Volume 5 Chapter 0128 The Birth of the King - I, The Dragon Overlord

Countless phantoms converged, forming entities that surrounded Louie Galakrond at the center like loyal soldiers ready to lay down their devotion for their king. Each deity brought forth avatars representing half of their divine essence. While the most powerful present were merely avatars of greater and intermediate deities, each possessed powers equating to lesser deities, with the rest at most having only faint divine strength. Seemingly weak, these avatars' overwhelming numbers compensated vastly. Even the weakest deity surpassed mortals, wielding immortal power and extraordinary strength. The deities encircling Louie included the four primordial elemental gods—earth, water, fire, and air—as well as patron deities of races like dwarves, orcs, and halflings. Among them were the gods of winter, magic, fortune and misfortune, mother earth, literature, peace, and war. And there were deities of dawn, night, silver moon, and magic. The myriad deities represented the highest order in the world of San Soliel, embodying the stars watching over the world under the night sky. Among them were gods known for battle prowess and those like the goddess of joy, god of prophecy, and god of sprouts, who were less combat-oriented. Regardless of their domain, each was a deity, possessing authority mortals could never hope to surpass. Asmodeus' smile froze in disbelief. So many gods gathering in one place was a spectacle one might only witness in the 'Pantheon.' No, even within the Pantheon, gods would at most send a single avatar or divine aspect, never all gathering in such a manner. This was an unprecedented phenomenon since the dual serpent creation, never before seen in San Soliel. The devil king instinctively rubbed his eyes in disbelief, like a mortal doubting his own sight, suspecting this might be an illusion conjured by Louie. But soon enough, he sobered, as an illusion so intricate was beyond even Louie's capacity, despite his command over half the power of the serpent of order. Realizing this was no illusion, Asmodeus was even more incredulous, exclaiming, "How could this be? Why are all you true gods gathered here? Has the dragon god revealed all secrets to you? This makes no sense!" Asmodeus was taken aback, retreating in disbelief, nearly stumbling despite his virtual divine rank of 20. Despite his virtual divine status, he couldn't possibly face so many deities alone. Were he capable, he needn't orchestrate such elaborate plans; he'd have stormed the divine realm directly. Even with a virtual divine rank of 20, and merely being a devil without avatars or transcendent power, he couldn't contend with the combined force of the gods. For a deity with a divine rank of 20 was vastly outweighed by the supreme gods, the gap between them indescribable. According to Asmodeus, Louie, with his half order power and divine rank of 20, wouldn't disclose these secrets. The first move from the gods, should they learn, would be to eliminate Louie, the most dangerous, before targeting him. To the prideful deities, another god was infinitely more perilous than a devil. Were Louie to act otherwise, it would be suicidal, a mutual destruction with Asmodeus. Asmodeus analyzed Louie's nature, deeming him not mad but cunning, unscrupulous for gain, and thus incapable of self-destruction. The devil king anticipated the arrogance of deities, assuming Louie would belittle the devil king and maneuver covertly. This calculation anticipated the best opportunity for the devil king: exploiting the conflict between good and evil to usurp the dragon god's order, attaining supreme power. Such was logical, consistent with the dragon god’s character. Thus, the current proceedings bewildered Asmodeus, spawning confusion, fury, and dread. "Your Majesty!" In his panic, Batun whispered this title in unison, slightly inclining their heads, acknowledging Louie. "Majesty?!" Asmodeus thought he misheard, aghast as he gazed upon Louie. His true form held only a divine rank of 20, yet was hailed with such reverence, despite not being supreme. A divine rank of 20 was indeed pinnacle, but the leap to being hailed as 'Majesty' was paramount. What empowered him to earn such deference? What made the deities submit? Could the gods have lost their minds? The devil king who had schemed for a million years, hidden in Nethertide, faced this moment with an uncomprehending, enraged, and panic-stricken expression. "You gods realize, the dragon god, wielding half the order, is poised to become the order serpent. Should you kill me, all order will return to him!" "Then, the true supreme god shall emerge, and you'll lose everything, compelled to obey the supreme deity. How dare you act thus?!" Amid this divine gathering, Asmodeus knew his secrets were bare, and aware he wouldn't survive the day, chose self-destruction, hoping to drag Louie with him. Yet, his proclamations stirred no divine upheaval; only brief glimmers of thought flickered before returning to silence. The gods knew Louie's intents, just as Asmodeus knew Louie wouldn't choose suicide but would gamble against him for their fate, aware that should they rebel, they'd neither escape the fate shared by 'Destiny's Stone.' Thus, their choice was inevitable: to join Louie in mutual destruction, forfeiting their existence; or accept Louie as supreme, retaining their divine standings. Not much choice lay before the gods. Death was assured with the first; with Louie, there remained hope for survival. Faced with divine silence, Asmodeus' heart sank, the devil who beguiled and schemed for eons sporting a bitter, manic grin. If die he must, let his end hold some consequence, although knowing that avatars' deaths wouldn't truly harm deities. This is what it meant to be a god, an unfathomable immortality! "Asmodeus, it seems you've grasped your fate and end. Are you prepared?" Louie's voice, devoid of expression, rose, his draconic eyes casting down from on high. Merely a devil dared resist the gods, a truly laughable notion. True deities were the true rulers of this world, embodying all its rules and orders!