding, Zephyrus was of course aware of Hecate's existence.

And looking at the silver mesh in front of Astraeus, the God of West Wind understood the latter's implication.

"You mean..."

"Yes!"

"These insignificant bugs, these contemptible ants... they should be thankful for the grace of the deities for being able to live in this world, yet as inferior as they are, they still dare to dream of becoming deities!"

"The Goddess of the Magic Net kindly taught them the secrets of witchcraft, and the deities also granted Humans Divine Arts through the power of the Magic Net."

"They should have been grateful for this, but after somehow learning about Lady Hecate's past, these humans harbored blasphemous thoughts, desiring eternity and immortality."

His voice clearly suppressed anger, but Astraeus no longer madly collided with the barrier in front of him.

His previous actions were partly due to long-lasting spiritual suppression and self-harm under hopeless circumstances.

On the other hand, he also hoped the strength he regained would be consumed in this way.

Despite the intense pain that often accompanied this behavior, the God of the Stars did not care. As long as he could trouble these humans, there was nothing he was unwilling to do.

But now that he saw hope, Astraeus naturally wouldn't act so crazily anymore.

"They obtained the information, then started to verify."

"Weaving a Magic Net, shaping elements, creating the heritage of wizards, Lady Hecate indeed ascended to godhood this way."

"And upon confirming the truth of all this, these humans began their overreaching exploration of eternity."

"They studied the Magic Net, trying to create similar artifacts."

"They attempted to advance wizardry, continuously creating various new types of witchcraft."

"Of course, they all failed. After all, humans are so inferior, how could they comprehend the greatness of deities."

"Although Lady Hecate was born without authority, perhaps it was just hidden; her immortal essence will not deceive."

"In comparison, those lower life forms, no matter how hard they try, are merely indulging in fantasy."

With a face of approval, Zephyrus expressed agreement with Astraeus' statement.

However, deep inside, the Wind God felt uncertain about the other's Speech.

These humans couldn't possibly replicate the path of the Goddess of the Magic Net, Zephyrus had no doubt about that.

But that might be because the Magic Net already existed, or they lacked some conditions.

As for whether only deities can obtain authority by doing such things... apart from Hecate herself, no one could be sure.

Of course, the Wind God would not argue over this matter.

He just pointed at the mesh on Astraeus' body, then asked.

"So this is what they made, similar to a Magic Net but different?"

"It's not similar, it's a poor imitation."

"Compared to the Magic Net that envelops the world, it's a joke."

Softly sneering, although he himself was trapped here, Astraeus was not stingy in his mockery of it.

"I don't know what the real Magic Net is like, but it is definitely not like this."

"It cannot gather elements, regulate rules; the only thing it can do is draw power from the outside to maintain itself."

"Once the source of power vanishes, it would collapse instantly. And if the infusion of power exceeds a limit, it would also destruct due to being unable to bear it."

"This is what mortals call an achievement... ha, the idea of ascending to a divine position with such a creation is simply ridiculous."

"You are right, it really is ridiculous."

Speaking again in agreement, the Wind God then quietly stayed alert in his heart.