Haru turned to the [Armor of Sovereignty]. Like the scepter, it was a growth-type artifact gifted to Haru by the GM. It wasn't tied to any Divine Law, and as it was integrated with his attributeless natural godhead, that made both the Scepter and the Armor versatile. They could nurture and strengthen *all* sources of his Divine Laws simultaneously, not just one.
Other Gods relied on artifacts too, yet none of them had five Supreme God Tier Artifacts feeding them at once. The upgrade consumed thirty million Divine Crystals, causing the armor to settle at Intermediate-level Supreme God Tier.
_____________
[Armor of Sovereignty]
[Owner: Lord of the Aetherium Empire, the 'Divine Emperor' Kazehaya Haru]
[Type: Growth Artifact]
[Grade: Intermediate-level Supreme God Tier]
[Description: This is an artifact exclusive to the strongest Kings and Emperors. Only the strongest Lords of thousands of planets are qualified to own it. It is a symbol of strength!]
[Defense Value: 20,000,000 points of Divine Power]
[Upgrade requirement: 50,000,000 Divine Crystals]
[Next Grade: High-level Supreme God Tier Artifact]
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Combined with his own Supreme God Tier Divine Power and the [Wings of Scarlet Ruin], no late-stage Supreme God could touch him. He could now fight the top three Demon Monarchs of the Abyss without falling behind.
One must remember that those guys were peak Supreme God Tier terrors who'd slaughtered countless Gods of Faith in the Ancient Era. Only Pseudo God Monarchs like the Demon Emperor and prime Celestia stood above him.
But the next upgrade was currently out of his reach. Between 160 Million Divine Crystals spent for the Scepter and the 30 Million spent for the Armor, he had burned through 190 Million out of the 200 Million he had earned today. Now, he had around fifteen million Divine Crystals remaining, not even close to the fifty million needed.
"The next war will fix that."
The Light Empire was a native empire in the heart of the Endless Continent. Its wealth would be staggering. Once he captured it, upgrading the Armor to a top-level Supreme God Tier Artifact would be a trivial matter.
The armor dissolved into golden light and sank into his Godhead, joining the scepter and the three Abyssal Supreme God Tier Artifacts in cultivating his law sources, with the Abyss Law's source growing fastest of all.
…
Haru extended his Divine Senses across the Imperial Capital. Celestia, his chief butler, remained in closed retreat, attempting a breakthrough to the peak. Nova's ascension to the Supreme God Tier, on the other hand, was closer. Her Divine Aura had entered the Supreme God Tier, but her rank hadn't yet fully stabilized. That would take some time.
Haru was eager for her success for the sake of the God-level Angel Reincarnation Pool. The empire had seven Level 9 pools but not a single one that was at the God-level. That upgrade would rapidly multiply his God Tier Angels for the upcoming Divine War.
The rest of his imperial forces—Angels, Elves, Dragons—were all meditating, trying to ascend further. Even Lysandra and Eveline, newly evolved Eighteen-Winged Angels without Supreme God Tier Godheads assigned, were grinding, trying to ascend on their own. Although they were unlikely to succeed on willpower alone in the short term, the efforts would deepen their foundations.
Yvonne, the Divine Punisher Angel, was still in the Void cracking open the lost ownerless Divine Kingdoms. There was no word from her yet.
Everyone in his empire was busy. The soldiers trained, the craftsmen built, the mortal believers in the outer city worked to grow the empire's prosperity.
With the loot disposed of, the troops recruited and equipment upgraded, he was the most idle person in the entire empire.
His figure vanished from the throne and reappeared in the mid-city workshop—a sprawling complex spanning hundreds of kilometers, staffed by millions of forgemasters, apprentices, and laborers from every race.
Every weapon of war the empire fielded was built here: Astral Cities, Airships, Magic Cannons, Giant Crossbows, etc. Haru hadn't needed most of them before as his previous battles were direct legion clashes or enemies too weak for siege equipment. But this coming war against the Light Empire would involve taking over cities and fortifications. These weapons would earn their keep in this war.
"Your Majesty the King!"
Thrandor, the Dwarven forgemaster who ran the workshop, rushed over with deep reverence.
"Show me the finished Astral City."
Before the Demon Slayer Tournament, he had promised to complete the empire's first self-produced [Astral City] within three days. The deadline had passed and yet, Thrandor hadn't disappointed him.
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