(3rd Person POV)
The trial began with Pope Rockefeller seated prominently alongside his entourage of High Priests. The defendant's chair, however, sat conspicuously empty.
Arthur Pendragon hadn't shown up. Instead, his lawyer stood ready: Herbert Lee, a sharp-eyed feline demon in an impeccably tailored suit. Despite facing the church's highest officials, he looked completely unfazed.
The Solarus side's human lawyer shot to his feet, indignation clear. "This is outrageous! Where is the accused? Arthur Pendragon was summoned to appear before this court!"
Herbert adjusted his glasses calmly. "My client sees no reason to attend. He's been accused without evidence of crimes that aren't even crimes under Horn Kingdom law. Furthermore, the accusers—" He gestured toward the Solarus delegation, "—aren't even citizens or legal authorities of this kingdom. They have no jurisdiction here."
Murmurs spread through the courtroom. He had a point.
Arthur had been accused out of nowhere. If anyone else had made such accusations, they'd face legal consequences for false charges. But because it was the Solarus Faith...
The church's lawyer bristled. "His Holiness Pope Rockefeller III represents the spiritual authority of billions worldwide. When the Solarus Faith summons someone, they appear. This is about respect, decency, and recognizing divine authority. Your client's absence shows blatant contempt not just for the church, but for Lord Solarus himself!"
Silence gripped the courtroom. That argument carried weight—undeniable, uncomfortable weight.
Herbert didn't miss a beat. "With all due respect to His Holiness, spiritual authority doesn't supersede legal process. Horn Kingdom operates under its own laws, not church decree. My client cannot be compelled to appear for accusations that lack legal merit, regardless of who makes them."
The lawyers clashed verbally, arguments escalating as the gallery watched with rapt attention.
Pope Rockefeller remained silent throughout, expression serene. He'd anticipated Arthur's absence. That's precisely why he'd sent insurance.
The Solarus Champions—elite warriors blessed by the church—were en route to Hellfire headquarters right now. Led by Lance Ashford himself, these warriors could destroy small kingdoms. A mere businessman, no matter how wealthy, wouldn't stand a chance.
---
At Hellfire headquarters, Arthur sat across from Lance Ashford and his team of elite knights.
But instead of confrontation, they were drinking tea in Arthur's office, relaxed and conversational.
"I'm honestly shocked things escalated this quickly," said Jier, the vice-champion among the sacred knights. "We knew conflict was inevitable, but not this soon."
Lance nodded with a sigh. "And we'd just started making progress with the Pope too. Got him hooked on God of War. I really thought we could bring him around."
Arthur leaned back in his chair. "Any idea why they accelerated the timeline? Why label me a heretic now?"
"Direct order from the Divine World," Lance explained. "Not just from Altair Station—this came from the Great Sun God himself. The Pope received instructions to arrest you and seize your assets immediately."
The office door opened. Kaiser strolled in, expression thoughtful. "Must be because Hellfire became the world's #1 company. That would catch Solarus' attention."
Lance and his sacred knights immediately straightened, respect clear on their faces. "High Arbiter—"
Kaiser waved dismissively. "No formalities here. We're all friends." He settled into an empty chair.
Arthur frowned. "I don't think my company ranking alone would alarm a deity of that magnitude. There has to be more to it."
"I heard the Sun God recently woke from his slumber," Kaiser said thoughtfully. "If that's true, he's probably been observing this world closely. And he must have noticed that Hellfire is disrupting things—reducing devotion among the faithful because of your entertainment. Especially now with 3D gaming."
Arthur's eyes narrowed with understanding. "So you think the HS2 and 3D technology specifically caught his attention?"
"Definitely." Kaiser's expression turned amused. "And he's probably very curious about how you created such advanced technology in the first place."
Silence settled over the room.
"Think about it," Kaiser continued, gesturing broadly. "Technology this complex shouldn't exist for another thousand years, minimum. Yet here you are—computers, Hellphones, DVDs, ATMs, flat-screens, 3D gaming. The list goes on." He pointed directly at Arthur. "Solarus must be wondering how a young demon managed all that."
Kaiser himself was curious about the same thing, truthfully.
Arthur's expression grew serious as the implications crystallized. "So Solarus assumes I couldn't have done this alone. He thinks a deity is backing me."
Kaiser chuckled. "Exactly."
Lance gasped, understanding flooding his features. "So that bastard Solarus is trying to lure out Lord Dionysus?"
The sacred knights beside him exchanged shocked glances.
It made perfect sense. If Arthur was Dionysus' chosen representative in this world, attacking him would force the deity to reveal himself for protection.
"What should we do, Boss Arthur?" Lance stood abruptly. "Even if we deal with the Pope now, Solarus will just find other ways to attack you—"
Arthur interrupted with a casual question directed at Kaiser. "How long would it take Solarus to reach this world using a Divine Ship?"
Kaiser considered. "Based on what that alien deity you captured told me, the fastest Divine Ships take several years to travel from the Divine World to here."
The alien had initially assumed Arthur belonged to the Radiant Empire. After some... persuasive conversation and the binding contract Arthur imposed, it had learned the truth—and been appropriately terrified.
"Several years?" Arthur smiled with obvious relief. "Then we have plenty of time."
Kaiser caught the look in Arthur's eyes. Recognition dawned. "Wait. Don't tell me you're actually going to—"
He didn't finish.
Arthur released his divine power completely, no longer suppressing or hiding it.
The pressure slammed into everyone in the room like a physical force. Lance and his sacred knights' eyes went wide with shock and recognition. That presence—that overwhelming divine aura—was unmistakable.
They dropped to their knees instantly.
"This is..." Lance's voice shook. "Lord Dionysus?!"
Jier and the other sacred knights stared up at Arthur in stunned disbelief, finally understanding the truth they should have suspected all along.
Arthur Pendragon wasn't being blessed by Dionysus.
He was Dionysus.
---
Deep in the Hellfire Organization basement, hidden in the shadows, Sylwen froze.
A chill ran down her spine as divine aura washed over her senses. Despite being mortal, her assassin training allowed her to detect such overwhelming presences—and this one was unmistakable.
"No way..." she whispered into the darkness.
It was Arthur. But completely different from the boss she knew. This wasn't the demon entrepreneur who'd given her purpose after exile. This was something far beyond mortal comprehension.
The pieces clicked together in her mind with terrifying clarity.
All those impossible innovations. The casual confidence when facing powerful enemies. The way reality seemed to bend around his plans.
'He's been a god this entire time.'
Meanwhile, in a private viewing room where the trial was being broadcast, Firfel straightened abruptly in her seat.
Vivienne glanced over, concerned. "What's wrong?"
But Firfel couldn't respond. Every divine sense she possessed had just snapped to full alert.
'He's revealing himself,' she thought, a mix of pride and worry flooding through her. 'He's done playing games.'
As his wife and fellow deity, she could feel exactly what he was doing.
---
Meanwhile, at the courtroom, Pope Rockefeller endured the lawyers' arguments with growing boredom. Then his breath caught.
The mortals noticed nothing. But Rockefeller knew a deity's presence when he felt it.
And this one wasn't hiding anymore.
The divine aura was unfamiliar—vibrant, almost playful, yet carrying tremendous weight. He'd felt a faint trace of it once before, barely noticeable. Now it blazed openly.
'Who... who is this deity?'
This wasn't the Lord of Wealth's measured power. Wasn't the angels' radiant authority. This was something else entirely.
Before he could process further, reality shifted.
The courtroom vanished. Darkness swallowed everything. When Rockefeller's senses adjusted, he found himself sitting in an empty theatre—rows of seats stretching into shadow, a stage illuminated by a single spotlight.
His heart hammered. The «Light of Solarus» should have prevented this—his papal blessing protected him from being pulled into foreign divine realms. Yet it had failed completely. No resistance. No warning.
'Whoever this is... they passed through Solarus' protection like it wasn't even there.'
Dread crept up his spine.
He stood carefully, pulling his staff from a spatial ring. Divine energy gathered around him as he spoke two words of power, erecting barriers against magic, physical attacks, and mental intrusion.
"Who are you?" Rockefeller's voice echoed in the empty theatre. "Show yourself!"
He was the Pope—fortunate enough to receive faith energy from Solarus' devoted followers. That made him quasi-divine, though below the High Arbiter's level. If he possessed a Divine Realm of his own, he could match even that august being.
But he was still just a servant.
"Who am I?" A voice resonated from everywhere and nowhere. On the stage, the figure turned slowly. His face remained distorted, features impossible to perceive clearly. "I am the deity your Lord finds so... interesting."
Rockefeller's pulse quickened. The orders from the Divine World hadn't specified why—just demanded Arthur's arrest. But he'd drawn his own conclusions about Solarus' true objective.
Find whoever was backing Arthur Pendragon. Discover who made those impossible inventions possible.
"Are you the one behind Arthur?" Rockefeller's voice rose with nervous energy. "The deity who gives him knowledge no mortal should possess?"
"Indeed." The figure's chuckle held amusement.
Rockefeller swallowed visibly. He'd suspected divine involvement, but this presence was overwhelming. "Name yourself! What god would dare operate in secret within Solarus' territory?" His voice strengthened. "How long have you been hiding here?"
"Long enough."
"How long?" Rockefeller pressed. "Hundreds of years? A thousand?"
"Hundreds? Thousands?" The figure laughed softly, shaking his head. "No. Only a few years, actually."
Rockefeller froze. "A few... years?"
Impossible. In such a short time, this deity had influenced the entire world, introduced revolutionary technologies, shifted cultural paradigms. How could—
"Who are you?" he whispered.
The distortion around the figure's face began to fade. "I am Dionysus."
"Dionysus?" Rockefeller frowned. He'd never heard that name among the pantheons.
Then the face cleared completely.
Rockefeller's eyes went wide. His mouth fell open in shock.
Arthur Pendragon's features looked back at him.
"I am the God of Entertainment, Wealth, and Inventions," Arthur said, his voice carrying divine resonance now. "Though you might know me better as Arthur Pendragon."
The Pope stood speechless, his staff trembling slightly in his grip.
The demon he'd come to arrest... and the deity Solarus sought... were the same being.
"Impossible..." Rockefeller's voice shook. "A demon couldn't possibly be—you're lying! YOU'RE A FAKE DEITY!"
His staff glowed with defensive light, power gathering around him.
Arthur simply smiled, unbothered by the accusation. He waved his hand casually. "Me? Fake?" His chuckle echoed through the theatre. "Perhaps you'll reconsider who truly deserves your devotion after witnessing this performance."
He gestured to the side.
Another spotlight blazed to life, illuminating a small group of children standing on the stage. A microphone stood before one girl at the front, while the other children positioned themselves at various instruments—piano, strings, gentle percussion.
Rockefeller's eyes widened. "What—what is this? What trick are you playing?"
His grip tightened on his staff. Children or not, this could be an illusion, a trap, divine manipulation—
Arthur vanished without a word.
Music began.
Soft piano notes filled the darkness, played by small hands with surprising skill. Then strings joined—a melody that seemed to emanate from the theatre itself, surrounding Rockefeller from all directions.
The girl at the front microphone remained still for a long moment, then stepped closer and began to sing, her voice clear and pure:
Who made the pictures dance?
Who gave the stories life?
Who showed us worlds we'd never seen?
Who turned the dark to light?
The sound washed over Rockefeller like warm water. His defensive barriers flickered. The tension in his shoulders eased involuntarily.
'What... what is this feeling?'
The children's instruments created a soundscape that felt less like mortal music and more like... something else. Something that touched a part of him he'd buried centuries ago.
The part that remembered wonder. Joy. Simple, uncomplicated happiness.
---
He Gave Us Stories — https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cX3UimzTU37XvKu62LEiDTGQfnQIf4T9/view?usp=drivesdk