For Sovereigns, unless they could kill their opponent in an instant, or inflict damage faster than the rate at which Sovereign power could restore it during battle, a fight between them was almost meaningless.
Even worse, if the Sovereign struck by the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' fused innate divine ability didn't flee, but instead launched a counterattack...
Against a Chief Sovereign, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns would die from even the slightest touch, or be grievously injured by a mere graze.
Once their formation was broken, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns would be nothing more than meat laid out on a chopping block before a Chief Sovereign, ready to be butchered.
Thus, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns might look down upon the other six Law Chief Sovereigns, but they did not dare underestimate the Light Chief Sovereign.
Likewise, the Light Chief Sovereign was also extremely wary of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' fused innate divine ability.
It was simply too overbearing.
Since it could instantly kill a Chief Sovereign, in the Light Chief Sovereign's estimation, the power of the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' fused innate divine ability was at least a hundred times greater than that of an ordinary Law Chief Sovereign.
And that was merely its lower limit.
It was precisely because of this that, despite possessing the 0.8 portion of Will bestowed upon him by the Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, along with the additional Will gained from ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield—making him over a hundred times stronger than an ordinary Law Chief Sovereign—the Light Chief Sovereign still had no desire to fight the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
It was only because the Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, had recently made a breakthrough in his research and had also handed over the soul-protecting Overgod artifact obtained from completing an Overgod Mission to the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta that he finally decided to make his move against the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
"Afraid of being killed by your fused innate divine ability?"
The Light Chief Sovereign sneered.
In the past, he certainly would have been.
But after receiving the soul-protecting Overgod artifact from Orloff, Augusta was confident that no soul attack in this universe could injure him.
Not even Chief Sovereign Locke!
"You're merely four insignificant Lesser Sovereigns who relied on some crooked trick to force your way into the ranks of the Law Chief Sovereigns."
"What exactly gives you the confidence to think you can kill me?"
Now that he no longer feared the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns, with Augusta's personality, he naturally became as arrogant as possible.
The standoff between the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns and the Light Chief Sovereign within the spatial turbulence naturally could not escape the notice of the other Sovereigns.
During these thousand-plus Ordinal Eras, although the Sovereign Pact did not forbid Sovereigns of the same rank from fighting one another, very few Sovereigns actually engaged in life-and-death battles.
If their strengths were roughly equal, unless they fought for thousands or even tens of thousands of years and exhausted all of their stored Sovereign power, killing the other party would be nearly impossible.
If one side was ten times stronger, the weaker side could simply flee.
These days, which Sovereign didn't have two or three allies who had agreed to stand together against other Sovereigns?
And if all else failed, they could always flee to a Chief Sovereign and seek protection.
As for a difference of a hundredfold...
That was no longer a contest between Sovereigns of the same level.
It was very difficult for a Sovereign to conceal their true strength from the others.
After all, once someone became a Sovereign, there were only two ways to further increase their power—
completing an Overgod Mission,
or achieving ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield.
Neither of these was something that could realistically be kept secret.
Not everyone was like Chief Sovereign Locke, who had reached the Paragon level and then forged an entirely new path beyond it.
The Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, was one such example.
Over these thousand-plus Ordinal Eras, Orloff had completed two Overgod Missions, obtaining a soul-protecting Overgod artifact and a physical-defense Overgod artifact.
Together with the offensive Overgod artifact in the hands of the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta, Orloff had effectively become the only Sovereign who possessed the complete set of three Overgod artifacts.
In terms of defense, Orloff believed himself to be invincible.
Even Chief Sovereign Locke could not possibly break through the protection of Overgod artifacts to injure him.
But offensively, even with an offensive Overgod artifact in hand, Orloff still did not believe he surpassed Locke.
Therefore, in order to completely surpass Chief Sovereign Locke, Orloff set his sights upon the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
There was no denying that, within the Magical Universe, aside from Chief Sovereign Locke's heterogeneous fused Laws, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' fused innate divine ability was the strongest technique in existence.
If Orloff wished to surpass Locke in offensive power, he had to analyze the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns' innate divine ability and make it his own.
However, Orloff was, after all, a Chief Sovereign of the Edicts.
He could not personally make a move against the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns.
Fortunately, although the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta had obtained an extra portion of Will through ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield, along with an offensive Overgod artifact, his previous attempt to elevate himself to the rank of a Chief Sovereign of the Edicts had been rejected by the Chief Sovereign of Destruction, Wordred.
Thus, having the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta take action was the most suitable choice.
...
"Tsk, I'd never heard that the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns had any grudge against the Light Chief Sovereign before..."
"Heh, who knows?"
"I heard both the Light Chief Sovereign and the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns belong to the first generation of Sovereigns. We latecomers have no idea what happened between those seniors."
"Though I have heard that Lord Bayer, the Wind Chief Sovereign, has quite a deep grudge against the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns. I wonder if that's connected."
"Lord Bayer, the Wind Chief Sovereign?"
"I've heard he's known as the weakest Law Chief Sovereign. Is there a story behind that?"
"Heh, that one? I just so happen to know."
"Come on, tell us!"
Within the spatial turbulence, a group of Sovereigns watched the confrontation between the Light Chief Sovereign and the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns while chatting through divine sense.
A battle between Chief Sovereigns!
Perhaps only the oldest generation of Sovereigns had ever witnessed such a scene.
No...
Perhaps even they hadn't seen many.
After all, back then everyone had been busy fighting for their own survival.
Who had the leisure to watch other people's battles?
What everyone had witnessed was merely the Death Chief Sovereign effortlessly annihilating the Lightning Chief Sovereign Hurley, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns killing the previous Water Chief Sovereign with their innate divine ability, and the Wind Chief Sovereign Bayer fleeing in utter disgrace.
As for the battle in which the Light Chief Sovereign killed the Darkness Chief Sovereign...
Very few people had actually witnessed it.
However, there was no doubt that the survivor had been the Light Chief Sovereign, and the Darkness Sovereign spark had ultimately passed through Augusta's hands.
The current Darkness Chief Sovereign belonged to Augusta's faction.
As for this battle...
In truth, most Sovereigns favored the Light Chief Sovereign.
Since he had been able to kill the Darkness Chief Sovereign, even if his strength wasn't ten times greater than that of an ordinary Law Chief Sovereign, it was at least seven or eight times greater.
Combined with the additional Will from ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield, a single strike from him could severely wound a Law Chief Sovereign.
The Four Divine Beast Sovereigns, just as the Light Chief Sovereign had said, were merely four Lesser Sovereigns.
If not for the overwhelming might of their fused innate divine ability, capable of instantly killing a Law Chief Sovereign...
Even a single Intermediate Sovereign would have been enough to give them tremendous trouble.
No...
Perhaps it would take two.
After all, both the Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding and the Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen possessed physical bodies as durable as Sovereign artifacts.
With the defenses of those two alone, even an Intermediate Sovereign would have difficulty dealing with them in a short period of time.
...
"Augusta, you're courting death!"
Having been so blatantly belittled by Augusta, the Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo flew into a rage.
Violent crimson Laws erupted around his body as if he were about to charge forward and fight Augusta.
Ever since the Death Chief Sovereign had elevated the four brothers to the rank of Law Chief Sovereigns...
Aside from the Four Chief Sovereigns of the Edicts and Chief Sovereign Locke, which Sovereign had ever dared act so arrogantly before them?
Even if the other Sovereigns privately believed the four brothers were merely lucky upstarts because they were only Lesser Sovereigns...
Whenever they actually encountered the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns, they still had to treat them with the respect due to Chief Sovereigns.
The Light Chief Sovereign had been no different from the other Law Chief Sovereigns back then.
"Calm down, Third Brother!"
The Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding pressed a hand onto Nimo's shoulder and said calmly,
"The only thing that can threaten a Chief Sovereign is our fused innate divine ability."
"If your anger causes our formation to break, then we'll lose even our final chance to fight Augusta."
Hearing Redding's words, Nimo finally calmed down.
That was right.
The only thing capable of threatening a Law Chief Sovereign was their fused innate divine ability.
If the formation of the four brothers were disrupted, the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta would annihilate them instantly.
"Despicable!"
Nimo spat, his eyes filled with contempt toward Augusta.
However, this also caused him to relax somewhat.
Since Augusta was trying to provoke them into breaking their formation, it meant he was still wary of their fused innate divine ability.
In that case...
Whether today's battle would truly break out was still uncertain.
However, unlike Nimo, who still harbored a sliver of hope...
The Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding's eyes had grown much colder.
Because of the oath between himself and Locke, Redding had always remained extremely vigilant.
After all, the oath he had sworn with Locke had been made in the name of the Overgods.
The price of breaking that oath was to fall from the Sovereign level and for one's entire bloodline to be exterminated.
That oath had begun to shatter the moment Sovereign Muya's divine clone attacked Locke.
It was at that moment that Redding realized...
His own future would inevitably end in death, and his clan would ultimately be exterminated.
As for the White Tiger Sovereign Lauis, the Vermilion Bird Sovereign Nimo, and the Black Tortoise Sovereign Bowen...
Because they had sworn an oath to live and die together with the Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding, once Redding fell, they naturally would not escape the same fate.
The other Sovereigns couldn't understand why the Four Divine Beast Clan expanded so rapidly, nor why the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns invested such enormous resources into their clansmen.
Almost every ten thousand years, they would condense a drop of divine beast blood essence to perform a bloodline baptism for the younger generation.
Aside from refining blood essence, they had almost no time left for anything else.
Without such dedication from the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns...
How could the Four Divine Beast Clan possibly have spread throughout the Seven Divine Planes and the Four Higher Planes?
In Redding's view, as long as enough descendants carrying their bloodline existed...
Then perhaps, when the day came for the oath to take effect, some of the descendants of the four brothers would still survive to continue the bloodline.
Even if they could no longer bear the name of the Four Divine Beast Clan...
Their countless years of effort would not have been in vain.
For all these years, the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns had remained secluded within the Infernal Realm.
Even after the Planar Battlefield began, they rarely came into the spatial turbulence to observe.
This time...
Had the Light Chief Sovereign not invited them, claiming he would mediate between the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns and the Wind Chief Sovereign Bayer to settle their long-standing grudge...
The Four Divine Beast Sovereigns would never have left the Infernal Realm.
Yet no one had expected...
That it was all a trap.
Just moments ago, the Azure Dragon Sovereign Redding had clearly sensed the oath he had forged with Chief Sovereign Locke completely shatter before merging into his soul.
He understood all too well what that signified.
The oath...
Was about to be fulfilled!
However, even though he knew the four brothers might perish today, Redding had no intention of simply waiting to die.
"My three brothers, listen to me..."
...
Indeed, the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta had promised to settle the grudge between the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns and the Wind Chief Sovereign Bayer.
But the ones being "settled"...
Were the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns themselves!
Because, at some unknown point in time...
The Wind Chief Sovereign Bayer had secretly thrown his lot in with the Light Chief Sovereign Augusta.
Bringing a Law Chief Sovereign under his command was the very first step in Augusta's challenge for the position of a Chief Sovereign of the Edicts.
Previously, Augusta had believed his own strength had already reached the level of a Chief Sovereign of the Edicts and had attempted to elevate his own status.
Unfortunately...
That attempt had been rejected by the Chief Sovereign of Destruction, Wordred.
Although the Chief Sovereign of Fate, Orloff, had once told Augusta that remaining a Law Chief Sovereign would benefit both of them...
Augusta's arrogant nature still yearned to stand at the very summit and witness the scenery from the highest peak.
During that previous discussion, Wordred had declared that if Augusta wished to ascend to the rank of a Chief Sovereign of the Edicts, he would first have to earn another portion of Will by achieving ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield.
For all these years...
Augusta had never abandoned his ambition of obtaining that second set of ten consecutive victories.
Unfortunately...
Due to the tacit cooperation among the Four Chief Sovereigns of the Edicts, the Light Divine Plane's winning streak never exceeded four or five consecutive victories.
Whenever the Light Divine Plane faced one of the Four Higher Planes...
It inevitably became the primary target.
Because of this...
Augusta sought to recruit several Law Chief Sovereigns under his command, having them provide support on his path toward another ten consecutive victories in the Planar Battlefield.
This was why he had used the Darkness Sovereign spark to cultivate a new Darkness Chief Sovereign.
And this was also why he fulfilled Orloff's request while simultaneously helping Bayer resolve his problems, thereby bringing the Wind Chief Sovereign into his own camp.
Killing the Four Divine Beast Sovereigns...
Was killing two birds with one stone for Augusta.
Today...
The Four Divine Beast Sovereigns were doomed!
He—the future sixth Chief Sovereign of the Edicts, the current Light Chief Sovereign Augusta—had said so!
(End of Chapter)
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