Slaanesh's sudden defection stunned everyone present.
However, the Khornes clearly didn't care. Betrayal? Allies? What were those? Would they interfere with the battle? They only knew that the entity before them was pointing a sword at them. It was a provocation! A naked provocation!
"Roar!"
Unbearable fury transformed into physical soundwaves. The three Khornes—incarnations of war and slaughter from different times and spaces—with muscles bulging and bloodthirst soaring, charged forward side by side. The Warp energy around them trembled and fractured violently, the chaotic, multicolored Warp currents being swept away by a tide of dark red.
The Nurgles moved more slowly. Their bloated, pus-leaking bodies shifted sluggishly as they occupied three other positions. A viscous, foul-smelling energy field quietly expanded, attempting to completely envelop Ian and the Emperor. It seemed that silent decay was more threatening than the roar of destruction.
The two Slaaneshes and two Tzeentches from other parallel universes were completely bewildered. What happened? This wasn't part of the 'Change'! Why would the Slaanesh of this universe act so decisively? Why was the Tzeentch of this universe standing frozen in place?
The Tzeentch of the prime universe was wailing internally. He wanted to surrender too! Who wouldn't want to cling to such a powerful thigh? But the threads of fate told him that if he tried to cozy up like Slaanesh did... the result would only be being cleaved into fundamental particles by the other party with a look of utter disgust. He didn't have the 'capital' Slaanesh had; he wasn't Ian's type.
So, he could only fight. Tzeentch forcibly suppressed the fear and despair in his heart and began to mobilize his ever-changing power. To hell with it! Go!
"Emperor, leave those two shut-ins to you."
Ian's voice was as calm as still water, as if he were casually assigning cleaning duties. He himself would simultaneously face three Khornes, three Tzeentches, two Slaaneshes, and the Nurgle of the prime universe. A total of nine Dark Gods of various forms and immense power!
Beside him, the Emperor began to mobilize his energy. As he did, golden light flared brilliantly around him. Feeling the unprecedented, surging power within—the enhancement from the Cosmic Meatballs Ian had given him—his gaze turned resolute as he faced the two Nurgles from the parallel universes.
The battle erupted instantly!
Ian didn't even leave his spot. The Infinity Armor on his body was incredibly hard, its deep black surface flowing with the mysteries of the universe. The attacks of the Dark Gods fell like a torrential storm. Khornes slashed with giant swords or axes, carrying the power to cleave the boundary between reality and the Warp, only to shatter into pure energy the moment they touched the armor. Before that energy could dissipate, Ian absorbed it.
Tzeentch's sorcerous schemes attempted to twist reality, create illusions, and tamper with rules. But before Ian's absolute strength, these changes were like children's tricks; spells capable of destroying planets were easily crushed by Ian. Other attacks were smoothed out by invisible force the moment they appeared.
The Slaaneshes from the other worlds released mental shocks capable of making mortals instantly sink into an ultimate sensory hell. But these shocks struck Ian's helmet without raising even a ripple. Nurgle's belly-mouth spewed plague miasma capable of corroding souls. None of the Dark Gods could break Ian's defense, but Nurgle's attack was exceptionally effective because it successfully grossed Ian out.
Ian directly tossed an Infinity Block into Nurgle's mouth. An explosion of infinite mass followed, tearing open his abdomen and pinning his lower body to the ground.
Meanwhile, the Sword of the Cosmos in Ian's hand flowed with power beyond the universe, emitting a terrifying aura that made the souls of the Dark Gods tremble. They had all clearly 'seen' how the Great Devourer had been completely erased by this sword not long ago.
Thus, they were prepared. At the same moment they received Ian's attack, their true bodies instantly split, transforming into hundreds of millions of tiny fragments. Each fragment contained a sliver of their will and power. Each fragment was an independent 'clone'. This way, even if struck by that terrifying longsword, the loss would only be a small portion of power, preventing an instant kill.
Although splitting would significantly weaken their power, it was the only way to save their lives.
"Oh? You've learned to be smart?" Ian's lips curled slightly. He had to give these Dark Gods credit for their survival instinct and adaptability.
But it was meaningless. Before an absolute power gap, any technique appeared pale and weak. Ian still had countless ways to easily slaughter them like crushing bugs. If nothing else, wouldn't you just explode if I used a sword with the Sweeping Edge enchantment?
However... looking at these Chaos Gods who once stood high above, viewing all things as straw dogs and the entire universe as a toy, yet were now like frightened rabbits using every trick just to linger on for a moment longer... this scene was quite interesting.
Ian decided not to rush to kill them instantly. He would treat it as a pastime after being idle for so many days.
The Ultimate Star hovered above his head, emitting a soft light. Simultaneously, it isolated the foul energy erosion from the battlefield. Then, the Infinity Armor on Ian's body quietly receded as if melting. The Sword of the Cosmos was casually put away as if it were an insignificant decoration.
Currently, his physical strength was almost equal to the Infinity Armor. Combined with his bottomless, pure black health bar, these split Dark Gods wouldn't be able to pose a substantive threat to him even if they used all their methods.
When the other Dark Gods saw Ian being so contemptuous—removing his divine gear and putting away that terrifying longsword permeating with the aura of the end—the flow of energy in the Warp stagnated for a moment. An indescribable sense of humiliation instantly filled the soul of every Dark God.
But following that was an uncontrollable ecstasy. This was a chance! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! He seemed to have become fragile!
On the other side, Ian's gaze swept over the Dark Gods who had split into hundreds of millions of fragments. Seeing the countless flashing Heartsteel marks densely imprinted on every fragment, his mouth widened into a malicious smile.
The Dark Gods' fragmentation into thousands suited his purposes perfectly. Looking at the massive quantity of Heartsteel markers above their heads, Ian felt this place was a paradise tailor-made for him.
Kill them? No! Now he was actually a bit reluctant. He wanted to 'farm' them properly.
Ian's figure instantly vanished from his spot. With a savage grin, he charged directly into the 'Steel Sea' composed of Dark God fragments.
Clang!
Accompanied by Heartsteel's unique, crisp bursting sound, Ian threw a punch. The Khorne fragment at the very front instantly exploded, dissipating into pure energy.
At the same time, countless attacks landed on Ian. Deceptive curses from Tzeentch tried to corrode his soul. Mental shocks from the otherworldly Slaaneshes attempted to make him sink. Violent energy from Khorne tried to tear his body apart.
These attacks did cause damage. Numbers flashed across his vision—tens of thousands of points. For mortals or even ordinary demigods, this would be fatal. But to Ian, it was like a gentle breeze.
A second later, the damage values plummeted sharply. When the same attacks fell again, the damage caused was negligible. After that, his body had completely adapted to this level of attack. The Dark Gods' attacks now felt more like a tickle to him.