Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate

Boom!

A shockwave of raw power rippled across the area as every Supreme released their pressure simultaneously — a reflexive reaction to the sudden presence of the unknown woman.

"You! How are you alive?!" the Celestial King roared, divine rings orbiting him at blistering speed. His entire form bristled with tension, his eyes narrowed in alarm. He was ready to strike at a moment's notice.

And he wasn't alone.

Each Supreme instinctively took battle stance, divine energies humming in the air, tension thick as blood. Their expressions were grave, shoulders taut, a single breath away from open war.

Greg, caught between awe and confusion, watched the shift unfold — how the titanic presences around him responded to the arrival of the mysterious woman. It was more than fear. It was disbelief.

"Calm down, guys," the woman said lightly, her voice smooth as silk, carrying a faint lilt of amusement. "It hasn't gotten to the point where we have to fight each other. That's no way to treat an old friend, you know."

She smiled sweetly.

She had long, raven-black hair that shimmered like onyx under the fading light. Her gown, a form-fitting dress of deepest shadow, clung to her like a second skin, as if woven from the void itself. Her face… it was perfection sculpted — a beauty so refined it seemed unreal, untouchable. No artist could hope to capture it.

The world held its breath.

But it was the World Tree Avatar who snapped first. With a flicker of ancient fury, it unleashed a glowing arrow composed entirely of pure mana. The air hissed as it tore through space — a weapon capable of leveling nations.

Greg couldn't track it. One blink — and the attack had already closed in on the woman. In his eyes, the moment of release to arrival felt like an instant, faster than thought.

"Come on now," the woman said, her voice no longer playful — but cold, steady. Her own pressure descended like a black tide, thick and suffocating. It crashed down harder than all the Supremes' auras combined. No — it surpassed them. By a terrifying margin.

"Impossible! You've gotten stronger?" the Dwarf God blurted out, his voice shaking slightly as he stared wide-eyed. The ease with which she handled the attack... it defied sense.

Still, the Supremes did not back down. Their gazes remained fixed on her — wary, guarded, ready.

"I didn't come to start a fight," the lady said, her tone returning to mock cheerfulness. "But if it's a fight you want, I'll gladly give it to you."

She raised one pale finger.

From it, a reindeer-shaped wisp of darkness formed, its eyes glowing crimson, prancing gently around her fingertip.

"But I must warn you," she added, voice low and ominous, "this world will definitely shatter... just like the last one."

Her words cut like a blade.

The Supremes hesitated — their divine minds weighing the consequences. They knew she spoke the truth. If battle broke out, it wouldn't just scar the land — it would end the world. No victory would be worth such a price.

And yet… how could they simply let her go? A woman who had returned from death… and grown stronger?

After long moments of quiet tension, a silent consensus was reached.

They would stand down.

"Wise choice," the woman said, her grin widening slightly. She could feel their auras loosening, their pressure receding — just enough to avoid tipping the balance into chaos.

"Rebecca," the Celestial King finally said, his voice low but sharp. "What do you want?"

He studied her closely. Was her appearance simply to prove she lived? Or had a deeper scheme reached fruition? Was there a threat still unseen?

"Excuse me? Rebecca?" the woman said, mockingly. "I'm sorry, darling, but we're not that close. Address me properly."

Her voice turned frostbite-cold, smile vanishing.

"That's Goddess of Darkness to you."

The Celestial King's brow furrowed, his face darkening with restrained fury. He could not remember the last time he'd been spoken to with such disrespect — and yet here she was, unbothered, unapologetic.

"Well," she continued airily, her mood shifting again with unnatural ease, "I came here for one purpose — to take someone of interest to me."

Her smile returned, light and pleasant, as if the tension hadn't just threatened to rupture the heavens.

Greg felt her gaze settle on him — piercing, knowing.

"That's not a very nice thought to have about a lady, you know," she said, tilting her head. "Greg, was it? Or Nemesis?"

His muscles tensed. How did she know that name?

"Your battle was fascinating. You've got potential — so much of it. I can bring out the best in you, unlock powers you never knew existed. What do you say?"

Greg stared back at her, unimpressed.

"No, I'm good. I hate being under someone," he said flatly, not even trying to hide his distaste.

"Thought as much," she replied calmly, almost approvingly.

"Well then, boys," she announced, "I'll be taking my leave now."

Tendrils of darkness slithered from her body, coiling around the fallen corpse of Emperor Augustus. With one final glance, she and the body vanished in an instant — as if the world itself blinked and she was gone.

The Supremes held their positions, eyes scanning every inch of their surroundings, bracing for a follow-up strike.

None came.

"We need to hold a meeting right now!" Xerd barked, frustration evident in his tone. "She can't be allowed to roam freely or this world will fall into ruin!"

He turned and vanished. The Celestial King and Demon God followed, one by one, the others dispersing until only Drakonix remained beside Greg.

Greg stepped forward, eyes still locked on the place where the woman had vanished.

"Drakonix... it seems there are things you need to explain," he said, voice quiet but firm.

"Indeed," the dragon rumbled, his massive form shifting as he lowered his head. "After what you've seen, I would be surprised if you weren't curious. Hop on. We'll talk in my lair."

Greg climbed onto the great dragon's back. Moments later, with a flap of enormous wings, they soared into the sky.

---

Elsewhere…

"Goddess, you are back," said a masked figure with a feminine frame. Her mask bore the number 2, and her voice carried a note of reverent awe.

"Yeah," the woman — no, the Goddess of Darkness — replied with a soft sigh. "Had a bit of catching up to do with some old friends."

Dark tendrils coiled gently as they laid Emperor Augustus's body on the ground — careful, almost reverent in their motion.

"How did it go?" asked a masked man draped in layered robes, seated leisurely atop a raised platform. His mask was unnumbered, but his tone was that of someone used to receiving answers.

"Better than I expected," the goddess said, a smirk tugging at her lips. "The shock on their faces… priceless. They'll probably be holding a meeting soon — cooking up contingency plans to deal with me."

"They wish," another woman said, her voice sharp and certain. The number 3 glinted on her mask.

"If they think they can stop you, Goddess," she added, "they're more delusional than I thought."

"Indeed," the goddess replied, her eyes glinting like obsidian stars. "Well, it's time to begin."

She turned her attention to the corpse beside her.

"Let the world be plunged into darkness, despair, and chaos."

A long pause.

"But before all that… the man who craved destruction more than anything should be given popcorn and a front-row seat. Specially."

With a predatory grin, her tendrils slid into the corpse of Emperor Augustus, creeping into every torn crevice, as if searching for what remained inside.