With the appearance of that sacred aura, not only Heaven, but nearly every major faction in the world sensed it.
There was no doubt about it!
That was the aura of the God of the Bible!
In the remote countryside of India.
Beside a small stream, a figure sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, resting while holding an ordinary wooden fishing rod and quietly waiting for a fish to take the bait.
Beneath the sunlight, his short jet-black hair gleamed with a blue luster. He appeared to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, with exquisitely handsome features.
It was not difficult to tell that he was a beautiful young man!
Although the youth himself was beautiful, his clothing was truly difficult to compliment.
He wore gray-dyed animal hides, a venomous serpent coiled around his neck, and an ornament engraved with a symbol of the Ganges upon his head.
This appearance was identical to that of a certain deity from the Hindu pantheon.
The destructive aura emanating from his body, so overwhelming that all things in the world would struggle to endure it, also happened to reveal his identity.
One of the three supreme gods of the Hindu pantheon, the ruler of destruction, and the most powerful God of Destruction...
Shiva!
However, just as he was enjoying the pleasure of fishing, footsteps suddenly sounded behind him, frightening away the fish gathered near the bait.
"I never expected someone who governs the authority of destruction to possess such leisurely interests as fishing."
A figure approached Shiva's side and glanced at the fish basket beside him.
"Haha, you actually caught nothing?"
"If the others around the world learned about this, wouldn't they laugh their heads off?"
There was no doubt that he was teasing Shiva.
However, the number of beings in the world who dared speak to Shiva in such a manner could be counted on one hand.
With his dark-blue skin and four arms that ordinary people did not possess, his identity was also obvious.
Vishnu!
Like Shiva, he was one of the three supreme gods of the Hindu pantheon, a deity who governed preservation.
Upon hearing those words, Shiva frowned slightly, opened his eyes, and looked toward Vishnu.
"Isn't it because you scared away my fish?"
Shiva's tone was extremely calm, but Vishnu could still hear the displeasure hidden within it.
"My apologies."
Even among the three supreme gods, the disparity in strength was enormous. Teasing him a little was not a problem, but if Vishnu truly offended him, he definitely would not live to see tomorrow's sun.
"I remember you went fishing a long time ago too, but you eventually gave it up. Why have you suddenly returned to it now?"
Shiva looked up at the sky and replied somewhat helplessly, "It's nothing. I'm just a little... bored, I suppose?"
The number of beings in the world stronger than him could be counted on one hand!
Great Red in the Dimensional Gap, the missing Infinite Dragon God, the sealed Trihexa, and the God of the Bible, who had vanished long ago.
In Shiva's eyes, those few were probably the only ones capable of arousing his interest...
"Ah..."
Thinking of those former powerhouses, Shiva sighed helplessly. Things were no longer as they had been in the past, and no true powerhouses had emerged in this new era either.
Even the transcendent beings among the devils were incapable of attracting Shiva's interest.
That was why this God of Destruction had remained idle for so long that he had even begun fishing to pass the time.
It would be nice if another powerful being appeared...
However, at that very moment, Shiva seemed to sense something. He abruptly rose from the ground and turned to look in a certain direction.
A familiar aura seemed to have appeared there.
There can be no mistake. This power... It has to be that fellow!
Shiva grinned, and the destructive aura he had restrained erupted all at once. It instantly blasted the entire stream dry, while the fish in the water became roasted fish, lying on the parched riverbed and emitting white smoke.
"What happened... What's going on?"
Upon noticing the sudden change in Shiva, Vishnu instantly sensed that something was wrong.
This guy...
He isn't going to silence me just because I mocked him, is he?
To be honest, he was genuinely somewhat afraid!
Shiva was, after all, one of the world's supreme powerhouses, while Vishnu himself... was hardly worth mentioning!
If they truly fought, Vishnu would undoubtedly be beaten one-sidedly!
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
Ignoring the nervous Vishnu, Shiva clutched his head and laughed loudly toward the sky.
"I haven't seen Him for so long that I thought He was dead!"
"Who would have imagined He would suddenly appear again?"
Hearing Shiva's words, Vishnu finally understood. Some ancient monster from another pantheon must have reappeared, making Shiva this delighted.
"Who is it?"
Driven by curiosity, Vishnu questioned Shiva, only for the answer to make his eyes widen.
With ill intent, Shiva uttered four words...
The God of the Bible!
...
Returning to the deserted town, only Elise remained seated atop the blue barrier, waiting quietly.
Ordinary people naturally could neither see nor sense anything.
However, any powerful being would undoubtedly sense that the aura Elise had released was identical to that of a certain mighty existence from the past!
That existence was the sovereign of the biblical pantheon, the one and only God...
He possessed many titles, including the God of the Bible, the Lord of Hosts, the Creator, Jehovah, Yahweh, and more.
However, the name most familiar to everyone was God.
Elise herself had absolutely no connection to the God of the Bible. In fact, she had never even met Him.
But there was no need for her to meet Him at all!
In the novel High School DxD, the God of the Bible had already fallen. In the portion Elise had read, she had never reached any plot in which He was resurrected...
Honestly, if the God of the Bible truly resurrected, the power scaling of this world would probably collapse even more severely, wouldn't it?
But none of that mattered!
Because Elise would obtain everything He possessed!
She carefully sensed the power of faith within this world, then made an audacious decision!
She would become the God of the Bible!
Of course, describing it that way might not be entirely accurate...
Elise did not intend to become the reincarnation of the God of the Bible. She intended to become the second-generation God of the Bible!
Some people might not understand what that meant, so Elise could explain it this way.
Elise was not anyone's reincarnation! She was herself!
God was dead!
That was an undeniable fact!
However, Elise would inherit everything God had possessed and exist in the world as the new God.
To put it even more plainly, she would become His successor.
Thus, Elise manipulated the power of faith permeating the surrounding area and exerted all her strength to imitate the aura of a certain existence from this world!
As expected, Heaven reacted!
Some of the world's most powerful beings had also sensed Elise's aura and were now rushing toward her.
Some, however, were already standing behind Elise...
"Wasn't I right, Infinite Dragon God Ophis?"
At some unknown point, a girl with jet-black hair had arrived and now stood quietly behind Elise.
There was no light whatsoever in her eyes, yet a faint smile rested upon her face.
"It has been a long time, Yahweh!"