"As far as I recall, this universe should have a rather poor relationship with the Sebettu, no? But I assume I can take this as a sign that you've included them in your alliance?"

Yao Jun's gaze slowly moved between the two Godkings that had tried to assassinate him. This universe was a target for the Sebettu's conquest so the inhabitants would obviously have a rather terrible relationship with them, but yet here one of them stood. Granted, Yao Jun already knew that at least some members of the various clans and sects had ties with the Sebettu, there would always be people trying to increase their own standing after all. But it had never been this blatant, doing it this obviously would just make them a target for the other sects to destroy, if just to keep up appearances.

"It couldn't be helped. Thanks to a certain someone, we lost a majority of our younger generation. Without them, we won't be able to train new powerhouses so we're doomed to slowly but surely get crushed by the World Tree clan. We're not in a situation where we can be picky about our allies."

The one who responded was, as expected, the brown-haired and golden-eyed man who came from the Heaven's Gate sect, his gaze stabbing into Yao Jun. The strongest members of the clans determined their standing and strength, that was indeed true. But no clan could survive if they lost their younger generation, it was like cutting the roots of a tree. There'd be no more growth, no new powerhouses to replace those that may get lost. 

 

If one clan lost their younger generation and their chance for growth, while another clan was allowed to keep training their youths, it was obvious which one would come out on top in the end. Yao Jun had nothing to say to the man's, Shao Ze, explanation, his gaze landing on the silver-haired Sebettu, Qiu Song Yau.

"So, what has Ren Shuren told you about me? Seeing as you were willing to attack me, he must have given you a rather thorough briefing."

Ren Shuren and his wife were Yao Jun's one connection with the Sebettu, they were also the ones among them who could be said to know the most about Yao Jun. When they last met, Ren Shuren had warned his superior about moving against Yao Jun, but that superior had only been at the peak of the Earthen Deity realm. It wasn't impossible for Ren Shuren to change his tune when the one doing the attacking was a Godking, he had probably fed Song Yau quite a bit of information about what laws Yao Jun had used in the past. But to his surprise, Song Yau's eyes narrowed somewhat dangerously.

"You are familiar with Colonel Shuren? Hmph, seems like General Gremory hasn't been doing his job and kept a proper eye on his men."

She snorted with a mixture of annoyance and disdain, only when she spoke the name Gremory did her eyes flash with a twinge of vigilance. Yao Jun's head tilted for a second, it seemed like Ren Shuren hadn't told them a thing? Then again, there was also another avenue he had to look a this from, the difference in standing. Ren Shuren clearly had a position in the Sebettu army, but trying to compare him to a Godking was too much of a stretch. As such, it couldn't be ruled out that he simply hadn't been able to pass on the news since Song Yau couldn't be bothered to listen to the words of someone so far beneath her.

"If you don't know then you don't know. Well then, with that out of the way, can I assume that both of you are ready to lay down your lives?"

Yao Jun tossed his various suspicions to the back of his mind and focused on the two assassins. They had tried to kill him, and he wasn't merciful enough to spare someone like that, he didn't have the leeway to do something like that, he had far too many things to lose. They came, they attacked, and for that, they would die. 

The two Godkings frowned slightly, their Qi quietly starting to roil within their bodies. They knew that Yao Jun had killed Firesage Wyrmheart so he had already fought a Godking before, but they didn't like how casual he acted. The fact that he had yet to move, the fact that his expression had barely changed, it made them both wary and annoyed. But above all, there was that woman at his side.

"I didn't hear about you in the report. Seeing as you protected him, am I allowed to assume that you are planning on positioning yourself opposite of us?"

Shao Ze warily eyed Zhuan Yi as she stood there, looking at them almost quizically. There had been no mention of her in the report about Yao Jun's battle with Firesage Wyrmheart so she clearly hadn't taken part in it. They had judged that two Godkings would be enough to deal with Yao Jun since he was alone, but now that judgment may slowly be crumbling. Zhuan Yi didn't answer the question straight away, the answer to it really depended on someone else after all. So she turned her gaze sideways, her dark silver eyes casting their questioning light onto Yao Jun. 

"I want to request your help. If you can deal with that man then I will owe you a debt."

Yao Jun didn't beat around the bush, he wasn't so arrogant that he thought that he could deal with two Godkings, especially when he had people around him that he needed to protect. There was a chance he could bring them into his universe, he hadn't tried it yet so he couldn't say for sure. But even if he succeeded in doing that, it wouldn't end up mattering if he died here. Luckily, Zhuan Yi gave a light shrug of her shoulders as she turned her gaze back onto the two Godkings.

"You heard him. It's quite hard to have him owe you a debt so I'm not going to waste this chance. Sorry, but I'll have you leave your head here."

In truth, she would have intervened and helped him even if he didn't request it. He wouldn't fall here, even if she didn't help him, she was confident of that. But it would slow him down, set him back, and that was something she didn't want to see. He was a calamity, a walking extinction event, she wanted to see how far he could go, how high he could reach, there was no time for slowing down. Shao Ze accepted her words at face value, casting a slightly sharp gaze towards Song Yau.

"So be it. Don't play around, Song Yau, I will not return with a report that your leniency ruined our mission."

Since an unknown factor had intruded on the mission they lost what little room for leniency that they had, the slightest trace of indulgence they showed now may end up giving their target the chance to escape. Song Yau snorted lightly but still nodded her head, she was from the Sebettu so it was inevitable that she saw things differently from those who came from a place as small as a minor universe. 

"Sirius, you're free to act as you want. But please, focus more on her, and keep a closer eye on Yang Long and Lin Ren."

Yao Jun placed his hand on Sirius' shoulder, whispering his parting sentence in a voice so low that only the two of them could hear it. He looked a bit disappointed, but it was a request from his lord so he still nodded his head and accepted it. And truthfully, he understood why Yao Jun asked him to focus on the others rather than focus on helping him.

Yao Jun had an excess of laws, he was so versatile that most enemies would find him extremely troublesome. But Zhuan Yi wasn't the same, she was a Demonic beast who was rather limited in her abilities, at least based on what she had shown so far. As such, it was far easier for an opponent to counter her or deal with her, making it more likely for her to be the one that would need help. 

"Alright, all the pointless talk is now out of the way. So..."

Zhuan Yi clapped her hand lightly when it seemed like the time for talking was over, her eyes focusing fully on Shao Ze. Her feet kicked off the ground lightly before she even finished talking and she shot forward, tossing the bloodstained earth beneath her, as well as the limbs of the corpses that had rested there high into the air.

"...How about we take this a bit further away so that we have more space?"

She finished her sentence as she arrived in front of Shao Ze, her arm pushing forward while morphing into a morning star. Shao Ze blocked the attack, his arms seemingly turning into blood as they morphed into a shield that caught the attack. But she still achieved her goal, Shao Ze's feet leaving the ground as he was pushed back.

"Then I will be on my way, My Lord, please call for me if you need me."

Sirius gave Yao Jun a slight bow before he moved to chase after Zhuan Yi, quietly using a bit of wind to move Yang Long and Lin Ren away so that they wouldn't get caught up in Yao Jun's battle. 

"Here I come, Yao Jun. Let me see how many attacks you will be able to block on your own."

Song Yau was not above stating her intentions as she readied her stance. She had clawed her way up to the Sovereign God realm, or the Godking realm as this minor universe called it, so she still had her pride after all, especially when she also considered her position in the Sebettu race. The earlier sneak attack was already on the edge of what her pride allowed her, and she had only gone through with it because of the orders she had been given ahead of time. But now the attack had failed so the orders had fallen through, now she was free to do things as she pleased. 

Her figure flickered and she shot forward, arriving in front of Yao Jun practically instantly. Her spear rushed forward, the tip piercing through space to appear mere centimetres away from Yao Jun's forehead. Yao Jun took a swift step back and pulled out the glaive from his back, the pure white weapon violently tearing through the air before it collided with the spearhead. 

The spear was pushed aside, a crushing force seeping out from the glaive crumbling space around it so that Song Yau couldn't just use her law of space to shift the weapon away. But Yao Jun still frowned somewhat as he swung his weapon. His palms hurt. The attack sent reverberations up along his arm, rattling his bones. It was far stronger than he expected, suspiciously strong.

"The law of vibrations, is it?"

Song Yau only clicked her tongue in response to Yao Jun's question, an act that could be taken as a non-verbal answer. Song Yau stomped the ground, the earth trembling as a result, shifting about almost like water as it tried to rob Yao Jun of his mobility. She didn't rely on her law of space this time and simply took a step forward, exerting her strength as she forced the deflected spear to swing back towards Yao Jun.

Yao Jun's glaive was still positioned to receive the attack so he blocked it as it came, his knuckles turning white from how strongly he grasped the weapon. His weapon was sturdy. Its original form was a Demonic beast from the same race as Zhuan Yi, but this particular glaive wasn't formed using just any member of that race. No, this glaive was formed using one of its two founding members, the grand traitor that had betrayed this Sphere of Existence during the previous Sphere War and gone over to the enemy.

As such, it wouldn't bend no matter how much force there was behind Song Yau's attack, it wouldn't bend even if she burned her life to launch an attack. But Yao Jun's elbow was a different matter, moving slightly as the force behind Song Yau's attack crept in. He couldn't help but frown at the sight, it seemed like dealing with a Godking without tapping into the power of faith was still too hard for him.

Yao Jun lowered his glaive and took another step back, putting more focus on the part of his consciousness that constantly resided within the universe he had become. And then he put some energy into his eyes and focused on those illusory threads that appeared around him. As golden as the morning sun or as dark as the deepest night, the threads came in those two colours. 

Golden threads represented heartfelt faith, a belief that he would come out on top no matter what and continue his rule. Friends, lovers, family, companions, fervent believers, they were the ones who supplied this faith, their hearts. 

And the black threads represented fear, a primordial terror as old as death itself. They believed that he would come no matter what, an inevitable end that drew in all things. He was horror, pure and unblemished, a monster that the world should have killed in the crib. 

When it came to Yao Jun, the black threads far outnumbered the golden threads, it was as if they were trying to shroud his surroundings in complete darkness. But no matter how dark it got, there would always be those golden threads, those reassuring lights that smiled at him, whispered to him and cheered for him. 

He sent out his mind and touched them, tapped into the power they carried. The universe he had become instantly exploded with light, power welling forth and rushing through the body he had made for himself. He was violence, pure and simple, crushing power that rushed like a tidal wave, unstoppable.

He was just about to retract his focus and return to the battle when he noticed something. The number was off. Why? Why was the number off?

He had far fewer golden threads than black so it was much easier to keep track of them all. And among all the golden threads, there were some he always paid special attention to, namely the golden threads connected to the black fragments that orbited around his universe. Those fragments were the remains of his God Gate, they housed his family and companions, each golden thread connected to those fragments symbolized one of those people. 

And right now, he was confident that one of the threads that used to connect him with one of those fragments was gone. He counted them all again and again, searched his memory thousands of times within a single second, but he always came to the same answer. One was missing. One golden thread had vanished. 

"Wha..."

The word spilt from his mouth but he didn't get to finish it, a strong impact hitting his chest and launching him back. He tore through the army that was still stationed behind him like a cannonball, scattering flesh and limbs as the soldiers were torn apart by the sheer speed at which he was launched. He could feel that there was a hole in his chest, the place where his heart was supposed to be was now gouged out, a fist-sized circle allowing you to see straight through him.

But this was after all just a body he had formed to have one, his actual form was the universe inside him. The universe shook from the attack and a few planets crumbled, but that was it, it was far from enough to kill him. But he was still shaken, slumped on the ground when he finally stopped flying.

Why was a thread gone? Why had one of the most important threads vanished? Was it not safe within the broken fragments? Had something happened in there and one of his family had died? Or had they just stopped believing in him, did they no longer think that he would be there for them? If he had to choose then he would much prefer the second option, at least they would still be alive.

"That can't be it, right, Yao Jun? Come, show me the strength that burned the Firesage!"

Song Yau's voice tore through the air like thunder, but it barely registered in Yao Jun's ears. His gaze was fully focused on the fragment that had lost one of its threads, since he remembered them all so clearly it was easy to spot which fragment had lost a thread.

"Why? Why? What happened to you?"

He muttered somewhat dimly as he looked at the fragment, which now felt far darker than any night to him. He couldn't understand it, or perhaps it was better to say that he didn't want to understand it. Fear had always been what drove him forward, fear of loss. And now that fear stood right in front of him, grinned at him with a sadistic smirk. He didn't want to look at it, didn't want to think that it may be right, that it may be at his side. 

He hadn't rushed. He knew that his family and companions were trapped inside the fragments, but as he was the one who once owned the God Gate he also knew what was inside it. So he knew that there shouldn't have been anything in the God Gates that could threaten them, they would at least be safe inside there. So he hadn't been too rushed in finding energy sources large enough to crack open the fragments like he had cracked open the first one, he wanted to make sure he cracked them all in the most perfect way.

"Was...was I wrong?"

Something hit his head as he powerlessly muttered to himself. His slumped over body was smashed into the ground, his head cracking open as it was buried in the ground. His universe trembled again, planet after planet falling apart as they took the damage for him. 

"Come on, fight back, Yao Jun! Don't just sit around, stand up!"

Song Yau's voice once again reached him. She had gouged out his heart and shattered his head but she seemed convinced that he was still alive. As proof of that conviction, her leg stomped down on his spine and pushed him further into the earth, shattering more of his planets.

"Yama... Ba-Shei... Was I wrong?"

Yao Jun ignored the attacks, his gaze landing on the two lifeforms here that were closest to him. One was a leaf-like strand of grass covered in red veins and the other was a small serpent with a lower jaw that was split down the middle. They were the ones who had emerged when Yao Jun cracked open the first of the fragments his God Gate had ended up becoming, one had been within the God Gate while the other had fused with it to aid him.

Had he been wrong in taking it slow, had he been wrong in wanting to do things perfectly? Should he have rushed, should he have just sought out energy source after energy source to crack open the fragments even if he didn't know what consequences it may have? He didn't know, he didn't have an answer. And neither did his two companions. They simply stuck close to his side and quietly comforted him, silently conveying the same thoughts that all his beast companions shared as they travelled with him.

You are our God, the Demon God. Do what you want and it will be right. We will follow all the same.

Yao Jun reached out and placed his hands on the two beasts, stroking the leaf and rubbing the serpent's head. His gaze slowly rose towards the fragment that had lost one of its threads, his somewhat blank gaze slowly solidifying. He... didn't know if he had been wrong or right in his approach. All he knew was what had happened, and what he would do next. He was afraid, so he had rushed forward, he was afraid, so he had charged ahead to reach a place higher than any others. And now he was so afraid that it felt suffocating so he would rush faster than ever before. His gaze hardened and his energy moved, and finally, Song Yau got something other than silence from him.

"Sorry. But please, help me, Yama."

Song Yau's head tilted for a second since she had no idea who Yao Jun was talking to, but her gaze sharpened mere moments later. The planet suddenly trembled, the earth cracked and tore. Roots burrowed through the land as grass covered in red veins sprouted from the blood-soaked earth. And then people started dying, regardless of which army they belonged to, they died all the same. 

The grass stabbed into them and drained them of life, of blood, of energy. They fell to the ground in droves, withering away into drained husks that couldn't even be used as fertilizers. A rose slowly started to bloom on the battlefield, as crimson as blood as it reached towards the sky, as it ate the planet.

And then Song Yau felt Yao Jun's body twist beneath her feet. The cracked head reformed, the shattered spine reassembled, the hole in his chest closed up. And then came the bloodlust, like a sticky sensation in the air, like glue in the lungs. His body and his glaive erupted with it, twisted the air with it, dyed the skies red with it. 

A foreboding sensation assaulted Song Yau suddenly so she put her strength into her legs and jumped away, hurriedly putting distance between herself and Yao Jun. And she was just in time, space crackled just as she moved away, black flames spilling out from cracks that had appeared out of nowhere. Yao Jun slowly rose from the ground now that Song Yau was no longer standing on his back, the pristine white head of his glaive slowly tainted crimson as space continued to burn, his shadow wriggling and growing as it if was alive.