The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　Losing simply means we were outmatched; there's not much more to say. All we can say is that the two sides had a fundamentally different attitude towards this World Cup from the very beginning.

　Professor Jones was clearly better prepared, while Professor Cazell was more "laissez-faire."

　The victory in this duel ultimately belongs to the one who took it more seriously. The World Cup champion is truly deserving!

　"here we go."

　Dak stood by the window, a faint regret lingering on his face.

　But as the duel officially ended, his expression quickly turned serious. To the average spectator, the competition was over once a champion was decided. But for those in the know, it was the beginning of something else entirely.

　He could already sense the omnipresent traces of the "ritual". The "Summoning God Ritual" reached its climax the moment the outcome was decided.

　The entire arena, the entire Duel City, the entire City of Freedom, and even the entire continent—all the major forces are converging on this center.

　Countless "divine beings" drawn by the World Cup were stirred up. The scale and impact of this "divine summoning ritual" far exceeded Dark's imagination.

　His eyes gleamed with golden light, and his expression grew increasingly solemn. Awakening Hermes prematurely was also a gamble.

　But since the Age of Gods, every step humanity has taken has been a gamble.

　One wrong step could plunge one into an endless abyss. No one knows what changes Hermes will undergo after a year of slumber.

　The will of God is ultimately unfathomable.

　Even if Chi Yi wakes up and suddenly changes his mind, no longer promoting the Shinto Shun Ritual, the human side will have no power to resist.

　The "divine pact" that Dark and others signed with it. Although it appears to bind both humans and gods, it is certainly not actually so.

　Even in the duels of magical spirits there is a hierarchy, let alone the agreements between humans and gods.

　The two sides are not on the same level in terms of social class. The reason God is considered God is because God possesses "law." Do not try to reason with God.

　Because God is the truth itself.

　……

　Dark wasn't exactly a "tall guy," and although he was deeply worried, he had Principal Art and others to rely on, so the pressure he carried was relatively light. He had already detached himself from the "game between humanity and gods" and was observing the situation from a relatively objective perspective.

　After that, no matter what Hermes' attitude was after he awoke, he did not intend to have close contact with him.

　This is like asking a tiger for its skin, which is extremely unwise.

　On the other hand, it is because his own problems have already manifested, and it is not advisable for him to have too close contact with God.

　As his thoughts raced, Professor Cazell had already stepped down from the stage, while Professor Jones remained standing on the dueling platform.

　She recalled her magical spirits one by one, outwardly responding enthusiastically to the audience's cheers, but inwardly she quickly calmed down.

　The joy of victory had not faded, but what she clung to was the "victory in battle," not the glory that followed.

　Moreover, she needs to cooperate with Principal Arte to complete the final step of the "Summoning Ceremony"!

　She did not leave the dueling ring.

　Amidst the shadows of flowers and starlight, it seemed as if Principal Arte had stepped out of a fantasy, not as the host.

　Tonight, Principal Arte was dressed in very formal attire, making her look exceptionally noble.

　Professor Jones stopped what he was doing after she arrived. She did not remove the [King's Armor Golden Princess] from her body, making her look like a Valkyrie.

　offstage.

　Professor Cazell remained motionless after descending from the elevator. He squinted, gazing upwards, ready to provide support at any moment.

　King, Pope, Lionheart, Elf Queen, Sea Prince...

　Leaders and representatives from various countries, races, and major powers…

　Everyone was focused and ready, and a tense atmosphere gradually built up throughout the venue.

　The cheers from the audience continued unabated, rising in waves without any sign of stopping.

　On the duel stage.

　Principal Arte quietly completed the final ritual adjustments. At the very moment, she suddenly grabbed Professor Jones's left wrist and raised the arm with the dueling disk high into the air.

　Today, at this very moment.

　The legend reappears, the three unite, and the saint is revived.

　Principal Arte flicked her fingers, and the venue fell silent instantly.

　The audience was still shouting excitedly, their lips moving constantly, but no sound came out.

　Before they could even react with shock and fear, Principal Arte loudly announced the end of the "match" and the birth of the "champion".

　"Competition" corresponds to "ceremony".

　"Champion" corresponds to "the last man".

　The three merge into one, leaving only one person. But who ultimately guides the will of the "Saint"? Is it the "Emperor," the "Sage," or (the Hero)?

　Even in the sacred scriptures, there is no record of this. However, this is clearly a deliberate omission.

　After all, "Emperor," "Sage," and "Hero" each have their own representatives, and choosing one would cause dissatisfaction from the other two.

　So the final champion of the ceremony was not nailed to the nail. But as fate would have it...

　Whether it was the scaled-down ceremony led by Charles or the actual ceremony of this World Cup, the final victory was won by the player symbolizing the "Emperor".

　This might bring about some unknown changes.

　Or perhaps not.

　The ceremony was completed on Easter Sunday.

　Begin to invoke the gods!

　Principal Arte's silencing spell lasted only a few seconds before automatically dispelling. The audience's cheers resumed, then they realized something was wrong. But they were quickly swept up in the cheers again, their initial surprise and uncertainty soon overwhelmed by the crowd's "excitement."

　The "divine energy" throughout the venue surged wildly, like boiling water. Those with higher levels of perception felt uneasy, sensing that something big was about to happen.

　The king, pope, and others in the front row of the audience had quietly stood up, their expressions filled with utmost respect and solemnity.

　In the night sky above the venue, starlight faintly converged into shadows. Those who have an impression of the celestial realm will immediately recognize it as the "kingdom" of the twelve gods of Poropus, the "celestial realm" that has been passed down for thousands of years.

　The Heavenly Court appears and disappears, and the gods awaken.

　At first, only a trace of divinity was revealed.

　Then, the divinity suddenly increased, surging out like a tide flowing into the sea. In an instant, the entire sky of the dueling arena was filled with divinity. The divinity was so dense and solid that looking up, it was as if a lake was reflected in the sky, the divinity flowing like water, with ripples and faint light spreading everywhere.

　on the ground.

　Quintina, at some point, had already walked to the center of the stadium.

　Audrey Jeanne also quietly appeared inside the venue, near the dueling platform.

　Only Ergan remained seated in the audience.

　They are closely associated with Zeus, the god of thunder; Ares, the god of war; and Athena, the goddess of wisdom, respectively.

　At this moment, everyone was aware of it.

　Dak had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

　The strange phenomena of this "divine invocation ritual" were not yet fully revealed, but there were already subtle signs. The "divinity" was condensing like a lake, the "divine cause" was frantically agitated, and the "shadow of the heavenly court" was gradually becoming clearer.

　All of this seems to suggest that this is not just a scene of Hermes being awakened, but a scene of a single god being awakened.

　A vortex appeared high in the sky, with clouds swirling around it. The light of the stars and moon grew ever brighter, hanging in the night sky like incandescent bulbs. Suddenly, twelve points of light simultaneously shone on the "Shadow of the Heavenly Court," evenly distributed throughout the "Heavenly Court."

　Principal Arte's expression also changed slightly, no longer as composed as before. She had awakened Hermes ahead of schedule in order to hold the "God's Cup" sooner, creating an opportunity for those already close to godhood to achieve divinity.

　But that was only one of the reasons. In reality, only she knew the truth.

　After Hermes fell into a deep sleep, she practically took over the entire divine ritual.

　In just one year, this Shinto ritual had expanded to a scale completely beyond her control.

　It unfolded too early, almost coinciding with the beginning of the "Resurrection of the Gods".

　This led to a spontaneous fusion between the revival of this divine age and the unfolding of magical rituals.

　This should have been beneficial to their development. But everything happened far too quickly.

　It's as if the "revival of the gods" was originally a pre-programmed sequence. Then, just as this sequence started, the processor that was capable of supporting its operation suddenly underwent a power upgrade. As a result, the entire sequence's operating speed increased dramatically, raising concerns about it spiraling out of control.

　Principal Arte, after all, has not yet ascended to godhood and does not possess the ability to truly control divine rituals.

　She sensed that she was losing control of the ritual and decided to awaken Hermes.

　But she never intended to awaken all twelve of Poropus! One Hermes was manageable.

　However, if all twelve gods were to awaken, their changing attitudes and wills would cause everything to descend into chaos.

　What humanity needs is order and a future that is readily apparent.

　Once the future becomes beyond our control, it will inevitably become more unpredictable and uncertain.

　However, human strength is finite, and often we are powerless to change our circumstances. Everything is a choice made by Steins;Gate.

　Ordinary spectators could not see the strange phenomenon above the venue.

　Whether a deity will manifest itself before humans after awakening depends on the deity's own will.

　Considering Hermes's vice of hiding behind the scenes to spy, Principal Arte added a device to conceal the vision in the ritual arrangement.

　But as the ritual continued, this setup gradually became ineffective. The overwhelming spectacle had completely exceeded the limits of its concealment. Suddenly, a radiant light shone down, eliciting countless gasps of surprise.

　The audience looked up and saw a magnificent divine court appearing behind the lake, its divine light shining down on them, purifying their minds and inspiring awe.

　Located outside the arena, in the Duel City, and within the City of Freedom, more and more people are able to witness the strange phenomena occurring.

　The divine court of that day seemed both right before our eyes and far away, inspiring longing in our hearts.

　Twelve beams of light shone forth, and twelve pillars of light descended. The projections of twelve celestial beings appeared within the pillars of light.

　When they saw the twelve projections of the gods, everyone realized the change in the "Summoning the Gods Ritual".

　This time, it wasn't just Hermes, the "messenger of the gods," who was awakened, but all twelve "gods"!

　The twelve "gods" descended their projections simultaneously, without any order or sequence, awaiting the opportunity to awaken.

　Dark finally realized where his "wrong" premonition came from. His heart sank slightly.

　The simultaneous awakening of these twelve "gods" was far too early and too fast. Not only him, but he believed that many others were unprepared. Under these circumstances, his first thought was of Ergane. With the awakening of Athena, the "goddess of wisdom," Ergane would have to confront her own origins in such an unexpected moment.

　This made him feel worried.

　But he immediately realized that the situation was not too bad.

　Following Hermes, the awakening of the twelve "gods" was only a matter of time.

　The key point is that the warriors are only "awakened" and not "resurrected." Being attached to the "divine ritual" also means that the warriors can only be resurrected after the "magical divine way" is forged.

　While it's inappropriate to entrust the future to the other party's "attitude," given the current situation, the possibility of the twelve "gods" disrupting the "magical path" process should be very small.

　"Here it comes!"

　Thinking this through, Dak suddenly looked up at the sky.

　The projections of the twelve "gods" opened their eyes simultaneously in that instant!

Chapter 1638 Cupid's Blessing, A Predestined Romance (5k)

　The simultaneous awakening of the twelve gods of Poirot had an immeasurable impact on the changes of this era.

　It will inevitably stimulate the world's rules, further accelerating the process of "the revival of the gods".

　However, from Dark's perspective, the impact of this behavior can be said to be far more harmful than beneficial.

　Because there is absolutely no need.

　Certainly, the accelerated process of "the revival of the gods" is also conducive to the overall advancement of "Shinto rituals".

　However, given the current situation, the pace of the "Shinto rituals" is already fast enough. At this point, the most important thing to do is to slow down the pace rather than rush things.

　Indeed, the "Shinto ritual" was progressing so rapidly that Principal Art felt it was "out of control."

　The awakening of Poirot, one of the twelve gods, will only exacerbate this "out-of-control" situation.

　This is absolutely insane, so insane it's terrifying. Either transcend the madness, or die in silence!

　This is the awakening of the twelve Poirot gods, their first gift to the world.