Chapter 68

Takumi looked at Nahida, who had redefined her own sense of self. The majesty in his golden eyes grew even more potent, eventually evolving into an aura of supreme authority. The 'Original Dharma Ring' glimmered behind him, appearing unconsciously according to his emotions.

Nahida felt the absolute power radiating from this supreme aura, something intricately tied to the "Devil's Origin." Her four-leaf clover-shaped eyes were filled with shock, awe, and fear. This was the aura of Celestia. The male god standing before her was none other than the supreme being of Celestia.

Before she could fully understand why Celestia itself had descended, a voice that reached straight into her soul echoed in her ears.

"A qualified god must listen to the voices of every citizen. Only then does a god have the right to approve, to acknowledge, to judge, and to define what is right and wrong."

With that, Takumi waved his hand, and the 'meditation device' that imprisoned Nahida instantly deactivated. Freed from her restraints, Nahida, who had been confined within a limited space for five hundred years, slowly moved her small feet to touch the ground.

She raised her head and looked up at the god who had come to her. Wasn't Celestia supposed to be ruled by Phanes? According to her inherited memory, Phanes was a goddess, but this Celestial was a male god.

"Are you a god?" she asked.

Takumi did not answer her question directly. Instead, he gently touched her head, his voice softening.

"I don't mean to blame you; it's just that Sumeru right now makes me incredibly angry. You are merely the victim here."

It felt strange for Nahida to have her head patted by Celestia's supreme being. It was the first time anyone had patted her head, and it was none other than Celestia himself. It was like a child of nobility being patted by the emperor.

"Is it because of... the current Sumeru Akademiya?" Nahida asked softly, trying to understand.

Nahida was intelligent; she understood each of Takumi's words, and they resonated deeply within her.

Takumi continued to gently hold her pointed elfin ears with his fingers, feeling her slight trembling. Perhaps this was her most vulnerable place.

"The Akademiya is just a part of it," he said. "Human life is very short, barely a century. From the day they imprisoned you, this country ceased to be the Sumeru it once was. This country was built on 'imprisoning the gods.'"

Nahida took in Celestia's teachings. Celestia was the supreme god of all gods, and his decrees were the absolute truth. Only Celestia was supreme. The feeling of having her ears pinched like this was... very peculiar.

"The gods of Sumeru are ordained by Celestia. Therefore, Sumeru has become the enemy, the rebel of Celestia," Takumi continued. "And now they are even trying to create a god. When they succeed, they will believe themselves capable of creating deities. Arrogance will follow, and then? Surely you can imagine."

With his other hand, Takumi pinched Nahida's other elfin ear. It was truly satisfying. The young version of the kind Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and the adorable Little Lesser Lord Kusanali—simply irresistible.

Nahida thought for a moment, processing Takumi's words in combination with her own knowledge, and quickly put the pieces together. If the Akademiya truly succeeded in creating artificial gods, they would treat the deities of other nations with contempt. This could even lead to war, just like what happened with Khaenri'ah.

At that point, Celestia would undoubtedly impose its judgment. Fear rose within Nahida as she realized that Sumeru might be sentenced to the same fate as Khaenri'ah.

Nahida lowered her head, enduring the strange sensation of having her ears pinched as she apologized.

"I'm sorry, Celestia. It's all because I was deceived by the Akademiya, and the ordinary people of Sumeru had nothing to do with it."

"Ah!" Nahida exclaimed as Takumi suddenly picked her up, holding her like a doll. Nahida instinctively held onto his shoulders, staring blankly at the face of Celestia, now so close to her own.

"Even though you're already five hundred years old, your experience is no different from that of a newly born deity," Takumi said. "Watch how the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata handles the current situation in Sumeru and learn from it."

Nahida placed her small hands against her chest, feeling her heart pounding rapidly. Why was this? Was it because Celestia himself was holding her?

Why did Celestia care for her so much? She was confused by this unexpected kindness.

Takumi looked at the puzzled Nahida in his arms, her innocent, wide eyes reflecting both confusion and curiosity. The corners of his lips curved upward slightly.

However, holding Nahida this way meant her pointed ears were poking his face—which, frankly, only made him want to nibble them.

Nahida trembled slightly, looking at him with her innocent eyes. Did Celestia enjoy this sort of thing?

When her consciousness had occasionally wandered outside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, she had seen humans doing many incomprehensible things. These actions often seemed meaningless to her but would satisfy them in some way. Perhaps this was similar.

"Lord Celestia is right. Compared to my seniors, I have too little experience. I am still young," she thought. "It is normal for me not to understand. I will just have to learn slowly from now on."

"The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata took a thousand years to become the true God of Wisdom," Nahida reminded herself.

Takumi looked at Nahida's pure, innocent gaze and felt a slight twinge of guilt. But then he rationalized that Nahida was already five hundred years old—hardly a child in the traditional sense.

Takumi held Nahida close as they walked out of the gates of the Sanctuary of Surasthana. At that moment, all of Sumeru had begun preparations for the first major purge of its national system since the Archon War.

Meanwhile, at the Akademiya...

The scholars responsible for maintaining the dream integration device, "the Akasha," found that it had become completely unresponsive. All their access privileges were revoked. Not only that, but every "Akasha Terminal" used to connect to it was now functioning entirely beyond their control.

The scholars, encountering such an uncontrollable situation for the first time, hurried to inform Grand Sage Azar.

"This is terrible! The Akasha is completely out of control, and none of our terminals are working!" one scholar exclaimed.

Azar's eyes widened. "What are you saying? The Akasha out of control? Let me see."

After inspecting the device, Azar trembled. "How could this be?! I hold the highest authority over the Akasha!"

He paused. The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—of course! The Akasha was created by her. Now that she had returned, was she reclaiming it?

Before he could act, a gentle yet majestic voice spoke from his terminal.

"People of Sumeru, I, your god, Rukkhadevata, have returned. You have worked hard over the past five hundred years.

"But now is not the time for celebration. I am here to issue my first decree since my return.

"I declare that all members of the Sumeru Akademiya are guilty."