When Su Mo had previously said that the pantheons might not be the problem, Shiroyasha had found it a bit of a stretch.
But now that she had discovered the pantheons really did have a problem, she was the one who was truly panicking.
No way, are you for real?
It even led her to ask the following question:
"Even though the Dystopia Devil King reared humanity like livestock; even though the pantheons of the West Side pretended not to see for a long time; even though after the Last Embryo's identity was exposed, those pantheons still stood with the Devil King; even though the other pantheons didn't dare set foot on the battlefield to face the Dystopia Devil King head-on... as long as Canary, the leader who defeated the Dystopia Devil King, had studied under the gods, can't we still count this as the pantheons subjugating the Last Embryo?"
Su Mo: "What do you think?"
Su Mo offered a short, pointed question in return.
Shiroyasha: "I guess not..."
The white-haired loli hung her head in frustration.
She didn't want to speak up for the pantheons; she just didn't dare to admit the reality before her.
If she were to treat all the pantheons as enemies, forget her current self as a mere Four-Digit Shiroyasha; even if she were the Three-Digit White Night King, or even the Two-Digit White Night Devil King at the height of her power, she still wouldn't have the confidence to do so.
Not even counting the pantheons' favorite tactic of ganging up and jump on people, just looking at high-end combat power, the pantheons occupied more than half of the seventeen Full Authority Domain positions. How were you supposed to fight that?
So, even though Su Mo had already made it crystal clear, Shiroyasha still clung to a sliver of hope.
Shiroyasha: "Is it possible that this was just an accident? If the next Last Embryo isn't such a hard counter to the gods, maybe they'll step up?"
Su Mo: "Have you ever seen a Last Embryo that didn't have god-slaying properties?"
Shiroyasha: "..."
Shiroyasha: "No. And one couldn't possibly exist."
The gods were born from the wishes of humanity, and the Eschatology Theory was what would annihilate human history. Therefore, any Last Embryo would inherently possess god-slaying properties. Gods slain by a Last Embryo could not be revived; they would face a true and final death.
So, Shiroyasha knew her own words didn't hold water.
Even if the Dystopia Devil King was the most vicious Godslayer in history, that wasn't a good enough reason for the pantheons to cower and refuse to act, was it?
Though not as powerful as the Dystopia Devil King, which of the previous Last Embryos hadn't been dangerous?
Besides, even if the pantheons didn't act themselves, they could have cultivated others! Hadn't the Halloween Queen cultivated the once-famous Knights of Avalon? If not for an unforeseen accident, with King Arthur's spiritual rank at the time, combined with the Sword of the Polar Star—the Sword of Promised Victory—it was entirely possible she could have struck down the Dystopia Devil King directly. There would have been no need for the emergency contingency plan that followed.
Thinking this, Shiroyasha still couldn't give up and pressed on.
Shiroyasha: "But didn't you say before that there aren't any evil gods among the pantheon leaders?"
Shiroyasha: "If that's the case, the pantheons shouldn't be capable of backstabbing their allies at a critical moment, right?"
Shiroyasha still held onto some illusions about the pantheons' bottom line. At the very least, based on her observations, they weren't so despicable as to stoop to that level. Besides, hadn't Su Mo himself said that a god's nature was determined by their divine status, and that there were no true villains among the pantheon leaders?
Faced with this somewhat naive question, Su Mo didn't mock her, but patiently explained.
Su Mo: "The pantheon leaders are often benevolent gods, that's true. But don't forget, they have another, more important identity: leaders of a religion."
Su Mo: "As gods, both because of the positions they hold and the hopes that human history has placed in them, they are often seen as saviors."
Su Mo: "And as leaders, they often believe themselves to be the one and only saviors."
Su Mo: "Do you understand the danger of this concept?" he asked, his tone heavy.
Even the most gentle of benevolent gods would not tolerate the ideas of heretics. The wishes bestowed upon them by humanity and the inherent exclusivism of religion led not only their followers to believe, but even the Asuras, gods, and buddhas themselves to think that they were the sole saviors.
On its own, this concept wasn't a problem; it served to constrain the pantheons to the category of "benevolent gods."
But once this exclusivism became radicalized, it became a massive problem.
Seeing Su Mo's question, it wasn't just Shiroyasha; even the observing group members saw the issue.
March 7th: "Believing you're the only savior... if a human thought that, they'd probably be considered a lunatic, right?"
Rin Tohsaka: "The thoughts of a true god might seem like madness to an ordinary person."
Rin Tohsaka: "But I think I understand what Lord Su Mo is getting at. That's not his main point."
The twintailed girl patiently explained.
Rin Tohsaka: "If a pantheon leader believes they are the sole savior, that they will inevitably save the world, then they will naturally believe that every other option is a dead end."
For March 7th, this might not have resonated deeply. But for Rin, or anyone from a pre-modern era, this was a characteristic determined by the very nature of religious faith.
Rin Tohsaka: "Under these circumstances, Creationism is naturally the only option. If this were true, it wouldn't be a problem."
Rin Tohsaka: "But what if, while they believe this, a human suddenly appears, accomplishes a task they thought was nearly impossible, forges a new path, defeats the Eschatology Theory, and prepares to spread Anthropogenesis throughout the world? What happens then?"
Hearing this question, the group thought for a moment.
Kanae: "A god like that probably wouldn't admit they were wrong!"
Kanae: "But since they're a god, they wouldn't fly into a rage from shame, right?"
In her mind, it was hard to imagine the pantheons becoming the villains.
Rin Tohsaka: "Exactly!"
Rin Tohsaka: "As a god, they certainly wouldn't fly into a rage, but they also certainly wouldn't doubt themselves."
Rin Tohsaka: "A fork in the road appears in a forest. One path represents their own, the destined, correct path. The other represents someone else's path. If you are absolutely certain your path is the right one, then what kind of path would the other one be in your eyes, no matter how tempting it looks?"
She had finally pointed out the crucial issue.
Madoka: "Could it be... a path to ruin?" Madoka asked, her voice trembling.
Rin Tohsaka: "Exactly!"
Shiroyasha: "N-not just that... A demon!"
Shiroyasha: "They would see the other person as a Great Demon!"
The white-haired loli's face went pale. She understood the personalities of the gods better than anyone, and the problems she foresaw were even greater.