Haru stared at Amelie's Divine Aura and tried to reconcile it with what he knew.
When Selene had sent him Amelie's soul, he had sensed it himself. She was definitely an intermediate-stage Supreme Goddess, and not even a complete soul at that, a mere remnant.
He had spent a significant amount of resources purchasing three billion Soul Crystals from the Hyperspace Trading Channel to restore it before the Holy Grail could even begin its transformation.
A restored remnant soul, at the intermediate-stage Supreme God Tier. Now standing in front of him at the late-stage?
He stopped overthinking it and simply called her over.
…
The Demon Lord Dantean and his tens of thousands of 'Holy Demons' had gathered before Haru first, a striking sight. Features of a pure-blooded Dimensional Demon, ferocious enough to unsettle most races on the continent, but radiating pure holy and light element Divine Power.
Demon on the outside, sacred within. Haru had a name for them immediately: Holy Demons. And an assignment: the [Holy Demon Legion] was to be deployed against the Abyssal Army in the upcoming Divine War.
The irony of it pleased him. Dimensional Demons, transformed through the Holy Grail, now carrying Holy and Light Divine Power, the absolute opposite of their original nature, sent to fight the army they had once belonged to. He was genuinely curious what kind of sparks that collision would produce.
"43,700 Holy Demons." He noted, checking the count, "One Supreme God, forty-nine High Gods, the remainder were all Intermediate Gods. None were Lower True Gods."
A strong force, cleanly composed. Dantean knelt before him, and tens of thousands of demons knelt behind Dantean in unison. Their fanaticism was immediate and total. Haru was their God of Faith, their only master, with no trace of the Demon Emperor left in their loyalty structure.
The twelve Demon Monarchs were loyal to the Demon Emperor because he was overwhelmingly powerful and ruled the Abyss. Dantean's loyalty to Haru was different in kind: he was a believer. Even if Haru had been a mortal, his loyalty would have been the same.
This distinction ran through all the beings resurrected through the Angel Reincarnation Pool. The Empire's citizens—Sylvana, Elara, Ignisara (Flamey)—called Haru 'Your Majesty' and followed him as their sovereign.
The individuals reincarnated through the Holy Grail and the Angel Reincarnation Pool like Dantean and Amelie called him 'Lord Almighty'. They were not subjects. They were faithful, in the same sense that Angels were faithful. Their relationship to Haru was one of belief, not allegiance, and the two were not the same thing.
Dantean remembered everything. His previous existence as a pure-blooded demon, his ascension to becoming a Demon Lord on Arboriel by devouring the power of Arboriel's Laws, his loyalty to the Demon Emperor, even the moment Haru killed him, but none of it had produced resentment.
In Dantean's understanding, the killing had been redemption. Haru cut away the roots of the Abyss and gave him new life. He had been rescued from the quagmire.
"You are the commander of the Holy Demon Legion." Haru said, "Don't disappoint me in the upcoming Divine War."
"I swear allegiance to the Lord."
"Before the 'battle of planets' begins, stay in the Imperial Capital and don't leave. The twelve Demon Monarchs are watching from the Blood Moon. I don't want your existence known yet."
Dantean withdrew with his legion, dispersing through the Noble Courtyards of the capital's core area. Thousands of sq. kilometers of city was more than enough space for them. And the barrier personally set up by Celestia covered the entire capital. Even the Demon Monarchs' Divine Senses couldn't penetrate it. As long as the Holy Demon Legion stayed inside, they were invisible to the outside world.
…
After the legion withdrew, only Amelie remained. She stood in the air, her sky-blue dress, the light coming off her making everything nearby look slightly dim by comparison. For a Supreme Goddess to produce that effect on other Supreme Gods in the vicinity was notable.
"Lord Almighty." She said, bowing her head.
Her memory was also intact. She remembered everything. It didn't conflict with her faith in Haru, on the contrary, she had been resurrected and reborn through his power. She was no longer a part of the Nature Pantheon. She belonged to the Great Aetherium now.
Haru asked the question directly, "When Elunara sent your soul, it was at the intermediate-stage of the Supreme God Tier, and a remnant at that. After resurrection, you're at the late-stage. What happened?"
Amelie's answer was straightforward.
_____________
Cliffhanger!
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