Gods

“There are some things that make it easier to be ‘infected’ the more you know.”

This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS relating to some of the most pivotal parts of Lord of Mysteries and Circle of Inevitability.

This is a deity! Mortals cannot fight against deities; same for angels. Those who have yet to become deities will never be able to fathom the power of deities.

Roselle
On Lord of Mysteries, Chapter 323

True Gods (真神, Zhēnshén) are the Sequence 0s of "Their" respective Pathways. When a God obtains all authorities of "Their" respective pathway, neighboring pathways, and the corresponding Sefirah, then "They" will become a "Great Old One".

To become a True God, one has to consume all three Sequence 1 Beyonder Characteristics and the Uniqueness of their respective pathway, and carry out the corresponding apotheosis ritual. The function of the ascension ritual is to maintain self-awareness; it is not a prerequisite to achieve a qualitative change through aggregation of Beyonder Characteristics. If a Beyonder only wishes to accommodate the Uniqueness to become a King of Angels, the corresponding ritual can be simplified and won't be as difficult. However, when "They" attempt to advance to Sequence 0, even if "They" have accommodated the Uniqueness and absorb three Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics on separate occasions, "They" will still have to hold a ritual to maintain self-awareness.

The Ancient Gods of the Second Epoch didn’t advance according to the Pathway System, but were born directly for some unknown reason. "Their" characteristics were a mix of Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics from other Pathways, or even more than one. "They" are known for "Their" madness, cruelty, violence, and bloodlust because in most cases, "Their" characteristics are from non-neighboring Pathways. There’s a significant difference between the Ancient Gods and subsequent True Gods, but this doesn’t mean that "They" are weak. "They" might even be stronger.

Authorities and Traits of True Gods

Moreover, a true god is unique.

Clarice
On Circle of Inevitability, Chapter 801

• All General Powers/Characteristics of Angels, at a higher level.
  • All "Their" lower abilities can be used on the level of authorities, however, whether it's used at this level or not depends on "Their" wills.
• Authority Dominion: “They” have complete control over the authority of "Their" Pathway.
• Pathway Influence: Having accommodated the Uniqueness - the manifestation of the authority of a Pathway - "They" can directly influence Beyonders of the same Pathway, no matter where they are in the world. This includes, but not limited to:
  • Modifying the Sequence abilities within their pathways to some extent.
  • Making lower-sequence Beyonders of the same pathway hear murmurings.
  • Directly interfering to increase the chance of losing control when someone consumes a potion to advance.
  • Manifesting imageries in their dreams.
• Unique Existence: It is impossible for another God of the same Pathway to exist, whether in a mirror or a painting.
  • Due to the Unique nature of the Uniquenesses, the authority derived from "Their" Uniquenesses cannot be used by two bodies simultaneously. This results in different restrictions for different abilities.
    1. While the main body is using the authority, no other clone can do so.
       • For example, only one Marionette of the Fool, or one Avatar of the Error can use the Uniqueness' Authority at a time, with the main body's authority entering a passive state, however, this doesn't include the abilities that allows the main body itself to exist in different places at the same time, such as Blink of the Door.
    2. For abilities that can borrow power from the Uniqueness, or share it, only one person can use the authority at a time.
       • Only one Soldier of the Red Priest, can use the shared Uniqueness' authority at a time.
       • Sinner's Past authority and Discerner's Psychological Cue authority cannot borrow the power of the Uniqueness unless the current holder gives "Them" the permission and "Their" authority enters a passive state.
    3. Abilities that can replicate others using different methods cannot replicate a Uniqueness holder.
       • Uniquenesses holders cannot be brought from the Historical Void, cannot be Painted, and don't have Mirror Selves.
         • However, if the Uniquenesses holders "Themselves" descend in the Historical Projection, the Historical Projection will be able to use the Uniqueness.
  • After accommodating the Uniqueness, even "Their" death imprint in the River of Eternal Darkness remains unique, resulting in only one death imprint, regardless of "Their" deaths count.
• Boon Bestowal: Gods can bestow the gift of Beyonder powers to "Their" believers without the need for a potion, however, this is a burden to "Them". It can only be used as a temporary measure. The more people who need a blessing, the greater the burden, it might even affect "Their" state. Those who are bestowed will also suffer disadvantages, such as becoming closer to the corresponding God in mind, body and spirit.
• Symbolic Influence: "Their" mere presence causes changes to the nearby environment. The changes that take place depend on the authority that the God controls at that moment.
• Biological Immortality: At Sequence 0, "They" do not have a limited lifespan, and will not experience decay and death through the passage of time.
• Size Manipulation: "They" can manipulate their own size. "They" can shrink down to human size and grow up to be as tall as a mountain. Depending on the Pathway, some True Gods can become as large as a star or as small as a speck of light.[?]
• Divine Kingdom: "They" can create "Their" own complete Divine Kingdom, a personal space separated from outside. Depending on their authorities, "They" can change the rules inside and impose them even on other Gods.
• Astral World: As the embodiment of "Their" corresponding authorities, "They" can access the Astral World, an abstract plane of authorities and symbolism.
  • "They" can travel through it.
  • "They" can modify and control concepts and symbolism through it.
• Mythical Creature Form Alteration: "They" can change the Mythical Creature Form of "Their" respective Pathway.
• Three-Line Honorific Name: Only Gods or Angels who once accommodated an Uniqueness can use a three-line honorific name. Although their honorific name often won't be limited to three lines, when chanting or praying one could choose only three.
• If a True God is willing, "They" can create a mystical language with specific functions.
• A Dual-Pathway True God is definitely stronger than two Single-Pathway True Gods combined.

Godhood

According to The Fool, Godhood can be divided into True Godhood, Apparent Godhood, and the Vague Conception of Godhood that many people have.

Main article: Above the Sequence § True Godhood

1. True Godhood:
   • Originates from the Original Creator, "His" split off personas, "His" three direct children, and the first batch of beings born from "His" union with the Great Mother. These are conditions that subsequent advancers can never achieve.
   • True godhood is the indestructible spirit left in their corresponding Sefirot, Uniquenesses, and Beyonder characteristics—spiritual and metaphysical essences representing divine traits.
   • It includes residual psyches from these primordial entities, which later Beyonders must contend with when advancing on their paths.
   • The godhood that Beyonders belonging to different Sefirot must contend with varies, with different focuses, reflecting the characteristics of their own Pathways and corresponding Sefirah. This godhood is a mixture of:
     • The Original Creator's residual psyche.
     • The godhood presiding over this Sefirah. For example:
       • Beyonders of the Lord of Mysteries group must contend with the will of the Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.
       • Beyonders of the Calamity of Destruction group must face the crazed, chaotic spirit filled with destructive and and yin-yang coupling desires originating from the City of Calamity.
       • Beyonders under the Mother Goddess of Depravity need to contend with the crazed aspects of fertility.
     • The mental imprint of other Great Existences that once accommodated this Sefirah. For example:
       • Beyonders of the Eternal Darkness and The Anarchy groups need to contend with a mixture of the Celestial Worthy's mental imprint since "He" once accommodated the River of Eternal Darkness and the Nation of Disorder.
       • Beyonders of the Calamity of Destruction and Father of Devils groups need to contend with a portion of the Primordial God Almighty's psyche since "He" once accommodated the City of Calamity and the Tenebrous World.
   • The extreme loss of control for most Beyonders is when godhood gains absolute dominance, transforming them into the state similar to the Original Creator, completely chaotic, completely losing their sense of self.
2. Apparent Godhood:
   • This is the external manifestation of how Beyonders respond to the challenges of true godhood. It varies based on the individual's path and the godhood they are resisting.
   • Examples include emotional detachment, single-minded determination, or other behaviors that reflect their pathway’s unique characteristics.
3. Vague Conception of Godhood:
   • Often perceived by the general public or lower-level Beyonders, it is tied to the first layer of humanity: primal instincts such as selfishness, greed, and the pursuit of survival and power.
   • This is mistaken for godhood because many high-level entities demonstrate these characteristics after losing the broader elements of their humanity.

Timeline of Gods of Earth

Spoiler Warning

The list provided below might reveal the latest developments and progression of the characters by the conclusion of the series. Do not read the following section if you wish to avoid spoilers.

Notes:

• '∅' means that the god at this time is unknown, or did not exist.
• '†' means the god is deceased.
• '≠' means the god has gained partial authority of the pathway, but not complete authority. Hover over the symbol for more information.
• "*" contains further information about the status of the god in question. Hover over the symbol for more information.
• The eras within the epoch that some gods appeared are not given directly in the novel and can only be estimated and inferred.
• The Original Creator is the source of all Pathways. However, after "He" gave birth to descendants, namely the Mother Goddess of Depravity, the Mother Tree of Desire, and the Son of Chaos, "His" descendants became the origins of "Their" corresponding Pathways.

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Multi-Pathway Gods

Multi-Pathway God means a Sequence 0 that possesses authorities of more than one pathway. To become a Multi-Pathway God, a Sequence 0 of one pathway needs to accommodate the Uniqueness and at least 1 corresponding Sequence 1 characteristic of all neighboring pathways.

Known Dual-Pathway True Gods

Period	God	Authorities
		Pathway	Uniqueness	Sequence 1 Characteristics
Fifth Epoch	Mr. Error	Error	Yes	3
		Door	Yes	1
	Adam	Visionary	Yes	3
		Hanged Man	Yes	3
	Lumian Lee	Red Priest	Yes	3
		Demoness	Yes	3

Note:

See also

• Above the Sequence
• Outer Deities
• Ancient Gods
• Angels
• Subsidiary Gods
• Kings of Angels