Tiamat's Divinity was called True Death.
Just as Elena chased the peak of Life, Tiamat chased the absolute peak of Death. She took the concept past its regular limits and gave it more meaning, fleshing out its every aspect.
True Death was a concept that mirrored Nonexistence. It did not follow the cycle of samsara, but trumped life in all aspects, being the absolute end that consumed life no matter what.
The soul and ego did not get reborn, they were wiped from existence and replaced.
It was a terrifying definition that made the concept impossible to escape or cope with. It was impossible to see as anything other than what it was.
However, she was also an ambitious person. She didn't plan to use Death so single-mindedly.
Just as True Death encompassed the negative and horror-inducing aspects, it also covered the positive ones.
Peace, bliss, a new start, an end to suffering. Death was worshipped by just as many as it was feared by. It was a concept that had been deified, and some regarded it as the reward for all the suffering that life brought.
Ironically, as someone who could see both sides of Death and bring them together in one Divinity, Tiamat wasn't someone who could die easily.
But neither was the Soul Emperor.
Unlike others, he didn't form a Divinity for himself. He formed a Divinity of Absolute Servitude, dedicating everything he had to his masters.
His soul was consumed by that Divinity, but in return, he gained the ability to influence the souls of others.
Obedience that stemmed from the very soul, that was his power.
These two Divinities couldn't be compared as they were so different. In direct confrontation, neither really had much power over the other.
However, the difference was in their foundation.
What was easier to break?
The absolute loyalty of a dog, or the inevitability of death?
The answer was obvious.
Tiamat was still in soul form, but she didn't lose out to the Soul Emperor at all.
She became one with the air and one with the earth. She was so mobile that it was hard for the frail-looking and slow-moving Soul Emperor to land another attack after the first.
This battle wasn't really a battle. The two combatants did attack each other, but rather than aiming to cause damage, their intent was to fracture each other's Divinity.
They implicitly understood that neither of them could kill the other directly. They were equally matched, and just as Tiamat had an Authority similar to Immortality, the Soul Emperor couldn't die unless his masters wanted him to.
Therefore, it became a battle wholly dependent on spirit.
Who was more set in their beliefs?
Whose beliefs held more power?
This was the foundation of all conflict, and it was perfectly reflected by them.
Tiamat had a simple goal.
She had to plant a seed of distrust in the Soul Emperor's hearts. If he even slightly doubted his masters, he would expose a flaw she didn't have.
And as she thought about how to go about such a task, she came up with a few options.
The first was to try and make him realize that his masters didn't care about him, but that idea was quickly thrown out the window.
There was no way the Soul Emperor wasn't already aware of how they viewed the Nox. He'd likely already accepted that his masters would never hold the same emotions towards his efforts as he held towards them.
The fact that he accepted it and still decided to follow them was a testament to his loyalty, and such loyalty couldn't easily be broken.
The second option was more reasonable. She had to devalue the creators of the Nox.
If she could make them seem less all-powerful than he viewed them to be, there was a chance.
And how would she do that?
Well, the question came full circle.
She had to defeat him.
Nobody else.
Because she was an outlier. Her existence itself was a "mistake" those creators made.
Tiamat was not naive. She already understood the secret behind her birth.
Somehow, somewhere, one of those creators abandoned their child in the Abyss. She was not a Nox, but a being far above their race.
The Soul Emperor refused to accept this, or perhaps he didn't know at all.
If she could defeat him here, he would be forced to accept that he had less worth than a failure. Moreover, if he realized her status, wouldn't he feel like the creators themselves disdained him?
She was confident the strategy would work, but to make it plausible, she first had to defeat him in a battle of wits.
'That is a way to shatter him entirely. Before that, I must create a crack in his armor.'
The Soul Emperor was impossible to read. He rarely ever showed himself in public, and he never made obvious moves that allowed people to understand the full scope of his power.
The fear people felt upon hearing his name was brought about through rumors and whispers of actions that may or may not have been his doing.
But facing him directly, Tiamat realized that his status was completely justified.
His control over souls was monstrous.
He didn't have any law affinities, nor did he use anything like a Demonic Providence yet.
Instead, the natural dominance he had over souls was what placed Tiamat in her current predicament.
Whenever he pushed his hand out, an impulsive wave of strange energy was sent into the atmosphere. It was formless and colorless with no presence whatsoever.
That pure soul energy transmuted from mana had many functions. It could disassemble souls, control their growth, steal their attributes, instill torture, and more.
In the current battle, it had been used for the main purpose of corralling Tiamat and controlling her movements, but those fluctuations were still deadly.
If they hit, her soul would be torn to shreds. Even if she could piece it back together, the advantage he'd gain in that time would make it extremely difficult for her to regain even footing.
Nevertheless, Tiamat was still dodging everything properly, and the Soul Emperor had yet to use his full power.
They were in the process of scoping each other out and probing.
Until now, that is.
Several dozens of minutes had passed, and finally, they tacitly agreed that their current battle method would not work.
"As expected…you are too dangerous."
VOOOOOOOM!
The Soul Emperor's mana burst forth, putting severe pressure on the atmosphere.
A field was formed around him, a domain of spirits. Countless vengeful souls and tortured souls he'd reaped in the past appeared as his legion, forced to follow his commands.
"Death Empress, do not impede my path."
He looked into her soul with those eyes. It felt like she was frozen in that moment.
However, she stood tall and refused to give in.
"Don't get it twisted," she spat.
"You are the one impeding me with your nonsense. My actions here are nothing more than the consequences of yours in the past. Instead of speaking in tongues, accept your fate and die."
It seemed the Soul Emperor found a way through her Divinity, but she'd found one around his as well.
The battle would be short.
Whoever struck true first would win.
And as they were both prepared, they moved.
It was the most sacred battle method for Divinities.
To directly place their Divinities side by side and allow them to compete, to see whose ideals were worth more.
Under the world's eye, they stood trial.
With only the Heavens themself as their judge.
