The dragon's harem

Chapter 1438: AO’s Will Power

The Fates have warned the gods that going against AO’s will is a straight path to doom. Sooner or later, his will will hold true, and his wishes will be enacted upon his universe. For even if both mortals and divines forgot his dominion, the universe still remembers its master.

Whether they are friends or foes, it was of utmost importance to keep AO’s will in their minds and make sure to never go against it. The reason the World Tree immediately abandoned Dendron after Arad’s threat was that the universe itself shifted.

Arad declared that he’ll burn the World Tree, and it was just Kali who wielded her divine power to support his will. The universe itself immediately started rejecting Yggdrasil’s existence, and the Fates called, warning the World Tree that her fate had shifted, heading toward direct destruction. If Arad doesn’t burn her that day, or in the next ten years, he’ll eventually burn her. No matter how powerful she gets, the will of the Overgod is inevitable.

The only way Yggdrasil could assure her survival was to change Arad’s will, to make him reverse his decision. She didn’t know if she had just a few minutes or centuries before his will came into reality, but she knew that wasting time wasn’t in her favor.

Up in the heavens, above the highest branches of the World Tree, Sylph, the goddess of the elves, looked at a large branch.

”That was close.” The blond, pale elf leaned back on her wooden throne, putting one leg on another as her divine robe stuck closely to her skin. Her glowing red eyes flashed like rubies, and the branch replied, sounding like an old woman.

”It had passed. He had changed his mind, and the fates informed me that I’m fine for now.”

The elvish goddess Sylph smiled. ”Is he that dangerous? I’m sure he doesn’t have enough power to burn you now. Even if Kali helped him, dooming you, who lived since time existed, seems impossible.”

”You don’t know who you’re talking about since you never met him. It’s not just his power, his will, the universe responds.” The branch danced, and the elvish goddess frowned.

But at that moment, Sylph felt something twitch inside her chest. She blinked and then looked up. ”The elf portfolio, something is up.”

”Dendron informed Arad that Dark Elves aren’t allowed up, and Arad now wants to kill you and put Cerilla in your place. What you’re feeling now is the scary part about AO’s power.” The branch moved, growing a small twig that pointed to Sylph. ”That power isn’t yours; it belongs to AO, who gave it away eons ago so other people can help him rule the universe. It was first with me, and then I gave it to the first elf.”

A face appeared on the branch. ”The portfolio had been obedient for all those eons since it was AO’s will for it to serve mortals. Now that AO decided that you shouldn’t hold it, and that Cerilla should. The portfolio is making it clear that it doesn’t want to stay with you anymore.”

Sylph glared at the World Tree branch, then at her hands. ”I can still control it; it’s a faint and harmless strange feeling.”

”It’s not harmless. The portfolio had changed from being a willing servant to a forced slave. The moment it gets the chance, it’ll stab you in the back and transfer to Cerilla.” The branch laughed, ”But don’t worry, you’re lucky today.”

The strange feeling that Sylph was feeling changed. ”The Fates say that AO changed his mind. Dendron managed to get him to calm down.”

”He can just do that?” Sylph gasped, and the branch swayed.

”He isn’t aware of his authority yet, and so he isn’t abusing it. But remember when Cain tried to retrieve the portfolio of murder? He failed to catch, didn’t he? Why do you think? It’s simple, because it was Arad’s will. Eris was the last survivor of Katal’s cult, and the imp called Pin made clear. Arad believed that if anyone should keep the portfolio, it was her, and that’s why it ended up with her. Even Cain couldn’t keep an unwilling portfolio.”

”So you’re saying that he can just pick and choose gods as he will?”

”Not now. He doesn’t have the power to outright rip the portfolios out unless the god is severely weakened, like what happened with Alexander. He ripped war, fighting, and violence out of him with ease.”

Usually, a god must die first, and then their portfolio will naturally fly to the most suitable heir. Of course, unless the current overgod Cain intervened.

But Arad didn’t need to wait for a god to die. He just needed them to get weak enough, and the portfolios would just fly out of them to his grasp. Those portfolios are just returning to where they belonged.

Sylph and Yggdrassil looked at each other for a long while. The stronger Arad got, the more that became a problem. The portfolios responded to Arad’s will, but not nearly strongly enough for him to control them directly. And even if he could control one or two, with his mortal shell, it was impossible for him to rule the universe.

That’s where the gods’ plan came into action. Having Arad fly around the universe and slowly consume the dead worlds, he’ll be building a new universe inside his stomach, slowly and in a way that won’t harm him or anyone else.

Until Arad grows strong enough, and the space in his stomach gets durable enough to contain a whole universe, giving him access to the full power of his former self was nothing but a recipe for having him explode from the inside out.

Right now, Vasilissa, Arad’s mother, is keeping AO’s core stored safely within her, but even she can’t use it. The best she could do was use what little radiant energy seemed to come from the core. The plan was to give Arad the core once he was ready to be born in the world, but when she found it impossible, she sent him to the mortal world like any other void dragon, hoping that he would grow strong enough to wield it.

From what Yggdrasil and Sylph saw today, they could conclude that the day Arad regains his full power was close, closer than anyone had ever expected.

”So, tell me.” Sylph looked at the massive branch. ”Let’s say I fight Arad, and he uses that will to make me unable to use my portfolio. What will happen?”

”Simple.” The branch danced, ”You’ll still have enough power to kill him, and you would win, for now. Arad would be reborn centuries, or thousands of years, into the future, but by that time, you would’ve already lost control over the portfolio and died. You’ll win the battle, but lose the war.”

Sylph smiled. ”So, telling him about that power might get him killed. If he tried to restrain a god and failed, then that god can kill him, or at least this reincarnation.”

”That is why we aren’t telling him anything about his power. It’s better to let nature take its course, and by nature I mean him; his power would return to him on its own, at the best possible pace.”