Volume 5 Chapter 0113 Submit or perish? - I, The Dragon Overlord

In the deepest reaches of the Astral Plane, the 'Pantheon' opened once again. In the span of just a few hundred years, it had opened countless times. This frequency subtly alerted a few powerful deities to changes in fate, though the specifics of these changes eluded their perception. Louie maintained a consistent rhythm when he entered the 'Pantheon'—neither the first to arrive nor the last. He always found himself in the midst of the gathering deities. However, this time, upon reaching the 'Pantheon,' Louie's first reaction was to look towards the highest position. In the past, powerful deities would always sit in a round table arrangement, but now, there was one god whose status was slightly elevated above the others, albeit not yet reaching the supreme level to overlook all deities as a true supreme god. This subtle difference indicated that a deity was on the brink of a profound transformation. That deity was Chauntea, the Earth Goddess. Her manifested form was that of a vivacious young girl, dressed in a beautiful garment woven from ears of wheat, flowers, leaves, and soil. Her attire resembled a Grecian style, revealing a snow-white shoulder. With a wreath adorning her head, she exuded youthful beauty, combining a girl's vibrant spirit with the gentle grace of maturity—a slightly contradictory impression. As Louie stepped into the 'Pantheon,' all eyes turned towards him, displaying emotions ranging from concern to indifference to schadenfreude. Louie didn’t expect that arriving at this opportune time would garner such attention, but upon reflection, he understood the deities' thoughts. His longstanding discord with Chauntea was well-known. In the past, he held onto certain aspects of the Earth domain, preventing Chauntea from fully realizing it. Consequently, she had been oscillating between divine statuses, which was a stumbling block for a goddess eager for progress after emerging from the chill of winter into the vigor of spring. Now, the Earth Goddess had gained the power of the seasons, uniting the cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter with the earth, encompassing all agricultural elements. This brought her partial recognition from the primal earth force, tearing away Louie’s hold on certain aspects of the Earth domain. As a result, Chauntea became complete, achieving a perfect divine status of 20. As one of the most ancient deities, her ascension to the supreme god seemed only a matter of time, something the other deities were certain of. Thus, they were keen to understand Louie's current thoughts—was he angry, terrified, panic-stricken, or something else? Although Chauntea’s expression remained calm as Louie approached, even nodding at him, who could say whether she would settle past scores once she became a supreme god? If Louie wished to prevent her ascension, the only method would be to engage in divinely warfare to bring about her downfall. However, without a world-altering event, it was exceedingly difficult for one powerful deity to cause the fall of another, especially when Chauntea’s divine status was as high as 20, while Louie was only at 18—a significant disparity. But the deities soon faced disappointment as they noticed Louie’s expression held a smile, devoid of any other discernible emotion. He nodded at Chauntea and nonchalantly took his seat, as if completely unperturbed by the current situation. Soon, the deities gathered, and all eyes turned towards Chauntea, even those of Lathander, who used to preside over the meetings. The ones most visibly affected were the powerful deities. Louie could see regret among them, as they likely lamented their inaction that allowed the Earth Goddess to complete the final piece of her puzzle. The harmonious divine world might soon witness the rise of an Empress who overshadowed all, potentially ushering in a bloody tempest. Deities who reached the pinnacle of power were vaguely aware of the supreme god’s terrifying nature, far beyond the reach of ordinary gods. The difference was akin to that between god and mortal—one supreme god could, with a mere gesture, bring the downfall of an ordinary god. This loss of self-control over fate and existence was what the deities feared most. Shar, the Dark Goddess, was particularly infuriated. In the past, she would have conspired against Chauntea even if all the other deities observed indifferently. But now, Shar merely wielded moderate divine power and was isolated by other gods, leaving her without the strength to thwart Chauntea’s plans. Shar's gaze at the powerful deities brimmed with disappointment, causing some of them to feel embarrassed. Those from non-human pantheons were even more hostile towards the human deities, as Chauntea belonged to the latter group. Even if they'd wanted to, these alien gods couldn’t prevent Chauntea’s rise. Previously, it was implicitly understood that no god would be allowed to achieve a divine status of 20. But now, with Chauntea on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of the divine, it was unclear what her stance would be towards non-human pantheons. Once she ascended to supreme godhood, if she wished, she could single-handedly alter all rules of the San Soliel world. Yet, the gods understood that there was no remedy for regret. They had to accept the current situation. Louie, however, knew they wouldn’t let things rest. Those deities who regretted their inaction would likely try to unite, intending to bring down Chauntea’s divine status before she reached supreme godhood. At present, she was only at divine status 20, still within the realm of powerful deities. Succeeding would surely incur Chauntea’s wrath, but no matter. If they failed, once Chauntea ascended to supreme godhood, she would undoubtedly eradicate them. It was an action with no personal gain, but with a failure that was hard to accept. Whether any deity dared to rebel was unknown even to Louie. Yet, he hoped they would refrain from rebelling, as that would ensure the success of his future plans. What he needed were gods who were timid, cowardly, and afraid of death! "Your highnesses..." Once the gods’ thoughts had gradually settled, Chauntea began to speak softly. Sitting at the highest point, she surveyed the Pantheon, her eyes twinkling with the lively spirit typical of a young girl, her voice crisp, "With the assistance of several of your highnesses, I have reached this crucial position. Just one more step and I shall fully attain the primal earth force, thus ensuring the incursions of the Terran civilization will no longer instill fear among the gods." Chauntea was well aware that her present circumstance was perilous. Hence, she astutely invoked the "Terran civilization," suggesting to the deities that they had a common enemy and now was not the time for internal conflict. The consequences of her ascension to supreme godhood were uncertain, but should the foreign universe succeed in its invasion, all deities facing extinction was a definite outcome. As her words concluded, indeed, the restless gods temporarily quelled their inner flames, reconsidering whether it was wise to stop Chauntea from becoming a supreme god. As Chauntea donned a gentle smile, preparing to continue, Louie abruptly interrupted her, forcefully declaring, "Your highnesses, I too have a question for you to contemplate!" "...Submit or perish?" He surveyed all the deities, raising his head and posed the question with an air of authority.