Chapter 425: The Vastness of the Underground City
The Wolf God feared that one from the Church of the Sanctuary, but he was even more terrified of this Original Sin: Pride.
After all, the former obeyed order and was willing to maintain it. He could also complete Unification at any time, and by then, whether the Wolf God existed or not would make no difference.
But these Original Sins were purely self-centered. Their actions had no fixed standard. One might simply exist in this world and incur their hatred, leading to death in silence.
Just like now, even though he merely sensed the presence of the unseen Original Sin: Pride, who could say whether that Pride had already taken action against him in some unseen way?
The Wolf God remained extremely vigilant and said, “Who knows whether that being is raising us like livestock, just as Pegira once did, just as we treat our followers and those humans.”
“Yes. Who else but him can know the future?” Pride spoke. “So we must act more aggressively to force him—either to unify quickly or to bear the wrath of all the Divine Figures. We must dismantle his faith and ultimately erase his existence.”
The Wolf God looked up. Though the number had dwindled compared to a few days ago, Streams of Light still streaked across the sky.
He sneered and said, “Is this the ‘wrath’ you mean?”
Pride replied, “That’s the doing of Wrath and Gluttony, nothing to do with me.”
“When I saw those Primordial Pillar Gods only watching and not revealing themselves, I knew then—they would never deplete the Holy Spear he left behind by relying on other Divine Figures.”
“Those Pillar Gods are arrogant, yes, but also cowardly. Still, I must admit, the fact that they could steal Primordial Divinity from the Primordial Gods proves they’re no fools. Meanwhile, you Divine Figures, who received the spark of faith from them, have all been lost to power, yet they alone retained their original will.”
“Even if that will now barely holds on, it’s still enough to show their strength.”
The Wolf God said, “But none of those Divine Figures can shake the Holy Spear. Why seek me out? Even among Divine Figures, I, a Race God, am of the weaker sort. Not to mention my followers.”
Pride had come to inform him that the being of the Church of the Sanctuary was temporarily restrained and wanted the Wolf God to unleash the followers imprisoned and bred beneath the Underground City to attack the Church.
The Wolf God understood clearly—this was an attempt to destroy that being’s foundation before his return.
But who could say whether that being, having left behind the Holy Spear, had not prepared some contingency?
Thus, the Wolf God refused to go, and this Original Sin: Pride dared not appear there either.
In truth, the Wolf God had already agreed inwardly, knowing full well that Pride hadn’t given him the option to refuse.
After all, those followers were already discarded, no longer of use.
To those followers, he was their merciful and mighty Wolf God, but in the Wolf God’s eyes, they were merely anchors and tools of war.
Even if millions died, the Wolf God could recover their numbers in just a few short years.
At most, the quality of the materials affected their strength.
And unfortunately, those followers in the Northwind Mountains had originally been mere tools shaped from mud by their progenitors.
Only those entrenched in places like Blackrock Point were creations their progenitors had put real effort into.
The ones in Talle were barely worthy of being called real followers—true races, capable of reproduction and class ascension.
And even they had only been created under the subtle pressure of that being’s presence.
Still, the idea of consuming all the followers beneath Greenwood in one go made the Wolf God feel it was a loss.
So he wanted to negotiate with Pride—to have the other Race Progenitors ascend to godhood as well.
In terms of power, he could look down on them. But with his faith restricted, he couldn't fully dominate.
And those Streams of Light overhead seemed to represent the final destination of the gods—that terrified the Wolf God.
Therefore, he didn’t want the progenitors to keep subtly rejecting him.
The one from the Church had already preached in the Holy Scriptures that “Gods are unnecessary.”
Because of this, the progenitors who recited the Scriptures with the Wolf God came to believe that, by measure of who should die first, the Wolf God clearly preceded them.
And so, the Wolf God, who existed outside their class hierarchy, was subtly excluded.
He didn’t care for their rejection.
Those yet to ascend could never see far enough ahead.
The Wolf God had waited for a long time, hoping they’d eventually ascend. Then, the Race Gods could form an alliance and claim a foothold when the Divine Figures returned.
But seeing the sky now, the return of the gods seemed impossible.
This heightened his vigilance.
He no longer wanted to wait. He needed the progenitors to ascend now. Only then could he feel a sliver of safety.
After all, with only himself as a god, the target on him was far too obvious.
It would be difficult for him to accomplish this. But for Pride, it would be easy.
Yet Pride paid no mind to his conditions, only said, “Do you think you have a choice?”
“And the only reason I speak to you like this is because you’re one of the few gods left on this land. If you still wish to bargain, then your own existence can serve as a condition, and another version of you can carry this out.”
As Pride’s voice fell, the Wolf God suddenly felt a new, separate presence emerge in his consciousness.
It seemed to be a new Wolf God, now bearing an utterly arrogant posture, as if to say, “If you’re too afraid, then step aside and let me do it.”
The Wolf God’s fur bristled, and his body trembled.
Such was the power of the Original Sins.
So long as there was conscious life, they could invade, silently nurturing a new will that could replace the original at any moment.
The Wolf God clenched his fangs, blood dripping from his mouth. He wanted to curse out loud and fight back.
His blood boiled, instincts urging him on, as though they had been awakened.
But in the end, he suppressed his trembling, forcing a sycophantic smile onto his fierce face.
He said, “Yes, you’re right. I truly have no choice. I will obey your command. I’ll let the followers beneath Greenwood surge forth and slaughter all, until none are left alive.”
“It’s what the people of Greenwood deserve. They treated our Underground City as a breeding ground. How many followers have they flayed, drained, and killed over the years?”
“But they’re—fools. They’ll never know how vast the Underground City truly is. What they see is just a tiny corner. If we fully unleash it, the city is nearly ten times the size of Greenwood. The humans have only dug into a small portion beneath the Northwind Mountains. How could they understand how my followers dug deep to escape the Morning Star overhead?”
He nearly said “Pride” aloud.
He finally remembered—this being he conversed with was the Original Sin: Pride.
The Wolf God continued, “Over ten million of my followers will flood the surface. And beyond them, tens of millions more from other followers will join.”
“With such numbers, unless some being uproots Greenwood and everything several kilometers below it, nothing can stop them.”
“But the Lord loves the world, so I believe that being wouldn’t perform such a world-ending act.”
“Excellent,” Pride replied with satisfaction. “But as I’ve said, he is restrained—for now. Perhaps he will break free one day, but that will take at least three years. You have three years to let your followers wipe out everyone in Greenwood.”
“Oh, and not just Greenwood. The Northern Regions, the Woodlands too. Even if they haven’t formally established faith in him, they still bear the seeds. So, they must die as well.”
“Don’t just kill them. Make sure your followers devour every inch of their flesh. If you're going to do something, do it thoroughly.”
The Wolf God responded, “The soil in the Northern Regions is all permafrost—too barren to dig out any subterranean world to sustain followers.”
“Fool. Do you think only humans can walk the earth?” Pride reprimanded him arrogantly.
The Wolf God shrank back, tucked his tail, and pressed his ears flat against his skull, replying meekly, “You’re right. I’ll make sure the followers devour everyone in Greenwood—no, not just the people, but the birds, the trees, the insects, the grass—everything. I’ll have them chew up the very land itself.”
“I believe when that being returns and sees this sight, he’ll be quite surprised.”
Pride’s voice carried satisfaction. “Good. You should know your place.”
“And as your reward for obedience, I’ll show you the consequences of ascending to godhood on this land.”
As Pride’s voice faded, a surge of powerful energy pulsed through the air.
It came from the direction of the Three-Eyed Giant—and it was a Divine Ascension.
Was it through faith, or by race?
The Wolf God only dwelled on it briefly before dismissing the thought.
Both paths took time.
To ascend merely by speaking—despite how close the Three-Eyed Giant was to the threshold—this had to be an extraordinary method.
A method beyond the Wolf God’s comprehension.
Soon, the energy faded, replaced by rising fury.
But before the fury could erupt, a Stream of Light streaked through the sky and snatched the Three-Eyed Giant away. Even the aftermath nearly destroyed a third of the Continent of Talle, killing countless lives.
“You should be grateful,” Pride exclaimed theatrically. “You’ve refrained from displaying divine power. That’s the only reason the Holy Spear hasn’t taken you.”
The Wolf God’s legs trembled. His tail tucked tighter.
“Hah, don’t bother pretending. To me, you’re like dust. No matter how humble you act, it won’t conceal your inner fury—and your fury doesn’t excite me,” Pride mocked.
“Remember, carry out my orders—and do it quickly.”
Pride departed, leaving the Wolf God still shaking in fear.
He remained like that until he faintly sensed the anxious thoughts of the other Race Progenitors, and finally regained himself.
His legs steadied. His tail lashed the ground like a steel whip, leaving a deep mark. A low, angry growl rumbled from his throat.
Suddenly, his stomach bulged, swelling upward into his chest, then his throat, before expelling a flesh lump from his mouth.
The lump twitched eagerly. A small wolf paw tore through, revealing a little werewolf.
The instant it emerged, the pup's gaze brimmed with pride. Even facing the Wolf God, that arrogance didn’t diminish.
It opened its mouth to speak—
The Wolf God crushed it underfoot.
His leg fur seemed to come alive, rapidly growing and absorbing the bloody remains.
From afar, a figure flew swiftly—it was the Vampire Progenitor.
He could have teleported. But sometimes, a showy arrival was more prudent—allowing time for the other to deal with inconvenient matters.
Before he could speak, the Wolf God interrupted him.
“The Original Sin ordered us to unleash the followers beneath Greenwood—to devour all of Greenwood and the Northern Regions,” said the Wolf God.
The Vampire furrowed his brows.
“We just stabilized here. And now we’re to mobilize those weapons of war and provoke that being?” he said.
Originally, they created followers to serve certain Divine Figures—tools, either for combat or administrative tasks.
For slaughter alone, divine will was more efficient.
But once they occupied a land, the Divine Figures desired faith from the living there. Wiping them all out ran counter to that interest.
After several continent-wide wars, they had no choice but to live with these weapons.
Only when war ceased did those weapons become followers.
Because at that point, followers had more value than weapons.
But now, for abandoned followers, weapons were worth more again.
“You think we have a choice?” the Wolf God asked.
“The Three-Eyed One is proof. Pride said a few words to me, and the Giant was erased. Had they not already transitioned their followers into a proper race, the whole Three-Eyed Giant species might’ve vanished.”
“So, do we really have a choice against those mighty Original Sins?”
The Vampire Progenitor fell silent. At last, he said, “I’ll summon them to gather inside the belly of the Talle Behemoth. Since we’ve allied here in Talle, we’ll face this together.”
The Wolf God nodded. “Indeed. Against beings so great, weaklings like us must band together to survive.”
The Vampire Progenitor gave no further reply. He spread his flesh wings and flew off.
Left behind, the Wolf God stood silently for a long time.
Then, with resolve in his eyes, a faint light flickered.