After the nine Cloud Cities appeared, a vast army of angels flew out, forming orderly ranks that surrounded the cities. They, alongside the nine Celestial Flames, charged toward the evil gods with great momentum.
The arrival of the Celestial Flames immediately alleviated the pressure on the epic Titans, but this wasn't the end. Reinforcements from Erathia weren't limited to just the Celestial Flames; there were also Dragon Kings.
From the portal emerged a graceful Dragon King, exuding a chilling aura that froze the surrounding void. He flew directly toward the most intense part of the battlefield, scattering ice as he passed. Any evil god's minions that touched the ice were instantly frozen and shattered into dust. Even evil gods themselves found parts of their bodies encased in ice, slowing their movements.
As more and more Dragon Kings appeared, the three Dragon Kings who had been skirting the edges of the battlefield—Starlight, Mountains, and Azure Tide—began to fight in earnest as well.
The number of epic beings on Erathia's side quickly matched that of the evil gods. The Titans' disadvantage nearly disappeared, and the tide of battle shifted in favor of the Titans, Celestial Flames, and Dragon Kings. The evil gods began to struggle under the mounting pressure.
...
"Can someone tell me what started this war? What exactly are we fighting these foreign gods for? Three of our kind have already fallen. What are we fighting over?" A voice filled with anger echoed through the void. The speaker was questioning all the gathered evil gods. Even now, he hadn't figured out the true cause of this massive war, nor why they were locked in such a deadly struggle with gods from another realm.
Silence followed his question. No evil god dared to respond because, in truth, most of them didn't know what they were fighting for either. They had merely joined in after seeing their kin battle, and the war had spiraled out of control, growing larger and more chaotic without anyone knowing the real reason.
"It was Abhoth, the Lord of Corruption. He lured these monsters to us," came a voice, revealing the one responsible.
"Abhoth, explain to me why you're fighting these gods. What did you provoke them over? Is what they possess worth the loss of three of our kin?" the voice demanded.
"Great Lord of All Things," Abhoth stammered, feeling incredibly embarrassed. He couldn't recall ever competing for any treasure worthy of a battle that had drawn nearly a hundred epic beings into the fray.
"I don't know."
"You started this war, and you're telling me you don't know?"
"I wasn't competing with them over anything, Great Lord of All Things. Let me explain the entire process to you," Abhoth began, trying to save face.
"Speak!" the voice commanded.
"An eon ago, I sensed that one of my seeds of corruption had been discovered by a sentient race in another world. They began worshiping me, so I projected my power into their world and gradually grew stronger there until recently.
"One of the gods we're fighting discovered my seed of corruption and cleansed it. But after doing so, he wasn't satisfied. He followed the traces of my power directly to me and attacked.
"I tried to evade him, but he opened a portal and pursued me, intending to kill me on the spot."
"I see. This entire war was triggered because you extended your influence into the territory of gods similar to us, provoking them. Are you an idiot, Abhoth? You caused us to gain such powerful enemies over a small world?" the voice boomed angrily.
"I didn't sense any trace of these beings in the world I was corrupting. It wasn't their world."
"But it was in their claimed territory. No doubt about it, this war began because we invaded their domain, angering them."
"So, is there any point in continuing this war? I want to know what we're fighting for. Are we willing to see more of our kind fall for this?" A hoarse, raspy voice joined in. "I suggest we end this war."
"But, Great Lord of All Things, even if we want to stop now, those gods might not agree. It seems they've prepared for a prolonged battle. Do we have to admit defeat?" someone protested.
"This world cluster has already been drained of its resources. It's time for us to leave and find another world cluster. This is the perfect opportunity to make our exit," the raspy voice continued.
"But there are still worlds I haven't—"
"Silence. We will not continue this pointless war. Retreat!" the voice commanded.
...
And so, the void war, which had been triggered by a seemingly insignificant event, abruptly came to an end. It ended just as suddenly and silently as it had begun.
The epic Titans, Celestial Flames, and Dragon Kings, who had been preparing for a long and drawn-out battle, were shocked to discover that the evil gods had retreated. They abandoned their minions, and some even left parts of their own bodies behind, disappearing without a trace in a matter of moments.
"Did we win?" Muria asked in confusion. The sudden end to the battle left him bewildered. The fight had reached its peak, but the enemy had suddenly decided to retreat.
"Yes, the war is over. The evil gods retreated, so we've won."
"Those evil gods sure disappeared cleanly. I searched the entire world cluster and couldn't find any trace of them, only some low-level minions they left behind."
"They just gave up this entire world cluster? That's generous of them."
"There's nothing to celebrate. This world cluster has been ravaged by them. All the valuable worlds have been ruined. It will take who knows how long for them to recover. Those damned evil gods abandoned the worlds they destroyed. Now that they're gone, it's only a matter of time before they find another world cluster to ravage," a Celestial Flame muttered as he returned from patrolling the cluster. The devastation he had witnessed was heartbreaking. Despair, sorrow, and fear lingered over the worlds, all caused by the evil gods.
They had treated the world cluster as a playground, using the sentient beings of each world as their toys, manipulating them into committing horrific, unthinkable acts.
"Though they've been ravaged, many of these worlds still have value. After all, this is an entire world cluster, and the resources here are still plentiful. Let's start dividing it up. We've suffered heavy losses in this battle," a Dragon King said optimistically, smiling. He had prepared to endure significant losses in the war, but the unexpected retreat of the evil gods left a treasure trove of worlds for them to plunder. Naturally, he intended to recover his losses.
He had expended vast resources raising an army of minions, but after this intense battle, only a tenth of them remained. He desperately needed more resources to replenish his forces.
"Thank you both for your support. We've all suffered heavy losses, and this world cluster will provide the resources we need to recover. Let's divide it up," declared Lord Shiyu, the strongest of the epic Titans. He solemnly expressed his gratitude to the Celestial Flames and Dragon Kings, then voiced his agreement to the division of the cluster.
Upon hearing Shiyu's approval, many Celestial Flames and Dragon Kings breathed a sigh of relief. Without the Titans' consent, they couldn't freely take the cluster's resources. But with Shiyu's blessing, they had the green light to proceed.
...
"The epics are dividing up the spoils, distributing the resources of the world cluster. What a shame. I'm not strong enough to get a share. If I were, I could get rich overnight," said Golden Dragoness, standing beside Muria on the back of a Titan's minion that resembled a dragon-serpent, gazing enviously at the distant epics dividing the worlds among themselves.
"Ah, if only Grandpa were here. His strength might be a bit weak, but if he had fought in this battle, he could easily secure a few worlds and gain a huge boost in power! Such a missed opportunity," she lamented.
"If Grandpa came, how many times would he have died before receiving any worlds?" Muria muttered, feeling exasperated. He had witnessed even the strongest epic, Lord Shiyu, suffering injuries during the battle. If his newly advanced Dragon King grandfather, who had been an epic for less than a thousand years, had participated, it was hard to imagine what would have happened to him.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]