Farum Azula had already been slowly collapsing.
After the death of Dragonlord Placidusax, the structure that once sustained the city disappeared, and the destruction accelerated dramatically.
Arthur looked at the crumbling city and thought:
If it's going to be destroyed anyway, why not take it?
So he decided to move the entire Farum Azula into the Zen Garden.
Whether to rebuild it or use it as forging material could be decided later.
For now, the important thing was to collect it before the city completely disintegrated.
Melina hadn't expected Arthur's "cleanup work" to mean this.
But when she remembered the Haligtree and Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree already inside the Zen Garden…
It suddenly felt very normal.
Very Arthur-like.
In the end, she said nothing and simply helped him store the entire Farum Azula into the Zen Garden.
Soon after, Arthur and Melina left the Lands Between and returned to the real world.
The moment Melina stepped back into reality, she suddenly felt something slip into her body.
She turned to ask Arthur about it—
Only to see him already watching her.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Arthur asked.
Melina nodded.
"What was that?"
"That," Arthur said calmly, "is the Authority of Death."
He explained:
"You now wield Destined Death, so the world recognizes you as someone qualified to become a new god. That authority was granted to you because of it."
"If you fully master it, you will gain the qualification to become the God of Death."
Arthur himself possessed a fragment of authority as well.
He had received it not long after gaining control over death power.
At the time he hadn't understood what it was—
The system had explained it to him.
Melina noticed something in his wording.
"You said qualification… not that I would become the God of Death."
Arthur nodded.
"Exactly. Qualification."
"Because this world already has a God of Death."
"We're basically trying to steal someone else's job."
Melina frowned slightly.
Opposing a god didn't sound like a good idea.
What if that god became angry and decided to kill them?
And since both she and Arthur now possessed portions of Destined Death, that meant both of them held fragments of authority.
Wouldn't they eventually have to compete?
She voiced her concern.
Arthur waved his hand dismissively.
"No need to worry."
"Once someone fully inherits the authority of Death, the world will force them into the Underworld."
The system had told him this.
Thinking about it now, Arthur felt it sounded suspiciously like being hired by a boss and then immediately ordered to clock in at work.
And not just any job—
A 365-day, 24-hour shift, working nonstop until someone else replaced you.
Arthur continued:
"The current God of Death is exactly like that—confined to the Underworld and unable to manifest physically in the living world."
"I don't know what the Underworld is like, but I'm pretty sure it's nowhere near as interesting as the real world."
"So I have zero interest in that position."
"If you want it, I'll gladly give my authority to you."
"So you don't have to worry about competition between us."
Melina instantly lost interest.
At first, the idea of becoming a god had sounded appealing.
But being locked away in the Underworld forever?
That killed her enthusiasm immediately.
The Underworld didn't sound like a pleasant place.
She had no intention of abandoning the vibrant world of the living for that.
"So basically," she said, "this authority is just a hot potato—something that only attracts the God of Death's attention and does nothing else?"
Arthur shook his head.
"Not quite."
"It helps you master Destined Death faster, and it increases the power when you use it."
Melina nodded.
That at least was useful.
If the current God of Death, Thanatos, knew how Arthur and Melina were treating the divine authority—
He would probably go mad with rage.
A power capable of creating a god…
Reduced to nothing more than a combat amplifier.
It was practically sacrilege.
But even without knowing their exact thoughts—
Thanatos was already furious.
Because his authority had just been reduced again.
When a god's authority is granted by the world, its total amount is fixed.
If Melina gained a portion—
Then Thanatos inevitably lost the same portion.
It didn't weaken his strength significantly.
But losing something that had once belonged to him was infuriating.
And so—
Thanatos contacted Voldemort.
At that moment, Voldemort was in his hidden base, thinking about how to deal with Arthur.
He had just begun forming a plan—
When black smoke suddenly started rising from his head.
The surrounding Death Eaters panicked.
They thought their master had overworked his brain.
Bellatrix asked anxiously,
"My Lord, are you alright?"
Voldemort waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm fine. Leave me."
The Death Eaters quickly withdrew.
Once he was alone, Voldemort accepted the connection.
A phantom image of Thanatos appeared before him.
The god roared immediately:
"Voldemort! Why did you take so long to answer?! Do you think I cannot deal with you simply because you reside in the mortal world?!"
Voldemort responded respectfully.
"I had no such thought. I was simply… occupied."
Facing an enraged god, he showed proper deference.
Then he asked:
"May I ask why you contacted me?"
Thanatos calmed himself slightly before speaking.
"The task I assigned you—how is it progressing?"
Voldemort replied,
"I have gathered sufficient manpower. I was just preparing to take action."
In truth, he had just devised a method to test Arthur.
But Thanatos misunderstood.
He thought Voldemort was already preparing to attack.
Eager to eliminate the human who had stolen fragments of his authority, Thanatos decided to help.
His phantom waved its hand.
A pile of black glass spheres suddenly dropped through space and landed in front of Voldemort.
"These," Thanatos said coldly,
"are my support for your forces."
"Use them well."
"And eliminate the human who wields the power of death… as quickly as possible."
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