BOOOOOOOOOM!
"Kahak…!"
The Karmic Emperor spit out blood as he was struck with an unknown force that he couldn't perceive.
Tiamat started attacking the second she declared her intent, and he realized one simple fact.
The only reason he was alive was because he wasn't alone.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Blood red waves shot at her from all directions as Immortal Blood Asura tried to block her vision.
But, who was she?
It had been a long time since she moved her limbs, but she'd regained a large portion of her old power.
Damien released her several years ago and left her to her own devices until now for that very purpose.
She'd been acclimating to her freedom for the sole purpose of revenge, because nothing could be accomplished until this demon was removed from her heart.
And now that she was here, what could a mere Karmic Emperor or Immortal Blood Asura do to her?
VOOOM!
Blackness emanated from her body and pushed away all ethereal forces that came near her.
Immortal Blood Asura's attempts to attack her backfired instantly, forcing him into an even worse position than he was already in.
He used most of his Divine Energy when he was chasing Damien.
Despite seeming like he had infinite mana, he was nowhere near the concept.
The mana he used on Damien himself of course wasn't much, because he didn't need an extreme amount to take on a lower existence.
Mana quantity wasn't what could kill Damien. The power of a Divinity's law was.
Therefore, the majority of his power was spent in…quite the embarrassing fashion.
It was uselessly expended on the unbreakable barrier Dante put up during his brief appearance in a fit of rage.
But, Immortal Blood Asura was only partially at fault.
After all, who could've predicted the appearance of someone like Tiamat?
She was too far disconnected from her race for her to still be included in their hivemind. No, in the first place, her anomalous existence excluded her from the concept.
She was a completely independent entity, and for the Nox, this made her even more dangerous than she already was!
'This cannot happen.'
The Karmic Emperor was clear on this. Her presence would ruin his plans, but that was the least important thing.
If he didn't escape, he'd lose his life here!
Of all the Nox Emperors, the Karmic Emperor had the least combat power.
Unlike the Marionette Lord, who could both do what he did and fight on their own, he was absolutely focused on controlling others and barely spent time on himself.
The best he could do was use the weight of his Divinity to overpower opponents, but Tiamat wasn't someone who could be felled by that strategy!
There was a reason he never entered the frontlines and only ever manipulated things from behind the scenes.
Even the cooperation he had with Immortal Blood Asura was based on a Mana Oath. If not for that, he likely would've been found out and killed by the puppet he was preparing long ago!
Nevertheless, now that they'd reached this point, he needed to find a route to escape.
The best one he saw was the man himself.
'Protect your master.'
He sent a command into Immortal Blood Asura's head.
It rooted itself in his subconscious, which was already corrupt with the Karmic Emperor's influence, and forced him to move along with its will.
BANG!
Tiamat shot forward, her fist like a burning comet of black as it pushed towards the Karmic Emperor, but before she could reach him, Immortal Blood Asura was already in front of her, taking the impact with his own energy.
WHOOOOOSH!
The winds whipped chaotically as the traitorous Demigod was thrown thousands of kilometers away with all the bones in his forearms shattered.
However, in that brief period of time, the Karmic Emperor also found his opportunity.
He searched through the crowds below for sacrifices, and found them soon enough.
Ten Demigods were thrown into the air between him and Tiamat before they even knew what was happening, and as the remaining force of her attack washed over them, they were turned into sorry versions of themselves in an instant.
Five of them were crushed into slabs of meat, all from the Grand Heavens Boundary side, while the five Nox Lords among them barely survived, their bodies combining as the Nox did.
But…the Karmic Emperor must've forgotten.
They were up against the Death Empress herself.
Such petty tricks held no meaning.
Tiamat swept her hand through the air with grace, and the waves of blackness that rushed through the air completely obliterated the fusing souls.
However, the inky material that made up their bodies remained intact, rushing towards her like they were being pulled by a vacuum.
'Devour.'
It wasn't the same as Damien's skill, but it had the same purpose.
The bodies of Nox she killed could be devoured into her own power, and…
'The new generation's Demonic Providence…as expected, it is lackluster.'
That was what made the Death Empress so terrifying.
Her Demonic Providence was constantly growing and evolving, and the only way to stop it was to completely erase the Nox from existence.
The providence of Death is what they knew it as, but it was much more than that.
Her providence was based on her name. It manifested as a voracious dragon of chaos, preying on all and spreading death to feed itself.
If she hadn't learned to reign in its force, she would've remained controlled by her instincts for her entire life.
But because she did, she became so powerful that hardly anyone could stand up to her.
The Karmic Emperor was trying to fight her with his tricks and schemes?
Laughable!
Though, he did have an impressive amount of vitality.
That was the only reason he was alive.
Tiamat's attacks were relaxed, and she was clearly playing with her food before devouring it whole, but even then, the Karmic Emperor wouldn't have been so unharmed without his immense life force.
He focused on self-protection more than learning how to fight, so that was granted.
Nevertheless, it wasn't enough to stand up to Tiamat, and he needed to find a way to escape.
He had been put into the position he and Immortal Blood Asura forced Damien into prior.
If he was here to see it, he would've been laughing so hard it hurt, but fortunately for him, he was now completely separated from the outside world.
With Iris not having to worry about being attacked anymore, she used creation to both make a place for her to stand and a defense system that could passively take care of anyone who approached her until Tiamat could arrive.
Her entire focus was on maintaining the Heavenly Order.
And that…
It was a task nobody else would've dared to take.
The Heavenly Order was gluttonous beyond belief. No matter how much Universal Law she used to sustain it, it always wanted more.
But Iris wasn't the same person she used to be.
Her newly reformed soul gave her mana capacity she never could've imagined in the past, and to make sure she didn't waste it, she completely reconstructed her mana utilization system to prioritize efficiency.
She was enough to support it.
And as long as things remained quiet, she would stay enough.
Still, the burden on her mind wasn't something to be easily ignored.
She also hoped Damien would come out as quickly as possible.
Yes, a part of it was because she would be freed from this duty and he would be strong enough to resolve the current situation…
…but the true reason she hid in her mind was simply…well, she really, really, really wanted to see him again.
