A cold breeze blew through the unexplored depths of Omphalos. However, this wasn't the kind of cold that the body felt, but rather the soul.
Strange figures could be seen moving about outside Omphalos, all of whom seemed to have hostile intentions. Obviously, they were godhunters. Since the Sovereigns of the Fringe had hastily retreated, leaving the lives of the inhabitants of Omphalos to fate, none of them would survive the moment the Godhunter Alliance descended upon them.
Chaos broke out within. Now they would die even more quickly if they tried to leave with the Godhunters lingering outside. The inhabitants of Omphalos had been driven to the brink of extinction, helplessly awaiting their final judgement. There was nothing they could do about it, and that despair had permeated the whole place. Everyone seemed lifeless and despondent.
The only exception was the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. The toxin brewers Akley had recruited felt a glimmer of hope thanks to the assurances of their safety. It was because of this tiny bit of hope that they had joined the group and handed over the recipes and knowledge they had spent much of their lives researching.
These people considered their life's work more important than their own lives. Even though Akley had promised that they would be fine, they didn't quite believe him. That was why they gave their secrets to Akley for safekeeping.
After all, they didn't want their life's work to be lost to the world, even if they didn't survive. In any other situation they would never have given their secrets to Akley, but with death looming over them, every day that passed was a day that they risked not passing on the fruits of their labour. By the end, they had come to terms with their possible demise.
Akley, of course, was overjoyed to have so much new knowledge at his fingertips. Even if the poison brewers did end up dead, the House of Han would be able to use their knowledge to take Celestial Pearl Pharmacy to new heights. As such, he happily accepted their magnum opus and had his men guard the secrets.
Soon, half a month had passed. Gradually, the people of Omphalos noticed that the frequency of Godhunter sightings outside was increasing. They grew more desperate as they awaited their doom.
Eventually, the main army of the Godhunter Alliance and all the remaining Hegemons arrived in Omphalos. The leader of this expedition, Dhaka, kept telling them of the wealth hidden within. The other Hegemons didn't seem to doubt him one bit, and were all intent on taking a huge share for themselves.
With Dhaka in charge, the Godhunters were soon determined to sack Omphalos. That was also the day Han Hao received word. Han Hao was in no hurry to find them, as the situation in Omphalos seemed far more pressing. He knew that there were still some members of the House of Han there, as well as many other toxin brewers who, according to Akley's report, had already joined the House.
"Sir, we shouldn't go to Omphalos now. The Hegemons are already there. Our forces may not be able to match theirs," Polo said with a respectful bow.
This was not a fight he would even consider if Han Hao hadn't decided to go through with it. While Polo did not dare to doubt Han Hao, he could not shake the feeling that they were engaging in a futile effort.
"It's all right," Han Hao said, not explaining much. "We're not sending everyone. I'm just taking a small team, including you. We're not going there to fight the Hegemons to the death. Instead, we're going to rescue the other members of our house."
Polo's expression became even grimmer when he heard that not all of them would be going. While he mocked Han Hao for his foolishness in his mind, he dared not do anything. "Alright. We'll do as you say, sir."
Saying nothing more, he ordered his elite subordinates to coordinate the plan with Han Hao.
...
Meanwhile, Logue and Tyre were shaking with excitement. Logue had never expected Tyre's plan to actually work. He didn't know that Tyre and the current de facto leader of the Godhunter Alliance, Dhaka, were brothers. So he really thought that the Alliance had decided to gather around Omphalos, giving him this hope of turning the battle on the fringe.
"Prepare your men, Logue. Hehehe... As soon as all the Hegemons enter Omphalos, I will detonate the explosives inside and wipe them all out. You and I will take care of the small fries outside before we go into Omphalos to deal with the aftermath," Tyre said with a smile. He looked at Logue and thought, "When the other Hegemons are dead, you'll be the first one my big brother and I will kill. Then everything in the Fringe will be mine.
"Don't worry, they're all ready. Tyre... You really are amazing. I didn't know how you managed to sneak in all those energy crystals. After this battle, the Godhunter Alliance will no longer be a threat to us, and you will be the true ruler of the Fringe!"
Tyre didn't seem to mind at all. "The two of us will rule the Fringe in the future. We'll share it with Omphalos as our border. Haha, without your help I wouldn't be able to do many of the things I've done. I will count on you from now on."
"Oh, you're too kind." Although Logue replied with a smile, he thought that once the Godhunter Alliance is finished and the situation in the Fringe stabilises, I'll definitely be the first one you wipe out. He kept thinking about how to conserve as much of his power as possible to deal with Tyre's potential betrayal.
Now it seemed that Tyre was more powerful than he was, so he had to take a number of precautions. Tyre himself was also suspicious of Logue. If he hadn't suspected him at all, he wouldn't have asked Logue to join him. After all, he and Dhaka were enough to take out the Godhunters with or without Logue.
...
The Godhunter Alliance wouldn't fall for it as easily as Tyre thought. No matter how much Dhaka tried to convince them of the riches there and the weakness of Omphalos' defences, they were wary after suffering such a heavy loss at the hands of the House of Han. This was especially true after Asser told the other Hegemons of their experiences in Pandemonium.
They didn't enter Omphalos together, as Dhaka had planned, but sent some of their subordinates to scout the way out. Only when they had a clear picture of the situation in Omphalos, in the absence of any powerful enemies, would they enter.
There was nothing Dhaka could do about it. He made sure to use the magic mirror hidden in his sleeves to tell Tyre to be more patient. Of course, Tyre had already considered this possibility. He told Dhaka to bring some men with him to search the Sovereign's shops. Tyre had prepared some rather large caches of black crystal coins and left them in the shops to hook the Hegemons for good.
Over the past few years, Tyre had acquired a number of such coins from Omphalos, and he was willing to part with them in order to take over the Fringe. This way, he could be sure that the scouts the Hegemons sent in wouldn't discover that Omphalos was empty and leave before he and Dhaka could wipe them all out.
Dhaka then entered confidently with a few others. The other Hegemons seemed to relent slightly when they saw the one who had proposed the plan enter so easily. But they didn't dare trust him completely. But if word got out that there really were riches inside to be plundered, they would be the first to rush in. So Dhaka entered with some of his own men and those of the other Hegemons.
Seeing the godhunters enter, the various other gods tried to hide. Dhaka, of course, didn't care what happened to them. He ordered the Godhunters to kill anyone who came within range. The vagabonds weren't very powerful to begin with. If they had a chance, they wouldn't have hidden in Omphalos in the first place.
Some who knew that the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy was still in operation tried to flee to the establishment, seeing it as their last safe haven. Their actions soon attracted the attention of many Godhunters, who headed in that direction anyway.
The Godhunters, now on a killing spree, no longer believed that a powerful enemy was lurking within. Their actions became more daring by the moment. Soon, cries of fear and pain could be heard closer and closer to Celestial Pearl Pharmacy.