Chapter 366: Celestial Plateau

Chapter 366: Celestial Plateau

"Um, just to be sure, I only have to activate the skill and wait, right?" Rakna asked Ceresta as they all stood outside the mansion of his territory.

"Yes," the AI nodded softly. "It is not exactly an ability, after all. It is a privilege. The System grants it to you once you call upon it."

"Well, here goes nothing," the therian and opened his hand. "[Celestial Gate,]" he intoned and an abnormal type of runic formation appeared above his palm. It wasn't quite a magical formation and had plenty of numerical symbols and geometrical shapes.

On cue, the air of the underground territory began to converge toward his location as a distortion of light was forming in front of him. Within a few seconds, the wind settled down and a large gate materialized where the blur was. It was made of gold and marble, releasing sickening amounts of divinity.

Rakna shuddered despite himself, almost in disgust. "I can feel my flames rattling," he uttered and waved his arm as if trying to shake off an uncomfortable numbness. His Ardent Soul flared at the tip of his fingers for a split second and he huffed. "I've felt this before but... pure divinity gives me the chills for some reason."

Nyx smiled faintly at his side. "It's because it is not pure," she retorted and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Think; do you have the same opinion about mine?"

"...now that you say it, no."

"Pure divinity is what I have, refined to perfection. But most lower Gods possess a mix of divinity and mortality. In a way..." She squinted her eyes at him. "That unpleasantness you suffer is because you have something purer than even them. Now even more so since your soul burns both divinity and infernity to fuel its flames. Strictly speaking, it's a natural reaction to be wary of pollution."

Rakna mused as he looked at the Celestial Gate. For a moment, he had an idea but decided against testing it on something he was going to use. "Anyway, all of you are coming?" He asked everyone around him, Lucrecia included, who was quietly standing with her arms crossed.

"Consider my presence as official cooperation between you and the Clan," she said. "Whatever the Mad God has to say, I will relay it back. Fin would have been more suited, but since you're going, I better tag along. With the Eternal Maiden, Karaskan might be interested enough to speak more."

Hans scoffed. "It is not her among us who will catch his interest," he rebuked and Lucrecia scowled at him.

"What do you mean?" She questioned and he shrugged, not deigning to answer.

"You'll see," Higure told her. "But just keep quiet about it unless he decides to reveal it."

Lucrecia eyed her suspiciously and naturally switched attention to Rakna. He was the only other person here that she could be referring to. 'Does he have something to do with Karaskan...?'

"All right then, let's go," the therian announced and touched the doors of the gate. Promptly, they trembled loudly and slowly opened up to them, a stream of light pouring out as if water. One after another, they entered and the gate closed behind them.

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❮ ◈ ❯

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You have stepped into the Celestial Plateau!

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The metaphysical stability of your surroundings has been set to its highest value. Beware of the environment as it may harm you if you are not careful.

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Rakna didn't even need to ask, already sensing a terribly powerful presence approaching. He bent his neck to look up and an eagle even larger than Aquila with gilded wings landed in front of them in a spiral of wind. He could smell the divinity wafting off in waves, yet... his aura felt inexistent.

It was as if this creature belonged to a world he couldn't reach; incapable of being sensed, for his power was far too great for mortals to consciously grasp.

"Hahaha, so it is you, the wolfwalker who laughed," the God greeted cheerily and leaned his head forward, stretching his neck to look at the group closer with his golden eyes. "Hm... what a ragtag gathering of unique individuals," he said in a teasing tone and glanced at Lucrecia. "Oh? You... have we met before?"

The Wolf Matriarch respectfully lowered her head. "I believe so, yes, Lord Garuda. It was several years ago; our Clan visited this Plateau for our young to earn a chance to be blessed."

"Aah, I remember," he nodded. "A few of us went to see you out of curiosity. But as I remember, it was only one of you that received a blessing, no?"

Lucrecia smiled wryly. "Yes, sir. It was me."

"Hahaha," Garuda laughed. "No wonder then. Was it Rajudra? Ah, no, it was Aeolus, wasn't it? You carry the color of the storms with you."

"It is as you say."

"Mhm," the Eagle God nodded twice and then turned toward Rakna. "And there you are. You have intrigued me quite a bit ever since I heard of you. Not to mention, I ought to thank you for giving me such a good laugh," he cackled. "How funny it was for Aquila over here to come to me and say that one of the seedlings had consumed one of his clones and stolen a part of his divinity."

Aquila sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, Lord Garuda... it was incredibly funny, you've made it clear."

"Well, as long as you're not out to kill me for it," Rakna jested.

"Haha, of course not. I respect your achievement," Garuda smiled. "It was nothing serious. Aquila regenerated the divinity he lost to you in about a day anyway."

"Good to hear," Rakna hummed. "Though, you mentioned 'the wolfwalker who laughed'... is there something I'm missing here?"

The Eagle God chuckled. "Don't worry, I was referring to a wave of power we felt not long ago. It felt quite chaotic and malicious... no, a more accurate description would be 'wicked'," he narrowed his eyes at the therian. "Like a man taking the world down to the grave with him while laughing."

The corners of Rakna's mouth twitched upward. 'The Origin Explosion... He perfectly grasped the nature of 'The Last Laugh' from all the way here...' He snorted. "I see. I didn't expect it to reach even this Plateau."

"Hm, I understand your surprise," Garuda nodded. "But the truth of the matter is that the System is nothing more than a dimensional hive. Everything inside of it is connected to some extent."

"A hive, huh?" The therian mused. "Then, would it technically be possible to strike targets that are located on a completely different Plateau as long as the attack pierces through the hive's layers?"

Garuda and Aquila actually blinked at the suggestion. The former used his wing to rub his beak in thought. "I... perhaps?" He tilted his head.

"With enough raw power and the appropriate method, the idea might go somewhere. But chances are, the attack would die out during the 'travel'. Even I do not possess such raw power. If you wish to make it viable, it would be easier to place beacons in each of the Plateaus involved. I, for sure, could do it if a believer of mine called upon my name with faith as the beacon."

The Eagle God considered the thought seriously while Rakna's companions looked at the latter in utter disbelief. "What kind of horribly unfair ability are you trying to invent here?" Higure asked in a blank tone and he shrugged.

On the other hand, Garuda laughed heartily. "That's how you should do it! Break the mold; let your wings be free," he expressed. "Always go beyond what you can see, and always try to see beyond where you can go."

Rakna smiled. "Thanks for the compliment, I guess."

"Hahaha, you're welcome," the Eagle God grinned. "But now, if I may ask... what is the purpose of your visit to this Plateau?"