I Reborn as a God Within a Statue, And You Ask Me to Enslave All Gods?-Chapter 117 --The Mystery Behind the Empire’s Fall

Back when she was still a princess, not even then had she ever encountered an aura like this one.

As Princess Aysa furrowed her brows, attempting to analyze the mysterious energy, a sudden voice called out to her:

"Princess Aysa?!"

She immediately turned toward the direction of the voice, only to see an aged figure approaching—none other than James, now reborn as the Water God!

James was once a citizen of the Caesar Empire. Back then, the empire was already under siege by spellbeasts, but it still barely held together.

This very Princess Aysa had been the greatest prodigy of her time, admired by countless people. She was hailed as the future hope of the Caesar Empire.

So, James had studied everything he could about her in those days. He had once aspired to become a genius like her.

Although his bloodline talent was mediocre, he still chose to stand at the forefront of humanity’s struggle. In his later years, he gave up fighting to teach the younger generation.

Much of his resolve in those days was influenced, at least in part, by Princess Aysa.

Yet he had never imagined that, after dying and returning to life, he would one day meet her again—this peerless prodigy of the old Caesar Empire!

Seeing the look of excitement in James’s eyes as he stared at her and called out her name, Queen Aysa was momentarily surprised.

She knew she had slept for a long time, and those who still remembered her were few and far between. Most of the people from the old Caesar Empire were already dead.

Though she didn’t recognize James, she sensed a strange yet familiar energy from him.

Especially the aura he gave off—it made her feel an instinctive comfort, easing her wariness.

"You are...?" she asked, uncertain whether they had met before.

James smiled and replied,

"My name is James. I was once a physician under the Caesar Empire. But after witnessing the horrors of the spellbeasts and their slaughter of humanity, I gave up medicine and became an awakener."

"Though I lacked great talent, through sheer grit and resources, I gained a modest reputation within the empire. His Majesty Caesar even awarded me the Order of the Purple Thorn."

"When I grew older and could no longer fight on the front lines due to illness, I retired and founded an academy to train young awakeners..."

James briefly recounted his past.

But before he could finish, Queen Aysa’s eyes widened in shock as a memory struck her.

"James! You’re that James—the People’s Mentor?!"

"They said you were devoured by a spellbeast sent by the Spellbeast King. How are you still alive?!"

Back in the day, James was indeed well-known across the empire. Though not among the highest in rank, everything he had done commanded great respect.

His death at the hands of spellbeasts had caused an uproar throughout the empire—many even called for a direct strike against the Spellbeast King in retaliation.

That was how much influence James had once wielded.

But it had been widely believed he truly died. Many even claimed to have witnessed it themselves.

So how was he now standing before her, alive?

Had he truly come back from the dead?

But how could that be possible?

Sensing her confusion, James quickly explained,

"I truly was killed back then. But my soul was protected by the Primordial Faith and remained attached to my corpse. Not long ago, I caught the attention of Deus Initium, who resurrected me and appointed me as the Water God, placing me in charge of all rivers and lakes under His domain."

As he spoke, James bowed deeply toward the temple, his expression filled with reverence.

At the same time, all the townsfolk gathered around knelt devoutly to perform their usual worship of Deus Initium, offering incense in reverence.

The piled-up incense soon formed a mountain-like heap.

Queen Aysa watched this scene, her heart deeply shaken. For a brief moment, it was as if she saw the grand figure of her father, the emperor, standing proudly in the center of the great hall, bathed in golden light as he absorbed the incense—shimmering as if gilded in divine brilliance.

Unconvinced, she stared intently at the towering statue of Deus Initium—only to meet the gaze of its sculpted eyes.

Gold.

A majestic golden world filled her vision.

In just a brief moment of eye contact, a soul-crushing pressure surged from deep within her spirit. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

It felt as if the entire world had turned into radiant gold.

And within that extreme brilliance, a pair of eyes looked down upon her—

Those were not human eyes!

At that moment, only one thought echoed in her heart:

A god!

Could it really be a deity?

Had the legendary gods truly descended upon the world?

But... how could that be?

As waves of shock surged through her mind, James suddenly asked the question that had long plagued him:

"Your Highness, back then the Caesar Empire was indeed invaded by spellbeasts, but with His Majesty on the throne and someone like you—such a brilliant talent—why did the empire suddenly collapse?"

Ever since being resurrected by Owen, James had tried to uncover the truth behind the fall of the Caesar Empire. Yet he found nothing reliable. The available information was so contradictory, it was impossible to discern fact from fiction.

One thing, however, was certain:

The Caesar Empire fell suddenly—as if it had crumbled overnight, vanishing from the world in an instant.

Had the fall not been so abrupt, humanity should’ve been able to resist for much longer.

At the very least, they wouldn’t have been reduced to spellbeasts’ prey, or worse—cattle.

Hearing James’s question, Queen Aysa returned to her senses and looked at him with equal bewilderment.

"The fall of the Caesar Empire... sudden? How could that be?"

"My father had reached a level of power that transcended history. And with all the top experts by his side—how could we have fallen so suddenly?"

True, there had been prophecies foretelling the empire’s downfall, but in Queen Aysa’s mind, such a process would take time to unfold.

According to her father’s instructions, she had gone into hiding early to avoid being caught up in the prophecy’s destruction. She was to wait for the right moment to reemerge.

At the time of her sealing, the Caesar Empire had still stood. How could it have collapsed so suddenly?

"You don’t know what happened either, Your Highness?" James asked in disbelief.

He had assumed she would know the truth.

Now, as a divine being himself, he understood that the entity responsible for the Caesar Empire’s destruction might one day confront the gods as well.

The more he could learn now, the better prepared he would be.

Princess Aysa rubbed her temples, digging through her memories, trying to recall any clues.

"Wait—Father... Father must have known something!"