Tyre and Logue met outside Omphalos. Though the casualties from the battle of Osteoburg had been heavy, they weren't enough to put an end to someone as scheming as Logue. He used those Fringian factions that had submitted to his authority as cannon fodder to take the brunt of the blow. Those who died defending his Osteoburg were mostly from those factions, while most of Logue's elite had survived.
Tyre, however, was a different matter. Having known Dhaka and the Godhunter Alliance's plans all along, he left the Shrine of Destruction in advance without losing a single soldier.
So dejected was Logue after this blow that he considered withdrawing from the upcoming battle in the Fringe and heading to the Dominions of Space or Destiny to sit out the chaos. But before he could, he received an invitation from Tyre to fight one last time, in the hope of making a comeback on Omphalos.
At first, Logue was tempted to refuse, believing that they didn't stand a chance against the Godhunter Alliance, but after hearing what Tyre had to say, he changed his mind. Instead, he regrouped his forces to join Tyre, with the intention of making one last stand against the Godhunter Alliance on Omphalos.
Tyre and Loue had their subordinates spread the word that Omphalos contained the greatest wealth in the entire Fringe, especially the wealth of all the Sovereigns' businesses there, especially all the black crystal coins, in an attempt to lure the Godhunter Alliance to Omphalos.
"Tyre, are you really sure you'll be able to wipe out all the Hegemons?" Logue asked pessimistically from a distant mountaintop.
The ever-resolute Tyre seemed to be in pretty good shape. Feigning an air of absolute confidence, he smiled. "Logue, don't worry. There are a million tonnes of weapons-grade energy crystals buried beneath Omphalos, my personal stash that I've collected over the years. As long as the Hegemons enter, I will be able to use an energy tower to detonate all these energy crystals and wipe out the Hegemons and their men in one fell swoop.
Weapon grade energy crystals were a type of crystal that contained highly concentrated energy of remarkably high purity. A million tonnes of them exploding at once would be able to completely wipe out Omphalos in almost an instant. That kind of destructive power would be on a par with a full-on attack by a Quintessence Overgod, and it was sure to be something that even the Hegemons couldn't survive.
Upon hearing Tyre's plan, Logue cursed so hard that even his ancestors would roll over in their graves. How he could have been unaware that such a large supply was being stockpiled in Omphalos right under his nose was a mystery to which there was no answer. Fortunately, he was on the right side this time, otherwise he might have been one of the unlucky few that Tyre tried to blow up.
"There are still some toxin brewers and traders in Omphalos. What are you going to do about them?" Logue asked, secretly cursing Tyre for his ruthlessness.
Tyre's lips curled into a smirk. "These toxin brewers don't know their place. It was only a matter of time before they perished in Omphalos, so we might as well let them accompany the Godhunter Alliance on their final journey. Besides, we need them there as live bait. If there wasn't a single living soul in Omphalos, the Godhunters wouldn't fall for this trap so easily."
"Hehe, let's hope it works!" Logue laughed as he nodded, not the least bit concerned about the lives at stake.
...
Meanwhile, the Hegemons were all feeling rather down in the dumps. Having hastily left Pandemonium, they gathered their men and began a frantic retreat from the Fringe. Not a trace of greed remained in their distraught minds.
The power Han Shuo had displayed in Pandemonium had been far too terrifying. He had single-handedly wiped Ossora from existence and made it look as easy as lifting a finger. That kind of power was beyond the comprehension of these Hegemons of the Divine Dominions. They were terrified to the core.
Moreover, they feared the return of the God of Death, Nestor, since Han Hao had activated the Quintessence Shard of Death. Knowing of Nestor's exploits in the Fringe, the Hegemons immediately knew that Nestor would come to Pandemonium if the Shard's aura was released into the environment unchecked.
To think that Hegemons such as themselves, who ruled over most people, would fear death as much as their subordinates... They had a primal fear of Overgods with Quintessence, who could easily wipe them out. Considering Nestor's imminent arrival and Han Shuo's power, the only rational move was to flee.
The one who left most reluctantly was Dhaka. He had plotted the longest with Tyre to take over the Fringe's share of the Godhunter Alliance, and had made many preparations for their common goal, but now he had to leave empty-handed. He knew he would regret this for the rest of his life.
So when he received word from Tyre, he decided to keep what he had just experienced in Pandemonium a secret. Instead, he claimed that they had won a great victory there, and had managed to deal a heavy blow to the House of Han, but that Han Shuo had still managed to escape.
The reason he told him this was because he knew his younger brother's personality. If Tyre found out that Han Shuo's abilities had skyrocketed, he would know that he would gain nothing by attacking the Godhunter Alliance in Omphalos. This meant that there was nothing for him to gain by fighting a being as powerful as Han Shuo, and he was far from being the type to waste his resources with no benefit to himself.
Dhaka had the most to gain from the destruction of the Hegemons in Omphalos. He would be able to consolidate the power of the Godhunter Alliance and become its de facto ruler. With this in mind, Dhaka decided to hide the truth from his younger brother, Tyre.
After their discussion, Tyre sent his men to spread rumours of the wealth in Omphalos, which soon reached the retreating Godhunters. Judas of the Dominion of Light was nowhere to be seen, so they assumed he had fallen to Han Shuo in Pandemonium. With Judas gone, Dhaka was now the most influential Hegemon. After gathering the other Hegemons, he told them of the hidden wealth.
The despondent Hegemons' greed was fuelled by Dhaka's rumour. Seeing that it was true, Dhaka struck while the iron was hot. Thanks to the tempting black crystal coins, the Hegemons decided to plunder Omphalos of the Sovereigns' accumulated wealth before leaving the Fringe.
Before coming to the Fringe, they had long heard that Omphalos was a mysterious place that demanded a hefty entrance fee from any god who wished to enter. The gods who came to Omphalos from the Twelve Divine Dominions tended to come from wealthy families. Naturally, they brought with them a great deal of black crystal coins before hiding out in Omphalos.
The rumours, combined with Dhaka's encouragement, managed to lift the spirits of the dejected Hegemons to fight once more for the hidden riches of Omphalos.
...
After parting ways with Han Shuo, Han Hao gathered his subordinates. The Godhunters who served him had an aura unique to Godhunters, which sometimes allowed them to evade the pursuit of the Godhunter Alliance.
There were too many Godhunters in the Fringe, but with the elite Godhunters of the Twelve Divine Dominions split by the chaotic battles, Han Hao's men managed to slip through the cracks. They scattered and spied on the Godhunter Alliance on Han Hao's orders, secretly monitoring Logue and Tyre's actions.
"Chief, we have received word that the Godhunter Alliance is gathering forces for an attack on Omphalos. Rumour has it that the Sovereigns have a huge cache of wealth there, including many divine essences," Polo reported as he bowed.
When Polo had received Han Hao's order in Pandemonium, he and the other Godhunters had immediately retreated through the underground tunnels to the subterranean palace that Han Jin and Han Tu had built. He completely forgot about the incident with Isaiah, Regis and Miller. Most of the Godhunter troops under him were not harmed in the slightest.
"Have you found out what Logue and Tyre are up to and where they are?" Han Hao asked.
Polo bowed even deeper than before, revealing a trace of anxiety, and replied, "Not yet. We're still trying our best to gather more information. Our informants haven't reported back yet."
In those days, Polo would smile and joke with Han Hao because they were of similar status. They were even friends to a certain extent, so he didn't fear Han Shuo like his subordinates did.
But now he felt that Han Hao was completely different from before, thanks to a great power within him that he could sense from time to time. Polo felt as if he would be destroyed in an instant by that kind of power without being able to put up the slightest resistance.
He didn't know that Han Hao now had a quintessence, but he could still feel its terrifying effects, and it made him not act as casually as before. Now, every word he spoke was filled with the utmost respect.
Han Hao also knew what had caused the sudden change in attitude. It hadn't been long enough since he had received the Quintessence, so he wasn't yet able to control its power perfectly, which manifested itself as a leak that Polo felt. It wasn't something he could control at the moment.