The challenge came not from a mortal kingdom, but from the divine realm itself.
Adrian was reviewing infrastructure metrics when a new alert pulsed across his interface—an official divine challenge, issued through the Ascension Arena. The sender was bold, direct, and unmistakably hostile.
Valen, God of Flame.
Valen was a traditionalist, a combat-focused deity who had built his reputation through fire trials, warrior cults, and temple-based dominance. His followers were loyal, aggressive, and proud. He had watched Adrian's rise with growing disdain.
"You've built a system," Valen's message read. "Let's see how it holds up under pressure."
Adrian accepted.
The Ascension Arena was a divine battleground—not of brute force, but of influence. Each challenger would deploy their divine domain in a neutral mortal city. The winner would be determined by prayer volume, user engagement, and cultural impact over seven days.
The chosen city was Greystone, a mid-sized trade hub with no dominant god. Neutral ground.
Valen arrived first.
He summoned a temple of flame, recruited warriors, and launched a series of combat trials. His blessings were powerful—strength, speed, fire resistance. His priests preached discipline, loyalty, and conquest.
Adrian arrived quietly.
He deployed the [Divine Infrastructure Protocol], tailored to Greystone's merchant culture. He launched [Carrier Pigeon], [Library], and [School] within hours. He offered free onboarding, passive blessings, and coin incentives for early adopters.
Valen mocked him.
"No sermons? No warriors? Just screens?"
But the numbers told a different story.
By day three, Adrian's apps had reached 60% of the population. Prayer volume was triple Valen's. Students were learning. Merchants were trading. Even some of Valen's warriors were using [Fear Trial] to sharpen their instincts.
Adrian introduced a new feature: [Flame Buffer], a temporary blessing that reduced fire damage. It was subtle, respectful—but effective. Users began switching allegiance.
Valen's temple began to empty.
By day seven, the results were clear.
Adrian had won.
The Ascension Arena confirmed the outcome. Valen's influence in Greystone dropped to 12%. Adrian's rose to 78%. The remaining 10% were undecided—but leaning toward the Internet.
Valen withdrew, furious but silent.
Adrian didn't gloat.
He updated the interface, added Greystone to the certified node list, and launched a regional dashboard. The city was now part of the system.
The message was clear.
Adrian's infrastructure wasn't just scalable.
It was defensible.