Mary, the Angel of Wisdom, reappeared through the smoke, dragging a dozen Intermediate Gods in chains of celestial light,
"Christine." Mary smiled, her expression flawless and serene, "You are a subordinate of the Lord. Your promotion will be of help to him. These heretics are yours."
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Christine did not hesitate. She ignored the pleas of the captive Gods and harvested them in a flurry of petrifying light. As the final God fell, a second pillar of golden light descended from the heavens, rivaling the first. Two Supreme Goddesses born in a single afternoon, a feat that should have taken eons of meditation.
High above the Blood Moon, the Demon Monarchs watched the twin pillars of gold with growing apprehension. They had come to conquer the Endless Continent, but they were witnessing a power that defied the natural order.
They stood in a silence so heavy it felt physical. For the first time in a hundred thousand years, these harbingers of extinction, beings who had overseen the death of countless civilizations, found themselves struggling to process the reality unfolding below.
To them, the 'Endless Continent' was supposed to be a familiar prey, yet the planet they looked upon now was unrecognizable.
"I knew the Great Aetherium was formidable." Steinherz, the Fourth Demon Monarch, the Ancestor of the Rock Demons, rumbled. His massive, stony eyes were fixed on the twin pillars of gold light still fading on the horizon, "I knew they held six, perhaps seven Supreme Gods. But to see two more ascend in the span of a single afternoon… such a feat is not merely terrifying. It is an affront to the natural order."
For the Abyss, power was a product of eons. In the hundred thousand years since the last Battle of Planets, the Abyss had birthed billions of demons and seen many rise to the rank of Demonic Gods.
Yet, in all that time, the hierarchy at the very top had remained static. Not a single new Demon Monarch had been born; peak of the High God Tier was a ceiling that few could ever hope to crack.
To see two such beings of the Great Aetherium shatter that ceiling during what amounted to a minor border skirmish was a psychological blow to the Abyssal hierarchy.
"The Great Aetherium has existed on this continent for two months, rounded up." The First Demon Monarch, Eisenfaust, noted with chilling gravity, "Within that time frame, they have built an empire from nothing, fielded an army of hundreds of thousands of Gods, and birthed nine Supreme Gods. If we do not eliminate them the moment the battle of planets begins, they will not just be a nuisance. They will be our subordinates' executioners. They may even foil His Majesty's plans!"
Eisenfaust was right to be afraid, but his count was already outdated. He knew nothing of Dantean, the defected Demon Monarch, or his army of Holy Demonic Gods hidden beneath the Imperial Capital's barrier. The Great Aetherium didn't have nine Supreme Gods; it had ten.
"Seven? Eight? Nine? Ten? Even a dozen makes no difference." A cold sneer cut through the air. It was the Second Demon Monarch, a being whose status was rivaled only by Eisenfaust himself, "You speak of them as if they are our equals. I have cultivated for millions of years. I have mastered secret techniques that have laid waste to entire planets. I am one step from the realm of a Pseudo God Monarch."
He looked toward the Angel City with utter disdain, "These 'Supreme Gods' have been in power for just a few weeks. Their Divine Power is hollow, built on the cheap energy of this planet's laws. To think they could stand against me is a fantasy. I will crush these 'Eighteen-Winged' toys and peel the skin from this human ruler myself. Their power is vain; mine is forged in the fires of time and countless wars."
While the Second Demon Monarch boasted, the Fifth Demon Monarch, Temerith, the Succubus Ancestor, remained strangely silent. She stared at the distant imperial city with a look of profound unease.
"I feel an enmity." She whispered, "It is as if the ruler of that empire was born to be my nemesis. The connection with my Natal Artifact, the Sorrow of Time… it is there, but it is twisted. Darkened. There actually seems to be a fated enmity here."
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