The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion - Chapter 253

Capítulo 253: Chapter 253: Current Issues

“Did you really have to kill all of the Norse gods?” Valentina Ignatius asked, looking at her son.

“They had it coming.” Damian simply shrugged.

“They were still a pantheon. I mean, don’t we want all the manpower we can get against the Raiders? The Norse were still a powerful pantheon,” Victoria said slowly.

“I understand what you’re saying,” Damian replied calmly. “But they still had it coming. They hurt someone I like, and that alone seals their fate. Besides, it doesn’t matter that they’re gone. I can create thousands of gods of equal quality on my own. I will cultivate a new force powerful enough to drive out any threat that enters our universe.”

His words sounded simple enough, but to everyone listening, except for the World Trees and the Primordial Beginning, it was as if he had casually spoken something that should never be said aloud, something too vast to even imagine.

“You’re not planning to destroy any more pantheons, are you, my son-in-law?” Queen Avanora asked with a small smile.

“We’ll see,” Damian replied with a grin. “I’ll try my best not to kill any more gods. I just hope they don’t make it difficult for me not to.”

“I was originally planning to eliminate all the godly pantheons of the lower plane at once,” Damian continued, rubbing his chin. “But then I changed my mind. Now, though, I’m reconsidering it.”

“Aren’t you already in control of most of the lower plane?” Victoria asked. “You’ve got vampires, werewolves, the biblical pantheon, the Norse pantheon, and the human worlds of the lower plane. That only leaves the Greek pantheon, the Celtic pantheon, and the Heavenly Court, right?”

“Yes. Only those three remain,” Damian said. “The Celtic pantheon won’t be a problem. They’ll submit willingly once I threaten them with annihilation. I do have reservations about the Heavenly Court, though.”

“If you must eliminate one, please let it be the Greek pantheon, darling,” Lenora said, her expression filled with disgust.

“I agree,” Lillian added, nodding. “The Greek gods are repulsive, especially that despicable god-king of theirs.”

Everyone shared this sentiment about the Greek pantheon, and Damian was certain the gods of other pantheons would feel the same.

Among deities, the Greeks were often referred to as horn-gods.

Era, time, or place didn’t matter.

They would find a way to do the deed as long as there was a hole or a pole.

Of course, not every Greek god behaved this way, but most did.

Zeus was the worst of them all, the living definition of the saying, ‘If there is a hole, there is a goal.’

Many pantheons despised the Greeks, but none dared act against them.

Even as degenerates, they were still a powerful pantheon with several terrifyingly strong gods.

“I’ll most likely kill most of the Greek gods eventually,” Damian said casually. “For now, we’ll leave them be… As for the Heavenly Court, that prideful Jade Emperor will have no choice but to submit, or risk being devoured. Though I’d rather not do that.”

He paused, his expression turning thoughtful.

“Of all the pantheons, the Heavenly Court is one of the few that keeps to itself. They rarely interfere with others or cause unnecessary trouble beyond their own affairs. When they do step in to defend the universe, it is out of necessity, not choice. After all, a threat to the universe is a threat to all, including them. Regardless, I would rather have them alive than dead, unlike the Greeks.”

“You don’t need to think so much,” the Primordial Beginning said indifferently. “If they refuse, just devour them and use their energy for yourself. It’s the most efficient method.”

“You’re right. It would be optimal,” Damian admitted. “But the Heavenly Court is one of the fastest-growing godly pantheons. It wouldn’t take long for them to rise into the upper plane. They possess quality, quantity, and vast resources.”

He continued, “I’ll bring them under the Empire of Ouroboros as a subordinate pantheon. They will retain influence over their respective worlds, but ultimate control will rest with me, and I will make it absolute.”

“What about the upper-plane pantheons?” Victoria asked curiously. “The upper plane is vastly larger than the lower plane. Conquering all of them would take an enormous amount of time.”

“I’ll deal with them as I go,” Damian replied. “I’m more interested in the human forces of the upper plane.”

“There are humans in the upper plane too?” Shiru asked in surprise.

“Yes. Far more than you’d expect,” Damian said with a smile. “And they’re very different from the humans you’d find on New Earth or Morris.”

“Do they have horns or something?” Yuki joked.

“No,” Damian replied, amused. “Upper-plane humans are naturally more advanced. Even without the system awakening their ability to evolve, they’ve learned to access supernatural forces on their own, discovering ways to become as powerful as gods without any external assistance through various practices. The humans affiliated with the Heavenly Court do something similar. They call it eternal cultivation, or cultivating the Dao.”

“There are several human forces that rival the godly pantheon in terms of fighting power, like heroes, Murim humans, augmentors, they are the most fascinating,” Damina said.

“Human forces won’t be a problem,” Damian continued, “since I have already become the Human Progenitor. All I have to do is release my presence to make them submit. The problem would be the remaining celestial races and…”

“Dragons,” Valentina interjected.

“Dragons are both proud and unnecessarily aggressive,” Damian said, clicking his tongue. “A dragon’s essence lies heavily on the spiritual side, which is strongly tied to their emotions. Even after I become their progenitor, that status and presence alone wouldn’t be enough to make them completely submit. I would have no choice but to resort to extreme measures, painful methods.”

“Damn overgrown lizards,” Avanora snorted. “They’re losing their minds, comparing themselves to us just because they used to be part of the celestial race.”

“Are dragons not part of the celestial race?” Amaya asked, surprised.

“They are not, although I understand why you would ask that,” Victoria answered.

“Dragons did have a celestial ancestor, but the dragons of today show no evidence of possessing celestial blood or essence,” Damian explained.

“For a long time, dragons have had an issue with their own race losing rank among the celestial races. It’s part of why they developed such aggressive and overly prideful tendencies, they strive to surpass any celestial. They’re a problem without a doubt,” Damian sighed.

“Can’t you make the dragons rejoin the celestial ranks?” Amelia asked curiously.

“It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I won’t, my dear wife. They’ve already become a race that is part of the natural order of existence. They can procreate; that’s the evidence right there.” Damian sighed again. “Changing them into a celestial race would make it easier for the entire species to become obedient, but it would require too much energy, and we would lose a great deal of progress in emergence. I’d rather erase the entire race and recreate them anew.”

“I agree,” the Primordial Beginning said.

“Anyway,” Damian continued, “I was thinking of starting with the other phoenix clans first, then moving on to the other celestial races. I’ll leave the dragon clans for last, unless they interfere with me in the meantime.”

Damian stood up from his seat and, not daring to put the little girl in his arms down, approached his four sisters, Elizabeth, Grace, Tasha, and Sasha, whose eyes widened and faces involuntarily reddened as they instinctively expected something.

Damian knew exactly what they expected, but he simply smiled and reached for the chain around Grace’s neck, a black obsidian ruby gleaming darkly at its center, while noting the other three chains hanging around the other sisters’ necks.

“W-What are you doing, brother?” Grace, his only cousin and the second-oldest sister, asked nervously.

“I know you all love the chains, but I need them,” Damian said gently.

“What do you need them for?” Victoria asked, curious.

She recognized the four chains, they had been gifted to the sisters by Damian long ago and were made from a unique material not found anywhere, even in the Upper Plane.

“I’m going to the library. To go there alone, I need the essence stored in these chains,” Damian explained.

“But I-I like them,” Tasha hesitated before removing her chain and handing it to her younger brother.

The others followed suit reluctantly.

“I’ll get you something even rarer, purer, and more beautiful later,” Damian promised.

“Will you make them yourself?” Elizabeth asked, because she cherished Damian’s handmade creations above anything else.

“Of course,” Damian nodded.

He placed the four obsidian-black rubies he removed from the chains in his palm and activated his unique ability.

A handful of reddish-neon blue energy manifested from his palm, enveloping the four obsidians before seeping back into his skin without leaving a trace along with the rubies.

[Detected the presence of energy with anomalous properties]

[Your talents are taking effect…]

[Identifying the nature of energy]

[Detected energy identified as [Shadow Essence]]

[Gaining attunement to [Shadow Essence]…]

[Attunement complete]

Inside his spiritual space, a brand-new energy core began to form.

Pitch-black energy rapidly gathered within the newly formed core, establishing itself among his many existing energy cores.

Next, an energy circuit was created, establishing a brand-new energy stream that connected the newly formed energy core to his other cores and, ultimately, to his [Infinity Essence Core], forming a perfect energy link according to his will.

[[Shadow Essence Core] creation complete]

[Beginning energy synchronization…]

[Your [Shadow Essence] reserves are rapidly increasing…]

Outside, Damian had his eyes closed as he concentrated on directing the changes within.

Others watched curiously, unsure of what he was doing, when they noticed a thick, pitch-black substance seeping from his skin.

Strangely, it did not feel like ominous.

It lasted only a few seconds before Damian retracted all the remnants of his new energy back into himself, fully controlling the energy without leaving a trace.