Chapter 1063: God's Move.
In the vast celestial ocean, a floating island suspended between clouds and ethereal glows housed a Divine Temple. The temple, made of gleaming white marble, seemed to radiate a soft light, reflecting the purity and serenity of the place.
The majestic columns supported a vaulted ceiling, where intricate carvings of angelic figures and sacred symbols intertwined, telling stories of ages past. The floor, polished and immaculate, shone as if each tile were a work of art, reflecting the golden rays of the heavenly sun.
In the vast halls of the temple, the air was filled with a reverent calm, while light breezes carried the subtle scent of Divine Flowers that adorned every corner. The stained glass windows, framed by elegant arches, projected multicolored lights, creating a spectacle of colors that danced gently across the white walls.
In the center, an imposing altar made of pure crystal radiated a Divine Aura, emanating a sense of peace and sanctity. Behind the altar, a crystal-clear fountain gushed clear, luminous water, whose melody echoed like a celestial song as it fell, harmonizing with the surroundings.
This sacred temple belonged to the Goddess Kali, the Deity of Destruction. In a special corner of the temple, said Goddess was floating 30 cm above the ground while maintaining a meditation pose with her eyes closed.
As she felt someone approaching her resting place, Kali did not lose her composure, waiting for the individual to come close to her.
"...You have become immensely stronger than before," Shiva exclaimed in shock. He wasn't one to put grand adjectives in his words, but such words proved necessary given Kali's evolution.
The woman he was seeing was nothing like her past self. The difference might seem small to the untrained eye, but he, as one who also harbored the Concept of Destruction, could see it very well. The only reason Kali hadn't become a 'Primordial' Being was simply because she did not want to.
The Power was there, but she did not advance... Which led to the most important question. Why did she not advance? Shiva was curious to know the answer, but the words Kali spoke in that brief silence prevented him from asking that question.
"Don't you think you are rushing into things?"
"... About what?"
"Don't play that game with me, Shiva."
"No, no, I really don't understand what you are talking about," Shiva spoke honestly.
Kali opened her crimson eyes filled with the Power of Destruction and looked at the God in front of her. Seeing no deception on the God's face, she began to speak: "I am talking about your movement towards the Emperor."
"Oh... That." Shiva now understood what she was talking about, and then he waved his hand dismissively: "It was necessary."
"You just consolidated your power, isn't that risky?"
While Victor was doing his thing, the world around him hadn't stood still. Seeing the direction things were taking, Shiva decided to 'officially' take the reins of his Pantheon. What he did could not be considered a usurpation of Power. After all, Shiva's influence had always been present throughout the Pantheon. He had always had supporters, and only now had he decided to 'move'.
And when a titan moves, all the others get out of his way... And that's what happened to Indra. He got out of Shiva's way so as not to be swallowed up by his action. He 'officially' and of his own 'will' abandoned his position so that a more 'experienced' God could take his place in these times of change.
As the saying goes, It takes few words for a wise man to understand another wise man.
Although the Gods were mostly arrogant and blind to their own arrogance, they were not stupid, especially when it came to events within their own Pantheon. Indra was expelled from his position, that's what happened. No matter how many flowery words Indra tried to use to explain what happened, that was the honest truth.
You know what the best part is? The change of Power was quick, efficient, and without a fuss. Currently, only the upper echelons of the Pantheon knew that Indra no longer had Power, a power play so that the 'spies' wouldn't know what was going on.
'Well, that won't work with The Emperor.' Kali thought. From what she observed, he had always been very attentive to her actions, so she didn't doubt that someone was observing this interaction right now.
Even when she used all her senses and found nothing, she knew that she was being observed. Call it instinct. After all, she had no proof of whether she was being observed or not.
But Kali had seen so much absurdity in the time she'd spent with Victor that she seriously began to doubt her capabilities. Yes, the people around Victor were competent, but Kali was not weak. Her Divine Observation only lost to Victor now, thanks to the training she had received. If she wanted to take the 'next step', this Divine Observation would be on par with the Primordials.
Therefore, even Nyx herself could not approach Kali carelessly... Of course, such a rule did not apply to the other Gods, so even if Nyx was not observing Kali and Shiva right now, she would know what was happening in the Pantheon in general. This was mainly due to the fact that Shiva didn't have as high a perception as Kali.
The rules of the world were clear. The more Divine Authority you had in a Concept that was high in the hierarchy of Divinities, the more you could see the world as it really was.
"Kali, I didn't just consolidate my power..." Shiva explained solemnly. "My Power has been there since the beginning. I never lost my position. I just let someone else handle all the nonsense of being the Leader of a Pantheon for me."
"... I see." Kali closed her eyes and went back to meditating. "Explanations don't matter. My question still remains the same."
"Don't you think you're jumping the gun?"
"And I ask again, what are you talking about?" Shiva asked, but this time, a small smile appeared on his face.
Kali's brow twitched slightly as the Power of her Destruction increased several degrees in danger.
Shiva raised both hands in a universal sign of surrender. Even though her eyes were closed, Shiva knew she would 'see' his gesture.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Shiva said quickly as a cold sweat fell on his neck.
'She really has become even more dangerous... Which is good for us, but not at the same time.' Shiva wasn't stupid. The fact that Kali had become so strong in such a short time with The Emperor proved how 'competent' he was.
It was basically a message saying: "If I managed to make Kali, a Goddess at the height of her power, even stronger than she was previously, what can't I do with the other Beings that are with me?"
Another problem Shiva could see was Kali's confidentiality. After all, Victor had helped her a lot, so maybe her loyalty had changed?
Knowing Kali, Shiva could say that this would never happen; she loved her home. But he was sure that there was a crack in this impeccable trust.
The Emperor's charm was known to all. After all, even he was not completely immune to it. Despite believing that The Emperor would not stoop low enough to use his charm like a weak Goddess of Beauty, he still remained cautious.
Being cautious was never enough when dealing with such powerful Beings.
Shiva had been playing this power game since the Beginning of Creation. He knew very well how power games of any kind worked. Because of that, he decided to take the initiative now. The way Kali gained Power was alarming even to him.
"To answer your question. No, I don't think I'm rushing in."
"..." Kali remained silent, waiting for Shiva to finish speaking.
Understanding Kali's silence, Shiva continued. "Initially, I planned to wait and see more of The Emperor's actions and focus on revitalizing the lands we purchased." He narrowed his eyes slightly when he thought of those lands he had purchased from Hela. Controlling his temper, he added,
"But your presence changed my mind." The moment Shiva felt how powerful Kali had become, he immediately began to move.
Kali was just the trigger that made him move. Shiva was already observing the actions of Victor's group, the way they gathered more followers and the way they were 'slowly' spreading their influence to the territories where other Gods were present.
They basically invaded the Celts legally, and the so-called Gods couldn't do anything because one of them 'offended' The Emperor, so his group had every justification to be in that place.
Not only that, but the way his group appeared in his Pantheon and all of The Emperor's actions indicated a simple fact: He didn't care about the authority of the current Pantheons. He was confident enough to fight with everyone and come out victorious.
Shiva believed that if such a scenario was possible, who would know what that monster was hiding inside his Pantheon?
Even Kali herself couldn't say anything because of the extremely binding Contract she'd been forced into. He really would like to know more information about The Emperor as working with a lack of information with such an overwhelming opponent… frankly, it was scary.
"Therefore, I decided to move and spoke with The Emperor's representatives."
"Is an alliance your answer?" Kali asked.
"An alliance is the only answer," Shiva spoke solemnly. He didn't like this, but decisions needed to be made, and a war must not happen at any cost.
"This aquarium has become too small for a Being like The Emperor. Earth will be The Empire's whether we like it or not." The Emperor already had the favor of Earth's World Tree because of his actions in cleansing the planet.
"We must simply minimize the costs of his rise and become part of the wave he will cause in the future."
Kali remained silent, and as well as the two friends knew each other, Shiva knew that Kali agreed with him, and this silence was the final nail that hammered his decision. If not even Kali wanted to fight against Victor, that already said a lot about the Power of man.
"You have nothing to offer in an alliance with The Emperor," Kali said.
"Wrong," Shiva spoke. "Unlike the weaker Pantheons... Here we have the 'Power'." Shiva's eyes glowed slightly with the Power of Destruction.
"Two top-tier Gods of Destruction, hundreds of top-tier Warriors God, we have an army, and that will be necessary in the future."
Kali wanted so badly to open her mouth at that moment and say the words, 'That won't be enough.'
Military Power? Victor already had it and could make more easily. He was a God of Beginnings and Creation!
Political Power? Victor already had it in abundance.
Influence? Shiva's own actions were based on The Emperor's actions. That fact alone proved his influence.
The Dragon's Nest already held all the cards in hand, and they could offer The Emperor nothing but one thing.
Loyalty.
…But would Shiva swear loyalty to The Emperor? Kali couldn't say if that future was possible or not. After all, Shiva was one of the oldest Gods, and one of the proudest, even if he didn't show that proud side sometimes.
He wouldn't submit.
'Funny... The oldest God of Creation submitted himself and dared to make a political marriage alliance using his daughter. Consequently, even without saying the words explicitly, he swore loyalty to The Emperor.' Kali thought.
'Meanwhile, the oldest God of Destruction is not able to do that.'
Kali just hoped that Shiva's actions would not backfire. Even though she knew that she would be no match against the entire strength of The Emperor's Pantheon, she would still fight with all her strength. Even though she liked Victor and felt grateful for him having helped her... Kali's loyalty lay with her own house.
.....
Edited By: DaV0 2138, IsUnavailable
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