"I've conquered the Eye of the Abyss." Haru said, "The Demon Emperor's own top-level artifact. What's a mere Fifth Demon Monarch?"
He didn't wait for an answer. His power struck the divine imprint Temerith had left in the bow, and began tearing it apart. Simultaneously, he shaped his own imprint to replace it.
"NO!!"
The light writhed. Even on home ground, the spirit couldn't match the purity of Haru's Abyss Law. It couldn't understand why his source was stronger, deeper, *cleaner* than the very law woven into its being.
Then the spirit saw something that stopped its resistance cold. Let alone being a Demon Lord, Haru's soul was a pure human without a single trace of demonic origin.
"Who *are* you?" The spirit whispered, "How can you control our law?"
Haru glanced at it while continuing to shape his imprint, "Be quiet. Or I will kill you and personally cultivate a new spirit."
The light ball trembled. Temerith's imprint was already destroyed. There was no protector, no leverage, no hope of resistance. Between forced submission and obliteration, the choice was obvious. The spirit went still and let Haru work.
…
When the new imprint settled into place, perfectly fused with the bow, the weapon called [Sorrow of Time] now belonged to Haru completely.
"Master!" The light drifted over, its voice respectful. Even if Haru aimed it at the Demons in the future, it would fire without complaint. Haru's imprint governed the weapon now. The spirit's existence only amplified its power and its erasure was a thought away. There was no place for disobedience left now.
"Enter my Godhead." Haru said, "Accept my Divine Power's nourishment. You'll be needed soon."
"Yes, great master!"
The bow dissolved into bloody light, sank through Haru's brow, and settled into his Godhead, drawing on the sources of Abyss and Time Laws to nourish itself while strengthening the sources themselves in return.
Three Supreme God Tier artifacts now fed his Abyss Law's Source. They were the Wings of Scarlet Ruin, the Sorrow of Time, and the Eye of the Abyss. Together, they would push his Abyss Law towards the level of a God Monarch.
When that happened, he'd become a Pseudo God King, equal in rank to the Demon Emperor who ruled the entire abyss world.
…
Haru considered his position. With the bow at full power, combined with his own strength, he could instantly kill Malakar, Skarion, and Micteya, but he could be stronger still.
His two Natal Artifacts floated from his body: the Scepter and the Armor. Both were top-level High God Tier Artifacts, just one step away from Supreme God Tier. Upgrading both required twenty million Divine Crystals.
He had far more than that. A hundred million Divine Crystals from Aurelyss and the trillion Magic Crystals. Although they were considered worthless by Endless Continent standards, where local Gods considered them mortal-grade currency. But Haru had the GM who provided a generous exchange rate.
(T/N: In case anyone forgot the exchange rate, here it is:
1 Million Power Stones = 1 Divine Crystal
10k Magic Crystals = 1 Divine Crystal)
One trillion Magic Crystals became one hundred million Divine Crystals. Combined, Aurelyss' payment was two hundred million in total. There were enough Divine Crystals to upgrade one of them to top-level Supreme God Tier.
Haru connected to the system and converted every last Magic Crystal. Then he opened the Scepter's upgrade prompt.
[Divine Crystal reserves are abundant. Do you want to consume one thousand Divine Crystals to upgrade the Scepter of Sovereignty to a low-level Supreme God Tier Artifact?]
[Yes] [No]
"Yes."
Golden light blazed around the scepter. Its divine aura surged past true-artifact levels and kept climbing, reshaping itself into something greater.
Thus, a Supreme God Tier artifact was born.
…
Location: Infernal Hall, Pandemonium, Abyss.
The most beautiful demon in the Abyss suddenly screamed causing the walls to shake and the floor to crack.
The Fourth Demon Monarch, a sturdy man who looked human but was a pure-blooded Demon Noble, stared as Temerith went from composed to feral in the space of a heartbeat.
He knew she was unstable. All the other eleven Demon Monarchs knew, but this wasn't like her usual fits of madness, this was raw, bleeding fury.
"What happened?"
"My natal artifact." Temerith's voice was ice-cold and murderous, "Someone took it."
"The bow? Sorrow of Time?" The Fourth Demon Monarch's eyes widened, "Wasn't it lost in the Endless Continent during the Ancient Era?"
"Just now." Her teeth ground together, "The divine imprint I left in it was forcibly destroyed. I've completely lost it."
"Forcibly destroyed?" He leaned forward, "Someone in the Endless Continent manager to clear the Abyss Law's origin from a high-level Supreme God Tier Artifact? Who could—"
"That bastard better hope I don't find out his identity." Temerith's purple eyes burned with fury as she glanced at everyone in the room, "I will tear that person apart. Piece by piece."
The Fourth Demon Monarch fell silent.
He said after a long moment, "This has nothing to do with any of us. Sorrow of Time was taken by the Titan Lord Varkath, everyone saw it clearly."
Temerith shot him a withering look, "Obviously it wasn't one of you. Whoever did this is hiding in the Endless Continent."
"Then who…"
The Fourth Demon Monarch's eyes slowly widened. He whispered, "Could it be the same person who seized the Eye of the Abyss?"
Temerith's purple eyes flared bright.
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