Am I that easy to read? Shun looked bewildered as she guessed his line of thought.
She continued, "The answer varies. They could be in a deep slumber, they could be ignoring us, or they never existed in the first place.
"The answer is up to you."
Shun remembered that in the notebook. 'He,' the Monarch God, drives away the malicious Outer Gods, but it never states what happened to the other benevolent or neutral gods.
It's as if they never existed to begin with—but Him alone, Shun thought inwardly. Of course, he couldn't be sure.
"I see," Shun finally spoke after falling into deep thought.
"Speaking of which, child. There's something I want to talk about with you."
"With me?"
"I'll excuse myself then." Rakina bowed respectfully and walked away.
"There's no need, Rakina."
"Okay." She halted after taking a step and returned to where she was earlier.
"What do you want to talk about, Ms. Yukki?"
"Is it possible to make contact with your deity?"
"Master?" Rakina looked confused. "Forgive me for interrupting your conversation, but wouldn't making contact with Him null the organization's purpose as a whole?"
Shun tilted his head a bit, confused.
Rakina noticed. "I said it earlier to you—what the Witch Association is about—but that's simply the surface. Our true goal is to prevent any Outer Gods from descending.
"We do not wish for the same thing that destroyed our world to occur here."
So it's like a secret military organization, Shun concluded inwardly.
"And the Monarch God doesn't seem to be malicious. The proof is standing next to us. And have you noticed the strange happenings around us?"
Rakina's gaze flickered slightly. She knew something Shun wasn't aware of.
He wondered what it could be.
"That doesn't guarantee His nature. What if it's just a ploy? A trick to let our guard down?"
"Then we must be smart enough to notice if it's a trick or not," Yukki replied.
"... Master, I'm not certain what you're doing is the right thing. There are uncertainties, but may I know your reasons? I doubt those happenings are enough of a threat to consider making contact with a divine being."
"We don't know what it could be. Right now, it's simply a warning.
"Something is happening in the south-southwest of here. I have not found out what it could be, but it's certainly wise for us to seek assistance from any help we can find."
South-southwest? Shun was curious and decided to check the map on his phone. He zoomed out and frowned slightly. He then looked at Rakina.
"Where is south?" He handed his phone to her.
"It's here."
She pointed at Antarctica. He grunted in acknowledgment.
Antarctica—and a concealed, mysterious land behind it.
Coincidence? Shun wanted to beg to differ.
From the webnovels he read, coincidences like these were often anything but random.
Planned by bigger forces.
Someone with the ability to manipulate fate, perhaps?
Shun shook his head. He might just be overthinking it.
"So, what do you say, child?"
"It's not really up to me to decide. Why don't we summon Him and try to converse with Him? Though I'm not sure if He is going to respond."
"We should try."
Yukki materialized a piece of chalk out of thin air. Shun didn't question why she had chalk in her inventory.
Shun remembered the symbol before drawing it. It took around five minutes to complete the drawing.
His hand was covered in white from the chalk. He clapped his hands—white dust flew off.
"Monarch, essence of All That Is."
Wind brushed off their clothes, despite the closed room.
"Corrosion of All That Was."
The atmosphere changed. The air thinned out—and something was about to burst it open.
"You who body the Celestial and Terrestrial—"
Their bodies screamed to run, as though a threat stood before them. Consequently, they stepped back.
"Bearer of Dream, Keeper of Time—"
Time seemed to slow down. But how could they be certain?
"We call you forth from beyond the Veil."
A heavenly gaze descended upon them. Their minds screamed not to look up—but there was nothing there.
They endured on and waited.
For some time, nothing happened.
Strange, they thought simultaneously—when all of a sudden, Shun received a message:
> [The constellation 'Monarch God' wonders why you try to summon Him.]
"He responded!"
Shun smiled excitedly—yet nervously—at the same time. An Outer God was conversing with him. The very being that had given him both power and curse!
Had he known, he would've tried to talk with Him sooner.
Why did the Monarch God give Shun powers?
When looking at it from a bigger picture, 'He' didn't get anything in return. Shun could only hope it wasn't something born of cold, calculated reasons.
"Seriously?!" Yukki looked stunned. It seemed she had low expectations.
Shun pondered for a bit. How should I respond? Just try talking as if He is here?
"Someone wants to converse with you."
> [The constellation 'Monarch God' agreed.]
"He agreed, Ms. Yukki."
Shun relayed the message. It was only he who could see it.
"Truly? I must say, that went smoother than expected. In fact, it felt like I just called a friend over for a drink."
Shun stared at his GUI system, but there was no further message from Monarch God. He turned his face to Yukki.
"What is it like to get the gods' attention in your world?"
"We'd need incense, herbs, sacrificed items, and the correct incantation of the target."
Shun grunted in acknowledgment, and without waiting for the other party to speak, he added,
"How is He going to talk with you?"
"From what I know, perhaps He will appear in dreams… or send His agents."
"Will He even have agents? I've never heard of a cult that worships Him." Shun couldn't help but voice his doubts.
> [The constellation 'Monarch God' expressed his disappointment.]
"... Sorry!"
"What? What's going on? Why did you suddenly bow?" Yukki looked at Shun with bewilderment.
Shun raised his head with an awkward chuckle. "It's nothing."
Yukki looked at Shun a bit longer before moving on—when all of a sudden, her smartwatch trembled.
She answered the call. A holographic panel appeared in the sky, showing a man with rough edges.
Shun recognized him almost immediately.
"Harza, what's going on?"
"Are you done with your business? I might not be able to hold them off much longer."
The camera blurred for a bit as he shifted its angle to three figures.
"Move aside, Harza!" a gorgeous woman with a grand voice demanded.
"Don't think you can stop us simply because you're the strongest Hunter!" an old man yelled, spitting his saliva.
"What kind of magic did Yukki use to be able to enchant a man like you? How lucky," a pretty woman with lazy eyes spoke, her voice melancholy.
The strongest Hunter in the world facing the three Fools? Shun's eyes flickered with excitement.
I want to watch!
"Sorry to disappoint you, everyone, but I can't let anyone in."
"Didn't you feel that powerful presence? They're trying to summon a divine being! We must stop them before it gets too late."
The old man tapped his foot—and his shadow got up.
"So what?" Harza said playfully. "If you wanna get in—entertain me, will ya?"