Chapter 244: Talking with Bellina 4

"Oh, by the way," Haruto shifted slightly, trying to steer the conversation. "How about it? Have you figured out your second Anomalies ability yet?"

"Hehehe, about that... No, I still don’t know," Bellina replied with a goofy smile, showing a hint of awkwardness about the topic.

Haruto fell silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh. Without saying anything, he took a sip of the cold juice Bellina had given him, feeling the refreshing coolness in his throat, even though his mind was still preoccupied with the unanswered question.

"Fiuh..." Haruto exhaled deeply, placing the glass gently on the floor before continuing with his question. "So, do you know who the group attacking the City Academy is? And what their purpose is in abducting some of the students?"

Bellina tilted her head slightly, as if weighing whether to reveal this information, before answering calmly, "About that... They are an organization called the Soul Collectors. Their goal is to awaken their God."

Haruto snorted, his gaze fixed on Bellina. "Their God?"

"Yes," Bellina nodded slowly. "One of the first-year girls is carrying the seed of the God Arserk, the God worshipped by the people in the Soul Collectors organization."

Haruto furrowed his brow. "The seed of a God? You mean, the girl is pregnant?"

Bellina sighed and continued carefully, explaining in detail. "They want the girl to give birth to the seed, but it hasn't developed in her womb yet. The seed needs to grow and bear fruit first. For that, they perform a special ritual—a ritual that allows Aura Energy to permeate the girl's body. After that, the seed begins to grow, and eventually, a baby will emerge in the girl's womb."

Haruto paused for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard. "Wait, so the baby... is the seed of the God Arserk?"

"Yes," Bellina nodded, her expression serious. "When the baby is born from the girl's womb, the God Arserk will take over the baby's body and descend into this world. That is the main goal of the Soul Collectors."

Haruto remained silent, his mind racing. The idea of a God taking over a baby’s body shocked him, but he knew this was vital information. "That... that sounds impossible," Haruto said quietly, trying to find the right words. "Is it normal for a being considered a God to descend into this world? Especially as a baby? And... are Gods and Goddesses really real?"

Bellina looked at him with a serious gaze and nodded slowly. "Yes, Gods and Goddesses are real. Though not all who are called Gods or Goddesses are exactly what we imagine them to be. In the future, events like this will be quite common. However, there are times when we can't be sure whether they are truly Gods or Goddesses, or just extremely powerful beings considered as such."

"Then, are the Ten Gods and Goddesses worshipped by Fortress City truly real? From what I heard before, the Ten Gods and Goddesses were just stories created by people in ancient times, meant to give people faith so they wouldn't act violently and aggressively. This way, chaos could be prevented." Haruto asked with a serious expression, his eyes staring straight ahead as if searching for the hidden truth.

"The Ten Gods and Goddesses I’m referring to are Vuurbrander, the God of Fire. Culinaria, the Goddess of Food. Mizukami, the God of Water. Klugheitia, the Goddess of Intelligence. Fengshen, the God of Wind. Gochucham, the Goddess of Lightning. Voynabog, the God of War. Lumiere, the Goddess of Light. Terra, the God of Earth. Askperest, the Goddess of Love." Haruto continued, naming each of them one by one with a slow but firm tone. Each name carried a deep resonance, as if they were more than mere myths.