The Villain Rising: Ascension of Arcane Trickster.-Chapter 230: Vanquishing Thousands of Gods and Millions of Angels With a Snap.

Within the ruins of what had once been a grand castle, three mortals stared at the countless gods crowding the sky to confront a single being.

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Among them was the transparent soul of Rael, gazing up at the halo-filled heavens in both awe and terror.

He wasn't one to scare easily.

Still, the divinity radiating from that many divine beings combined with that of the Trickster was enough to make his very existence shudder, even within a memory.

From what Rael had read in the novel, there were different tiers of gods and once someone ascended, they faced two choices. Either create their own Divine Realm, tied to their personal growth or join an already established Divine Domain as a subordinate.

But most gods joined powerful, established domains and focused on strengthening themselves while rising through their ranks because creating domains had some conditions.

In the past, when contact between mortals and gods had been far easier and even descending was possible subjects to some conditions, entire empires were backed by such divine factions and from what Rael now understood, the Ravenclaw Empire had been one such empire and more importantly the factions backing it was at least ruled by an Intermediate Gods to have sent so many lesser Gods and Angels so casually.

"Which Divine Realm do you belong to?"

A loud, arrogant voice echoed through the heavens, demanding the Trickster's identity.

Damn… was this guy some nobody?

Or had he been hiding his identity back then?

Rael frowned from the ground as he watched the gods hesitate, uncertain of the Trickster's origin. From what he knew and what he had personally experienced, the first option was impossible.

Which meant the Trickster simply hadn't made himself known.

Or perhaps…

Most of the Gods who had arrived currently or even the whole Divine Realm weren't strong enough to know his identity.

Still, Rael frowned.

Can't they sense that overwhelming presence of his?

Even with so many divine beings opposing him, the Trickster's aura dwarfed theirs entirely and even Rael felt it… so why couldn't the Gods?

But before he could think any further, a warm breath brushed against his ear.

"Fuuu~"

Rael's entire body shuddered as he leapt back instantly.

"What the hell—?"

He glanced at the spot where he had been standing just moments ago and there stood the same being who had been facing countless divine beings arrogantly without a hint of fear.

The Trickster.

He was now looking at Rael with open amusement while the world around them drained of color as everything was frozen including the Divine Beings.

"Hmmm… ever since I arrived, I have been feeling a little tingly inside as if some strange presence was stalking me." His amused and mischievous voice echoed. "I was curious… but I couldn't pinpoint it so I focused a little bit harder."

His smile widened.

"And then I found you looking at me while being lost in some thoughts."

"So… mind telling me who you are, my lovely stalker?"

He began chuckling as Rael's entire body trembled.

Rael couldn't comprehend how the Trickster had noticed him.

Wasn't this just a fragment of memory?

No matter how he tried to rationalize it, he couldn't find an answer.

So instead, he smirked, matching the Trickster's expression.

"Why don't you take a guess?"

From everything he knew about the Trickster, he understood one thing.

Trickster wasn't the type to attack immediately and even if he did… Rael wasn't sure whether he could truly be harmed here.

So he decided to play the Trickster's own game.

"Hmmm…"

The Trickster tilted his head, resting a hand on his chin as he studied Rael with narrowed eyes, his expression suddenly serious.

Rael's smirk widened.

The presence of the Card of Arcana within his soul wasn't subtle and The Trickster should have recognized that connection immediately.

Still, Rael wanted to see how long it would take him to realize they were inside a memory.

The Trickster suddenly slapped his palm with his fist.

"Ahhh…"

"Your presence is familiar… You… are you…?"

He leaned forward slightly.

"Are you the child I stole candy from ten years ago?"

Rael nearly stumbled. "What?"

Seeing his genuinely baffled expression, the Trickster burst into wild laughter. "I am just kidding. Did you really think I would not notice your presence, my dear successor?"

His grin stretched wider.

"Hahahahahahahahaha—"

"How…?" Rael asked.

Trickster's smile deepened as his smirk looked awfully similar to what Rael had a few moments ago.

"Why. Don't. You. Take. A. Guess?" He spoke the same dialogue Rael had spoken with deliberate tone.

Rael barely controlled his urge to punch the guy.

"If you knew from the beginning then why did you act like you didn't notice me until now?" Rael asked, his voice cautious. He genuinely couldn't understand the reason.

The Trickster laughed even louder.

"What reason do I need?" He replied lightly. "I simply wanted to trick you… and perhaps show you just how magnificent your predecessor was, standing before that many divine beings without flinching."

His grin widened.

"Wasn't it impressive?"

Rael's eyes twitched.

This bastard…

Tsk. Still as annoying as I remember.

He cursed inwardly but didn't voice it aloud because even he understood how rare an opportunity this was.

If this bastard actually decided to answer his questions… He might finally learn the things he had been curious about for so long.

Before Rael could say anything, the Trickster interrupted. "Yes, yes, I know. You have many questions but wait a few more seconds."

He waved a hand dismissively.

"I need to deal with these memory pests just like I did back then in reality unless, of course, you would like to damage poor Eidolon's freshly revived soul and brain."

"Stay right there as it won't take long."

The moment he finished speaking, the world resumed its flow and he was back in his original position.

"Which Divine Realm do you belong to?"

The same arrogant voice echoed again, demanding an answer.

The Trickster did not reply instead, he smiled widely.

"Why don't you find out yourself?"

With those words, he snapped his fingers and in an instant, the thousands of lesser gods along with the millions of angels vanished into thin air and in the place where they had stood, countless cards fluttered downward from the sky, falling softly on the ground.

Eidolon as well as The Emperor's memory fragments on the ground couldn't even comprehend what had happened. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha—"

The Trickster laughed mid-air before bowing slightly to the empty heavens, like a magician who had just completed a grand performance.

Meanwhile, Rael stood at the sidelines, mouth slightly open.

What the actual fuck was that…?