In a corner of a distant world, space burst open, and a black-haired woman stepped out of it. Her beauty eclipsed the world's light, as her slender and perfect body called for observers to hug her and keep her close to them forever. Her tender figure was enhanced by her violently gorgeous facial features. Moreover, her red eyes overlooked the world with such strength that any feelings of tenderness would just become pure worship.
She was Tatyana's main body. "Hm… I hope I have some luck here."
She had traveled through the Heavenly Layers for four years, but she had no luck. At first, she had gone to the Sublime High Heavenly Layer. Knowing the two asshole gods, she was sure that they would send her to a place where she would die if she were to appear in the wrong space. Therefore, she rushed to the highest Heavenly Layer that she expected them to send her Little Treasure. "Ancient Heaven is basically impossible. It would need much more energy than what I felt at that time. However, it seems that she wasn't in that Heaven… Or at least, if she was there, the Soul Bead didn't work."
Now that she was in the Sublime Mid Heaven, Tatyana took out a gorgeous crystal sphere swirling with stars and other fantastical space imagery. This was a Soul Bead that Tatyana created when Yasenia had recently advanced to the Level 1 Meridian and Dantian Creation Realm Cultivator. Therefore, the soul strand had grown together with Yasenia, now becoming such a spectacular sight. "Please work…"
Tatyana's matchless face was full of concern as she looked at the gem. If anyone who knew her usual Death Empress self saw her current face, they would probably be stunned at first and fall in love right after. There were hints of worry and vulnerability in her eyes, carrying matchless feminine tenderness for the absence of the being she had come to love.
"It's been a century since I last truly hugged you. I really want to see you." While she had been using her copy, Tatyana obviously missed the high-level sensations of mixing with Yasenia with her true body. The soul was the same, but the containers were very different. Tatyana wished to embrace her little treasure with her soul and body and tell her how much she loved her.
When she saw the crystal stay silent, her eyes started to lose their luster. "You are not here as well…? Then where—" Tatyana stopped muttering as an extremely faint pulse of energy came from the gem in her hand. Even if the reaction was so small that one would miss it without enough strength, Tatyana was extremely sure that she felt something. "So, you truly are in this Heavenly Layer!"
Tatyana looked around with bright eyes and suddenly frowned. "Why is there a fly already coming over?"
Looking behind her, she saw a gallant man appearing in front of her. His aura was extremely profound, clearly in the Seventh Realm like hers. However, there was a qualitative difference in their aura.
"Welcome to my Domain. Could I have the pleasure of knowing this beauty's name?"
Tatyana looked at him with emotionless eyes. "No. You may not. Now scram before I kill you."
The human man's face froze for a second before a scowl appeared on his face. "You might not know, but I am the God of Light in this place." The world around him suddenly illuminated as the very essence of light revolved around him at his will. "Being rude to me, you won't have a chance at regretting it later."
"God?" Tatyana's face turned from indifferent to one of ridicule. "You believe that everyone is a frog at the bottom of a well? How can a Level 1 Law Creator even compare to a God? You have only mastered a Level 1 Light Law, and you think you are the master of the universe. I understand that the high of power you are feeling now that you control a [Law] is overwhelming. However, do you truly want to act like a clown in front of me?"
The man who called himself a God of Light waved his arm and deformed the world around him. Then, his voice sounded as his will twisted the very laws of heaven. "[Light Law: Illuminate]."
A massive amount of energy that could obliterate stars swirled around the man and rushed toward Tatyana. Tatyana raised her eyebrow. "You actually attacked me?" Her lips arched in a cruel smile. "Perfect. I wanted to settle down before going to find my Little Treasure. Your place will be a good point to start. [Death Aura Manifestation: Soul Consuming Strike]."
The moment Tatyana spoke, the bright world instantly transformed into a dark space. It felt as if someone had flicked a switch, changing from day to night. Then, Tatyana's aura exploded from her body, her aura swallowing the entire continent she had appeared on and alarming all the powerhouses of the world.
"Whose aura is this?"
"Death Law? Fate Law? Why can I sense a mix of laws in this monster's breath?"
"Impossible! Who can deploy such strength!"
Meanwhile, the person who called themselves a God of Light opened their eyes wide in fright. "A-Aura Manifestation!? How is this possible!?"
Tatyana sneered and waved her hand. "Go."
Behind her, a giant reaper held a black scythe and wore a black robe. The entire area around it was flooding with Death Law Energy and killing everything within 100,000 kilometers that was weaker than a Level 7 Transcendence Realm Cultivator.
As the reaper manifested, it swung its scythe toward the God of Light. The man wanted to dodge. However, he noticed that the attack had soul-locked onto him, frightening him even more. "S-Senior, wait! This one made a mistake—"
The reaper moved, and the world died.
SLASH!
Everything in front of the Death Reaper was engulfed in powerful [Death Law] energies, killing everything. Rocks turned to dust, the air became fetid, the plants withered, and animals decayed. Within several hundred thousand kilometers, nothing survived Tatyana's unrestrained attack.
Tatyana raised her hands and chanted, her chant echoing throughout the continent as if it were a mandate of Heaven. "Death, the end of everything. An unavoidable fate for all living beings, no matter the strength, no matter the status, no matter who they are. Death claims all. But death isn't the end, for my power bends Fate! For my power bends the meaning of death! Thus, I call you to live eternally in your death under my command until the day I perish and beyond."
"[Death Empress Decree: Eternal Legion Awakening]"
Time came to a stop, as everything previously living that died stopped decaying. In that instant, Tatyana's energy grasped all beings that died and started flooding their corpses with endless Death Energy. Corpses everywhere twitched, reformed, and started rising with endless moans.
During those seconds, the world seemed to be crying as Tatyana pulled death not back to life, but forward to the unlife.
Scanning the surroundings, Tatyana hummed and muttered. "Not bad, I've gained an army of 500,000,000 right after arriving. I guess they can do for now. [Void Shattering Phantasmal Steps]."
Tatyana stepped forward and broke the space in front of her. Her body traveled through the immaterial at several times the speed of light, instantly arriving where the man who bothered her ruled before. Waving her arm, all the corpses she reanimated flowed through the void to her side, amassing below her in a black wave of undead. "Now, I'll give you two options. You either surrender to me and become my subordinates… or you die, surrender to my will, and become my eternal subordinates."
Looking at the sky at the terrifying woman with billowing Death Energy around her, everyone trembled in fear and had their wills shattered. The strongest flew to the sky, a few peak-level Transcendence Realm people.
"Devil! Who are you to demand that!? Our light will bathe away your existence back into the depths of the Underworld!"
"You can't." Tatyana smiled mockingly. "For I am its owner. For I rule over the Underworld." Then, she chanted, her voice commanding like that of an Empress. "World of the dead, descend to the living [Underworld Gate]."
A gargantuan gate several thousand kilometers tall fell from the sky, landing on the ground with a giant earthquake. The land cracked, and everyone looked on with horrified faces at the enormous gate that seemingly could connect the sky and the earth. The borders of the giant gate were full of skeletal remains of myriad creatures, while all land around it cracked and decayed, clearly being killed just by its aura alone.
The peak-level Transcendence people began feeling their energies being eroded by the aura flowing out of the Underworld Gate, and despair started gripping their hearts. "Y-You, who are you?"
Tatyana looked around and smiled. She could feel countless gazes of powerful people around her. "Remember well, I am the person who will rule this area from now on. My name is Tatyana Dravory, and you might call me the Death Empress. Now, this is your last chance. Will you surrender or not?"
Tatyana would kill all these people, but she needed some people able to travel worlds and search for her Little Treasure. Her undead were not too suitable for that since they wouldn't be welcomed in many places. Hence, she pressured everyone until they fell to the knees and lost their will to resist.
Finally, the first of the powerhouses shouted, their heart full of terror. "I-I surrender! Please Lady Death Empress, give this one mercy."
"Sure." Tatyana waved her hand, and that person was instantly transported behind her. The man who shouted was stunned for a moment before his gaze glanced at Tatyana's back. In that instant, a strange surge of respect and fear mixed to create loyalty like no other. He went to one knee and shouted. "I serve the Death Empress!"
Tatyana didn't acknowledge as other people began surrendering. So, she did the same and gathered them behind her. At first, just a few dozen. However, the numbers kept increasing at a terrifying speed.
Fifteen minutes later, almost 97% of the population in the previous [God Of Light City] was kneeling behind her. "Hm. This should be enough. Now, the rest of you… [Kill Yourself]."
Her voice, enhanced by the [Death Law], entered the ears of the remaining people who still resisted. Their eyes went vacant, and, as if possessed by some ghost, they took out weapons or anything they could and stabbed themselves to death.
Blood flowed everywhere as Tatyana walked forward and entered the city. "From now on, this city will be called [Astral Sky Death City]. There will be changes, so prepare yourselves."
"WE OBEY THE DEATH EMPRESS!"
Her figure vanished with those words, flashing into the deepest part of the city as if the defensive formations surrounding it were a joke.