Gospel of Blood

Since meeting Sea King Oceanus, the two of them had conspired to do many misdeeds against the Old Gods.

Among the dozens of Old Gods Charlotte had killed, several powerful Demigods wielding divine artifacts were lured into traps by her and Oceanus together.

At that time, Charlotte hadn’t accumulated enough divine power, and Oceanus hadn’t fully regained his strength. Generally, during their conspiracies, Charlotte would handle the intellectual aspects while Oceanus took care of the physical ones.

In any case, in this world and this era, making a true friend from among the Gods was something Charlotte had never expected.

However, things didn’t go so smoothly with Moon Goddess Artemis.

The reason was simple: historical records didn’t document how Artemis and Lilith met, and when Charlotte tried to find her, she found no way to contact her.

There was no way around it—the elves were currently in a hostile state with the Free City-State Alliance.

Although Moon Goddess Artemis didn’t involve herself in these affairs, precisely because she didn’t, Charlotte had no way to approach her.

Rumors had it that Moon Goddess Artemis spent most of her time in the elves’ miracle space, accessible only to high-ranking elves—those of Legendary or Demigod status.

In such a situation, Charlotte had no chance of meeting Artemis.

One possible lead was when Charlotte tried to get information from Oceanus, who might have met Artemis.

But even Oceanus couldn’t find her. In fact, Oceanus didn’t have a good relationship with the elves. Whenever Charlotte mentioned Artemis in front of him, Oceanus’ expression became quite unnatural.

Charlotte even suspected that Oceanus’ slumber was caused by the elves, considering that, in a sense, Sea King Oceanus was also seen as an “outsider God” by the elves.

That being said, Sea King Oceanus was quite a proud God. For Charlotte to gain his favor, it was partly because she saved him, and partly because her unique blood divine power intrigued and intimidated him.

From this perspective, anyone who could visit Oceanus was likely a true God as well.

This was indeed a miracle.

After all, in the past three years, Charlotte had never heard of Oceanus having any other friends besides her.

Thinking about this, Charlotte grew curious.

She sighed and said wistfully.

“I thought we were close enough, but it turns out even our relationship can be intruded upon by a third party…”

To her surprise, Oceanus immediately became flustered upon hearing her tease.

His voice suddenly rose.

“Wha… What do you mean by a third party?! Eternal Night, you, you, you… don’t slander a God’s purity! We’re not close at all! No, I mean, we don’t have that kind of relationship! We’re just friends!”

Huh…?

Watching Oceanus’ anxious demeanor, Charlotte felt something was off.

Especially when she saw him desperately signaling behind him.

Hmm…

This strangely familiar reaction and tone, could it be… Charlotte had a peculiar suspicion.

“Eternal Night! Today really isn’t convenient. Let’s discuss matters in a few days! I’ll explain everything then!”

She heard his divine voice transmission.

Hearing his earnest, urgent, and slightly guilty and nervous tone, Charlotte’s expression grew even more curious. Clearly, Oceanus didn’t want her to meet his guest.

And… he didn’t want the guest to misunderstand their relationship.

Ah, could it be that the visitor was a Goddess?

And she had a close relationship with him?

No, wait, history doesn’t record any romantic stories about Sea King Oceanus…

Charlotte was extremely curious.

But she wasn’t one to enjoy being a third wheel. Although curious, seeing Oceanus’ pleading look, she lost the desire to tease him further.

“Alright, I’ll visit in a few days then. There’s an issue in the Northern Frontier, the Sun Temple is planning something big. I can’t wait too long, so I might need your help.”

She said.

Oceanus breathed a sigh of relief.

He nodded quickly and said,

“Don’t worry! You don’t need to come again. You’ve done me a favor, and as a friend of Oceanus, I’ll go there to help you once I’m done here!”

Then, with righteous indignation, he added.

“It’s just the Sun Temple, isn’t it? Those who commit evil in the name of the Sun God are the ones I despise the most! Such hypocrites are the most disgusting!”

Charlotte’s gaze grew even more peculiar.

Wait, this guy usually doesn’t care much about the Sun Temple. Why such a strong reaction now?

However, since Oceanus had agreed, Charlotte wasn’t worried.

Sea King Oceanus was a God of his word. This was well-documented in history and consistent with what Charlotte had seen and felt.

Since he said he would help, he definitely would.

Though Charlotte was still curious about the identity of Oceanus’ guest, she decided to leave since Oceanus seemed so concerned.

After all, her goal for this visit had been achieved. She could always find out what happened today later.

With this in mind, Charlotte nodded and smiled.

“Alright, I’ll leave for now then. Oceanus, have a pleasant day.”

Oceanus’ sea water avatar breathed a sigh of relief and immediately beamed.

But the next moment, a gentle female voice suddenly sounded, warm and soothing like a spring breeze, clear, melodious, and serene.

“Why refuse a friend’s visit?”

Oceanus’s smile instantly froze.

Damn it!

This old guy is really on a date with a Goddess!

Scoundrel!

Traitor!

Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise.

She momentarily forgot that, in a sense, she was also a Goddess now—one who was exceptionally beautiful as long as she didn’t speak.

A fresh scent like that of forest grass filled the air, and a faint silvery light slowly appeared on the ocean’s surface.

The blood moon in the sky abruptly changed back to silver.

Under the bright moonlight, a Goddess surrounded by radiant light stepped out from behind Sea King Oceanus, treading on blooming flowers and green grass.

It was a beautiful goddess in a silver-white dress. She had long silvery-blue hair that sparkled with starlight, and her light blue eyes were adorned with silver crescents.

Her stunning features even left Charlotte momentarily dazed.

Having been in this other world for so long, Charlotte had never seen anyone who could rival her in beauty until now.

If young Charlotte had the budding charm of a flower and adult Charlotte the heroic grandeur of a queen, then this Goddess before her was like the gentle and ethereal moonlight.

Her voice was gentle, her gaze tender, and every move exuded a graceful and endearing charm.

When Charlotte saw the iconic lunar markings on her divine dress and the characteristic pointed ears of the elves, the Goddess’ identity became obvious.

Moon Goddess… Artemis!

Charlotte immediately straightened up.

After searching for three years, she never expected Moon Goddess Artemis to appear before her in such a manner.

Charlotte couldn’t help but glance at the Sea God avatar who had just been signaling her with his eyes.

His expression was stiff, his gaze kept darting toward Artemis, and his nervous demeanor reminded Charlotte of an old friend from her previous life who had pursued a girl for three years.

Charlotte: …

How embarrassing.

Alright, it seems the Gods in this world are different from many depictions she had seen before.

They have emotions, love, and hatred. Though they possess great power, they are ultimately just powerful beings with control over certain laws.

No wonder Oceanus had been so evasive, it turns out he had feelings for the Moon Goddess!

Whether it was unrequited or mutual remained to be seen.

Probably unrequited, considering the historical records didn’t mention a romance between Sea King Oceanus and Moon Goddess Artemis, though many texts described a deep friendship between the Moon Goddess and the True Ancestor.

With this thought, Charlotte turned to Moon Goddess Artemis and bowed slightly, performing a Demigod’s greeting to a true God.

“Eternal Night Monarch… greets Moon Goddess Artemis.”

Among Gods, their statuses are equal.

Even between a Demigod and a true God, a simple bow suffices when they meet. After all, a Demigod who has ascended to mythology possesses almost all the rights of a true God except for the Godhood itself, differing only in accumulation and the final act of becoming a God.

Though the difference in accumulation is vast, and in a full confrontation, a Demigod is no match for a true God, in the material world, constrained by worldly laws, a true God’s power cannot be fully unleashed, thus the gap is not as large.

Moreover, artifacts exist that even allow mortals to slay Gods, let alone Demigods versus true Gods.

From the perspective of life levels, both Demigods and true Gods are essentially on the same tier, distinct from mortal beings like ants.

A somewhat inaccurate yet vivid analogy would be that if mortals are insects, Demigods and true Gods are humans at the pinnacle of nature. Demigods are merely school children while true Gods are adults who have mastered their arts.

“I’ve long heard of you and always wished to meet you. Today, my wish is fulfilled. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Bloodborne Progenitor… Lady Lilith.”

Moon Goddess Artemis said with a gentle smile, returning the greeting.