Chapter 868 Immortal

Chapter 868 Immortal

Astaroth was still processing what Aravelle had told him and taking a moment to decide if it was a truth he would accept. After all, even if he had finally integrated with the rest of the fragment of divinity inside him, he was far from feeling godly.

At best, he felt stronger than before. At worst, he felt it had taken something he couldn't take back from him.

His humanity.

Astaroth could tell he had deviated from that which bound him to the human race for a while. But he thought that wouldn't be for long, given the rest of humanity was also changing.

However, now that he had consumed that fragment, he could feel the souls of the people around him when focusing, and he could tell that wasn't something just anyone could do. And it scared him.

'I don't want to be a god. They are the exact opposite of what I want to become. Gods do nothing for us. They stand by the sidelines and watch as the world goes to shit. Gods don't care. I want to save humankind...' Astaroth thought.

He was getting lost in those thoughts when a jolt of mana from Aravelle brought him back to reality.

"Don't fall off the deep end just yet, young man. There is still much to discuss and do before you are allowed to fall into thoughts. Stay focused, young man."

Astaroth looked at him almost in a daze.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked, feeling like the world was crumbling around him.

If he walked that path, the path to godhood, he would lose everything. First, he would lose everyone he cared about to the dangers of having them around him.

And even if he managed to protect them, what would that change in the end? If he followed this path through, wouldn't he lose his ability to see them?

Gods rarely came to the mortal realm, and he had an inkling of a thought to the reason why.

The mortal realm wasn't strong enough to support their presence.

Minor gods may have a bit more leeway since they were much weaker. But Gaius had razed a small part of the western Elven forest just by appearing there.

And since Astaroth was highly attuned to Aether, he could tell the repercussions didn't stop there.

He could still feel Gaius' presence in the distance like the god was still standing there. Like he had left a permanent imprint on the land.

"It was you! You little—We'll talk about that later. Messing with the Ley lines is stupid, but this matter takes priority. But make no mistake. There will be punishment, you little idiot..."

Astaroth gulped, thinking about what Aravelle would do. This helped take his mind off the dark future ahead, but not for long.

With a deep sigh, Aravelle continued with his planned explanation.

"Let me start from the beginning. The process usually begins when a being becomes Legendary grade. They start feeling that power is no longer enough. It takes a while since their powers are still cementing into place.

"But once they have finally stabilized, all Legendary grade beings realize that getting stronger no longer goes through training. Leon, you should have started feeling this, even though you skipped an entire grade of life."

Leon nodded, feeling like Aravelle knew precisely what the next step was.

"The next step is much more complicated, but not impossible. All the Progenitors of Magic, including myself, learned this through trial and error. But we never went through with the last step. But that is for later.

"Before that, let me explain the first step on the path to godhood. The step that it usually takes to reach the Mythical grade and the step that the kitten will need to take if it wishes to become a new god. A step I advise against taking."

Selena frowned at his words.

"Why would you advise against becoming stronger? Power is what you protect what you love with. Why would becoming more powerful be bad?" she asked, confused.

"Because beings who aren't tied to a god already are usually wiped off the board before they reach Mythical grade. Gods are not only fickle. They are also very possessive and territorial. Stepping into godhood means stepping on someone's toes, up there, and they don't like that."

Selena's frown deepened.

"How would they even do that? Are gods allowed to act on mortals?"

Aravelle sighed again.

"I don't think you understand what becoming Legendary grade entails..."

Leon cut him.

"Selena, your power isn't stabilized yet, but you'll understand when it is. You can't die anymore. You've entered the realm of immortality."

Selena's face went blank, as did her mind.

"I beg your pardon?"