Since the purpose of these battles was to settle old scores, there were no specific rules. Those with grievances simply stepped forward to resolve them.
At the Goddess of Fate’s invitation, the Sword God spoke. “Dreams, let us settle our score here and now.”
As the Sword God spoke, a young man stepped forward from behind him.
“Daniel Sullivan, believer of the Sword God, Destroyer class rank. Who will face me?”
The young man’s tone was calm as he looked toward the God of Dreams.
The God of Dreams’ form continued to shift incessantly, creating a surreal and absurd impression. Without the deity saying a word, a young girl stepped out from behind it.
The girl wore a beaming smile. “I am called Sleep. Please, guide me.”
It was clearly a code name rather than a real one.
“I knew it would be you,” Daniel said coldly. “It’s time we settled our accounts.”
Daniel spoke no further. He reached into thin air, and a sword materialized in his hand.
Sleep didn't say much either; she simply walked toward him with a smile, though invisible attacks were already unfolding as she drew near.
Watching from the sidelines, Olivia used her magic mirror to analyze the two.
She didn't know which alternate spaces they hailed from or the exact nature of their history, but it was clear their enmity was deep. Every move was a killing blow, aimed at ending the other’s life.
Daniel followed the path of a Swordsman, a common transcendent path in the main world. However, he demonstrated its abilities with such finesse that it was anything but ordinary.
Sleep, naturally, followed the path of a Dreamwalker, specializing in illusions and dreams to stage her attacks.
As the battle progressed, their bodies suddenly went still, as if they had fallen into a trance.
The spectators understood that the battlefield had shifted into a dream, where they were now locked in a lethal struggle.
While the transcendents couldn't witness the battle within the dream, the gods could sense it clearly.
Adam, who was also unable to see anything, turned to the group and said, “Daniel comes from an alternate space called Ometes, while Sleep hails from one called Toy Paradise. Both are roughly the size of a continent in our world.
“These two alternate spaces are adjacent to one another, so they frequently cross paths and clash. Over the years, their grudges have become quite significant.”
As the Pope, Adam clearly possessed a wealth of knowledge regarding such matters.
“Are there direct passages between our main world and these two spaces?” Guinevere asked curiously.
“There are no direct passages. We would have to travel through other alternate spaces first to reach Ometes or Toy Paradise.”
Adam detailed the route, explaining that the fastest way was to enter the Undead Plane first, then move through several other alternate spaces. It would take roughly five transfers to reach their destinations.
Hearing this, Olivia couldn't help but think to herself how much it sounded like transferring between different modes of transport to reach another city in her past life.
Because of the immense distance, there was virtually no information about Ometes or Toy Paradise in the main world.
“Our world isn't the only one. This universe is far too vast, and our understanding of it is far too limited,” Guinevere sighed.
“There’s no need to worry. While our world isn't the only one, it is the most unique. Only in our world is information about almost all deities preserved, including those who have already perished.”
Adam explained that in other worlds—the other alternate spaces—knowledge of the gods was very superficial.
Many alternate spaces only knew of the existence of the deity they worshipped.
Even a world like Ometes only knew of the God of Dreams because it was adjacent to Toy Paradise.
Of course, this applied mostly to the lower and middle tiers of society. Once one became a high-level transcendent, they could begin to touch upon the truths of the world.
For instance, the transcendents brought into the divine domain by their deities naturally knew of the other gods' existence.
“Then why do legends of all the gods exist in our world?” Guinevere asked, her curiosity piqued.
The question made Adam pause for a moment. Eventually, he said, “Because our world is said to be the origin of all worlds.
“Originally, our world was incredibly vast. But the Great War of the Gods caused massive changes. You likely know that the war shattered the original divine realm; our world couldn't possibly have escaped unscathed.
“During that battle, our world was smashed into many pieces, splitting into countless alternate spaces and creating the situation we see today.”
Seeing Adam explain his analysis with such a serious expression, the corner of Olivia’s mouth twitched.
His reasoning fit the current situation perfectly, but the truth was quite different.
According to what she knew from the magic mirror, the reason the main world was so special was quite simple: it was the birthplace of all the gods.
Indeed, all fifteen current deities were originally born in the main world.
However, they were so ancient that their origins had been lost to time. Only a very few deities had left behind records that could confirm where they came from.
The main world itself wasn't inherently special; it was just that the gods happened to be born here, giving them a unique attachment to it.
However, Olivia couldn't say any of this out loud. After all, she wasn't supposed to know the secrets of other deities.
While they were talking, the battle between Daniel and Sleep reached its conclusion.
In the end, Sleep successfully defeated Daniel within the illusion. The swordsman brought by the Sword God coughed up blood and collapsed miserably into a pool of it.
Fortunately, he wasn't killed. In the presence of the Sword God, Sleep didn't dare to be too ruthless.
“The God of Dreams’ side is the victor of this battle. Now then, who else wishes to settle their grievances?” the Goddess of Fate announced.
Since she had no grudges with any of the other gods, she was the most suitable candidate to act as the master of ceremonies.
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