Then one of the twelve projections moved. It rose from the sea of blood and approached the Endless Continent with the unhurried certainty of something that has never needed to hurry. Its scale was such that the Blood Moon looked like an object it could hold in one hand. The entire continent watched.
The Gods who had lived through the ancient war went pale.
"Temerith." The name spread through divine channels, "The Fifth Demon Lord, Ancestor of the Succubus bloodline. Her artifact is the Sorrow of Time, a high-level Supreme God Tier Artifact that carries origins of both Time and Abyss Laws. In the ancient war, the Gods of Faith she killed with a single arrow each are beyond counting. She severely wounded the Titan Lord Varkath himself. It took Varkath, Drakenvader, and Elunara together to bring her down."
And not one of those ancient Gods of Faith had made the mistake of underestimating her because she was a beautiful woman. They knew better, and most of the stupid ones hadn't survived long enough to learn it.
Gods who had been eagerly anticipating the God King's Throne an hour ago found their enthusiasm considerably dampened.
…
A second projection appeared in outer space, rising to face Temerith.
It was a man in grey robes, with sharp brows and a composed expression. He looked at the Fifth Demon Lord with the calm of someone who had rehearsed this moment.
"The Shrine hasn't fallen to the Endless Continent yet." He said, "And you're already out here making your presence known."
Temerith's dark-purple gaze settled on him, "I don't recognize you. You weren't on the battlefield back then."
"I am the tower master of the Nine Rings Tower. One of the seekers of 'Truth'. My name doesn't matter, we will meet on the battlefield soon enough."
Across a region of the Endless Continent, the Gods affiliated with the Nine Rings Tower broke into cheers.
Temerith's expression didn't change as she nodded, "So the Endless Continent has abandoned faith for an alien power. Looks like my army will take this world more easily than expected."
"No one has ever defeated the Endless Continent defended by the power of 'Truth'." The Tower Master said, "We turned the tide against you once at the end of the Ancient War. Doing it twice isn't impossible."
"If Truth exists in this world." Temerith replied, "Then the words of the great Demon Emperor who rules the abyss are the 'Truth'."
The Tower Master paused. He had heard something almost identical recently, from the Angels of the Great Aetherium, who said the same thing about their own Lord. He filed it away.
"Your Abyss will be eliminated by this universe sooner or later." He said, "Truth is the architecture of reality—"
"I will not debate with you." Temerith said, "If you want to test my power, bring your real body here. I'll send you off personally."
The Tower Master had no refute for that and both of them knew it.
Temerith had already turned away. Her gaze dropped back to the Endless Continent. Something shifted in her expression. The cold indifference sharpened into something more specific. Old anger, unresolved.
When she spoke, her voice carried across the entire planet.
"I don't care who you are or what your purpose is. Return my natal artifact before the battle of planets begins, I will wait at the Devil's Moon. That is your only window to earn my forgiveness." A pause, "No one takes from me without consequence. Not Demon Lords. Not anyone."
…
Silence. Then, in the Elf Empire's Imperial Palace, the senior officials exchanged glances.
"She knows the Sorrow of Time was taken. The bond between a God and their natal artifact doesn't break cleanly. But she doesn't know who took it. She suspects a Demon Lord."
"Didn't we once suspect His Majesty was exactly that, something from the Abyss wearing a human face?"
A quiet laughter followed.
"Temerith won't recover that artifact. His Majesty Kazehaya is a peak Supreme God. His individual power may already exceed the Titan Lord Varkath's. Temerith is a late-stage Supreme Goddess. He can easily suppress her."
"We can't get careless. Eleven other Demon Lords are standing behind her. One-on-one, His Majesty wins. Twelve-on-one is a different problem entirely."
…
In the Great Aetherium's capital, Haru had already worked through the same logic.
Temerith didn't know it was him. She thought an alien Demon Lord had claimed her artifact. She was waiting at the Blood Moon for whoever it was to return it.
He turned the question over once.
'Should I go? She'll probably die of a heart attack…'
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