But those altered appearances were ultimately just illusions.
Take Emroy for example—she could manifest as a towering warrior clad in armor when appearing before Rory, yet her true form remained that of a small gothic loli.
As a deity, Emroy's daily existence was largely dull, so she spent most of her time in slumber.
One of her favorite ways to pass time was observing the developments that occurred after the Gate had connected two worlds.
Of course, that didn't mean she monitored the world constantly. Only during significant or interesting events did she shift her attention there.
Originally, the event where the JSDF encountered the Flame Dragon would have been something she wouldn't miss. But due to Eriri's interference, she completely failed to detect it.
"Another batch of quality souls has arrived lately. Rory is doing as well as ever," Emroy murmured from her throne, her chin resting on her right hand as a satisfied smile appeared on her cute face.
"It's been a whole day since I last checked in on Rory. I wonder if she's made contact with anyone from the other side of the Gate."
With that thought, Emroy decided to use her connection with Rory to observe what was happening around her.
But in the very next second, her expression changed drastically.
She suddenly realized she could no longer sense her link with Rory. It was as if Rory had vanished from the world entirely.
"What is this?" Emroy sat upright, her brows furrowing deeply.
"Rory's status as an apostle hasn't disappeared, so why can't I sense her anymore? What's gone wrong..."
This was the first time something like this had happened in Emroy's long existence. She had chosen apostles before Rory, and even when they ascended to godhood, this had never occurred.
In reality, Eriri had severed Rory's link to Emroy the moment they met, effectively blocking the deity's ability to observe her.
The link wasn't entirely cut—just shielded. Eriri had done this because she wasn't yet sure if Rory would want to abandon her faith in Emroy.
If Rory's devotion remained firm, severing their bond outright would have been excessive.
Just as Emroy racked her brain for answers, a strange portal suddenly appeared less than ten meters from her throne.
To her shock, a flashy pink convertible drove out of the portal moments later.
And sitting in the passenger seat—was Rory.
The instant she saw her, Emroy focused all her attention on Rory, attempting to probe what had happened to their connection.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reestablish the link. It was just gone.
Her frown deepened.
Then, she realized her true form was now in full view.
It was too late to conceal herself—Rory was already staring directly at her. There was curiosity in her gaze, but no confusion. Clearly, she had already recognized her.
Compared to everything else, what concerned Emroy most at that moment was why Rory had emerged from that bizarre portal—and who exactly this beautiful, unfamiliar girl beside her was.
She had already begun to suspect that whatever changes had occurred to Rory were directly related to this unknown young woman.
With that in mind, Emroy gave up on hiding and straightened in her throne, assuming a regal posture. Her sharp gaze bore down on the two girls stepping out of the portal.
To be fair, Emroy pulled off the dignified look well. Despite her petite frame, her current demeanor exuded an aura befitting a goddess of death and war—at least from Rory's perspective.
But for Eriri, who had already observed Emroy's prior behavior, the display looked more like a cute little loli pretending to be a serious adult.
She had to admit, it was pretty adorable.
...
Eriri and Rory's pink convertible screeched stylishly to a halt in front of the throne with a perfect drift.
The two girls stepped out, and with a casual wave of Eriri's hand, the flashy car vanished into her storage space—a move that visibly surprised Emroy.
While she herself could perform similar feats, she certainly couldn't do it so effortlessly. Moreover, she hadn't sensed any spatial fluctuations when Eriri did it.
This only deepened her suspicions: Eriri definitely wasn't from this world.
Emroy finally spoke, her tone commanding, eyes narrowing slightly. "Rory, and you—stranger from another world. What brings you to My temple?"
Rory replied with a deadpan expression, "I heard I could finally witness my Lord's true form. So, I came by to take a look~"
Her words struck Emroy like a slap. The serious expression on her face almost cracked.
"I... I apologize."
So many things she could say—yet all she could muster was a simple apology. She didn't even know how to defend the fact she had kept her true form hidden from Rory for over nine hundred years.
Not that she really needed to explain. Rory was still her apostle, not yet an equal god. Within such a hierarchy, she didn't owe Rory any transparency.
But Emroy wasn't a prideful deity. When she made a mistake and it came to light, she would admit it.
(Though only after being exposed.)
"Hmm, I forgive you," Rory replied casually.
She hadn't been all that upset to begin with. Her earlier remark had been more of a playful jab than an actual complaint.
With that settled, Emroy dropped the pretense of stern majesty. Her expression softened, and her eyes turned toward Eriri.
"Stranger from another world," she asked curiously, "may I ask your name?"
She was deeply intrigued. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't read a thing about Eriri. Divine perception, mind reading, aura sensing—nothing worked.
Aside from seeing her breathtaking beauty with her own eyes, Emroy was completely in the dark.
If gods existed in the other world, then Emroy would have assumed that Eriri was its most radiant goddess.
"Oh? Didn't you already know? I'm just an ordinary girl from another world~" Eriri replied with a bright smile.
Fortunately, because Emroy respected Eriri's power and had dropped the pretentious, authoritative demeanor of a deity, her tone remained relatively friendly.
Otherwise, no matter how cute she looked, Eriri would have shown her just how cruel the world could be.
"Ugh..." Emroy was momentarily at a loss for words, her small lips pouting instinctively.
"That's not what I meant. I can't see through you at all. And what was that mysterious portal just now? It felt similar to the Gate."
"Then it's working as intended. If you could see through me, congratulations—you'd already be invincible," Eriri said casually, treating Emroy more like a curious loli than a millennia-old deity.
"As for that portal, you can think of it as having the same function as the Gate, only it's way better."
"Stronger than the Gate? How is that even possible?" Emroy asked, her expression filled with suspicion. "Even we gods can't manipulate the Gate that freely."
"Simple," Eriri said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You just need to be strong enough. If you want this kind of ability, then you'd better train hard. Who knows? Maybe when you're one ten-thousandth as strong as me, you'll be able to open world-spanning portals at will~"
As she finished speaking, Eriri gave Emroy a playful wink.
Both Emroy and Rory were visibly stunned by her words.
Before Emroy could even voice her doubt, Rory blurted out what they were both thinking.
"One ten-thousandth? That's way too exaggerated! Eriri, you're not just making that up, are you?"
While Rory knew that Eriri was incredibly strong, all she'd seen so far was Eriri instantly killing a Flame Dragon and teleporting directly into Emroy's temple.
The gods could also defeat dragons and manipulate the Gate, so in Rory's mind, Eriri was just a bit stronger than beings like Emroy.
"I'm not making anything up. Everything I said is true."
And she wasn't lying.
To possess one ten-thousandth of Eriri's strength meant reaching Level 8. Anyone at that level with even basic knowledge of space could create a portal spanning two universes.
There was just one thing Eriri left unsaid: Emroy would probably never reach that level. Not in this life. Not even if her soul persisted until the end of the universe.
As spirit-based deities, these gods had essentially reached a growth ceiling. Their potential was locked in; further evolution was nearly impossible.
If Rory chose to shed her mortal body in 39 years and ascend as a full deity, her future would be sealed in the same way.
Of course, none of this was a problem for Eriri. If she wanted, she could easily give Emroy the ability to grow again.
But then again, this world's ceiling was simply too low. Becoming a god here essentially meant being unbeatable.
If Eriri hadn't shown up, Rory's only path to greater strength would have been godhood.
"One ten-thousandth? You're underestimating me too much! I'm a god!" Emroy snapped, visibly indignant.
Even if she held some fear toward Eriri's power, she was still a deity, someone with unmatched status in this world. Though not arrogant, she wasn't the type to let such remarks slide.
"Oh? Really now?" Eriri asked with interest, then casually pointed a finger at Emroy. "Then tell me—are you still a god now?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Emroy blinked, confused at first. But then her expression changed as she suddenly realized what had happened.
She could no longer feel the presence of her divine power. Her divine sense had vanished, and she could only perceive her surroundings through her physical eyes.
With no access to divine energy or perception, she was practically powerless.
And then, the sensation of hunger hit her.
As a spirit-based god, hunger was something she had never experienced. That only occurred when she possessed one of her clerics.
Now, the realization hit hard: she was no longer a spiritual being. She had a physical body.
Normally, gaining a physical form was the dream of many gods, including Emroy—but only if it didn't come at the cost of losing divine power.
To have a mortal body but be stripped of godhood? That was something no god could accept.
And that was exactly Emroy's current reality.
Her delicate face filled with panic, making her look heartbreakingly vulnerable.
Without her divine power, she was now, in the truest sense, just a fragile little girl.
Rory, standing nearby, didn't notice the change. To her, the visual difference between a spirit-form god and one with a real body was negligible.
So in her eyes, Emroy looked exactly the same as before—completely unaware that the once mighty god had been rendered as human as any other.
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