Shikama Doji, after making a decision without hesitation, split his soul in two without a moment's delay. A golden light engulfed him, and in the blink of an eye, two Shikama Dojis were standing inside the Spirit Corridor.
One of them stared at the other and gave a playful smile. "Seeing another part of yourself like this... it's interesting. It's like your consciousness has been separated."
The second, with a familiar calmness, replied: "It's like having a clone... but even for someone like me, who has used avatars and clones many times, the experience of soul-splitting is strange for the first time."
The first tilted his head. "Well, now that you've manifested as an Old Deus, which concept do you want to embody?"
The second laughed. "You know the answer better than anyone. So why ask?"
"Just out of curiosity." The first shrugged. "[The Sun]... a good choice."
Suddenly, the crimson eyes of the first Shikama Doji flashed, and he froze for a few seconds.
"What happened?" the second asked calmly.
"A small problem..." the first explained softly. "It seems that splitting the soul has made controlling the Outer God's madness harder. This [world] has only accepted you as a native being, and the title of Outer God has fully become mine. But now that I'm split, suppressing that madness... has become a bit weaker." As he said this, he held the dark energy compressed within his chest.
The second frowned. "How long can you contain it? Until we merge again and become one..."
"Not very long... maybe a few centuries." The first answered after a short calculation.
"That's enough." The second said decisively. "I won't waste time. I'll merge with Suniaster soon."
"Well, I'll stay here and analyze the Spirit Corridor." The first closed his eyes, examining the surrounding energies. "Now it's time for your rebirth as an Old Deus."
The second gazed into the swirling vortexes of energy and chose the concept of [The Sun]. A golden orb separated from the planet's core and floated in his palm. He used this vortex, which recorded all history and concepts of the [world], to shape his new existence.
The orb of light sank into his soul—and then, like an explosion of cosmic energy, the second Shikama Doji's form disintegrated into a stream of pure light. This energy, originating from dimensions far more complex and vast, flowed through his divine essence and transformed his existence.
---
At that very moment, the entire planet suddenly trembled. In a world consumed by Black Ash—a world where endless wars between superior races had blocked even the sunlight and plunged it into centuries of utter darkness—something unexpected occurred.
The thick clouds made of Black Ash suddenly vanished with a mysterious force. For the first time in centuries, golden rays of the sun touched the surface of this dead world. Various races, eyes wide with amazement, stared at the sky.
The sun, long hidden behind layers of darkness, now shone with a sacred halo. This light didn't only appear in the physical world; it also penetrated the collective consciousness of all beings.
Under the influence of this divine power, the ruined planet began to restore itself. Though the sun was inherently destructive, it was also life-giving.
The black ash that had devoured the world slowly faded, and forgotten colors returned to this gray world. As if the wars had never happened… but that wasn't the end of the miracle. Ancient wounds and incurable diseases across the planet suddenly healed under the golden light of this new sun.
---
[The Human Refuge]
"You have to see this, Riku! It's so beautiful..." Couronne, with tears in her eyes, pointed at the shining sun. It was as if, after years of despair, the light of hope had finally appeared on the horizon.
"It truly is magnificent... but it also signals something dangerous." Riku, who had come outside because of the quake, looked at the sky with a serious face. As someone knowledgeable, he knew what this phenomenon meant.
"Huh? What danger?" Couronne asked, staring at him with curiosity.
"If my information is correct, this only means one thing: a god has been born." Riku voice grew heavy.
"god?!?" Koron screamed in shock. She had never imagined that the return of the sun could mean something like that.
---
[Sacred Forest - Realm of Kainath]
"Damn it... another troublemaker has appeared!" Kainath, god of the forest and worshiped by elves, clenched his teeth with a face full of jealousy and fear. "This is pure injustice! Why is it so powerful from the moment of birth?!"
He looked at the golden sun with trembling eyes: "This damned sun is even stronger than Artosh... This is cheating! Such a monster shouldn't exist!"
Then he sighed: "The world is on the brink of chaos again... the balance has been broken with the appearance of this sun."
---
[Volcano of the God of Forge]
"Seems like we have a new sibling..." Ocain, God of Forge, gave a brief glance at the sun and indifferently shrugged. "Well, doesn't matter. I'm just a blacksmith."
Without paying more attention to this colossal event, he returned to his work. Among the lava pools, only the sound of his hammers could be heard.
---
[Avant Heim - Realm of Artosh]
"An Old Deus has been born... but the power I sense is impossible!" Azril, one of Artosh's high commanders, stared at the sun, eyes wide with astonishment. As a superior being, she could comprehend the depth of this power.
No matter how much she tried to deny the truth, she couldn't change it: This new being was stronger than its creator, Artosh, from the moment it was born!
Suddenly, a sound of joyful laughter was heard from behind she. Turning around, she saw Artosh—the god of war—trembling with excitement and laughing.
"Ha ha ha ha! Finally... after all this time!" Artosh shouted with joy and excitement.
He had been born as the embodiment of war, but for years, he had no rivals.
Even after killing Hartyleif, king of the dragon race, there was no one left to fight.
That was an eternal torment for Artosh. His philosophy was simple: the strong must be defeated by the weak... but no one could match his power.
All he could do was watch the world below from the sky. In fact, the only reason this endless war continued was Artosh's own will—he had the power to end it at any time.
But today... everything changed. When he felt the tremors of the Spirit Corridor, he first thought an ordinary Old Deus had been born. But what he sensed was beyond all comprehension. This new being was stronger than him from the very start!
"This feeling... I love this feeling!" Artosh shouted, eyes gleaming. "Now I must become stronger... so I can challenge this strong one as a weakling!"
Azril was shocked. she had never seen such mad joy on she creator's face—not even in the battle with Hartyleif. Apparently, the existence of a being stronger than himself was a divine blessing for Artosh!
---
At that moment, Shikama Doji awoke. As an Old Deus, as [Sun]. He was no longer just a star's manifestation in the sky; he had become the pure embodiment of the concept of [The Sun]—brilliant and infinite.
He was now ready. Ready to obtain Suniaster—the source that would grant him absolute power, absolute knowledge, and absolute dominion. With it, he could become the one true god of everything.
At the same time as his awakening, the sun in the sky returned to its normal state. Shikama Doji, now existing as a metaphysical concept within the Ether, decided to return once more to the material world.
Invisible energies gathered, compressed, and in a remote corner of the planet, his familiar form appeared again.
Upon his manifestation, an instinctive feeling caught his attention. He looked down—there they were: a group of humans staring up at him. Their eyes gleamed with fear and awe.