With this, Damien had brought back two familliars with True Demon Lord potential from the Nasuverse.
Combined with Ogerpon and the Snow Empress, that made four powerhouses capable of achieving Demon Lord status without his aid.
What about the Ice Empress, or Ogerpon and Shion from the original story?
They were different.
Ogerpon and Shion relied on Rimuru's gifts, not their own talents.
As for the Ice Empress, her only path to Demon Lord status was through slaughter.
In the Cardinal World's environment, if she tried that, she'd likely be hunted down before breaking through.
This was why Damien favored growth-oriented skills.
Ogerpon: Fight without killing, growing stronger against stronger foes.
Snow Empress: Natural expansion, benefiting all beings.
Artoria: Spreading fame, commanding Holy Spirits.
Justeaze: Soul purification, silently amassing power.
Quietly developing, growing stronger without harming others, and then astonishing the world.
That was the Cardinal World's favored path, the ultimate answer in the current meta.
"Now, what about Heaven's Decree?"
Confirming Justeaze's potential, Damien, while pleased, didn't overlook this peculiar exclusive skill's effects.
"Heaven's Decree lets me connect with all individuals through your Soul Corridor, Lord Damien."
"Through this connection, I can borrow their power."
"Borrow?"
"Does it require their consent?"
"Yes."
With consent, Justeaze could draw power from other comrades via the Soul Corridor.
"Hiss…"
"No limits? What's the ceiling on this skill?"
"There is no ceiling."
"No…"
Damien was genuinely shocked, "You mean, if the Snow Empress agrees, you could use her Snow Empress's Triple Arts?"
"More precisely, I don't use it... I summon her attack directly."
Heaven's Decree's borrowing was like starting a video call with a comrade and having them fight in your place.
But without needing their physical presence.
"However, this skill only reaches its full potential under you, Lord Damien."
Without Damien, Justeaze alone would find the skill useless.
The Soul Corridor was a symbol of the bond between named monsters and their namer.
"If it's just me, I can only borrow from monsters I've named."
"Unless I accept names from other monsters and submit to them."
"Otherwise, Heaven's Decree can't grant me power beyond my own."
Her subordinates couldn't surpass her.
On her own, the skill was practically useless.
But now, as part of Damien's Soul Corridor, she could request aid from any comrade.
No restrictions, as long as they agreed.
Even Damien could use Justeaze to remotely eliminate enemies.
"Additionally, Heaven's Decree can create a relay station in the soul world."
After explaining its effects on herself, Justeaze introduced another use.
"Relay station?"
A new concept. Damien asked, "What's it for?"
"Hm…"
Justeaze pondered, then drew from Damien's shared memories, "Like the Adventurers' Guild you joined in the Konosuba world!"
Yes, an Adventurers' Guild.
Heaven's Decree would establish a soul-level guild.
All of Damien's familliars, tribes, named monsters, and followers could join.
They could submit their wishes as quests, like guild requests.
"Others can see these quests and connect with the requester through me."
This connection went beyond a simple call.
It allowed the weaker party to borrow the power of a superior, just like Justeaze.
"But to accept a quest, certain requirements must be met."
"Anyone can post a quest, no threshold."
"For adventurers, they need at least A-rank monster strength."
Like upper and lower tiers.
Lower tiers couldn't interact with each other.
Only superiors could aid inferiors.
"This ability…"
Damien felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
It was as if he'd seen something similar before.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (removespace)