The peace around the mansion did not last.
It never truly did when beings like them existed in one place.
A sudden ripple spread across the cosmic layers surrounding Averis.
It wasn't subtle.
It wasn't quiet.
It was the unmistakable pressure of armies crossing dimensional boundaries.
Rayon felt it first.
Then Luminous.
Then Azelar.
Then the rest.
The air around the courtyard grew heavier as countless presences began approaching the planet from outside the star system.
Rayon slowly smiled.
He looked at everyone present.
"I won't let them enter Averis."
His tone was calm.
But absolute.
"So no need to hold back."
He stood up slowly.
"We're going to war."
Kratos grinned immediately.
"Finally."
But Rayon's eyes shifted toward him.
"…Kratos."
"Stay out of this one."
Kratos frowned.
"Go talk to Azelar or something."
Kratos looked offended.
"I wanted a piece of the fight too."
Rayon turned toward him fully.
His eyes turned completely black.
No pupils.
No reflection.
Just the endless abyss.
Kratos suddenly froze.
For a moment—
Reality itself seemed to tilt.
His mind was dragged into something deeper than darkness.
Something older.
Something that caused existential fall.
Kratos' body trembled slightly as the pressure tried to collapse his existence inward.
But then—
His golden slit eyes ignited.
He resisted.
The pressure broke.
Kratos exhaled slowly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"…That was always annoying."
He paused before speaking again.
"Fine."
Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"But if Asura and the others—"
Rayon cut him off immediately.
"Don't worry."
"If they're not hostile toward me, I won't care about them."
His voice became cold.
"But if I sense even a little hostility…"
The air itself darkened.
"I'm going to kill them."
"And resurrect them in my domain."
Kratos sighed.
"…Fine."
Rayon nodded once before turning to the others.
"Luminous."
"Nyk."
"Christine."
"Erethon."
"You're coming with me."
At that moment—
A shadow stretched across the ground.
Then someone stepped out of it.
Erethon.
The Primordial of Insanity and Darkness.
He stretched lazily like someone waking from a long nap.
"Well now…"
He cracked his neck.
"I haven't had fun like this since you became the Black Primordial."
Rayon simply smirked.
Then he walked over to Nexus.
Without hesitation he kissed her gently.
"Do you want to leave them with Azelar and come?"
Nexus looked down at the twins.
Lucifer crawled around the floor happily.
But something strange kept happening.
He would disappear into shadows—
Then reappear somewhere else in the room.
Like reality itself was playing along with him.
Then she looked at Esdeath.
Sleeping peacefully.
The Child of Conceptual Displacement.
Her power quietly bending existence even in sleep.
Nexus hesitated.
She was their mother.
But she was also—
The Dragon God.
Rayon noticed the hesitation.
"It'll be okay."
She looked at him again.
Then smiled.
"Okay, babe."
"I'll come with you."
She walked toward Azelar.
"Az… can you watch them until I get back?"
Azelar nodded calmly.
"Sure."
"You all go."
"I'll keep the little ones."
He gently took Esdeath into his arms.
Lucifer meanwhile continued crawling around the floor—
Disappearing into shadows.
Reappearing behind furniture.
Vanishing again.
Azelar watched him with mild amusement.
Rayon then looked toward the sky.
"…Azathoth."
A raven's cry echoed.
A black raven descended from the sky and landed on Rayon's shoulder.
Rayon spoke calmly.
"Watch over them."
The raven flapped its wings and flew toward Azelar.
Then landed on top of his head.
Kratos stared directly into the raven's eye.
For a split second—
He saw it.
The true form hidden behind the disguise.
Azathoth.
The First Beast of the Black Sea in the Endless Abyss.
An existence older than worlds.
A creature capable of manipulating reality itself.
A being that shaped dreams.
A being whose true form would make the heads of mortals—and anyone without primordial essence—explode instantly upon seeing it.
Kratos smiled.
"…Hey old friend."
The raven looked down at him.
Then suddenly pecked him on the forehead.
Kratos rubbed his head.
"…Still rude."
Meanwhile—
Rayon stepped forward.
And the battlefield shifted.
Rayon.
Luminous.
Nyk.
Christine.
Nexus — the Dragon God.
Erethon — Primordial of Insanity and Darkness.
They vanished.
Outer Space — Above Averis
Stars flickered as six figures appeared in the void above the planet.
Below them—
Averis rotated peacefully.
Rayon slowly reached down.
His hand touched the surface of the planet.
Darkness spread outward instantly.
Not destructive darkness.
Protective darkness.
A massive abyssal energy field covered the entire world.
A shield.
So that no matter what happened next—
Averis would not suffer damage.
Rayon lifted his hand again.
Then—
The sky tore open.
Massive dimensional gates appeared across space.
From them poured armies.
Destroyer legions.
Cosmic war beasts.
Planet-breaking constructs.
Generals of destruction.
At the front of the army stood the five leaders.
Nullivar.
Demetrius.
Mephisto.
Doom.
Urus.
Behind them stood powerful destroyers such as Gram and Michael, along with countless elite commanders.
The void of space filled with killing intent.
Rayon looked at them calmly.
"…What an unsurprising move."
Nullivar stared at him from across the battlefield.
"And what an unsurprising welcome."
Rayon cracked his neck slightly.
"Well."
His eyes darkened again.
"We didn't come here to waste time."
He extended his hand forward.
"Did we?"
A grin spread across his face.
"So let's go to war."