The Celestials—gods from birth.
This fundamental truth had been repeated countless times among the sorcerers, each repetition awakening fresh waves of envy.
David was no exception.
For decades, these fallen sorcerers had devoted themselves to arcane practices, betraying Kamar-Taj and embracing forbidden arts—all in pursuit of godhood. Yet the path remained perilously uncertain. Of the many who embarked upon this journey, typically only one or two would succeed. Most perished in obscurity, their ambitions unfulfilled.
The reality was ruthless: one general's triumph built upon ten thousand shattered bones.
But the Celestials? These cosmic entities achieved godhood through the simple act of birth. From the moment of awakening, a Celestial existed as a divine being—complete with its own planet-sized body rather than merely a dimensional realm.
Even in the most ideal circumstances, should David successfully ascend to godhood through conventional means, he would barely manage to create a dimensional prototype and establish rudimentary authority. Creating a fully-formed dimensional world would require centuries of effort, vast resources, and considerable fortune.
Celestials were born with such gifts already bestowed.
Who wouldn't burn with envy, jealousy, and covetous desire upon learning this? Who wouldn't yearn to usurp such a birthright?
Yet Celestials were exceedingly rare, with embryonic Celestials rarer still. Many perished before achieving maturity.
And now...
A living god embryo lay before him—within reach.
The deepest desires in David's heart ignited with blinding intensity.
He wanted to become a god—not through arduous effort and uncertain ritual, but through direct appropriation.
Where others struggled through countless trials merely to glimpse the divine realm, Celestials were born into that exalted state—inheriting racial memories, controlling natural worlds, possessing cosmic treasures from their very inception.
The conventional path to godhood that David had pursued now seemed needlessly circuitous. If he could seize this embryonic Celestial's essence, he would become the new god—instantly inheriting ancient memories, cosmic treasures, and an entire divine world.
How could he possibly ignore such a shortcut—no, such a celestial highway to power?
And now the circumstances had aligned perfectly. An empty soul-body stood before him, its true essence captured and removed by Mephisto and the others.
If David could successfully integrate his consciousness into this divine vessel, he would become the embryonic god's new soul. He could then assert control over the Celestial's physical form and its associated cosmic domain.
He would become the new god.
This had been David's plan all along, and the perfect moment had finally arrived. His heart soared with anticipation.
"Chief, what should we do next?"
The sudden question from a nearby fallen sorcerer jolted David from his reverie. Together, they watched as the massive soul-body began moving slowly, apparently guided by instinct as it attempted to pursue its departed essence.
David narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Do nothing for now. Simply observe its movements."
His voice remained cool and measured. "If it demonstrates any unexpected behavior, use containment spells to restrict its mobility."
The other sorcerers exchanged skeptical glances but nodded without further question. What else could they do? Though they commanded impressive dark magic, destroying such an enormous soul-body would require time they simply didn't have.
With Lockhart and Thor potentially arriving at any moment, time had become their most precious resource.
"Maintain your vigilance. I'll conduct a closer investigation," David announced before breaking away from the group and ascending rapidly toward the colossal figure.
The remaining sorcerers exchanged uncertain glances before dispersing to establish a perimeter.
As David continued his ascent, the true scale of the divine soul became apparent. He passed massive thighs and towering arms before finally reaching the entity's face.
The soul-visage was immense—its features spread across an area equivalent to dozens of basketball courts. Despite its colossal proportions, the face appeared strikingly youthful, closely resembling the embryonic Celestial's physical form outside this mental realm.
David barely acknowledged these observations as he positioned himself directly between the divine soul's eyes and brows.
In its current state—bereft of its true essence—the soul-body existed in a purely instinctive state. Its eyes remained dull and unfocused, its expression frozen in placid emptiness.
The entire soul-form oriented itself eastward—the direction in which Mephisto had transported its essence. It advanced with glacial slowness, drawn inexorably toward its missing consciousness.
David did not act immediately. The timing had to be perfect.
Hovering before the center of the divine soul's brow, David manipulated his sling ring with precise gestures. A slender ray of white-gold divine essence emerged from between his fingers.
What the others didn't know was that David had successfully captured a fragment of the god's true essence. Rather than destroying it as commanded, he had imprisoned this divine spark within his own soul.
This explained his limited participation in the earlier battle—most of his magical strength had been dedicated to containing this stolen essence.
All for one purpose: to seize the Celestial's soul-body.
David carefully relaxed his suppression of the divine essence fragment. Rather than continuing to restrain it, he actively guided this white-gold spark toward the soul-body before him.
The ray of essence flew directly to the divine soul's forehead. Sensing a portion of its true self returning, the soul-body began accepting the essence immediately.
The moment the soul-body lowered its natural defenses—
David activated his sling ring with a complex gesture. His own soul separated from his physical form in a flash of mystical energy.
Simultaneously, a deep amber-gold essence emerged from David's disembodied soul—his true spirit, the core of his being.
This amber essence entwined with the white-gold divine fragment, the two spiraling together as they rushed toward the receptive brow of the Celestial's soul-body.
David's physical form began disintegrating, his flesh and bone melting into streams of pure energy that poured into the divine soul. His mortal vessel became a conduit, a sacrifice to his ambition.
To usurp a god's body required a medium—without one, the inherent divine defenses would instantly repel any intrusion. The fragment of true essence David had preserved served as his Trojan horse.
By merging his own essence with this divine fragment, he could bypass the Celestial's natural barriers as the soul-body instinctively welcomed what it perceived as its returning consciousness.
David committed everything to this gambit. He shattered his physical form and burned his soul into their most fundamental energies, channeling every particle of his existence into the divine vessel.
All to provide additional strength for his spiritual invasion.
Perhaps David lacked excellence in many aspects, but in ruthlessness, he had no equal. He had betrayed Kamar-Taj without hesitation to pursue godhood. Now, he sacrificed his body, soul, and lifetime of accumulated power for the ultimate prize.
His efforts bore fruit—the amber essence merged successfully with the divine soul-body. A dark golden sigil manifested between the Celestial's brows, pulsing with conflicting energies.
The battle for control of a god's body had officially begun.