### Chapter: 406
The Sea King, Dino Bardon.
Kraush, following along with Karandis, was once again looking out at the vast sea.
Originally, this was the spot where the great ocean existed.
As Kraush stared blankly at the place, he subtly raised his gaze.
“Was there really a need to bring me here?”
To be honest, they could have talked inside just fine.
The sea breeze was no joke—his hair was being tossed around uncontrollably.
Karandis had snuggled up to him during the moment, but since he was already used to it, Kraush simply let her be.
When Kraush asked his question, Dino let out a rough snort.
“Wasn’t it you who wanted to talk to the god of water? You gotta have water to chat with the god of water.”
Well, that was something he could understand.
“You’re calling him right now?”
“Hmm, can you handle divine energy?”
Those close to the Ten Great Lords knew that Kraush no longer had power. Knowing this, Dino asked this because he thought Kraush wouldn’t be able to meet the god of water. Kraush just grinned.
“Yeah, I have something somewhat similar.”
“In that case, we’re good.”
Since all they needed to confirm was that he could see it, Dino reached his hand out toward the sea.
At that moment, the seawater began to surge toward the direction of his hand, swirling into a vortex.
Dino was the only one among the Ten Great Lords to have entered the demigod realm through a contract with the god of water.
Kraush could feel the divine energy surging from him.
If he hadn’t been able to handle divine energy before, he wouldn’t have known what kind of power was rising from Dino now.
‘Is the god of water opening the door for intervention in the Middle Realm?’
Completed gods have limits on how much power they can bestow on the Middle Realm.
That’s why they grant skills to humans and take their posthumous talents in return.
Knowing this, Dino was currently acting as a medium for the god of water to intervene in the Middle Realm.
‘That’s some reckless business.’
It was a dangerous situation where Dino could risk having his body hijacked by the god of water.
For Dino to act this way, it meant he trusted the god of water to that extent.
‘How strong is their bond?’
For someone like Kraush who didn’t really trust gods, it was quite the mystery.
After a moment, as the swirling water surged upward, it engulfed Dino.
If Karandis hadn’t hastily conjured a curtain of water, Kraush would have been blasted by a tidal wave.
“Dino?”
Kraush called out to Dino from within the water barrier that Karandis had set up.
After a moment, Dino, drenched in seawater, slowly lifted his head.
Kraush could sense the divine energy swirling in his eyes and mouth, and he asked,
“Is that you, god of water?”
[Oh, thief’s child.]
Upon hearing that, Kraush’s body momentarily froze.
Just like before, the god of water definitely knew about the Black Hood given to Kraush.
Immediately after, a benevolent smile drifted across Dino’s features.
[What’s got you so curious that you’d poke your nose into the divine realm?]
It seemed the god of water had grasped some of the situation already.
Kraush glanced at Karandis.
She was tilting her head in confusion.
This was only natural since all she could see was Dino making strange lip movements.
Having never handled divine energy, Karandis couldn’t hear the voice of the god of water at all.
If Kraush hadn’t gained powers similar to divine energy through Holy Magic, he would have missed the voice too.
“I have something simple I want to ask.”
Kraush straightened up and focused on the god of water.
“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse beyond the divine realm.”
On the day he fought against Abella.
For a brief moment, Kraush had reached the divine realm, and he clearly remembered the Four Horsemen he had seen that day.
“Why are they present in the divine realm?”
Upon hearing Kraush’s next question, the god of water fell silent.
Could it be something he couldn’t share?
Perhaps he had touched on a divine sore spot.
As Kraush felt a bit nervous at that moment,
[Huh? What’s this Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Sounds scary.]
The benevolent smile from before vanished, replaced by bewilderment from the god of water.
Seeing this, Kraush blinked.
He didn’t sense any dishonesty from the god of water.
“Do you…really not know?”
When Kraush asked, the god of water responded with a flustered expression, rubbing his chin.
[Well, for one, the divine realm isn’t just one.]
The divine realm isn’t singular.
That statement was something Kraush had never heard before.
[You see, the divine realm—it’s complex to explain, but you could think of it as each god having an independent space.]
“That many, huh?”
[It’s undoubtedly broader than you might think. Just like how there’s space between the stars shining in the night sky, the divine realm is vast.]
With that, he had no way to estimate the scale.
Also, if that was the case, it made sense that the god of water wouldn’t know about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
‘Could it have been that the powers of Holy Magic from Abella made the Four Horsemen visible for a moment?’
Her Holy Magic included World Erosion.
Did they reveal themselves because of the power that responded?
Thinking along those lines made his head a bit muddled.
“I understand. Can I ask something else?”
Accepting that he couldn’t solve that problem for now, Kraush decided to switch to another question.
[Go ahead.]
Fortunately, the god of water readily agreed.
“I’ve heard that lately, gods granting skills to humans has become rare. Do you know anything about that?”
Since the god of water was also a god, Kraush threw out the question just in case, and the god of water responded ambiguously.
[Well, that calls for a more fundamental story.]
The god of water stared at the sea.
[What you call World Erosion is essentially a power that increases the threshold for godly intervention in the Middle Realm.]
With that statement, Kraush’s eyes widened.
“A threshold, you say?”
[In a way, it acts as a balance. As World Erosion grows stronger, gods are enabled to grant greater power.]
Kraush fell into thought.
It was ironic that all the divine interventions up until now had been made possible thanks to World Erosion.
World Erosion still existed, but because Kraush had cleaned up all the borders, the rate of World Erosion had significantly decreased.
Consequently, divine interventions had also diminished.
[Of course, recently, it seems some gods are intentionally withdrawing.
Uh, but I don’t know the details about that. I’m not exactly tight with the other gods.]
As previously mentioned, the divine realm is vast.
The god of water wouldn’t know everything about every god.
“Is it that you just don’t know any gods, so you can’t tell?”
At that moment, it was Dino who chimed in.
With a look of disbelief, Dino reacted, causing the divine energy from the god of water to twitch.
[W-What do you mean by that?]
“I’m just saying, there’s no need to beat around the bush. You aren’t alone and living your best life, are you?”
[Don’t say things like ‘alone’!]
Instead of the benevolent god of water, an awkward god emerged.
Kraush couldn’t help but chuckle at the amusing banter between the two.
“God of water, is it possible for humans to go to the divine realm?”
Then, Kraush threw in another question.
If he was curious about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he might as well visit the divine realm himself.
He asked if the god of water knew, and she pondered for a moment before answering.
[If you can cross the Milky Way, it might be possible.]
That meant it’s impossible.
Now he understood why there was no record of how to reach the divine realm in history.
‘Even the demigods who reached the divine territory often stayed in the Middle Realm until their lifespan ran out.’
The gods, whose divine energy had withered and vanished.
Those deities left behind traces similar to the sanctuaries that Arthur had sought to comprehend the Holy Sword.
In short, it was safe to say no one had successfully transitioned from the Middle Realm to the divine realm.
‘From the very beginning, the gods coexisted with the world, and those who reached the divine realm must be regarded as separate beings from humans.’
His head was spinning with all this information.
At the very least, it was a fact that no humans had ever reached the divine realm in history.
‘But perhaps with Holy Magic, it might be possible.’
Holy Magic that could even move the stars.
Waiting for good news from Crimson Garden and the Demon King was likely the most viable option.
Additionally, there might be another method the god of water didn’t know about.
“Thank you for sharing. I’ve learned a lot thanks to you.”
Because of the god of water, he had gathered quite a bit of new information.
He figured he could look into the remaining information himself.
“I’m sorry, I know you came all this way, but I don’t have many answers to give.”
[H-Haven’t I answered sufficiently?]
“Yes, this is more than enough.”
[See!]
Information related to the mysterious world of the divine realm is invaluable.
After observing the god of water and Dino bickering, Kraush suddenly remembered one last question.
“Ah, can I ask one more thing?”
[…Go ahead.]
Seeing her desperately trying to maintain her composure despite the image already shattered, Kraush finally spoke.
“I want to ask about the god of thieves.”
He inquired about the one who had given him the Black Hood.
