Failed Negotiations

The gaping void swallowed Yegr just as it was about to strike him, closing so narrowly that the golden ring barely missed its mark.

Tekla glanced at Yegr's trembling skeletal frame, said nothing, and opened a portal to send him back.

Amanthar, struggling with his weakness, joined Shar in fending off the enemy. Fortunately, the repeated use of the Tablet of Fate had placed a heavy burden on Io, causing noticeable cracks to appear on the tablet, almost splitting it in two.

Tekla manipulated the void formed by the Reincarnation Domain to entangle the ceaselessly spinning golden ring. If it were Shar or Yegr, they would never have been able to trap it so easily!

This treasure, a combination of the rules domain controlled by Io and parts of the authority of the Chief God's space, was key to Io's ability to harness the power of numerous Creator Gods in the Chief God's space.

Tekla had attempted to transport the golden ring to the depths of the essence to be suppressed by the Law, but the broken Law was no longer able to stop Io from recalling the ring, nearly allowing Io to capture Amanthar in the process.

The battle resumed, and Tekla, following the same tactic, used the Eternal Spear to threaten the reincarnators into a forced return. However, when the Law attempted to expel Io in one fell swoop, Tekla's support diminished abruptly, leaving the Law unable to provide support for the Old Gods.

After Shar had returned to her essence and been reborn twice, both sides finally ceased hostilities. The reincarnators, who were only doing their job for the money, had already been sufficiently alarmed by Tekla's disruption of their connection to the Chief Gods, and they quickly left the world upon the cessation of hostilities.

The deities who were not qualified to intervene received a summons from the Pantheon. Io finally began to regret the rewards he had paid for summoning the reincarnators and turned his attention to the powerful deities.

Neither Tekla nor Corellon paid any attention to Io's summons, nor did they accept the invitation extended by the Law.

Tekla ignored the summons because the emergence of the Reincarnation Domain had taken back the authority that belonged to the Law from the hands of the gods. The gods, having lost their supplicants, would not want to see her, and Tekla had no intention of making a fool of herself by continuing to cultivate the Abyss and the Hells in peace.

The lesser and weaker deities feared Io's Tablet of Fate, but the powerful deities each had their own calculations. While sending avatars to the Pantheon, more avatars began to contact several Old Gods, hoping to take this opportunity to advance further.

The Hells had annexed multiple layers of the Abyssal planes, and its area had grown far beyond that of the Underworld and Asgard.

Tekla sat on her throne, receiving visits from three Old Gods.

"My request is simple; I want sovereignty over the Abyss."

Tekla looked at the silver-tongued Shar with a smile, "We are all aware of how Mystryl failed to ascend. I do not wish to be a stepping stone like her."

"But haven't you already obtained the Hells? That should be enough to show the Law's sincerity," Shar said with a stiff smile, using her eyes to signal Yegr to speak.

"That is what I deserve," Tekla replied, unconcerned with their sidelong glances, "I created the Reincarnation Domain to assist the Law, and this is the reward I have earned! I have already shown restraint by not seizing the domain of death to disrupt Yegr's ascension!"

"Speaking of sincerity, you should ask Prince Yegr, who I have saved twice! If I am not mistaken, your collective ascension was his idea, wasn't it?"

Tekla looked at Yegr with a half-smile, "What's the matter? You calculated that I would not side with Io, and the Law would not stand by and watch the death domain be lost, so you started this war regardless of my interests? I am not as foolish as Bane and Bhaal, to be a pawn played by others without realizing it! You better come up with a reasonable excuse to appease my anger!"

Yegr did not move, showing no intention of defending himself; instead, Amanthar, wearing the guise of Lathander, looked displeased and glared at Tekla's mocking words.

"I am well aware of your intentions."

Tekla's eyes turned cold, and she ruthlessly exposed the truth, "I have already said that I will not take away your control over the domain of death, yet you still made such a choice!"

The Reincarnation Domain was more favored by the Law than pure death. Yegr did not want to be controlled by the Reincarnation Domain and made one last attempt before Tekla activated it! By becoming an Old God, he would separate the domain of death from its essence, no longer restricted by the Reincarnation Domain.

The atmosphere grew colder, and Shar had to step in to mediate.

"Princess Tekla, our greatest threat is still Io, isn't it? Since you have ultimately chosen to stand with us, Io now considers you an enemy! We all have common interests at stake now, and we should not dwell on past misunderstandings. If we cannot unite and cooperate, Io will conquer us one by one, and by then it will be too late."

Seeing Tekla's expression soften slightly, Shar continued, "Of course, Yegr will do his best to compensate for your losses. Now that the Hells belong to you, with Yegr's help in controlling the Underworld, the Abyss will eventually be swallowed by the Hells! The Reincarnation Domain is crucial for the perfection of the world, and you do not need to worry that the Law will abandon you."

Shar's implication was clear: she wanted Tekla to take over for Sarenrae, to show the Law her importance so that she could demand control over the Abyss. However, Tekla did not trust Shar's assurances. After the Law dealt with Io, it would be her and Corellon's turn. Even with the Reincarnation Domain and control over the Hells, she would still be suppressed and relegated to the sidelines.

"Please leave, Your Highnesses."

Tekla put on a polite smile, "Give me the Abyss, or there is nothing to discuss."

Shar could no longer maintain her smile and said sternly, "Have you thought it through? Without our help, you will never be a match for Io."

"Perhaps," Tekla lazily leaned back on her throne, a trembling black watch appearing in her hand.

"You should worry more about yourselves. I have an escape route; you do not."

The watch's aura was very similar to the golden ring used by Io, and the three Old Gods' expressions changed instantly, looking at Tekla warily as she toyed with the watch.

"Do you think Io will believe my defection?"

This watch was contributed by the reincarnator who had tried to spread the T-virus but was caught by Tekla. Tekla had exchanged the items obtained from the treasure chest that appeared after his death for points, and then used those points to exchange for the watch.

"Alright, you don't have much time left; there's no need to waste it on me."

With an impatient wave of her hand, the dark void instantly transported the visitors out of the Hells.

The Pantheon was silent, so quiet that even a pin dropping to the ground sounded like thunder.

Faced with Io's menacing gaze, the gods all lowered their heads to avoid it, like rabbits being eyed by a hungry wolf, not daring to breathe too heavily.

The powerful deities closest to Io were not so lucky; the lesser and weaker deities watching from afar were already trembling, let alone those directly under Io's pressure.

The fiery-haired lady, Shanna, was forced to stand up by the other powerful deities, struggling to force a smile and asked, "Your Majesty of the Gods, have you summoned us to give orders?"

Io glanced at Shanna, whose forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and disdainfully turned his eyes to Torm, "Lord of War, you should shoulder the responsibility of punishing the rebels!"

Torm frowned imperceptibly and stood up to answer, "Your Majesty, we firmly believe that you will defeat the rebels and demonstrate your might with their blood. How dare we rashly interfere and disturb your pleasure?"

Io's hand on the throne clenched uncontrollably, smoothing out the ornate carvings, which returned to their original state the moment he raised his hand.

"Are you mocking me?"

The calm voice seemed to suppress a storm, and the Red Knight on the outermost seat of the lesser deities couldn't help but worryingly look towards the Chief God.

"I mean no such thing," Torm said calmly, "Otherwise, I would not have come as summoned."

Io's anger slightly subsided, "Gods, you enjoy supreme glory and power; it is time to pay the price for it."

The lesser and weaker deities secretly breathed a sigh of relief; their power was negligible, and Io would not waste his words on them, at most requiring them to do logistical work, which was relatively safe.

The ones who felt uncomfortable were the medium-powered deities; they were not entirely powerless before the Old Gods and the Elemental Primes, and they could still struggle and expend their strength.

The powerful deities had various expressions; ambitious ones like Cyric naturally rubbed their hands in anticipation, while deities like Shanna, who were not good at combat, felt uneasy, their apprehension evident.

Most were anxious, and deities like Gond, who had not joined any of the powerful deities, felt a sinking in their hearts. Their resentful gazes fell silent before the radiant Tablet of Fate.

The domain of war naturally belonged to Torm, who reluctantly rallied the gods and assigned them tasks, while those who received dangerous assignments could only consider themselves unlucky.

It wasn't until it was Waukeen's turn that she suddenly stood up before Torm could speak, silencing the murmurs.

The divine avatar from the world of the One Ring was already on track, and Waukeen could completely abandon the world of Faerûn and withdraw, as Io would not storm Ilúvatar's realm just for her, so she calmly accepted the coordination of logistics.

She bowed and said, "Your Majesty Io, I would like to negotiate with you on behalf of Goddess Tekla, hoping you will give me a chance."

Io lowered his eyelids to hide his expression, gestured for Waukeen to come forward, and at the same time shielded the gods' prying eyes.

"You better bring me good news," Io's expression was unprecedentedly complex.

"Of course, it's good news," Waukeen replied immediately, and as if she felt her description was too brief, she added, "Princess Tekla does not wish to be your enemy; it was a reluctant move under the coercion of the rebels."

"Regardless, you saved me from the Abyss, and I sincerely hope you can get what you want."

The sincerity in Waukeen's tone softened Io's stiff face, "So I also ask you to accept Princess Tekla's conditions and no longer be her enemy."

"What's the reason?" Io asked with an inexplicable expression, "She has helped the rebels multiple times; in my eyes, she has already chosen to stand against me."

"Princess Tekla said you would understand. She hopes you can help her seize the Abyss, and in exchange, she will stop Corellon from possibly taking action, ensuring you will not be disturbed."

Io immediately looked at his wrist, where an unknown sender's message appeared on the hidden watch.

After a long silence, Io slowly said, "I hope so."

In the empty Pantheon, Tekla saw Io's reply on the watch and curled the corner of her mouth.

Io had no choice; if he didn't quickly deal with the Law, the influx of reincarnators would cause more trouble than the Law itself! Therefore, even though he knew Tekla had ulterior motives, he had to feign cooperation to buy time.

The anxious gods had not yet had time to inquire what Waukeen had said to Io when they were hit with new orders, leaving them dizzy.

The grand army marched towards the Abyss, and while the gods were surprised by Io's change of mind, they also breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the Old Gods, the pressure from the Abyssal Lords was much less.

Io was not idle; the four Old Gods decisively huddled together in his eerie gaze, unable to pay attention to the battlefield of the Abyss.

Tekla's avatar, wielding pitch-black butterfly wings, arrived at the Bone Castle of the Night.

"Night, it's time to send you on your way."

The face of Night was faintly visible under the hazy white veil; the fallen mother of demons slowly unveiled her face, and the impact was like being struck by a heavy hammer, causing the demons to bleed from their eyes and die silently.

"Not bad," Tekla commented on Night's true form, "She is quite distinctive among the demons."

The chaotic will of the Abyss did not resist Tekla's actions; instead, it encouraged them.

The allied forces of the gods set up camp in the territory of the Messiah, cutting through the layers of the Abyssal planes one by one.

The Abyssal Lords had thought of uniting to deal with the situation, but the two most powerful Abyssal Lords, Graz'zt and Demogorgon, lacked even the most basic trust in each other, and to make matters worse, the demons had no experience in joint combat!

Unlike the nearly dead devils, the demons were used to acting alone in the Abyssal blood battles, at best using violence to drive lower-level demons to their deaths. They were defeated in the battle against the allied forces of the gods and were unable to turn the tide.

Night's desperate resistance did not buy her much time; Tekla's avatar, at the cost of half its body, beheaded Night.

After a brief rest, the avatar took the Abyssal plane it had seized and actively merged it into the Hells.

The mindless demons refilled the empty Hells, and the Law could finally not stand idly by, once again going to war with Io.

Although they did not understand Io's intentions in attacking the Abyss, a vague sense of crisis made the Law faction unable to sit back and ignore it.