Banners painted with bear paw patterns were raised high, encircling the plaza where Rhunok, the King of the White Mountain, stood.
This bear paw was his chosen divine emblem, mimicking his main deity by using a part of his own body as a symbol.
His Ice Troll followers began to enter.
They were mainly composed of tribes who had previously believed in him, with a small portion from unified tribes who had converted, this being a special grace granted to them.
They wore bone ornaments, wrapped in furs, their faces painted with greasepaint.
Around Rhunok at the center, a low, rhythmic chant slowly began.
Drums beat, the rawhide drums commonly used by Troll priests, their sound deep and resonant.
Accompanied by the chanting, the believers began a ritualistic dance, stepping to a specific rhythm.
Their movements were not graceful but filled with power—primarily mimicking the white bear's patrolling, pouncing, and den-guarding postures in the snowy plains.
Each powerful stomp, each roar mimicking a bear's growl, spoke of Rhunok's ancient glory as the "Bear Father":
Protecting tribes from blizzards, striking fear into enemy chiefs in the wilderness, his might like the eternal, unyielding mountains of ZulDrak.
The rhythm of the dance grew faster and faster, the drumbeats more frequent, and the chants merged into a torrent, echoing across the plaza.
When the dance reached its climax, the drums suddenly ceased, and the chanting transformed into a synchronized roar of a giant bear.
Immediately after, all believers participating in the ritual, whether dancers or observers like Toka and Siye, uniformly knelt on one knee.
They bowed their heads, placed their right hands over their chests, and clearly chanted the same name:
"King of the White Mountain! Rhunok!"
"King of the White Mountain! Rhunok!"
Again and again, the devout and resonant voices converged into a mighty river.
The power of faith ascended from every believer, surging towards the gigantic figure in the center of the plaza.
The divine light in Rhunok's enormous golden-red eyes flared.
He opened his massive mouth, emitting a low growl.
Like a blue whale devouring seawater, the river of faith surged wildly into his enormous mouth.
At the location of his heart, a pure golden-red light suddenly ignited, then rapidly spread throughout his entire body!
The divine fire was thus lit!
At that moment, the earth rumbled, and the stone bricks beneath the plaza cracked and popped from the intense heat;
The cold wind turned into warm currents, carrying snow mist soaring into the sky;
All shadows were dispelled, replaced by a blazing radiance that turned every pair of eyes crimson.
Mortal flesh and bones sublimated and purified in the flames, completely consumed, leaving only a divine body.
Rhunok's divinity thus crossed the barrier of "0" and entered the true "1."
Following his main deity's recommendation, "Bear" became Rhunok's most core divine portfolio.
Around the plaza, the kneeling believers witnessed all of this, moved to tears, and continued to shout in unison:
"King of the White Mountain! Rhunok!"
Their shouts turned into rolling echoes, soaring to the heavens with the roar of the divine fire.
In the next instant after the divine fire ignited, at the other end of the plaza, space silently twisted and stretched.
A colossal, colorful black gate slowly opened in the void.
The scene beyond the gate was beyond the discernment of mortal eyes.
A moment later, a figure stepped out from it, treading on Gundrak's cold stone ground.
He was tens of meters tall, with a dragon's head and a powerful humanoid body, covered in black scales. It was KaIgnas, the Dragonkin supplicant, the divine messenger of the Dragon God Obsidian.
His appearance seemed to freeze the air of the entire plaza, filling it with an awe-inspiring pressure.
Toka, Siye, and some old believers recognized this divine messenger who had appeared in Ital'ruk, and their eyes showed even deeper reverence.
Under their guidance, another name was added to the crowd's chants:
"King of the White Mountain! Rhunok!"
"Dragon of Radiance! Obsidian!"
KaIgnas's gaze calmly swept across the entire scene, finally resting on Rhunok, who had just ignited his divine fire.
He raised his claw, motioning for the believers to be silent, then bowed his head to greet the newly ascended deity.
Immediately, Ignas's deep but grand voice rang out, clear and solemn:
"By the decree of my Lord, the Flame Keeper Obsidian, I congratulate the birth of the new god, Rhunok."
His dragon claw lifted, and a rune, condensed from divine light, floated in his palm.
The structure of the rune was heavy and stable, as if it concentrated the endless power of mountains, exuding the aura of the earth.
"This is my Lord's gift for Rhunok—the 'Mountain' divine portfolio."
KaIgnas's voice echoed, "May you, with this divine power, solidify your foundation and protect this region."
This was a divine portfolio Obsidian created, drawing inspiration from the recovered power of the Earth Guardian.
Because it did not include the requirement to protect Azeroth, only the concretization of the concept of mountains, there was no need to worry about corruption from the Old Gods.
Moreover, by the time Rhunok received this divine portfolio, he would certainly be a true god, so there was no need to worry about being defiled by a being of lower rank.
Rhunok's bear head lowered, his eyes showing solemnity and gratitude.
He extended his massive claw, carefully taking the rune.
The moment the rune touched his palm, it transformed into a stream of light, integrating into his divinity.
The radiance around the King of the White Mountain also became richer and more profound.
The ceremony was nearing its end.
In the plaza, the believers still maintained their kneeling posture.
They chanted prayers and blessings to the King of the White Mountain and the Dragon of Radiance, their voices converging into an ocean of devotion.
KaIgnas turned sideways, making a "please" gesture towards the Gate of God's Kingdom.
Rhunok took one last look at this land he had once protected, a land that had endured war and rebirth, his gaze briefly resting on Siye, then he hesitated no more.
He took a step, and guided by the divine messenger, he firmly entered the gate leading to the divine kingdom of Serakhen.
Their figures disappeared into the radiance behind the gate.
The gate then began to contract and shrink inward, eventually transforming into a brilliant star of light, silently vanishing into the air.
After waiting for a moment longer, Siye led the believers to stand up.
Toka approached again, asking the chief priest in a low voice, "Will you still attend the captain's enthronement ceremony later?"
Siye smiled faintly, "Of course. But when the enthronement ceremony will be held depends on Skala himself."
"It depends on when he figures it out—"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"