CHAPTER 246: THE ANOMALY

Silvanus, the one who was longed for at this very moment, appeared inside the temple of the angel Gabriel.

Outside the temple, believers and even government espers stood guard, yet not a single soul could be found within.

The temple was empty, like an endless corridor with torches high above. Looking up, a great statue stood at the highest point—an angel with a merciful face, eyes covered by cloth, yet still radiating compassion that seeped into one’s heart.

Honestly, the statue looked far too real, surpassing mere stone.

Silvanus pressed his lips together and slowly walked forward. The closer he got, the larger the statue loomed, forcing him to crane his neck to see it clearly.

At that moment, a slow voice suddenly echoed:

"To make my lord look up at me is my sin."

This voice coincided with the fleeting fragments of memory he had. Silvanus lowered his gaze and softly called,

"Gabriel."

It was as if his call triggered some hidden mechanism—the towering statue suddenly lit up, light pouring down to the ground. Beams of radiance converged and condensed into a complete form.

An angel with vast wings spread wide behind him, robes flowing long, a pure and serene face with white cloth veiling his eyes. Only the halo above his head was gone, which made Silvanus frown.

The angel’s feet could not touch this world; instead, he walked upon the air.

He tilted his head slightly toward Silvanus, his expression unnervingly calm.

"You came to find me first. I thought you would seek Raphael or Lucifer before me, my lord."

Only Gabriel knew that his hands, hidden behind his back, were clenched together so tightly it hurt—pain that kept his mind just a little clearer.

After so many years—so many that Gabriel could no longer count them—their God had finally returned.

In another world, how much pain had Silvanus endured?

Surely unbearable pain. Otherwise, he would not have dragged back a shattered soul into this world, trading it for a moment’s fleeting peace for his universe.

But Gabriel knew well—their God always sought perfection. Failing to destroy the Outer God would only prolong His nightmare.

Silvanus tilted his head slightly, puzzled.

"Why would you think I’d go to Raphael or Lucifer first?"

In the tattered fragments of memory Silvanus possessed, he felt that he must have liked Gabriel the most, and trusted Michael above all, despite Michael’s fierce demeanor.

As for Raphael and Lucifer, one always pretended to be mature, while the other was mischievous like a demon.

Why would he go looking for them when he had another choice? Hmmmm...

Perhaps sensing Silvanus’s confusion, Gabriel allowed himself a faint smile.

"Only because you have already met them. That is why I thought you would turn to them, my lord."

Silvanus raised his brows. He had already met Raphael and Lucifer? He himself had no memory of such a thing.

A thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly pushed it down. Tilting his head back slightly to look at Gabriel, he asked,

"Why is your body like this?"

Look at Gabriel—his body radiated, hazy, illusory, almost transparent light. Silvanus did not hesitate to reach out and touch him, only for his hand to pass straight through. Gabriel was like a soul, not an actual physical existence.

Gabriel spoke softly:

"After that battle, our bodies all fell and were torn apart. The longer we remain trapped in this world, the weaker our power becomes."

At first, this world was merely a small fragment within God’s universe—a relatively safe place, and the one with the most apparent connection to the path leading to God Nation. That is why the angels chose to hide here and slumber. After all, if the path back to God Nation did not reopen, they could not return regardless.

But they never expected that when the Outer God resurfaced, it would choose this tiny world as its first course of prey.

Though fate granted humanity the chance to awaken their powers, that alone was not enough. The angels could only rouse themselves to prevent this world from devouring, assisting humanity when necessary to ensure the world did not collapse too quickly—otherwise, even their faint hope of returning home would vanish.

None of them expected that God would return at this moment. Just as they had foreseen, He returned to a world that still carried remnants of the path back to God Nation—their home.

"So now, I must reopen the path to God Nation. Otherwise, one day, all of you will completely disappear?"

It was phrased as a question, but Silvanus already knew the answer.

Gabriel smiled faintly.

"Not for a long time yet, my lord. It would take thousands of years before I truly fade away."

Silvanus frowned.

"Then... since the last battle, how many years have passed?"

Gabriel paused for a moment, then said quietly,

"You’re not as adorable as you used to be, my lord."

"Everyone must grow up," Silvanus disagreed.

"How do I reopen the path back to God Nation?" Silvanus asked directly.

He knew God Nation was where he was born, his true home, and the angels’ home.

The angels had wandered for far too long—Silvanus wanted to bring them back. And that thing called the Outer God? It deserved to be kicked out of his universe!

Seeing the determination in Silvanus’s eyes, Gabriel could not help but smile faintly.

"Do not be impatient, my lord. The path back to God Nation can only be opened by you. But your soul... is too shattered as it is."

Silvanus was stunned.

"Why don’t I feel unwell, then...?"

"That is because you have not fully awakened. When you return as a true god, you will realize your shortcomings. For now, what you must do is save this world. I can see that the forces attempting to invade are already being pushed to the edge of desperation. Your chosen path will always be right, my lord—so continue forward. Save this world."

As he spoke, Gabriel’s form gradually faded, unable to hold on any longer, returning once more to slumber.

Silvanus watched the light slowly dissipate, his brows still furrowed tightly, unable to relax.

He understood Gabriel’s words, but they were also baffling.

After speaking for so long, in the end, Gabriel had only told him to keep doing what he was already doing. Yet when it came to the actual state of the universe, Gabriel fell silent and said nothing. Knowing he remembered nothing, Gabriel still seemed unwilling to tell him about the past.

And his soul was shattered? Could he have truly left something behind in his previous life?

Remembering the sensation of his throat being strangled, Silvanus furrowed his brows tightly.

Just then, he suddenly lifted his gaze, as though sensing something. At the same time, Layla’s group had arrived at Silvanus’s temple.

Drake kicked idly at the ground, bored.

"Told you, we won’t see him. What a waste of time."

"Look at Silas—his face is as white as chalk, yet he’s still less noisy than you are," Cocona mocked Drake.

"You looking for a fight today, Cocona?" Drake’s hands had been itching since morning.

Cocona only shrugged, unbothered by Drake standing on the edge of fury.

Layla glanced at them briefly before quickly saying,

"Frank has been leading a secret project involving even the government recently. I don’t know if Chairman Adonis knows it, but that project..."

"Get to the point. What project?" Drake raised his hand, cutting her off.

Layla pressed her lips together, staring at him, then said,

"I don’t know the details, but Frank kept whispering about it like a madman."

She found it strange—if it was a secret project, Frank shouldn’t have repeated it so often.

"This project claims it will replace the gods, elevating humanity’s power until eventually all of mankind becomes espers."

Her words fell like a stone, shattering the surface of a calm lake.

"All of humanity becoming espers? Impossible." Silas immediately concluded.

Drake, with no restraint, scoffed mockingly,

"Do they even realize how many humans had to fall just for a few to become espers?"

"Not to mention, after the dungeons changed, the new humans entering them didn’t even get the chance to awaken power at all," Cocona added with serious analysis.