Besides these Subordinate Gods, several of the Demon Wolf's children had also come, all of them Sequence Two Angels. Gozrat was among them.
But no one dared cause trouble at a time like this. The Annihilation Demonic Wolf had already killed more than one of its children.
All the Subordinate Gods and Angels obediently made their way to the mountaintop, where the Annihilation Demonic Wolf's temple stood.
Amanises passed through a layer of mist, and the view before her suddenly opened up.
Before her lay a sprawling complex of buildings that would have been considered magnificent even in later ages. Countless Giants, Elves, and other Beyonder Creatures lived within it. Palaces, cooking smoke, markets—this was a god's domain!
The moment these people set foot there, the entire city-state fell silent.
Every creature stood motionless and lifeless, their bodies turning in unison as their vacant eyes fixed on Amanises and the others.
"Aurmir! War!"
The Oracle issued from every mouth, gradually swelling into a wave of sound that swept over the entire mountain range. Every living being in the region heard the terrifying Oracle.
Countless low-level Beyonder Creatures burst apart, exploding into bloody mist that stained the whole mountain range red. Gradually, deep within the temple, a will brimming with brutality and destruction awakened.
In the eyes of the four Subordinate Gods, the darkness at the heart of the magnificent temple stirred. Its frenzied, bloodthirsty aura severely affected their mental states.
The God of Death was faring better, with no direct suppression.
Worms of Spirit kept falling from the Demonic Wolf and Antigonus. They twisted frantically, burst apart, then became specks of light and returned to their bodies, over and over again.
The same signs appeared on Amanises. Her body seemed on the verge of becoming a pure Eight-Legged Demon Wolf. Dark and mysterious powers ran wild through her, concealing her body. The souls she controlled through Herding wailed and shattered!
Yet at that moment, Amanises seemed to be showing signs of madness.
Of course, it was all an illusion. Amanises was mentally stable, but how could she reveal a weakness here?
If she didn't act a little mad, how could she fit in?
"Ankewelt! Soniathrym!" They were both Ancient Gods who had fused materials from multiple Pathways. Though they were better off than the Annihilation Demonic Wolf, they were just as mad and cruel.
Two blood-red, frenzied gazes lit up in the depths of the darkness. Beyond it, another force stirred, peering into fate.
But the surge of this power of fate only intensified the Annihilation Demonic Wolf's madness, and its aura of destruction grew ever stronger.
War and slaughter were commonplace for the Ancient Gods of this era. The Subordinate Gods and Angels were used to it, showing no surprise as they waited in silence.
The aura of fate continued to stir. The Spirit World descended, and the entire city-state grew bizarre and distorted. Marionettes kept exploding within it, becoming part of the Spirit World.
The Annihilation Demonic Wolf had seized the Fool Pathway and held a portion of the authority over fate. Naturally, it was peering into the outcome of this battle.
All the Angels lowered their heads, waiting for the Annihilation Demonic Wolf's command.
Amanises' gaze was calm and serene, without a trace of any other emotion.
"Roar!" After an unknown length of time, the Annihilation Demonic Wolf roared from within the mist, and a strange power spread outward.
Amanises' eyes went blank. She stopped where she was, bewildered, as if she had forgotten why she had come.
Her instincts struggled, urging her to defend herself, yet some kind of suggestion made her offer no resistance.
The others were the same. Antigonus stared blankly at Father God's Marionette, feeling that he ought to hang it up; it would look more elegant that way.
The God of Death gazed up at the sky, apparently pondering the profound philosophical question of whether a Phoenix counted as a bird.
Gozrat looked at the Goddess of Misfortune's back and began to doubt himself. Then he realized that this enemy, whose tastes combined those of humans and Demon Wolves, did not seem quite so hateful after all.
The other creatures, those who were not Angels, fared even worse. They lost all intelligence, forgot who they were, and became fools.
This power was unstable and could not last long. In the next moment, the Subordinate Gods and Angels regained their wits. They lowered their heads in reverence, not daring to show the slightest discontent.
This was the Annihilation Demonic Wolf's authority of Fooling. It was incomplete, but it was already terrifying to these Subordinate Gods and Angels.
"..." Amanises' pupils contracted. She concealed every emotion, then returned to her usual calm expression.
"March on the Giant King's Court!"
The Annihilation Demonic Wolf's eyes, overflowing with madness, swept across all the Subordinate Gods and Angels. Fortunately, the Demon Wolf was mad, not stupid; it did not attack them.
These Angels would gather "cannon fodder" for the coming war. They could not die yet.
"Destruction be praised!" The Subordinate Gods and Angels did not dare say anything more. They withdrew respectfully.
The Annihilation Demonic Wolf's eyes remained crimson, flashing within the mist. Ancient Gods were mad, but they still had a basic degree of reason. They simply had no need for it.
"Chaos Sea!" The Annihilation Demonic Wolf's madness did not abate as it looked toward the unknown realm above the Spirit World. "Sefirah Castle!"
These were the two Sefirot that could be sensed at present.
The Chaos Sea lay deep beneath the earth, and anyone who entered it would be corrupted. Sefirah Castle hung high above the Spirit World, yet it could not be found at all.
"We can't let Ankewelt and Soniathrym have any chance!"
The Annihilation Demonic Wolf's reason briefly prevailed, and it reached this conclusion. But the next moment, it fell into madness again. Its body, hidden beneath the mist, broke apart and reassembled. The Worms of Spirit on it wailed incessantly, while illusory tentacles beat against space.
"Sefirah Castle! Sefirah Castle!"
The desire for something it could see but never reach drove the Annihilation Demonic Wolf further into madness.
The Dragon of Imagination and the Elf King had once been the same as it, but now the power of the Chaos Sea was stirring, giving them a chance.
Yet it still could not reach it!
Its desire for destruction blazed more fiercely than ever, and a terrifying will enveloped the entire divine kingdom of destruction.
Amanises paid no attention to any of it. She evaded several Demon Wolves and returned to her temple, concealing herself.
Only then did her emotions truly erupt.
"Annihilation Demonic Wolf..." Amanises' emotions surged as murderous intent continued to rise. It was only in a place like this that she dared entertain such thoughts.
The authority of Fooling was almost impossible for her to resist at present. At any moment, she could be deprived of her intelligence and lose the calm she relied on most.
"Soon!" The Goddess's emotions soon settled. Looking inward, she realized she was different from before.
"My emotions have grown richer..." The Goddess laughed softly. It was not a bad thing. She had not been in this world for very long, and the events of yesterday remained the clearest memories in her mind.
Some time later, the Goddess of Misfortune emerged from her temple once more. Wearing a battle skirt and carrying a giant scythe, she led the many Beyonder Creatures of the Darkness Pathway on an expedition to the Giant King's Court beneath the cover of night.