Within the high tower of the Insect Race Imperial Capital!
In the grand hall on the top floor.
At this moment, an eight-legged âSpider-Manâ sat high upon the throne.
Below the throne, a group of Saint Tier Powerhouses had used Elementalization to shrink their Body Types, and they were lined up on both sides.
"So, are the four Your Majesties saying that our first war between civilizations is destined to fail?"
"This is absurd! The Empire Army Department is still in the probing phase, and the Saint Tiers havenât even mobilized yet. And now weâre supposed to surrender?!! This is a complete farce!"
Extreme anger was written all over one of the Saint Tier Insect Peopleâs face.
"Watch your words! This is the collective will of the four Your Majesties!"
"Besides, Minister Mengdi, your time is nearly up. Youâve been recuperating recently, so youâre probably unaware of what happened in the Northern Principality Capital City, arenât you?"
"The Northern Principality Capital City? What could have happened? Donât tell me an Otherworld civilization invaded?" the elderly Saint Tier Insect Person frowned.
"Itâs not as simple as just an invasion."
The Insect Person who spoke gave a bitter smile, then signaled for the adjutant before him to activate the projection of a Magic Crystal.
The image in the projection showed Lince using his terrifying Power to destroy over three hundred thousand square kilometers of the Earth Realm.
His body was two hundred li long, coiled up like a Fiery Sun.
The entire land was Roasted beneath him, turning into a sea of magma and fire in a mere instant.
The projection showed the fall of a Demigod, followed by the Descent of over a hundred more Demigods who ultimately returned empty-handed.
All of this went to show...
The Otherworldly Deity who had just annihilated the Northern Principality was far more powerful than the Insect People had ever imagined.
Seeing this scene, the old Insect Person trembled all over.
His face was filled with disbelief as he looked up at the Taven Insect Emperor on his high throne.
"Your Majesty... this..."
"Minister Mengdi, I understand how you feel, but this is the situation our Taven Empire is about to face."
The Spider-Man Emperorâs expression was extremely calm, as if he were discussing some trivial matter.
"This... this shouldnât be happening!"
"Our Taven Empire confirmed it before the war, didnât we? The world on the other side is one where Magic Power is almost nonexistent!"
"But why... why do they have such a powerful being?"
The old Insect Person minister couldnât understand, nor could he accept this reality.
However, in response, some of the surrounding ministers from the Empire Army Department said nothing, simply opening several more projected images.
"Minister Mengdi, and everyone else, the threat our Empire currently faces is not just from this unknown Deity."
"Within the Empire, many cities and towns have already been attacked by creatures from the Otherworld!"
"These Otherworld creatures appear without any warning. Weâve even compared footage and found that some of the ones we killed have appeared more than once!"
"Their individual Power isnât even that great, but they are exceptionally troublesome. At the very least, their application of Magic Power and their sophisticated Magic Items make it clear that these Otherworld beings come from a mature Magic Side civilization!"
"Therefore, the four Your Majesties have deducedâas have we in the Empire Army Departmentâthat the Otherworld civilization we are currently facing was likely conquered by another, more powerful Otherworld civilization long before we ever found them."
"And the prophecies of the Your Majesties, and even those of our Empireâs mortal world, were all interfered with and obscured by the Deities on the other side!"
"This is a trap! A trap set by a powerful civilization for other, weaker civilizations!"
"Unfortunately for us, weâve walked right into it."
"..."
The Saint Tier Insect People ministers discussed endlessly.
But each conclusion they reached was more pessimistic than the last.
After all, under the current circumstances, they could ignore the âPlayersâ, but the threat posed by Lince, this so-called Otherworldly Deity, was very real.
Even the four Your Majesties clearly had no way to deal with him.
So what could the mortal Empire possibly do?
"A powerful Deityâs Descent into the mortal world is bound to be met with many restrictions. I refuse to believe this Deity can just do as he pleases here!"
"If you ask me, the Empire should adopt a âfight-with-our-backs-to-the-wallâ mentality to deal with this Deity!"
"Right now, this Deityâs Power on the ground is immense, but as long as the Empire continuously sends Saint Tier Power to wear him down, even using vast numbers of weapons and personnel against him, I believe this Deity absolutely cannot remain in our world for long."
"This is evident from the fact that he had to channel more Power into the mortal world after killing two Demigods. It shows that while the Deityâs Power is truly terrifying, the stronger the Power that enters the mortal world, the greater the suppression from the Mana Will. So, in truth, our Empire still has a chance."
A young Saint Tier from the Empire Army Department spoke excitedly.
However, his words were met with gazes from many of the Insect People ministers as if they were looking at an idiot.
"And then what?"
"Even if we pay a huge price to defeat this Deity, what do we do afterward when other, even stronger Otherworldly Deities arrive?"
"Donât be a fool. Our Empire hasnât gotten serious with the Otherworld civilization, and itâs obvious that the powerful civilization behind them, the one truly orchestrating everything, hasnât gotten serious with us either."
"You can see this from the fact that only a few low-level Otherworld creatures are causing trouble throughout the Empireâs mortal realm. Theyâre just using our Empire to train their younger generation."
"Do you really think the four Your Majesties are afraid of this one Deity?"
"No, the four Your Majesties are worried about the entire powerful civilization behind him!"
At that, the somewhat younger Saint Tier Insect Person, looking as if he wanted to say more, dejectedly shut his mouth.
Regarding the pessimistic mood that had fallen over the great hall...
Finally, two loud thumpsâTHUMP, THUMPâsuddenly sounded from the throne.
And so, all one hundred-plus Saint Tier Ministers present turned to look at the throne.
At this time, the Spider-Man Emperor of the Empire spoke with a calm expression:
"Pull yourselves together."
"In the affairs of the world, how can everything always go according to oneâs wishes?"
"In this war of civilizations, although our Taven Civilization chose the wrong target, isnât our current situation a stroke of luck in its own way?"
"At the very least, it seems that the Deity currently has no desire to completely destroy our civilization."
"For now, although the four Your Majesties have not received a clear answer from that Deity, the fact that he has not taken any action to destroy more cities these past few days suggests he is still willing to reach an agreement with them."
"Itâs just that, from the looks of it, he probably wants to further temper those promising mortal juniors from his world."
"Therefore, from now on, the Empire Army Department should pay attention and give these Otherworld creatures some leeway."
"As for the losses, let the various regions and clans bear them themselves."
"The Empire has known peace for so long; itâs time for the clans to make their contributions. Only by currying favor with the Alien Raceâs Deities can our Empire hope to continue."
"Letâs leave this matter at that for now. I am tired. You are all dismissed."
As the Spider-Man Emperor spoke, his entire figure suddenly vanished from the throne.
In the great hall, the hundred-plus Saint Tier Ministers were left staring at each other in dismay.
"Hmph, what a nice way to put it."
"âCurry favor with the Alien Raceâs Deities in exchange for the hope of the Empireâs continuation.â"
"So, it seems our dear Emperor has a rebellious heart after all..."
"The Emperor Race has been a Puppet for the four Your Majesties in the mortal world for so long; itâs only natural theyâd be unwilling."
"After all, a thousand years ago, the Emperor Race had their own Ancestral God. But after that incident, that Deity is gone, replaced by the god of the âXiâ clan."
"Hmph, so what if theyâre unwilling? If it werenât for the mercy of the four Your Majesties, who saw that the Emperor Race still had some value, the existence of the Emperor Race wouldnât even matter in the current situation."
"I even suspect that the Anti-God Organization has been able to exist for so long because the Emperor Race is protecting and directing it..."
"..."
In the shadows, a group of Saint Tier Ministers were discussing the so-called Emperor of the Empire.
However, what they didnât know was that their entire conversation was being clearly watched by several Spider-Men in a certain room via a Magic Power monitor.
"Those damn bastards, how dare they speak of my Emperor Race like that."
"Let them talk. Your big brotherâmeâis nothing but a Puppet Emperor."
"Besides, arenât we the ones supporting the Anti-God Organization?"
At this moment, inside the room, the Emperor of the Empire had already put on a completely different face.
He was casually lounging on a soft cushion, nonchalantly tossing a piece of fruit into his mouth.
The contrast with the composed image he maintained in the great hall was immense.
"But, Big Brother, our Emperor Race... our Emperor Race was never meant to be like this!"
"This is all the fault of those other three from the Star Realm! Theyâre the ones who surrounded and killed our clanâs Ancestral God! Otherwise, there would have been no room for the god of the âXiâ clan to take the divine throne."
"And so?"
The Spider-Man Emperor looked at his brother with a faint smile.
"So?"
"Yes, so this is reality. Our Emperor Race only maintains its status in name."
"I still havenât dared to forget how Great-Father died," the young Spider-Man murmured sorrowfully.
"And there you have it."
"The weak donât get to choose."
"The sooner you see yourself clearly, the sooner youâll stop wasting unnecessary energy, or even your life."
The Spider-Man Emperor smiled faintly, continuing to heartily devour one piece of fruit after another.
Looking at his older brother,
the young Spider-Man, under the gazes of a group of other, even younger Spider-Men, immediately spoke again:
"But... but, Big Brother, do you really plan to go on like this forever?"
"This is a rare opportunity! Thatâs no ordinary Otherworldly Deity! As long as our Emperor Race finds the right chance and wins his approval, our Emperor Race might even be able to produce another Deity."
Faced with the young Spider-Manâs fanatical gaze, the Spider-Man Emperor simply smiled again.
"And so, you all still fail to see yourselves clearly."
"To a lofty Deity high above, what qualifications do you have to even enter their sights?"
"Everything in the mortal world is useful to a Deity, but itâs limited, after all."
"So, in reality, itâs enough to make some pleasing gestures to a certain extent, just as I am doing now. As for whether he sees them, or is even willing to see them, thatâs not something we can interfere with."
"Everything is fate. Forcing it will only invite disaster. Understand?"
"..."