The elder fell to his knees, his sparse white hair falling loosely from his age speckled scalp. The wrinkles on his face told a tale just as old, but it was those pale white orbs that, murky and milky in their depths, painted the image of a man long past his prime.
Even so, the one emotion that pulled all Invalids together was the fear of death. They felt for nothing and wanted for nothing than constant improvement and survival.
When Apex's master turned his gaze to this old man, all of that carnal sort of need came rushing forth and he acted in the only way he thought might save his life.
Apex had been suppressed, but it was necessary. The actions of the Invalids this time around were risky. They were the public enemy of the world, maybe even more so than the Envoys of Creation and Destruction, or at the worst on equal footing.
To make such a large move without preparation was foolhardy, and this elder was right to make his suggestion. This seal had helped them reduce their odds of being exposed.
Unfortunately, the cost seemed to outweigh the gains.
They had lost not just one Variant Invalid, but three. Worse than that, they had lost several seedlings with good odds of taking their next step of evolution.
Somehow, not a single one of them had survived.
Apex's master looked away from the kneeling man as though he wasn't there. His mood was unreadable, his expression the picture of indifference. Without the irises and pupils of a human, there was no humanity to grasp onto.
"What is the situation with the war? Is it time yet?"
Apex's master moved on without giving a verdict.
The various ministers and Variant Invalids beneath him scrambled to give their reports, detailing of battles across Existence. The scope seemed wide and all-consuming.
"... the battle is in a stalemate, your lordship. However, there is a report that Minerva has succeeded in killing a Void Race member. This will escalate the conflict to new realms."
"There were already reports that a true genius would descend soon, but they seem to have been delayed. It's said that the Weapon Idol Battlefield has revealed itself and this has taken top priority over other matters."
Apex's master was indifferent to all the reports until this one. His head rose and the orbs of his eyes shifted, landing on the Variant Invalid who had just spoken.
The Weapon Idol Battlefield wasn't something to be unceremoniously dismissed. Even the Gods themselves would be interested, even if they had already formed their own Idols. The humanoid races all saw this Battlefield as their greatest treasure. If the Life Tablet was the magnum opus of the God Beasts of Creation, this battlefield was the kernel of humanoid hope and prosperity.
No one knew what had triggered its sudden rise, but to those of the present age, this was less important than its immediate use.
"How long."
Two words. Simple and direct.
"According to the reports, your lordship, it will still take another few decades to come into range. The location is exposed, but it would take an expert of your lordship's caliber to travel the distance through the void.
"Though lord is mighty, I would also advise against it. The God Races are certainly monitoring paths to the region, and while one is no match for your lordship, the humanoids are shameless and have no bottom line."
Apex's master fell into silence, looking away without another word. The reports continued and soon news of Flaura was mentioned.
"... our ally in the Dream Asuras has been targeted once more. She has come by more than once to ask for aid. During the most recent occasion, she brought us information about the Blood Sovereign. The implication is that she has more to give."
"Kill her."
Once again, another two words spoken just as indifferently.
But this time, they were met with silence.
Apex's master looked up and found that his entire cabinet had been frozen in time. His senses, however, told him a different tale.
They hadn't been frozen, his sense of time had instead been distorted to such a profound extent that it only seemed to be so.
But this wasn't an application of Time Force, it was one of Dream Force. An application so profound it was hard to say if there was another in the world capable of it.
"Demoness."
The words sent a shudder through the world. Existence seemed to fear this title as though it might corrupt and destroy everything.
Existence was already tending toward Destruction, but only insofar as it would allow it all to be reborn once more. Another Big Bang, another existential impetus to bring light to an all new world.
The reason Existence feared this woman was because she seemed primed to be rid of this cycle, uprooting and shattering it from its very core.
A woman with beauty beyond words appeared as a shimmering mirage in the skies. Her eyes were a bright purple that looked as though a star had exploded within them. Her nose was a delicate slope and her lips looked as though nature's brightest cherries had been graced by her gentle kiss.
The woman's hair flickered between a pink and violet color, a twin pair of horns curving up and back on her head more like a pair of horns than a Demon's pride and joy.
What was odd was that while her face was as clear as day, her body was obscured, almost like it was too obscene and blood boiling to be casually shown.
This was a woman who stood at the pinnacle of the world both in beauty and power... This was a Goddess.
She looked down at Apex's master, a gentle smile on her face that could melt one's bones. Pride exuded from her every orifice, and even while looking at the leader of the Variant Invalids, and even with a face carrying such a gentle caress to the eyes, it still felt like she was gazing upon an ant.
"Little Zephy... who gave you the right to kill my descendants?"
