TREE OF AEONS 5

This was a very, very slow recovery, and PatreeckÆs quick calculations suggested it would still take fifteen decades for the mana to fully recover to TreehomeÆs level. Of course, this was a straight - line increase, not an exponential recovery, and it was possible that the recovery of Parasiteworld worked exponentially.

With everyone back in their respective homes, I focused on retaking the entirety of Parasiteworld from the demons.

Stella woke up about half a day later on Parasiteworld. She rested and underwent treatment in a healing pod. I didnÆt want to move her, not until I had a bit more certainty on the damage she experienced.

As my avatar, I always had direct insight into LumoofÆs health, so I knew exactly how he was. With everyone else, I needed to do more checking and tests.

Stella smiled when she woke up, and I immediately felt it. The density of void mana around her began to swell, and her condition suddenly improved, as if something just clicked.

The void mage had finally gained her domain.

The domain of Void .

With both the core and her ascension, the great plan could now take another leap forward.

26

YEAR 216

- Void Explorer . - At that moment, I felt Stella do something. I waited for it to happen and then. detected nothing.

- What happened? -

- A single split body of mine is in the void forest, and itÆs traveling there. With this, I can go and see a lot further than just relying on our astral sight. Best part, I can establish a void portal to anywhere my void explorer is. But only one world at a time. -

Oh. I couldnÆt see it. - Is it similar to what Snek did? -

- A bit. But he couldnÆt travel very far. IÆve got so such restriction, and I donÆt need to kill myself to do it. -

- But using void portals does mean that heroes canÆt travel to whatever you find. -

- Yes, but you can, and as long as your seed gets through, it also means the heroes can. -

- This also seems like a duplication of your efforts with the rift gates language. -

- Well, in a way, yes and no. We hoped to learn the rift gates language to enable us to travel to faraway worlds, but itÆs like randomly dialing numbers without knowing what the numbers are. With this, I could actually arrive at a world and figure out what the number is to call through my void explorer, since I know its location in the void forest. Of course, I need to get the number and lock the number while itÆs there before I move on, because the numbers change as the void forest moves. -

I frankly struggled to understand this concept. The very fact that we locked the number even as it wobbled. But if we never locked on to the worldÆs number, that number kept changing.

Stella called it like a slot machine or a SchrodingerÆs cat, because a worldÆs calling number was not fixed until it was observed and locked in a rift gate. Perhaps the very act of locking it in a rift gates released a signal to the void sea or void forest that identified that world as this particular number as linked to it.

Outside of complicated void magic logic, which I still struggle to understand, Stella was now a member of the pantheon, and that meant she could now venture out into the other worlds with an insurance policy.

ItÆd still hurt as hell, and I was not sure if there were side effects, but we would try not to find out. Nothing so powerful didnÆt have side effects.

- What else? Any particular benefits from gaining your domain? -

She shrugged. - It took forever, but frankly, I feel a lot stronger, and my mana pool feels like it just tripled. Not just that, it even feels like my void manaÆs a little bit more dense and stronger. Most importantly, IÆve got a far better view of the void forest, and that, I think, will be the most helpful ability. -

- I see. -

- But now, we can move on to the next phase. - I briefed Stella on the full details on what my goal was and whether she was willing to assist me on it. She said she wouldnÆt take the battle itself, but she would be more than happy to play the role of the logistics and transportation person. - And can we do something about all these things attempting to read my mind? WhyÆs my domain constantly blocking attempted interference? -

Edna chuckled when she heard it. - It comes with the level. Now you know how many things are constantly attempting to read your mind. -

- Shit, - Stella cursed. - But where are they from, and how do they do it from this far away? -

Edna just shook her head and then walked to the wooden window overlooking the entirety of Branchhold. - Well, whatÆs next? -

- WhatÆs next is we figure out what to do with the next demon king while helping Parasiteworld get back to its feet. -

Our victory on Parasiteworld was unknown to the general public; it was an invasion known only to the senior leaders of the Valtorn Order and the select group of people around the heroes.

For now, no one was clamoring for anything, but now that I pretty much had an entire world to repopulate, it was something I needed to think about more seriously.

- What do you guys think about a planetary migration program to Parasiteworld? - I asked them. Parasiteworld had no native population to immigrate and build a city. IÆd need to invite a pioneer generation to move to the world and live there.

The first group I approached were naturally the Canari and many other similar, less populated groups.

- A/ has gained access to an unpopulated world, and it is my honor to extend an invitation to the Canari to make a move to this world. -

- ItÆs unpopulated? Does that mean A/ is giving us the entire world? - My diplomat flinched at the sheer greed of the Canari princeÆs statement. The Canari had lived on Treehome for two decades now, and there was a group of lost generation, those born on Treehome, but who found themselves with an identity crisis.

- No. You do need to negotiate which parcel of land you want from the senior Valthorns. The allocation of land currently sits with Patriarch Lumoof. The Canari is just one of the first groups invited for this move. He hoped that this new world would be a permanent home for the Canari. -

- If weÆre sharing, we are not interested? -

One of the other Canari leaders quickly interrupted the prince. - Let us take this back and discuss. -

For the Canari that lived as the sole race on what was Cometworld, a life of coexistence with the other races was a huge, huge problem. The fact that they hadnÆt waged any large wars was merely because they were extremely intimidated by the sheer power we had. They didnÆt have any single person who could match any of my level one hundred fighters, what more my domain holders.

In a world where the Valthorns did not exist, they wouldÆve fought wars for dominance with the others.

The new generation was slightly better, but even the new generation had two groups: one group that was fine with coexistence, because that was all theyÆd known, and another group that wanted to somehow reclaim that supremacy, either by figuring out how to travel to other worlds or gain power and annihilate the rest.

Some attempted to summon their own heroes, hoping to have something equal to the heroes of Treehome. It didnÆt work, of course, because they didnÆt have access to divine power, nor did they understand what created the heroes. I didnÆt even understand it, despite all the research IÆd done.

It really made me wonder whether the process of creating heroes wasnÆt actually something the gods had control at all but instead was a system - process, meaning it was a function already built within the system, which the gods then tapped and made tweaks. It certainly explained why there were other administrators like Mozart. If so, I may be able to gain access to that process someday.

Anyway, I generally tolerated the Canari. After all, after centuries of thinking they were the sole sentient race and then losing their world, theyÆd been to a lot of pain and loss that their society still needed time to cope with.

Their loss of societal power and prominence also significantly damaged their pride and psyche. Their rulers used to control everything in their world; now they had to obey my Valthorn and find that what was left of their society was left at anotherÆs mercy.

Perhaps this anger and this desire to return to how it was was a societal coping mechanism.

IÆd seen this generation gap emerge between those who moved from Cometworld and the new generation who struggled to understand that line of thinking or those who took that thinking to the extreme.

Best I could do was encourage the individuals that accepted it, help them integrate to this new world order, and have my army of artificial minds consistently watch their every move for any potential activities.

WeÆd recruited some of the Canari as members of the Valtorn Order, but because of their relative youth with us, even their strongest was only about level eighty to eighty - five. IÆd also yet to grant any single Canari member one of my soul - strengthening seeds to exceed their limits.

The Canari had fairly strong pack instincts, a bit like werewolves, and as such, IÆd found that it was difficult for me to deploy a Canari against one of their own, as their own internal bonds were stronger than their loyalty to me.

Eventually, though, I believed there would be a lone - wolf Canari that I could ensnare into the Valtorn Order.

Or, at least, establish a Canari group that was wholly part of Valtorn structure such that their loyalty and pack instincts were with us.

A world, freed? Lilies asked as the statement sank in. I shared the images of the battle, and I was rewarded with complete silence for two days.

I knew it was thinking and internally debating it. I could sense the ripples of something through the shared roots. It wasnÆt the first time Lilies responded to me in this manner; back when I successfully invaded the core and attacked the demon king, it had pretty much the same reaction.

Two days later, Lilies asked a question of utmost uncertainty, which was unlike them. A set of events they have not encountered. Will they retaliate?

Maybe. I have my void mages watching the stars for it. I believe they must have noticed it. My void mages claimed it emitted a warning of some kind.

This is a dangerous path, and we know not of what powers the demons truly have beyond the demon king.

Indeed, but we will figure it out. On happier things, my void mage, Stella, has gained a domain. I must thank you for introducing her to the zaratans.

A lifetime of suffering and more, all for the powers of the system.

I naturally found that statement hilarious. All life is filled with suffering.

And that is true. One can only choose the type of suffering. YouÆve selected the path of suffering a lifetime of struggle against the demons.

It is the way of the tree, to fight those who seek to snuff life out and convert entire living worlds into destruction factories. It is our suffering that enables others to have the fortune to suffer their lives. I wasnÆt that conceited to think I was a god or something. But surely, a world full of life was better than a world with none. From my point of view, this was not debatable, because life was better.

Stella attempted to use the replica of the demon king core once more and accessed that map within it. This time, protected by her own domain, she investigated and channeled her enhanced powers through the demon kingÆs core.

She pushed, and I felt that round object glow, and then, in a sudden burst, I felt something crack from within the core, and then the core shattered into many small fragments.

- The core is clearly linked to some kind of void - net, - Stella said, and then she smiled. - I didnÆt manage to push as far as I liked, but I have some good news. But let me try it again and confirm my findings. -

She attempted to use another replica, but instead, she found the core unable to be used. Nothing was wrong with the core, but whatever it was linked to had managed to block the core from accessing it.

- Ah darn. Oh well, let me announce it anyway. -

The domain holders and heroes gathered, and Stella made the horrible, horrible announcement.

- IÆve managed to decrypt some of the demon kingÆs core, and I have three main things to say. -

Roon leaned forward. - Oh, this gonna be good. -

- One: the demons have some kind of control node or command center. Each demon king is linked, through a certain particular frequency on the void - forest, to these command centers. It was through this particular frequency that the demonÆs coordinated their attacks and also asked for help. It matched with the frequency used by the demon mother when it summoned that core. The void mages will start work and construct a sufficiently large daemolite artifact to replicate this effect and start jamming this coordination process. ItÆs likely that the crystal artifact will get attacked. -

- So we need to play defense? -

- Yes. - Ginseng tree on a far greater scale. I thought life seemed to love fractals, and it was just the same things scaled up.

- Or we could keep it as a reserve weapon until we have a wider array of tools to deploy. IÆm personally of the view that we donÆt want to alert the demons too much. WeÆre uncertain of their intellectual ability and what sort of retaliation if they start viewing us as a threat. - They would start paying attention to us, and the longer we could pull the wool over their eyes, the stronger we could be.

- That, too. - Stella nodded. - Secondly, the bad news. The demons have a set of core suns. These are the black suns we saw, and I saw at least five or six of them, each located in a different segment of space. These things, from what I briefly saw through the core, provide the fuel and the demonic mana, and also thereÆs a black blob that gives the intelligence behind the core. If the endgame is to defeat the demons permanently, we will need to take out these suns somehow. So unfortunately, thereÆs no real single target at the center of it all, unless that black blob happens to be the core of it all. -

I suddenly realized that maybe it was a variant of my own clone ability. Were the demons, at their heart, created by some kind of demon-life type of god?

Or should I treat the term - slavers - literally, that there was a parasitic virus that sought to assimilate all races into its fold, enslaving those that resisted?

- The third item is that I should be able to locate SnekÆs home world within the next ten to fifteen years and establish a connection to that world. The question, therefore, is SnekÆs world important enough for us to do so? I ask this, because my void explorerÆs ability to survey worlds is quite limited. -

- WeÆre constrained by A/ Æs clone, - Edna responded.

Ken immediately interjected and supported SnekÆs case. - Yes. SnekÆs world is valuable. His world has demonic dragons, and their people are familiar with blood magic and spiritual magic to an incredible degree. SnekÆs own abilities are good, but thereÆs more of that on their home world. Saving it or rescuing whoever is left is an overall increase in combat power. -

- You do realise we need to agree, too, right? - Chung added in a rare rebuke of KenÆs position.

Ken glared at his friend but quickly saved it. - Yes, I am aware, but at the very least, we could arrange an escape for those still living on that world if a full invasion canÆt be done. WeÆve seen what the demons do when their worlds get invaded. -

There was an uncomfortable silence, but then Prabu cut in. - What if we use StellaÆs void explorer to look for more worlds, more living worlds specifically? There should be their own heroes, and with that, we could grow the League of Heroes. ItÆll make it a lot easier to defeat any demonic scourge with a bigger League of Heroes. -

- That, too, - Stella said. - ThereÆs two real directions at the moment: I either send my void explorer toward the demonic core and find whatÆs there, or we go the other direction where SnekÆs world is and see what else we can find along the way. From what I can see, my void explorer takes a really long time to get anywhere, because the space between worlds is so freaking large, and there are some other strange creatures in the void that I would like to avoid. -

- There are things in the void forest? -

- Things quite difficult to describe. If youÆre familiar with the wilder, cosmic horror stuff. yeah. They are there, and well, what we do is we avoid them. -

- Can they fight demons? -

Stella just shrugged. IÆd like to be in the void forest. I believed it to be the way forward, and if needed, IÆd like to meet these creatures.

- Should we vote on the last one? - Stella asked, and Lumoof nodded.

Edna shrugged. - A League of Heroes would definitely buy us time, I guess, and we should save whatÆs left of SnekÆs world. For. -

Eventually the majority voted - for, - except for Chung, Roon, and Johann. It was cute that it was the three archer - heroes and domain holders that voted against. They were focused on their targets.

ItÆd been one year since weÆd liberated Parasiteworld, and the worldÆs energy level continued to increase. We spotted the appearance of more natural monsters and animals, including more variants of regular animals such as cats and dogs. Even the vegetation seemed to have started to sprout.

From the core, which now glowed, we noticed the holes in the core started to fill in. It would take some time, but eventually, I believed the world would recover.

For now, that consciousness from within the core remained dormant.

IÆd thought of taking the core before, but I didnÆt want to be like the demons. I also wanted to see if I could cooperate with it.

27

YEAR 217

- ItÆs emerging! - One of the treefolks lords could not control his excitement as a treefolk grew out of its little shell from the specially fertilized ground. From the ground, a charcoal - colored treefolk emerged with a natural magical presence.

The treefolk was small, the size of a small pot, but the fact that it survived was great. The Valthorn researchers watched in admiration and then got their gear. - ItÆs amazing. -

A void mage made the first contact as he approached the young baby treefolk. It yawned and stretched its super tiny dark - wooden limbs. The treefolk lord immediately reminded him to be super gentle. It looked so frail, so tiny like just a finger could easily snap the twig.

They touched him with the most gentle of touches, and it looked, its eyes hazy and blurry. Then it followed.

The baby treefolk could walk from birth, but it was uncertain and wobbly. The void mage nodded to the treefolk lord. - I think itÆs safe. -

The treefolk lord immediately approached and extended a finger to the youngling. Decades of experimentation with life led to the birth of the first void - sensitive treefolk. The goal, eventually, was to engineer a void mage stronger than Stella, so this first young void - treefolk would not be the strongest, because we would get better at it.

But the fact that we could made me really happy. IÆd mostly devoted the application of my evolutionary powers to the races that I found most malleable, like treefolks, lizardfolks, and to some extent the humans. Elves, Centaurs, dwarves, and Canari were a little more difficult to work with on an evolutionary standpoint, mainly because their life cycles were naturally much longer, so it had an impact on the experimentation cycle of birth - growth - maturity - death.

The treefolks were also naturally long lived, but they could easily crossbreed, a hereditary feature of their plant origins, which made them my researchers first choice to attempt an infusion of magical powers and create super mages.

In fact, I sometimes wondered why treefolks were not more common throughout the multiverse, given how adaptable and malleable they were magi - genetically.

My researchers were delighted, of course, and many would want to plan more detailed variants, like water elementûfocused treefolks or specific skillset types.

Along this, we continued our efforts to train more specific class types as part of our effort to counter the demons, in particular the physical combatant such as wrestlers and other barbarian class types, and even had a very good mix of racial talents, from Centaurs, dwarves, lizardfolks, and treefolks, too.

We had relatively good success; weÆd gotten some of the barbarian or brawler type candidates up to level seventy - five to eighty, but itÆd take a decade or two before we started to see the first level one hundred fortiers that we would then push toward getting their domains.

A relatively short time, all things considered.

For the exorcist, alchemist, and witch class types, we struggled a lot more. There were very, very few witches in this world. So few that there were probably less than ten, and they seemed to be a class in decline. For exorcists, well, they didnÆt exist. These were roles normally performed by priests, so exorcism as a specialization was unnecessary. For alchemist, the difficulty was getting levels and helping the alchemist level in the relevant classes.

We tried our best to provide various types of exotic materials, but progress was slow. This experience replicated itself across to the blacksmith or crafter classes as well. We managed to get a few to level one hundreds, but then they plateaued significantly. They took on bigger projects and more ambitious creations, but somehow the levels moved really slowly.

Like AlkaÆs case, he seemed to gain most of his levels from his weapons manufacturing, and its subsequent use in battle. It was almost as if the system told us to fight, and I hated that the system encouraged conflict.

It sucked, but I kept providing them with more exotic materials.

Sand and soil from the moon. Soil and minerals from the other worlds. Remains of beasts from the high - tier dungeons.

I didnÆt know how long IÆd take, but I really didnÆt want to believe that the systems forced crafters to make tools of war as the way to gain level.

But the evidence was undeniable. Lilies did it with their death - weapons, Aira and Aispeng with their ice - weapons, Alka with his bombs. I did it indirectly, through my familiars. I gained experience when my familiars served those who gained levels, and they gained it through combat.

ParasiteworldÆs astral paths vanished when the demon mother was slain, and in its place was a black cloud that engulfed the entirety of the world. Stella projected that it would clear up in a few years, that this was essentially void - debris, left from the collapsed structure of the worldÆs astral paths.

That was both good and bad, since it meant we couldnÆt see if anything cut through that cloud and invaded Parasiteworld.

Despite that, my beetles soon swept Parasiteworld of demons, and we captured more and more of those spawning pools.

Then I got an upgrade to my existing skills.

Biolabs upgraded: Living Sacs and Chrysalis added. You may now create or grow certain types of creatures through your trees. These creatures will grow in sacs over a certain period of time. You may also insert living beings into these sacs to grow or alter their biological makeup. Alterations may cause loss of levels, classes, and monsterfication.

Demonic spawning pools will be converted to biolabs.

The spawning pools changed overnight as they were replaced with frankly grotesque trees filled with liquid - filled sacs and massive fruits. The demons were converted into beetle - ish variants.

Parasiteworld was eventually purged of its demons, and the terrain began to change. As the energies returned to the worldÆs core, the tectonic movements underground began to restart. Energies began to spread out from the core, and ley lines began to reemerge.

In the latter half of the year, we observed slightly more tectonic movements; some of these were frankly massive earthquakes where huge continents were shunted upward. Some of my trees were suddenly cut off as the once - flattish terrain started to reshape itself into something else.

It thus seemed to me that the will of the world had significant influence on the terrain of the world, and now, it began to reassert its control on the world.

Also, the Canari eventually decided to send a small delegation to Parasiteworld, along with the treefolks, lizardpeople, and dwarves.

The terrain was still rather unstable, though the area around my clone tree had been very safe so far. The core had not tried to kick me out yet, even if I sensed its will slowly, very slowly, waking up.

It was almost like it was in a dream.

- How long will it take for you to reach SnekÆs world? -

- Another ten years, - Stella answered. - For now, we should be focused on our other issues, such as the demon king of Mountainworld or perhaps. Threeworlds. -

- Oh, - Lumoof said. - I almost forgot about those guys. We should visit them. I wonder how they are doing. -

- We? -

- Yes. Or at least try to visit the other two guys. The humans are hostile once they learn we are of foreign origins. You can help me move around with your portals, then we can avoid those that seek to attack us. IÆd like to avoid using our powers to kill when itÆs pointless. -

Stella shrugged. - People can be such a pain for no good reason. -

- Are you speaking from experience? - Lumoof smirked.

- Well, maybe. -

- Do you really believe thereÆs an end? - My priest asked Stella for her view of the void forest.

- IÆm not sure. Even if there isnÆt an end, I very much donÆt like the alternative. - Stella then suddenly laughed. - I just realized that question would normally be asked by the non - clergy to the clergymen. YouÆre the priest, Lumoof. That kind of metaphysical, philosophical question should be your area of expertise. -

- True that. - Lumoof smiled as he, too, realized the irony. They were both walking in Branchhold, their presence meant to reinforce our power. - Do you think we are expanding too fast? -

- Fast? - Stella laughed. - I donÆt consider a few years to be fast. -

- Well, A/ thinks we are expanding a little too fast and wants to spend some time consolidating our strength. HeÆs exhausted from the constant demon king battles and is even thinking of sitting out of the next fight. -

The void domain holder stared at the priest. - A/ wants to sit out? -

- Yes. He thinks IÆve been suffering quite a bit and wants to pick his battles. Let the others gain more experience, because he seems to think heÆs hoarding the bulk of the experience. He thinks that with the pantheonÆs protection, itÆs best for the rest of the domain holders to get stronger and play a bigger role in the main battle. -

- ThatÆs strange. But what A/ did with the anti - magic demon was pretty effective. -

Lumoof made a long, long sigh. - ThatÆs exactly the problem. IÆm going to try and repeat what I did with the next demon king. So. in two years, IÆll need to go to the next world. -

The next demon king for Treehome should be around Year 221 to 222. For Mountainworld, they had a longer, fifteen - to twenty - year cycle, so we were looking at Year 223 to Year 228.

- We need to go to the next world. - Stella smirked. - IÆm coming, too. -

- Trust me, nothingÆs good there. Every demon world IÆve been in is just full of fighting. -

- I know, - Stella said. - But I really want to see it for myself. ItÆs one of those things that really sounds like itÆs worth seeing. -

- I hope you donÆt regret it. -

- DonÆt see how I would. - Stella smirked. In some ways, StellaÆs void domain made her very different from the rest. Her presence in the world was coated in this dark haze, a sheen of mind - bending black oil that disrupted any attempts to look closer.

Even in the biolab, her soul spring of void mana was located within a temple of onyx and black marble, built on a black - marble foundation that looked like stars in a night sky. The stones that formed her soulÆs temple were just different, even if structurally we all had the similar presentation.

- IÆve seen the things of the void and that creature on the other side of the demonÆs core. What else could be worse? -

Lumoof paused and nodded. - That is a good point. -

- Are there accidental summons in your world, too? - Ken sat and asked Kelly and Adrian one day.

- Maybe. Not surprised if there are. I wish we could locate them. They sound like theyÆll all die within the first few days. -

- Consider Stella, who was accidentally summoned, and apparently, so was A/ . -

- A/ Æs from Earth? -

- Yes. Or at least one of them. - No one was quite sure whether they all came from the same world, because each of them seemed to have a slightly different version of Earth. It didnÆt help that everyone had a different memory of Earth, so it wasnÆt entirely impossible it was the same Earth, just that their own memories were flawed.

They were children, after all.

It was a good point, so I pulled Ken aside one day. I waited at least a month before I spoke to him.

- Ken, I want you to be in charge of something else. I will give you a set of funds and a small crew, but aside from the League of Heroes, I want you to run an accidental summon rescue group. Stella will support you to get you teleports if needed, and some void mages will be under your command. Use them to scan the skies for those who came accidentally. -

The Valthorns and my spies were always on the lookout for accidental summons, but I felt that having a different group running it in parallel, led by someone else, could be a better way of getting these accidentally summoned guys to accept them.

Like it or not, the Valthorns had - big government - plastered all over them. They were seen by the citizens of the world as the - men in black suits, - even if they dressed super normally and conducted themselves well.

One of the realizations I had, governing the Central Continent, was it was impossible for a single organization to do everything while maintaining any semblance of coherence. There was no way to do everything, because the circumstances on the ground were so varied, and ultimately, it was highly dependent on the quality and training of those on the field.

Thus, as - wasteful - as it seemed, running parallel, competing organizations was actually a better approach. It was even better if they were seen as independent. It reminded me of a book I read when I was an indie designer about self - cannibalization in the tech industry.

Each of the organizations were, in reality, a slightly different tool with different finesse and precision.

They all had a niche.

If they achieved their stated goals, the cost on a societal level was essentially negligible, since labor unused was wasted, and the Central Continent was flush with most types of resources.

On Mountainworld, IÆd arranged for some of my experienced Valthorns to take the role as adventurers. I had to be discreet about it, so I smuggled them there through secret tunnels and StellaÆs void portals.

I knew there were some hidden chambers in the many mountainous valleys of this world, secrets that even those locals couldnÆt find because of my exceptional senses of the ground underneath them.

My roots, as they spread through the ground, were sensitive to the presence of magic and unusual structures, and my artificial minds would then compare this data to our growing knowledge of MountainworldÆs geography.

From this, we would notice inconsistencies. Most of these inconsistencies were minor, like small shifts of terrain due to movement of the earth; after all, maps were made at a snapshot in time, and for magical worlds such as Mountainworld, they didnÆt have satellite mapping. There were also mortal errors arising from measurement differences, weather, and the use of imprecise tools.

What we really wanted to look for were entire omissions, areas where entire ancient segments were not recorded altogether or where the recorded history didnÆt really make sense.

For this, I sent guys in the level one hundreds. Low level one hundreds, but they were pretty much mini - demigods when compared to the creatures of Mountainworld.

I wondered what itÆd be like to go to a world where levels were high. There had to be some worlds where ancient civilizations still existed.

I refused to believe that the entire multiverse was a waning world.

My artificial islands finally made it close enough to the Northern Islands and also the Southern Continent back on Treehome that my roots could finally reach these two continents without the need of using portals.

Naturally, this was a huge game changer for my efforts to protect Treehome. I was now able to project power there and have direct insight into their activities without them realizing it.

Politically, these man - made military port - islands were greeted with outright suspicion and a whole lot of denouncements and accusations, but we were rightfully the worldÆs superpower, and that was all they could do.

It didnÆt help that they didnÆt even detect all of it, especially some of these island bases where essentially cloaked in a perpetual mist thanks to my earlier powers.

The Northern Islands were frankly familiar territory, and this was where the two former heroes made their base.

Alexis and Meela continued to do what they did, and they did maintained some semblance of communication with us. Lozanna , as the one who did meet Meela in her earlier stint back in New Freeka, served as my liaison with the two. It gave her a chance to have regular trips up north with her now - adult son.

Of course, with my trees spreading through these two newly connected lands, I took the chance to spy on the temples and hunt for more information. I wasnÆt sure whether my spies missed, or even the temples themselves didnÆt know about the existence of methods to summon the gods. I still had questions for the old gods.

28

YEAR 218

From Mountainworld, there were other worlds that we could visit. Like how each planet had a field of vision.

Every new place we went widened our field of view and pulled back the fog of war.

Stella thus proposed a visit, since her research to decipher the alphabets of the rift gates relied on her expanding her knowledge of the many worlds beyond. Essentially, based on the current star structure, Treehome was linked to Mountainworld and Threeworld through the void forest, and Treehome was further linked to Cometworld and Parasiteworld through my clone. Mountainworld was linked to two other worlds and was not linked to Threeworlds.

My void domain holder Æs travels through the void space took a really long time, which she described as, - Space is actually really freaking huge. -

She even asked Snek how they managed to hitch a ride on heroes, because that sounded like trying to catch a bullet while it was flying to its target. A point that Snek described as - hitchhiking. -

Snek explained that in spiritual form, they could create these tiny threads that formed a kind of web in the void forest, which allowed them to attach themselves to heroes as they appeared. It was really difficult, of course, and most of the time theyÆd fail. In fact, Snek was equally surprised by his own success with Ken.

- It really sounds too convenient, Snek. - I knew he wasnÆt lying.

- I donÆt deny it. My success was the result of an exceptional combination of circumstances that I am not sure can be replicated successfully, - Snek answered. - Just as how it took an exceptional set of circumstances to create a void domain . -

Stella nodded. - Well, I suppose the fact that we are even all here together is an exceptional set of circumstances. -

Snek had adopted a wooden sculpture of a snake as its body, but even then, I found SnekÆs soul structure to be extremely similar to my relatively new ability to give souls an ethereal form. Or actually, it was the other way round, my ability to give souls some kind of ethereal - ghost type form that was very similar to SnekÆs soul structure.

That implied SnekÆs society had significant development along the spiritual - soul magics, which allowed them to do all the things theyÆd done so far. This, of course, supported why we wanted to learn from them.

We only hoped that we were not too late. We didnÆt know how long had passed, and as Snek described it, time spent in the void forest was like being trapped in a bubble. There was no real perception of time, no reference frame.

Lumoof decided to go with Stella to these other worlds.

- Well, what can we detect from afar? -

Stella frowned and agreed that was a good thing to try. - Hmm. nothing from one world, and the other. I feel the presence of people. -

Her senses when it comes to the void space was far sharper than mine, so I could only trust her.

- Nothing is strange, - Stella repeated. - LetÆs go there. -

- I agree. -

When we arrived, it was a massive purple world, with hugely strong winds. It wasnÆt anti - magic at least, but it was very, very dim and dark and cold. No ice, but it was really, really cold. It didnÆt take very long for both of them to cough. A bubble of air immediately protected them, and they realized there was no oxygen in the air. Just dust and sand.

- Strange. Do you detect any magic? - Lumoof said, once they regained their breath. It wasnÆt magical.

- No. ItÆs. like itÆs the moon, - Stella said as she felt the unusually quiet presence. Lumoof activated my avatar, and then I felt great. emptiness in this world.

Lifeless. Lumoof touched the ground, and through his fingers, I felt the strange purple soil. This world was what they called a barren world. It was a common thing in space - based 4X games to have barren worlds. I guessed I just didnÆt expect this to be one.

It was so barren there were no demons here.

- This seems like the perfect place for a starbase, - Stella quipped. - The kind of world where the resistance builds a secret base. -

- I didnÆt know you were a fan of space opera. - In a strange twist of curiosity, fantasy fiction was a rising field on the Central Continent, and with it, the heroes did some writing of their own. It was a little strange, for me who came from a world without magic, to see these people with magic do their own fantasy fiction. At first, more fantasies were mostly about their world, but some were a lot more interesting.

Like attempts to create an origin story of myself or the origins of the Systems.

- Eh. I know enough, - my void mage answered as I took some of the soil samples and sent them back for investigation. The constant winds and the purple sandstorms were a huge irritant, but why was the world dead?

Lumoof spread vines and used them to push himself all the way to the top, because I wanted to see the sun and the stars of this world.

Stella came, too, and as we slowly got closer to the sky, I saw what was an extremely small sun. It was. very faintly blue?

It was so small that it was probably just a really, really bright star. The skies were a deep purplish hue, between black and purple.

There was a small, light blue sun, and I felt strange about its rays. Not anti - mana like the burning sun of the anti - magic world, but this one felt corrosive in a different way. Stella frowned, her layer of void mana encasing her in a shell.

- Feels exceptionally small for a sun. -

Lumoof took out a magical telescope and pointed it at the sun. When we looked at it, we noticed that the small sun wobbled. It spun quickly.

- Is this all? - Stella asked as she looked at the rest of the world from high above. Lumoof encased her in a bubble of vines, protecting her from the rays. From here, it was just all purple sandstorms. - This is a lifeless world. We should go. -

- I think you might be right. - Lumoof kept staring at the sun, and I realized it might be a white dwarf or a neutron star. The rays of this sun were weak, unenergetic, so the world didnÆt have energy from its star, thus it remained a barren world.

This was the slow - mo equivalent of CometworldÆs death. Stella smiled. - I feel like weÆre space tourists, traveling the multiverse in search of unusual star systems. I wonder how many other worlds are like this. -

It was frustrating that I kept stumbling into new issues, new questions to be answered, but very, very few answers. Was this what scientists had to deal with? New issues, new questions, but their datasets didnÆt tell them much? Constant dead ends?

I remembered when Cometworld collapsed; it said its worldÆs sun died. But then what was the link between the star and the planetÆs core? Did this world have a planetary core, too?

Actually, what were stars in this world? Had I been assuming the stars of this world to be the same as the ones back home, when I should clearly investigate whether they were something else entirely, since the core of worlds was also different?

Not just that, I thought back to the anti - mana world and then the black suns and wondered.

- Are demons some kind of race that were able to control their suns, or are they natives created by some unusual sun? - The first one implied they were up there on the Kardashev scale, which fit their abilities so far. Then again, it wasnÆt right to apply science - fiction concepts to this world.

Stella shrugged. - Thinking along those lines, if we can destroy stars, we can destroy the demons, since that would mean we have the means to destroy those black suns. -

- To destroy the demons, be the destroyer of suns, - Lumoof quipped. - Turn off the lights of darkness. -

- ThatÆs one way to put it. - Stella looked back at the dim, bluish star above the barren world. - Well, letÆs go visit the other one. -

My labs back home analyzed the soil samples from Barrenworld and found that its chemical composition was mostly normal. The purple color came from some kind of purple - quartz they had, but in itself, it did nothing.

I made a note to send some miners to that world and see whether they could get to the core. If the core was dead, what did that look like?

The other world, thankfully, was a lot more normal. In fact, the first thing we saw were goats and a really large lake.

- Wow, - Stella said as we arrived at the shore of the massive lake. - Looks like itÆs an inhabited world. -

We both looked up, and from the sky, we saw only one astral path to the demon world. It was really dim. - This world hardly gets invaded. Only a single one? -

Domain prevented attempted intrusion.

- Lumoof. Did you get that? - Stella said as she lifted her void staff.

- Yes. - We looked around, and I spread my senses. The land was a field of grass, and my roots, through Lumoof, connected to them. Through the grass, I sensed a group of people far away, a party of sorts.

Then an angel. An actual angel with a halo and wings flew through the sky and landed nearby. The angel itself had very human - like features. - Greetings. We received reports of unidentified individuals. This is the natural wildland preserve of Gallama. Please display your entry permits to utilize the dungeons in this area. -

Stella and Lumoof looked at each other, and then my priest smiled. - Greetings, weÆre lost. Our teleportation spell did not work properly, and we have landed here. Please, could you get us out of here? -

Stella could teleport both of them out instantly but waited to see the angelÆs response. The Gallama angel waited for a while. - So you do not have a permit? -

- No, we do not, - Lumoof added.

- Under subsection one hundred forty - four, paragraph ninety - two of the Gallama Wildlands Preservation Act, you will be subjected to a fine and a hearing before the high magistrate. The minimum fine is four hundred General Coins, and the maximum fine is forty thousand General Coins. -

Lumoof looked at Stella. - Oh lord. -

Stella smirked. - WeÆre in Lawyerland. - She had also used inspect on the angel and discovered that it was probably around level fifty.

Lumoof looked back at the angel. - Any room for appeal or negotiation? -

- You may plead your case before the high magistrate. - The angel took out a fiery staff, the tip of it glowing with a golden flame. - I will now place the two of you under arrest. Firechains . -

Chains of fire attempted to get close, but then, the moment they attempted to latch onto Lumoof, they just withered away. It did work on Stella, but just as quickly, her domain also protected her, and the chains of flame just snuffed themselves out.

The angel wasnÆt fazed, and Lumoof answered, - Are there any exemptions for otherworldly visitors to laws? We would like to visit your. leaders. -

That, however, did faze the angel. It had a look of shock and then began to recite, - Under the Foreign Visitors Act, engaging with Foreign Visitors shall be restricted to the Grand Magistrates and in the specified containment areas. -

Its firestaff glowed, and it shot a flare into the sky. Within minutes, Lumoof felt the presence of other things approaching at high speed.

- This world also seems to have its act in order, - Lumoof quipped. - Think weÆre not needed here. -

Stella nodded as we waited. - I agree. -

The first to arrive was a human lady. Lumoof could tell, because the wings were clearly an attachment, and she didnÆt have a halo. Instead, she had a burning trident.

- Gallama Patrol Angel. You have activated the High - Tier Emergency Beacon. State the emergency, - the lady stated with a stern voice. The angel immediately pointed the staff at the two visitors.

- These two claim to be otherworldly visitors. -

The lady turned to face Lumoof and Stella.

Domain had blocked attempted inspect .

- I see. - The lady took three steps back once the error popped up. She looked at the angel. - Full update. - The two stood a distance away and protected themselves in a bubble, and it seemed like the angel briefed the lady.

- You think we should just bail right now? - Stella asked. My roots were all the way in the ground, and they soon spread further and further.

This preserve was actually quite massive, and there was a city half a day away by foot. - ThereÆs a city in that direction. We could teleport there, but looking at it, weÆll stick out like sore thumbs. Everyone seems to be an angel or human. -

- ItÆs a good thing you didnÆt send Alka, Roon, or Johann, then. - Stella smiled. - Humans really do seem to dominate the multiverse. -

- If A/ Æs to be believed, thatÆs not a good thing. - Lumoof shrugged. - ThereÆs another city in that direction, and itÆs also part human and part angel. -

- In EarthÆs religion, angels are creations of gods. Are they creations of a god, or are they just some kind of winged humans? Like harpies, - Stella asked as she used her magical inspection abilities on the two. From what we could identify, the human was higher level and seemed to be part of an organization of law enforcers.

The cities of this world were entirely devoid of vegetation, and their buildings were made of marble. That made it a little harder for me to spy, but I noticed multiple angels all over the area, and they also had smaller tower - keeps that functioned as the bases of these angels.

The angel and the human lady finished their conversation, and then the lady came to greet them. - Greetings, again, visitors. I am Layal, a senior law enforcer of Legatia operating under the Legatia Law Enforcement License. As required under the Foreign Visitors Act, I shall now escort you to the nearest grand magistrate for your hearing. IÆve instructed for your earlier misdemeanor to be expunged from your records. -

Stella couldnÆt help but chuckle. - Sure. -

- Are you two familiar with flight? - Layal spread her magically attached wings.

- Yes. Both of us - Stella answered, but she was interrupted.

- No? - Stella looked at Lumoof, and Lumoof shook his head. - I can propel myself forward with vines and roots but not fly. I donÆt consider throwing myself through the air at high speeds to be a form of flight. -

- Fair enough, - Stella said as she punched Lumoof on the arm lightly. - IÆll carry you. Magically. -

Stella floated. Flight was a small matter for mages at her level of power.

- Lead the way, Enforcer Layal. -

The lady led the two through the air, and I felt a little sick. I didnÆt like flight very much, but even despite my sickness, I had to admit this was a beautiful world. The terrain seemed perfectly manicured, like every tree and flower was exactly where it should be.

The land we were headed to was a tower of ivory and marble; it shone in the bright light of the sun, and as we approached, we noticed a lot more flying angels everywhere.

- I think our visit here will be short - lived, - Stella said. - If theyÆve got their act together, then weÆve got nothing to give them. -

- ThatÆs fine, actually, - Lumoof said. - LetÆs not poke our heads where we are not needed. -

We landed on a large white circular platform at the side of the towers. If there was a Disney - ish castle, or city, this seemed to be it. The city was built upward, filled with spires and balconies for fliers to land.

Enforcer Layal landed, and more angels came to meet her. She immediately walked to them to brief them and then escorted the two to another room. We noticed how most rooms had two doors, one on top for fliers and one at the bottom for those who walked. It naturally meant every room had really high ceilings.

A short wait later, we eventually met someone who was a grand magistrate. He was an angel with four wings and a large, burning halo.

- Enforcer Layal states you two claim to be foreign visitors, but I donÆt sense the energies of a hero within you. It also certainly is a few decades too early for a hero to arrive. - I mentally flinched at - a few decades. - Goddammit, some worlds had it so lucky. - That means there are two possibilities left: one, some of the otherworlders have learned how to use portals, or two, you two are accidental summons. -

Stella smiled, and she saw no reason to lie. - We learned how to use portals. -

The grand magistrate stared at Stella and sighed. - I must admit I am a little annoyed that my sense lie does not work. So I must ask you the old fashioned way. Are you telling the truth? -

Lumoof couldnÆt help but chuckle, and Stella nodded. - Do you wish for a demonstration? -

- That. can wait for the greater councils. If you speak the truth, what is it that youÆve come here for? -

- Honestly, we came to visit, - Lumoof said. - We are seeking out more worlds to ally ourselves with. More allies in our war against the demons, which we fear will soon escalate to a greater level. -

- Demons? We have that mostly under control here. Mostly, because we still get them every few decades. How bad is it over. over in your world? - The grand magistrate seemed curious.

- Every ten years, give or take, - Lumoof answered. - In hindsight, itÆs a miracle the world survived for so long. -

- The Power of Light is not so easily vanquished, - the grand magistrate answered. - Ten years is. intense. -

Stella smirked at how mildly he put it.

- Indeed. - Lumoof seemed perfectly in sync with the magistrate. - So we are looking for allies. Ten years is difficult for us to absorb on our own. -

The grand magistrate paused and nodded. - I shall take your request to the higher council, but I foresee some visits will be necessary. -

- That can be arranged. -

29

YEAR 219

Assimilating by force was easy for an institution like me. It was easy to use my way, the way that worked so far, and apply it elsewhere. That was a set of actions with no room for negotiation, and the reason why I disliked that was because I wasnÆt sure whether my way was the - right - way.

My main goal of expanding was mainly to grow my mana pool and gain valuable talent. Thinking from this angle, whether the Central Continent or Branchhold had similar or different culture didnÆt have much significance. In fact, the only reason to really mold culture was to grow a culture that fed into the talent pipeline.

Which, thus, led to the issue of assimilation via force.

Force, as pleasant as it sounded, made it a lot harder to get genuine cooperation and true loyalty among those who had the talent or capability. Any relationship with my new - followers - would start from a defensive position instead of one where we met in the middle.

All these assimilation hiccups needed to be weighed against the future loyalty and value of any high - leveled individuals such a system would produce.

The system encouraged conflict. IÆd thought about this at length many, many times. As a consequence of that, I was also viewing that cultural uniformity was a weakness. Genetically identical plants, for example, all had the same vulnerability to a virus, and I applied that same concept to cultures and societies when faced with demon kings.

They also encouraged different sorts of talent, and even if it was hard to see, this culture managed to create multiple level eighty - fives through constant war.

In a way, the Mountainworld culture could be summarized to a war and survival culture. I wanted a stronger, better version of that war or survival culture, as the culture of Treehome had now changed over time to take an industrial, specialization and technological - superiority focus.

These two types of culture had different focus. Treehome spent a lot of time on crafting, on development, on education. This was a consequence of my multi - decade education program and the various research and manufacturing initiatives.

I believed that the war and survival would be a lot easier to transfer to newly settled worlds or restore old worlds. Worlds where things were lacking and the people of Mountainworld were thus tougher, even if the Treehome folks had more levels and far better equipment. They had a scrappy, can - do attitude and sought out how to get things to work with nothing.

In my own Valthorns, they also had that self - sufficiency, but we had an entire training system that focused on creating that sort of ability.

I saw these cultural differences in how a normal Treehome citizen behaved when they faced a problem they were unfamiliar with. The first thing they would do was to talk to a Valtorn official. For the Mountainworld citizens, they had very little dependence on the government, and they would think for themselves, throw solutions at a problem, and see which stuck, or live with it if it wasnÆt too painful or difficult.

Like it or not, on Treehome, we created a competent governmental structure, and this led to reliance on that structure, as was sensible to do.

There were merits to outsourcing certain decisions to the government. It took the mental load away from them so they could focus on other areas. A personÆs ability to gain levels in a chosen field was ultimately a constraint.

Level eighty - fives to one hundreds were scattered over multiple classes, and level eighty - fives in a single class had very different combat outcomes. The Mountainworld folks were more generalists, because they had to be self - sufficient. Treehome encouraged specialization, and that meant outsourcing segments they were not good at to others.

I remembered my dear friend Yura , who kept his villager classes until quite late, until a sheer fluke merged the villagerÆs classes with his warlord class.

It was quite common for the people of Mountainworld to have many classes, and when added up, it was usually slightly more than level eighty - five. This was because the soul - energy requirement of multiple low - level classes was not that high.

The way I thought about this was that the soul was this huge power supply, and it could power many small appliances or one large machine, and higher - tier machines were significantly more power hungry than smaller, - weak - machines.

My adventurers on Mountainworld trawled through multiple cave chambers over the past two to three years, and they found various trinkets and artifacts dating to just a slightly earlier time of Mountainworld.

Not that old, just a few centuries or so. Weapons of war and fortifications. The cave chambers were home to hideaways and secret military stashes forgotten to time. They hadnÆt been touched for ages.

Or, perhaps, they were not meant to be touched for ages.

My adventurers found tomes of magic, hero - items, and generally just weapons. I was personally quite disappointed by the haul, since these things were relatively mundane, but my adventurers were happy, and the mages were more than delighted to study old tomes of lost magics.

I found the protectors hidden in these caves to be a lot more interesting. They pulled out giant snakes, robot - like golems, and strange tree creatures that I eagerly studied.

We had golems on our world; the hero Hafiz and Chung took significant attempts to recreate robots from Earth, but they had not seen widespread adoption due to the relatively poor quality of the golem makers.

On the Central Continent, we did attempt to train our own golem masters, but progress in this front was fairly slow. The strongest golem maker we had was level seventies, and he could control ten elephant - size golems simultaneously.

Strong, for sure, but we struggled on the autonomous aspects.

I could insert my artificial minds into them, but that felt like cheating, because the whole goal of having golem masters was for them to develop self - aware golems.

Training other types of units or subordinates was naturally where I spent most of my idle time.

We sent them on various missions to let them gain experience and build knowledge. Some of them spent time as adventurers, and some of them spent a lot of time in the dungeons.

Others rotated between Branchhold and Treehome. Our academies throughout the continent was filled with students, as we expanded new training systems to train all the other kinds of units.

Even blood magic underwent some secret developments, known to only my domain holders and a select group.

A while ago, it was clear to me that blood magic was a foul, blunt attempt at soul magic. SnekÆs past experience in blood magic meant he could guide us in the direction he was familiar with, and we tried to experiment on using healers, shamans, witch doctors, and spiritualists to create some kind of - soul - focused - versions of their class.

Ken paraphrased Snek slightly when he said the soul had the best power - to - size ratio. It was such a small thing but contained such vast potential for incredible power and could pull even more power from the system.

On SnekÆs world, they embraced blood magic and guided it toward better uses, which, in their terms, used - willing sacrifices, - which reduced the foul side effects of hex. Through my magical knowledge of souls, that was just a salve.

It could be better handled.

A long time ago, we built a massive structure as a panic button, to detonate the lives of my citizens as a last resort. Now, with my growing strength, my clones, and my domain holders, I saw that was not really necessary and modified it.

The real strength of the hex bombs came from the unusual stitching of souls. Souls, each containing their mana, their skills, their power, were essentially weaponized. The hexbomb burned all the future potential and past strength to create what it really was.

A magical radioactive nuclear projectile made from souls.

I could alter souls directly, and so, since that discovery a few decades ago, I had been experimenting on using soul fragments to create a hexbomb. It was a natural extension of what IÆd been doing with soul fragments. I collected them naturally through death, stitched them together, and created artificial minds.

This set of alterations essentially cobbled up the fragments into a pattern similar to the hex bombs.

YouÆve learned a skill: Minor Soulbomb

My initial demonstrations of the minor soulbomb, which could be fired from my main body or any of my clones, revealed a very small and weak hexbomb but with none of the side effects.

This was a good development, even if it was still useless in its current form. With further enhancement and research, we would be able to develop stronger versions.

Alka wanted to create portable versions of the soulbombs, combining his crystal containers with the soulbombÆs components. It failed, but it was a matter of time before he found the right combination and design.

As for some of the shamans, healers, and spiritualists that participated heavily in the blood magicûrelated experiments, they eventually experienced a class modification: a Shaman became a Soul Shaman . The healer became Healer of the Soul , and the priests and spiritualists became Soul - powered Spiritualist .

As Parasiteworld recovered from the demonÆs hold, I suddenly experienced a connection from the Core of the World.

Then I saw images. It was a trend I noticed, that creatures of incredible power spoke in images.

A world invaded, the rifts opened, and the demons dug a hole down to the center of the world. They latched on to it, the core, and injected it with something so painful that all I felt was its shared pain. Then it felt itself forced to carve out a little bit of itself each time and give it to every spawn of those demons.

Every bit, it remembered itself getting smaller, weaker, less.

Its mind, if such a thing could be ascribed to a core, felt more fragmented, more. scattered.

Then it felt itself shatter, split into many parts. At this point, I had to pull in some additional minds to help cope with all the fragmented visions.

A black sun once more.

A world in pain. It felt its power used, and the world changed. It had fragments of memory of a world before the demons, a vast swampland, a perpetually humid central band around its planet, filled with bloodsuckers and animals.

Parasites. Leeches.

Worms.

It was once a bug heaven.

The world had few defenders, just gigantic animals and beasts. There was a small civilization of another kind of walking lizards.

Primitive.

Then it was all gone.

Core mana. A glowing yellow thing. Energy. CoreÆs essence.

It spoke in images again, but I felt it. A little bit of gratitude.

The Will of Parasiteworld has granted you access to its excess Core Mana. YouÆve gained access to a small quantity of Core Mana.

Adapting potato mana storages to core mana. High - Density Potato Cores unlocked.

Adapting potato storages to core mana. Potato Cores unlocked.

Warning: Core Mana in its raw form cannot be used by mobile creatures as it will decay to normal mana once it leaves contact with the soil of the planet.

That was a step forward, and I informed Stella of the issue.

Angelworld was a land of incredible wealth. It was fragmented, ruled by various Angel - lords and Arch - angels, but war in the Angelworld was mainly through tournaments. The concept of total wars were only relevant against demons or monsters, but outside of these things, the angels didnÆt fight amongst themselves.

Instead, they selected champions and wagered territory in their tournaments. Territories were exchanged through such tournaments, and everything else followed. Tournaments happened daily, and the tournaments were large affairs.

Groups of hundreds fought against other groups of hundreds. The angels themselves encouraged it, and it was soon clear that the gods they followed had rather similar views.

The god they believed in seemed to believe in Peace through War, and Order through Conflict.

Constructive conflict they saw as - structured warfare. - These angels, while resembling the angels commonly seen on Earth, were more of the combative kind.

The Angel - lords of the world formed a council of some kind as a discussion channel. That, of course, didnÆt conflict with the battles they constantly waged in the coliseums.

It was also strange that the battles were always fought by humans, not angels themselves. The angels were more than happy to sit it out; so - called enemies could enjoy a cup of nectar together, even making merry and laugh while their champions fought to near - death.

As Stella described, - These angel guys are like some kind of lawyers and behave like two - faced snakes. They mean what they say, but only in the specific context that they said it. They have absolutely no qualms contradicting themselves in different contexts. -

- So any alliances must be super - tightly worded. -

- Which could bite both ways. They seem more than willing to maneuver themselves into situations where they can bend those agreements. -

I found it ironic that these angels were like snakes, but then again, I wasnÆt better.

- So what is the news? - Stella asked as she rested in one of the AngelworldÆs cities. Their cities were large, gleaming places, towers of ivory and marble.

- I have core mana. -

Stella paused and purred. - ooh. ThatÆs good. YÆknow what? I think we can revisit this world at a later date. LetÆs work on the core mana. I canÆt wait to hack the next demon king that should be headed our way. -

Lumoof groaned as he remembered what it meant.

They arranged a meeting with the angels and soon returned to Treehome.

Stella observed the path through the void forest, and we saw one bright, glowing path to this other world. Treehome. Treehome would see its demon king next year and Mountainworld just two to five years later.

- Two demon kings are so close together. - I mentally groaned. To me, it felt like just last month we fought a demon king, and now we had to fight another one. It was so darn tiring, though my domain holders clearly didnÆt think that way.

I needed to space them out, but my people said it was the best way forward. The levels gained from each of the demon kings were the building blocks, and we would construct a path out of this stupid cycle.

- The goal is to get more people to that level and round out our abilities, so weÆll field more level one hundred twenty - fives to one hundred forty - nines, just so that they can get the experience needed. -

Roon and Johann met them regularly, those who are on the development pathÆ.

- Lumoof will lead the charge as usual. WeÆll attempt to infiltrate this world and look for the demon kingÆs pit. And weÆll repeat what happened in the anti - magic world. Approach and support Lumoof as he floods the demon king with mana, - Johann explained.

The heroes were interested to see how Lumoof did it, since they missed it the previous time.

Once everyone was ready, Stella hacked into the demonÆs astral path and opened a portal with our rift gate. She gently tapped a little of the core mana, and the link to the astral path stabilized.

- All right. LetÆs give the demons a taste of their own freaking medicine. -

- DidnÆt we do that already? - Edna sighed.

- I know, but I still love saying it, - Stella said.

30

YEAR 220

- We need to talk about our strategy. - Roon and Johann gathered the team before the invasion and brought up the issue. - WeÆre currently limited, bottlenecked by A/ Æs low supply of clone seeds. -

Everyone listened intently.

- A/ intends that we eventually find our way to strike at the Black Suns, as Stella described it. From the sheer size of those things, the amount of mana required to have an even battle is huge, and yet A/ currently only has, what, four clones? -

Stella nodded. - Yes, we need a lot of firepower for that. -

- But we have a force projection issue on a multiverse scale. We are dependent on A/ to deliver our main damage dealers, the heroes. Void portals donÆt work, because of the magical instability caused by star manaûvoid mana interactions. -

- Go on. -

- A/ needs to level up quickly and find a way to scale up that number of clones. The battle with the demons, and the black sun, feels like essentially a numbers game. A/ needs to control a large number of high - mana generation worlds in order to even compete with the amount of demonic energy those black suns seem to possess. -

Edna nodded. - All right, so Lumoof needs to participate in every battle. - Roon then raised the main point.

- My opinion is we should not be investing so much in recovering demon-worlds, which have very long gestation periods. The parasite world, as per A/ Æs own models, claim at least fifty to one hundred years before its mana output could even hope to match our home world. This is because the demonÆs world had eaten away at those worlds, and those worlds are less, diminished, weak. Instead, A/ should be focused on spreading his clones on regular worlds that are facing their own demonic invasions. -

Ken and Snek didnÆt quite like that angle.

- We can still free SnekÆs world, but we need not plant a seed there. ThatÆs essentially my point. Travel to SnekÆs world will then rely on StellaÆs rift gates. -

- But we need the clones to send the heroes over, - Ken responded.

- Which A/ can withdraw after the deed is done. -

- Fair. - Ken nodded, but Snek looked quite upset by the idea.

- I reiterate. A/ Æs focus should be reaching the mana levels needed to effectively drown a demon king, and to do so, it needs multiple regular worlds. At least ten. A/ should abandon non - productive worlds and replace them with StellaÆs rift gates. -

- ThatÆs reliance on the whims of the void, - Stella quickly clarified. - A/ Æs clones are an output of the system, its connection secure. Rift gates can be hijacked, and the pathways can be destroyed. It is not a worthwhile comparison, especially if itÆs a world key to the plan. -

Roon agreed. - Indeed, which is back to our bottleneck. A/ needs to take a much more aggressive stance, and level, because A/ Æs foundation is what supports the plan. -

- Could someone else play that same role? - Ken asked. - IÆm just saying that. Could there be a clone - focused domain holder who could lock or leave a clone in those worlds? Train another spiritual tree into another A/ ? It doesnÆt even have to be a tree. We just need someone at the domain level to play A/ Æs linkage role. -

The room was silent, and I myself was rather taken aback by the suggestion. It. could work, but it needed a cooperative partner. My mind immediately thought about the first two non - mobile - friends - I had. - Lilies? Or. Reefy? -

I could imagine a Reefy or Lilies clone across worlds. Lilies especially, with their natural multi - minded structure, seemed easily able to gain some kind of clone - like ability. Or maybe Aria and Aispeng.

Reefy. I wasnÆt sure I wanted to unleash Reefy out to the multiverse. I feared Reefy, badly controlled, could easily warp into another demonic swarm.

I would have to check with Lilies and Aria. At that point, Edna suggested someone else. - There are two former heroes, Alexis and Meela. MeelaÆs Hotels has branches. Do you think she can be trained to have hotels across multiverses? -

My priest had an a - ha moment, then. - ThatÆs a good point. I totally forgot about those two. -

Roon then elaborated. - Ideally, A/ gets more clones, because they are all locked to the same teleportation network. At the rate we are going, we will discover new worlds quickly, and with the amount of demonic worlds out there, we pretty much need to add clones at an exponential rate. -

- But gaining levels gets harder the higher we go. -

- Which then leads to KenÆs very good point. If we canÆt have A/ gain many levels, could we train multiple A/ ? -

Lumoof nodded. - In theory, thatÆs a solution, but I would like to immediately add that A/ Æs unique mindset is due to his current mix of knowledge from before he was a tree. Training a native tree into an A/ - tier domain holder frankly sounds horrifying and could go really, really bad. IÆve seen A/ Æs thoughts, and their perception of things can be very different from our own. With humanoids and other mortals, we can get aligned quite easily. ItÆs not so easy with trees. Druids can tell you of strange behaviors from their spirit trees from centuries ago. -

The archer - ranger looked pensive as he contemplated the issue. Ken, eventually, also nodded. - I realize I did not give enough thought to my suggestion, and thus IÆd like to retract my suggestion. Raising a potential Lovecraftian deity is not a good idea. -

- That idea with Meela is worth considering. MeelaÆs hotel, at the domain level, could be a reasonable alternative, - Edna added. - Not ideal, as her hotel lacks the defensive abilities of A/ Æs clones, but. doable. Her past life as a hero would also mean she would be more amenable to our objectives. -

- What if she never develops those abilities? -

- Then too bad. ItÆs a risk we take with these developments. -

The rift gates opened, and Lumoof led the way.

It was humid and hot, and glowing spawning pools littered the landscape. The demons spotted Lumoof appearing and roared.

We knew that this was one of the stereotypical - hellworlds. - There were fountains of flaming lava and jets of fire around us, along with demonic spires and structures similar to the dreams I once had.

If some of the worlds were sandy and dry, this one was hot and lava.

The demons were medium - sized, about the size of a large cow, and had two horns and two wings. They were similar to what we referred to as the old - school demons.

My vines and roots spread out around Lumoof, crushing each and every demon in our way.

- Normal demon world. Really hot. - Lumoof described it.

- Normal in what way? - those back on Treehome asked. There was really no baseline for normal. Each demon world seemed different, and there was no - repeat - yet.

Yet.

- Correction: traditional hellfire and brimstone demon world. I believe the type the heroes were expecting. -

- Oh. Shit. We finally found hell. - Ken cursed. - I didnÆt know why I wasnÆt expecting this. -

WeÆd made a loop, and I remembered that flaming demon king from the earlier days, Demon King Baal , and now, after two hundred twenty years, I was bringing the pain back to their world. This was probably just one of the many such worlds, but it felt symbolic to me. I was once burned by the flames of this type of demon king, and now IÆd disrupt it in its infancy.

Lumoof had a good time and naturally enjoyed my shared fire immunity. As a priest, there was something extremely satisfying about crushing these really traditional demons with divine vines and roots.

- You guys better get here before Lumoof wipes the place clean. - Stella and a band of the level one hundred twenty - fives to one hundred forty - nines joined the fray. The demons clearly werenÆt expecting company, and my mages made short work of the many exposed spawning pools.

- Really? - Edna was amused. - Why? -

Lumoof shrugged. - I donÆt know, weird system shenanigans. I seem to really get a kick out of destroying these earthly inspired traditional demons. -

- Ever feel like an inquisitor? - Stella smirked as her own void magic skewered the demons apart. Now that she had a domain and had the insurance of my revival ability, she was willing to take more combat risk.

- Is this the point where I tell these demons? -

Stella knew the phrase that came next and already pre - emptively rolled her eyes.

- No one expects the A/ ic Inquisition! - I wished I could groan, because that was terrible.

My forces fanned out as they crushed the demons in their path. Like a tide, the demons tried to cobble together a resistance, but nothing much could stand up to high - level individuals. They had greater demons, like those with wings and massive claws that were the size of houses, but even these champions died easily now.

Nothing was going to stop us from getting to the pits.

All we needed to do was find it in this hellhole.

The Valthorns ravaged through the lands and cut through the demons defenses like paper. Even without the heroes, there wasnÆt much that could stand against the might of so many high - leveled individuals, and eventually we found a pit.

It was a big boiling chasm of lava, surrounded by the tell - tale rift gate towers.

- The demon kingÆs in that, right? - Roon looked at Lumoof.

- It has to be. ItÆs underneath all this lava or magma. -

- Well, this at least means itÆs fire resistant, or fire - earth - immune. WeÆre dealing with the pits - of - hell type of demon king? -

- ItÆs probably a magma beast. - Edna looked at the bubbling lava in the huge pit. It was likely this chamber of lava led all the way into the core. Ken, naturally, thought about Lord of the Rings.

- How do we get down there? -

My roots were incredibly fire resistant, but the lava still got to them eventually, and it drained my mana to keep healing my roots against the might of endless lava.

- Our attempt to invade the demon world, curtailed by a sea of molten lava. How appropriate. - Roon smirked. - This calls for a really strong earth mage. -

- We could freeze the surface and turn it into hardened rock. That way the demon king canÆt get out. -

- You know itÆll just blast through it. -

- This is unfair, though. How does anyone expect to retake such a world from the demons? - Roon added. - Getting through lava would need a really strong mage to work at it for years, just to get to the core. -

- Not really. A good lava mage could easily manipulate the lava out of the way and give us a path through to the depths, - Edna responded.

- Our strongest fire - earth element mage is, what, level one hundred twenty? - Roon said. - No offense, but this is the demon king weÆre talking about. Even us domain holders are still inadequate. -

- All right, whatÆs our alternative plan? Similar to the anti - magic world? -

- What do you mean, similar to the anti - magic world? We canÆt even access the core. I say we cover the surface with bombs and nuke the demon king once it tries to leave for our world, - Roon said. - We know it has a fixed path up that chamber of lava and through this pit. -

Alka was fairly amused. - I like how you think, Roon. I really do. -

Stella paused as she stood above the tunnel. She opened a portal somewhere else, and then lava shot out like a high - pressure water cannon.

Edna looked and asked, - A portal in the core chambers? -

- Close. ThereÆs a magical eddy of some kind preventing my portal from getting too near, but this is about three quarters of the way to the core. -

The lava jet was constant, but nothing changed. After a while, Stella shrugged. - DoesnÆt work. The entire core and the surroundings of this world are magma. -

- Look. How the fuck did the demon king even conquer such a world? -

- Magic. - Stella smirked. - RoonÆs idea has merit. With sufficient bombs, and IÆll add my own void ones, it may be possible to send the demon king off course entirely. What IÆd like to achieve, this time, is to knock the demon king out of its teleportation path, so Alka needs to invent some kind of snare - bomb. -

- What the fuck is that? -

- We donÆt want the bomb to detonate immediately. We want bombs that will latch onto the demon king, blow up while itÆs floating through the void space, and knock it out. -

- Anyone tell you thatÆs insane? - Roon said. - I mean, I like it, but itÆs insane. -

- We know that the demon king doesnÆt get summoned if thereÆs a surviving demon king. I want to test whether that is location - dependent and requires the demon king to actually be there. If the demon king is in another world, what happens? -

- . all right, go on, - Roon admitted.

- On a super - large scale, I want to know whether we can teleport a demon king elsewhere. -

- You want to build a rift gate here? - Edna asked.

- WeÆre not ready for that. But someday, IÆd like to try it. For now, though, letÆs just start with snare bombs. -

- Snare bombs. - Alka nodded. - No issue. We can easily repurpose A/ Æs beetles to be suicide - bomb beetles and latch onto the demon king. I think we can try giant harpoons, too, whether we can anchor the demon king to this world and force it off its teleportation process. -

Roon whistled.

The Valthorns quickly cleared out an area around the pit and started constructing fortifications based on the volcanic materials available. An army of druids were deployed to support the installation.

Most of the domain holders returned to Treehome to start construction of their planned materials: multiple giant nets, harpoons with magical chains, and bombs with hooks.

It would take some time to accumulate the necessary equipment and ordinances, but based on the magical sensors we had on this hell - world, the demon king wasnÆt ready yet. In fact, none of the rift gates had opened.

The Valthorns regularly swept through this lava world, clearing the land of demons, and captured any rift gates that we found. Stella then sent them back to Treehome, where she would study it with the other rift gates.

It also helped that we now had three other void archmages; they took the role of maintaining the interplanar rift gates and transporting the materials to the demon world.

We sent specialized builders and craftsmen to the demon world to study the rift structures and also build the - traps. -

Honestly, it may not work, but if it did, we were sure as hell going to replicate it every single time.

- Ken, you all right? - Chung asked as Ken sat in a corner of a city cafe in Freshka. He looked tired and sipped a big mug of herbal tea. Ken, who was so young so many decades ago, now looked like a man in his late forties, unlike Chung, who looked to be in his mid - thirties.

- Age, friend. Age. - Reality meant Ken, who was no longer a hero, did not benefit from the aging reduction effects of the hero class. He did have fragments, of course, from his friends who perished during the war, but outside of the fragments, he had high levels in Thinker and Beast Tamer .

Those levels slowed down aging, but not as much. Even my own domain holders experienced a burst of de - aging once they gained the domain . Stella, for example, felt younger, stronger once she gained her domain.

Theoretically, I could keep anyone alive forever. With my incredible healing powers and evolutionary powers, I was able to modify a personÆs body such that the effects of aging were almost entirely eliminated, but they would become not exactly the same.

A human that was made immortal, became. different, and because this was an imposed process, unlike an earned process through gaining levels or unlocking their domain, the body became in conflict with the soul, and it created issues. I should be able to get past this, in time; after all, calming or unifying the soul and the body was part of my repertoire.

But for now, it was something I rarely experimented on. And so, back to Ken.

- IÆm aging. - Ken laughed, and the herbal tea removed the pain.

- I can tell, - Chung said.

- A price for freedom of mind. The freedom for me to think un - heroic things. -

Chung smirked. - You can fix it if you gain levels, like them. -

- I donÆt need to, - Ken said. - ThereÆs a point where one lives too long. I think this, a lifespan of two hundred to two hundred fifty years, is ideal. Too much, and we become unable to care for anything, because everything fades away, and weÆll just be burdened with endless ennui. -

- IÆd still rather live forever. -

- You only feel that way, because the gods impose a purpose in your life, - Ken insisted. - Which, as I sometimes think, itÆs not a bad thing. Many of us require purpose. Purpose gives us direction, gives us. focus. It allows us to forget, to forgive, to let go of things that do not matter when viewed against our central purpose. -

- YouÆve lost me. - Chung laughed.

31

YEAR 221

- Is this normal? - A section of Branchhold was cordoned off for work. Construction of the weapons meant for the lava - demon world required the combined efforts of many skilled workers across the entire empire.

- IÆve never seen something like it. - The citizens of Branchhold stared. Most migrants to Branchhold had not seen our large - scale directed plans, and they could not fathom a civilization able to deploy the resources across an entire empire and now across worlds. All they saw was a mobilization for a war.

Those on Branchhold were tasked with the manufacture of spears, hooks, and chains.

It alarmed the spies scattered in Branchhold, and they reported the findings to their masters in their own capital cities. - Branchhold geared for war - was splattered across intelligence communiques all over the world. The nearest nations to Branchhold immediately received a huge influx of more spies and more scouts.

Fools, really. If we really wanted to invade, we didnÆt need such mobilization.

On the lava demon world, the area around the pit became one of the largest magic formations weÆd devised.

Multiple redundant, large - scale magical snares, thousands of stationary weapons, more bombs and explosives than I bothered to count littered the area, and more were made every day. We built larger ballistas, equipped with chained harpoons.

The place was geared for war, and frankly, the mood in the air was optimistic.

- Man, the demons will regret invading our world after this, - Roon said as he admired the temporary war city on the lava demon world. There were hundreds of level eighty to one hundred druids and mages deployed to conduct minor terraforms.

- They could just melt everything in a volcano. -

- They could, but with the number of mages we have, weÆd still survive. -

On top of those plans, there was a quasi - suicidal plan with Lumoof at the center. The idea was simply to freeze or solidify the entire surface of the lava pit, have Lumoof enter avatar mode in the center, and have my avatar form latch on to the demon king as it attempted to teleport to the other world.

StellaÆs void mages also made their own set of preparations. Large quantities of void crystals and multiple void - magical formations were created.

The target was the black sun that appeared as part of the demon kingÆs ascension, and this time, they planned to attack and interrupt it directly, in the same manner as how Stella disrupted the demon mother of the parasite world.

All of this was only possible because of our efforts across the decades. If it wasnÆt enough, weÆd go back and work harder.

Our sensors were on overdrive, and these days, Stella, the void mages, and the elemental archmages had their own sets of magical sensors. I had a feeling weÆd see the demon king this year, and I rushed the team to work faster.

Back home, Stella had largely triangulated the direction of the accumulating astral energies, though so far not a single rift had opened.

This was simply because my Valthorns regularly scoured the landscape for any rift and captured them or destroyed them. That meant no rift for the demons.

It was very effective, and this time, the demon king was projected to land somewhere in the Southern Continent.

Unlike before, I didnÆt give any advance warning, since the demon king was going to land in one of the wide deserts of the south.

Back on the lava - demon world, we realized we had a real simple problem.

If we failed, the demon king would leave for our world. That was normal, and all was status quo.

But what if we succeeded in detaining the demon king? If we succeeded, weÆd have to fight the demon king without the heroes.

- Or we could just leave, since we technically achieved our mission of detaining the demon king. IÆm sure Stella would be fascinated to see what happens next. Does the demon king attempt to open the portal again? -

- I think it would, since the path through the void forest is still there. It only collapses when the demon king dies. - This was also a project for Stella and her team, where they would attempt to collapse an astral path before it was used.

In fact, the void mage academy had to be expanded quickly, due to the scale and requirements we needed in the far future. So much depended on having enough void mana and enough magical talent to run all we needed to do.

- So if we succeed, we. uh. just watch? -

- We weaken it, I guess? -

- It sounds like the real success case is to tear it apart while itÆs in the astral path. -

- Yes. -

- Our role is just backup this time. - Chung grinned, amused that they didnÆt have to travel to the other side. - Or if the interruption fails and the demon king comes here. -

They were still happily resting in the Central Continent, in one of the seaside towns facing the ocean. On the other side of that vast ocean was the Southern Continent.

The core pulsed. We felt it, a cracking in the movement. The core of this world was probably just really hot, molten iron and other minerals.

- Well, ready? - Everyone got in position, and we expected this. The heroes were somewhere near the Southern Continent, assisted by a small group of Valthorns and void mages.

The lava - swepted world cracked, and we felt a powerful presence move from the core, up into the surface.

- All right! LetÆs get the party started! - Alka laughed maniacally. - Freezing bombs! -

The mage and his assistants detonated hundreds of ice - element magical crystals, and the sudden surge of large quantities of ice magic caused the huge pit of lava to temporarily freeze over. It wouldnÆt last for long, as the heat from the core would eventually melt it again, but it would work for now.

Lumoof jumped into the middle of the hardened lake and activated avatar mode. My roots pierced through the hardened lava and expanded as fast as they could. The roots covered every part of the pit.

A living barrier.

Roon and Johann led the thousands of ballistas at the side, all armed with hooked harpoons, each equipped with bombs. There were at least a hundred different types of bombs. My sensors felt the force from within the core surged upward, and the ripples of that force pushed against my roots. It was trying to uproot Lumoof and my roots from down below, but I resisted.

My roots held onto the igneous rock and earth as the pressure built up beneath us.

- Are we going to trigger an explosion if this keeps up? - Stella looked as the pit began to bulge upward. My roots resisted the magma and lava displaced from the demon kingÆs escape, and the demon king approached at high speed. - ItÆs coming up the chamber really quickly. -

The pressure from lava beneath us strengthened, and this time, I felt the effects of heightened demonic magic. It attempted to tear at my roots, but we held our ground. Literally.

Towers began to emerge out of the walls of the pit, the gate mechanism. It was a point of great interest to see how the demons created these rift gates out of thin air. For now, that was something my builders, mages, and crafters studied intently while a battle broke out around us.

The demons emerged from all around us and attempted to retake the pit.

They failed.

From beneath, the demon king shot up the lava chambers like a missile. The demon king was going to smash right into me, and it clearly didnÆt care.

- Lumoof, brace for impact. - The ground beneath us was filled with my roots. ItÆd have to destroy my roots to get out.

On the surface, the rift towers began to channel their abilities, and the void mages studied it intently. This was the second time it was happening but the first time such a large group of void mages was deployed to study it.

- All right, weÆre going to have to start interfering with the black sun once it emerged! - Stella shouted to her team of void mages. Their magical formations were ready and charged up.

The demon king smashed into my roots from below, and I felt a strong, burning sensation. My roots were incredibly resistant to heat and fire, so I wasnÆt disturbed by that aspect.

Yet, its ensuing impact shook the entire pit, and then it pushed the entire chunk of hardened magma upward, like a superhero lifting an entire city from down below.

- FIRE! - Roon and Johann commanded as we got line - of - sight on the demon king. It was a demon king of tradition, a massive horned beast with eight wings and four arms, each with a weapon - made of lava. It was huge, the same size as the anti - mana demon-turtle.

The hooked harpoons fired from all around the pit, all aimed at the demon kingÆs body. The demon king pushed, and the hooks and harpoons slammed into the demon king. Our projectiles attached itself to its skin like a pesky parasitic seed.

Up above, the skies twisted.

Stella and her void mages swung to action, and their magical formations activated. A dome of void mana emerged above us, and at the same time, they had their own set of void - energy ballistas, all aimed upward.

The sky tore apart as the black sun emerged in view. The ballistas shot out, some with the anti - magic projectiles, some with void mana projectiles.

It flew at it. and burned in a black flame.

The rift towers glowed as core mana and void mana pooled in them at the same alternating pattern. The Valthorns attempted to smash them.

The demon king itself began to emit some kind of energy, as it flung the chunk of rock filled with my roots aside.

Then the multicolored blackish blob emerged in the sky, like it teleported out of nowhere. A fragment of it, a droplet, descended from it.

- Now! - Stella yelled, and all their magical projectiles and abilities activated.

A full year and some, her void mages prepared magical projectiles, meant for this moment. It worked on the demon mother, and now they tried it on the king.

I felt a strong pulse of energy strike that black droplet. Its outer shell crumpled like a Prince RupertÆs Drop shattering.

And it detonated.

- Shit. Shields! - I activated shields where I could.

- Teleport out, now! - Stella and her crew all escaped as soon as they could, and my domain holders warped back, all except Lumoof and Edna. We watched a huge explosion happen in the skies of the demon world.

We were too near.

It destroyed all the structures and weapons that we made, but some of my Valthorns didnÆt make it.

Not everyone could teleport out in time, even with their fastest scrolls.

About thirty percent of my thousands of Valthorns deployed perished, because our shields were not strong enough to block a demon kingûtier explosion. As they say, safety measures were written in blood, and the next time, we would have significantly higher shielding.

From our world, we saw the demonÆs path wobble, wobble, and wobble and shrink.

Stella, now safely back on Treehome, slammed the nearest table and cursed.

A huge ball of charred wood protected Lumoof, and in the aftermath, we saw a half - burned demon body. All the harpoons and hooks had been burned away in the explosion.

The two merged and struggled.

It felt. incomplete. Like a car with an engine that was far too small.

It didnÆt fly off immediately, and the path continued to wobble.

Edna stood, unharmed by the scarring. She grinned and approached the giant, smoldering demon king, her weapons flaring with magic and power.

- A battle to avenge the fallen. Come, King, only one of us will remain standing. - Edna laughed and attacked the injured demon king. Lumoof observed the massive crater around us and also charged at the demon king.

The demon king was weak. It did not have the strength I expected of demon kings, but perhaps, this was a sacrifice of those who fought it. My vines stabbed it, and each time, I tried to drain a bit more of its mana away.

- We need to get back there, - Roon and Johann said.

Stella immediately tried to check the rift gates. - I canÆt. The explosion temporarily weakened the astral path. ItÆll be months before itÆs ready. -

- A/ ! We need your seed there! -

A seed on a lava world? ItÆd cost me ten years. I thought about it briefly, but as the battle between the demon king and Edna raged on, I agreed.

This may be an opportunity I wouldnÆt see in a while.

Lumoof fought the demon king, too, and the battle stretched across the battlefield. Then he landed somewhere and embedded my refreshed Seed into the ground. My tree sprung up instantly in a sudden burst of magic.

I sent Roon and Johann immediately to the other side, and they joined the battle.

- I think we can win this, - Edna said as her anti - magic sword slashed. My roots, now empowered by my actual clone body, pulled the demon king closer. My vines stabbed its large, demonic wings, and I called on the powers of my two, no, three worlds, and flooded the demon king with my mana.

A giant demon was, in some ways, just a really big target.

It roared, and I felt its massive demonic axe chop off one of my branches. It hurt like hell as the demon kingÆs lava axe landed on my wooden shields. Roon and Johann deployed all their magical weapons.

It was a battle of attrition, as Edna and my tree traded blows with the demon king.

Yet I felt we had a chance.

Stella and the void mages detonation of the black droplet was key. That black droplet contained a significant chunk of the demon kingÆs power, and with this, we now had an idea how to weaken the demon king.

My domain holders unleashed their fury. It wasnÆt in the same tier as the heroes, but we were not fighting a full - powered demon king.

Just a pale, weakened version.

I struck it repeatedly with my roots and noticed its movement was sluggish.

My roots kept up the pressure and drained the demon king of its energy. By my own measures, that explosion left the demon king with only twenty to thirty percent of its strength.

The kingÆs movement was slower; its massive body seemed too heavy for the power it had inside. It struggled and eventually realized it couldnÆt keep up.

Then it decided to shed its larger outer shell, revealing a smaller, human - size demon.

Lumoof, Edna, Roon, and Johann kept fighting, but this smaller one was faster and almost landed a hit on Roon, if not for my shields.

- I think you two need to back off, - Edna said as she kept up with the faster, smaller demon king. This demonÆs form was better suited to its power, but the demon king struggled.

The kingÆs power weakened some more, each hit from my roots chipping a little more of its energy.

My guardian treant emerged to fight it, battling it, and eventually, my roots got a good hold of its smaller body. I drained its still - large quantities of mana, and realized.

We were winning.

I actually struggled to believe it.

Edna landed a few more hits, and my two archers attacked with their anti - magic arrows. The demon king was. immobilized. My treant guardians punched and held the demon king.

And it was battered.

I felt the kingÆs magical energies drop as EdnaÆs cut began to remove demonic matter from the demon king. Its healing stopped.

Another strong punch from my treant.

The kingÆs body crumbled and revealed what I always, always wanted.

An undamaged demon core.

It didnÆt detonate. Not with what little magical energies it had. It felt like an eternity as my vines wrapped around the core, just to be sure. I drained it, but there was nothing left inside to be drained.

It was an empty, purely undamaged demon kingÆs core.

I was left speechless for a moment as the madness of battle suddenly gave way to exhaustion. Edna looked pensive.

Holy freaking shit.

Did we just win?

Lumoof, Roon, Edna, and Johann all stared at each other, waiting for something to pop up. They looked up to the sky, wondering whether the sky would split apart to reveal some gimmick.

It had taken so much to get here.

But I looked at those who fought and felt genuine joy burst out from my soul.

- We won! -

Everyone felt like a huge weight lifted off their shoulders, and they looked at my giant tree - clone and grinned.

- WE WON! -

In a strange twist of fate, we had somehow managed to defeat a demon king without the heroes. It took extensive preparation, attacks from everyone, and a bit of luck that the blob at the end detonated, but whatever it was, we got through the finish line.

My domain holders glowed, and I felt their strength increase.

Power. We would need a lot more of it in the coming days.

- Holy shit, I gained like fifteen levels! - Edna shouted and punched the sky.

- Me too! - Roon, Johann, and Lumoof all gained levels.

YouÆve gained 12 levels.

You are now level 238.

Tree of Life - YouÆve gained two extra clone seeds.

Natural mana overwhelming upgraded.

Root strikes upgraded.

Demonic resistance upgraded.

Domain ability unlocked: Greater Titans.

Your titans will now change into their greater forms, with wider range and abilities. PatreeckÆs mind - reading and protection range will now expand to include all your clone trees, and its range is increased significantly. Hytreerion will now be able to temporarily shrink to travel through the Void and can shapeshift into other battle forms.

The Demon King ? has been defeated.

The announcement of its defeat was greeted with a strange feeling.

I lost thirty percent of those who failed to avoid the explosion, but those who survived gained powers. The star paths linked to Treehome all abruptly vanished. Including those subsequent to this demon king.

That was not a good sign. It meant the demons discovered that we could counter - invade their world and thus dropped the invasion paths.

It was also a sign that they were preparing for something bigger.

But there was no use worrying.

We consolidated our gains, celebrated our wins, and prayed for those who fell. The souls we collected, some would move on, and some wanted to stay back. I tried, where I could, to give all of them a chance to at least say goodbye to their loved ones.

- All right, we need a roll call. Who gained what powers? - My domain holders came together, and it seemed among the survivors, quite a few gained a lot of levels.

Stella smirked. - I gained Void Weapons and Projectiles . I canÆt wait to try it out on the other demon kings. -

- Are we trivializing demon kings already? - Roon cursed. - And you sound too excited for that. -

- They would adapt to our changes, - Stella said. - They are not stupid. The fact that they dropped the star paths shows they are learning, and we probably shouldnÆt repeat it for Mountainworld unless, well, unless thatÆs what we want. -

- Do you think theyÆll throw something stronger our way? -

- What else could it be? That black sun or blob is probably figuring out what to do. - I had a tree still in the lava world, and I also needed to figure out what I should do with that tree. - What did you get, anyway? -

- Just some super - strong, unavoidable null - element arrow - attack, - Roon said with a sigh.

- A domain - tier arrow attack canÆt be that bad. - Stella laughed.

Edna jumped from level one hundred sixties to level one hundred eighties and so gained two domain - tier abilities. First was the strangely named ability A KnightÆs Myth , and I felt her power spread throughout Treehome and strangely only Treehome.

Just like my A/ ic classes , EdnaÆs power had changed Treehome. EdnaÆs new domain ability enhanced all knights on Treehome and allowed them to take up a special class Knights of Treehome . In addition, when defending Treehome, all knights were empowered against outside invaders.

It also had sub abilities. A part of the myth , it opened up a unique set of quests for Edna alone, the Mythical KnightÆs Quest , which summoned level one hundred thirty to one hundred fifty creatures that existed in a pocket dimension that only Edna and a few companions could battle. Each victory awarded skills and stats.

For the ordinary Knights of Treehome , they could attempt lesser variants of the KnightÆs Quest , awarded and unlocked through the system.

- Seems like a knightÆs gotta do what a knightÆs gotta do. - Stella grinned. - YouÆre becoming like the knights of fairy tales. -

- I canÆt really say I hate it. - Edna laughed. - ItÆs. amusing. -

EdnaÆs second ability was the Three Strikes of Honor . It unlocked a battlefield - wide enchantment that protected everyone, from three instances of an undetected, unreactable attack that would have killed them. An enchantment with additional rules befitting a knight, such that an attack that was known and but could not be responded to was still covered, but it essentially meant death had to come from known sources and from known attacks. Instead, heavy but non - lethal damage would apply.

If someone were to be killed by a sword that he saw coming but didnÆt react or incorrectly reacted, the protection would not apply.

Essentially, it prevented instant kills. As always, the system had a tendency of awarding preventions after the disaster. The precautions we had were all essentially earned and paid for in blood and souls.

LumoofÆs skill was probably pretty good, too, Projected Presence , which, strangely, allowed him to project himself in another location and essentially be at two places at once. AlkaÆs new ability was Crystalline Supercomputer , which allowed him to transform crystals into magical computers.

Johann, in my opinion, got the best new domain skill, Reconstructed Mythical Companion . He essentially has the titan - equivalent skill of using bones to rebuild a mythical companion. Obviously, he asked and received the moon - dragon bones. He didnÆt even need all of it; just one large piece was sufficient for the ability to start regrowing a Dragon ling in his domain - space .

- A victory is a victory, - Stella said. - We should throw a party. -

Lumoof agreed. - A party to remember the sacrifices of those who fell and those who survived. -

- Then letÆs do it. -

32

YEAR 222

- ItÆs surreal. -

We both looked into the skies, and even my void mages could see it, too: an emptiness unlike before, not a single astral path headed our way.

How did that work? Why did the astral paths disappear? I realized, at that moment when we finally destroyed the demon king for the first time, that the collapse of the rifts was also some kind of warning. The demons, or something at the top, could sense demon kings being defeated before their time was due, and we would soon invite greater retaliation from the demons.

This wasnÆt the end, even if weÆd won a reprieve.

No.

A part of me even suspected that it may have been a mistake to go all the way with the demon king. I shouldÆve pulled them back, dragged this arrangement for a bit more.

We could have gotten more experience and a bit more levels.

- WhatÆs done is done. - Lumoof assuaged my worries. - We still have links to the other world, and we will have to hunt for demon kingÆs through those worlds instead. StellaÆs Void Explorer , in particular, should get us to more habited worlds. If this gives us time, weÆll need to prepare for whatever they throw our way. I believe we can do it. -

I knew Lumoof wasnÆt that convinced, either. I felt it in our connection, but it was done. We now also had two more clone seeds, which essentially meant I didnÆt have to recall the lava world.

I remembered RoonÆs strategy, which focused on living worlds, and that meant these two seeds should go to Threeworlds and the new Lawyerworld, if theyÆd let me put my trees there. Or else, IÆd have to keep looking for other, friendly worlds.

Or maybe, Stella could find a super world.

It had to be there, somewhere out there.

- They fucking won. - The heroes couldnÆt believe it. The fact that weÆd destroyed the demon king on the lava world invited a lot of chatter.

- The key seems to be that droplet from the blob. That explosion burned through a lot of the demon kingÆs body. - Chung observed the battle through our dream academy. With the dream academy , I could record and replay scenes, which I could then share to them as a dream.

- Actually, Stella needs to target that blog directly. -

- She tried, but itÆs too large and protected by too much magic. -

- What if that blob is the real heart of the demons, and the black suns are just nothing more than power generators? They only seem to supply void mana, after all. -

- That does sound plausible. What needs to be made, I think, is some kind of interplanar nuclear missile. A black - hole missile, kinda. Blow that shit out of space. -

- YouÆre talking about a missile to destroy something thatÆs way too big. That blob looked to be the size of an entire sun! We donÆt even know what that thing is, - Prabu countered. - We may be heroes, and our powers are incredible for sure, but weÆre probably not at the planet - buster tier. -

- No matter, it does mean that A/ Æs discovered a few weak points to the demon king. One, that droplet is a very big weakness. It explodes and deals enough damage that the demon king is severely weakened. If that fails, corrupting and flooding it with mana seemed to poison the demon king and block a large amount of its powers. -

- More importantly, this world now doesnÆt have new demon kings. -

Ken laughed. - You donÆt believe that, right? It looks to me like itÆs going back to lick its wounds and come back with something more powerful. -

- What, a demon emperor? -

- Probably! - Ken said. - But based on what A/ knows. it may be a meteor. -

The heroes stared at each other. - What, weÆve got Armageddon and we have to knock a comet out of its path? -

- Yeah. Probably. -

Chung just stared at Ken like he said something insane. - If youÆre right, IÆll hate you so much. -

- You already do, bruh. - Ken lightly punched Chung on the shoulder.

- No, I donÆt. -

- ItÆs not the first time you said it, so I assume youÆve already hated me. -

- Oh. Wait. Now that you reminded me, I do. - Chung laughed.

We had a large funeral for the Valthorns who died, the priests were quick to twist their deaths into a kind of martyrdom, and some of these Valthorns wanted to live on. My priests soon claimed that their death was a noble sacrifice to defeat the demon king before it arrived, much to the annoyance of the four temples.

Despite that, they were unable to actually mount any actual countermeasure beyond a war of sermons, as they denounced our claims. Most kingdoms didnÆt care all that much about waging a war with us; they were all power crazy, but none of them were suicidal.

The large funerals throughout the continent did draw some curious spies from the other kingdoms as they wondered what caused such a large loss of Valthorns in the level one hundreds.

But it was not all lost, as my powers of the soul allowed me to retain those who wanted to remain and place them into new vessels, with no soul contracts . For those that wanted to remain, I took their souls, or what was left of it, and made them into training trees or beetles, according to their own personal choice.

For those who wanted to move on, for whatever reason, they were given a chance to say their goodbyes to those who they loved. Using my dream academy and other such abilities, I was even able to store some of their thoughts, their words as something that their family could revisit again.

The common folk were oblivious. News about demon kings, especially faraway demon kings, were irrelevant. The people were mainly concerned with their day - to - day affairs. A demon king was killed on the planet or somewhere else, or what their name, or lack thereof, was useless information.

As for the four temples, there was immense confusion on the ground. I detected multiple secret conversations on this matter, but it was all idle speculation.

Most of them had no clue that we did it, though they would suspect something once they noticed the deaths among my senior Valthorns.

What was quite clear was the four temples were mostly stagnant, their leaders trying to hold on to vestiges of their past glory, but their strength was too weak to even try and challenge us. For now, our home world had now settled to a somewhat comfortable status quo.

Wars were still fought regularly between nations, but the idea of a crusade had long faded as the foolish arrogance of their earlier priesthoods. Those that still wanted to do a crusade, my spies would identify them and remove them.

It was actually quite easy to get priests removed. In feudal societies like the kingdoms, priests existed as advisors to the throne or played ceremonial and social roles in their respective cities, and everyone had secrets.

Once we got hold of the secrets, the priests often got into quite a bit of trouble when their nasty activities were revealed for all to see.

My spymasters training had improved, and some of them had gotten quite high leveled, thanks to their stint on Mountainworld. WeÆd trained honey traps and handsome males to seduce our targets and kidnapped priests on multiple occasions to get them to confess their plots.

The world of espionage wasnÆt a nice one, but it had to be done. Our sense of peace required regular maintenance, and maintenance meant removing bad actors.

My next target for spies was to send them to Threehome, but to do so, weÆd need a small base of operations. I intended to establish a base in the chaos of the demonic invasions and so sent Roon and Johann there to spy on them.

Back on Mountainworld, the rifts of the demons opened. - Do we invade? - Edna asked during her tour of Branchhold, and this time, I wasnÆt so sure.

I didnÆt know the long - term consequences of destroying the demon king on the demon world, and without knowing what came after this, I couldnÆt decide with utmost confidence whether what we did was the right thing.

I did not want to face escalated responses on two worlds, and so to maintain the status quo, it was ideal to just weaken the demon king, such that those on Mountainworld had an easier fight on their hands.

Adrian and Kelly didnÆt really have any strong views on the matter, especially after the concerns of stronger retaliation. To these two, the demon king was always their duty, and the four heroes of our world had agreed to assist them anyway.

The demons that came through so far were variants of ice - type monsters, which suggested that the heroes faced an ice - demon king. Elemental - type demons were not exactly that much of a threat.

My void archmages transported Roon and Johann to the demon world, and they arrived in what was a seemingly endless boreal forest.

- There are trees here, A/ . -

- How?! - I wasnÆt expecting to see trees on a demon world, but it seemed that theyÆd found one. A boreal forest, filled with ice - type demons. The trees, strangely, were not destroyed and thus continued to live on in the demon world even post - conquest.

- No clue. I think youÆll need to send Lumoof here once heÆs done with whatever on the other world. -

The world was filled with ice, and they eventually did find a pit. But they didnÆt engage, and I decided we needed to take it slow. They captured a few rift gates, so Stella would be able to reopen access to this world at a later date.

They were not comfortable heading into the pits without LumoofÆs presence, so they decided to back out. Instead, we prepared Mountainworld for the impending invasion.

- WeÆre not going down there without Lumoof, so weÆre backing out. -

Lumoof didnÆt particularly enjoy returning to the world of angels, but after a long absence due to the invasion of the demon world, it was time to actually make our pitch. Lumoof and Stella faced a large council of angels and humans of at least twenty members.

It felt like we were in a courtroom before a panel of judges.

- WeÆd like to seek cooperation with those with capabilities to fight demons, - Lumoof explained. - The core issue we want to solve is that demons are able to tap on the resources of multiple worlds, but we donÆt. Each world faces the demon alone or is assisted by their respective gods, but we feel this process is not optimal. It often leads to too much destruction and too much death. -

- First, explain what you mean by the resources of multiple worlds. How did you discover the demons ability to tap multiple worlds? -

Lumoof looked at Stella and replied, - We visited them. WeÆve seen the demon worlds. -

- Explain. How did you visit them? -

- We went through the rift gates? -

- Objection! ThatÆs not possible. Rift gates cannot be traversed by the living? -

- It can, - Lumoof answered. - Each rift gate has a unique mana resonance, and it is possible to reverse it? -

- This will require a demonstration? -

Lumoof looked at Stella again and realized this was going to be hell. These angels required supporting evidence for every single statement we made, and they cross - examined our observations against their own.

But we did learn something in the process. The nature of this society required that all daemolite be destroyed, and they thoroughly destroyed the demon kingÆs remains after every single battle. Their angels and enforcers also regularly nknot the world to destroy daemolite or any demonic remains, as they viewed the remains as unholy.

Their logic was simple. If a man that carried plague died, they burned the body to prevent it from continuing to spread more plague. Thus, any remains of the demons had to be removed as well. In short, theyÆd managed to do what weÆd always theorized: theyÆd significantly reduced the demonÆs targeting ability and reduced the frequency of the invasions.

All remnants of the demons had to be purged.

As the pitch became more of a grilling session, I realized I personally didnÆt want to deal with them at all. I didnÆt want to be shackled with terms, and after all the questionable things IÆd done and I was willing to do, I didnÆt think these people would be able to understand it.

Even if we were allied, I was bound to break the terms somewhere along the way. Our opponent could adapt, and what we had to do may change.

A legal document specifying the terms of alliance wasnÆt worth it. If things worked for them, and it has worked well so far, then I didnÆt need to pursue a civilization - to - civilization type of alliance.

Maybe it would be better to just open an embassy and recruit interested parties instead, which, I supposed, would also require a messy list of agreements.

At that point, Stella proposed something else, since the grilling really wasnÆt productive and there was a lot of arguing over nitty - gritty details, all because they had no understanding of what happened. Stella, especially, found the entire ordeal exhausting and so spoke out. - LetÆs just stop this farce of a grill. I propose that a delegation from this world visit us. We will take you on a tour of the demon worlds. We have access to the demon worlds, and you can see it for yourself. Arguing over details is fascinating, but I donÆt have much time. There are more worlds to visit, more preparations to be made. No more than five persons are allowed. -

Lumoof nodded, and the session was adjourned. The council of the angel - lords had a lot to discuss, especially the idea of a tour - group. You could talk at length about the beauty of the mountain, but itÆd still pale to actually walking and standing on it.

- ThatÆs a good idea, taking them on tour, - Lumoof complimented StellaÆs idea.

- It worked for the lizardfolks. Hopefully itÆll open their eyes to what they are dealing with. -

- TheyÆll definitely recommend we destroy all the daemolite, - Lumoof said with a chuckle.

- Which actually works on a longer timescale, - Stella said. - It allows the cycle to be somewhat sustainable, since eighty years to a century per invasion is actually quite a long time, enough for any world to recover from the aftermath. -

- A stable status quo, but it feels a little like cutting off oneÆs leg to save ourselves, - Lumoof conceded. - We would no longer be able to gain strength as quickly without the experience from the demon kings. -

- It is a good form of peace and a dilemma. A stable status quo or a constant grinding treadmill upward. -

- After what we did, that is no longer a choice for Treehome. But it is for Mountainworld and Threeworlds. -

- Should we decide for them? - Stella smirked.

Did we cut off the path to ascension, in exchange for century - long peace? We would be ill prepared for what came after such a long period.

Lumoof didnÆt have the answer.

I didnÆt, either.

Eventually, the angels and humans decided to send three individuals, and we were introduced to one of the oldest angels weÆd ever seen in their world. He had eight wings and was actually old with white hair and an aged appearance.

From what we gathered, the wings actually had an impact on the powers of these angels. Those with two wings had lower potential than those with four, and so on. Someone with more wings had no inbuilt level limits, so their path to a domain was unhindered.

- This is Raph, a former high - arbiter, who was once known as the One Closest to the Gods. - The angels introduced Raph and his two assistants, who would visit our worlds. The two assistants were fairly distinguished people in their society but were frankly deferential when next to Raph.

- ItÆs not every day I am offered to visit another world. - He chuckled like an old grandfather. - They must really distrust you to demand I come out of retirement. -

Lumoof shrugged. - It seems they find offense in every statement we make. -

- They are either too young or newly old. - Raph grinned, and he walked slowly. Yet we could tell it was an act. He radiated a power similar to those in the level one hundred twenties and was clearly seen as one. - It is also such a rare thing to meet two people stronger than me. -

My priest grinned. - Your attempt to inspect us was duly noted. -

- Old habits die hard, - Raph said. Everyone inspected everyone in this world, and as domain holders, it all just got blocked. - Does it offend you? -

- It doesnÆt, it is but a minor. disturbance, - Lumoof responded.

- That is good. They spoke of an intent to form an alliance of some sort. Tell me you are not so foolish to think an alliance with these people would be worth it. - Lumoof was fairly stunned at how harshly he criticized his own council.

- ItÆs in an exploratory stage. The war with demons is something we face across many worlds, and we could use some additional forces. -

- YouÆll get nothing of value from the Council of the Tower Lords. They are bureaucrats, concerned with the administration of their lands to the letter, and war is fought in coliseums and gladiatorial arenas. Many of them havenÆt even lived through a bad demon king. If you want allies, they are not the ones you should approach. -

Lumoof couldnÆt reply to that. Not immediately, anyway.

- But I suppose you wouldnÆt know. -

Stella and Lumoof just shrugged.

- How old are you, milady? -

Stella paused and looked at the old archangel. - I. lost count, frankly. Maybe eighties? -

- Ah, still very young and already so powerful. I wonder what kind of hell they put you through. -

Stella chuckled. - Oh, you wouldnÆt want to know. -

- I will, actually. It would at least be a fascinating story for the younglings. They said there are more of you. -

- Yes. -

Raph nodded and frowned. - Have we holed up in our ivory towers for so long? -

Stella and Lumoof just looked at each other for a while.

- Never mind. So where are we going? -

33

YEAR 222 (PART 2)

- Arbiter Raph, weÆre here. Welcome to Treehome. - His companion seemed unsure as they stepped through the portal and onto the world of Treehome.

He emerged in a special platform in the tower of the void mages, with Stella and Lumoof leading the way. Stella nodded briefly and then vanished in the poof of blackness. Lumoof smiled at Raph and guided the guests out of the tower.

- Welcome to Freshka, the Root of the Central Continent. - Lumoof nodded. - Some would say the Heart, of course. - FreshkaÆs sprawling towers of trees seemed to stretch till the horizon, and the three angels didnÆt know what to say. - It is here that our Guardian, A/ , made his stand. The earth is his, and he is the earth. -

Raph nodded and instead looked above, past the leaves and canopies. - Your skies are empty. -

Lumoof wasnÆt sure what he was talking about and looked up to see stars and skies. It was, without the paths of the demons.

- The demons. What have you done to their path? -

Lumoof paused, suddenly understanding what he meant. - You could see the starpaths? -

- Every angel can. It has been our ability since birth, - Raph answered. - With practice, the humans can, too. Those born with many wings, like me, can see it easily. -

- Is that not an astral or void power? - Lumoof asked.

- It is. But we are linked to the heavens, and the heavens grant us the ability to observe the skies. - Raph laughed, and I was so tempted to capture one of these angels and put them in the biolab for analysis. Perhaps some other time.

- I see. - Lumoof nodded as they were led to a gigantic beetle with a carriage, stairs, and really comfy seats. A tour bus, essentially, with protective screens.

- Actually, before that, I would like to fly up to the sky and see the city for myself, - Raph suggested. - May I? -

Lumoof paused and shrugged. - You will attract a lot of attention. -

- Ah. Nothing an illusion canÆt hide. - He activated some kind of illusion ability that turned him almost invisible, but we could still sense his presence. The illusion glowed brightly to my spiritual eyes. In fact, all the angels glowed brightly in my spiritual eyes. They had robust souls, and RaphÆs glow was very much like a creature attuned to the spiritual realm.

He took to the skies, invisible to almost all regular folks, except those skilled enough to see him. Lumoof immediately issued a warning to the Valthorns, to notify that there was a friendly flier in the air. It wouldnÆt be nice to shoot down our guest.

My roots lifted Lumoof up to the skies, where he stood next to Raph.

- Interesting way of coming with me, - Raph said.

- I couldnÆt leave my guest alone, could I? - Lumoof said. The two other angels were on the ground, surrounded by other Valthorn members.

- Very interesting city you have, but are all cities like this? -

- No. This city is unique due to its founderÆs presence, - Lumoof said. - You wish to see the cities beyond? -

- I feel a very strong presence coming from there. - Raph pointed in the general direction of the Valley. - What is? -

- A/ . -

- Ah. Then IÆd like to see him, for the horror that he is. -

- Oh? - Lumoof smirked.

Raph landed back down. - IÆd like to meet your. guardian. -

- You can meet him through me, - Lumoof said.

- ThatÆs not the real - My avatar activated, and my presence was felt through Lumoof. - . I misspoke. -

- Greetings, Raph. Welcome to Treehome, - I said through Lumoof. His eyes glowed, and the air rippled as my presence washed through Freshka. I could control it quite well, but even then, each level I gained, I had to work harder to hide my domain. - I shall not stay long. My presence. is not for the faint of heart. -

The world bent around me.

- My apologies for assuming incorrectly, - Raph said. He wasnÆt pale, but I could feel his nerves tensing, his body straining to bear the weight of being in the same space. - I shall speak to Lumoof instead. -

- Thank you for your understanding. - LumoofÆs eyes returned to normal, and he grinned.

- I am A/ Æs avatar, - my priest repeated.

Raph relaxed and nodded. - Did your kind once believe in gods? -

Lumoof paused as they sat on the giant beetle. The beetle would carry them throughout the city and then to the outskirts. - Yes, and many still do. The other continents are home to those who believe in the four gods, Aiva, Gawa , Gaya, and Neira. -

- And your kind donÆt, - Raph remarked as they took in the view.

- Many once did, but now we are A/ Æs faithful. He is, in many ways, a growing god. Unlike the other four who are further, much further away. There is nothing quite like standing in front of a real god, even with my own power. -

Raph thought about it for a moment and then laughed. - It is an incredibly tragic thought that we, the angels without a god to serve, are here, visiting a world where a god lives with them. -

- . they said you were the closest to god. -

- Bah. Closest to a god that mostly ignores us and sends us heroes, - Raph answered. - What is angelic fervor without a goal? Our god neither gives us commandments nor guidance, our existence and structure an illusion constructed by our predecessors to delude the lesser angels and mortals. Our wings of faith cannot bear the thought that our god cares not for us. In its place, we built a society of rules and imposed our version of order on the world, because we cannot exist without it. -

- I see we are not that different. - Lumoof smirked. - In the chaos of this world, we find our own ways to survive with what we have. We do what we must to live. -

- And dispense with what we donÆt. -

The beetle led them through the outer areas, farmlands, and smaller villages. Not unlike the outskirts of Angelworld.

- It is strangely. orderly. - Raph was fairly impressed.

- If you wish to see something less manicured, we shall take you to the places where A/ does not exert his rule. -

Raph was puzzled. - There are places spared of A/ Æs rule? Why? -

- Why not? -

- That is dereliction of divine duty. In the presence of a god, what choices do mortals have other than to submit? -

- It is a choice a mortal makes, whether he serves or not. A/ does not require submission, and our focus lies in the long arc of life and civilization. -

Raph didnÆt seem quite satisfied with the answer. - Then let me see the world without the touch of proper guidance. -

A void archmage teleported in, and a portal opened in front of them. The group was sent to the Eastern Continent. They toured what was a small village, their presence masked by illusions or, in LumoofÆs case, a skill.

Raph was not pleased with what he saw. We saw the villages of the Eastern Continent, where there were people who starved. We saw the cities in various stages of war; even here, where AivaÆs rule was quite strong, blood was shed almost every week.

Death and war was the natural state, and seeing it for himself seemed to affect Raph quite strongly. - Are all the other worlds you visited like this? -

- Most, yes. This is the natural state without the presence of an overwhelming will. The nature of mortals and the system is to compete, and from competition it escalates into conflict. Those who win gain levels and gain control, and those who lose have nothing. Even in A/ Æs land, conflict is part and parcel of our society. -

- It is something we resist strongly, - Raph said. The archangel stared at the sights of death and suffering, and Lumoof felt a strong, swirling presence in him. A deep dissatisfaction.

- For them, their reprieve usually comes when a strong hero emerges and establishes a nation. But heroes die to the demon kings, and after some time, that order fails to keep things together, and the nation disintegrates and reverts back to this state. -

- So this is what a world without the presence of true order. I see there is a case that my kind has been too complacent, - Raph said.

- Complacent? - Lumoof paused as I, too, digested the implication of that statement.

Raph looked. - IÆve seen enough of this part of the world. The others are like this? Can I see more? -

The void mage teleported them to a large port on the eastern coast, the seat of the Aivan temple.

- This feels very much like us. I never realized how. disturbing it is, now that I am sitting here listening to the same words used to praise another god, - Raph said as he observed the temples. He walked in one of the largest temples disguised and listened to a talk by the Aivan priest glorifying Aiva. He watched the priests praise a god that was rarely present, even if Aiva granted his priests powers through the system. - Are all the temples similar? -

Lumoof shrugged. - It is not right for the man of one faith to disparage another. All I can do is take you to visit the rest. -

And they did. They visited all the three other temples and the other continents.

More villages, more places. Large cities, but not necessarily good cities. Each time, Raph seemed angrier, more frustrated.

- Your god leaves them be? - Raph asked Lumoof. - Your cities are clearly better, and yet you do not seek to apply your rule and improve their situation? -

- A/ strongly believes that those who want a better life are given fair opportunity and chance and then allowed to work for it. Once A/ secured the Central Continent, it was no longer necessary to invade the other continents. -

- Then this suffering is allowed to happen? -

- A/ does not attempt to save everyone, - Lumoof said. - As a creature of the world, A/ strongly believes in letting nature find its own level. It is this competition that creates excellence. -

RaphÆs face darkened. - You see worlds like this everywhere and make no attempt to improve their lives because of competition and because of creating winners? -

- We do not profess to be saviors or uplifters, Arbiter Raph, - my priest clarified. - Our goal, A/ Æs goal, is the existential threat of life, the demons. The steps we take with our developments and improvements are all meant to achieve the means to protect ourselves and eventually defeat that existential threat. Mortals will fight each other, as is normal in nature. A lion will prey on the gazelle; it is not our goal to uplift the lion or empower the gazelle. Our goal is to protect the lion and the gazelle from the outside forces that disrupt this arrangement. -

- But your actions change the balance of power by your sheer presence. -

- Yes, it does, and it is unfortunate. Where we can, we try to have a light touch, a small footprint. We aspire to be wardens, not nannies. -

Raph had a look on his face that could kill. The other two angels werenÆt sure why, either.

- I have seen enough of this intentional disorderliness. May I see. the demon worlds? -

They teleported back to Treehome, and then Lumoof guided them to a wooden platform close to the valley. A place connected to my roots. I sent them to Lavaworld, still swarming with demons, but with its astral paths destroyed.

Raph and the angels stared at them in the area around my clone. He looked at my clone, an island of peace in the chaos of the demonic lavaworld. Most of my Valthorns retreated from Lavaworld, so the demons had naturally reclaimed the land.

I maintained a small area of control, around my clone tree, where my Valthorns could come here regularly for demon-killing practice and gain levels.

The archangel stared at them and looked at Lumoof briefly. Then back at the demons. He flew and glowed brightly, and two burning tridents of fire emerged in his two hands. His eight wings flickered and combusted in a golden flame. - If you donÆt mind, I have some frustrations to work through. -

Lumoof shrugged. - Oh, go ahead. IÆve killed more than enough. -

The eight - winged angel zoomed right into the center of the flood of demons.

- Fools! - he shouted as he flung his golden flaming trident at the demons. It detonated in an explosion, vaporizing the demons. He surged into the masses of demons and slaughtered them like a furious archangel.

Lumoof just shrugged and turned to the other two angels. - Is Raph normally like that? -

The two angels were starstruck and ignored his question. - We have never seen him unleash his fury in centuries! -

Lumoof sighed. These two angels were just groupies, but after a while, as Raph indulged himself in a feast of slaughter, one of them turned to Lumoof. - He is normally more reserved. It has been said that the fire in him had died, but it seems that it is back now. -

He had a burning halo on his head when there was once just a golden ring.

Raph was having a good time fighting the hell world demons. Maybe stupid system shenanigans even meant these two factions were natural enemies, and the demon champions emerged, trying to hold Raph back.

My level one hundred twenty - five to one hundred forty - nines could defeat Raph. We didnÆt have much problems with the hell worldÆs mobs, after all.

He fought for two days, and as he returned, he was covered in gunk and residue. Dust covered his eight wings.

- My apologies, Patriarch Lumoof. That was something I sorely needed, - Raph said. - They say that people often gain clarity in the intense moments of combat. -

Lumoof nodded. The battle was over, and they retreated to the clone tree to rest. Raph initiated the conversation.

- Your people consider choice and life as the core tenets that guide your decision. Mine considers law and order as the only single tenet. Yours are content to let men be, so long as they live, correct? -

- Fair. We do intervene occasionally. -

- But the law must be consistent, - Raph said. - I admire your world and your civilization for achieving what it did, but more than that, it reminded me of our failings. -

- How so? -

Raph walked to the two angels and then declared to his two countrymen, - I once believed that our world displayed the flaws of overextended orderliness. But here, in these other worlds, there is none. Given a choice between order and chaos, order should be the default. Law must hold as far as we can. -

The two angels listened.

- Once we return, we must expand and join this crusade against the demons and uplift the mortals from their suffering. We will bring order to the worlds beyond ours. -

My priest listened. The two angels immediately stepped in. - Arbiter Raph, that is a decision of the? -

- I will not be denied. Our society has lived in those ivory towers for too long. We, angels created by gods long past and abandoned, were meant to wage war and bring progress! They may have forgotten us, but I now realize what our purpose is as a people. Our wings and spears were meant to send us across the stars! Instead, we turn it on ourselves. It is time for our obsession with Order to be directed outward. To uplift the faithless, to guide the faithful, to impose a structure in the chaos, and to smite the unholy. -

The two angels cowered as his passion leaked.

- Patriarch Lumoof, I must thank you for this incredible trip. It has been enlightening to see the suffering that goes unfettered throughout the worlds beyond our own. It is great to be reminded how much rot and failure is in the natural state without guidance of their betters. Order shall spread! -

Lumoof just shrugged. - A mortalÆs struggle is what leads to levels. Would you be keen to carry out that under our auspices? -

Raph shook his head. - Your world and your people hardly need one more, but my world, my beloved Angelworld, more than ever, would require my perspective. My kind had slept through our purpose, and when I return, there will be revolution. -

I wasnÆt sure why I didnÆt feel that excited to hear that. It felt like I had just awakened a more zealous, more. extreme version of our own expansion. Uplifting worlds and orderliness had colonialist vibes written all over it.

- If there are many worlds just like this, then it is our failure. We had been complacent, confident in our success to prevent the demons from coming to our world. If there are worlds that suffer regular demonic attacks, it is our duty to assist them. We are giants in our little pond, but now we discover that there is an ocean out there for us to liberate. The people of the multiple worlds are misguided, and they need to be improved. It is our duty, as angels, to do so. Why else are we granted a connection to the stars, if not to go there? -

Lumoof felt my concern. - I highly recommend caution and a light touch. What you do is very much what an invader does. -

Raph nodded. - Your concern is noted, Patriarch Lumoof, but we are angels, and we will do better. -

I felt like I would regret our collective decision to introduce the demon worlds to the angels. Those who sought to impose their will, for the benefit of others, were not much better.

- Our first task, once we return, is to discover a method to channel our own connection to the heavens and open these gates, - Raph declared with fervor. The two angels didnÆt dare oppose him.

Lumoof looked at the other Valthorns accompanying him and sighed. We occasionally saw zealots, but they were always our own.

Raph was not.

He might be a force for good. There were worlds that might accept him. No, I could easily see worlds that would accept the angels as the messengers of their gods. His kind, if spread throughout the stars, would help many worlds from the fury of the demons, but I could also see the great destruction and the dictatorial order that they would inflict on worlds.

The perfectly manicured version of their home world, copy - pasted across many others.

He would be the burning fury of ancient angels, imposing their laws.

A part of me wondered, Do I let him go, or do I stop him here?

Was he that different from me? I imposed my will on the worlds I touched, for all I claimed to have a light touch. was he all that different? Was he better for the greater world in the long run? Or would they, some day in the far future, be something else entirely?

Raph looked at the two angels. - I had seen enough. Let us return to our world and call for a great council. Action, and then revolution. -

- If it is something you want to achieve, then let us work together, - Lumoof proposed, trying to see whether Raph could be absorbed into our structure.

Raph shook his head. - Once again, I thank you for the offer. What I have in mind must be done through the angels. Our kind finally has a worthy purpose, and I must return to them to deliver it. But we shall be friends. I shall see to it. -

Lumoof sighed as he sensed my discomfort. - Maybe this idea of a multiverse alliance may not be a great idea. I sometimes forget creatures of other worlds have different core values. -

Raph had done us no harm, and his goals aligned with mine in the long run, even if we had slightly different visions of that end.

He could set up a concurrent entity, a force that supported us where we couldnÆt. We wanted to defeat the demons. The demons were the true enemy. They wanted to impose order, and the demons destruction was tangentially related.

They were not the enemy, even if I saw the seeds of disagreement. Just as I left the crystal king be, I would leave them alone, for now.

- We have to steer this rabid dog in a direction that would not harm us, - Lumoof spoke via our mental link. - Engagement is the only way to manage them. They are passionate but perhaps misguided. -

- Killing him would end the problem here and now, - a part of me wondered. It would make him a martyr, an enemy of their world. Yet, until the deed was done, I strongly did not want to pass preemptive judgment.

I knew from experience that arguments with zealots did not go well. Those who sought to expand would expand constantly. It was a need, a craving. A desire for more power, more land. This was, in a way, a demon-like behavior. I wasnÆt sure Raph would be that sort of zealot.

As Stella stood at the edge, Raph bowed politely to her. - This has been an enlightening experience, Lady Stella. I now see that my kindÆs failing. Once I return, I will guide my people to step out. -

- DonÆt sell yourself short. Your kind has done great things for your world, - Stella said, oblivious to the exchange between my priest and Raph.

Stella opened the void portal and sent him back.

He stepped through, and I felt like roots tangled in my soul. We may have an ally in the war against the demons, after all. We had given them perspective.

I just hoped I didnÆt regret it.

34

YEAR 223

- No void mages in the angel world, - Stella agreed after my discussion. - They seemed so reasonable, though. -

- The most frightening folks usually sound reasonable. ThatÆs how they get their foot through the door and win over followers. It is an art of guiding the blind to achieve more perverse goals. -

- Is it really that bad? - Edna said. - If we need to, we can fight them. They lack the means and ways to compete with us. -

- Four - winged, six - winged angels, or higher have no level restrictions, so donÆt exactly count them out, - Lumoof answered. - They are in the same class as dragons and that kind. They may gain their own domain holders in due course. Given that they even can innately see the astral paths, they may gain access to other worlds sooner than we think. -

- . fuh. - Edna nodded.

- We should kidnap some and study them, - Roon suggested. - They are fascinating. -

- Roon! - Stella said. - You cannot be serious! YouÆre suggesting kidnapping innocent angels for studies! A/ hasnÆt gone that far! -

- Then bribe them! Entice them with money, knowledge. Trade small, useless information for it. The more we learn about them, the more we can prepare for them, - Roon proposed.

- ThatÆs. unethical, - Stella said.

- But it works, - Roon said, and Edna nodded along. - Keep our demons close, and in this case, angels closer. -

- I agree. If these angels have innate astral - knowledge, that could be a welcome addition to our lineup. We may not need angels directly, but there are humans who developed similar abilities. Surely some arrangement can be made. -

Stella frowned. - I feel like thatÆs cheating. -

- ItÆs called preparation. -

- . fine. - Stella wasnÆt pleased.

- If they get there, I think thatÆs not a bad thing, - Edna admitted. - Someone that could help fight the demons is still a net positive. -

A point that I agreed with and was why I let Raph go. - We donÆt need much ties, beyond being there for the final battle, I guess. -

- If we want them there for the final battle, we will need ties. -

Of course, if there was such a thing as a final battle. There was a possibility this conflict was like pest removal. Just a constant, never - ending war against a multiversal cockroach infestation.

The second revelation, of course, was about my two new seeds. - Just two seeds. ? - Roon and Johann immediately realized that this wasnÆt going to go that well. - If, letÆs say, thereÆs another two more seeds further down the road, after what. three decades, weÆd just have a grand total of nine worlds? -

It wasnÆt great, and it meant that the total stable war potential was spread over nine worlds, more if we could add Stella and the void mages portal abilities.

The future we foresaw was a war of attrition against the demons, and I could see the shifting battlelines in the stars. The war would be fought over many worlds, with the heroes, and nine worlds was not enough.

- What if we did what we did in the lava world and attacked all the demons blobs? -

- They could take countermeasures, - Stella said. - The black blob wasnÆt adequately protected, and what makes you think these demons wonÆt realize it? They have some battlefield intelligence and can adapt to us. -

- So youÆre saying what we did was a fluke. -

Stella paused. - Not exactly. In specific circumstances, we could repeat it. I do not mean to reduce our achievements down to something less. ItÆs just that. itÆs a changing battlefield, and the demons can and will adapt. -

The ranger laughed. - All right, all right. We gotta hop to Mountainworld. TheyÆll have a demon king, too. -

Unlike our little stint in Lavaworld, I took a step back for Mountainworld. A cursory scouting mission to the demonÆs world returned us to the boreal demon world filled with ice and trees.

- Sure you guys donÆt want to do more? -

Lumoof shrugged. - WeÆll take a step back and support you guys this time. -

We did identify the location of the teleportation and rigged the place with bombs. I didnÆt want to destroy the astral paths so quickly, not without knowing what was coming for us.

It wasnÆt fair to put Mountainworld through that risk, so we hedged and decided to engage the demon king when it arrived instead. The giant ice - giant - like demon king that arrived was nuked quite heavily the moment it arrived, which removed its outer shell.

The heroes did most of the fighting. My domain holders provided support and cover fire. Many kingdoms and empires of Mountainworld sent their spies and scouts to observe the fight from afar, but six strong, well - leveled heroes supported by a good team of domain holders meant the battle went smoothly.

They prepped. No, everyone was prepared to teleport if there was any sign of the detonating bomb. It did, but relatively speaking, it was a weak bomb.

The demon king of Mountainworld, Demon King Myrgizan , was defeated on the same day as it arrived, and Mountainworld could see another fifteen or so years of peace.

My domain holders gained a level or three, but theyÆd reached a point where it was starting to slow down, and Edna suggested rotating the soon - to - be domain holders to play a much larger role.

From our victory on Lavaworld, I now possessed a full demon kingÆs core undamaged by any star mana, and this was something we placed into my biolabs for studies. Like the copy or replica we made from the assembled copy, it immediately opened up to a far larger map of the multiverse.

It was a field of stars, with lines. Paths. There was just one blob at the heart of it, and I prodded it for more information.

The SlaverÆs Prison

- Huh. - Stella saw it, too, as she experimented on the core of the demon king. Unlike before, there was nothing blocking our attempt to intrude on this network. Stella played with it, and her eyes began to bleed. - Shit. Sorry. -

A bit of healing later, her eyes were restored, but it did make her feel a little uncomfortable.

- The demons have a collective memory. Each of these demon worlds actually transmits information back to the black suns and the blob. - Stella used her magic to make a pale copy of the star map. - Their view of the void forest is fixed to this perspective, but mapping it, it doesnÆt quite line up. -

As Stella once said, the void forest appeared differently to everyone else. What was near for me could be incredibly far away to someone else, and that perception of the void forest could get very distorted. Astral neighbors, like Mountainworld and Threeworlds, actually were quite far apart on the demonÆs map.

This was odd to me, but to Stella, a space that was dependent on oneÆs frame of reference was normal.

No matter, my concerns led back to the blob. - That blob is our target, isnÆt it? - I asked her. She earlier said there was no single target. Yet, here it was.

A single blob at the very center. A prison of. gods? Or heroes? Or cores?

- That blob directs the will, and IÆm not certain if thatÆs the only blob. It looks, according to this map, to be only one blob, yet itÆs referred to as The SlaverÆs Prison . It might not be the real thing, and we are just taking out the means by which the demons command a particular segment of its forces. -

Stella poked at the core for a bit more. - I highly, highly doubt it is the only one. -

The gods once said that they fought a war with the demons across thousands of worlds, and from this map, there were thousands of worlds.

- Are you able to use this map and exploit this demon kingÆs core? I want to know whether we can visit our neighbor in the demonÆs frame of reference. -

Stella nodded. - It should be possible. The rifts should be able to line up to the commands of the core. IÆll need a year or two, but I should be able to rig this to one of the rifts. But IÆll need you to supply us with the core mana, and we can start experimenting on its abilities. -

- Got it. What about your void explorer ? How far is it from SnekÆs world? -

- ItÆs. almost there, another three to five years, I think, - Stella explained as one of the other void archmages came in with some more schematics and notes. - A short time to rescue SnekÆs kind. -

Snek and Ken made preparations, of course. Ken, in the past few years, had learned SnekÆs language and taught a small group of Valthorns to speak it.

We just hoped that there was still someone there.

35

YEAR 224

Stella was getting better at manipulating the demon kingÆs core, though she had to be healed after using it. The unusual magical architecture of the kingÆs core strained her mind, and she asked, - A/ , are you able to augment my mind? Through that dream academy? -

- What? - The heroes themselves were unnerved by the statement. - YouÆre asking A/ to? -

- I know what I am asking, but the demon kingÆs core needs more mental power, and every time I use it, I feel my mental capacities are insufficient, even if I have the right mana type for it. - She made progress, and her team of void mages, supported by a group of dedicated void enchanters and crafters of the void , created a huge contraption around the demon kingÆs core. - You must remember that this thing is essentially designed for the demon king and not meant for mere mortals. -

The demon kingÆs core was pretty much a nuclear reactor, linked to multiple arrays of crystals and potatoes filled with void mana and core mana. At the end of it was a rift gate and a control panel, which Stella would use.

- You do realize you are sharing your mind - Chung started, being the natural voice of skepticism among the heroes.

- Lumoof does it, and heÆs all right, - Stella said. - Look, I know the risks, but we have this core, and we have to crack it. We canÆt fight this war against the demons blind. WeÆre currently essentially reacting to every single invasion. -

- WeÆre doing a lot! -

- I know, but we can do better. Fight wars without having to fight them, you know? All it takes is more brain power, and in this world of magic, I really donÆt see why youÆre feeling queasy about it, - Stella said. - Can you build something, a structure or a thing to do so? -

I checked and realized I could. Essentially, I would have to grow an attachment that would tap into her mind, something like a living helmet, which would then be linked to an artificial mind. - Yes. WeÆll start small. -

Within a month, I had a prototype, forged out of wood magic and my evolutionary powers, to create a wooden suit that essentially linked itself to her scalp. It would tap into her mind, if she granted access, to be augmented by artificial minds.

- Holy shit, I feel like Iron Man, - Stella said as she was wrapped in a wooden suit that was linked to artificial minds nearby. The limitation was that the transmission of the mind - waves meant the artificial minds couldnÆt be very far. - Is this how you see the world? -

Also, because sheÆs a domain holder, she has to explicitly grant access to the artificial minds to her mind. That, in a way, was a weakness. Essentially, a domain was a firewall, and allowing artificial minds was a vulnerability in her mental defenses. Unlike Lumoof, who benefited from avatar mode, which meant he could get the mental support directly without having to open up to that sort of vulnerability. My priest just shrugged. - Yup. It takes a bit of getting used to. -

- You should totally roll this out to everyone. ItÆs freaking amazing, - Stella said. - ItÆs like what modern soldiers wanted to have. A dedicated AI for every single one. -

Roon and Johann were both intrigued. - Seriously? -

Alka observed it and nodded. - ItÆs that amazing? I already have these lab assistants in my lab. -

- I know, but these things help so much. If they can be specifically configured - Stella asked. - A/ , can they be magic focused? -

- They are designed to do specific functions. It would need some prototyping and training before they can do what you want them to. -

- Ah. Never mind. LetÆs see how this does against the coreÆs void - map. - She then tested out her contraption and tapped into the demon kingÆs core. I felt the supporting artificial minds glow and then.

They splattered in a small explosion, as the demands of the demon kingÆs core overwhelmed them. I immediately cut off the connection.

- Oof. Not ready yet. - Stella cursed.

I could use a titan soul to make an artificial mind. That kind of mind support might be sufficient for StellaÆs intentions. But I still didnÆt have the option. I needed more void mindûrelated experiments before the system granted me the option to create a void - variant supermind.

Despite the failure, I liked the idea enough.

With a combination of familiars, artificial minds, and special wood - mind suits to support high - leveled Valthorns, I could give them support in terms of mental load, coordination, and strategy.

It felt like a natural evolution of the Valthornian supersoldier, so I immediately got Patreeck to start work on designing new supersoldier suits. In line with its superhero inspiration, I decided the first version would be named the Timberman Mark I.

- HowÆd it go? - I asked Edna, who reappeared from the pocket realm.

- It went well. It wasnÆt even that hard a fight, - the knight answered. - Just punching some monsters really hard, and I get this. -

She showed off her new haul, a shining sword, Sword of the Demon Slayer .

- ItÆs got buffs quite comparable to your demon hunter special class, but itÆs an object instead of a class. -

It was interesting that the system permitted multiple iterations to achieve the same goals, and the return of the mythical era of knights was really appealing to me. My own extrapolation suggested that Edna could even some day obtain some kind of Excalibur equivalent. At the domain level, the system seemed to encourage the creation of new myths or legends.

- Interestingly, IÆm permitted to undertake quests to obtain specific anti - swords. -

- Oh? -

- If I chose demons as my chosen enemy for the quest, IÆd get swords for that purpose. The only condition it needs to fulfill is some kind of evil or injustice or destruction criteria, and I could choose them as a target. That means, should a hero commit evil, I could undertake a set of quests under this ability that would grant me some kind of anti - hero sword. -

- ThatÆs really overpowered. -

- It is, - Edna said. - Lesser knights can obtain lesser variants, of course, but it is still an incredible force multiplier. -

It meant knights, under this mechanism, would function as a check - and - balance since any act of tremendous evil could result in creation of anti - evil quests.

36

YEAR 225

Roon, Johann, and Lumoof both arrived in Threeworlds and found it the same as it once was. At least, at first glance. Their mission was simple: to just have a check on what had changed in the years since we last visited.

- ItÆs been a while since the three of us traveled together for something unrelated to the demon king. - Johann shrugged.

Roon shrugged, too. - ItÆs usually Stella and Lumoof. And this is still tangentially related. -

Three domain holders was quite overkill, but theyÆd all split up and headed in their own directions. Both Roon and Johann were rangers, and they had, in their arsenal of skills, a wide variety of camouflage, scouting, and movement abilities that made them perfect for checking on these folks from afar. LumoofÆs projected presence also helped play the same role.

- How long till we get to see your dragon? - Roon asked.

- ItÆs a dragon. - Johann sighed. - And guess what? Dragons take forever to grow. ItÆs just an egg now. -

- Hah! - Roon laughed. - ShouldÆve started with something more ordinary. Like a zaratan. -

- IÆm pretty sure zaratans also take forever to mature. -

- At least with a zaratan, youÆd have your own interstellar ride. -

- ThatÆs. a good point. I shouldÆve thought of that. - Johann realized a personal zaratan - pet - was probably the ideal interplanetary transportation vehicle. - I wouldnÆt need Stella or the archmages to send me anywhere. -

Roon just gave him a gentle punch on the shoulder. - But I guess dragons just have that cool legendary factor. Anyway, we should split up and start searching. -

- Yup. Got it. - JohannÆs body faded and blended into the background. He was off, and Lumoof also activated his own camouflage . It didnÆt take long for them to each check on the three factions of Threeworlds.

- EverythingÆs normal here, - Roon said through our shared communication ability as he observed the massive city of the Sandpeople. They were a blend of desert creatures and humans, ruled by the scarab - men. Their warriors were the scorpion - oids, and their lesser folk everyone else. - DoesnÆt even seem like the demons came this way. -

- Some minor damage to the main city and a bit more on the outskirts, otherwise itÆs normal. - Lumoof returned to the outskirts of the Crystal Mountain and found it the same. The city looked far more heavily fortified than before, with large crystal golems on the walls. Those were new. There seemed to be some battle scars, but otherwise it was all normal.

The demons had come for the land of man, and they damaged them only slightly.

- The Centaurs camps looked heavily damaged, and their population seemed to have shrunk quite a bit. Their main city holds, but I see the scars of heavy battle in this place. ThereÆs a large segment of their vast steppes thatÆs now filled with demonic corruption, and thereÆs a large crater in the center that looks to be the remains of the demon king. -

Roon and Lumoof activated their own teleportation scrolls and arrived next to Johann in the vast, now - corrupted steppes of the Centaurs.

- They survived, - Roon said. - I suppose thatÆll have to be good enough. -

- With at least a third of their grazing lands gone - Johann naturally was sympathetic.

- They donÆt need us here, - Roon said. - They chased Lumoof out the last time weÆre here. They survived. If we approach them now, theyÆll view us with even more suspicion. -

Lumoof nodded along. - Roon is right. This isnÆt an urgent problem, even if the pain of the land is palpable. - I felt it, of course. Even with my domain, I could shut it out, but it was there, like someone shouting outside the window. The call of the trees, the grass, and the land, for aid, to resist the interlopers.

Corrupters.

Undo the damage.

IÆd done so on Branchhold. IÆd aided the heroes to clear the demonic corruption, and there it was now almost all gone. I felt that same voice here to clean it up.

- We should destroy the daemolite, - Johann said. - Or shift it to one of the other worlds. ParasiteworldÆs a good place to start, since itÆs a blank slate. -

- What if they want it? - Roon retorted.

- Then theyÆll get more demons. -

- ItÆs their choice, isnÆt it? Actions have consequences. -

In the end, Lumoof cut in. - LetÆs just go. WeÆre here to check on them, not take action or intervene on their behalf. WeÆll only step in if the demon kingÆs running unhindered. -

Treehome was likely to be safe from the demons for a while, with the astral paths all gone. This was something known to my void mages and my domain holders, but the temples were, naturally, unaware. They had no means of seeing the astral paths, unless they happened to have angels.

Lavaworld was now our primary farming location, other than our dungeon, while I began resettling Parasiteworld with migrants from both Treehome and a selected few from Branchhold.

Even Parasiteworld was changing, and I attempted to speak to the will on its name. It shared images of what it once was. Jungles and swamps, insects and parasites. It was a tropical world, and thus I resolved Parasiteworld should be renamed Tropicworld.

The interstellar migrants were immediately annoyed by the presence of an overwhelming number of naturally spawning mosquitos, and magical flaming barriers were erected to prevent the bugs from getting close. My healing effects and aura meant the migrants never got sick from it, but it was a massive irritation.

The fact that the terrain was still changing, as the coreÆs power returned, meant it was also quite difficult to build anything permanent, since the shifting terrain triggered earthquakes, flash floods, and avalanches.

No one died, since Valthorns and druids stepped in to protect them, but it was part of the challenge of settling in this new world.

Despite this, the migrants were mostly hopeful. They were drawn to the scale of the land, where only my Valthorns had once walked. The vast forests I created, the new animals that spawned were different from those back home.

It took a certain type of personality, an explorer and adventurer at heart, not for money, but for novelty, to be willing to make this journey. To build civilization where there was none, to impose order in the natural chaos of this world.

A delegation of lords similarly made the journey here; they were to be its new rulers. A small group of friendly Canari made the journey, too, just as there were Treefolks, Lizardpeople, and Gnolls who made the move.

The swampy natural terrain was unappealing to the Centaurs or elves, so they were a minority in the first batch of settlers. The system didnÆt entirely leave these to fend for themselves, and these pioneers were rewarded with an upgrade, a rather powerful set of classes - Pioneer Settlers , Pioneer Builders or Pioneer Crafters and other such - that helped them adapt to life in their new world.

Their children grew quickly, and with the protection of my trees, I foresaw them growing quickly. Here, there were very few resource limitations. With such a small population, the system spawned magnitudes more animals and monsters than they could ever hunt, and it would take at least a few decades before the population growth would start to run into resource issues.

Just like Treehome, I worked with the new Settler - Lords to set up nature reserves and areas that would be protected, areas where the natural state of this new world was preserved and my artificial minds supported them with beetle guardians and beetle trucks.

They could get certain necessities shipped over from Treehome, if needed, but as far as they could, they had to make do with what was available, solving their adversity and working with what they had was a path to gaining levels, since it was the ethos behind their pioneer - series of classes.

My tree on Cometworld barreled through the void space at high speeds, and occasionally, I saw other worlds come into view. Yet these other worlds were too brief and too hard to - lock on. -

I started to wonder whether we could control our movement through the void space; after all, this world had shrunk quite dramatically, and Cometworld was like a mail in a bottle floating on the wider ocean.

Cometworld had somehow barreled far away from where we were, like a comet now in the far - flung areas.

On the map of the demon kingÆs core, we were not even on the map. But it was hard to confirm this; after all, this map had a weird perspective and projection of the void sea.

Stella and Alka worked on multiple contingency plans of potential retaliations from the demons. One possibility, from what weÆd seen, in the Margmarian Dwarves, and also the dragons, was the - comet. -

This was common in these twoÆs memories, and the comet led to large - scale destruction. Our mitigating solution was twofold. First, Stella and the void mages prepared a set of portals as an escape plan. AlkaÆs team of bomb - researchers prepared for the possibility of blowing up the comet.

Unlike humans, we had the ability to create portals, so reaching any comet or super projectile headed our way was a small problem. We just needed a nuke large enough to blow up any comet.

There was a possibility, as Ken suggested based on his past knowledge of tropes, that the comet may well be a super - demon king. Or at least, a larger fragment of that blob from the demon. I felt this possibility was unlikely, because if it was, then the godÆs solution of summoning heroes likely would not work.

Also, if such a thing was possible, Treehome wouldÆve been a demonic wasteland, so it was unlikely. KenÆs counter argument was that the demon king may just give up on its corruption ability and instead make a combat - focused demon king, since every demon king had two roles: one, to both defeat the heroes, and two, to have a set of abilities designed to capture the core of the world. A focused demon king meant to erase the targeted world to a blank slate could give us trouble.

Again, unlikely.

I personally had a third idea. The demons may just wait us out. If I were to put myself in the demonÆs shoes as the demonÆs chief strategist and tactician, and I saw a world that was giving me trouble, my first instinct may not be to throw stronger units at it, but just wait and see.

This was because I was an immortal, while these habited worlds were usually humanoids, and humanoids didnÆt live very long. If I just left the world alone, the defenders wouldÆve aged and died, and when I send a demon king after a hundred or two hundred years, those who stood against me might have been long gone or descended to infighting.

A strategy like this required some knowledge of the nature and thought process of mortals, but the demons could read minds, and they had acquired that knowledge by capturing heroes in the past.

If this was the demonÆs chosen strategy, it required eternal vigilance and heavy preparation over decades and centuries, and that was a very hard thing for a society of mortals to do effectively.

- Well, good thing we have an immortal on our side, then. - Alka laughed.

- YouÆre all immortals. The issue is making sure our mortal friends share our concerns. If we warn them too much and too consistently but nothing actually happens, theyÆll think, after a decade or two, itÆs just scaremongering and we are just being naggy old creatures. -

I had no issues with those longer lived, because they knew. For someone who lived through one - in - a - hundred - year disasters, those things were very real, but to those who didnÆt, or grew up after those disasters, they just didnÆt feel it personally and would take things lightly. I would mitigate this in my Valthorns with my dream academies and other such abilities and send them to the other worlds.

I realize this contradicted a thought I had previously with Branchhold. That different societies had different future time horizons. Some cultures prepared. Some cultures reacted.

- A/ , your concerns are overstated. ThereÆs actually no reason to warn them at all, - Alka interjected. - What could the kingdoms do with their levels and their resources? Nothing truly substantial. Nothing compared to what we have access to. If anything, the duty to prepare falls on us, those with domains . We do not expect a regular man on the street to know how to guide a ship through a hurricane, and likewise, we do not expect a village chief to know what to do against a god. -

- Is that from a book somewhere? - Stella quipped.

- No. But our eyes can see, our minds can foresee, and we shall guide our fellow men through these dark woods. -

Stella actually clapped. - YouÆve been reading. -

- Yes, I have. - Alka laughed.

I supposed it was true, there was not much these societies could do against such an existential threat.

Kraviek, my Treefolk A/ ic Lord of Growth , approached me with the latest of void - attuned treefolks. The youngest one could now speak and grew up well. By now, we had close to fifteen such treefolks, but our process of breeding more of them was slow because we checked everything.

Our concerns of their weak physique were overstated, as it soon became clear that the soul adapted to the body, and the body adapted to the soul. Their soul springs became an unusual mixture of both void and normal mana, and their soul springs had a two - layered structure, one normal mana, one void.

Still too young to learn magic, the first void - attuned Treefolk was named Kaala. Curious, and uncertain of his place in the world, we spoke a lot, and the void child reminded me very much of a once - young Lozanna .

They still had their naive innocence, a clear, wide - eyed wonder of the world around them. They did not know to be intimidated; the very act of speaking to me did not strike them with fear.

Every time I looked at the children I trained and designed, all for the future of waging war, I felt conflicted.

They were necessary. The skills, the adaptations they had, all, in my mind, necessary.

Reality nknot cruel, and with the demons all over the multiverse, my recruitment of talented children never stopped. The continuous process of building a pipeline of talent, for our war to end this cycle never ended.

I hoped there was a world some day in the future, where children could be children and not have to fight wars on my behalf.

When we destroyed and defeated the demon king, I wondered for a moment whether IÆd achieved my goals. I asked my domain holders once whether this was it.

That this was where we should stop, since weÆd stopped the cycle for Treehome.

But everyone knew it wasnÆt.

All we did was buy time and force them to rethink their strategy.

They would return. They were still there.

I looked at my future young soldiers all over Treehome and Branchhold and prepared them for a war that I wished I never had to fight.

But it must.

One day it would end. One day we would have our victory. But until then, I would keep adding more to our war potential.

37

YEAR 226

- IÆm there. IÆve reached SnekÆs world. - Stella said the words that theyÆd all waited for.

- Really? Seriously? - Ken jumped from his chair as the message propagated to all the senior leaders and the hero - related groups. We knew she was getting close, but the uncertain nature of the void and its erratic patterns made predicting the specific time and date difficult.

The void was simultaneously a stormy sea, a folding space, and a thick, dark, and confusing forest.

Snek immediately asked, - What did she see?! -

- My void body just arrived. and I canÆt see anything. The void bodyÆs just a void - portal probe. IÆll have to open a portal? -

- Wait! - Snek yelled, and Ken just shook his head.

- What now? - Ken said. - WeÆve finally reached your world, the goal youÆve always wanted, and now youÆre saying wait? -

- IÆm not ready! -

- YouÆre a spiritual snake ready to sacrifice your life to somehow bring heroes back to your world, and now you are not ready? Come on! - Snek felt a range of emotions IÆd rarely seen in the spirit - snake: confusion, uncertainty, fear, hope.

To return after so long. How much time had passed?

He didnÆt know. We didnÆt, either.

- The gates are open, - Stella said, and it was Lumoof, once again, who stepped through. We were greeted by mountains and canyons so high that they felt unreal. Instantly, we felt the presence of the demons.

A world of dragon - demons, the ones we saw from an earlier time. The ones that Lozanna fought. They zoomed overhead, so far above the canyons that they couldnÆt see us. - They donÆt have very good eyesight, - Lumoof quipped as the demons seemed to ignore us.

Snek and Ken ran through the city and rushed to the ValthornÆs keep and ran to the room where the portal floated midair.

Stella nodded in the room. - Well, the gateÆs there. Lumoof is already on the other side. -

SnekÆs little snake form seemed nervous, and I felt it. - Is it safe? - Ken asked. He hadnÆt actually stepped through to a demon world.

- Yes. The weather seems a little dry, but for now still breathable. The demons did not do much to the air. -

- Well, is this your home? - Lumoof asked. Snek sat on his shoulder.

- Yes. Yes, it is! - he said. - ItÆs the same sun and moon! - The terrain had changed, and their world had become even more mountainous. There were huge cliffs, deep valleys, and mountains that were filled with caves, all inhabited by the demon-dragons.

The dragon - demons flew overhead, and in truth, they were a pale imitation of real dragons. They lacked the overwhelming power that I felt in the ancient dragon bones, the energy and magic that could survive the batterings of time.

- Where are your. family? Or friends? - Lumoof asked as we walked through the valleys. The valleys all had small streams of running water; grass and foliage still grew on the banks of the stream. It seemed that certain demons didnÆt outright destroy their worlds and instead merely leeched off the core like some kind of planetary parasite.

- IÆm not sure, - Snek answered. - The terrain has changed so much, but my people live underground. -

A strange coexistence, one I considered, and Lumoof felt the world through his feet. - The good news is your world looks like it has hardly aged. -

There was still a strong, pulsing presence in the core, deeply entangled with the demons presence. The demon king in this world was still growing, and itÆd be years before it was ready for an invasion. Stella popped up right next to them.

The first thing she did was look up, and we saw the growing but still weak astral path that led somewhere.

- So how do we find your kind? Do they have any magic or markers? -

- . no. We hid everything. But things may have changed. -

Stella closed her eyes, and I felt her energy pulse outward, like a wave that swept out. Lumoof activated my avatar mode, and my magical labs spawned at the edges of the stream. These magical labs then activated my array of magical sensors.

We had to first offset the magical energies of the core and the demons, but once that was out of the way, we were left with a smaller pool of possible locations, about five hundred places.

- Do you think we can hide from the dragons? - Lumoof asked Stella, and she shrugged like it was a stupid question.

- Do we even need to? -

- True. They may look like dragons but lack their power. - If Lozanna could take them on, Lumoof and Stella certainly could steamroll their way through them.

- Actually, now may be a good time to get the next generation of Valthorns up to speed, - Lumoof realized.

- ThatÆs more like it. - Stella grinned.

Stella and Lumoof were at the center of about two hundred fifty Valthorns, all level one hundred and above.

- These are the possible locations of SnekÆs people, based on our magical sensors, and they refer to themselves as the Ularans. -

Ulara.

- After the demonic invasion, their message infrastructure collapsed, so there may be multiple surviving Ularans in this world, scattered all over the world. Snek claims he came from the Utara Ularans, and thereÆs the Selatan Ularans. -

The Valthorns separated into groups of five, and they fanned out. - Simply put, make a spectacle, lots of noise, and crush the demons, and see whether the Ularans will come out and talk to us. -

Everyone nodded.

Lumoof and Stella just followed their trail of destruction. The demon-dragons themselves were strong, relative to the other demon types, but their low quantities were a drag.

The Valthorns tore through the flights of demons; here, the ranger - archer Valthorns had extensive advantage. Their piercing arrows and crystal - bomb - tipped arrows were very effective against their heavy scales.

Our sound - and - fury agenda was successful.

- Patriarch Lumoof, we spotted some natives, - Aderan, a Valthorn - Treeology Monk - warrior, reported through our message system. - One of them was spying on us, and we tracked him back to a network of tunnels in the nearby valleys. -

I felt Snek breathe a huge sigh of relief. He had feared for his fellow snakefolk.

- We spotted some Ularans. -

All in, we spotted three separate groups of Ularans as we fanned out, and Stella and Lumoof teleported us to the nearest one. They lived in what appeared to be a really complicated network of deep tunnels and chambers and built secret irrigation tunnels and light - collecting structures that funneled light into underground farms.

Snek was nervous, but he knew how the tunnels worked. The tunnels were small and not meant for normal - size humanoids.

Instead, Snek, in his strange form, went to the door and searched for something? -

There was a metal plate, no larger than a small teacup, and he hit it five times. He held it up, and it vibrated midair.

And waited.

Soon, an Ularan emerged, a snake with two hands and no legs that resembled a really small naga. The Ularans were all small sized, no larger than a small table, but what was interesting was that they all had a large, cobra - like head.

He had a dagger in small hand.

- Who is it? -

- I am Sawabesarulars. - Snek did the introduction. - I was once one of the High - Blood Ritualists meant to find heroes for Ulara. I have returned and wish to speak to the present Ularan Lord of the Dens. -

The Ularan looked unsure. - I know not of this name or the ritual you speak of. Begone, you are not welcome. -

- Wait. We acted on the orders of the Ularan Lord Rajatedungular and Lord Kapakular. Are those names familiar to you? -

- They are long dead and their den long destroyed. -

- How many years has it been? - Snek asked.

- I do not know. Do not enter, as you are not welcome. -

- Are they welcome? - Snek pointed to Lumoof and Stella. - They can defeat the demons of this world and may even bring us to a world without demons. -

There was no response from the Ularan, and instead he just hissed.

- That didnÆt go as planned. - Snek sighed. - Let us try the other dens, but it is a good sign that my people survived after all. -

The second attempt was a lot better. - Oh. You are one of the ancient ritualists, and these are the leaders of the creatures aboveground? -

- Yes. -

- They do not look like the humans that the gods used to send. They look. so old. - Stella frowned.

- Times have changed, - Snek responded. - And they are not the heroes. -

- Unfortunately, we cannot let you into our den. We can meet outside. -

- The demons, do they not come for you? -

- Most dens have settled to a comfortable status quo with the demons. We leave them alone, and they hardly bother us. Those that venture too far get eaten. That is the way, - the Ularan of the second den said.

- Are you in contact with the other dens? -

- No. -

The rest of my Valthorns continued to fan out and scout out more of the locations. There were surprisingly more dens than we expected, as the dragon - demons really didnÆt like going down to the valleys and were happy to remain in the peaks and surface.

It was an unusual coexistence, and I was getting the sense that the Ularans didnÆt really want to rock the boat, either.

SnekÆs mood soured as we encountered more and more dens, almost all of them turning us away.

- I donÆt get it. I even obtained a hero class, and they donÆt even seem convinced. -

- Too much time has passed, - Lumoof said, - and theyÆve changed their minds in that period of time. Or maybe itÆs just a form of Stockholm syndrome. DonÆt rock the boat. -

As SnekÆs frustrations with the dens grew, IÆd decided to go on a small detour.

- Lumoof, if thereÆs a dragon - demon champion, let me know. I want to capture one. -

- Ah! - Lumoof nodded, quickly passed the message to the teams, and I got a target soon after.

- Patriarch Lumoof, there is a dragon - demon champion in this location. WeÆve backed off. - Lumoof charged to the location at high speed and then landed before a dragon - demon. These dragon - demon champions were one of the strongest types of demon-champions weÆd seen, just slightly weaker than the combined demon walker - super cannons.

Lumoof leaped on the dragon - demon champion. It flailed and struggled, but my vines wrapped around the giant dragon - demon and flooded it with my mana.

ItÆd gotten easy.

My vines pulled the dragon down to the ground and continued to flood it with mana.

Natural mana overwhelming has converted the Demon Drake Champion to a Giant Tree Drake.

Giant Tree Drake requires a Titan Soul to operate at full power.

The Tree Drake lumbered helplessly, unable to move much, so I had Stella send it back to Treehome for further investigation. Destroying the demon-dragons, or demon-drakes, since the system didnÆt consider them to be real dragons, was quite entertaining for my Valthorns.

Every wannabe hero had been sold the idea of slaying dragons, so this was the fulfillment of that dream.

- All right, what should we do? - Lumoof gathered the senior leaders and Snek while the rest of the Valthorns had fun slaying demons. - Snek is clearly not having much success with his kind, though some of them are willing to at least talk. -

- My humble and utmost apologies, Patriarch Lumoof, - Snek offered and seemed extremely embarrassed by what had happened. - I did not expect my people to be so. difficult. But at least I now know that about three hundred forty years have passed since I shed my physical form and entered the void. -

- What is the root cause of their resistance? You have the hero class. Surely they should welcome you as a savior of some kind. - Stella was fairly curious as well.

- Generations have grown up under these dragon - demons, and only the really old would remember life before them. As weird as it sounds, my fellow Ularans adapted and accepted life as it is and adopted some insular behaviors. I will need some time to address their concerns. -

Lumoof said, - Do we have time? -

- Plenty, - Stella said. - The starpaths are weak, and the core of this world is still holding one of the baby demon kings. -

- There you go. You have time. You may offer them a chance to move to our world. We will have somewhere safe for them. Perhaps the bugworld. -

Snek nodded. - I fear my fellow people may get aggressive, if I badger them too often, but I will try to undo this. -

- The Valthorns will be stationed here to support you. They could use the experience. Snek, you have. three years to make a difference. If nothing happens after three years, weÆre bailing. We can leave you here if thatÆs what you want. -

The little snake - creature bobbed his head and looked back at the insular little Ularans all hidden in their dens.

With StellaÆs void explorer locked on Snekworld, we were able to open portals to the world as needed. For now, Stella and Lumoof returned to Treehome.

- All right, whatÆs next? - Stella said.

Lumoof shrugged. - IÆm taking a break. IÆm going to go get some tea, a nice hearty meal, and then get a shower. IÆm all dusty. -

- Hah. -

Without the demonic invasions to regularly pulse and space out our time, even though I did feel it was a little too frequent, it helped structure my time and allow me to aim for the next goal. Now, I needed to figure out that goal for myself. I had to prepare for what came through the astral ways next, especially from that blob.

Stella and my void mages regularly checked the stars, and for Stella herself, she spent a lot of time working and training her mind - assistants to support her with the map within the demon kingÆs core.

Some of the distances were still too far, even with rift gates and how the demons created those astral paths, which was subsequently reinforced by a combination of void and core mana, was still a puzzle.

At least my other Valthorns seemed to be growing.

38

YEAR 227

There were times when nothing seemed to happen, and I generally enjoyed these periods of time. It wasnÆt to say nothing happened, but it was more that the events that happened were largely small to me.

On Treehome, my roots and vines finally crossed all the necessary oceans, and weÆd reached all the continents. I was now able to spy on everyone in the world.

But there was nothing worth spying on.

The temples did not hold secrets of communicating with the ancient gods, or if they did, it was lost to time. The kingdoms were embroiled in endless politicking and jostling for power, what little power they had. The common folk, well, there was really not much to gain from spying on them.

Again, it came back to my two main objectives. The first main objective for expansion was the gathering mana and resources, which did not require my direct control of the land. My subsidiary trees were able to hide and camouflage such that most people didnÆt notice them, and they, connected to the rest of the trees, generated mana.

The second was talent. There was a valid argument for the expansion of my cities into the other continents, to have a wider pool to gather talent. It was also true, just as Raph correctly noted, that my reluctance to control these other lands meant they were lawless, and many of these young, potentially talented children would encounter a demise before their time.

On this aspect, my spy networks in the other continents helped serve as my talent hunters.

Talent was an ephemeral quality. It emerged in some and didnÆt in others. IÆd known this through my decades, almost century - old training program. Some people bloomed early, some people bloomed late, and some never bloomed at all.

Some thrived in a structured, safe environment of the Central Continent; some thrived in the lawlessness of the kingdomÆs fringes. I tried to recreate similar chaos by letting go of the kingdoms of the Central Continent. I allowed them to fight each other.

Chaos. Conflict. It was all natural. Order was stifling, and worse still, the frustration created by order eventually caused the general populace to turn on the force that applied that order. Every few years, my Valthorns had to step in and quell some smaller actual rebellions, some small pockets of dissatisfaction that somehow turned on us.

We caught most of them before they turned into larger rebellions. My minds kept tabs of their general mood and tried to ensure that their frustrations were aimed at each other rather than us. Sometimes, my spymasters accelerated the collapse of certain incompetent kingdoms, just to ensure that the frustrations were focused on them rather than us. We stepped in when they did something.

It was a slippery, slippery slope.

Lumoof said to Raph that we were wardens. That was my goal. But in practice, there were flaws to this ideal as well.

If the lion was to hunt the last surviving gazelle, would we not intervene? We would, because in the interest of diversity, I should retain these rare species. Yet the natural way was to let it collapse. The strong survived; that was nature.

When were we wardens, and when were we zookeepers and conservationists?

NatureÆs diversity was hinged upon every species finding their niche. A species that did not find their niche thus died.

was that how we did things? was that how I wanted to do things?

The cities of Treehome had grown larger, the sheer concentration of our power meant resources, infrastructure, and facilities had made the Six Ports, Freshka, and the many directly administered cities of the Valthorns into large, sprawling city - monstrosities.

The decades of peace had created a huge accumulation of people in these large centers of economic activity. It also made it easier to find talent, because there was bound to be talent in a larger pool of people.

Like it or not, the Central ContinentÆs incredible prosperity was an outcome of decades of order. By my artificial mindÆs measures, the Central ContinentÆs population had increased by a factor of ten since a century ago, all because of significantly higher food availability and significantly lower death rates.

The resurgence of the lizardfolk, Centaur, and treefolk populations was also a big factor, and it was all possible because of our presence, to create order, and to protect those I saw as worth protecting.

But it was not fair. The nknot shaved our inbuilt biases.

If the lizardfolks or treefolks were inferior, by the order of things they should be extinguished. So, though we claimed to be wardens, we were not very good wardens. We stepped in.

We made changes. We elevated some lizardfolks and treefolks beyond their natural state and made them into wardens. But the very fact that we made it possible informed the others of the height that they could achieve.