CHAPTER 406: CHAPTER 406: THE ASTONISHING TRUTH THAT WAS HIDDEN AWAY

"Why are you suddenly bringing up the origin of the gods?"

Hermes couldn’t understand why Loki had shifted to this topic.

"Because I recently discovered the reason we gods exist. The purpose of our creation, and why we’re able to exist in this world."

"Huh?"

Loki’s words only left Hermes more confused.

Their common theory had always been that higher-dimensional beings created them. But they’d never been able to observe those higher planes directly—so understanding why they were created remained impossible.

"So, are you saying you observed a higher-dimensional being?"

"No, no. We’ve always assumed we were created by beings of a higher rank or dimension, but that assumption is probably wrong. The existence of us gods is deeply tied to the rules of the world itself. Our birth must be inherently linked to the world’s existence."

"Well... that was one of the directions we speculated about before."

Hermes nodded slightly. He remembered that they’d once considered that possibility. But without any solid evidence, it was nothing more than a theory.

"I remember someone once proposed the idea that ’the world itself was also created’—though I can’t recall who. That shifted the focus of our theories. Still, I don’t think they were wrong. After all, we’ve never had any proof."

Back in Tenkai, whenever the gods had nothing better to do, they’d often engage in speculation. The most common topic? The meaning of their own existence.

Hermes remembered how plenty of gods—especially the ones who seemed a bit unhinged—were always wrapped up in this kind of thinking. He’d dealt with a few of them himself. And most of the ones who fixated on such thoughts... weren’t exactly stable. After descending to Genkai, a lot of those same gods had eventually lost it.

That thought made Hermes narrow his eyes at Loki.

"Why are you bringing this up now, of all times? Don’t tell me you’ve started to share their hobbies?"

Loki looked completely unimpressed.

"Don’t think I don’t know you’re calling me ’crazy.’ I’m not like those fools whose heads are full of nothing but holes. I’m only talking about this now because I’ve actually found real evidence."

"Evidence? You found something in Genkai tied to our existence?"

That got Hermes’ attention. He didn’t care much for those so-called "crackpot theories," but he was definitely interested in the meaning of his existence—if there was genuine proof involved.

"Something like that. But the truth is... it shook me. I, Loki, have never been played for a fool like this."

Even she felt a trace of bitterness at the weight of the truth. Seeing that, Hermes couldn’t help being shocked.

"Hermes, didn’t Ouranos, Zeus, or Hera ever mention anything about this?"

"Huh? You mean... they knew?"

"Why else do you think Ouranos was so quick and decisive with the Black Dragon? Evilus has done all kinds of outrageous things before, but have you ever seen Ouranos immediately label them as a target like that?"

Loki’s words made Hermes frown slightly.

"I see... no wonder Ouranos acted so decisively against the Evilus this time. I thought it was just the Black Dragon incident crossing some line for him—but there’s more to it."

"So, Ouranos made that decision just to pin everything on the Evilus for Bell-kun’s sake? That kind of blatant favoritism is rare."

Hermes fell silent for a moment. He had already suspected that the Black Dragon incident was deeply connected to Bell. And he’d guessed Ouranos was using the Evilus as a scapegoat—but the speed and certainty with which Ouranos acted was startling.

He took a moment to think it through, then came to a conclusion.

"For Ouranos, he’s always used Orario and the Genkai as his benchmark, not personal feelings. That’s why he’s been able to stay relatively impartial, and why he remains outside all factional conflict."

"So, if even he’s choosing sides now... does that mean Bell is more important than Orario itself at this moment?"

The idea surprised Hermes, but it also made him reflect on Loki’s earlier words.

"So, Ouranos really did hide something critical. No wonder he dumped all the blame on the Evilus the moment he realized there was a connection between the Black Dragon and Bell-kun."

Now he finally understood why Ouranos was so resolute—why he’d moved so quickly and thoroughly to frame the Evilus.

Loki clearly wasn’t the only one who knew about this so-called evidence. Ouranos must have known too, but had deliberately kept quiet about it the whole time.

And thinking back to Loki’s bitter expression earlier, Hermes now realized—this was the kind of thing you couldn’t even vent about. A truth the gods were forced to swallow silently, no matter how unjust.

"So... where exactly did you learn all this?"

Hermes was dying to know what Loki had found out.

Something that tied to the fate of the world, to the very nature of the gods—it was impossible to even imagine.

"Where? Heh... from the Black Dragon himself."

"!?"

There was a touch of self-mockery on Loki’s face. The fact that such a truth hadn’t come from some ancient divine being, but from a creature long treated as an enemy—it was downright ironic.

Hermes wasn’t the only one stunned. Even Asfi was frozen in place.

"You..."

"That kid went and met the Black Dragon. The whole incident was triggered when the Black Dragon sensed his presence. And to avoid a bigger mess, the kid went to meet him properly."

Hermes couldn’t breathe for a second. Seriously—how long had he been out of the loop for things to escalate this far?

"That kid asked the Black Dragon a lot of things—even about Behemoth, Leviathan, and the Black Dragon itself. He dug into the reason for their existence. And the truth he uncovered... was terrifying. Turns out Behemoth, Leviathan, and the Black Dragon were all created by the world itself."

"Just like we gods can’t kill them—they can’t kill us either."

"But if we, as gods, fail to raise the children of Genkai to surpass them... then the world will reshuffle both us gods and the mortals. History will reset. We’ll be forced to experience it all over again."

"But... when it restarts, will we still be the same?"

Loki looked at Hermes with a quiet intensity.

Hermes pulled his hat down, expression dark.

"Never."

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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