Chapter 2353: The First Day of Peace

Amaterasu had dealt the abominations a fatal blow, and most of their forces retreated away from the universe’s crust, finally allowing the gods a moment of respite. But still, as per Yog’s advice, no one dropped their guard. She made it clear that even if everyone thinks of Nyar as a lesser to AO, in war, it was better to think of them as equal, unless they want to get brutalized.

Kali sat on her golden throne and looked at the endless golden hall of her heaven where thousands of angels were finally back home. Most of them were just that, angels, as the stronger Archons weren’t allowed to come back just yet, simply to make sure that most of the abominations were eliminated.

Her eyes shifted as she looked to her side, where Diana stood. "Apparently, Amaterasu got the Eyes of the Lord, and that’s what allowed her to find Nyar’s universe and crush it." Diana looked back at Kali.

"I know." Kali replied, and Diana sighed. "How... did she get those eyes? You don’t just get such a powerful blessing from AO out of nowhere. Where is he?" Diana walked forward. "Just one gift and the entire war shifted. I find it hard to believe this is how it’ll end." She took another step forward and disappeared into golden mist.

A second later, Mathilde appeared in front of Kali. "The frontline ranks have been reformed. Everything is going well." She approached Kali. "But many want to know where AO was."

Kali leaned on her first. "Where is AO... he is fast asleep, and we can’t wake him up." For the past day, Arad had been quite silent, not having made a single contact with the outside world. He didn’t show up in anyone’s dreams, didn’t control any vampire, and didn’t create any avatars. He was just asleep like a baby.

But Kali could see through the black hole and notice what was going on. The fabric of space and time right beneath the black hole’s event horizon had been torn apart, separating Arad from reality completely. To him, thousands of years could’ve passed, meaning he was on the last stretch of his evolution.

Mathilde giggled. "Of course. It gives us time to clean and fix things before he comes back." She looked behind her, made sure no angel was nearby, and approached Kali. "So, who will come out now? Arad, or AO."

Kali stood. "Arad will be the one to come out. They are one and the same." She walked past her and patted her on the shoulder. "AO is timeless; he knew at the dawn of time that he would have to die. That’s why he shattered his own power into countless pieces and spread them across the universe. That way, his people won’t be left defenseless in his absence."

Mathilde looked back at her. "Those shards are the primordial concepts?"

"Not only them. Shards of his power, body parts, creations, and even will." Kali lifted one of her arms and formed a burning golden orb of destruction. "I’m one of them, Destruction. Creation is one, and there are many more concepts. But... there are more. His arms, legs, heart, eyes, will, and even creations like Amaterasu, Adam, Yggdrasil, and many more."

She extended her hand toward Mathilde. "I want you to go out and hunt down Creation’s shattered pieces. I want her whole before Arad wakes up, because he might need her power, and I don’t want him to go out and waste his time searching."

Mathilde expanded her wings, took Kali’s spark, and smiled. "Fine, I’ll track them all and bring them here." She started floating, and her wings burned with divine light. "It shall be done." As she disappeared, Kali disappeared a second later as well. She had to head back to the Private Quarter to check on the rest of Arad’s wives.

****

"Oo’h, great Queen Mira..." An old and shriveled dwarf prayed inside the heart of a desolate mountain, all alone, surrounded by the boiling molten steel of the abandoned dwarven empire. "The flames roar!"

Back in the Private Quarter, Mira walked across the hallway, having just returned from her workshop. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, yet flickering with divine magic. It seemed that a part of her power was leaking out, but that was a good thing. She might be a demigoddess of greed, but that greed is fueled by creation and craftsmanship. She had become a divine of carpenters, of blacksmiths, and everyone who takes on a craft.

That’s how her power was now leaking to those people, and especially to dwarves who sought wealth from their craft and not just the love of creation.

Behind her, Camilla approached. "My Lady, the bath is ready." She spoke, and Mira looked back at her. In the golden eyes of her guard, she could see the spark of divinity and lycanthropy. She is a paladin worshiping her, but also a werewolf who was turned by Arad himself, now almost becoming an avatar of the Beast God in flesh.

"Poppy still sleeps. How are you doing?" Mira asked, and Camilla nodded. "I’m doing fine. Both your divine magic and the Beast God’s divine magic are flowing into me naturally. His Majesty is the one supplying the latter."

Camilla looked at her hand, seeing her long golden claws, and smiled. "Every hour, I can feel his power growing, like a stream that is getting stronger and stronger." She looked at Mira’s face. "When he wakes up, he’ll be far more powerful than he was before."

She looked toward the window and could see the sun burning in the blue sky. They just got the news about Amaterasu shattering the abominations, and everyone was quite happy that the war came to an end, even if just for a short time. "The bath should be ready; let’s go." Mira walked, and Camilla chased her, throwing one last look at the sun above.

****

Lying on her bed, Amaterasu sighed. Her eyes were covered with golden bandages, and more than a hundred angels stood guard in her room as she rested, yet her power never got a moment of respite. She had to fuel the retreat of the divine army, try to recover the energy she used up shattering Nyar’s universe.

But it was better, much better. Even with her eyes closed, the Eyes of the Lord were still active, greatly enchanting all of her senses, and she was even seeing better with her eyes closed than she did before with them open.

Thanks to that, she could easily see it, and she couldn’t be happier. Her stars, all billions of them, were swimming across the lightless void of the universe, being the only source of light. But now, that darkness wasn’t cold anymore. She could feel it. It was as if she was sitting on the lap of her father, being engulfed by his power.

Arad might be asleep, but his power is growing rapidly, and now, his dominion over dark matter was the one getting stronger. He was already holding the stars in place, expanding the universe and making it bigger, as well as keeping track of all void dragons across the universe.