Corellon welcomed Tyche into the grand palace, a blend of ruggedness and elegance. Tyche took the initiative to ask, "After becoming an Old God, have you contacted Odin?"
Looking at the smile on Tyche's face, Corellon nodded slightly, "There was a moment when I connected with my original form."
"Congratulations," Tyche's joy was sincere, "The long-cherished wish of the Aesir has been fulfilled by you. The fate of Ragnarok is no longer a sword hanging over their heads."
"Since that's the case, I'll get straight to the point."
Tyche's smile remained unchanged, but her tone became solemn, "Do you choose me or Ao?"
The empty palace echoed with Tyche's voice, "Odin once told me that the gods parasitizing the world are like candles on an altar, flames pointing upward, tears downward. Immortal deities are merely consumables to the world. If they cannot transcend before burning out, they will become renewable resources."
"When you're hungry, you need to eat. The same goes for the laws of the universe; it's just a matter of when. If you still plan to remain neutral as before, there's no room for an Old God in the cracks."
Corellon was silent for a long time, "Don't forget, I've already become an Old God. I still have the choice to leave this world and start anew."
"If you really had a choice, I wouldn't have laid my cards on the table."
Thinking this, Tyche still spoke eloquently, "If you truly decide to leave this world, I'll tell you the location of Odin's world. Some changes have occurred there; you might not be able to find him by the original path."
The world that was about to face harvest was not a good place to go. If Corellon really contacted Odin, Odin wouldn't fail to share this news with him.
Unlike Tyche, Odin hadn't taken the final step to become a primordial god, but Corellon, whose avatar was accidentally trapped in the Faerûn world, had taken a step ahead to become an Old God comparable to a primordial god. Having lost most of his divinity from his original form, Corellon's connection to Odin wasn't as clear as Tyche's with Lin Xiang.
Odin couldn't cross the Chaos Sea to reach the Faerûn world, and Corellon probably didn't want Odin to come at this time; if the final battle truly began, even an Old God wouldn't be confident in surviving the turmoil. If both Odin and Corellon fell here, the Norse gods would have no hope left.
"I don't wish to be your enemy," Tyche knew that Corellon relied on the laws to become an Old God and had no way to leave this world. His current disguise was merely to gain the maximum benefit.
"Even the Oath of the Styx wouldn't cost us too much. The promises I can make won't earn your trust."
Tyche spoke earnestly, "But I still want you to hear my conditions! If I win this war, I will fully support you in rebuilding the Nine Realms and grant you autonomy!"
The golden palace fell silent. Tyche wasn't in a hurry, leisurely observing the rejuvenated Asgard.
In Norse mythology, Valhalla had a magical pig that could never be eaten completely. Cutting off a piece of meat would regenerate immediately, ensuring that the warriors, no matter how many, would have ample food.
The World Tree had nurtured a similar existence, a fruit brimming with pure divine power that continuously supplied energy to the supplicants, allowing their souls to slowly ascend during the process of consumption.
"What do you want me to do?"
Corellon still chose Tyche. Compared to Ao, Tyche had a connection; moreover, he was bound by the laws and couldn't escape, inevitably needing Tyche's help to escort the Norse gods far away in another world.
"You must have long known the drawbacks of using this method to ascend."
Tyche nodded decisively, "I'm not entirely sure, but your choice confirms my speculation."
Letting out a bitter smile, Corellon perked up and asked, "What's your plan? This Ao might not be as decisive as the previous one, but he's not easily deceived either."
"It starts with you cooperating with me in putting on a show."
Tyche, with a cheerful demeanor, looked towards Sarenrae and Shar lingering outside Asgard, "Give them confidence, then make Ao notice their existence. Even if one of them reveals the drawbacks of such ascension, they'll have no choice. Ascending to become an Old God still offers a fighting chance; otherwise, they'll be at the mercy of others, becoming controlled pawns."
The Anti-Ao Alliance was no longer irreplaceable. With six members forming seven small factions, this was the epitome of extreme selfishness.
Avoiding the eyes of Sarenrae and Shar, Tyche silently arrived at the divine realm of Mystryl, the Gatekeeper of the Moon.
"How is it? Did Corellon really ascend to become an Old God?" Mystryl asked eagerly.
"Indeed," Tyche didn't need to lie on this matter, "He's an Old God now, an existence like me and Ao."
Mystryl was filled with a mix of grief and joy, then said, "We don't have much time left. Corellon's ascension will alert Ao; our actions in the Abyss will surely be monitored! We must prepare for ascension before Ao suspects us!"
"I'll help you," Tyche's words were as sweet as honey to Mystryl, "The essence of the Abyss means nothing to me. With my support, you'll become an Old God faster than Shar and Yeager."
In the Abyss, the new lord with butterfly wings had already invaded adjacent planes.
There was nothing more terrifying than a deity who granted every wish! At the border of the Abyss and Hell, on the battlefield of endless carnage, the hags selling shoddy goods had vanished, replaced by demons singing the praises of truth and goodness.
The battling demons and devils didn't care whom they prayed to; as long as they could gain power, they didn't mind worshipping the God of Suffering, who represented ultimate goodness.
To survive, both sides established contact with Tyche's avatars, gaining power while also being infected by this twisted will.
Tyche didn't care whether Azathoth or Nyarlathotep would come demanding copyright fees. Having had intimate contact with the Cthulhu deities, she brought mental pollution to the demons and devils, bestowing a blessing upon this land of evil.
Madness and rage were commonplace among demons. The occasional bouts of insanity didn't raise alarms among the others; the cost of losing control was far lighter than submitting one's true name to a higher demon and being crushed to death.
The Abyssal Will chose Nuitari as its spokesperson, undoubtedly because she had created a large number of offspring, strengthening the power of the Abyss.
Looking at the succubus queen, Meskante, in her hands, Tyche revealed a chilling smile.
The mini-Pro Youth Edition of Shub-Niggurath was a creation that had Tyche wracking her brains. Using the Abyssal Lord Meskante as the base material, combined with the divinity of the Kuo-Toa god Blibdoolpoolp and the supplicants, she managed to create a prototype.
The ugliness of the Kuo-Toa was barely acceptable compared to the endless demons of the Abyss. After taking over Blibdoolpoolp's divine role, Tyche discovered why the Kuo-Toa were so unpopular.
The intelligence of the Kuo-Toa was on par with goblins. Besides the bottom-ranked oozes, these two creatures alternated between second and third-to-last place, never surpassing.
The faith power provided by six Kuo-Toa was equivalent to that of a normal human. Considering the food pressure and management difficulty, it was no wonder these racial gods, despite having the faith of their entire race, were still at the bottom, with their ceiling clearly defined.
By incorporating the souls of succubi and Kuo-Toa and processing them through the "pinduoduo version" of Shub-Niggurath, a new breed of demons without physical form was born!
These bodiless demons were attracted by the negative emotions such as pain and despair emitted by humans. They appeared in the image most desired by their victims, offering comfort and escorting the dying on their final journey.
These were demons of kindness, a new type that had never appeared before. Feeding on negative emotions, they caused no harm other than taking away the negative feelings, leaving people in a state of foolish happiness for a while.
Divination spells that detected alignment wouldn't consider them evil. The chaotic good deities, after a brief period of doubt, gladly accepted their existence. Goddesses led by Sarenrae and Lliira even believed their presence was beneficial for creating a lively atmosphere, often summoning them during ceremonies to allow believers to shed worldly constraints and communicate more deeply with the deities.
Mortals went wild for them, hiding in the beautiful illusions they created to escape the harsh realities. Spellcasters treasured them, using them to clear their minds during meditation. Even the gods praised them, with priests improving their focus and offering devout faith.
They were unstoppable! Wherever the new demons went, there was rejoicing. People called them dream fairies and joy-bringing elves. Watching the new breed of demons, named Enchanting Demons by the Abyss, spread at an unimaginable speed across the Material Plane, Tyche had to admit she had underestimated the sins and chaos of the Faerûn world.
Although the process was somewhat bizarre and twisted, Tyche still achieved her goal.
More and more Enchanting Demons walked openly on the Material Plane. Some large temples even established permanent channels to the Abyss to allow more Enchanting Demons to emerge.
The Abyssal Will was overjoyed and granted more authority, allowing Tyche's avatar to replace Meskante, becoming the Queen of the Enchanting Demons.
From then on, demon worms had a new path to ascension, alongside succubi as Enchanting Demons.
After creating the Enchanting Demons, the subsequent creations of the "pinduoduo version" of Shub-Niggurath didn't satisfy Tyche; they were all freakish creatures that fit the Cthulhu aesthetic. Apart from a few with unique powers that had some value, the hideous freaks were all humanely destroyed.
Nuitari's status as the spokesperson for the Abyssal Will wasn't greatly challenged. Tyche's actions seemed futile. However, an idea struck her, recalling the faint white light that could harm the original form, obtained from investigating the adventurers who saved Worgin. After confirming that no creation god's will was hidden within, this powerless collection of creation god power was devoured by the "pinduoduo version" of Shub-Niggurath.
The new creation was a humanoid lifeform with a silver-white metallic body devoid of gender characteristics. The inorganic eyes held no emotional color.
Nothingness! Absolute nothingness! Tyche couldn't even determine if it had thoughts.
Anything that touched it would disappear, vanishing to who-knows-where.
"Your name is Messiah, the pure saint."
With a name, Messiah's eyes moved slightly and left amidst the cheers and songs of the demons.
The Abyssal Will was unprecedentedly joyful. Messiah had no alignment, no concept of good or evil, not even a purpose for existence.
Absolute chaos led to absolute nothingness. Under the watchful eyes of the three Demon Princes, Messiah became the fourth favored one, the Demon Prince representing emptiness.
The virus-like spread of the Enchanting Demons, coupled with the void-like Messiah, finally earned Tyche's avatar the favor of the Abyssal Consciousness, splitting the title of the spokesperson for the Abyssal Will, Nuitari, the Mother of Demons.
At this moment, Yeager also made his move. One of the three Demon Princes, Orcus, who controlled the undead, mysteriously perished. Messiah, leading demons singing holy songs, occupied the territory left without a master, leaping to become a new powerhouse.
"Your Grace Yeager, thank you for your help."
Presenting three virtual divine sparks, Tyche once again tempted, "You don't have much time left. Mystryl has collected enough virtual divine sparks; she will take the final step before you."
Yeager remained silent, seemingly unshaken.
"Do you still pin your hopes on Hell?"
Tyche smiled slyly, "Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells, will learn of the method to become an Old God before you even speak. He's different from everyone else; the Hellish Will chose him as its spokesperson long ago. As long as he obtains the appropriate divinity and divine role, Asmodeus won't even need a buffer; the laws will make him an Old God."
"But what about you, Yeager? Your relationship will be reversed. He will become the dominant one, and you'll have to look at his face, paying many benefits to gain the opportunity to become an Old God."
Hell was originally part of the Underworld, and its growth must have involved Yeager's interference.
Yeager finally broke his silence, "Corellon and Krull's side will also reject me because of you. Now, I only have the choice to cooperate with you."
"I'm curious," Tyche's smile didn't fade, "Why don't you choose Hell? As long as you tell Asmodeus the method to become an Old God and provide him with the appropriate divine role, Asmodeus won't refuse you. Although it would damage your pride, you were willing to give up divine roles to the Three Gods of Death. Why are you unwilling to bend now?"
"The primal forces of the Death domain are distancing themselves from me."
Yeager's reply was calm, "New divine roles in the Death domain have begun to sprout. I can't reverse this process, nor can I stop it. The power of death is shifting."
"Don't misunderstand; I'm not against the emergence of new divine roles."
Tyche looked at Yeager and heard him say, "Moreover, you're wrong. Compared to you, Asmodeus is irrelevant! The Hellish Consciousness will abandon him without hesitation to choose you when new divine roles emerge! The laws are cheering for you; new life will no longer consume primal forces to be born, supplicants will become history, and the lost powers will return because of this."