𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐒 | genshin impact

| 05 |: Turning Point

"Kill them all."

Everyone in the throne room shuddered at your words.

"Execute the nobles who manipulated my people and infected this land with corruption during my absence," you ordered. After a short pause, you added, "Of course, their families will naturally die alongside them. Spare only the infants who will be raised as soldiers for the new country that will be born from their parents' blood."

Shocked, the Sand Priestess' eyes widened and she quickly turned to face you with horror written on her expression.

"My King, you mustn't do that!" she exclaimed, only to be answered with the tip of Enki's spear pointed at her throat.

"How dare you speak out of turn. Stand down and listen what your king has to say," he uttered, the warning glint in his eyes intimidating her into submission.

Shamash and Ereshkigal exchanged looks of concern from their positions below your throne. Although Enki's devotion towards you is a well-known fact in Auruk, they knew that he too had reservations about your plan to purge the nobility. They could sense his desire to change your mind from the way his dominant arm tensed and the way he pressed his lips together to form a straight line; he was clearly holding himself back.

None of them can deny that you've changed after your resurrection.

The one who sits on the throne was no longer the king who tried to live for others and put her heart and soul into it.

Right now, they were looking at the end result of someone whose hopes have been crushed by the unforgiving truth; at how bitter, spiteful and defeated the adored king had become.

You propped your chin on your right fist. "Sand Priestess, the effects of corruption are devastating for a country like Auruk. When treating a disease, you must identify the pathogen and destroy it immediately." You narrowed your eyes into a glare, and the Sand Priestess immediately became meek under your piercing gaze. "Corruption is a disease, and the nobles are the pathogens. With their deaths, this country will be healed and later be reborn anew."

Enki, Shamash and Ereshkigal knelt before you with their right hands on their chests. The others hesitantly followed suit after a moment.

"We will devote our hearts and souls to your order."

Soon, noble blood was shed and orphans were taken in to be raised as soldiers. You made the difficult decision of destroying Auruk with your own hands and created Ka-dingirra in its place. Your violent purge of the nobility caught the attention of Rukkhadevata, who then decided to recognise Ka-dingirra as a nation in order to stabilise the peace that had begun to settle in the sands of Sumeru.

The heavenly chains that protected your country in your absence had long dissolved, and Ishtar Gate was built to welcome merchants and travelers from afar. You began introducing the ideas of modern technology which were initially perceived as bizarre by your people, but the fascinating mechanics behind them were enough to spur them into discovering the invaluable knowledge from your world. Ka-dingirra eventually became the epicentre for engineering and science, further increasing the nation's reputation.

Your name as the God of Heroes soon spread far and wide, even reaching the Inazuman islands beyond the thunderstorms.

And one year later, the God of Woods approached the God of Heroes.

In the middle of a perpetual desert proudly stood an ancient palace sparkling with the monarch's wealth. The archway behind the throne allowed the light of Teyvat to filter inside, crowning the king's seat with a pair of parhelions. The god that had requested an audience with the ruling deity of the desert's treasure promptly lowered herself on one knee as she bowed her head, the glittering gifts behind her carefully being towed away by the servants.