At the same time, on the opposite side of the universe at the Overgod battlefield, the Overgods on the side of the four Edicts frowned.
As Overgods, they were more than capable of spreading their senses over virtually the entire universe. The only places that they weren't capable of spying on freely were the domains of other Overgods; it was for that reason that they weren't able to spy on the happenings of the Yulan Plane or any of their attached pocket dimension.
Because of that, when Ace and the Water Overgod were fighting in the True Yang Realm, the only ones able to tell what was happening were Aiden, Orloff, and Bluefire, but the moment the Water Overgod was forcefully ejected and sent flying into chaotic space, the others were finally able to see.
One could then imagine their shock – this was an Overgod they were talking about. The Spirit of Water may have been at the bottom rung of the current Overgods in terms of power, but their power should be unmatched by all who weren't Overgods. So, to see the state he was in after being forced out, their shock could be imagined.
Still, that shock paled in comparison to what they felt when they saw the Overgod of Water being so completely and thoroughly suppressed and outclassed.
If they were honest, they didn't care much about the life and death of their fellow Overgod, but because the Water Overgod sent his true self there, should he be killed, his Overgod Spark would end up in Ace's hand, and that was an outcome they couldn't afford to let happen.
The Overgod of Destruction attempted to send an energy clone to support the Overgod Water, but before it could finish materialising, Aiden, having sensed what he was intending to do, focused his attention on said Overgod.
Although Aiden was outnumbered three to one, both sides had to go all out to fight the other to a standstill, so the moment the Overgod of Destruction diverted a part of his attention to creating a clone to help kill Ace, Aiden was able to capitalise on it and deal the Destruction Overgod a significant injury which would only make it harder to form his Overgod Body later on.
Seeing what happened when the Overgod of Destruction tried to help the Spirit of Water, the others all understood that the same would inevitably happen to them should they try to do the same; as such, all they could do was focus on their current opponents and pray for a miracle for the Water Overgod. Unfortunately, miracles were too hard to come by.
The moment Ace used his newly created Supreme Technique, [Aurora Wave], they understood what was about to happen.
The Reddish-Green Aura didn't seem to have any offensive power. Just the speed it travelled was infinitely slower than one would expect for a battle at this level. The speed of the attack was something one would expect to see from a saint, and yet, it was that very attack that had the Overgod of Water dripping with sweat as he felt the threat of death clearer than ever before.
He tried as hard as he could to block, but the reddish-green aura phased straight through the defences of the Overgod as though it wasn't there. His eyes suddenly widened before his already faint and translucent body began to shudder violently.
Then, under the eyes of those able to witness the battle, what was left of the body and soul of the Overgod body dissipated, leaving nothing but the oversized azure-coloured crystal.
Ace indifferently moved his hand to reach out for the Overgod Spark when the sound of the Fate Overgod's voice entered his mind. The Fate Overgod's voice was the epitome of cold indifference. Despite the fact that Ace had already shown that he was qualified to sit at the Overgod table, albeit only reluctantly, the Fate Overgod arrogantly told Ace not to go too far. That if he didn't return the Water Overgod Spark to them, neither he nor his family would ever be safe.
The Fate Overgod had also layered his words with his spiritual essence. Unfortunately for him, Ace had been given a soul-protecting Overgod ring by his grandfather the moment Bluefire became an Overgod. Add that to the fact that Ace's soul was already stronger than most Sovereigns; he was calmly able to shield himself from the Fate Overgod's attack.
Even so, Ace's eyes became even colder. He didn't care that they had come after him, but the fact that they first dared to harm his wife and unborn child and now even dared to threaten his loved ones. If he didn't teach them a lesson they never forgot, he wouldn't be Gol D. Ace!
Ace didn't bother to respond to the Fate Overgod. Instead, he sent a message to his grandfather via the ring he gave him. His message was simply, no matter what happens next, keep them there.
Bluefire didn't know what Ace was planning, still, he passed Ace's words on to Aiden and Orloff. Though they didn't know what Ace was planning, they were happy to do as Ace said. Although it was hard to get an advantage over their enemies, fighting to a standstill was no problem.
Under the eyes of all the remaining Overgods, Ace casually took the Water-type Overgod Spark before moving to his stepfather in a flash.
Ace merely told him that he needed him to merge with the Overgod Spark and then help him with something.
Lance was deeply shocked by Ace's actions. He never once dreamed of becoming an Overgod; in fact, thinking back to before he met Ace and his mother, his only dream was to one day become a mortal warrior of the fourth rank, but now, not only was he a paragon who had accumulated three units of Will, he was about to become an existence that towered over even the Sovereigns.
Still, the moment he heard Ace tell him that he "needed" him, he acted without thought. Even though they didn't share blood and Ace was infinitely stronger than him, Lance saw Ace as his child. There was nothing he wouldn't do to help this step-son of his.
It took Aiden, Orloff, and Bluefire a year to merge with their respective Overgod Sparks, but that was only because those sparks belonged to the original spirit of said Law – although simple enough, the procedure to move said spirit to their personal weapon before was what actually took so long, but with the Spirit of Water having been killed by Ace, Lance was able to merge with his Overgod Spark instantly.
Even though there would inevitably be a period of adaptation, he wouldn't need to enter seclusion to do so.
Not even a second after Lance dropped a drip of his blood on the azure gem, he felt a power like nothing he could've imagined coursing through his body. Even so, he paid it no mind. Instead, he looked at Ace and asked him what he needed him to do.
Ace transmitted his instructions directly to his mind, and Lance nodded before closing his eyes and placing a palm on Ace's shoulder.
Lance spread his consciousness over the entire universe before opening up his soul for Ace. Lance opening his soul like that for Ace was extremely dangerous; even though there was a massive difference between their souls now, Ace would still be able to deal a vicious blow and potentially even kill Lance should he choose to take advantage. Even so, Lance showed not the slightest hesitation in doing so.
Still, Ace would never do that… not to Lance. Lance wasn't just his mother's husband and sister's father – he was also his family. Although he didn't exactly see him as a father figure, his love for Lance was unquestionable. Plus, his giving Lance the Overgod Spark only to kill him in such a roundabout way made no sense.
No, he merely wanted to spread his message to the entire universe via Lance's Overgod divine sense – since the Overgods wanted to toy with the futures of him and his loved ones, he would see if they still had the energy to play after he was finished.
Ace explained that many already knew his name, but he wanted to personally introduce himself. He was Gol D. Ace, a direct descendant of the strongest Clan and bloodline the universe had ever seen – the Gol Clan.
He explained that his whole life, he had never gone out of his way to antagonise others; it was always others choosing to make an enemy out of him. The Overgods of the Four Edicts are just the most recent example of that. Even so, he didn't mind; he saw them as nothing but the next in a long line of tribulations for him to overcome, but this time they went too far.
If they had simply focused on him, he would have nothing to say, but this time, they actually attacked his pregnant wife as well by sending the former Water Overgod after him. It was then that Ace replayed the memories of his battle with the Overgod.
As he did, there wasn't a soul alive who wasn't shocked by the outcome. They could sense via Ace's vivid memories that Ace was merely a High god, but he had actually not only defeated but also killed the Overgod.
The Overgods of the four Edicts could feel faith that had previously been directed towards them slowly diverting from them towards Ace, but as much as they wanted to interfere, they were too busy in their respective battles.
Ace, though, had no interest in their feelings; he was determined to let them understand the consequences of their actions.
Ace then explained that now that he knew many people would want to get their hands on the Water-type Overgod Spark, but that was no longer possible as that now belonged to his step-father Lance Gol. But for one lucky individual, he would give them an opportunity. Although it wasn't to become an Overgod, it was the next best thing.
He then took out the True Yang Chief Sovereign Spark, allowing the universe to see it, and said that he would give it to the next person to become a paragon of the Mandate of True Yang!
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