Overlord

As the undisputed number two of the Order faction, Tyrannus lowered his posture completely. This was not flattery, nor submission, and certainly not fear. Especially now, in a divine war where everyone was destined to perish, such notions had lost all practical meaning. The fundamental reason was that Eternity was an ally recognized by their Lord. Even though Eternity had never acknowledged it, and there had never been any mutual understanding or negotiations between the two epoch overlords. Yet the proud God of Order had still left an exclusive opening in His fence for Eternity to come and go, willing to bear the immense risk that, should Eternity take the opposite side, His entire arrangement would completely collapse. Tyrannus trusted his Lord's choice. It was just that Eternity's current mood was far from pleasant. Richard's gaze was somewhat gloomy, and his breathing grew heavy. With an inadvertent snort, a white silkworm-like worm slipped out of his nostril with a soft squelch and landed in his palm. Richard lowered his head, staring at it. Little Jerry: "..." Through the painstaking research of countless explorers and divine historians, reliable evidence had been uncovered showing that at least five epochs ago, an insectoid deity known as "Benavis" had suppressed an epoch and become its overlord. It was no exaggeration to say that virtually all insectoid magical beasts of the present epoch could be traced back to Him. Yet even Benavis had never enjoyed the treatment Little Jerry had received. Nurtured and offered sacrifices by Light, intimidated and tamed by the blood of Order, and now gazed upon by the eyes of Eternity—with a diminutive body measuring literally less than a knuckle, it was contending against three epoch overlords. Richard's fingers began to curl inward, but right at that moment, an intention to resist arose, so faint as to be nearly imperceptible. This struggle came from the host body itself. It was not a fight for control over his own flesh—on that front, he had given up long ago and never intended to resist in the first place. What Richard was best at was lying down right where he fell. Yet he did not want Little Jerry to be annihilated just like that. Richard opened his mouth and tossed it upward. Little Jerry dropped into his mouth, slid down his throat, and immediately sought out an even more secure corner inside to continue shivering violently. Having done this, Richard was still in no hurry to answer Tyrannus's request. Instead, he muttered in deep dissatisfaction, "Why is it that the blessed bloodlines are all Order's relatives?" After an epoch of "witch hunts," the Alter bloodline had become a genuine rarity. Today, the only branch still capable of awakening the bloodline was Madame Tangli's line. Within this branch, Aunt Lucy and her daughter had failed to awaken the bloodline, leaving Eternity with only four choices: Madame Tangli, Aisen, Karen, and Richard. Aisen had been eliminated in the very first round of screening because his body was not robust enough to bear this strand of Eternity's divine will. Karen was the inheritor of Order. The divine will had not avoided Karen out of deference to Order or respect for who arrived first; rather, in theory, the hunger addiction within Karen could devour this strand of Eternity's divine will. As for Madame Tangli, it was because of Diss. Though Diss had not attained godhood, his will could withstand Eternity's dead silence, and the Scythe of War in his hand could harm the divine will itself. In the end, only Richard remained as the sole viable option. His physical constitution was remarkably superb, and he posed zero danger. "Order, did You do this on purpose?" Did You deliberately entangle Yourself in relations with me just to curry favor? Buken stood quietly by the side, doing nothing. Just then, a figure appeared behind Richard. Although they had not been in the same place initially, they were still within the Yorktown Region. For Philomena, who had just received the inheritance of twin assassin godheads, such a distance took merely an instant to cross. Those who could discern the change in Richard would do nothing at this moment, as everyone prioritized the factional interests on the grand chessboard. Yet Philomena did not understand chessboards. She only knew that the chess piece who brought her braised pork trotters every day had changed his nature. The Nightmare Blade thrust forward, aiming to carve into Richard's back and forcibly drive out the squatter occupying him. Richard's figure vanished from where he stood and reappeared on the other side, effortlessly dodging Philomena's strike. Philomena's silhouette twisted and vanished from her spot as well. The Nightmare Blade reappeared right in front of Richard. This time, Richard did not dodge. Instead, his eyes narrowed slightly. The trembling Little Jerry felt as if struck by lightning; its tiny body flattened out instantly, and its racial abilities were stimulated and unleashed to their utmost potential. The very same thing yielded entirely different results in different hands. Eternity could excavate the innate talents of the Light Worm to the absolute maximum, whereas Richard could only let Jerry get into his head to make himself slightly smarter. A white cocoon swiftly unfurled, sealing off the castle in an instant and even blending seamlessly into the restrictions of the Disciplinary Department's barrier. It was not a divine domain, yet to a certain degree, it produced a comparable effect. Philomena's movements became severely hindered. What was more, the harder she strained to draw closer to Richard, the farther away she drifted. After all, not everyone was Diss, nor did everyone hold that extraordinary divine artifact in hand. Richard took a leisurely step forward, arrived in front of Philomena, and raised his hand. An intention of resistance countless times fiercer than before surged forth. The hand Richard had just raised was forced back down. He suddenly felt that choosing this body might have been a mistake. This young man was destined to be surrounded by the Order faction, and even his partner was the branch inheritor of Order. In an instant, Richard found the whole situation utterly dull. From the moment he had succumbed to the urge to descend and enter the fray, he had been thoroughly orchestrated by the Order lineage. He despised this feeling, yet found no way to break free. The reason he could not bring himself to be ruthless was truly what Karen had said. It had nothing to do with who spoke the words, but one undeniable fact remained: he genuinely disliked the world he had once inhabited. He had dispersed ignorance, yet the deities who had followed him back then had themselves turned into ignorance. His choice had simply been escapism—out of sight, out of mind. Yet in the end, someone had stepped forward, determined to change it all. Battle after divine battle unfolded; though they manifested in the mortal world, they were all kept beyond the cosmic barrier. Main gods fell one after another, and the only fallout was a few bouts of extreme weather. That fellow called Order had been painstakingly nurturing the sapling He had cultivated. Eternity could not comprehend it, yet was forced to accept it. Because sometimes, it was not that you possessed a part of the sapling; rather, you needed that part of it to hold you. A god needed an anchor all the more. Richard lifted his head and spoke. "I will teach you." Tyrannus finally received an answer, and he let out a long sigh of relief in his heart. He was the executor of an established plan, yet now he was reaping an immense harvest that had never been part of the contingency. Richard closed his eyes, and his soul consciousness appeared within Tyrannus's divine domain. It was not polite modesty to say that Tyrannus truly was not adept at combat. A mortal's energy was limited, and the same held true for a god. Tyrannus surrendered control of his divine body directly, essentially offering himself up to be occupied by the other. Freed from her obstruction, Philomena raised her blade and appeared before Richard once more. Buken manifested to block her, urging gently, "This is a good thing." "To protect him, Karen deliberately kept him out of the squad!" The poor former Whip-Wielder was forced to rack his brains right then, pondering how to persuade this blunt young woman blinded by peculiar emotions. He even went so far as to utter sweet nothings tinged with a thick Wien flavor: "Could it be... that he actually wanted the power to protect the young master, and also wanted... to protect you?" Philomena lowered her blade. ... Inside the divine domain, Richard took over everything belonging to Tyrannus while cursing, "Everyone in your Order faction is out of their minds!" He was not referring to the God of Order's epoch barrier that banished the pantheon of gods—that, he could understand. Rather, as a dignified epoch overlord who had left behind countless myths and legends, he had been reduced to wallowing in the entangled affections of young brats, drafted into service as a footnote in someone's romance. It was truly tasteless. Tyrannus replied, "Perhaps that is one of the simplest beauties of this world." "Heh, you're not nearly as smooth a talker as your new god." Tyrannus took no offense at all, agreeing instead. "He is the new god, after all." "I wonder if that fellow Order is the same?" "You have already made your choice, haven't you?" Tyrannus's colossal divine body slowly straightened. He reached out and pulled the massive cross from his back. Then, his figure plunged straight into the eye of the divine war's storm. The Rebel Dragon God was currently locked in fierce combat against two main gods. Tyrannus appeared above Him and thrust the cross downward into the Rebel Dragon God. "Roar!" "Woof!" Both dragons let out urgent cries. Neither had expected Tyrannus to enter the fray as an adversary and launch a sneak attack. *Pfft!* One end of the cross pierced into the Rebel Dragon God's draconic body, causing dragon blood to splatter. The two main gods who had been clashing with Him were left stunned. Yet in the next moment, a peculiar power was injected. The Rebel Dragon God exhaled a terrifying frost power from His maw, freezing the surroundings in an instant. Little Kanna's eyes widened. She was certain that back in the day, the Rebel Dragon God must have flayed Ancestor Augie's hide more than once. Empowered by the bloody boost, the frost power unleashed an unimaginable freezing effect. The two main gods tried every method to break free, to little avail. Immediately after, an enchanting power countless times stronger than His peak erupted from the Rebel Dragon God's eyes. Ensnared in that horrifying bewitchment, one of the deities ignited into flames. *Pfft!* Without hesitation, Tyrannus pulled the cross out of the Dragon God's body. The intense stimulation had not yet subsided, but the looming, terrible collapse could already be felt. With no time for farewells and no chance to savor the moment, the scales and bones across the Rebel Dragon God's body began to melt away rapidly. He condensed His form into a sharp blade, piercing through the chest of the other main god and utterly extinguishing its life force. A single dragon had traded His life for two main gods—and without even calling upon the empowerment of the God of Order. Little Kanna's eyes went wide. She had thought their time together would last much longer, yet it had arrived at an abrupt end without warning. Her eyes began to redden. "A true dragon does not shed tears. Do not cry. You must learn to grow up, be strong, and remember what you just felt. When you take up my inheritance, continue to fulfill His... our ideals for that fellow named Order." Little Kanna could hold back no longer and burst into tears. "I was still planning to collect your scales, and you went and melted them all! Waaah!" The Rebel Dragon God: "..." The Rebel Dragon God was left momentarily speechless. In all His life, He had rarely shown a tender side, yet He had never expected such a response on His first attempt. It made Him wonder if others had felt the same way when facing Him in the past. Still, His inheritor was indeed very strong-willed. The Dragon God fell. Little Kanna's consciousness withdrew into her own body. She opened her hands and grasped toward the sky, attempting to catch that godhead, but in the end, the Dragon God chose to banish it. This was the tacit understanding of the Order lineage: awaiting the next round, when the "new Tyrannus" would summon them all back for use. Little Kanna pouted, muttering under her breath, "Won't even give me that big glass marble. Stingy old lizard." Complaining though she did, Little Kanna still turned her head, secretly wiped her eyes with force, and went right on grumbling. A naturally rebellious child would never reveal her soft side. Tyrannus arrived beside Mutse, the Giant Shield Knight. The cross slammed into the giant shield, immediately enveloping the towering bulwark in a layer of crystalline blue. A shield that had once withstood every assault in the world was instantly transformed into a mountain capable of suppressing all things. The storm coalescing around the God of Storms was subjected to severe compression. Mutse continued holding the shield in his left hand, raising his right fist. "The giant shield is not meant solely for defense—it is because our chance to attack comes only once!" Muri silently took in everything. Mutse smashed his fist into his own chest. His chest caved in, splashing divine blood across the giant shield. *Thump!* The chest of the God of Storms caved in simultaneously. The dreadful storm began to backfire, tearing through His divine body. *Thump!* *Thump!* "Ahhh!" With each ferocious blow Mutse struck against his own body, the divine form of the God of Storms fractured further. Knowing that He had lost any chance of survival, He had no choice but to begin arranging His inheritance. His body already on the verge of collapse, Mutse used the last vestige of his strength to slam violently into the giant shield. The shield cracked apart, and far off in the void, the God of Rest, who had not yet formally intervened, was knocked out of hiding. "Why? Why?! Why?!" Watching the irreversible fissures spreading across His own form, the God of Rest was utterly bewildered. He had originally intended to use divine power to mitigate the wounds. Since Mutse had no strength left to mount another attack, He only needed to endure it. Yet the injuries that had appeared seemed to bear the imprint of Eternity, impossible to erase. This left Him with no choice but to be dragged down to death alongside the Giant Shield Knight under the curse of Mutse's shattered shield. Tyrannus arrived beside Dilga, the Awakening Knight. The tip of the cross pierced into Dilga's neck. Dilga opened His mouth and began to chant. Countless gods and demons He had summoned began returning to their peak states. In a swifter, more terrifying manner, they crushed the creatures summoned by the God of Specters and savagely tore into the God of Specters Himself. This was not the end. Dilga spoke in His heart: "The truly supreme summoning art uses oneself as fodder, transforming oneself." Morindi: "Thank you for your guidance." Dilga's ultimate summon manifested. His body began to contort, and summoning runes that should have appeared externally all settled upon His own flesh. Bizarre heads, grotesque arms, and misshapen limbs of every description sprouted from Him. Innumerable departed spirits surged from His eyes. His body transformed into an immense terror embodying darkness, curses, and ruin. After devouring the imprisoned God of Specters, He crashed straight into the void ahead. "Damn it!" The God of Nebulas was forced to reveal Himself. He fled with all His might, yet was still engulfed by the shadows, from within which immediately echoed a dense gnawing that terrified even gods. Tyrannus appeared behind Andeka, the Chanting Knight. As the cross stood upright, Andeka stepped backward, His body gradually merging with the cross while His lips chanted poems extolling the abyss. The God of the Abyss was forced out by the power of the verses. Seeming to foresee His own end, He began to roar: "Order, it was I who helped You find Heaven!" Though it was also He who had personally severed the path to Heaven. Andeka shifted His chant, turning the verses into a eulogy for His fall. The God of the Abyss began to rot away. In fury, He charged toward the Chanting Knight. Tyrannus stepped in front of Andeka and threw a punch, driving the Abyss back. He threw another punch, and the Abyss let out a wail. His towering form, which could once span both Heaven and the Abyss, began to break apart amidst the eulogy. The Chanting Knight raised His head and swiftly recited hymns of praise to the pantheon of gods. One by one, the silhouettes of those hidden main gods emerged. The remaining knights and retainers of the Order faction launched their attacks toward the newly revealed targets. A glittering golden book emerged from the nothingness, smashing into the cross. The cross shattered. After Andeka sent Vic's consciousness back, He began to fade away, yet in the unseen realm, the chanting of verses did not cease. Above Wien, countless hymns resounded—some praising Order, some praising Light, and some... praising Eternity. Tyrannus spread his hand, and the Spear of Eternity appeared in his grip. With a single thrust, the book that was attempting to flee was pierced straight through. Far in the distance, the figure of the God of Principles appeared, His face filled with panic and dread. Ancient divine intentions surged across the barriers of untold epochs to arrive here. Overlords of past epochs voiced their confusion, threats, and intimidation at Eternity's actions. Tyrannus's colossal divine body hovered in midair, spreading his arms and looking up at the sky. Perhaps only at this moment had Eternity truly made up His mind, for He felt genuine joy. He relished this atmosphere of a single god standing against every past epoch. He let out a long cry that sent violent tremors rippling through the past epochs. "I need no allies. Order, Light—you two can go over to the other side as well!"