"Corrupted?"
"Aha, that is merely the 'brand' the Mother Tree engraved upon our souls," Timogesi said, clearly unconcerned by Aha's accusation.
"This vast, multidimensional, binary universe was woven together by the powers of both the Tree and the Sea."
"Who dares to say," he continued, "that countless cosmic cycles ago, the positions occupied by the Tree and the Sea were not the complete opposite of what they are now?"
"This body..." Timogesi's hand clenched into a fist, then slowly relaxed.
"If we were upon the Tree, you might have had a chance of winning. But my old friend, this is the Quantum Sea."
Timogesi was right. Within the confines of the Quantum Sea, the difficulty for an Astral God to extract Imaginary energy from their Path was more than ten times greater than it was on the Tree.
"Timogesi," Aha countered. "You dare to face me with only a third of your power. Is this paltry advantage all you're relying on?"
The Imaginary energy surging within Aha had completely pushed back the surrounding seawater.
"Old friend, I am well aware of your 'concerns,' but they are unnecessary. Yes, with 'Order' and the sixty-four Dominions I have already 'collected,' I have more than enough power to completely erase your 'Elation' here in the Sea."
"You have indeed taken this Path to its absolute pinnacle."
"As for these others beside you, even if they were to burn their Paths to forcibly exchange for Imaginary energy, the combat power they could display would likely not even be thirty percent of their peak."
"To be able to so easily exert fifty percent of your strength in the Quantum Sea... in terms of mastery over a single Path, even I, as I am now, am no match for you."
"A pity."
"Though these few are also quite good, whether or not an Astral God has seen the 'end'—well, to put it simply: the gap between the 'top tier' and those below is not something that can be bridged by mere numbers."
Timogesi was confident of his victory. There were only a few Astral Gods who posed a threat to him, and all potential obstacles to his plan had been eliminated one by one, through various means, over a number of eons he could no longer recall. That's right, the passing of the ancient Astral Gods was inextricably linked to Timogesi: Long, Akivili, Idrila, Tayzzyronth... The first two were ancient Astral Gods on the same level as Aha, while the latter two were only slightly less powerful, but comparable to Yaoshi and Mythus here today.
"Who would appear in the Sea..."
"It was all determined from the very beginning."
Timogesi had single-handedly created the current situation. All the major Astral Gods had fallen into the trap he had woven. As for the "leftover" Astral Gods who hadn't participated in the 'Abyss Expedition Conference,' they weren't even worth mentioning.
"..."
"You are as meticulous as ever," Aha remarked. The power of Order was not just in strength; its willingness to scheme at any cost was its most terrifying aspect.
"I am flattered." With victory at hand, Timogesi saw no need for modesty.
"But it's a shame..."
"?"
"Among this batch of the most ancient Astral Gods... aside from you and me, there is another who has been waiting here for a long time."
"SWOOSH!"
The sea tide swirled, and a great wave surged.
Layer upon layer of space was torn open, and a "constellation" outlined by points and lines appeared silently beside Aha.
Fuli, the Astral God of Remembrance;
Ouroboros, the Astral God of Voracity;
And Cerberus, the Astral God of Twilight.
---o---
"..."
Seeing Fuli, who should have been exiled by Ouroboros, appear here, the previously calm and composed Timogesi's expression turned noticeably grim.
"Ouroboros, are you mad?"
Timogesi's voice made Ouroboros, whose true form was a black hole, recoil slightly like a startled animal.
"He is not mad," Fuli said. "As the only Ancient Beast to have transformed into an Astral God and survived to this day, ten thousand years ago, Voracity indeed did not have good relations with any of the Astral Gods."
"But Timogesi," Fuli continued, "have you forgotten how many Ancient Beasts died at your hands?"
"Or do you believe that Ouroboros would be more interested in the silent Abyss than the lively star-sea, or the lonely 'Ancient Gods' than the revered Astral Gods?"
A comical scene unfolded. Timogesi, who had once slaughtered Ancient Beasts like cutting melons, had been backstabbed by an Ancient Beast that should have obediently submitted. After Akivili's death, the only "enemy" Astral God who was adept at "space" and had free hands was "Voracity." With the Final Monarch's surprise attack and Ouroboros's ambush, there was no way Fuli could have escaped in a short time.
Once Timogesi had mastered the four fundamental Dominions, dealing with him later would have been child's play.
But...
"Unexpected. Truly unexpected."
"To think I would be outplayed by such a simple plan."
"To trust in the Astral Gods again just because you found a 'companion'... Ouroboros, you are even more 'naive' than I imagined."
Cerberus, the Astral God of Twilight.
The Monarch had spent six thousand years helping Cerberus successfully collect all his "relics," allowing the former "Twilight Ancient Beast" to ascend as a new Astral God. Although his power was far from what it was as an Ancient Beast, to have come this far was something countless beings in the star-sea universe dared not even dream of, let alone a member of the once-hostile Ancient Beast race.
"No," Timogesi said, looking at the Monarch standing quietly to the side. "I know the temperament of the Ancient Beasts all too well... He once tore off your hide. That is an absolutely irreconcilable conflict."
"A self-inflicted wound to gain trust?"
"No. That was a relic you inherited from 'Twilight'," Timogesi once again negated his own guess and stated the vague truth. To resurrect the former Cerberus, Ouroboros, also an Astral God, had "contributed" the most important medium.
"Your submission came from instinctual fear... and your betrayal, surprisingly, also came from an instinctual desire."
Ancient Beasts possessed a craving for "companionship," an emotion that most Astral Gods, also high-dimensional beings, lacked and found difficult to understand.
"This current situation," Timogesi mused, "if this was 'hypothesized' from back then, or even earlier, then—"
"Whose plan is this?"
"..."
"I am the master of the [Path of Memory]," Fuli spoke for the first time since appearing.
"If it were the 'lost' history of the previous cosmic cycle, or even earlier ones that have fallen into the Sea, I would not have enough energy to delve deep and investigate."
"But if the story takes place in the current universe," a bluish-white halo flickered around the "constellation," and the Path power Fuli displayed was in no way inferior to Aha's beside him.
"As long as I wish, and as long as there is time... no matter how deeply it is buried, I can unearth it from the dust."
"As for the bookmark of history..." Fuli shifted his gaze to Little Bai not far away.
"You left it yourself."
---o---
Timogesi understood.
The "Grand Monarch of Order" was supposed to be the breach he had left open, but it had also become the breach through which he was "discovered."
None of these "old friends" of his were simple:
The Final Monarch had been interfering with his plans from the very beginning; Preservation's "cooperation" had prevented Nanook from appearing in the material universe for long periods; Immortality had sabotaged him at the last moment of success; Trailblaze had exposed the traces of his hidden secrets one by one, and through the Monarch's hands, passed them on to Memory.
The actions of the first few could be traced, but the cooperation between Akivili and Fuli was far beyond Timogesi's expectations. Even Little Bai, the "executor," had only discovered the full truth of the matter just before their departure.
"Ah~" A sigh filled with infinite regret escaped Timogesi's lips.
"As expected."
Compared to his slightly grim tone from before, Timogesi's voice was now filled with... the exhilaration of meeting a worthy opponent.
"It seems relying on petty tricks like scheming to win directly is still quite unrealistic."
"Aha," Timogesi asked the Astral God of Elation with a sense of release. "Before executing this plan, how confident were you that you had guessed correctly?"
"Fifty-fifty."
"Despite having so much intelligence, it was still only fifty-fifty?" Timogesi was slightly surprised.
"When it involves the Tree, the Sea, and the fundamental rules, a fifty-fifty chance is already a very high probability for us Astral Gods."
"Then what about your chances of winning?"
"Fifty-fifty," Aha's answer was no different from before.
"This is two against one. Seeing you all before, I thought you'd have at least a seventy or eighty percent chance of success," Timogesi said with a smile.
"Preservation is also fighting one against two. If you had sufficient information, you wouldn't have needed to set this trap to lure me here."
"And according to your analysis of the 'strength' of the Paths, Fuli and I combined are certainly no match for the Final Monarch and Destruction," Aha stated plainly, but the aura around him had already risen to its absolute limit.
"You think my one-third is weaker than Qlipoth?" Timogesi's tone was slightly "dissatisfied."
"Or perhaps, you think those few like Yaoshi can influence the battle between us? Or are you pinning your hopes on those mortals?"
"..."
"Timogesi," Aha said. "If you hadn't mentioned that last sentence, I might not have believed Order's previous judgment."
"..."
Before Timogesi could respond, Aha continued.
"I must admit, with the strength of Yaoshi and Mythus, it is indeed difficult for them to participate in this confrontation."
"However."
"The reason they came here... was not to 'charge' you."
"!"
"WHOOSH—"
"BOOM!!!"
Lava erupted, and a tsunami overturned.
An overwhelming tide of energy, with a wave of Timogesi's arm, poured down like the heavens were collapsing.
But Fuli's body transformed into a "Wall of Stars," blocking everything, placing itself between Timogesi and the mortal fleet.
Immediately after, a number of [Calamity Beasts] far beyond reason, leading a new "Lost Fleet," spewed forth from behind the tide like a plague of locusts!
"What's the hurry?"
Abundance, Enigmata, Twilight, Voracity, Harmony.
The Path powers blooming from the five Astral Gods firmly enveloped the expeditionary fleet, which was rapidly being surrounded by the "Lost Fleet."
"Timogesi, I quite agree with what you said earlier—" Aha declared.
"This is not the 'Tree's' main battlefield."
Through the sacrifice of their followers, the Astral Gods could extend their Paths to the depths of the Sea, where the branches of the Imaginary Tree could not reach.
Likewise, through the power of the Astral Gods, mortals who held the same Paths could follow the roads they paved to return to the treetop.
"Coincidentally"... Little Bai held all of the Paths of these Astral Gods. Using himself as a hub and a medium, the Monarch could integrate the Path powers of the numerous Astral Gods and send the entire "expeditionary fleet," which still retained sixty percent of its strength, back to the star-sea universe!
"Aha," Timogesi scoffed. "For you, who has seen the 'end,' to make such a foolish decision as 'pinning your hopes on mortals'... is something I never expected."
"Timogesi," Aha replied. "Astral Gods command the Paths, but the growth of a Path's power is not something an Astral God can achieve alone."
"This is the greatest difference between an Astral God and an Outer God."
The halo of light that surged from Aha's body not only illuminated vast swathes of the Abyss but even melted away the "frontline" of the Lost Fleet, which was already a considerable distance away.
"As you said before, on the road to the pinnacle of a Path, I walk ahead of all other Astral Gods. You, who could command the power of the Abyss from the moment of your birth, probably cannot fully comprehend the meaning of this."
"After all, the followers who once served under you were nothing more than avatars of the 'Tree' and 'yourself'."
Even in this "charging" phase, both friend and foe among the "gods" got a preview of just how dazzling this Astral God's Path truly was.
"I am Aha, the Astral God of Elation."
"Happiness and pain, joy and sorrow, the delight of birth, the grief of passing—all of these are the sources of my power."
The [Ossette] and the [Gondola], super-titans representing the two opposing aspects of [Masked Fools] and [Mourning Actors] respectively, along with all the followers of Elation aboard them, transformed into pure radiance with looks of release, and flowed into Aha's body!
"Timogesi."
"Witness... the pinnacle of a Path!"
Starlight filled the sky, and dust motes of light scattered.
"BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!"
---o---
"Vmm."
The Tree. The universe. Atop The Throne.
The massive, battle-scarred fleet materialized here.
"Little Bai—" Little Zi began, but the Monarch cut her off.
"Aha and Fuli can hold Timogesi back. No, they must hold Timogesi back."
"No matter how weakened the other Astral Gods' Paths are, they won't be taken down by mere [Calamity Beasts] in a short time..."
"But it's impossible that Timogesi is the only Outer God in the Quantum Sea."
A Grand Monarch from [The Family] raised a question. Their Astral God had remained in the Quantum Sea, and the only "universe-class" combatant to return with the fleet was the Monarch. Logically, he shouldn't be speaking out at this moment, but the situation was clearly too urgent to be concerned with etiquette and status.
"Correct," the Monarch replied, equally unconcerned by the breach of protocol.
"The time flow between the Tree and the Sea is still at 1:10."
By reconnecting with [The Throne], Little Bai could perceive the subtle changes in time.
"There isn't much time, but it's enough."
"As long as we can remove the Abyss's 'wedges' on the Tree, then—"
Before he could finish, countless spatial fluctuations began to ripple wildly around the star system where [The Throne] was located.
"Very good."
"It seems they are just as impatient."