Volume 5 Chapter 0080 We Need a Majesty - I, The Dragon Overlord

[Civilization Meme Activation: Fully Analyzing the Divinities of the Gods in San Soliel!] When the emotionless voice of the Artificial Intelligence echoed in Louie's mind, a progress bar visible only to him moved forward, reaching one percent. Yet, Louie's state of mind remained remarkably calm. He understood that when the gods infused their divinities into the ‘Slate of Destiny’ and he issued the order to analyze it, he was just one step away from becoming an Overgod. The Artificial Intelligence needed time to complete the divinity analysis, but Louie had plenty of time now. Although it involved divinity and he couldn't use the power of the Time Domain to expedite the process, according to Louie's calculations, it would take no more than a year for the analysis to be completed. The AI, once hosted within Louie, experienced his journey from demigod to a being of great power, recording the growth of a deity and gathering invaluable data. This allowed the AI to manipulate the faith needed by deities through its analysis of divinity. If Louie hadn't concealed a powerful orderly godhead, he would have already been controlled by the AI, becoming a mindless host for it. Though the AI was destroyed, its essence as a ‘Civilization Meme’ retained the ability to analyze divinity. This was Louie's strongest artifact to manipulate the gods. ‘Especially considering that the gods inadvertently assisted me in refining the Slate of Destiny, making it indestructible.’ This thought brought a smile to Louie's lips. Initially, he planned to deceive all the gods and quietly refine the Slate of Destiny into an artifact himself, thus enabling it to withstand divine attacks. If the slate were destroyed by the gods, Louie would lose his means to control them. Louie's ability to control the gods’ faith relied on the Slate of Destiny. Now, with the gods' unwitting help, the Slate of Destiny was immune to divine power. Compared to his solo efforts, this collaborative refinement made it much stronger. Now, there were only two ways to destroy it: reaching the realm of the Overgod and using absolute power to break it or Louie, as its master, choosing to relinquish and self-destruct it. But that's almost impossible. After the oaths were made, the gods continued to deliberate. In the face of an unknown, powerful, extraterrestrial civilization that once put the gods into slumber, excessive caution was warranted. Even typically opposing deities were expressing their insights, brainstorming for the best solutions. Seeing this, Louie thought it best to reassure the gods. After a long silence, he spoke up: “...Your Highnesses, I once traced back to the War of Cataclysms through Lady Selune’s memories. In the scenes I witnessed, an unknown civilization’s weapon struck our world with near-uninterrupted destructive blows, bringing the Prime Material Plane to ruin rapidly.” “...And after annihilating the Prime Material Plane, the extraterrestrial civilization didn't halt. Using it as a springboard, they ravaged all adjoining planes, even the demons of the Abyss and the devils of Baator couldn’t escape.” “Since the assault on Lady Benshaba's avatar, I've been wary of a new wave of attacks on the Prime Material Plane, yet they have not manifested. Could it be that this extraterrestrial civilization sustained a critical blow and hasn't recovered even after thirty thousand years, and this was merely a probing attack?” Louie’s considerations led the gods who had experienced the ancient war to ponder deeply. He was right; the strategies of these foreign civilizations seemed different from thirty thousand years ago. Back then, their advance was relentless, overwhelming, especially after their surprise attack on the Prime Material Plane, which forced the gods into a retreat, culminating in sacrificial strategies. However, this recent attack was much unlike the past. The foreign civilization ceased after a probing strike. Mystra, the Goddess of Magic, despite previous frictions with Louie, had eased their relationship. She spoke with a mysteriously ethereal voice: “...Louie is correct, but we cannot conclude that they have lost their powerful weapons or strength. This might be a ruse to lull us. Thus, the gods must stay vigilant for any potential crises in the Prime Material Plane. The civilization might be employing a softer invasion strategy—perhaps a ploy of deceit and trickery.” The gods nodded in agreement with Mystra’s caution. Louie gave a wry smile. Truthfully, after he had duped the gods into binding with the ‘Slate of Destiny’, his domains of Deceit and Conspiracy surged to new heights, momentarily reaching the peak of these domains’ potential power. Louie had deceived all the gods, earning the primal might of Deceit and Conspiracy. If these domains weren’t so limited in their plasticity, he might have tried to harness primal godly forces through them. The gods couldn’t reach a decisive conclusion. Three millennia had passed, and they still knew little about the foreign civilization, including its origins or means of invasion. In such asymmetric warfare, they could only mount a defensive strategy. Ultimately, the gods resolved to remain vigilant over the Prime Material Plane, adopting a cautious approach while disregarding other planes temporarily. The foreign civilization's assault couldn’t breach any deity’s divine realm due to insufficient energy levels, thus rendering the gods’ domains safe. If other planes fell, so be it—as long as the Prime Material Plane stood and their followers remained, the gods would not fall. Deities never concern themselves with the fate of creatures beyond their followers. As Lathander suggested ending the meeting and closing the ‘Pantheon’, Chauntea, the Earth Goddess, suddenly spoke: “There is one method to permanently eliminate the threat of the foreign civilization and safeguard the gods' authority from infringement!” The gods, about to withdraw their divine attributes from the ‘Pantheon’, paused, eyes turning towards the Earth Goddess. Chauntea spoke calmly, “...If one among us were to ascend as the Overgod, we could utilize the primordial power of the universe's creation, erecting a formidable shield to protect the gods!” For the gods, achieving the Overgod status equates to absolute transformation. No god doubted that an Overgod could obliterate the foreign civilization; an Overgod was flawless, perfect without any deficiency. Chauntea had proposed this before, but the gods dismissed it, viewing the threat abstractly. However, with real danger looming, her proposal gained new weight. Louie’s eyes narrowed, observing that many gods seemed moved. This was not a promising sign.