As ntioned before, the battlefield had already taken a drastic turn for the worse, and that was even before the Divine Horrors appeared.
Despite all the ti dilation Ash had used for himself over the last few cycles, only two hundred years had passed outside, a fact well known by now.
Throughout those two centuries, the Ineffable Pantheon had been coming in and out of the Pri Expanse for various reasons.
And it didn’t take long before one of them introduced a ga centered around the War and the battlefield itself.
By now, this ga had led the deaths of not just the seven Domain Lords reported a year ago, but over twelve of them in total.
----
BOOOOM!!!!
BOOOOM!!!!
The battlefield trembled under the relentless barrage of deafening explosions, as colossal surges of power collided far off in the distance.
The air hung heavy with the acrid scent of burning concepts, the faint aura of divinity, and the sharp tallic tang of spilled blood.
All around, a cacophony of screams, roars, and the unearthly sound of reality itself ripping apart reverberated endlessly across the desolate wasteland.
Yet high above it all, in a relatively calm pocket of sky, the Ineffable Pantheon was having a picnic.
A large, floating platform had been conjured in the air, complete with comfortable cushions, low tables, and plates of Earth-like foods — grilled steaks, fresh salads, warm bread, desserts, and glasses of wine.
The group lounged casually as if they were on a leisurely outing rather than in the middle of a war that was tearing the battlefield apart.
And there were quite a few of them gathered.
Most of Ash wives found themselves here as it had been soti since so many had been gathered at once.
Sonna, Yonna, Seris, Raven, Katherine, Sumr, Sylvie, Mira, Lithia, Diana, Lysa, Sandra, Shia, Aurelia, Rune, Lucy, Creara, Unara, Minx, Sia, Fay, Luna, Aphrodite, Persephone, Morphea (Dream), Khaos, and Lirael was all present.
The heirs — Xeros, Aurora, Ellyn, Riona, Emily, Aliya, Riyan, Rye, and Rita — sat among them, along with his other companions: Kaelthyr and his wife, Kyron, the Twins Caelan and Kael, and Vetri.
[A/N: If you need a refresher of whom these characters are... check the discord or drop a comnt!] ;)
And they were all laughing and chatting, completely unbothered by the chaos below.
Katherine took a sip of wine, her bloody crimson eyes sparkling with amusent as she looked down at the battlefield.
"So, who do you think is next?" she asked casually. "I’m betting on that Domain Lord with that Victory Idea. He’s been looking shaky for the past hour."
Raven leaned back on a cushion, her white hair spilling around her as she popped a grape into her mouth.
"I say it’s going to be one of those elental ideas," she said. "I don’t understand who would even choose to beco such lowly ideas?"
Though they could easily find out, none of them cared to look into how these beings actually chose which Idea they would beco.
However, if they could choose... it just didn’t make since for soone to beco an Idea of Fire or Ice... even if those things could be used well enough to be powerful.
It still didn’t match up to the other abstract paths one could have taken, such as Victory or even things like Destiny.
Sumr laughed, cutting into a piece of steak on her plate.
"You’re both wrong. It’s definitely going to be that loud one — what’s his na? The one who keeps screaming about honor. He’s been yelling at her for the last ten minutes. Madison’s probably going to make an example out of him."
Seris leaned forward with an annoyed look, twirling a glass of wine between her fingers.
"Honestly, I wish she’d just finish them off already."
Though they’d all been treating this war like so kind of ga, but in reality, they were only nudging things along, knowing the Domain Lords were the strongest on the field.
Sure, they could go after the other stations beyond the battlefield, but wouldn’t it make more sense to force them out of their long-standing domains?
Yonna nodded at this, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"That I agree with... these beings are so weak we’ve been taking them on one at a ti... and even then, only two of us besides Madison have even fought!"
Like a few others of the pantheon, she couldn’t deny her love for the thrill of battle.
Ever since Elaris, the battlefield had called to her.
Once the golden child of her kingdom, she’d fought in wars before the age of twenty, and had survived the devastating conflict that claid the lives of both her and Sonna’s parents, leaving her among the few still standing.
From that point on, she’d embodied nothing less than a wild beauty—fitting for the Goddess of Untad Tempest she was.
Sylvie, lounging lazily with her head on Mira’s shoulder, let out a soft giggle.
"Well, you can always make them appear if you are tired of waiting." She said, "You know with the Narrative and all."
Mira nodded, feeding Sylvie a piece of fruit.
"Right or... you can just enjoy this nice ti like us all~"
Diana stretched her toned body, her white braids swaying as she reached for another glass.
"Tsk, I have to agree with Yonna on this one," she said, knowing that among the Valkyries, she was without a doubt more of a fighter.
Sylvie ca in a close second, but ever since becoming the Constellation of Luck, her sharp edge as the sword of the Valkyries had dulled sowhat.
It wasn’t that she’d grown less brutal, but her way of handling things had simply beco... too easy.
Mira, on the other hand, as the Constellation of Grace, didn’t mind a fight, but her very nature made her a serene and elegant presence.
And then there was Lithia, who was only interested in pleasure, being the Constellation of Sex and Charms, after all.
Lysa chuckled from the sidelines, popping a grape into her mouth.
"On the bright side, we’ve seen that our new sisters aren’t bad at all," she remarked, her thoughts drifting to Eve and Eliya, who had probably impressed her more than anyone else.
As the Goddess of Sanctuary—and even before that—she had always embodied a defensive and protective mindset, so it was only natural that the two won, being Greater Ideas of Guarding, resonated with her so strongly.
Sandra, who had been quietly leaning against Shia and listening in, finally spoke up with a lazy smile.
"Your daughters, you an?" she teased, knowing full well how tangled and unconventional the family’s titles truly were.
Ash’s harem seed to involve everyone in so way—whether it was his sisters, mothers, or even extending to his wives and their female relatives.
If you looked closely, most mbers of the harem were connected sohow, even without being sister-wives.
"Sister.... Daughter... it makes no difference." Lysa said with a chuckle. "Our lovely Ash will just have his way with them regardless."
Shia chuckled in agreent, her eyes glinting with amusent.
"Well, you’re not wrong about that..."
A short distance away, the n had gathered, observing the chaos with varying degrees of interest. Kaelthyr took a bite of his steak before speaking.
"Speaking of that brat... I wonder when he plans on making his appearance?"
It was obvious they had already sensed his presence. Not through directly feeling him—he wouldn’t allow that unless he wanted them to—but because of the Divine Horrors.
Unlike the other inhabitants, they knew exactly where those creatures ca from.
"Those Divine Horrors... they showed up a few hours ago. I can only imagine he’s plotting sothing completely over the top."
Kyron nodded, his expression thoughtful.
"Yeah, but there’s sothing off about them. It’s like they’re sealed or restricted in so way. To the locals, they’re incredibly powerful... but I can tell there’s a stiffness to them."
who knew anything about Pantheos understood that its inhabitants were anything but rigid or restrained.
Nearby, the Twins, Caelan and Kael, lounged comfortably, sharing a plate of food.
Caelan let out a chuckle.
"Big Brother’s clearly holding back, waiting to drop sothing big."
Kael shrugged, "Either way... it won’t be long before we’re all having so fun."
The slaughter continued happening far below them.
The sounds of explosions, roars, and dying screams served as nothing more than background noise to their leisurely al.
CRRRAAAAACKKK!!!!!
In that instant, the dark void above them split apart with an earth-shattering roar.
The rift in the sky tore wider, spilling golden and black light like shards of broken reality as two formidable figures stepped through.
In that mont, Sylas and Konquest appeared, both holding their weapons and exuding overwhelming power at the 32nd Dinsional Level.
This wasn’t their true rank — it was sothing Ash had granted them specifically to spice things up.
Sylas’s double-edged sword glowed with a cold, purple light, while Konquest’s massive war staff crackled with raw, destructive energy.
------
Their presence pressed down on the battlefield like an invisible mountain.
Down below, Madison stood in the center of a circle of Domain Lords she had been toying with.
The five remaining Domain Lords looked up at the two new arrivals with a mix of shock and terror. Their faces paled as they felt the crushing weight of 32nd Dinsional power bearing down on them.
One of them, a tall man with glowing runes across his armor, stamred in fear.
"W-What... what are they...?"
Another, a woman whose body was made of living chains, took an instinctive step back.
"Th-This power... it’s f-feels like I’m standing before an E-exalted Warden!"
The third Domain Lord, his face drained of color, whispered in horror.
"We... we can’t fight that..."
Madison, however, didn’t look afraid... of course she didn’t.
She smiled— a wide, maddening smile that spread across her face as her eyes lit up with pure excitent.
HUMMMM!!!
In that mont, with a thought, seven glowing marks suddenly appeared on the bodies of the five Domain Lords surrounding her.
These were Primal Marks, allowing her to instantly appear beside them.
In the next instant, Madison vanished.
SHKKKK!!!!
A single, blinding claw swipe cut through the air.
Then instantly, all five Domain Lords’ heads were severed cleanly from their bodies in one fluid motion.
Their expressions remained frozen in terror as their heads flew off, blood spraying in wide arcs before their bodies collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Madison reappeared a short distance away, still smiling as she flicked the blood off her claws.
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