[Sorrow of Time]
[Original Owner: Temerith, the Fifth Demon Monarch of the Abyss]
[Grade: High-level Supreme God Tier]
[Status: Perfect condition]
[Origin of Divine Laws: Time and Abyss]
[Divine Strength: 50 million points]
[Special Reminder 1: Equipping this artifact generates hatred from the Dimensional Demon Race.]
[Special Reminder 2: Temerith, the Fifth Demon Monarch, will regard you as a mortal enemy.]
_____________
He read the special reminders with the attention he gave to background noise. He and the demons had been at permanent war since the moment he'd taken the Eye. The Fifth Demon Lord's personal animosity was one more line on a list that was already long.
He'd killed two Demon Lords who had the potential to ascend to the position of Demon Monarchs once they returned to the Abyss. Temerith's feelings about the situation were not a meaningful factor.
Fifty million divine strength, the excellent grade and the perfect condition meant there were no repair or reforging costs to be added into this artifact. Moreover, the two laws, which were an issue for most Gods, were a 'feature' for him.
He could refine the bow directly, release both laws simultaneously, and use a weapon that had nearly killed Varkath as an offensive artifact that complemented his Space-Time Law perfectly.
With his current Divine Power behind it, an arrow from this bow aimed at Gods like Malakar or Skarion would likely end the fight immediately. The tradeoff was exposing his mastery over the Abyss Law to anyone watching, a secret he preferred to keep until the moment it mattered most.
He hid his inner thoughts carefully
"I'll try." He said, with the energy of someone who had just been persuaded against their instincts, "Perhaps with the Angels working on it—"
"I'm sure Your Majesty will find a way." Aurelyss said warmly, with the complete sincerity of someone who privately expected him to fail.
The transaction was completed. Aurelyss produced two storage artifacts — one containing 100 million Divine Crystals, one containing 1 trillion Magic Crystals, both counted to the exact figure with the precision of someone who had been doing large-scale commerce for a very long time. Haru swept both with his spiritual sense and confirmed that the amounts were accurate.
"The equipment is yours." He said.
She swept all five mountains into her storage artifact without standing on ceremony, and the Imperial Plaza was suddenly empty again. The satisfaction on her face was genuine and warranted. Hundreds of thousands of artifacts and over a billion Demigod Tier Artifacts, mostly damaged but all repairable, all purified of the Abyss' evil power.
That too, at seventy percent of market price. The Elf Empire's military capacity would improve by a good margin and for the upcoming Divine War, that mattered.
'Once she gets to know that I can use the bow directly.' Haru thought, watching her expression, 'She would definitely not feel so happy.'
…
Before she left, Aurelyss's gaze found the Myriad Starfall Tower, the white jade column several thousand meters tall, standing at the edge of the plaza, radiating the aura of God Tier runes that she could feel from where she stood.
"What is that building, Your Majesty?"
"It's an 'observatory' for monitoring distant stars." Haru said pleasantly.
Aurelyss looked at him strangely. She suspected that this was not accurate. The runes alone suggested a function considerably more significant than stargazing. But the covenant between them didn't extend to sharing strategic secrets. She was also self-aware enough to know that asking follow-up questions would get her more creative answers rather than honest ones.
She let it go. Then, a wave of divine power rolled out from somewhere behind the imperial palace, slow and building, the unmistakable signature of a breakthrough in progress. Aurelyss felt it and turned toward the source automatically.
"Oh, another Supreme God." She said, with the tone of someone who had stopped being surprised by this empire and was now simply keeping score, "That will make three, including Your Majesty."
She paused, and something in her expression shifted, the weight of honest assessment rather than diplomatic courtesy, "Against the Faith Faction's tens of millions of True Gods, and the Truth Faction's millions, my own empire included, the Aetherium Empire is still a rising force. But at this rate..."
She didn't finish the thought.
"Mm." Haru said.
What he didn't say was that the count was actually four. Celestia was attempting to break through to the peak of Supreme God Tier while it was Nova who ascended just now. As for Yvonne, she was currently in the Void, developing the masterless Divine Kingdoms. Three was the number Aurelyss could see. Four was the number that existed.
"The Great Aetherium will shine brightest in the upcoming Divine Battle." Aurelyss said, with the warmth of an ally and the certainty of someone who had just done a transaction that benefited her considerably.
"I'd rather not." Haru said.
She looked at him, "Your Majesty?"
"I've heard that the Demons keep a Special Assassination List. In the Ancient Era, it caused catastrophic losses. Every name on it was someone exceptional, someone whose absence hurt the Endless Continent badly. The most brilliant targets go on it first and get hunted by the Demonic Gods and Demon Monarchs simultaneously." He paused, "I prefer to be underestimated for as long as possible."
Aurelyss considered this, then smiled, "Your Majesty's brilliance is already visible in daylight. Being on that list may be unavoidable."
Haru had no good response to that, which he acknowledged with silence as she departed.
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