The Divine Realm was thrown into turmoil as many gods openly rejected Michael and descended into Hell to rescue the Origin.
Waves of divine speech and spiritual thought echoed across the starry sky, negotiating, calculating, and considering which path to choose.
Heaven, or the Origin?
At this moment, Michael had already erased the avatars of the gods of Heaven, yet the fury in his heart could not be quelled.
Throughout the Divine Realm, arrogant laughter from the gods and curses from the angels rang out.
"Angels, your end has come."
"Heaven sits high above, severing life. I've waited too long for this day."
"Silence! Heaven is surrounded by sentient beings. It guards order and light. How can you defile it so casually?"
"Hahaha, are you fools still poisoned by the divine wave?"
"The only gods sustained by the divine wave are a pitiful lot."
"Heh, ignorance and stupidity suit you well."
"You think the mystery of the divine wave is something these chaotic beings preaching self-freedom could understand?"
"You just want to do as you please."
"Heaven wields the sword of justice. You deserve to die."
"It's over. Their gods are poisoned. Haha!"
"There is no righteous One God left. All of them hate the divine wave."
"I've made up my mind. I will walk with the Origin."
"This is exhilarating! Hahaha, never in eternity has any god dared to be so defiant toward Heaven."
"I already sense the Divine Realm being overturned."
"I'm hungry for war."
"A new era has begun."
Divine thought and speech tore across the starry sky like lightning. Every word, like a bolt of thunder, clashed in the dark void.
Thoughts sliced through space.
Divine words shattered stars.
Each collision created a black hole that appeared and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, from the Dream Realm, a thunderous roar echoed across the Divine Realm.
"Morpheus, how dare you defy Heaven?!"
It was Gabriel's divine voice, blazing with rage, drawing the attention of many gods.
"Heaven will fall."
A shadowy, illusory figure took form in the Divine Realm. It was Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams.
A massive dream-body appeared, containing within it the entire Dreaming.
This was the mystical domain of Morpheus, the King of Dreams. Within it were the Hall of the Endless, the Faerie Courts, the Twelve Houses of the Gemworld, the abodes of Oberon, Titania, the Amethyst Princess, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny.
Morpheus had made his choice. He chose the Origin. And with that choice, so too did the entirety of the Dreaming, the Faerie Courts, the Gemworld's Twelve Houses, Oberon, Titania, the Amethyst Princess, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the eerie Shadow Zone, the Faerie Market, the Wicked Witch, Corinthian, the Hissing Night, and the Nightmare Realm—all stand with the Origin, opposing Heaven.
Gabriel was furious.
"The holy light of Heaven is eternal. Its radiance is everlasting. Just because the Origin can kill gods, do you dare oppose Heaven?"
Her face was icy, her eyes aflame with fury.
But she dared not initiate combat.
Because Morpheus, King of Dreams, was also a first-stage One God, and one of the strongest among them.
Gabriel had no confidence she could seal him in a fair fight. Worse, such a battle could disgrace Heaven itself.
"You oversimplify things."
The massive, shadowy form of Morpheus, cloaked in dream energy, stared calmly at Gabriel. His eyes, filled with ancient wisdom, pierced space and time.
Long ago, Morpheus had communicated with Bardi. Even before Bardi had become the Origin, Morpheus was stunned by his potential.
The God of Evolution.
Even the monstrous beast was impressed by Bardi's compatibility, bestowing upon him a portion of its own power. That power enabled Bardi to devour the Origin within the Wall of Origin.
Now that he was the Origin, Morpheus had no hesitation in betting everything on him.
Especially because this Origin could walk.
What did that mean?
Not only could he kill One Gods, but he also represented the potential to reopen creation itself.
Heaven stood in the way of this new world, like a boulder blocking the wheels of progress.
"You know nothing of the Origin's power. You know even less about the power behind him."
"The Origin can kill gods? Ha! Laughable! You all forget that in the eyes of my Lord, even you so-called gods are nothing more than ants to be crushed."
Gabriel scoffed in anger. Her angelic form appeared fully in the Divine Realm, stepping upon a radiant stream of light. Her voice, like a divine bell, echoed across the stars.
"Three eras have passed. The gods have fallen, but Heaven still stands."
Her words silenced the realm.
Behind Heaven stood God.
And God was not of the same kind as the One Gods.
The gap was immeasurable. Crushing. Hopeless.
How vast was the divide?
A One God could not even think of God without dying. Simply reciting His name, or thinking of Him, would cause a One God's form to explode.
God didn't need to lift a hand. Just the thought of Him could kill.
That chasm was enough to render all gods powerless.
Yet Morpheus showed no sorrow or joy. His dream-body remained empty and dark. He gazed at Gabriel silently, then turned away.
The gods suddenly fell quiet.
The Origin might be able to kill One Gods, but he could never contend with God's finger.
At that moment, thousands of divine lights surged toward Heaven.
Many gods had made their choice. They would aid Heaven and destroy the Origin.
Only a few ancient gods sneered and headed to Hell, choosing to follow the Origin.
It was a strange shift.
Powerful realms like Heaven and the Dreaming, which had stood for eons, chose the Origin.
But many more One Gods, those whose strength could not rival Heaven or the Dreaming, stood behind Heaven. Those ruled by fear of Heaven chose to follow it, willing to fight for its cause.
Most of the One Gods who absorbed the divine wave, who were born of its energy on Heaven's side, had no choice. They became Heaven's warriors.
In the Divine Realm, over ninety percent of the One Gods had aligned with Heaven.
Heaven had gathered the majority of gods produced across the vast realm, now stronger than at any time in history.
In just a few short years, Heaven dispatched massive legions to conquer the Underworld.
The Underworld—Hades, Nergal, Irkalla, and the throne of Ereshkigal. A world of no return.
Also known as the Phantom Zone. A forsaken prison filled with shadows and invisible horrors, it was a Hell for the most vile being.
The Angel Legion broke through, conquered the Underworld, and annihilated it.
Then, they turned their attention to the Land of Miracles, the Forbidden Palace, New Genesis, Apokolips, the Realm of Order, Wonderland, and every known domain of One Gods.
All were marked and conquered by the Angel Legion.
They even reached the edge of the Divine Realm, near Limbo Prison. Upon inspection, they found no One Gods there and avoided entering. That border erased memory, emotion, and power.
In the blink of an eye, the gods were shocked.
Heaven had unified the Divine Realm.
It now stood as the supreme ruler of all creation.
And now—
Heaven's eyes turned toward Hell.
(To be continued.)