"Now," Zeus declared, his voice steady as the gathered deities fell silent, "let us attend to business."
Vultra's eyes flared with ire. "So you gods still have the gall to negotiate? Are you not trembling at the prospect of my vengeance? Must I slay you all to prove my point?"
Zeus inclined his head, unconcerned. "Be it known, we seek only to speak. First: we, the gods of Olympus, do not claim dominion over the cosmos. We are but stewards appointed to guide its course. The true sovereign lies far beyond our grasp."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "This is why we bear the title Old‑Generation Gods: we prepare our successors—those younger deities who will one day ascend to our thrones."
Vultra interjected, his tone razor‑sharp. "Then who rules above you?"
Zeus met his gaze. "Have you never pondered the multiverse? Imagine our universe as but a sphere traversing the void—an orb that, like all others, may collide with kindred realities. In short, countless universes drift across the expanse. Each realm has its own guardian god."
Leo, sensing confusion, stepped forward. "Think of it this way: our universe is a globe adrift in a sea of other globes. Each sphere follows its own orbit, sometimes intersecting, sometimes colliding. You are not alone in existence—countless realities pulse with life."
The assembly murmured assent. Even Demos, reluctant to stray from scientific precision, understood the need for simplicity.
Zeus resumed. "Above us stands one who rules our universe, himself appointed by another who governs a cluster of universes—a 'multiverse god.' Beyond him, yet another oversees many multiverses."
He offered a structured hierarchy:
Demigods (Maui, Hercules)
Middle‑Class Gods (those who uplift armies and civilizations—e.g., Ares)
Young‑Generation Gods (newly formed from cosmic energies—e.g., Leonidas, Demos)
High‑Class Gods (near the power of primordial beings—e.g., Sun Wukong)
Old‑Generation Gods (ourselves—Hephaestus, Hera, and so on)
Origin Gods (the universe's first creations—Denzan, Pangu, Nyx)
Universal Gods (creators of entire universes)
Multiversal Gods (overlords of multiple universes)
Multi‑Multiversal Gods (lords of many multiversal realms)
Omni‑Gods (rulers of all existence, intervening only on rare occasions)
Ares grinned. "So Zeus isn't just a divine birth machine—he actually understands the big picture." Zeus shot him a glare that silenced him instantly.
The gathering crowd, like students in a lecture, absorbed each tier.
Zeus continued, "We do not challenge Vultra out of malice. We acted only under command from the Universal God—one who feared you, Vultra. He tasked us to extinguish any threat you posed, for you alone rival the might of Olympus."
He bowed his head. "We failed you. We regret the death of your parents, your exile, the anguish we wrought. We ask your mercy—and your forgiveness."
Vultra's anger simmered. He raised a hand, and the very air around him contracted, as if reality resisted his command. Before anyone could speak further, a figure descended—an avatar of raw cosmic authority. Muscular, robed in swirling galaxies, he surveyed the assembly with quiet disdain.
"Ah," the figure intoned, "a clandestine meeting without the Universal God's leave. How quaint."
Vultra's voice cut the tension. "Speak of the devil, and he appears. So you are the herald of my hopes—the boy who might best the gods?"
The Universal God's eyes narrowed. "I see your wrath remains undiminished. The Olympians have admitted guilt and now seek reprieve. But first… I will test your resolve. When next we meet, you will face me in combat. Fail, and your universe falls to ruin."
With a flick of his wrist, Vultra's throat closed, choking him. Leo surged forward, instinctually summoning his latent reserves. He crafted a compact, self‑contained oxygen apparatus—tiny enough to slip beneath Vultra's armor—infusing it with regenerative air. He pressed it to Vultra's lips, and the choke hold broke.
Vultra nodded in gratitude, gasping as life returned to his lungs. Gathering his composure, he vanished in a swirl of void energy, reappearing beside the Universal God. He struck—only to be halted by that deity's unblinking gaze. The Universal God raised a single hand, and Vultra's limbs froze in place. Then, with a gloved fist, he struck—the blow cracking Vultra's ribs in a band of searing pain.
Leo realized time had shattered. He combined his system's tech with his divine essence, transcending mortal limits. With a single command, he distorted gravity around them, granting Vultra a sliver of reprieve. That moment was all Leo needed. He seized Vultra's inert form and vanished.
They re-emerged in Leo's hidden stronghold: a pocket dimension shaped from beast‑kin territory. The demi‑human defenders greeted Vultra warily, but Leo quieted their suspicion. His voice rang clear: "Here, you are safe. Adapt to our haven; this is home… for now."
He sealed the portal with a cascade of energy and set to healing Vultra's broken frame. As the universal wound began to close, Leo and Vultra fused their powers—dark void energy and divine light—fashioning an Anti‑Universal Tech. This new marvel, encoded as a living tattoo, overrode cosmic laws. Leo etched the design onto both their skin, and, amid the clash of systems and godly might, they found perfect equilibrium.
Vultra altered his mark to resemble a wolf's visage; Leo's became a sleek, circuit‑like sigil. Leo grinned, strength surging. "Ready to defy reality, brother?"
Vultra rose, the fire of defiance rekindled in his eyes. "Let us show the gods the fury of those they wronged. Mayhem awaits."
With that vow echoing through the hidden realm, the two allies prepared to challenge every law the deities held sacred.
Zeus's form shimmered before them. His voice, calm yet unyielding, reverberated through the aether: "Now, let us talk business."
Vultra's eyes darkened. "So you gods still dare to negotiate? Do you not quake at the thought of my wrath? Must I slaughter you all to make my point?"
Zeus inclined his head. "Hear us out. First: we of Olympus exert no claim of ultimate rule. We serve as guides appointed to preserve cosmic balance. The true sovereign lies beyond our station."
He paused, letting the statement hang heavy in the charged air. "This council of Old‑Generation Gods exists to mentor our successors—those rising deities destined to inherit our mantle."
Vultra cut in, his words sharp as obsidian. "Who, then, sits above you?"
Zeus met his glare with measured clarity. "Consider the multiverse: our universe is one sphere adrift among countless others, each governed by its own deity. Above us is a god who oversees our universe—appointed by a higher power that governs multiple realms in concert."
Leo stepped forward, sensing confusion. "Picture millions of worlds floating like orbs in a boundless sea. At times their paths cross, sometimes they collide. Life and energy pulse through each one, each with its own guardian."
The gods and Vultra's cohort murmured assent. Even Demos, who favored scientific exactness, nodded at Leo's plainspoken metaphor.
Zeus continued, "Our hierarchy spans many levels:
Demigods—heroes born of gods and mortals (e.g., Maui, Hercules)
Middle‑Class Gods—those who rally armies and civilizations (e.g., Ares)
Young‑Generation Gods—recently formed by cosmic energies (e.g., Leonidas, Demos)
High‑Class Gods—transcendants approaching primordial might (e.g., Sun Wukong)
Old‑Generation Gods—ourselves, stewards of Olympus (e.g., Hera, Hephaestus)
Origin Gods—the universe's first creators (e.g., Denzan, Pangu, Nyx)
Universal Gods—architects of entire cosmoses
Multiversal Gods—overlords of clusters of universes
Multi‑Multiversal Gods—rulers of vast multiverse networks
Omni‑Gods—masters of all existence, intervening only at pivotal moments."
Ares gave a mocking salute. "Zeus actually has depth—who'd have thought?" Zeus shot him a silencing glare.
Zeus bowed his head in regret. "We did not move against Vultra of our own volition. We obeyed the command of the Universal God—who feared your potential, Vultra, more than any other threat to Olympus."
He lifted his gaze. "For our failures—your exile, your family's slaughter—we ask forgiveness and mercy."
Vultra's anger flared once more. Reality rippled at his command, as if dimension itself braced against his fury.
Before further words could pass, the Universal God descended in a storm of starfire. Cloaked in nebulae, his presence alone bent the very space around them.
"Unauthorized conclave," he intoned, "yet so very intriguing."
Vultra's tone turned cold. "So you are the herald of my hope—the youth who might best gods?"
The Universal God's eyes, black as distant voids, narrowed. "Your vengeance may burn bright, but I will temper it. When next we meet, you will stand before me in contest. Should you fail, your world will crumble."
He raised a gauntleted hand. Vultra's throat constricted, breath stolen away.
Leo leaped forward, instinct guiding his hand to craft a compact oxygen tisane—a miniature life‑support unit infused with regenerative breath. He pressed it to Vultra's lips, and the choke hold shattered.
Vultra gasped, relief and gratitude flickering across his features. With a gesture, he dissolved into void energy, reappearing at the Universal God's side. He struck—but was halted by the deity's unblinking gaze.
A flick of the Universal God's wrist and Vultra's limbs froze. Then, a single, gloved fist slammed into his ribs, splintering bone and fire alike.
Leo knew the moment demanded desperate measures. He fused his divine mantle with his technological system—transcending mortal constraints. With a sweep of his hand, he bent gravity, creating an instant of reprieve.
That breath was all Leo needed. He seized Vultra and vanished.
They rematerialized in Leo's secret stronghold—a hidden pocket realm formed from the wild terrains of the beast‑kin. Demi‑human sentinels stood guard, warily watching Vultra's return.
Leo's voice rang out, firm and reassuring: "You are safe here. Make this your refuge... for now."
He sealed the portal with a wave of brilliant energy and set to heal Vultra's battered form. As the wounds closed, Leo offered a daring collaboration: to merge void will with godly grace, forging an Anti‑Universal Tech that would bend cosmic law itself.
Together they worked, channeling void shadows and divine fire into a living tattoo—an override inscribed upon flesh and spirit. Under their combined mastery, the two energies found perfect harmony.
Vultra's tattoo shifted into the visage of a wolf, eyes blazing with lunar ferocity. Leo's became a sleek, circuit‑like glyph, flickering with encrypted light.
Leo's grin was fierce. "Ready to defy every law they hold sacred, brother?"
Vultra rose, power humming beneath his skin. "Let us remind the gods of the fury they wrought. Our reckoning begins now."
And so, beneath the veil of untamed magic and cosmic intrigue, the two allies steeled themselves—destined to challenge the celestial order and reshape the fate of every realm.