Chapter 588: The All Gods Summit Begins
(Present Day, 3 months after the execution of the Twelfth Elder, somewhere in space)
Today was an important day in the history of the universe, for today was the day the once in a century All Gods Summit took place inside the Ancient Gods Pavilion.
Today, every Righteous Faction God flew from all over the universe to gather at the floating asteroid that housed the Ancient Pavilion, the designated spot for their rare and sacred meeting.
The Pavilion itself drifted across the stars without tether or trajectory, its origin long forgotten, its destination never questioned, as the divine laws that governed its movement remained known only to the Eternal Sovereign who claimed its head seat.
Shaped like an open lotus carved from cosmic stone, the structure appeared deceptively fragile from afar, yet radiated a pressure that made even Monarch Tier Beasts avoid its presence in instinctive fear.
Inside the Pavilion’s grand chamber, ten thrones were arranged around a glimmering circular table of star-crystal, each one carved for a god, each humming faintly with its occupant’s essence.
And today, just like always, nine of those ten seats were occupied by the Righteous Faction Gods, while the one saved for Soron remained empty.
At the head of the circle sat Kaelith, the Eternal Sovereign, his presence domineering and impossible to ignore, as he sat with his eyes half-open.
Cloaked in robes spun from folded light and woven mana, Kaelith looked neither old nor young, neither mortal nor divine, as he seemed to simply be, like all eternal things tended to be..... Timeless.
To his right slouched Mauriss the Deceiver, bare-chested and relaxed, with skin smooth as ice and black hair that defied gravity, swaying ever so slightly with each breath he drew.
His lips remained curled in a permanent smirk, the kind that suggested he already knew how this summit would end, and found it amusing in a way that the rest did not.
While to Kaelith’s left, sat Helmuth the Berserker, arms crossed and jaw clenched, wrapped in blood-soaked furs and silent fury, as if it took everything in him not to slam his fists into the table just to shatter the calm.
The remaining six seats belonged to the gods of the great clans, the cornerstone families of the Righteous Faction whose roots stretched back to the beginning of the Beast Gods Era.
Su Ren, god of the Su Family, sat with his chin raised and his gaze half-lowered, as he mimicked the expression on Kaelith’s face.
Beside him was Mu Shen, divine patriarch of the Mu Clan, who sat looking extremely nervous, as he hardly remained still and constantly kept checking the room for hidden traps.
Then came Du Trask, sprawled out and smirking with thinly veiled contempt, his fingers drumming against the table as if feeling impatient at how long this meeting was taking to start.
Lu Han sat next, arms folded within his jade-sleeved robes, his divine pressure entirely concealed, though the room instinctively treated him as the most dangerous.
The final two were Ru Vassa, whose every blink dripped seduction like poison, and Yu Kiro, sharp-eyed and silent, his divine core pulsing faintly with restrained wrath.
They sat not as allies, but as predators in a cage, watching each other for cracks, betrayals, or openings, while the empty chair between them pulsed faintly, as though it too was listening, even if from afar.
*Dong* *Dong*
The clock struck twelve and the official time for the meeting to start began, as Kaelith let out a deep sigh and glanced towards the empty seat.
"For the 22nd time in history, Soron has chosen not to show up to the annual All Gods Summit.
So unfortunately, even this year, we cannot betray and kill him yet." Kaelith began, as Mauriss snickered wildly at his joke.
"Hahaha.... Good one!" Mauriss complimented, as he lightly tapped Kaelith on his shoulders.
"As discussed in the second ever All Gods Summit meeting, the proposed Timeline for the Six Great Clans to be subservient to the Universal Government for an initial period of 2000 years has now expired.
Opening us up for a re-negotiation of terms.
That’s the main agenda of this year’s meeting, along with a few minor points for later.
So unless someone has an objection, let’s begin this century’s meeting with your re-negotiation demands," Kaelith proposed, as he silently looked around the chamber into the eyes of the members of the six great clans, who already seemed to be determined on staging a revolt.
A long silence followed his words, not because no one had anything to say, but because everyone was waiting for someone else to say it first.
Ru Vassa adjusted the golden cuff on her wrist while casting a sly glance at Yu Kiro, who remained as unmoving as a statue, though the subtle tremor in the star-crystal beneath his fingers betrayed his restraint.
Du Trask cracked his neck, clearly bored by the theatrics, while Su Ren closed his eyes again, as if he’d already foreseen every possible outcome of this summit and found none of them worthy of concern.
Kaelith didn’t blink.
He simply sat there, unmoving, allowing the silence to stretch further, until it no longer felt like waiting, but like unbearable pressure or tangible weight.
And that was when Mu Shen spoke.
His voice came out softer than expected, laced with caution, yet each word carried the weight of a decision that had been simmering for far too long, like a truth rehearsed in silence over and over again.
"Lord Kaelith..." he began, glancing sideways at Du Trask and Lu Han, as if seeking silent confirmation that he wasn’t alone in his rebellion. "With all due respect, what if we don’t want to continue being a part of the Righteous Alliance anymore?"
He hesitated only a second, long enough for Helmuth to lift his gaze and Mauriss’s smirk to widen.
"What if we want to be independent now?" Mu Shen asked, as the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned heavy.