The crowd was cheering, and the castle was no exception, as Theresa, the new queen, became the center of attention at the banquet, sitting in the seat that the old king usually occupied, clad in a splendid golden armor different from the old king's iron clumps, hers a mix of metal and fabric.
Shedding her hunter's wild attire for new clothes, Theresa looked like a completely different person. The old king sat to Theresa's right, while Bexia was brought to sit on her left.
A huge snake was roasting over a massive bonfire, being rolled over by dozens of strong men, filling the air with a rich, enticing aroma.
"Hmm?!" Bexia took a couple sips of wine absentmindedly and suddenly frowned, looking up at the sky. He glanced at Theresa and said, "I'll be back in a moment!"
"Bexia, may I accompany you?" The old king stood up. Though he didn't know what Bexia was up to, he was curious to find out.
"Your Majesty..." Theresa was puzzled. Why was everyone leaving one by one? How was she supposed to handle the courtiers by herself?
"You stay here!" The old king reassured Theresa and quickly followed Bexia's steps.
Outside the Gaal Castle, a figure emerged on the scorched earth struck by lightning, donned in a snowy white robe. Despite appearing elderly, his complexion was rosy, giving off a youthful vigor.
The white-robed old man knelt down and picked up a piece of scorched earth, feeling the lingering power within. His brow furrowed slightly as he sensed footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, he faced Bexia and the old king.
"Who are you? Why can't I see your fate?" The white-robed old man frowned more deeply as he looked at Bexia.
"Fate?" Bexia scoffed at the word. "You can see fate?"
"Mortal! Even if you're a great sorcerer who slew two insignificant deities, that doesn't give you the audacity to challenge the god of destiny, Balas, in front of me!" The white-robed old man glared at Bexia with fury in his eyes.
"I find this world quite amusing. A bunch of insignificant ants like you all adorn yourselves with the title of gods, daring to claim control over destiny. It's utterly laughable," Bexia shook his head as he spoke, seemingly resigned.
"You dare to provoke the Mighty!"
"Chain of Fate!" The white-robed old man waved his hand, and several chains emanating white light emerged from his sleeves, wrapping around Bexia swiftly.
"This is the price you pay for provoking the god of fate!" The white-robed old man increased the force on the chains, attempting to crush Bexia forcibly, but to no avail.
"In that case, would you like to experience the power of a pseudo-god?" Bexia effortlessly broke free from the chains, leaving the white-robed old man in disbelief as he obliterated his upper body with a punch, leaving no trace of flesh or blood, dissipating into nothingness – merely a projection.
"These chains might come in handy..." Bexia picked up the white chains on the ground, the first true divine material he had encountered in this world.
Creating a chaotic flame in his hand, Bexia purified the essence of the chains, turning impurities into a black arrow, which he then threw into the void.
Afterwards, Bexia imbued the remaining essence with his power, enhancing its strength and crafting a gray chain over a meter long and as wide as a finger.
Not liking the color, Bexia changed it to a dazzling gold. "Deliver this to Theresa for me. Just one drop of blood will reveal its purpose!" Bexia handed the gold chain to the old king.
"Are you leaving?" The old king was shocked by Bexia's actions, taking a moment to recover before speaking.
"Not quite, I need to consult your book first," Bexia replied. He vanished from the spot, leaving the old king to ponder over the object in his hands.
Meanwhile, within a grand temple high above in the sky, an elder suddenly opened his eyes – the god of destiny who had clashed with Bexia earlier!
"How terrifying humans are, possessing such formidable power!" Balas stroked his beard, his eyes narrowed in recall of his conversation with Bexia before suddenly widening.
"He seems not to be from this world. If that's the case, I truly cannot see his fate..."
"Hmm?!" Suddenly, Balas felt a sense of impending danger, a palpitation of unease, but he shook his head. This was the realm of the sun god. Unless another deity dared to attack, how could there be a threat?
Yet in the next moment, the space behind him tore open, a pitch-black arrow piercing his body with overwhelming force, shattering his temple's roof, exploding in the high heavens of the sun god's domain, raining down a gory storm.
"Who dares to provoke me!"
A majestic voice echoed from the sun god's temple on high, sending shivers down the spines of most deities within the realm. He was the ruler of this domain, one of the three mightiest deities in the world: the Sun God King.
