Boom!
In a palace crafted from coral and gemstones, thunder crackled wildly.
"It's the Chaos Sea!" On a throne deep within the palace sat a man in a simple robe. His ears were pointed and lofty, his facial features sharp and handsome.
But what drew more attention was the violent aura emanating from him, as if he might hurl a spear of lightning into the sea at any moment.
He gazed toward the Giant King's Court, his tone brimming with unconcealed desire, having coveted the Chaos Sea for ages.
"This time, it's dangerous." Beside him stood a beautiful, noble elven woman, her expression grave, far more rational than the Elf King.
"Controlling the Chaos Sea—how could it be easy?" The Elf King's body surged with thick bolts of lightning, shaking the entire palace. "I couldn't do it before, and neither could that dragon!"
"But the Chaos Sea may already be controlled. Haven't you seen that sun?" Elf Queen Cohinem said coldly.
"The sun? I'll devour it!" The Elf King's volatility seemed ingrained in his blood, his voice like thunder, unmasking his craving for the sun.
To these ancient gods, adjacent or even non-adjacent pathways were edible, though adjacent ones were "tastier."
"Kill that sun, and the Chaos Sea and it are mine!" The Elf King's voice burned with fervor, an impulse to descend upon the Giant King's Court immediately.
"That dragon has the same idea!"
"At best, we stew the dragon and the sun together, then devour the Chaos Sea!"
Cohinem remained cold, unmoved by the Elf King's vivid imagery. She was the Elf Queen, the strongest anchor for the Tyrant of the Skies, grounding him.
"That wolf can't hold back anymore. We'll enter last!"
"That makes sense!" Cohinem persuaded the Elf King, quelling his violent madness, urging him to wait until the war at the Giant King's Court clarified.
"Ancient gods are mad, not stupid," Truman, far away in the Ancient Sun God's divine kingdom, reiterated this principle.
Sasrir had planted countless spies among the ancient gods over the years, gathering firsthand intelligence. Now, the major ancient gods were restless, preparing for war.
"The Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt, is the only one we can't infiltrate," Sasrir said with regret.
"Hm!" Truman nodded slightly. The Dragon of Imagination's pathway was notoriously unfair—unplayable without nerfs!
"Good thing it's your target." Truman shifted focus to his next move. "Are you coming with me?"
Sasrir raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"You don't go, I'll have a hard time convincing Lilith," Truman pressed, seeing Sasrir's interest.
"I have many affairs to handle…" The Deputy Lord of Heaven wasn't a ceremonial title; all divine kingdom matters required his judgment.
"Delegate to those guys." Truman glanced at the angels nearby. "They're angels—can't let them idle and fight all day."
"…Fine!" Sasrir gritted his teeth and nodded, deciding to take the trip. It was a legitimate excuse, after all!
"Medici, Leodero, muster the armies and prepare for war!"
"Aucuses, fetch Ouroboros and monitor the war's developments. Report anything directly to the Lord!"
"…"
Sasrir methodically assigned tasks.
"Yes!" Medici and the others adopted serious expressions.
"Let's go!" Finally, Truman and Sasrir set off together, heading for Lilith's divine kingdom.
"Sasrir left?" The Ancient Sun God sensed it, looking toward Lilith's divine kingdom, his gaze tinged with surprise.
"The Book of Dreams has such effects?" he murmured, encountering something even he couldn't see through. Its presence allowed Sasrir, embodying his humanity, to express more freely.
The primal madness seemed to quiet, improving his condition significantly.
His state was tougher than Truman imagined.
The Fool of later eras climbed from Sequence 9 in the Fifth Epoch, where the influence of the Great Old Ones was minimal, yet still became a mental patchwork after apotheosis.
The Sun God, already a dual-pathway true god, would fare worse, with Sasrir as his "firewall."
"But… dreams come true?" The Ancient Sun God's lips twitched. "Sasrir's exhausted, craving rest, freedom…"
After spending time with Truman, Sasrir's humanity surged, closer to the man before he fell into the Chaos Sea.
"It's a good thing." The Ancient Sun God withdrew his gaze, praying calmly.
"Believe it or not, this is my first time leaving the divine kingdom," Sasrir said as he and Truman arrived in a region bursting with vibrant flowers, near Lilith's divine kingdom, where flora thrived unnaturally.
"That's why I dragged you along." Truman and Sasrir exchanged a smile, looking toward Lilith's divine kingdom.
A red moon hung high, countless flowers vied for splendor, and a sentient stream flowed everywhere, sustaining myriad animals. Rice, wheat, and fruits grew abundantly.
And, of course, there were authentic sanguines.
"Lilith, ancient god of the Moon pathway and parts of the Mother pathway, even swallowing other Sequence characteristics," Sasrir said. "But her mental state is relatively stable."
"Prepare yourself. Lilith is the true embodiment of beauty," Sasrir said with a grin.
"Beauty… Hiss!" Truman caught sight of a girl's figure abruptly appearing before them.
She seemed to have materialized from the red moon, her blood-red hair cascading down, clad in an ancient, dreamy gown, enveloped and encircled by moonlight.
All things glowed in her presence, starlight pooling in her eyes. Barefoot, she stood atop the blossoms, speaking with proud, icy authority.
"Who are you?!"
Indeed, she was beautiful—not just superficially, but as a mystical symbol, the very concept of "beauty" incarnate!
"So this is that kind of beauty." Truman was genuinely stunned.
"Greetings, Lady Lilith. I come on behalf of the Lord's will," Sasrir said, a faint sunlight radiating from him, causing the moonlit Lilith to narrow her eyes slightly.
"The sun that appeared earlier?" When that sun illuminated the Astral World, all ancient gods saw it.
"We bring a proposal you won't refuse."
Phosphorescent dreamlight spilled onto Truman's divine badge, which hummed softly, isolating everything here from fate.
The power of secrecy!
"Oh?" Lilith's expression didn't change, but her gaze locked onto them, her body tensing.
"Hm?" Sasrir and Truman exchanged a glance. "Ancient gods are indeed a bit off."
Perhaps it was the arrogance and madness of ancient gods, or perhaps she wanted to test if they were worthy of collaborating with the noble ancestor of sanguines.
In any case, radiant moonlight poured from the vampire ancestor, thread by thread, gradually forming a galaxy.
(End of Chapter)