CHAPTER 615

【 GATE OF REVERSAL AND CRADLE OF ORIGIN 】

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The sphere flickered unceasingly as Barolte, the God of Craftsmanship and Construction, began to reveal the secret of the Stone Gate:

“The Gate of Reversal is an ancient divine artifact that I brought back from the tomb of the King of the Titans.

This artifact possesses extraordinary power. Once opened, it allows its wielder to connect to any place, whether it be the Heavenly Realm, the Abyss, the Realm of Seigües, or even the Netherworld. So long as the wielder holds the exact coordinates, they may, in theory, come and go freely to such places.

Of course, the prerequisite is that you must possess sufficient divine power to operate it.

I suspect that this artifact is in fact the manifestation of the very Law of ‘Gate’ itself.

However, do not be deceived by the Titans reliefs engraved upon it. Those were merely added on later. The Gate was once under the control of the Titan King and they used it in war against the Dragons. As for its true origins… it predates the Titans by far.

Through the Laws of Construction which I govern, I somewhat traced its origin and discovered that it has existed for at least three hundred million years… perhaps this artifact is even older than the age of the universe itself.

It is highly likely that it was crafted by the Creator of the Universe.

Indeed, you heard me—the Creator.

After obtaining the Gate of Reversal, I once entered the Cradle of Origin. There, I confirmed that our universe truly does have a Creator— not the fictitious figure born from the imagination of the Ancient Gods, but a real, living being.

Therefore, I prefer to call the Gate of Reversal the Artifact of Creation.”

Barolte’s voice echoed within Eve’s soul. Her eyes slowly widened, for the secrets he revealed far exceeded her imagination.

“So… this universe was indeed created by an actual being. I had thought the term ‘Genesis Era’ merely referred to the age when the universe began. I never imagined that ‘Genesis’ was meant in the most literal sense…

And the universe is less than three hundred million years old? I had thought the Genesis Era occurred billions of years ago, yet in truth it is even younger than Earth…

It seems this otherworldly universe I reincarnated into still hides many secrets.”

Evé sighed softly.

“But then, what exactly is the Cradle of Origin? I know that Seigües is the oldest realm in this universe, sometimes even called the Realm of Origins. Could that place somehow be connected to the World of Seigües?”

“Also, I know for a fact that every divine artifact is not named arbitrarily, as the name it is given carries a deeper meaning tied to its function. Yet the name of this artifact, Gate of Reversal does not seem to match its abilities…”

As these thoughts raced through her mind, Eve’s curiosity only deepened.

She cast another glance at the Gate of Reversal, then placed her hand upon the radiant sphere once more to hear the remainder of Barolte’s message.

“My friend, I shall now tell you the method to use the Gate of Reversal.”

Upon hearing this, Eve’s expression grew solemn as she listened intently.

Then, the ancient voice spoke again, reciting a difficult and obscure incantation.

It was a language Eve had never encountered before, yet it felt strangely familiar.

No, it was not the language itself per se, but certain words within it. They appeared to be derived from Elven tongue, though far more archaic.

What surprised her further was that the cadence of the chant seemed to carry traces of other languages as well. She recognized some similarities between the Dragon Language and even the Titan Language, both of which she had learned through the inheritance of the World Tree. 𝐑𝐚₦𝐨βЕṢ

Without a doubt, this was a language deeply attuned to mana. Its effect was immense, for even by merely listening, Eve could sense the surrounding mana stirring restlessly.

She realized that to recite the spell in full and without error would require a being of at least demigod rank.

“What language is this? Was it created by the Creator? Or was it the language that the Creator Himself once spoke? Elvish, Draconic, and Titan—three of the great old languages all share traces of its syllables. Could this truly be the origin of every magical language in the universe?”

Stunned, Evé pondered the meaning of the incantation.

“For now, I should simply commit the incantation to memory. The answer these questions can be sought out later.”

Suppressing her curiosity, she carefully memorized the method to activate the Gate of Reversal.

The sphere of divine power continued to flicker, and the ancient voice spoke again:

“My friend, using the Gate of Reversal requires not only the incantation but also a vast amount of energy. This energy may take the form of divine power, life force, or even soul essence.

The cost entirely depends on the destination. The more distant and difficult the location is, the greater the energy required.

If the energy is insufficient, then the Gate will simply not open.”

Barolte’s voice grew solemn as he continued with repeated warnings and instructions. Yet after a while, his tone deepened, carrying an almost foreboding weight:

“My friend, if you ever hear strange voices while using the Gate of Reversal, do not, under any circumstances, attempt to probe them.

Especially… if a voice calls out to you, whispering of the “Cradle of Origin,” and claiming it can guide you there…

No matter how powerful your curiosity, no matter how irresistible the temptation, you must not utter the incantation, nor attempt to use the Gate to set foot in the Cradle of Origin.”

The Cradle of Origin!

At this repeated mention, Evé fixed her full attention on every word, her expression tightening in concentration.

But then, Barolte’s voice began to waver. Distortion and static seeped into the message, as though some hidden force was deliberately interfering, drowning his words in fragments of broken echoes:

“The Cradle… therein… lies the secret… of the cosmos… a place more perilous… than the Abyss itself… it will inevitably… corrupt… your very soul…

Remember… you must… never enter… not until… you ascend power… greater divine…

Tell… the Mother of All Gods…

Beware… the Divine Human Coalition…

Tell…His Maje….Lord Dorft…

Must… protect… World Tree…

She… is not only… the end…”

She… is also… the future…

True gods… have no future…

She… alone… is…hope…”

Finally, the voice faded completely as the sphere slowly dissolved into nothingness.

Evé fell silent, her heart churning with turbulent waves.

“The Cradle of Origin? The secret of the Universe itself? A place said to be more perilous than even the Abyss?

What kind of place could that be? What purpose does it serve? And what exactly is this so-called secret of the Universe?

And furthermore… what does it mean that the World Tree is both the end and the future? What does it mean that true gods have no future?

Barolte must have uncovered truths about the World Tree, perhaps even its most fundamental mysteries. If I am not mistaken, he must have learned of them within that so-called Cradle of Origin.

Until I attain the strength of a great divine power, I must not recklessly set foot in that place…

Still, if my judgment is correct, then the secret of the Universe itself must also be closely entwined with the World Tree.”

Reflecting on the words she had just heard, Evé fell into deep thought.

After some consideration, she resolved to test the Gate of Reversal first, to observe how it would function firsthand.

With that decision, Evé extended her hand to the Gate, channeling some of her divine power into it. She fixed the coordinates to a location just beyond the palace walls, and began to chant the obscure incantation.

As she did so, the Gate of Reversal radiated with a shimmering brilliance and the scene within it suddenly shifted.

The interior of the palace vanished, replaced by a new scenery beyond its walls.

“Looks like it has connected successfully.”

Evé gave a slight nod of approval.

But at that very moment, she suddenly heard a faint, indistinct voice whispering in her ear.

The sound was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, both sounding ethereal and elusive, its source impossible to discern.

She could not understand the words, yet some of the syllables faintly resembled the incantation she had used to open the Gate.

The voice repeated itself again and again, as though striving to convey a single unchanging message.

Unfortunately, she could not comprehend it.

And recalling Barolte’s warning, she dared not probe it to trace where this enigmatic voice came from.

True gods possess an innate sense of danger. Between Barolte’s warnings and her own perception, Evé could faintly feel the presence of a threat.

If she were to extend her power into it, even if she did not fear the Abyss’s corruption, she might still encounter some force far beyond her ability to resist.

Yet after the strange voice had echoed by her ear several times, another whisper emerged, faint but unmistakable.

This time, she understood it.

It was a phrase, repeated over and over in both Titan-tongue and Dragon-speech. Its meaning was simple:

The Cradle of Origin.

Alongside it came a new incantation—directions on how to reach that place.

“So this is the method Barolt spoke of… the way to enter the Cradle of Origin?”

A surge of curiosity welled up within her, and Evé nearly began to recite it.

But she quickly restrained herself.

“It is enough to know that this is the key to the Cradle of Origin. If I truly speak it aloud, I may not be able to resist the urge to cross over.

Barolte warned me not to recite it, and there must be a reason why. Until I advance into greater divine power, I must remain cautious.”

She silently admonished herself.

After steadying her emotions, her thoughts drifted to an earlier conversation with the Ancestral Dragon:

“Her Majesty Urinos once told me that only when I achieve greater divine power will I begin to sense certain things. Could she have been referring to the Cradle of Origin?

It seems inevitable that I must one day make the journey there.”

“Greater divine power…”

Closing her eyes, Evé examined her own divine rank, and sighed inwardly.

Even if she were to convert all the corrupted divine power and demonic life force she had gained from this campaign into her own strength, the divine power she would gain would only amount to little more than twenty thousand points—which was still far short of the thirty thousand required for the threshold of greater divine power.

“I must ascend as soon as possible. Once I reach the rank of greater divine power, I must set foot in that place called Cradle of Origin. I have a strong premonition that many of the doubts and mysteries that have lingered since my reincarnation may find their answers there…

Ten thousand points of divine power… Sigh. I should spread the players across the world to hunt more demons and gather energy for me. At the same time, I must also prepare carefully for the Demon Crusade that will happen one year from now.

The number of players can be expanded further. The more there are, the greater the efficiency. In addition, I can loosen the restrictions on silver-rank advancement.

But only to an extent. Supporting hundreds of thousands of silver-ranked players still places a heavy burden on my divine power, especially since they are… rather reckless in how they use their power.

Once I truly ascend to greater divine power, then I can fully open the silver-rank to everyone.

The upcoming Crusade will undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity to accelerate the growth of my divine power. Now that I possess the Gate of Reversal, I might even be able to project part of my true body and unleash my domain upon the battlefield!

If that becomes possible, hunting down evil gods and demon lords will be way much easier.

However, it is a pity that my true form is still too deeply bound to the world of Seigües. Until I completely sever my ties with its core, I cannot forcibly leave. Otherwise… with the Gate of Reversal, I could have directly shifted my real body’s location.

So it seems that, going forward, I must not only strengthen myself but also attempt to detach my body from the core of Seigües.

Though remaining bound to the world’s core allows me to draw more energy from the void through its gravitational force, my safety must always come first.

As for accumulating energy, I can simply let the players collect it on my behalf.

I must always have an escape route once my true form is revealed. To drag the entire realm of Seigües into mutual destruction should remain only the very last resort.

Thus, in summary, there are three tasks I must accomplish.

First, expand the number of players and raise my strength as swiftly as possible.

Second, detach my true body from the core of Seigües, so that I may rely on the Gate of Reversal as a path of escape if needed.

Third, once I ascend to greater divine power, I must journey to the Cradle of Origin and uncover its secrets.

Of course, before undertaking any of this, I must first complete Barolte’s request and ask Dorft to repair the Withering Heart.”

Having settled on her course of action, Evé withdrew the divine power sustaining the Gate of Reversal.

As the flow of divinity ceased from the artifact, the scenery within the arch gate slowly faded, and once more it became nothing more than an ordinary Stone Gate.

At that very moment, faint cries of battle and the clash of weapons drifted from outside the palace.

Sensing it briefly, Evé was surprised.

“The players’ speed is remarkable. I did not expect them to chase the demons here so quickly.”

Indeed, it was a pursuit.

In her perception, the demons who had, only days earlier, been so arrogant and overbearing were now being hounded like cornered prey by the overly excited players.

By now the once vast demon horde had already collapsed.

As for the surviving demon kings, they had been slain one after another under the combined assault of the players and dwarves, reduced into nothing more than precious contribution points.

Watching their growing fervor, Eve’s expression turned strange.

“As expected, what the players enjoy most is striking down a fallen enemy.”

With another act of will, she retrieved the Gate of Reversal entirely. Then, before the players arrived, she departed from the ancient dwarven palace.

Once the gate was sealed away, the blood-sacrifice array on the ground was also destroyed. The abyssal power accumulated within the palace immediately began to dissipate.

Samael’s incarnation had fallen.

The blood-sacrifice array had been destroyed.

The demon horde was routed.

Thus, at this point, their side’s victory was a foregone conclusion.

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