Angry? Desterie laughed inwardly. He would never believe Orloff's story. Orloff and Augusta were of one mind. As the utterly rational side of their being, the side that had forsaken everything to pursue the truth, Orloff would suppress his anger with reason, no matter how furious he was.
Managing a continent was an even more ridiculous excuse. When had a Sovereign ever actually managed a continent? That was the job of Prefects and legion commanders. Sovereigns sat high above everyone else and enjoyed the fruits of their labor, deciding who lived and who died.
Desterie certainly wasn't going to risk going to the Heavenly Realm after offending Orloff. After all, Orloff might devote himself to research, and his good-natured demeanor might be just a facade. It wasn't as if he couldn't lie and hurt people.
"My lord, actually, I've been trying to reason with Iluka for the past ten thousand years, hoping to learn the truth and the reasons behind what he did back then, but I haven't made any progress," Desterie said with a smile. The unspoken meaning was clear: even you won't get anywhere.
Orloff stroked his beard and smiled. "No matter. I have a good idea why he did it. Don't worry. In the Material Plane, my projection has no Willpower. I can't harm a Paragon."
Desterie nodded in agreement. Besides, judging by Orloff's manner, he wouldn't give up until he saw Iluka. So Desterie spread his divine sense, easily covering the entire plane. Sure enough, he found Iluka standing at the edge of the plane, staring at a mass of spatial rifts as he pondered.
That was how Iluka spent most of his time over the past ten thousand years.
Desterie could clearly sense the murderous intent within Iluka growing stronger lately. He desperately needed an outlet.
"Iluka, Orloff, the Sovereign of Fate, has descended in a projection to see you. You should come meet him. If the conversation goes well, perhaps you'll be able to travel the Supreme Plane and the divine planes again."
Iluka's eyes snapped open, the viciousness in them growing even more concentrated.
In Desterie's palace in the Domain of High Heaven, Orloff, Iluka, and Desterie sat around a marble table, pouring and sipping wine.
Neither Orloff nor Iluka had any intention of sending Desterie away. After all, as the sole Sovereign of this Material Plane, Desterie could listen in if he wanted, and Orloff's energy projection wouldn't notice. Iluka wouldn't be able to tell, either.
Orloff studied Iluka's expression and smiled faintly. "Long time no see, Iluka. You've been hiding here for ten thousand years. You must have been bottling things up for a long time."
Iluka replied coldly, "I have. Heh. I owe my situation to you!"
Iluka spoke disrespectfully, but Orloff didn't get angry. He merely smiled. "I searched for you for many years, but I didn't realize right away that you were Iluka, the Paragon High-God, on the Plane Battlefield. It wasn't until you struck a heavy blow against the Heavenly Realm's side that I recognized you. I suppose it had simply been too long since we last met."
Iluka sneered. "You only recognized me then? No wonder the Heavenly Realm suffered such a crushing defeat.
"I never expected to escape your wrath. I can't stand against you, but I'm in the Material Plane now, and you can't kill me here. Why come all this way just to waste your breath?"
Orloff fell silent for a moment. After taking a small sip of wine, he glanced at Desterie and smiled. "There's no need to drag Desterie into our affairs. He's a Sovereign, yet he's been cooped up in the Material Plane for your sake. People will laugh at him for it."
Desterie merely smiled and said nothing.
From the way they spoke, it seemed the reason Iluka had schemed against the Heavenly Realm lay with Orloff. How could a Paragon have a history of love and resentment with the Sovereign of Fate?
Iluka drained his cup and curled his lips into a smile. "Sovereign Desterie risked your wrath to save me and keep me safe. I would never harm him. That's why I haven't told him anything. If I told him, wouldn't that put him in danger?"
Desterie felt as though he wanted to say something but couldn't. He looked at the two of them in exasperation. Take your riddles somewhere else!
Orloff personally poured Iluka another cup of wine and smiled. "Good. I'm glad we see eye to eye. I know that ruining a Ten-Win Streak in a Plane War isn't enough to erase your hatred. If you're willing to bury the past, I can find you a Destruction Sovereign Spark."
Desterie's eyes widened. From the sound of it, Iluka, a Paragon High-God, knew about the special significance of a Ten-Win Streak in a Plane War. And whatever secret lay between them was enough for Orloff to offer a Sovereign Spark to appease him.
Unable to hold back any longer, Desterie asked, "My lord, your offer is certainly generous. I can't help wondering what happened between the two of you."
Orloff shook his head, while Iluka answered outright. "You're better off not knowing. Otherwise, this wolf in sheep's clothing will have to kill you."
Then he turned to Orloff and said, "I accept, but I won't settle for a Lowgod Sovereign Spark. Bring me a Mid-level or higher Destruction Sovereign Spark, and I'll forget the past and start a new life."
Orloff shook his head. "Only a Lowgod Sovereign Spark is available. Getting a Mid-level one would draw too much attention, and an upper-level one is out of the question. You have no choice."
After a long silence, Iluka finally relented.
Thoroughly fed up with being surrounded by cryptic talk, Desterie saw the two of them off. Before leaving, Orloff added, "During the final battle of this Plane War, I'll tell all the Sovereigns to stop pursuing Iluka, and to stop questioning your allegiance as well.
"I know you're close to Lilith, but you're still a Fate Sovereign. You need to spend plenty of time in the Heavenly Realm, not focus only on the Netherworld. As wonderful as the Netherworld may be, it can't give you a Ten-Win Streak."
Desterie nodded. He had spent the past ten thousand years in seclusion, but not because he feared Orloff. He had wanted to make one concerted push to become a Paragon. But the surge of Faith Power had passed ten thousand years ago, and he had developed a "tolerance" to it. Relying on Faith Power any longer would be foolish.
But he still hadn't created a divine plane. Before Orloff arrived, he had already planned to go out and create one. During a Plane War, the chances of other Sovereigns disturbing him would also be much lower.
"I've heard this Plane War is a struggle between the Radiant Divine Realm and Hell. If Hell wins, that'll make eight victories in a row. I imagine quite a few Sovereigns will be watching." As he spoke, Desterie wondered: after the Heavenly Realm first achieved ten victories in a row in the original story, there had been six nine-win streaks over the countless years that followed. He wondered whether Hell could climb to that point this time.
If it succeeded, Iluka would make a fortune. Thanks to the butterfly effect, Hell might even win ten times in a row. With the strength of a Paragon behind him, Iluka would be that much closer to the rank of Overlord.
Orloff left, and Iluka returned to the edge of the plane. After waiting a few more days, Desterie entered the Spatial Turbulence. He was going to create a divine plane!
Before you continue