"I do not know you very well, but I can guess your story," said Edward with a calm and soothing tone. "A human genius born on a planet of magic. You quickly rose to the top of your world, becoming a Tier 6 Mage.
"Maybe you were the first one on your entire planet for hundreds of years. Or, maybe you were lucky enough to be born in a world with a developed magical civilization. Regardless, your achievement of reaching Tier 6 brought you untold fame, wealth, and power."
Delilah glanced at him without saying a word. The previous anger was gone, replaced by a terrifying calmness. At least, it looked as such on the surface. Edward did not mind as he continued:
"After reaching Tier 6, you learn that this is the end of magic–for humans. However, how could such a genius like yourself accept such a fact? So, you began your journey through the universe. Maybe, you were lucky and discovered the Astral Realm and other planes.
"Through your ingenuity, talent, and luck, you pushed your magic to Tier 7. I'm guessing you used the bloodline of a higher magical creature–most likely, a dragon. Am I correct?"
Delilah only glanced at him without a word. Edward shrugged his shoulder and continued:
"At Tier 7, you finally reached the Soul Limit. Unfortunately, no matter what method you used, you could not bypass such restrictions. The only option you have is to use things like Divine Energy, but such an act is too dangerous.
"You probably searched the entire universe for the legacy of the Magus Race during your attempt to break the limit. Sadly, your luck has run out.
"Disheartened, you finally gave in and chose the path that all humans have to eventually walk on–Godhood. However, your love for magic was beyond any typical human, so you chose the Magic Authority, even though you probably knew the possible danger.
"Afterward, your story became as legendary as any others. Through hard work, talent, luck, and schemes, you slowly conquer other planes and become a Tier 10 God.
"You broke through the suppression of the gods and achieved the pinnacle of status in the Cosmic Faith Plane."
"What are you trying to get at with all this nonsense?" asked Delilah coldly.
"I'm giving you an opportunity or an invitation."
Delilah squinted her beautiful pupil.
"It's as you guessed. I'm inviting you to the Emperor. Abandon the wretched God Path and become an Arcanist," said Edward with an enchanting voice. "Remove all your shackles, awaken your ambitions to pursue knowledge and magic."
"This is the biggest joke I've ever heard in my immortal life," said Delilah with a sneer.
"Is it?" retorted Edward with a smile.
"I'm sure your love for magic is not gone; otherwise, you would have never kept the [Magic Authority]. I don't know whether the Magus Race used the Mana Grid as the Universe Web or whether it was your creation, but your involvement is indicative that you value information and communication.
"In my eyes, you're a perfect Arcanist. And with your current soul, you can easily reach Tier 10 under our magic system. No, any magic system, for that matter.
"So, why are you willing to continue on this Faith Path–especially knowing how poisonous it is?"
"How do you know about this?" asked Delilah with killing intent. The Gods never allowed the information about Faith to flow out
"Do you think it is a deep secret?" said Edward with a sneer, silencing this beautiful Goddess. Then, he continued:
"With the database of the Empire and your foundation as a God, you will have a much higher chance at reaching the legendary Tier 11."
Delilah received another shock. Most creatures in the universe know or only believe that Tier 10 is the limit of power. After all, what is higher than the universe?
However, this Arcane Emperor, ruler of a small Empire smaller than a galaxy, knew of such secrets.
'The Magus Inheritance he acquired is much more valuable than I thought,' thought Delilah, trying to hide her greed and desire. She took a deep breath to calm down while also pondering this man's words.
"Do you think a few words is enough for me to do such a thing, to take such risks?"
"Of course not," replied Edward. "You have reached the pinnacle of the universe in terms of strength and status. The status quo is in your favor, so why risk everything for an unknown future?"
"Are you insinuating something?"
"No, I'm directly stating it. After living so many years as a God, bathing in the praise and worship of trillions of creatures and countless worlds, your spirit to pursue magic has been diluted and corrupted.
'It's not your fault but an inevitable outcome. After all, absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Delilah released a terrifying aura full of the intention to kill; the surrounding space created by Edward's spell shook, almost collapsing.
"There is no need for anger since it's the truth."
"Do you want to die?"
"Let me ask you something," continued Edward calmly. "If you were to meet your past self before achieving Godhood, do you think she would recognize your current self?"
Delilah's aura fluctuated before calming down. She did not answer him, thinking about the question.
"Divinity is the enemy of Magic. The reason is not something as simple as because the Gods are more powerful and oppress the development of magic.
"There is a fundamental difference at their core between these two paths. Gods rely on keeping people ignorant to amass faith and keep their power. They have no choice but to do this because once people are enlightened, once they learn the secrets of the universe, they will understand that there is nothing unique or special about the Gods.
"They will lose their awe and respect. And without those, how would you people gather faith?"
Edward did not hide his sneer and contempt.
"Even for someone like you with many mages as your followers, I reckon you've secretly eliminated many of your followers and Divine Mercenaries for studying taboo subjects–such as Divinity.
"After all, you don't want them to discover the source of your power and threaten your status."
Delilah's face became ugly; Edward's words finally hit a true nerve. She remembered the first time she sent the order to eliminate a bunch of her followers. She wiped out an entire Empire in one of the planes she conquered, all because they were studying the Divine Flame.
She spent many years conflicted as the Mage and Divine Sides inside her fought together. Sadly, after doing it for the first time, the others were much easier.
"You don't know me," said Delilah, her eyes colder than ever.
"True," replied Edward with a smile.
"It seems our conversation has come to an end," he continued, noticing Delilah's desire to end this conversation.
"You should consider what I said. With the Arcane Empire's knowledge and your foundation as a God, we can achieve great things, unimaginable things, things that maybe even the Magus Race has never accomplished."
Delilah looked at him coldly before snorting. Then, she disappeared from the room.
Outside the Milky Way:
"Delilah, is something the matter?" asked Morticia, the Goddess of Death, after seeing her open her eyes.
"Some bugs occurred in the Universe Web. Now, it's fixed."
"Is that so? Well, let's continue attacking this protection. I don't know why this thing suddenly became more powerful."
Delilah nodded, a little distracted. She did not know why she lied but only acted on instinct. She took a deep breath to remove all these thoughts from her mind and contribute her strength to this endeavor.
Edward opened his eyes, exhaling deeply. Although he was always calm and composed, he also had his worries. After all, he was still Tier 8 and facing a Tier 10 God–especially one who has conquered countless planes full of worshippers–he was worried, even with connection with Netheril.
"I can't believe you are trying to fool her," said Morgana, who appeared wearing suit pants, looking like a successful lawyer. With her beautiful purple hair, her beauty and charms were no less than any Goddess.
Edward ignored her as she knew this was one of her hobbies–cosplaying.
"I didn't."
"Would you truly allow her to become a part of the Empire?"
"Yes. I'm very tolerant of talented individuals."
"But, she would be a Tier 10 Arcanist."
"After breaking the Soul Limit, reaching Tier 10 will be extremely easy for me and many talents of the Empire after we have sufficient control of the Dark Multiverse. By then, her strength will not be as threatening."
"I see," nodded the little elf. "So, do you think she will agree?"
"I don't know, but our chances are high," replied Edward. He discovered the Magic Goddess was easier to read and understand than he anticipated. Of course, one of the main reasons is that she belittled Edward after their first meeting, allowing him to learn and deduce many things about her based on his body language and basic information about her.
"A few things are restricting her from joining us. The first one is–strength. Despite the potential shown by the Empire so far, it's not enough in her eyes. However, after we take down Guzznad and show these Gods the Milky Way is still unapproachable, she will understand our strength, making her more willing to accept my offer."
"That's interesting. What's next?"
"Her status is also a problem. She has been ruling for too long, so it's hard for her to give up her power and even become a subordinate. There is nothing much I can do about such an issue besides allowing time to make a difference and to lure her with more benefits."
"Indeed, that's a good strategy. We can lure you into cooperating with us through benefits. Then, after a period of cooperation, her actions will be considered betrayal from the Gods, alienating her until she has no choice but to join us," said Morgana, who calculated Edward's next plan in an instant.
"The only issue is how to lure her. She has reached the pinnacle of this world's power, wealth, and resources, so only a few things will interest her," groaned Edward.
"We could use some basic information about the Multiverse. However, that's dangerous knowledge. If news were to leak, the consequences would be too severe."
"For now, knowledge about the Multiverse is out of the question. Even if she joined us, I would not easily reveal such information."
The Multiverse is the key to reaching Tier 11. So, any news about it would create a storm across the entire Cosmic Faith Plane; no, it could cause a storm throughout the endless planes in the Astral Realm.
"In that case, only knowledge about the Magus Race might interest her," added Morgana. "Or, she might also be interested in the information about the Mana Grid we got from the Akashic Records."
Edward nodded in agreement. Then, he took a white string from his temple.
"Sent this memory to the Think Tank and have them analyze this meeting to see if they can find any more information that I miss. I want a character profile on her.
"Furthermore, activate the spies we have in the Central Area and ask them to find more information about Delilah."
"Is it not a little too dangerous to contact these people?"
Edward has long sent spies into the Central Area of the universe where all the most powerful creatures, Gods, and civilizations gathered. However, due to the inherent danger of such a high-level place, they remained dormant.
"The danger is worth it. Plus, they only need to be extra careful and not dig too deep into her secrets. Once the war finishes, we should provide these people with more support."
"As you wish," said Morgana before sending the command to the relevant department.
"Alright, let's get back to work. Did you get the information?"
"I did. With all her mood fluctuation, I scan some of her soul fluctuations. With this information, we should be able to crack the imprint," replied Morgana as she displayed a screen with data.
"Excellent," nodded Edward. With this information, he can suppress Delilah's imprint on the Mana Grid and use his enchantment to absorb endless mana from the grid.
Edward returned to work. Two weeks passed, and his project was finally successful. Then, he left a clone to continue the second step of the project–completely remove her imprint so he could have full control of the Mana Grid that runs through the Milky Way Galaxy. However, such a project was long-term and could not be accomplished in a short period.
Upon completion, Morgana sent the enchantment to the relevant department, and Edward focused on the war.
Three months later:
Edward sat on a chair next to a beach, holding a margarita and a screen floating before him. No one recognized their Emperor on this beach, and he took this time to relax.
"Those guys did not disappoint me," said Edward, watching videos of the Black Clover Knights fighting against the Scholar Mages of the Empire.
The battles were not all victories. After all, there are too many geniuses in the Empire, and these guys are still young, even with the help of Time Acceleration.
So, even Asta, who wowed the world with his Anti-Magic Energy, suffered many defeats. However, his original goal was to raise them into symbols of how powerful Battle Mages were, and the plans have shown initial success.
Now, under his secret command, the status of Battle Mages is slowly being raised, thus dealing with the disparity issue between the two classes.
"It's not at the level I want things to be yet, but we are getting there," muttered Edward, who prepared to close the screens and enjoy his time sunbathing.
However, he received another notification of the highest alert and security grade. He quickly opened it, and his eyes immediately brightened:
"Done? Good, good."
The Second Tier Aether Core was successfully created, using only a fraction of the needed time because of his new enchantments. The fog was finished a few weeks ago, so now, the Empire no longer needs to worry about the safety of the Milky Way after this war.
"Guzznad, you dare to blackmail twice," muttered Edward with a sneer, thinking how he had to send another Tier 9 Energy Core a few days ago. "Now, it's payback time."
He immediately contacted Olivier, who should have received the news.
"Did you see it?"
"I did," she nodded succinctly.
"So, what's next?" asked Edward.
"Now that we no longer have to worry about safety, we can slowly take over Guzznad's territory and overwhelm him.'
The current galaxy was divided into two halves. Now, it was time to take Guzznad's half, uniting the Milky Way under one regime, one voice.
"Excellent. Do I need to do anything?"
"We will have a meeting tomorrow before beginning the last expedition. You will need to attain."
"I will be there."
Olivier nodded before ending the communication.
"How cold," said Edward, shaking his head. "I should probably talk to her."
He raised his head to look above him. He knew this war was coming to an end, meaning the Empire would enter a new age.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."
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