Chapter 436: Sylvia’s Ender Amplification
Sylvia opened her eyes as the last of the cocoon’s light entered her body. Caelus flew over to meet her before John brought the ship closer.
"How did it go?"
"Everything went smoothly, though fusing with my Divine Body took a while." She smiled as she reached him. "My Ender powers kept showing me memories from my first life."
Caelus nodded. He didn’t ask about it immediately since everyone was here.
"Did anything else change?"
"My authority became much stronger. I can sense the dead souls throughout the Tier 2 World, and my reach extends into Tier 1 too."
Caelus looked at her more closely.
"Oh?"
"As far as I can tell. If I wanted an army, I could call those souls to serve me."
She looked toward the distant planet as she continued.
"But I could also let them reincarnate or allow them to rest in eternal slumber. It feels like those choices are mine to make now."
For a moment, Caelus did not know what to say.
He had gained access to the concepts holding this world together. Sylvia had gained control over what happened to the dead within it.
Then he smiled.
"So it wasn’t just me. My Origin powers were amplified too."
"I thought something had changed. You feel different from before."
"I’ll explain once we’re with everyone."
John opened the ship’s entrance as they approached. Freya was waiting inside and came straight toward Sylvia when they entered.
"Big Sister, you’re really strong now."
Sylvia chuckled and patted her head.
"You’ll be joining us soon. Don’t think you can avoid training just because I’ve finished."
"I wasn’t going to!"
Sylvie stood beside Freya, so Sylvia reached over and patted her head too.
"Hey, what was that for?"
"Can’t I pat my sister?"
Sylvie pulled away with a huff, though she stayed close as the others came forward.
Selena embraced Sylvia before stepping back to look at her.
"Congratulations. I knew you would do it, but watching that lightning was still terrible."
"I’m alright, Mom. You don’t need to worry."
"I know." Selena’s smile faded a little as she continued. "But your brother is still in the Abyss."
Caelus’s expression changed at the mention of it.
Selena looked between them.
"Now that you’re both Gods, do you think we can go back?"
Caelus remembered the entrance in the Tier 1 World.
His Origin power could reach deep into this plane, but that did not mean it would work the same way inside the Abyss. He did not even know how to find the entrance again.
He wanted to give Selena a clear answer.
Instead, he gave her the truth.
"I don’t know how to reach it yet. But we’ll find a way."
Sylvia took her mother’s hand.
"We haven’t forgotten him. Becoming stronger was part of getting ready to bring him back."
Selena nodded, though Caelus could see that she had hoped for more.
He would need to look into it.
For now, he turned toward the rest of their companions.
"We’ve taken the first step. Now the rest of you need to work toward Lesser God Rank too."
Gorn laughed as he looked from Caelus to Sylvia.
"After watching that, do you think any of us want to stay where we are?"
"Then keep that enthusiasm when you get back into grinding."
Immediately after returning to Genesis Kingdom, Caelus and Sylvia began helping them prepare.
Their companions trained in their own assigned zones and gathered the power needed to advance. Caelus helped with the rank requirements, while Sylvia worked with those who needed more combat practice.
Over the following months, Freya and Sylvie reached Level 10 Origin Lord. Gorn and Valerica followed, along with Glaciana and several others who had been working toward the same goal.
Mia and Seraphin Lin continued preparing with the rest of their former team. Caelus also made time for his parents, making sure they understood each step instead of rushing them straight toward a trial.
Once his companions were ready, he gave them access to Faith Power for Divinization.
Gorn checked the cost and looked at him.
"I liked getting stronger more before I found out how expensive it was."
"Now imagine paying full price."
"Never mind. I suddenly feel grateful."
Their preparations continued while the Chaos Faction spread to more planets.
Some forces joined after meeting the Administration’s recruiters. Others resisted before learning how little chance they had against Caelus and Sylvia.
New followers brought more Faith Power, allowing Caelus to keep supporting his people. Even after the recent expenses, the faction’s reserve had risen to roughly ninty-four billion.
It was a modest increase from the seventy-one billion they had held before his ascension, but he was pleased with it.
During this time, Ayame remained in the Kami Archipelago with Candy.
She would occasionally message him about the situation there. Then one day, she told Caelus that her transformation was changing again.
He went to see her with Glaciana, who had shown interest as soon as he mentioned Ayame.
Candy met them near the place where Ayame was staying.
"She’s been like that since this morning." She pointed toward a building filled with golden light. "She said she was fine and told me not to interrupt."
Caelus could feel Ayame inside.
Her power had changed since he last saw her. Warm light spread through the building without burning its walls, and every pulse carried the heat of a rising sun.
Glaciana stopped beside him.
"So she finally reached this point."
Caelus remembered the look she had given Ayame when they first arrived on Earth to deal with the Hollow Faction.
"You recognized her back then, didn’t you?"
"I suspected who she was. Seeing her like this leaves little doubt."
"She is without a doubt, Amaterasu, the Sun God."
"She was once active in the Tier 2 World," Glaciana explained. "I’m an Ice Elf who has lived for thousands of years, so I remember when Gods appeared here far more often."
"And now we barely see any."
"Exactly. Things have changed a great deal since then."
Caelus had more questions, but Ayame’s voice reached them from within the building.
"Caelus, can you help me?"
𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
He moved to the entrance at once.
She stood surrounded by golden fire, watching it gather around her hands. When she turned toward him, the light in her eyes reminded him of the sun overhead.
"I think I’m ready to become a God."