In the farthest north of the Divine Realm.
This was the border where the Pantheon, a gathering of gods from different realms, and the territories of native gods met—a forsaken land.
The sky above the Pantheon was as dark and blood-red as a hell conjured by humans, while the realm of the native gods was bathed in the most perfect twilight.
Beneath this desolate landscape, a man with his long black hair tied up scanned the surroundings with a skewed gaze.
"Damn it, I've killed so many, and yet this is all the territory we've managed to secure?"
It was Lark, who had now been living in the Divine Realm for eleven years.
An ominous wind from the direction of the Pantheon blew past him, causing his long hair to flutter in the void.
His unaged, beautiful appearance and the immense aura, incomparable to when he was in the human realm, starkly revealed that he was no ordinary being.
"I'm pissed off enough to be deceived by those swindlers, damn it!"
Here, 'swindlers' referred to Nyx and several other native gods.
Lark had thought that Nyx's mention of 'sleeping' meant just literally going to sleep.
So, he thought comfortably to myself, 'Oh, is breaking a divine contract that simple? Were those guys actually good after all?'
But what did Nyx say on my first day in the divine realm?
"Ah, that? I just didn't want to explain. How can you break a divine contract in your sleep?"
They explained that there was only one way to annul a divine contract.
"If you become a true god, the divine contract cannot be maintained."
Asking me to become a god if I wanted to quit being a divine vessel, what kind of word play is this?
"What god, you bunch of con artists!"
Unable to contain his anger, Lark violently pulled out a huge greatsword that was casually stuck in the ground nearby.
How extraordinary the sword was as a holy weapon wasn't particularly important.
Once again, he swung the sword broadly horizontally towards the monsters pouring in from another world.
Kwaaaaa-!
Then, the monsters flying in from afar like dark clouds turned into corpses and fell to the ground with a thud.
Although he was still only a demigod, he had been a monster with power rivaling that of a god since his time as a divine vessel, boasting overwhelming might.
If he truly becomes a god, all the gods related to war and battle would be reduced in rank.
"Let's go home!"
Lark was extremely angry because the domain of the Pantheon had not shrunk in the 10 years since he promised his daughter.
As the influence of the Pantheon decreased, divinity accumulated within him, and he was to become a complete god.
At that moment, the Grand Celestial, riding on a cloud, crashed down from the sky.
"Calm down, Lark."
The Grand Celestial, notorious for his bad temper, clicked his tongue at Lark's brutality.
Beside him appeared a middle-aged woman with flowing dark hair. It was Nyx, the goddess of the night.
"That's what I'm saying. You're so brutal that the external gods keep sending only small fries and hiding themselves."
The way to reduce the domain of the Pantheon was simple. It involved slaying the gods belonging to it.
However, as gods from other realms were reluctant to face Lark, they kept pouring out their minions endlessly, thus needlessly delaying time.
"Damn it, how is that my fault? Those goddamned bastards. It's all because they're just insignificant gods!"
Lark spat out curses anxiously as he looked around. His eyes blazed with the determination to destroy any god that came in his way.
Nyx, while sighing outwardly, was filled with remorse inside.
'How anxious must our child be, waiting for daddy to come?'
Her heart clenched every time she heard prayers for her father's safety directed at her.
But in the realm of gods, strict laws existed.
'If only Lark could accumulate enough divine power, I could use it to break the avatar contract and send him back to the human world.'
But no matter how much he scoured the northernmost reaches, he was only accumulating minor divine power, far less than what was needed to kill a major figure.
"I guess I'll have to storm the pantheon. I'll kill anyone in my way."
As Lark ground his teeth, Nyx pleaded with him to reconsider.
"That would be suicide, remember?"
That's when it happened.
"…Just now, did I sense a significant amount of divine power?"
Odin appeared beside Nyx, remarking.
"It's the human world. An external god is present in the human realm."
"It definitely wasn't the aura of an incarnation, right? The main body must have descended, deceiving our eyes."
All around them, various indigenous gods began to reveal themselves. It was indeed a tremendous sight, but Lark was only infuriated.
There was only one reason for an external god to have infiltrated the human world.
'They want to incite chaos among humans.'
Gods cannot freely move in and out of the human world. That's why even Nyx could only descend for a very short time by borrowing Cesare's body.
In such cases, creating powerful incarnations to annihilate them was the usual method, but it was inevitable that the human world would be turned upside down in the process.
Lark looked around the assembly and realized that this was an opportunity.
"I'll go."
Then Odin countered.
"It's against the law. You don't yet possess the divine status to achieve what you desire."
"So, should we all just die? If the human world collapses, the divine realm is next. Why else would an external god hide in the human world?"
The collapse of the human world would definitely affect the divine realm. All dimensions are organically intertwined, after all.
"Then, the masters of this world would no longer be you, but the gods of the Pantheon. Isn't that right?"
At those words, Nyx let out a pained groan.
There was nothing wrong in Lark's words.
However, adhering to the laws was extremely important. They were fundamentally different from the laws of humans.
"Well, breaking a law and causing some damage to the divine realm might be better than blowing up the human world, right? Plus, the cost would be much cheaper since I'm still only a demigod."
Lark thrust his sword into the ground and crossed his arms in a slouching stance. His attitude was irredeemably delinquent.
"Should I go, or not?"
The gods found it difficult to make a hasty decision.
If the law is broken, the divine realm would, simply put, receive 'divine punishment'. The thought of restoring it was already tiresome.
Lark kindly alleviated their dilemma.
"Of course, I'll go regardless of what you guys decide. So, make up your mind. I'll give you 5 seconds. 5."
"Just a moment, give us some time to think..."
"4."
"This rascal..."
"3."
"Alright! I got it!"
The gods looked at Lark with weary eyes.
What kind of creature is that?
That was the look in their eyes.
Lark boldly scolded the gods.
"Do you know what it's like to be a father? My child is waiting for me alone at home!"
The gods became uneasy.
Of course, that was understandable...
Most of the gods knew Navia, and some even liked her.
They always looked at Lark and lamented how the heavens could be so indifferent, wondering how such a beautiful child could have a man like him as a father.
"Then, let's start the deal. Avatar Lark, come here."
Lark walked to the center of the circle formed by the gods surrounding him. His entire body was enveloped in a rising golden divinity, like smoke lifting from below to above.
"In recognition of your efforts in thwarting the invasion of the Pantheon, as compensation, the contract with 'Azathoth' will be severed, and you will be acknowledged as a new god in this world."
It meant recognizing Lark's existence from a 'demi-god' to a full 'god'.
Lark's divine power, which had been accumulating, was insufficient, causing the ground to thump and crack open around him.
The gods, having anticipated this situation, swiftly drew upon their divine power to restore the landscape.
"Furthermore, in accordance with the contract, your divinity will be reclaimed and you shall return to the mortal realm."
Lark felt the divinity that had filled his entire being fading away.
Even as his divinity disappeared, having once been a complete god, he couldn't revert to being a mere human.
Instead, he had become stronger and more overwhelming than when he was an incarnation. Frankly, it seemed questionable to send him back to the mortal realm in this state.
But the gods had their faith.
‘Navia will handle that blockhead somehow.’
Their belief was firm.
Lark paced anxiously. Worried about Navia's safety, he found the news of trouble in the mortal realm unbearable.
If Nyx remained silent, it likely meant Navia was safe, but the mere fact of trouble in the mortal realm was infuriating.
"Don't forget to send me down right in front of that foreign god."
"Just kill him."
Lark responded disinterestedly to Nyx's plain farewell.
"Sure."
They parted cleanly, both thoroughly sick of each other, after stepping on the land of the human realm for the first time in 11 years since leaving the divine realm.
They discovered Niratoinira. It had been hiding in Ares' body. That's why it hadn't been detected in the human realm until now.
But none of that mattered at the moment.
Kwaang!
Ares was sent flying backwards as if hit by a giant mace, struck by Lark's fist.
The stone wall he crashed into shattered to pieces, a testament to Lark's tremendous strength.
The black domain created by Niratoinira was also torn apart, unable to withstand Lark's power.
"Who... are you...?"
Lark lifted Ares by the head, his eyes half-crazed with a murderous glare.
"Did this bastard dare to touch my daughter?"
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