Chapter 235 - New Followers

    (Lance Ashford POV)

    Here I knelt, pressing my forehead against divine ground - something unimaginable mere hours ago when I worshipped only at Solarus''s statues.

    "You delivered me from darkness, granted me new hope. Please accept me as your faithful servant!" My forehead pressed deeper into the earth, my whole being focused on this moment of supplication.

    His silence weighed heavy as He observed me. Though His divine veil concealed His face, I could feel His gaze piercing through me - not just reading my thoughts, but examining my very soul. Every secret, every memory lay bare before His divine scrutiny.

    A shiver ran down my spine. I''d be lying to claim I felt no fear. To be examined by a being powerful enough to casually negate an Abyssal Tier artifact''s curse... the experience chilled me to my core.

    Though His healing brought peace, anxiety still coursed through me. He hadn''t cured me from simple kindness - He wanted my faith. Yet even knowing this, His presence pressed down on me like a physical weight.

    Finally, He spoke.

    "I am very pleased."

    I dared not lift my head from the ground.

    "Solarus is nothing but a false god. Here in this gods'' realm, that kid Solarus was nothing but a weakling."

    His words sent fresh tremors through my body.

    Kid? He calls Solarus a child? Just how ancient is this being?

    Though freed from the Staff''s curse, cold sweat beaded on my forehead.

    This god before me... He must be beyond the Three Known Gods... What manner of deity have I pledged myself to?

    "I shall accept your pledge. You are now part of my faith."

    Relief washed through me at His words.

    "Raise your head."

    As I lifted my gaze, golden light materialized before me, coalescing into a floating scroll. I stared at it, bewildered.

    "Your confusion is natural," He explained. "Every faithful follower receives this golden scroll displaying their status. Through it, you can complete tasks for Faith Points, which you may spend in the shop or use to increase your abilities. You''ll choose an entertainment-related profession, which determines your assigned tasks."

    I absorbed His words while studying the scroll before me. It showed my name and... numerical values? My eyes widened as understanding struck. This scroll quantifies my exact capabilities! What manner of divine artifact is this?

    [You received your first mission!]

    [Mission: Return to the Solarus Church, with your teammates, pretending you destroyed the Dionysus cult. Act as a continuing Solarus devotee and serve as a spy.

    First Task: Return to Angel City Church with your team. Reward: 50 FP

    "L-lord Ashford!" Jier stumbled backward. "Are you... yourself again?" Fear trembled in his voice.

    The others maintained their distance, clearly terrified that Lance still carried the Staff''s corruption.

    "Peace, my friends. The Staff no longer holds me," Lance assured them, though they listened with obvious suspicion.

    ***

    (3rd Person POV)

    Jier and his companions stood stunned as Lance explained everything - how this god had purged his corruption and then resurrected them all.

    The tale seemed impossible, yet their own memories confirmed it. They remembered dying at Lance''s hands, felt the fatal wounds. Now they stood whole, breathing, in the divine territory of Dionysus himself.

    Their worldview crumbled and reformed. Beyond Solarus, Luna, and the Craft God lay other deities - powerful ones like Dionysus, whose realm they now occupied. Everything they''d believed about divine hierarchy suddenly seemed incomplete.

    The proof stood before them - not just in their resurrection, but in the overwhelming divine presence that permeated this realm. They''d awakened to a larger world than they''d ever imagined existing.

    "Your world acknowledges only three ''known'' gods - Solarus of Light, Luna of Night, and the Craft God of Creation. Yet other deities exist beyond mortal recognition," Arthur spoke with calculated authority, watching his audience drink in every word.

    "Today I reveal myself to you," he continued, subtle amusement in his voice. "Soon enough, I shall take my place among your world''s ''known gods.''"

    Lance and his companions exchanged meaningful glances.

    "My lord," Lance knelt deeper, "I swear the world will know you. The ''Three Known Gods'' shall become four, with Dionysus among them."

    His companions stared in shock at their captain''s submission before dropping to their knees beside him.

    Arthur smiled as his following grew, watching status scrolls materialize before each new convert.

    After further instruction, he sent them back to Angel City.

    ---

    The Dionysus headquarters erupted in panic at a sudden shout: "The invaders have returned!"

    Joshua, Elena, and the followers turned to face the threat, only to see Lance and his men approaching with open hands.

    "Fear not! We now serve your god - our god!" Lance announced.

    Disbelief rippled through the crowd as Lance explained his conversion. "I have met Lord Dionysus himself," he declared. "He dwells in the gods realm, veiled in mystery and wielding power beyond comprehension. He restored my fallen men to life! His might surpasses even Solarus!"

    Gasps echoed through the underground chamber. The followers stared in amazement - a Champion of Solarus, one of their greatest enemies, now proclaimed Dionysus''s supremacy. Such a conversion defied imagination.

    The revelation that their god had personally intervened, even resurrecting the dead, sent whispers of awe through the gathering. Their faith, already strong, grew deeper with each detail of Lance''s testimony.