The center of the Milky Way, the Iku Star System, on a barren planet with only an all-black temple:
A lich walked deep inside the temple until he reached a room clouded in darkness. At the center was a throne made of bones where a man sat with his eyes closed.
The lich knelt with one knee, "My reverent God, our plan failed."
"I know," replied Guzznad as he opened his eyes; he sensed the death of his clones. And for one of them, he did not even know how the latter perished.
"My God, do you want to personally take action, just like during the [Fall of Darkness]?"
"If I could, I would have already done so," replied Guzznad casually.
"Has the situation gotten worse?" asked the lich.
"Yes. More Tier 10 Gods have appeared and are now trying to enter this galaxy forcefully. The Isolation Plate will not be as effective if I don't use my power."
The Isolation Plate is a precious magical artifact created by the Magus Race. It's only due to its power that Guzznad could isolate the entire Milky Way. However, once the Tier 10 Gods began to attack its defense, he needed to personally attend to using to prevent them from succeeding.
Even then, Guzznad knew that it was not his power that could block so many almighty gods. This Galaxy is the place of origin of the Magus Race and kept some of their powers even after their disappearance.
The Isolation Plate used the power left as a power source. Additionally, Guzznad felt that some unknown force was also helping him, and he concluded it might have been Cronai. Otherwise, with his Tier 9 strength, he would not be able to last for so long.
"Is there anything else you need?"
The Lich hesitated for a moment before continuing: "My God, we have lost too many of our troops in this battle. It has reached the point of affecting our planar war.
"Wouldn't it be better to conquer the Saggutarus Plane before invading this galaxy? By then, you would be a Tier 10 God, making things easier."
"There is no need. Continue our invasion, and pay attention to the Arcane Empire. They definitely have what I want." After saying this, Guzznad motioned for the lich to leave.
He was not stupid. Although it appeared he was making a foolish move; he knew it was not. From the Magus race inheritance he acquired, he learned of the Ancient Gods and how they were not restricted by faith.
So, he was determined to walk the same path as the Ancient Gods. And if he becomes a Tier 10 God with faith, he would lose this opportunity.
'After so many years of searching, I can guess the Arcane Empire has the Ancient Gods' Divine Sparks; this is the only way to explain their rapid development. Furthermore, the natives of their home planet, Earth, have a very thin Magus Bloodline.'
Guzznad knew his path of power was guaranteed as long as he conquered and destroyed the Arcane Empire. With the Divine Sparks, his path toward Tier 10 will have no problem.
And by studying the magus bloodline and using the Arcane Empire's magical abilities, he has the opportunity to become the first Tier 11 God of the universe.
'I just need a little more time. As long as I have the opportunity to leave the Isolating Plate unattended, I will rapidly destroy all the resistance to my legion.'
Guzznad closed his eyes as he prepared for the future.
Vita Star System, Verdant Planet:
There was a beautiful elf with a golden crown made in the shape of leaves, clad in a long white and elegant dress; she looked at a towering tree, her eyes full of sadness.
She raised her beautiful hands to caress the tree; she remembered how vibrant it once was, full of life and beauty. But now, it was lifeless, with no leaves as if it was the beginning of autumn.
The elf heard walking steps coming from behind, but she did not respond. Soon afterward, a man as handsome as her–also wearing a crown–stood next to her.
"Have you heard the news?" asked Arion Kashgar, King of the Elves
"What is it?" replied Mirthal Tyrannia, Queen of the Elves.
"More than five new races have surrendered. They have conquered the Red Number Star System, killed two of Guzznad clones, and destroyed Omegon.
"As for us, we suffered even more casualties in the recent attack in the Leaf Tree Star System."
Mirthal did not respond as she continued to caress the trees.
"You should make a decision as soon as possible," continued Arion.
"Don't you have enough pride? Why should we bow our heads to humans?" asked Mirthal.
"The Arcane Empire is multi-racial and multi-ethnicity."
"You and I know both know that is not true. A human created it, a human is their leader, and humans are the dominant species."
"In that case, why don't you consider that our race will become extinct if we don't surrender to them."
"Maybe, it's better for us to be extinct than to serve under others."
"I don't understand why you are so stubborn about this. The Arcane Empire is a very advanced civilization."
"Advanced? Back in the days, our Sun Elves were advanced; we- -"
"We are no longer Sun Elves who wield High Magic, are we?" replied Arion with a slightly raised tone. "Our bloodline is diluted to the point of non-existence, and our magic that the gods once feared has long been lost. We have nothing to be prideful about."
"You!:"
"Did I say something wrong? I only speak the truth."
Arion sighed. "The Arcane Empire has recreated Dragon Bloodline; meaning, they should also be able to revert us to our ancestry. Furthermore, the Arcane Rune Magic is also High Magic capable of killing Gods.
"As long as we integrate into them, we will prosper."
Mirthal snorted at him before looking at the dead tree, making Arion sigh.
"My love, I'm only worried about you. Most of the Elders Council Members are leaning toward surrendering. And if they decide to use force, you can no longer restrain them without the Validator Tree.
"So, please, make the wise decision."
After saying that, he left to give her more time to think.
Sirius Star System, Bravo Planet, the home of the Starskin race:
A meeting took place amongst the governmental body of the Starskin race. Because their skin was as beautiful as the stars at night, the entire room appeared as if an astrologer was looking at countless galaxies from a distance away through a telescope.
In the middle of the room lay a throne room where the Starskin Queen, a Tier 8 Mage, sat with majesty. However, her usually black wooly hair had turned gray.
While listening to the report on the recent news of the war, she suddenly coughed uncontrollably. Then, someone brought her a potion to appease her condition.
"Your majesty, I think it's best to surrender to the Arcane Empire. Otherwise, you won't survive long," said one of the ministers.
"That's true. Although we know they are taking advantage of the situation to expand their borders, we cannot help it in the current situation."
Many people agreed with the sentiment.
Queen Katura waved her hand, motioning everyone to calm down.
"I know this is the best outcome. But now is not the best time to surrender to them."
She knew their race had no choice but to integrate into the Arcane Empire. However, she also knew that the way of surrendering mattered. As a very talented race for divination, any factions would be glad to have them.
Nevertheless, she also has to ensure the Empire values her race and does not treat them the same way as any of the others who surrendered. So, Katura plans to display their values and wait for the Arcane Emperor to show himself before surrendering.
'Maybe, the Empire can help us return home,' she thought before coughing a little.
Olivier sighed in relief after seeing Omegon's destruction. The situation would be more manageable from now on. She then waited for Dumbledore and Rowena to contact her.
But beforehand, she received a call from Bellatrix.
"What is it?"
"Can you slow down the number of undead you are bringing? I'm beginning to be overwhelmed," complained Bellatrix. After the beginning of the war, the Undead Rehabilitation Department was established; it was a department responsible for awakening the memories of the undead and removing Guzznad's control over them.
Then, they would be rehabilitated to accept their new identity before being integrated into the Empire. Bellatrix was in charge of this department because she studied Herpo's Ceremony Magic and the Death Chamber. Edward even left his Death Staff for her to study.
"I know there is a lot, but the undeads are population and even potential Arcanists. So, store them in a pocket dimension and rehabilitate them later. In the meantime, you can recruit more people in your department to help with your load."
"Fine. I will organize a course to train skilled individuals at the fastest speed," Bellatrix. And not long after she said these words, two more screens occurred with Rowena and Dumbledore. Adding Luna's presence, most of the Illuminati's members are present.
Olivier looked at the pale complexion of the two and their slightly aged face, and she asked: "How are you feeling?"
"The situation is not looking good," replied Rowena. "The Kairos Poison has spread even further–even to my soul. I can now barely use my Tier 7 strength."
"It's the same for me," added Dumbledore.
"We need to do something about this," commented Luna.
"The Kairos Poison involved time, and not many people have deep research in this regard in the Empire. So, we might have to wait for Edward's return," said Olivier.
"Wouldn't it be better to open wider access to the Time Room? It should fasten all time-related research," suggested Luna. However, Olivier shook her head.
"The Time Room is related to the Ancient Gods and with the entire universe paying attention to this galaxy. We cannot take the risk of even more exposure."
The others agreed. The Arcane Empire seemed to have already caught unwanted attention from a few powerful Tier 10 Gods. If it is revealed they possess Ancient Gods' Divine Spark, the Empire's threat level to these gods will drastically increase.
"I honestly feel like the situation is going out of control," said Bellatrix. "We should have called Edward back long ago."
No one said anything, but Olivier could tell these people agreed. She knew this sentiment had existed for quite some time since the war began, but she had been adamant about not calling him.
"You guys fail to see the bigger picture. This is only an Intergalactic War going on for 10 years. And yet, many of you cannot handle it and want to ask for his help.
"If that's the case, what will you do when we face the real war? You all know what is waiting for us once we reach Tier 11. I don't need to tell any of us the scale of the war Edward will participate in with Merlin and these unexplainable beings.
"So, what are you going to do then? Always ask him for help?"
No one said anything as they knew she was correct.
"You better start adjusting your mindset: do not rely on Edward unless necessary. Otherwise, prepare to stay home and be useless in the upcoming battle."
"Olivier is correct: we need to adjust our mentality and be able to pull our weights," said Rowena. "Edward previously said that this universe is essentially a training ground for us. If we have to rely on his help to pass the training mode, we will only be a burden in the future."
The others agreed; they realized they had to change their mindsets.
Then, the group chatted for a while to make a few decisions. For example, Grindelwald and Nicolas Flamel will replace Rowena and Dumbledore as the controller of the Floating Cities in case of the need for deployment.
Afterward, Olivier continued with her commander's duty. She received a notice that goblins pirates had just ransacked one of the Empire's outposts.
She had to take of this situation since this was not the first time. A group of pirates led by a Hobgoblin took advantage of the chaos to become rich.
After thinking about it for a moment, she decided to send a small fleet composed of Cyborgs and mechas. In the Empire, any individual with supernatural powers is considered an arcanist. As such, cyborgs and mechas also fall into that category.
However, in the current war, any Magic Class not involved with magic has been delegated as not as important because these classes have no abilities to purify undead.
And Arcanists that rely purely on technology and [Aura] have suffered the most during this war. Aura Masters have it better since there is some research on how to use aura to purify undead. Although the results have been mediocre, there are still hopes.
However, when it comes to Mecha Warriors or Cyborgs that use energy cores that are not mana, they are essentially useless against the undead.
After choosing who to send to deal with the Hobgoblin Pirates, she focused on another issue to deal with. While looking at the different situations of the war, she received an urgent call. And after accepting it, she saw a man kneeling on the floor, heads down, similar to an eastern kowtow.
"You're Lucius Malfoy, right?" Olivier asked.
"Yes, your majesty," Lucius replied without getting up from his position. Olivier immediately noticed he referred to her by her royal title instead of her Commander Status, implying this might be a personal call.
"Get up first, then tell what the problem is."
"Please, save my son."
"Draco? I remembered he was injured in a recent mission with the Royal Guard. However, he should have received the best treatment of the Empire."
"There was a complication during his treatment. The curse on his body somehow fused with his Kairos Poison, mutating into something unknown. The diagnostic is that he only has a few hours to live."
"Since it is a curse, did you use the Tears of the Moon?"
The Tears of the Moon came from a divine tree Edward brought back from his previous voyage; it was capable of healing curses.
"We did, and this is the only reason he is still alive."
Lucius was desperate. The healers used the Empire's best resources but could not save his son. So, his only hope was the royal family had some unknown method not revealed to the public.
He has been serving the Arcane Emperor for many years, even offering his soul. Although he is mediocre, his son and grandson have become captains in the Royal Guard and the Ghost Squad. And his wife is a Tower Master loyal to the royal family.
So, he thinks the royal family might help him because of their family's long years of servitude.
Olivier thought for a moment as she caressed her temple.
"I remember Edward designed a Time Bubble; it can freeze an individual in time. You could try this method to stop him in time until a cure is found for the curse. Wait, this won't work with the Kairos Poison.
"You can use the alternate method, Death Suspension."
"Death Suspension?"
"You can think of it as cryogenically freezing someone but using the power of death. I will have Bellatrix personally oversee your son's case to ensure success."
"Thank you, your majesty."
"There is no need to thank me. The royal family will not abandon the people who have remained loyal and served us for so many years."
After appeasing Lucius, Olivier directly contacted Bellatrix to use the Death Staff to help Malfoy. She understood that these families with tremendous power and influence were one of the ways the royal family maintained their control of the Empire.
As such, she cannot abandon them when they need help.
After dealing with the Malfoys, Olivier returned to her duty of overseeing the war. A few hours later, she suddenly sensed something deep in her soul.
"This feeling," she muttered with a wide smile. "He's finally back."
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