The Dragons Nest Pantheon hovered within Victor's Inner World.
In the Command Center, the atmosphere was one of restrained nervousness. Ruby Elderblood Scarlett manipulated the tactical hologram with icy precision, tracing the coordinates of the Veillon Sector, the territory of the Overlord
The Governor of the Universe (Rank 0) was seated on the obsidian throne Victor had conjured. He had exchanged his coffee cup for a crystal chalice that radiated Primordial Energy, as if he were tasting the very fabric of Creation.
"It is an unnecessary risk, Victor," the Governor murmured, not opening his eyes. "Overlord Light is not the entirety of Positivity, but he is close enough. A frontal attack with the Heralds of Chaos is an affront that may attract the attention of Rank 7."
"He already has my attention, and I have his," Victor replied, his voice laden with disdain. He was observing Scathach's fleet—not out of concern for the GodSlayer, but to ensure that Chaos manifested efficiently.
"His only strength lies in blind obedience and Mind Control," Victor continued, his Outer God voice imposing a dogma. "The only way to free his subjects is to break the dogma. And trauma is the universal language, Governor."
Anna Elderblood, who stood beside Victor, intervened: "Husband is right. Their Reality is a lie. Our Destruction is the only way to show the Truth."
The Governor took a sip from his chalice, evaluating Anna with a condescending smile. "You're his mother, aren't you? Your brutal honesty is the driving force of little Chaos. Fascinating. Family is the only Concept that Duality has failed to dismantle."
Victor ignored the personal remark. He knew the Governor was there to provoke.
[Commander Scathach has activated Protocol 'Ancient Fury'. Incursion begins in 30 seconds.] Akasha's voice sounded.
The GodSlayer and the Heralds of the End
The hologram before Ruby shifted to a synthetic solar system, almost entirely composed of metallic structures and white light: the frontier of the Veillon Empire.
Scathach Elderblood Scarlett, in her crimson armor, stood upon the hull of one of the Slayers (Victor's warships). At her side, the Heralds of Chaos (War, Thomas, Jimmy, Karen, Lucy) appeared grotesque, their bodies wrapped in an aura of Existence Erasure that even the synthetic light of the Veillon Empire could not purify.
"Heralds, today's lesson is Efficiency," Scathach hissed, her voice amplified by her armor's communication system. "The enemy has no true Soul, only Positivity substitutes controlled by a cowardly God. Do not attack with brute force. Attack the Concept."
War, the Heralds' leader, raised his sword, forged from abyssal black matter. "In the name of the Emperor, Annihilation is the only outcome. Let us teach this Light that Chaos is the only lord of War."
The System-Devouring Fortress—the same one that had vaporized the clone—appeared on the horizon, a colossal construct the size of a moon, bathed in icy light.
The Governor coughed, breaking the silence in the Command Center. "That Fortress is a problem, Victor. It can focus the Concept of Destruction into a single point. Your clone could not dodge it. Your Heralds will not survive the focused attack."
Victor smiled—the smile of a player who already knew the card hidden up his sleeve.
"I don't need them to survive the attack. I need them to complete the mission."
Scathach's Horror Tale
The System-Devouring Fortress fired. A V-07 energy beam tore through space toward Scathach's position.
But before the beam could hit, Sasha Elderblood Fulger—who was discreetly stationed on a satellite command bridge trillions of kilometers away—acted.
Her galactic eyes shone with pure Electrokinesis. She did not attack the Fortress. She attacked the information network of the Veillon Empire.
The Freedom-of-Thought Virus, a source-code parasite created by Ruby and infused with Victor's Chaos, was injected into the network.
In the same microsecond, Scathach leaped, and the Heralds of Chaos scattered.
The V-07 beam vaporized Victor's Slayer—but the Heralds were already airborne. They plummeted like meteors of Negativity onto the metallic surface of the planet.
Instead of explosions, the Heralds wielded the Concept of End. Their blades did not cut the metal. They caused the metal to cease to exist.
Scathach landed, and her crimson spear pierced through three floors of the enemy fortress.
"Your defense is predictable!" Scathach shouted, her cry pure battle lust. "You are the God of Positivity, not the God of War! I am the GodSlayer! I am the Master of your Emperor!"
As the massacre unfolded, Sasha's virus reached its apex.
Aphrodite's message, using Victor's Rank 10 charm, flooded every communication system in the Veillon Empire, mixed with the terror of Scathach's invasion:
[Overlord Light allowed his children to be massacred by a single enemy! He demands your mental submission in exchange for protection he cannot provide! Your Free Will is worth less than the synthetic light he sells you!]
The Governor slapped his thigh slowly, impressed. "Psychological warfare is indeed your masterpiece, Victor. An attack that strikes the dogma of a God is more effective than a conceptual strike. You are using Positivity to destroy itself."
Victor smiled. "They are free to choose Chaos or Tyranny. And I am the only one who gave them that choice, Governor."
The mission was completed in under five minutes. The planet's database was stolen, its infrastructure reduced to nothing, and Scathach, covered in synthetic blood, returned to the portal.