One after another, streaks of divine light entered the realm shrouded by the curtain of night.
Outside the curtain was daylight; inside, it was a star-filled night.
Yet at the very center of this night, the light of dawn slowly spilled from the highest point, leaving this divine realm suspended in a state where night had not yet ended, but dawn was about to arrive.
Encircling the dawn light was a pattern of the twelve most radiant constellations.
Among them, Sagittarius shone brilliantly. Beneath its starlight stood a slender, green figure.
Buzz—
Behind that green figure, the Pseudo Star Map Creation Edda unfolded, like an extremely intricate magic circle.
Under the radiance of dawn, it was as though a creator god were about to drive away chaos and darkness, forging a new world.
"The Solar Sovereignty combined with Sagittarius carries the constellation's own legacy. Sagittarius represents freedom and courageous resistance, bearing all of Pan-Human History's heritage of liberty and defiance. Even setting aside the power of Solar Sovereignty, the legacy of Sagittarius alone approaches hundreds of times single-universe—already at high-level strong single universe."
"Even if I have not yet claimed it, my very core essence has always been wind, hope, and freedom—with a faint trace of time as well."
Venti felt the blessing of his home-field advantage. His strength instantly rose by at least fifty percent.
At his level—close to twice single-universe—that fifty percent boost was equivalent to adding the mass of another great universe. With the Pseudo Star Map layered on top, his strength had already neared fourfold single-universe.
"So powerful… right now, I truly am strong."
"If I were to lose even under such advantage, then it would prove I am utterly unworthy of Pan-Human History's trust."
What seemed like a simple contest actually contained the most fundamental truth.
More familiar auras accompanied streaks of light as they entered the arena.
Venti shed his usual frivolous air. His expression grew solemn, his eyes sharp as blades, meeting the gaze of all the assembled gods.
He no longer suppressed his aura—it flowed out naturally.
Boom—
The pressure of nearly fourfold single-universe power, released casually, shook the divine realm beyond restraint.
Were it not for Celestia being situated at the very peak, closest to Teyvat's convergence of Laws, that aura alone could have cracked the barriers of an ordinary great universe.
The pressure spread like shockwaves, pushing back nearby gods by countless light-years.
Fortunately, Venti bore no malice. Otherwise, this alone would have gravely wounded all gods below weak single-universe.
By now, all gods above the Supreme God rank from every divine collective had arrived.
In present-day Teyvat, one could say Primary Gods were as common as dogs, and God-Kings roamed everywhere. Only Supreme Gods could still stir the heavens, while Primordial Gods of cosmic structure stood as true great deities. Single-universe was the very tip of the pyramid.
Each divine collective now had at least twenty or more Supreme Gods. These were mostly the second and third generations of ascended gods. As for the fourth generation, they were countless, like the stars themselves—but as of yet, none had reached Supreme God. At most, some had broken through to God-King.
On the Liyue side—
"Gulp… so this is the strength of those few standing at Teyvat's very peak? From aura alone, I've already lost all thought of resisting—only the urge to bare my neck for the blade."
A tall man clad in a white fur coat, his white hair tied into a ponytail, trembled as he gazed at that distant figure—though distance meant nothing. To such beings, causality itself no longer held sway.
"Lord Toga… I think we should retreat further, at least to the very edges. Otherwise, I dread to imagine how terrifying the battle will be. I don't want my very soul to be struck."
The long-headed man gripped his smoking pipe tightly, trembling with unease.
These two were none other than the final demon gods of their kind—Toga, ultimate demon god of the canines, and Nurarihyon, ultimate demon god of the phantoms—both of the third generation of ascended gods.
The two of them had spent ten thousand years, ceaselessly pioneering and working with all their might, and only a thousand years ago had they finally broken through to Supreme God.
But with their potential, ascending to Primordial God was essentially impossible.
Now, as Supreme Gods of the Liyue divine collective, they enjoyed the highest treatment. Both had been dispatched beyond the Main Universe, appointed as rulers over countless small universes and myriad planar worlds.
Within the Endless Planes, the two of them were undoubtedly super great gods.
"As expected of that lord… simply too powerful."
Now a weak single-universe, Xiao gazed up at the green divine figure with awe, unable to restrain his voice of respect.
"The Sovereign must be just as strong, right?"
He held the deepest respect for both the Sovereign and Barbatos.
If not for Lord Barbatos restraining him when he had nearly fallen into demonic corruption from karmic debt, he would not be who he was today.
Though unnecessary, as he sensed Lord Barbatos' unmatched strength, he couldn't help but worry whether his Sovereign was equally formidable.
Even though he had followed the Sovereign for countless years, ever since they had subdued the Inuyasha World, he had not once seen him make a move.
Xianyun, serene as always, replied: "Xiao, the Sovereign is invincible. Among the leaders of divine collectives, and even among the original Seven Archons, he is absolutely the strongest."
Then she suddenly remembered—the seemingly low-profile Greater Lord Rukkhadevata might actually be stronger than their Sovereign.
Cough, cough. "In any case, he is among the very strongest."
Guizhong watched as over a dozen streaks of light rushed into the dawn-lit arena, sighing softly.
"So powerful."
"Though I always knew the leaders of divine collectives were unimaginably strong, to this degree—it is beyond comprehension."
She herself was already a standard single-universe, yet before those dozen figures, she felt she could not even withstand a single blow. Their sheer pressure alone left her mind reeling.
...
Clad in divine robes, Zhongli was the second to step into the place illuminated by the light of dawn. A white hood veiled his head, golden light gleaming in his eyes with overwhelming force.
Behind him, a radiant halo slowly unfolded, forming a pattern like a celestial sphere, radiating mysterious and profound power.
"Barbatos, your strength now rivals my own—perhaps even surpasses it slightly."
"It seems you are determined to claim Sagittarius' Solar Sovereignty, aren't you?"
Venti gazed complicatedly at the imposing old man standing opposite him.
"Right now, I'm only a hair stronger than you, old man. You truly are the one among us best at hiding your strength."
With the Pseudo Star Map added on, he had only just approached fourfold universal mass.
That meant the old man, without anyone noticing, had already reached more than double universal mass in his true strength—stepping into strong single-universe, even if only just across the threshold.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata? Long ago, in the hearts of the original Seven Archons, she had already been excluded from their ranks.
After all, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was too unique. Now she had even become the embodiment of Truth itself, completely parting ways with the Seven Archons.
"But you're right, old man. I absolutely must win this round. There's no other possibility."
"Surely by now you've realized the deeper meaning behind this contest."
"No… it should be that all of us, the leaders of divine collectives, have at least partially understood it."
Even before Venti's words had finished, all the leaders of divine collectives had already arrived.
In addition to them, the Abyssal Soverign Aether and the Lord of Trailblaze Lumine also came.
Tet, the chief judge of this Gift Game, appeared silently, seated cross-legged, her eyes already brimming with excitement and anticipation.
This was the grandest, highest-tier Gift Game in all of Teyvat, and unlike any that would ever follow. For her, it was the chance to shatter all barriers and directly sublimate her concept into Principle.
It was her only chance. Under the rules respected by every leader of divine collectives, under the boiling fervor of Pan-Human History, and under the witness of all Teyvat—she would give birth to the Principle of Games.
A Gift Game that distributed the Eternal Divine Seat's authority—this was the one and only ultimate game, the endpoint of all games.
While Tet reveled in the thought of becoming a Lord of Principle, the leaders of divine collectives had already begun their formal confrontation.
Each of them naturally displayed their full strength. Behind each rotated the Pseudo Star Map.
By now, Nahida no longer bore the appearance of a child. She was indistinguishable from the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—only the direction of the World Tree leaves upon their heads marked the difference.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's pointed right, while Nahida's pointed left.
"My essence is dream, wisdom, and nature. The very moment I returned to Sumeru, I realized it."
Nahida's four-leaf-clover eyes shone with wisdom. "Each of us has our own unique home-field advantage. No one can afford to lose the first match. If we lose, there will never be a second chance."
"And among us, one or more will naturally act as the challenger, testing whether the others are qualified to safeguard Pan-Human History."
"Only by passing the trials given to us by one another can we continue to contend for the next Solar Sovereignty."
Raiden Makoto nodded and added: "There is another point—the delegation of authority. Lord Heavenly Principle and the Holy Gods are entrusting us with the right to govern all worlds and civilizations of Pan-Human History."
"Can we truly bear the weight of Pan-Human History ourselves?"
Focalors continued: "That is why this contest determines whether our divine collectives can continue advancing forward, whether Lord Heavenly Principle will continue to entrust us."
Tsaritsa's gaze was firm and decisive. "Then this truly is war—exhausting every ounce of strength, every bit of wisdom, every vision of the future."
Hu Tao spread her hands. "Even if we wanted to hold back, it's impossible. Doing so would mean being judged as unqualified outright."
"This doesn't just test strength and wisdom—it tests human nature itself. Even the slightest attempt at going easy will mean defeat."
Neuvillette said steadily: "Rest assured, everyone. I will not hold back. I will fight with everything I have, paving the way both for myself and for you."
Odin, gripping Gungnir, exhaled slowly.
Among all the leaders of divine collectives, he was the weakest. But even so, he bore absolute resolve not to lose.
Athena's expression remained calm, but within, her heart had already been stretched to its limits.
"A trial of everything? If it's trials, then I, Athena, will overcome them all."
"To reach this height, how many unreachable ordeals and untouchable boundaries have we already crossed?"
"There's no way we would fall at the very last moment."
"My Greek divine collective has only me as its leader. If I lose, there won't be a second chance."
Compared to collectives with multiple Pseudo Star Maps, those with only one carried their resolve to the very limit.
Venti sighed. "Indeed. How many trials have we crossed? How many insurmountable chasms?"
All the leaders of divine collectives could not help but resonate with these words. Even the Abyssal Soverign Aether grew wistful.
Only Lumine's lips twitched slightly. Hiss— This atmosphere… it feels like I'm the only one out of place…
She had indeed crossed many trials as well, but somehow none had ever felt truly impossible to overcome.
Dong… dong… dong—
Once again, the bells of high heaven rang out from Celestia.
The first round of the Solar Sovereignty War was announced to begin.
The hearts of all divine collective leaders tightened to the utmost.
From Inazuma: the twin Gods of Thunder, Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei.
From Liyue: Hu Tao, and Rex Lapis
From Sumeru: the God of Wisdom, Nahida, and Odin, the Norse God-King.
From Fontaine: the twin Gods of Justice and Hydro, Focalors and Furina, along with Neuvillette, the Dragon of Hydro.
From Mondstadt: the God of Freedom and Hope, Barbatos.
From Snezhnaya: the God of Love and Cryo, Tsaritsa.
And lastly, from Greece: the God of Victory and the Arts, Athena.
Buzz—
The light of dawn grew ever brighter. The stars of Sagittarius converged, and the Solar Sovereignty manifested.
It appeared as a golden bow, its string fully drawn, which finally condensed into a single card—a card of Truth, bearing a fragment of the Eternal Throne's authority.
The card was not large, only about the size of three playing cards joined together.
The instant the Sagittarius Solar Sovereignty appeared, its legacy light shone upon the heads of both Venti and Zhongli.
Then, centered upon the Sagittarius Solar Sovereignty, a spherical barrier instantly expanded, excluding all other contenders, forming a battle space vaster than a great universe.
Venti and Zhongli faced one another, calmly meeting each other's gaze.
Venti: "So it's you, old man—you've become my trial."
"Then let's begin. Show me your full strength, old man!"
Zhongli's golden eyes erupted with overwhelming divine might, and the power of the Pseudo Star Map behind him surged in full.
Boom—
The tides of Laws roared outward in every direction.
"As you wish."
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