The center of the Milky Way, the Iku Star System, on a barren planet with only an all-black temple:

A lich walked deep inside the temple until he reached a room clouded in darkness. At the center was a throne made of bones where a man sat with his eyes closed.

The lich knelt with one knee, "My reverent God, our plan failed."

"I know," replied Guzznad as he opened his eyes; he sensed the death of his clones. And for one of them, he did not even know how the latter perished.

"My God, do you want to personally take action, just like during the [Fall of Darkness]?"

"If I could, I would have already done so," replied Guzznad casually.

"Has the situation gotten worse?" asked the lich.

"Yes. More Tier 10 Gods have appeared and are now trying to enter this galaxy forcefully. The Isolation Plate will not be as effective if I don't use my power."

The Isolation Plate is a precious magical artifact created by the Magus Race. It's only due to its power that Guzznad could isolate the entire Milky Way. However, once the Tier 10 Gods began to attack its defense, he needed to personally attend to using to prevent them from succeeding.

Even then, Guzznad knew that it was not his power that could block so many almighty gods. This Galaxy is the place of origin of the Magus Race and kept some of their powers even after their disappearance.

The Isolation Plate used the power left as a power source. Additionally, Guzznad felt that some unknown force was also helping him, and he concluded it might have been Cronai. Otherwise, with his Tier 9 strength, he would not be able to last for so long.

"Is there anything else you need?"

The Lich hesitated for a moment before continuing: "My God, we have lost too many of our troops in this battle. It has reached the point of affecting our planar war.

"Wouldn't it be better to conquer the Saggutarus Plane before invading this galaxy? By then, you would be a Tier 10 God, making things easier."

"There is no need. Continue our invasion, and pay attention to the Arcane Empire. They definitely have what I want." After saying this, Guzznad motioned for the lich to leave.

He was not stupid. Although it appeared he was making a foolish move; he knew it was not. From the Magus race inheritance he acquired, he learned of the Ancient Gods and how they were not restricted by faith.

So, he was determined to walk the same path as the Ancient Gods. And if he becomes a Tier 10 God with faith, he would lose this opportunity.

'After so many years of searching, I can guess the Arcane Empire has the Ancient Gods' Divine Sparks; this is the only way to explain their rapid development. Furthermore, the natives of their home planet, Earth, have a very thin Magus Bloodline.'

Guzznad knew his path of power was guaranteed as long as he conquered and destroyed the Arcane Empire. With the Divine Sparks, his path toward Tier 10 will have no problem.

And by studying the magus bloodline and using the Arcane Empire's magical abilities, he has the opportunity to become the first Tier 11 God of the universe.

'I just need a little more time. As long as I have the opportunity to leave the Isolating Plate unattended, I will rapidly destroy all the resistance to my legion.'

Guzznad closed his eyes as he prepared for the future.

Vita Star System, Verdant Planet:

There was a beautiful elf with a golden crown made in the shape of leaves, clad in a long white and elegant dress; she looked at a towering tree, her eyes full of sadness.

She raised her beautiful hands to caress the tree; she remembered how vibrant it once was, full of life and beauty. But now, it was lifeless, with no leaves as if it was the beginning of autumn.

The elf heard walking steps coming from behind, but she did not respond. Soon afterward, a man as handsome as her–also wearing a crown–stood next to her.

"Have you heard the news?" asked Arion Kashgar, King of the Elves

"What is it?" replied Mirthal Tyrannia, Queen of the Elves.

"More than five new races have surrendered. They have conquered the Red Number Star System, killed two of Guzznad clones, and destroyed Omegon.

"As for us, we suffered even more casualties in the recent attack in the Leaf Tree Star System."

Mirthal did not respond as she continued to caress the trees.

"You should make a decision as soon as possible," continued Arion.

"Don't you have enough pride? Why should we bow our heads to humans?" asked Mirthal.

"The Arcane Empire is multi-racial and multi-ethnicity."

"You and I know both know that is not true. A human created it, a human is their leader, and humans are the dominant species."

"In that case, why don't you consider that our race will become extinct if we don't surrender to them."

"Maybe, it's better for us to be extinct than to serve under others."

"I don't understand why you are so stubborn about this. The Arcane Empire is a very advanced civilization."

"Advanced? Back in the days, our Sun Elves were advanced; we- -"

"We are no longer Sun Elves who wield High Magic, are we?" replied Arion with a slightly raised tone. "Our bloodline is diluted to the point of non-existence, and our magic that the gods once feared has long been lost. We have nothing to be prideful about."

"You!:"

"Did I say something wrong? I only speak the truth."

Arion sighed. "The Arcane Empire has recreated Dragon Bloodline; meaning, they should also be able to revert us to our ancestry. Furthermore, the Arcane Rune Magic is also High Magic capable of killing Gods.

"As long as we integrate into them, we will prosper."

Mirthal snorted at him before looking at the dead tree, making Arion sigh.

"My love, I'm only worried about you. Most of the Elders Council Members are leaning toward surrendering. And if they decide to use force, you can no longer restrain them without the Validator Tree.

"So, please, make the wise decision."

After saying that, he left to give her more time to think.

Sirius Star System, Bravo Planet, the home of the Starskin race:

A meeting took place amongst the governmental body of the Starskin race. Because their skin was as beautiful as the stars at night, the entire room appeared as if an astrologer was looking at countless galaxies from a distance away through a telescope.

In the middle of the room lay a throne room where the Starskin Queen, a Tier 8 Mage, sat with majesty. However, her usually black wooly hair had turned gray.

While listening to the report on the recent news of the war, she suddenly coughed uncontrollably. Then, someone brought her a potion to appease her condition.

"Your majesty, I think it's best to surrender to the Arcane Empire. Otherwise, you won't survive long," said one of the ministers.

"That's true. Although we know they are taking advantage of the situation to expand their borders, we cannot help it in the current situation."

Many people agreed with the sentiment.

Queen Katura waved her hand, motioning everyone to calm down.

"I know this is the best outcome. But now is not the best time to surrender to them."

She knew their race had no choice but to integrate into the Arcane Empire. However, she also knew that the way of surrendering mattered. As a very talented race for divination, any factions would be glad to have them.

Nevertheless, she also has to ensure the Empire values her race and does not treat them the same way as any of the others who surrendered. So, Katura plans to display their values and wait for the Arcane Emperor to show himself before surrendering.

'Maybe, the Empire can help us return home,' she thought before coughing a little.