"We accept."
The moment the words left the Elders' lips, the pact was sealed.
The blue particles of light, which had been hovering in front of them like fireflies, surged forward. They didn't just touch the Demigods; they phased through their skin, their mana barriers, and their very souls.
It wasn't painful. It was... euphoric.
It felt like a sudden rush of oxygen to a brain that had been suffocating for centuries. A neural bridge was constructed instantly, linking their isolated consciousnesses to a vast, infinite ocean of data.
DING.
[System Synchronization Complete.]
[Welcome to the Divine Network, User.]
Eighty pairs of eyes went wide. Eighty jaws dropped.
In their vision, the world was suddenly overlaid with gold and blue interfaces.
They saw the Global Forum, where demigods from galaxies they had never heard of were discussing the price of Star-Steel.
They saw the Marketplace, where artifacts of legend were being sold for a currency called 'Merits.'
