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First of all, many important places were protected by magical barriers. These barriers also protected some teleportation, and while it was possible to allow a “backdoor” of sorts in the barrier, this was, needless to say, a major security flaw. A powerful space mage could often “hack” themselves into a teleportation network and, if there was a backdoor of any kind, exploit that to teleport straight into an area that should otherwise be protected.

That was why most factions only established these teleportation networks inside of the barriers. This was a good method for singular planets or even solar systems, but it became heavily flawed if one wanted to connect two distant planets. A single barrier capable of encompassing two different planets in their own solar systems would rarely be worth it.

Due to this, many Waypoints had been established throughout the different universes. These were planets not protected within any borders, filled with teleportation circles allowing one to travel all across an entire universe within weeks if one jumped repeatedly.

The problem ultimately arose when one had to travel from a Waypoint to within a closed teleportation network. Because there were some closed teleportation networks, with numerous solar systems – sometimes even galaxies - all protected by one powerful defense system. These were the large areas controlled by major factions, and often each faction would only have a handful at most in each universe.

However, even among these closed systems, some places stood out: the heartlands of each faction. Primordial-1 and a huge area surrounding it was recognized as the heartlands of the Holy Church, and it was an area no god not part of the Holy Church could easily enter – not even other Primordials or those with equivalent strength.

Another well known was the Risen and the place known as the Ghostlands. The Altmar Empire had its Capital Cluster, as they called it, with most peak factions having something similar. But, there were two heartlands more protected than any others in the entire multiverse. Which was stronger, no one knew, but all knew it was a tie between these two:

The Automata Legion and the Endless Empire.

These two factions stood at the apex when it came to defending their heartlands. This was for obvious reasons, as both had members they could absolutely not risk dying, and the entire way their societies and Paths worked just lent themselves to making sure they had incredibly safe home bases.

But… one could naturally not just teleport into these heartlands. One had to travel the final distance from the Waypoint to within the barrier themselves, and for security reasons, these Waypoints were always a good distance from the heartlands. Getting that last distance was usually not a problem… but that was only if no one interfered. Because if anyone did, things could get rough.

This was the exact challenge Vesperia found herself facing. She had appeared on the final Waypoint Planet before they would have to manually travel the rest of the way, but barely a second after she had appeared there… the world turned white. A barrier encased her as dozens of figures teleported all around, making sure she was safe as the entire planet below her exploded.

Vesperia barely saw them. A massive floating mothership and armies of Automata gods all descended upon her, ready to strike the moment she appeared on this Waypoint Planet. The only good thing was that there had been eleven total Waypoint Planets to pick between, meaning the Automata Legion had to be at all of them.

Meanwhile, the Endless Empire only had to show up at one.

The entire cosmos was set ablaze as the Automata Legion attacked. Vesperia was shielded within a pod as four True Royals took flight and escorted her toward the planet, teleportation not possible due to the interference of the Automata Legion. In the distance, she saw endless flashes of light as war raged. It was lucky that the Waypoint Planets around the Endless Empire were all artificially created and far separated from any others… for if not, then entire galaxies could have been snuffed out of existence that day. Vesperia had known this could happen but was powerless to do anything. All she could do was trust her sisters.

Ultimately, Vesperia entered meditation, knowing that the best she could do was remain calm. She faded out all the disturbances all around her as time passed. Approximately seven hours later, she felt herself be teleported, and she opened her eyes to see herself surrounded by divine beings. Her sisters – the other True Royals - among them.

It was only later she came to learn the details of the battle. More than six thousand gods of the Automata Legion had been slain, though they all knew it had little consequence besides the material cost of their bodies, as one never truly killed an Automata god just by destroying its vessel. No, the true victory lay in successfully escorting Vesperia safely into the heartlands of the Endless Empire. That they had already managed to destroy the mothership was a boon, but the Endless Empire did lose a Godqueen in return. An acceptable loss in their eyes.

The Automata Legion had known their chances of success were low, but they had tried anyway. The Endless Empire had shown up with nearly all True Royals. Being so close to their heartlands, they would gladly show up in force, which had resulted in the Endless Empire coming out on top big time, even if one did not include Vesperia in the equation.

In the end, it had been a relatively low-risk, high-reward strike from the Automata Legion.

Safely back in her homeland, Vesperia felt relief and a powerful sense of belonging. She was greeted by all of her sisters, their happiness obvious at finally seeing her return home, even if she did sense some faint hesitation from some of them. They celebrated for a while as they waited for more arrivals to come. Something they did after only a week.

Gods of the Vespernat Lineage had all felt the moment a True Royal had appeared. Once the news spread that she had safely returned to the Endless Empire, these powerful Hive Queens did not hesitate. Gods of all ranks, including Godqueens, entered the heartlands of the Endless Empire to greet the True Royal and swear their loyalty. There was no hesitation in their actions, no second-guessing. It was in their nature to recognize Vesperia, even if she was only C-grade.

After that, Vesperia still had one more important thing to do before her true work began.

Vesperia was escorted by the Odonstrom Hive Queen down into the deepest parts of the Great Planet known as Primordial-8. Some also called it the Great Hive Planet, but its official designation was still Primordial-8, following the same naming convention as every other Great Planet in the first universe.

“Are you certain you find yourself ready?” the Odonstrom True Royal asked.

“Yes, there is no cause for concern,” she answered without hesitation. “I already feel the call and their desire.”

“Very well, I shall not question you then, sister,” the Odonstrom Hive Queen smiled, looking relieved.

“I still detect hints of doubt in your demeanor, sister. From some of the others, too. How come?” Vesperia questioned the far older god.

“It is hopefully of little concern, but it is perhaps still pertinent to bring up. Even with your assurances, there is still some doubt about you due to the matters of your birth. Your circumstances are unique, and some fear that you may not truly hold the same allegiances as the Vesperia of old,” the Odonstrom True Royal sighed. “I know this doubt should be dispelled-“

“I don’t think it should,” Vesperia cut her off. “I am not entirely the same as other True Royals or the old Vesperia. But what changes I have experienced are not negative or even ones I find a need to hide. My allegiances also still lie with my Sire along with the Empire; I believe I have made this quite clear. Is this an issue for the council? Or do you not believe it proper I receive the Lineage Treasures?”

The other True Royal sighed. “Perhaps… perhaps not. But even if there is some doubt, there is no doubt about your identity as a True Royal, and thus you can naturally claim your birthright.”

“Thank you,” Vesperia nodded as they continued without exchanging words. They were heading to the innermost armory of the Endless Empire, where the treasures of her Lineage resided. Items that only the True Royals of the corresponding Lineage could make use of. In her case, Vesperia already knew what awaited her:

The Vespernat Royal Diadem and the Vespernat Hive Core.

The diadem would increase the effectiveness of all her abilities by a non-insignificant amount, especially when it came to leading her hive and controlling her subjects. It was also a massive, near-inexhaustible energy source and a treasure granted directly by the system in the first era. The Vespernat Hive Core was a powerful treasure she could absorb that would expand her inner world significantly while also making the energy within far more potent. The diadem had been a treasure used by the original Vesperia, while the Hive Core had come from the body of the dead Vesperia. These two would not make her much more powerful as a warrior but assist her tremendously in rebuilding the Vespernat Lineage.

As a monster, Vesperia could not use normal equipment, but these treasures still worked for her. Throughout the eras, they had also both been nurtured by the Endless Empire. This had not only been done out of faint hope a Vespernat True Royal would appear either. As long as they kept the Records of the Vespernat Lineage alive, there was hope that a new True Royal would be born through a miracle. It did prove to have done nothing, as the miracle had been her Sire, Jake, even if some of the other True Royals remained skeptical.

Vesperia knew what many of them hoped for.

They hoped that with time, Vesperia would “come to her senses” and disregard where she came from. That she would truly embrace her fate as a member of the Endless Empire – and only the Endless Empire. She also knew why.

The Endless Empire was not allied with any Primordials, as they did not believe any of them could be trusted. The twelve Primordials had been the first gods, and they had an… odd relationship with one another. They often fought and opposed one another, but never had there been a deadly conflict between them. Even when Sanguine and the vampires arose, and several Primordials came for the first vampire, the Malefic Viper did not interfere despite his close relationship with Sanguine. He stayed out of it and saw Sanguine fall, not fighting his fellow Primordials.

Vesperia knew that Jake was not the one they had a problem with. It was the being behind him. He was the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, after all, and did anyone truly believe he was indeed making his own decisions solely? That the Malefic One was not the one pulling the strings?

No, none believed such a preposterous thing to be possible. Vesperia also knew trying to convince them otherwise would be useless, and she didn’t want to try even if she thought she could. She did recognize she was biased on the matter, and her opinion thus held less sway, so she would hold her truth to herself.

Because no matter what people thought… Vesperia had felt the Records of her Sire. Felt his will and that which dwells within. Perhaps the Malefic One could manipulate her Sire, even fool him into doing things against his own interest… but she did not believe even a Primordial could ever control him.

Some monsters could simply never be tamed.

“We have arrived,” the Odonstrom Hive Queen said.

The two of them found themselves standing before a large crystal structure with items suspended within. The diadem and the Hive Core. Vesperia felt them both pulsing with power, and the other True Royal looked at her with worry.

“They have been empowered through the ages… neither is to be taken lightly. The Vespernat Diadem especially. The energy had been overwhelming to even the S-grade Vesperia back in the first era, and alas, you still only find yourself in C-grade.”

“I shall be fine, of that, I assure you,” Vesperia nodded as she walked forward. The two artifacts reacted to her mere presence, and with a thought, the crystals that not even weaker gods could scratch willingly shattered. The full auras of the artifacts were released as they flew toward Vesperia.

She opened her arms and welcomed them both. The diadem landed on her head, and the Hive Core melted into her chest as she felt the massive influx of energy. She felt the overwhelming power course through her body, and Records impacted her soul as she stood with her eyes closed.

Vesperia had to endure the Records… but one had to remember. She had been connected to a presence that surpassed any other she had ever felt, and compared to that, all else just paled. There was still a lot of energy to tame, but she only took four hours before she opened her eyes once more, the golden jewels on the diadem lighting up and her inner world expanding.

“That… you truly surpassed my expectations, sister. I believed it would have taken you far longer… even if you are far from making full use of both treasures, the mere fact you successfully bound them is cause for celebration,” the Odomstrom Hive Queen said with genuine happiness.

“We talked earlier about how the circumstances of my birth may impact me negatively… but did the council ever consider that it was just the opposite?” Vesperia questioned her fellow True Royal while deep in thought.

“What do you mean?” her sister asked, Vesperia’s next words simply too foreign for her to consider.

“That my Sire’s involvement in my birth is naught but a boon,” Vesperia smiled.

She did know her words could be viewed as potentially blasphemous, as how could the Origin of a True Royal possibly be improved? Vesperia also knew that these words were not ones her Sire hoped she would speak.

For it would no doubt only fan the flames of desire the Endless Empire held to have him join the Grand Hive proper and discard his involvement with any Primordials.

A thought Vesperia did have to admit she found appealing, no matter how impossible she knew it was.

For just as some monsters could never be tamed, some became restless if anyone attempted to tie them down.

She did not believe a restless Sire would do the Endless Empire any good.

“Well, that went terribly,” Caleb sighed as he leaned against the broken wall of the castle, his armor entirely burnt away, leaving him nearly naked. He luckily had an extra pair of trousers, for if not, he would indeed have been.

“We were careless,” Matteo – his second-in-command – agreed.

“Yeah,” Caleb nodded. “Good job on keeping the damn Demon Lord still while we dealt with the two Tower Demons.”

Matteo smiled lightly but did not say anything. In the fight, Matteo had managed to trap the Demon Lord in a labyrinth of auditory illusions through his piano play and use of dark magic for over two minutes while the rest of the party killed the Tower Demons, which was why Caleb said he had done a damn good job.

The problem was that they had not done a good job overall. They had decided to go for only empowering two of the artifacts using the Secret Scrolls and moved to kill one of the Tower Demons while deactivating the Heart of the Demon Lord. However, even if they did that, the situation had turned south.

“I am glad we didn’t bring Nadia,” Matteo muttered.

“Yeah,” Caleb said as he stared from afar at where the Demon Lord had teleported away after they failed to stop him. Nearby he saw his two remaining party members walking over… and the ashes of the one who hadn’t made it, still scattering as the wind swept by, the entire castle having exploded after the Tower Demons died.

Caleb and Matteo were the only ones from the Court of Shadows in the party, as, quite frankly, full parties with only their members tended to suck. The three others had consisted of two of Jake’s potential party members from the ceremony and one outside recruit poached by the Court.

The one who died had been one of the people wanting to join Jake. She had been a caster and was not fast enough when the Demon Lord powered up. The sword had been sent flying towards her while she was distracted, resulting in her body getting pierced through and her entire form destroyed in mere seconds. As a wood mage, she had been weak to fire from the beginning, and in the end, they had failed to protect her.

“Judge,” the princess from the Altmar Empire – their healer - spoke as she walked over with the final member, a large beastkin warrior with a shield and a mace. Their tank.

The princess looked unsure as Caleb shook his head. “I shall inform her family. Are you willing to stay with the party even after this?”

It took the elf a few seconds as she nodded. “Ilieasia made a mistake, failing to even use her escape talisman… let us just hope we get a good replacement.”

A cold response but one Caleb had expected. He knew the princess was, in part, there to stay close to him to get to Jake, and Caleb could live with that. Finding a healer like the Altmar princess for their party would be incredibly difficult under normal circumstances, so he welcomed making use of his big brothers… fame? Notoriety?

He wasn’t sure, and it ultimately didn’t matter. Caleb was in Nevermore to get stronger to keep his family safe, and he would not hesitate if making a harsh decision could help him and his own in the long term.

“Let us hope so, indeed,” Caleb sighed as he looked onward. “Now, let’s move on and recruit a replacement on the city floor. If not, I will send a request to the Court.”

Caleb also hoped they could relax a bit on the city floor. Who knows, maybe they would even meet some friends?