I am secretly a 12th Dimensional Eldritch God

Huh? Sacrifice my kin? Surely this must be a joke, Your Excellency?" Xiao Lan's voice trembled with unease, her hands tightening as she hesitated to act. Her eyes darted to Ray's face, searching for any hint of levity behind such an unfathomable command. Yet his expression remained unreadable, his sharp gaze dissecting her every move.

But then, something shifted—a subtle nod of approval. It was all she needed to confirm her suspicion: this wasn't a genuine order but a test.

A breath of relief escaped her. Xiao Lan had heard the stories, after all. The Progenitors of the Deep Kin—the Great Ones—were nothing short of myth in her eyes, their existence woven into her bloodline but never witnessed firsthand. These beings, said to be capable of annihilating worlds with a mere thought, were as terrifying as they were inscrutable. Their immeasurable power cursed them to eternal boredom, their godlike perspectives rendering the past, present, and future all but meaningless.

In her mind, Ray was no different. His descent to Teyvat, his avatar merely a shadow of his true form, was likely just another diversion in his endless existence.

---

Meanwhile, Ray's thoughts churned with far less regard for Xiao Lan's internal plight. He wasn't concerned with her schemes—if she even had any. His mind was consumed by the revelation that had begun to crystallize.

The gods of Teyvat, he realized, followed a familiar pattern he had observed in countless worlds. Much like the mortals who wielded Visions, these deities drew their elemental power from Teyvat's Ley Lines. But what truly set them apart was the energy they harnessed from their worshippers: divine power.

This divine power was not unlike the Demonic Power of the DxD universe. In its raw form, it enabled gods to manifest their will without restraint, limited only by their imagination. However, its true value lay in its connection to belief—both a god's strength and authority stemmed directly from the worship and faith of their followers.

Ray's gaze turned inward, examining the implications. A god's domain wasn't simply granted—it was earned, shaped by the actions and beliefs of their worshippers. Take Taketsugu Hayashi, for example. Known as the God of Fire, Smithing, Craftsmanship, and Commerce, his domains reflected the very activities that had defined his life. His unparalleled mastery of blacksmithing had inspired those around him to revere him as the God of Smithing, their collective belief solidifying his authority in that domain.

In short, a god's strength depended on their worshippers' numbers and beliefs. But Ray had uncovered an even deeper truth. Faith wasn't merely belief—it required understanding. Worshippers needed to grasp the concepts they revered, such as smithing or commerce, to offer meaningful faith.

And therein lay the conundrum.

Beasts, while capable of pure, unwavering devotion, lacked the intellect to shape complex domains for their gods. This explained the disparity between the Gods of Humans and the Gods of Beasts. A god like Rex Lapis, with human worshippers, commanded vast authority over multiple domains: Geo, Contracts, Wealth, and Commerce. Meanwhile, Boreas, a God of Beasts, was limited to the domains of North Wind and Wolves.

Ray contemplated this trade-off with growing frustration. Human faith offered potential for greater power but came at the cost of loyalty and consistency. Beasts, on the other hand, were simpler to manage but provided limited opportunities for growth.

This delicate balancing act left Ray with a headache. Regaining his original power had always seemed insurmountable. His True Body, now inaccessible, had housed the bulk of his strength. To reclaim even a fraction of that power, he would have to adapt to this world's rules, starting from the bottom. It was a daunting task, but he had no choice. He would ascend as a god, no matter how long it took, even if the journey spanned a millennium.

---

His gaze flicked to the side, landing on Xiao Lan. The timid Sea God was fidgeting, stealing glances at him as though he might devour her at any moment. Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind—but not in the way she imagined. Recalling her true form, however, brought a shadow to his face, his eyes darkening with unspoken memories.

His earlier intimidation of her hadn't been cruelty—it had been calculated, a deliberate test of a theory.

Faith flowed directly from a worshipper to their god, but what about indirect channels? Did faith also transfer through intermediaries, like the Four Winds to the Anemo Archon or the Adepti to the Geo Archon? History suggested it did, especially in worlds like DxD, where Chief Gods gained a portion of their subordinates' faith. It was akin to a divine tax, with Lesser Gods functioning as franchises under the Chief's authority.

Yet Ray doubted such partnerships existed without clear benefits. Gods were inherently selfish beings, hoarding faith to grow stronger. He knew they wouldn't willingly share unless there was a compelling reason.

Testing this hypothesis, Ray observed Xiao Lan. Her faith streamed into him, but it wasn't consistent. Emotions played a critical role in its flow. Before he ordered her to sacrifice her kin, the stream had been steady but weak—a trickle, perhaps a unit of one. After the order, however, her fear and desperation caused a spike, momentarily increasing the flow to ten. But as her faith wavered, the stream declined below its original level.

Freya, by contrast, was a geyser. Her faith poured into him in an unrelenting torrent, her unwavering devotion amplified by even the smallest praise.

Ray allowed himself a brief moment of amusement. Should he restart his fanatical cult? Recruit a harem of yandere goddesses and rebrand it as the Witch Cult? Pandora had already salvaged a portion of his previous cult's lunatic followers into his Shadow Space before his True Body had obliterated the DxD universe into pure ether.

The idea lingered, absurd and oddly tempting.

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