Within the month that passed after Damien announced his declaration of war to his people, the two messengers he chose were able to effectively reach their destinations.
On one side, at the eastern edge of the Heavenly World, a woman with starkly white hair held a token in her hand.
There was a strange smile on her face that looked both incredulous and impressed.
"He sent this…?" She asked.
"Yes, ma'am. This message comes directly from our Young Lord."
The one who spoke was a man in black clothing that covered the majority of his appearance.
"Young Lord, eh…?"
She'd known the news for a while now, but it still surprised her every time she heard it.
'He really moved fast, doesn't he?'
She shook her head with a smile.
The message she received was a wild one. For Damien to be planning something of this scale mere months after he left for Void Palace was absolutely preposterous to her.
How could she know that it had actually been far longer than that?
It took more than just a few words for Damien to gain respect and position in Void Palace. Perhaps nobody in the world knew what the current palace looked like because of him.
Nobody knew how the people of Void Palace truly looked at their Young Lord.
Regardless of her information, or lack thereof, the things he'd done were not outside of her expectations.
'I've been scammed.'
She smiled wryly.
Five years of work definitely wasn't enough payment for a job like this, but…
"...oh well."
She was the one who agreed to it, so she was more than happy to deliver on what she promised.
"Send word back to your Young Lord," she said, addressing the messenger.
"The Veritas Clan will fully support his plans."
The messenger's eyes widened slightly.
It seemed he didn't know who he was talking to until now.
Someone who could speak for the Veritas Clan…
Someone who just said that the Veritas Clan would participate in their war…
Though it probably didn't matter in the long run, there was now one more person who religiously believed in Damien.
And that person was now returning to the palace with great news.
***
On the other side, the second messenger had to make a much longer journey.
Luckily, Damien's support meant traveling with means that others simply couldn't imagine. Despite the fact that the trip she made was meant to take at least a year even with teleportation arrays, she reached within fifteen days.
Somewhere in the Northwest of the Heavenly World, she kneeled before an old man who was dressed like a pope.
His face was clean and blessed with vitality, but one could still see the wrinkles all throughout.
He also held a token in his hands, which he looked at curiously.
"This…!"
He almost couldn't stop himself from exclaiming when he saw the contents.
"Hahaha…I truly cannot believe it."
He held his hand up to his head.
He'd never met the sender of this message, but he was thoroughly impressed with the man's ability.
"So this is your successor, Dante…?"
The man smiled happily.
"It seems he's carrying your legacy better than you could have ever imagined."
He looked down at the messenger, his smile still as warm as always.
It was as if he viewed all beings as equal, all beings as his sons and daughters.
"Please go inform your Young Lord. Our Holy Empire will absolutely aid him in his righteous endeavors."
The messenger bowed her head and immediately left. That was all she needed to hear.
Meanwhile, the old man turned his head to the sky, opening his eyes for the first time in a long time.
His irises were circles of gold, with nothing like pupils present anywhere within them.
He was looking at something others couldn't hope to see.
"Goddess…"
There was something nuanced about his expression.
"Is this perhaps…a hint?"
There was an answer he'd been seeking for a very long time.
And something about this moment gave him the feeling that he'd find it soon.
"Damien Void…"
The smile of the Holy Emperor was especially mysterious as he said the name.
"...I truly can't wait to meet him."
***
Other than those two meetings, which took place in absolute secrecy, nothing major happened during the month that passed.
Void Palace was still keeping a low profile. It mostly focused on ruling its own territory, just as it had done until now.
There was nothing particular going on that could raise suspicion from anyone uninvolved.
Tensions were, of course, high between the palace and its enemies, but it didn't look like anybody was willing to make the first move.
The Divine Order was still being forced to hide away by the Straea Clan, and when it came to the Straea Clan itself…
"Something big has happened."
The Divine Council was holding another meeting. This was the first they'd had since they received orders from the Straea Clan to turtle down.
"I am not sure of the details, but there seems to have been a stirring in the otherworld. Those at Straea have been concerned with it, but they haven't told us anything."
This meeting had one particular purpose.
And that was betrayal.
"We cannot keep on like this."
The Divine Order had been under the Straea Clan's foot for almost the entirety of its existence. Over this unbelievable span of time, they'd hardly received any benefits.
The way they were treated was like trash. They, of course, never wanted to be someone else's dog. However, they never had a choice in the matter.
Until now.
There had been a stir in the otherworld. The Foreign Races were pulling away from the Heavenly World to focus on it, whatever it was.
At a time like this, if the Divine Order could form a greater connection with them, one that could rival or even surpass the Straea Clan…
Wouldn't they have an opportunity to free themselves from the Straea Clan's rule?
It wasn't a surefire plan. But they couldn't deny the existence of the possibility, nor could they deny the ambitions in their hearts.
The 12 Gods of the council, who were now twelve again after their deceased member was replaced, had come together precisely to plan for that possibility.
However, their timing was quite bad.
The Divine Order's luck had never been good. It wasn't the first time that they'd experienced a situation like this.
But none of those other cases could compare to this one.
It was as if fate itself was against them.
Because while they were still in the middle of that meeting, while they were still plotting on how to increase their standing…
…they got the news.
The Southwestern Region was under attack.
Forces from Void Palace had already crossed the border and taken the principalities on it.
But that wasn't it.
On the border between the Eastern and Western cardinal regions, another army was also pushing inward.
The Veritas Clan was making their move.
And while the Divine Order was currently unaware of their presence, there was one more army approaching them from the north.
They were surrounded, immediately turned into prisoners of their own territory.
And as the horns blared…
A war between Great Clans had begun to rage across the Heavenly World.
