"Are you ready?"
Rin had the two kneel before him, then, using Violet's permissions, began to connect with their origins.
"Do not resist, follow my guidance, and then..."
"Swear allegiance to me!"
Transforming Diablo and Testarossa into Subordinate Gods was not troublesome.
With Violet present, exploiting such a loophole, which had not yet appeared in the Campione World, was always precise.
As for the oath, Diablo and Testarossa didn't need to think. Violet had already prepared a ready-made Subordinate God pact for them.
Just like that, after reciting the Subordinate God oath from the bottom of their hearts, their bodies began to dissipate into particles.
And as Rin and Violet had expected,
The two were not expelled from the Campione Universe, returning the stolen Disobedient Divinity of Lucifer and Lilith.
They remained by Rin's side, only unable to manifest in the physical world as freely as before.
"What a strange feeling."
Testarossa could see Rin, but she was not beside him, nor anywhere else.
This feeling was different from that of a guardian spirit.
Because Testarossa and Diablo had already left Athens, and there was no sign of Rin beside them.
Looking around, the surrounding space was a cool azure hue, giving off the feeling of a fairy tale-like elven forest.
Crystal-like trees covered the sky, and strange glowing fungi grew underfoot.
Occasionally, one could also see translucent small animals darting through the grass and flower fields.
"This place somewhat resembles the Underworld where we monsters reside."
Diablo looked around with interest. "Interesting. Even though they are different worlds, they have similar realms to the Underworld, where spiritual beings dwell."
"Rin."
Even though Rin was not nearby, Diablo and Testarossa could still sense his presence.
This connection was quite peculiar and difficult to describe in words.
The two could only be certain of one thing.
That is, Rin's true distance from them had never shortened.
"What is it?"
In the material world, Rin heard Diablo's call and responded, "I'm leaving Athens. What about you? Has anything changed with my movement?"
He was extremely far from Diablo and Testarossa in terms of space, yet Rin could still contact them at any time.
Due to the different rules of the Netherworld compared to the present world, Rin could feel the presence of the two Subordinate Gods.
And Diablo and Testarossa could observe Rin's actions through spiritual vision.
"We see you!"
Testarossa now had three fields of vision.
One was her true body in the Demon Lords Castle, one was the fantastical and bizarre Netherworld, and the last one was locked onto Rin's projection, watching him head toward the outskirts of Athens.
"Mm."
Rin said, "I'm fine here. You can try to see if you can use your power in the Netherworld."
"Yes, I understand."
Testarossa agreed very readily.
However, Diablo seemed to have his own idea. "Rin-sama, I want to explore this mental space first."
Diablo could not exist long in the human world, but he could continue to be active in the Netherworld.
"Go."
Rin naturally wouldn't stop him. "If you have any plans, Diablo and Testarossa, you can decide on your own. You don't need to ask me."
"Yes!"
After disconnecting from Rin, Diablo looked around and began to choose a direction to explore.
"Is this okay?"
Testarossa wasn't worried about Diablo, but she wondered if his reckless actions might cause Rin to lose the chance to summon him.
For example, if he accidentally died in the Netherworld or something like that.
"Don't worry."
This time, it wasn't Rin who answered her question, but Violet.
"Lady Violet!"
"Primordial Black, you explore the surroundings first."
"Yes!"
"Primordial White."
Violet said, "Let me explain to you the concept of the Netherworld."
"Okay."
Facing Violet, Rin's assistant, the two dared not be presumptuous and immediately listened attentively.
"The so-called Netherworld is called by different names in different countries, civilizations, and mythological systems."
"Heretic Gods call it the realm of life and undeath."
"Japan calls it Yomi (Netherworld), China calls it Youmingjie (Underworld), Persia calls it the Spirit World (Soul World), Greece calls it the Ideal World (World of Ideas), and Britain calls it the Astral Plane."
In addition, there are also names such as the Spirit Realm, Fairy Realm, Mental Realm, World of Thought, World of Mind, Campione Reincarnation Space, Non-Reality Domain, the Void Land between the Human World and the Divine Realm, the Rift World of Yomi-no-Hirasa, and so on.
"This is a peculiar dimension located between the realm of life and the realm of undeath."
It is said that the Netherworld is a place that records all events that have occurred since the birth of the universe, and all possibilities of what will happen in the future.
It is a vast world made up of countless independent spaces, like a spider's web, connected by discontinuous heterospaces or barriers that have no common points.
Generally, only thoughts or souls can enter, but magicians and the like can come here with their physical bodies.
Only by continuously purifying one's soul and reaching the level of great enlightenment can one remember the experiences in this space.
Here, there are Heretic Gods tired of wandering in the human world, great magicians or saints who have gained immortal divinity, and powerful fairies and spirits whose spiritual power is no less than that of fairy kings.
In short, the chaos within the Netherworld is even more complex than the international situation in the present world.
"Speaking of which, I remember that if a Heretic God enters the Netherworld, they should be able to construct their God Ancestor."
Rin's voice suddenly cut in, interrupting Violet's explanation. "Testarossa, can you do it?"
"Rin-sama, you're still here?"
"Ah."
Rin's voice was slightly awkward. "Because the journey was too boring, I was listening in when Violet appeared."
"Cough!"
Diablo said, "Actually, me too."
"Eh~"
Testarossa was a bit speechless, but considering that the Netherworld inherently has no concept of spatial distance...
Everyone seemed to be in multiple spaces, but in reality, their souls were connected, meaning they had never truly been separated.
"By the way, Testarossa, try to construct a God Ancestor first."
"God Ancestor, huh..."
Although she had become a Subordinate God, this only meant she couldn't manifest in the real world.
From the perspective of the Netherworld, Testarossa was still a Heretic God.
Therefore, she also possessed the power to establish her own Netherworld Divine Kingdom in this dimension.
(To be continued.)