Around the battlefield, the millions of watching Gods had sorted themselves into two camps of opinion.
The Native Gods read the numbers: five Supreme Gods against three, seven-to-one troop advantage, an ancient Divine Pantheon against a Castle Force not two months old. The conclusion wrote itself.
"This empire develops fast, but fast development isn't the same as being able to fight an ancient force like the Evil Pantheon."
"Unless these three can fight five Supreme Gods simultaneously, the math doesn't work."
"Once this is over, the castle faction would lose its only credible power."
The castle faction saw it differently. They'd watched Haru win against the various Castle Faction Alliances, against the billion-strong allied forces, against the Dimensional Demons in Arboriel. Five Supreme Gods was a larger number than previous obstacles, but the pattern was the pattern. He had overcome impossible odds before.
"Haru's never lost. Not once."
"Her Holiness Celestia still hasn't shown up. Just watch."
Castle Lords at the edge of the battlefield had already pulled out recording stones, selling feeds to anyone who couldn't make it to outer space. The world channel was flooded. The Castle Faction's consensus was uniform and entirely unscientific: Haru would win because he always won.
…
Micteya moved first. She stepped off her throne and crossed the space between the formations alone, stopping where both armies could see her. Her Divine Power, laced with the Law of Death, radiated outward without restraint. The nearby cosmic bodies began to decay at the edges with matter collapsing.
Her face, for all its beauty, held nothing but fury.
"Ruler of the Aetherium Empire." Her eyes locked onto Haru, "What did you do to my brother?"
Haru looked at her calmly. The decay of her Law of Death couldn't touch him. She was a mere early-stage Supreme Goddess while he was at the late-stage. The gap was large enough that her killing intent registered as background noise to him.
He turned and beckoned into the empire's formation.
Maddox stepped forward and bowed deeply, "Almighty Lord. Your servant greets you."
Micteya went very still.
"Seven days ago." Haru said to Maddox, his voice easy, almost conversational, "I made a promise with your sister. She's here now. Go catch up."
"As you command."
Maddox straightened and looked at his sister. Something flickered across his face, not hostility, but something almost like pity. He said, quietly, "Sister."
Micteya had prepared for many things. That expression wasn't one of them.
"Come back with me." She said, "I'll remove the holy power from your body. I'll rebuild your death god form. You'll be yourself again."
"I am myself." Maddox said, "More than I ever was." He shook his head gently, "Sister, I've found the true meaning of life under the Lord's guidance. My soul and the holy light are one."
He paused, then added, with complete sincerity, "You should join us. Leave the death pantheon. The path you're walking has no future. Believe in the Almighty Lord, and you'll live forever. If you don't—"
"Stop." Micteya's voice cracked like a whip.
"—there is only death. My dear sister, think about it."
The Goddess of Death stared at her brother, the former God of Death, now radiating warm golden light and gently suggesting she convert. She felt something in her chest that might have been a laugh if the rest of her hadn't been incandescent with fury.
Behind her, a million evil gods had gone completely silent.
Zakaria's eyes were glowing green, "Fascinating."
Malakar's expression had curdled, "A technique that can flip a High God's entire divine alignment. Soul, power, loyalty, everything, and even force them to become someone else's believer. Not even a Pseudo God Monarch should be able to normally do that." He looked at Skarion, "On this point alone, this empire cannot be allowed to continue."
"Agreed." Skarion said. The implications were too dangerous. If they were given some time to hunt more native High Gods then… he didn't even dare to imagine the consequences.
Maddox turned to head back to the empire's formation.
Micteya moved. She released her full power in a net meant to catch him. Not kill, catch. She could fix whatever Haru had done to him, once she had him back.
"Lord Almighty, be with me." Maddox said simply. He didn't run. He stood still and prayed.
Yvonne's Divine Power swept in and shattered Micteya's net clean apart, then wrapped around Maddox and deposited him safely back in the empire's lines. The difference in their levels made it clean and effortless as Yvonne was an intermediate-stage Supreme Goddess.
"Praise the Lord!"
Micteya turned to find Yvonne watching her with golden eyes that held no particular expression, then looked away.
That stung worse than the defeat.
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