The Infinite Witches' scheme had given Drex Valen an opportunity unlike any other.
Even so, he remained cautious.
Absorbing power was one thing.
Digesting it was another.
He had no intention of greedily devouring more authority and cosmic energy than he could properly understand. Raw power without comprehension was a liability.
So he proceeded carefully.
Methodically.
Patiently.
Time lost all meaning.
Age after age passed as he slowly absorbed the endless power contained within the Gods' Quarry.
Only when every last fragment had been integrated into his internal universe did the process finally end.
At that moment, Drex truly stepped into the ranks of Multiversal gods.
A genuine powerhouse.
He opened his eyes.
The very fabric of existence seemed different now.
"So this is what real power feels like."
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Compared to his current self, the Thought Robot no longer seemed particularly threatening.
If they met now, he could crush it with a casual gesture.
After all, the Thought Robot was still roaming countless universes throughout the Multiverse, hunting alternate versions of Galactus and absorbing their power.
Drex had already surpassed that stage entirely.
Yet despite reaching such heights, he didn't immediately leave to hunt his old enemy.
Instead, he began studying himself.
Every aspect of his newly acquired strength.
Every law.
Every authority.
Every mechanism hidden within his internal universe.
Only after fully understanding his power would he be satisfied.
The Black Hole Dimension.
Unlike ordinary realms, time held little meaning there.
Its temporal flow remained isolated from the wider Multiverse.
As a result, despite Drex having spent an unimaginable span of existence away from the dimension, only a few seconds had passed for those living inside it.
During his absence, the Black Hole Dimension had completely digested the Olympus Dimension.
To the other pantheons, the implications were obvious.
The Heavenly Court had won again.
First Asgard had been shattered.
Now Olympus had been erased entirely.
The various divine pantheons remained confident in their own strength.
But confidence wasn't the same thing as complacency.
No one intended to sit back and watch the Heavenly Court continue expanding unchecked.
Something had to be done.
As a result, the Council of Gods convened once again.
The Earth Pantheon Council.
An alliance formed by Earth's divine factions.
Its original purpose had been simple: to defend Earth against invasions by extraterrestrial gods and cosmic races.
Each pantheon sent its highest-ranking representatives.
The Jade Emperor of China.
Odin of Asgard.
And the supreme figures of countless other mythologies.
Long ago, during the era of the Third Host of the Celestials, a single Celestial had been repelled by the Council.
That Celestial had later returned with reinforcements.
In most timelines, the Earth gods were driven away and forbidden from interfering with humanity's development.
That was the era that eventually gave rise to the Ancient One's role as Earth's protector.
This universe had unfolded differently.
The Celestials had returned with overwhelming force.
And they had still lost.
The Earth gods had defeated them.
As a result, divine rule endured across the entire world.
There were no nations.
No borders.
Humanity lived beneath the authority of its chosen gods.
Theocracy ruled everything.
The authority of the divine stood above all else.
Now the leaders of every major pantheon gathered once more.
Olympus was gone.
The Heavenly Court was absent.
Everyone else had arrived.
The first to speak was the ever-distant and aloof Vice-Regent of Heaven.
Michael.
"As I'm sure everyone is aware, the situation regarding the Heavenly Court has become impossible to ignore."
Several divine rulers immediately frowned.
"If this meeting is so important, why isn't Yahweh here personally?"
The complaint echoed through the chamber.
Many pantheons found Yahweh's attitude irritating.
His followers constantly proclaimed him the one true omnipotent god.
The supreme creator.
The sole deity worthy of worship.
Fortunately, such claims remained mostly confined to North America, where his followers still had to compete with Quetzalcoatl's influence.
Michael remained completely calm.
"My Lord has entrusted me with full authority to represent Heaven."
Unlike other pantheons, the Heavenly Host effectively revolved around a single deity.
Yahweh stood alone.
Even concepts such as the Son and the Holy Spirit were ultimately extensions of the same divine existence.
As a result, beings who would rank among the chief gods of other pantheons remained subordinate within Heaven.
That reality was one reason the Spear of Longinus possessed such legendary status.
Within Christian mythology, it was one of the few weapons ever associated with the death of a god.
Amaterasu spoke next.
"We need a united response."
"The new Heavenly Emperor clearly has no intention of respecting the rules established by the Council."
Among all the assembled gods, the Japanese pantheon had some of the greatest reason for concern.
Only a few smaller pantheons were more nervous.
Historically, the Heavenly Court had already been powerful enough to pressure them.
Now it seemed to have transformed completely.
The familiar celestial officials were gone.
In their place stood terrifying new divine beings.
Most alarming of all were the Twelve Primordial Witches.
Each one possessed power on the level of a Skyfather.
Every single one.
No Skyfather present could confidently claim victory against them.
Olympus had once been admired for its Twelve Olympians.
Each ranked among the most powerful sub-Skyfather gods in existence.
Combined with the imprisoned Titans, Olympus had consistently occupied one of the top positions within the Council.
And yet the Heavenly Court had annihilated them.
That fact alone was enough to bring everyone together.
The last time the Council had assembled on this scale was during the Celestial crisis.
"Isn't this a little premature?"
One of the Asgardians finally objected.
"They'll need time to digest what they gained from Olympus."
Asgard had only recently survived its own war against the Heavenly Court.
The conflict had cost them dearly.
Odin had been weakened.
The Destroyer Armor's reserve of divine power had been severely depleted.
Launching another war immediately was the last thing they wanted.
If the Destroyer Armor lost its remaining strength, one of Asgard's greatest trump cards would disappear.
Naturally, their position favored caution.
Unfortunately, they were outnumbered.
Most of the other pantheons preferred a far more aggressive response.
They wanted to teach the Heavenly Court a lesson.
More importantly, they wanted the new Heavenly Emperor to understand that other powers existed capable of opposing him.
Asgard's objections vanished beneath the tide of support for war.
The assembled gods considered the situation straightforward.
The Heavenly Court had just finished a devastating campaign against Olympus.
They would be busy consolidating their gains.
Recovering.
Reorganizing.
No one believed they could emerge completely unharmed from such a conflict.
The three-legged golden crow had been visibly wounded during the battle.
That alone suggested weakness.
And weakness invited attack.
Michael finally spoke again.
"On behalf of Heaven, my Lord is willing to commit 1.9 billion angels to the campaign."
The declaration immediately drew attention.
Several gods scoffed.
"Numbers alone aren't impressive."
"If we're discussing war against the Heavenly Court, there's little point bringing lower-ranking angels."
The pantheons weren't particularly intimidated.
After all, the Indian pantheon alone could mobilize billions upon billions of divine warriors.
Michael's lips curled into a faint smile.
A smile carrying unmistakable superiority.
"Who said they were lower-ranking angels?"
Silence spread through the chamber.
Michael slowly surveyed the assembled gods.
Then he delivered the answer.
"All 1.9 billion are Principalities."
For a moment, the Council forgot how to speak.
Every god in the room stared.
Stunned.
One point nine billion Principalities?
Not ordinary angels.
Not lesser servants.
Every single one a high-ranking angelic power.
The revelation struck the assembly like a thunderbolt.
For the first time that meeting, genuine shock swept through the Council of Gods.