Chapter 22: I Shall Spread 'Destruction' Across the World

Becoming an existence beyond the gods...

Amanisis's expression flickered slightly, as if deep in thought.

But seeing how Hermiaene was extremely wary of this matter, the deity ceased further inquiry and turned their gaze to a concealed corner, speaking of the hybrid nature of the twin-headed demonic wolf:

“This predicament is perilous, yet it brings a silver lining. Under the influence of that primordial essence, the hybrid traits have loosened. With some more time and effort, I can shatter and separate them.”

Hermiaene’s eyes brightened upon hearing this. “Oh? There’s a gain from this?”

In other words, the obstacle to Amanisis’s ascension was essentially cleared?

Yet Amanisis shook their head with a bitter smile: “After shattering, the ‘Alteration’ trait is pure. However, the ‘Calamity’ trait is entangled with many other lower-tier traits. In my current state, directly ingesting it might jeopardize my sanity.”

Amanisis’s condition was indeed problematic. Forcing the assimilation of traits to ascend was as improbable as winning a lottery jackpot.

Maintaining mental stability… Unfortunately, the video footage lacked any record of the “Calamity Knight’s” ascension ritual; otherwise, that ceremony could have been used to stabilize the self.

Hermiaene frowned thoughtfully and recalled the “Desecration Tablet” hidden within the Sea of Chaos.

That tablet must hold the Calamity Knight’s ascension rites, but Hermiaene was unsure how to connect to the Sea of Chaos. It was impossible to ask that gray-cloaked figure to glare again...

Perhaps a near-death experience could link the spirit to the Sea of Chaos;

Or maybe invoking the holy name of God or performing one of the three transition rites could establish the connection.

But Hermiaene was reluctant to try either: near-death might result in actual death, and uttering “God” again could invite even worse consequences.

She had not forgotten that she was currently following the “Visionary” path among the five great lineages, and a single misstep might cause her to echo the ancient sun god’s infamous words:

“The Primordial has awakened within me...”

After careful consideration, Hermiaene decided that without touching the Sea of Chaos or the hidden Desecration Tablet, the only way to help Amanisis stabilize their mind was through an “anchor.”

Even the currently deranged ancient gods and their demigod progeny, through a twist of fate, relied on faith as an anchor—having their tribes worship them, thus forming corresponding cognition, identity, and image to maintain a semblance of self and reason.

The “King of the Demonic Wolves,” Fregla, was the worst among the ancient gods in this respect, while the “Giant King” and the “Visionary Dragon,” among others, fared much better.

With this in mind, Hermiaene elaborated the theory of the “anchor” to Amanisis in detail.

---

“Accurate cognition from others…” Amanisis’s expression suddenly cleared. At their divine level, they vaguely recalled being the subject of prayers from other sentient beings and even bore the title “Goddess of Misfortune,” but the reasons behind this eluded them.

This was also why the faith environment in the Demonic Wolf realm was so harsh, delaying Amanisis’s profound comprehension of how belief aids in preserving rationality. Had they belonged to another race, their state would have been more stable.

After a brief pause, Hermiaene, with a hint of selfishness, subtly reminded: “Humans are actually a species capable of effectively spreading faith. It’s a pity we cannot leave the Demonic Wolf realm.”

Amanisis detected Hermiaene’s ulterior motive but shared the desire to escape the Demonic Wolf realm—not just for faith’s sake... Maintaining self-recognition as human would greatly stabilize their mental state. Though incarnated as a demonic wolf, they still identified as human.

Especially after fully grasping the foundational theory of the “anchor,” Amanisis began to contemplate cultivating faith within human tribes.

They spoke slowly: “Previously, leaving the Demonic Wolf realm seemed impossible, but now, it’s not necessarily so.”

“Hm?” Surprised and hopeful, Hermiaene looked at Amanisis. “We have a chance to escape?”

Amanisis nodded. “There is some certainty.”

Hermiaene did not know where Amanisis’s confidence stemmed from.

Following this conversation, Amanisis entered a state of elusive divine presence for some time, occasionally slipping briefly into dreams—but thankfully, each time was short-lived and they awakened clearly.

Salinger, who had suffered a loss last time, dared not “visit” again and, to avoid Amanisis’s retaliation, had disappeared to an unknown location.

Hermiaene sensed Amanisis was working on shattering the twin-headed demonic wolf’s traits.

Yet she did not understand how this related to escaping the Demonic Wolf realm.

---

The sunlight was bright.

Two extraordinary traits, each shimmering with distinct radiance, manifested before the “King of the Demonic Wolves’” palace after Amanisis withdrew their concealment.

One was pure, containing the “Alteration” ability; the other was a composite of many traits, including the “Calamity” ability.

Amanisis humbly displayed both traits before the palace.

In the blink of an eye, a massive black silhouette with demonic wolf physique surged forth like a tidal wave. Its form defied description—gazing upon it was like staring into the night itself, silent and terrifying. Sleek, translucent tentacles etched with intricate patterns writhed within the shadow, the whole resembling a walking source of frenzied corruption.

Amanisis bowed low, motionless with fear.

When the oppressive presence faded, Amanisis raised their head and saw the composite trait with “Calamity” left before the palace, feeling a slight relief.

As Amanisis expected, the “King,” driven by instinct to purify internal traits, chose the purer “Alteration” trait and rejected the complex “Calamity” trait.

Though Amanisis suspected that once the “King” truly refined and mastered the “Alteration” ability, it might covet the second path later... For now, the “King,” focused on purifying its traits, neither cared for nor accepted the “Calamity” trait.

Taking the remaining trait, Amanisis prayed inside the palace in Draconic:

“Most exalted ‘King,’ grant your humble god ‘Misfortune’ leave to seek the fulfillment of devouring desires beyond our clan. Allow your humble god ‘Misfortune’ to bring slaughter afar and spread the will of destruction upon the world...”

Before Amanisis’s prayer concluded, an impatient roar echoed from within the palace—the rare response of Fregla upon acquiring the purified trait.

The “King of the Demonic Wolves,” Fregla, understood the tongues of dragons, giants, and others. Language was trivial to such a being, as effortless as breathing, yet it failed to comprehend the purpose of communicating with other beings.

In Fregla’s indifferent divine mindset, all life except itself was destined for annihilation; all would ultimately converge upon it.

Amanisis was one of the few among the demonic wolves to surmise the “King’s” mindset, thus daring to present both separated traits before it.

The “King,” accustomed to acting purely on instinct, would not ponder how the “Goddess of Misfortune” obtained these traits—perhaps by fortunate inheritance, or other means...

It simply did not care.

Nor did it possess the reason to care during its rare lucid moments.

Having successfully acquired the traits and found a pretext to leave the Demonic Wolf realm, Amanisis exhaled in relief, a rare smile of joy gracing their face.

They were to carry this good news back home.