endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 181

After Loki left him behind in the room by himself, Vahn sat back down on the couch to contemplate everything that had happened. He now had a better understanding of why gods and goddesses acted the way they did, and Vahn was wondering if there was a way to help them. Unfortunately, unless he could re-write the laws of the 'record', there was no way for Vahn to change how Divinity functioned.

[Enkidu] could circumvent the laws to an extent, but the usage was extremely limited and the chains couldn't even naturally exist in the world if not for the fact they were bound to his soul. Much like how his Innate abilities transcended the restrictions of the 'record', [Enkidu] had a similar effect. Vahn wouldn't be able to develop an item to emulate its effects unless it transcended Tier 4, which would also result in the destruction of the record...

The only 'practical' solution seemed to be to find a way to inhibit their Divinity even further than their descent in the mortal world did. The fact that their Divinity was already heavily restricted compared to how powerful it was in Heaven showed that it should be possible. The problem was, Vahn had no practical way of doing so at the moment. Even if he could inhibit it further, there was no way of knowing what kind of long-term effects that would have on the gods and goddesses around him. In the worst case scenario, if their Divinity was inhibited for too long, they would cease to exist entirely since they were unable to fulfill their 'purpose'.

Another solution Vahn came up with was to potentially give them 'more' Divinity instead of inhibiting their current ones. Since gods could have multiple Divinity and it was something that could be developed over time, Vahn figured it should be possible for him to find a way to trick the laws and give them a new purpose. That way, even if the effects of their prior Divinity faded, they wouldn't be destroyed since there was a secondary Divinity support their soul.

Surprisingly, this seemed to be more practical and could even potentially enhance the power of the 'record' and increase it's Tier beyond 4. The problem with that was, if the fundamental laws of the world were altered to accommodate the change, there was no way to regulate the sudden influx of power. Not only would there be higher tiered gods roaming about, but even mortals would undergo incredible changes. Depending on how things played out, it might very well result in the end of the world and the destruction of the 'record' if it failed to adapt to the changes.

There was also the problem about who Vahn should help to begin with. The fairest result would have him alter or enhance the Divinity of every god and goddess, but that would obviously lead to the greatest amount of chaos. However, if he only selected a few gods or goddesses that he had a preference for, the end result wouldn't be much better. There would inevitably be a war caused by the shift of power, even if the people that he empowered didn't initiate it. Since the current pantheons had been in place for as long as six-hundred-million years, it wasn't easy for them to stand idly by as other gods 'usurped' their power and authority.

In that case, not only would Vahn likely die, but all of the people he cared about and enhanced would likely become the enemy of the others gods. In the worst case scenario, they would be killed or imprisoned while all of Vahn's children would likely be captured and experimented on so they could understand the origin of his powers. Vahn knew better than most that being born as a unique existence could heavily influence how you were treated from the moment of your birth. Imagining his children being experimented on in the same way that he was in his previous life, Vahn couldn't prevent his domain from expanding due to his rage.

As if to respond to his 'outburst', Loki returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses as she stared at Vahn with a questioning look. Vahn noticed her presence and recalled his domain before inspecting her current attire. In twenty minutes or so he hadn't seen her, Loki had changed into a more casual outfit that looked distinctly different from her usual self. She was wearing a white long-sleeved buttoned shirt with a short dark-blue skirt.