Instantly, Bardi understood that conquering this universe and absorbing all the information about himself within it still made him a relatively weak existence.
His enemies were no longer within the multiverse, but rather among the many gods in the Realm of Gods.
Just a single Third Palace from Hell would be enough to flatten the current Bardi. Though it is said a One and Only God cannot be killed, eternal sealing is possible, and the effect is the sa.
Bardi was undeniably powerful, and after consuming the soil within the Speed Force, he had grown even stronger.
But compared to the Only Gods who had lived through endless ti, witnessed the birth and collapse of countless multiverses over imasurable eras, Bardi remained significantly weaker.
Originally, Bardi's plan was to conquer this universe, extract it from the Realm of Gods, and turn all life within it into his subordinates, forming enough of a foundation to gain a foothold in the Realm of Gods as a rising power.
With his own unique divine ability, he would continue to evolve eternally and eventually rise into the top echelons of power.
But now, he realized that everything in this universe was as insignificant as ants. It was not even on the sa level as a quasi-unique pantheon like the Olympians. Facing them was like a child going up against giants. Certain death.
"This will be difficult."
Bardi chuckled softly. Of course, that didn't an it was impossible.
Essentially, all the subordinates of a One and Only God were their dependents, sharing in their divine traits and exhibiting unmatched power. So of these dependents could even beco quasi-One Gods and temporarily rival the power of a true One.
A pri example was the Monitor race.
Each hair and cell of the Primal Monitor gave rise to countless Positive Monitors to oversee the multiverse.
The Monitor race wasn't truly his biological family but rather a group he created and expanded into an enormous force.
Bardi could do the sa, using his own blood cells to create countless dependents and bestow power upon his subordinates.
However, forming a force as vast as the Monitor race would take billions of years.
For now, creating dependents was not the priority.
What was needed was to unify the derivatives of this universe, and to fully rge the antimatter counterpart of this universe. That required the Anti-Monitor to temporarily destroy the antimatter universe.
Only when all the parallel universes of this one were wiped out, leaving a singular unified universe, could Bardi refine it into a unique plane and make it his own.
Then he could cast his net across other universes, expanding the system, finding sources, absorbing information, and rapidly strengthening himself.
"Only this once."
Bardi sat on the throne of Zeus, deep in thought, plotting his next moves.
Many of the Only Gods and quasi-Only Gods had agreed to a rule—none of them could directly interfere with the multiverse using their true forms. They were only permitted to enter via projections and compete for sources that way.
But Bardi existed directly in the multiverse. As a result, the other gods' projections couldn't contend with him.
Only after gathering enough source energy, absorbing enough data, and strengthening himself within the multiverse would Bardi be eligible to step beyond and stake a claim in the Realm of Gods.
Otherwise, if he stepped out now and encountered the Third Palace, he would be forced to kneel on the spot.
"Zeus, it's ti for us to return to the world. Humanity no longer believes in us. Without faith, our projections cannot recover."
A noble woman entered the temple. She carried the grace and dignity of a queen. Her elegant curls flowed beneath her crown, her arms were pale as lilies, and a peacock-feathered cloak trailed behind her, releasing a soft, pleasant fragrance.
She was Hera, a projection of the real goddess Hera.
Bardi returned to the present from his thoughts. His descent into the Zeus projection was, in part, driven by a long-held wish to et the real Hera.
Among all the myths and legends, Bardi had always favored Hera the most.
His AI assistant was even nad Hera, modeled completely after the Hera of Olympian mythology.
Now, seeing the true Hera in person—graceful, elegant, dignified, with snow-white skin and flawless poise—she did not disappoint Bardi.
To others, Hera might be rembered as a jealous woman, known for tornting Zeus's lovers and illegitimate children.
But to Bardi, Hera was the embodint of loyalty to marriage, family, and love.
No matter how many lovers Zeus had, and no matter how much anger and jealousy Hera showed, she had never been unfaithful—not even in spirit.
She had always defended her marriage, her love, and her family.
She never showed the slightest interest in any other god besides Zeus.
That was sothing no other woman could do.
Bardi's eyes filled with admiration, and he said with a smile, "Yes. Call them all into the temple."
Hera noticed his admiring gaze and gentle smile. Her eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.
When had Zeus ever looked at her like that—with admiration in his eyes and a smile as gentle as a spring breeze?
That was the kind of look he usually reserved for his newest lovers.
And for her, the queen goddess? Heh…
In Hera's mory, Zeus rarely, if ever, looked at her like this.
With a faint sense of confusion, she went ahead and summoned the other Olympian projections to the temple.
One by one, the gods gathered.
"God-King, I'm not sure we should reappear on Earth," Hers said. As the ssenger of the gods, he wore winged sandals, held a wand, and moved with extraordinary speed. "I've observed many rising forces on Earth. They pose a threat to us and make it difficult to spread belief."
"They can't resist my bow," another god said.
"We should play it safe."
"If we lose this projection, it would be our greatest loss."
"Yes, it's hard enough for us to survive in a universe as projections."
"This isn't the ti to act. We should wait to reap maximum benefit."
"I do not approve of returning to Earth. We should continue testing the waters."
The gods offered their opinions one after another. Ares and Apollo, never afraid of battle, supported action. Hephaestus, the god of fire and craftsmanship, and Dionysus, the god of love and wine, advised caution and conservation of strength.
Bardi raised his hand lightly, and the temple fell silent.
He lifted the thunder spear. Sparks of lightning surged around it.
He turned to Hera, smiled faintly, and nodded. "It was a pleasure to see your projection. Next ti, I hope to see your true self."
Hera froze.
In the next instant, lightning erupted from the thunder spear and engulfed the entire temple.
(To be continued.)
***
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