Mad God

Chaos descended onto the Realm only a few hours after Nilier's death, and her most devoted followers and disciples suffered the most because of it. The moment she died, the power 'lent' to them, accumulated by their faith, went berserk, losing their anchor. Some regressed and, in extreme cases, lost over 50% of their cultivation. Some kept their strengths, but then again, their spells were either reduced in power or simply failed to manifest. The higher they were in cultivation and the longer they were in service, the worse the effects were for them, suffering greatly due to their Goddess perishing.

It immediately turned their suspicion and a big chunk of their anger towards the Immortals, blaming them without even the interference of the other Gods. No matter if the Immortals' disciples came out and told them they couldn't be the culprit as all three of them were overseeing the birth of the fourth Immortal, some of them ignored anything they said without any intention of listening from the start. Then, some ignored their side because the other option would be much more horrifying. Implying the other Gods did it? They had conflicts with each other… but not to the extent that warranted Gods turning against Gods. Those who listened and took Nilier's last words seriously were few in numbers, as a panicked mind can rarely listen to reason.

Only after a few days have multiple battles broken out. All three Immortal sects and their allies were attacked not just by a group of people from Nilier's followers but also by the other Gods' disciples. Capturing some and interrogating them, it became clear that Alfina and Oynega released news that the Immortals assassinated Nilier. After they welcomed their 4th member, they decided it was time to eliminate the Gods and their followers. At first, they offered peace as a lure and then assassinated Nilier when she let down her guard. They went to help, but they were unsuccessful in saving her in the ensuing fight. What Skoorn's demonic disciples received as news, on the other hand, was a much more straightforward order; "KILL. KILL EVERYBODY." It was filled with rage, hatred, and madness, ordering them to gobble up everyone and anybody, not even specifying from which camp. It sent his followers into a berserker rage, influencing their minds and engulfing the lands in the wild blaze of fire. They never backed off if it was about sacrificing others for their own benefits; now, they could do it out in the open to their 'enemies' without anyone raising an eyebrow.

Invictus, Kaizer, and Ophila were quickly swarmed with endless work, organizing and leading their people, handling the defenses, and pushing back the sudden onslaught. It was clear to Ren that the whole Realm was about to descend into war from the moment of her ascendance. She knew this was bound to happen if she went and tried to reopen the Tear. There would be a war between the two sides to decide the future of the Realm, and she also knew after everything settled down, those who rose up now were going to be the same people who were going to have a chance to travel outside, into the Cosmos.

"Ariana." she walked into the room where her disciple awaited her. Ren sealed herself off for a few days when they returned to the Lotus Mandala Sect to consolidate her advancement. Going by the three Immortals, it would take a few months to smooth out everything, and until then, she would see herself improve almost daily as her soul and body wholly absorbed everything that was now swirling inside of her.

"Master!" She stood up quickly, hugging her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." she nodded with a smile, rubbing her head.

"Why did you do it in one go? You almost made me faint!" She reprimanded her Master with a long sigh.

"Because of my soul." Ren answered seriously, surprising Ariana, "I tore out a piece of it back then. If I did it step by step, the imbalance in me would rise and rise with every occasion, and I would have failed in the end. It had to be one go or no go." She formed a small smile, rubbing Ariana's head.

"Oh… I… um... I will brew some coffee right away!" she lowered her head, blaming herself a bit for not even considering it, making Ren chuckle, watching her with warm eyes.

"What about Kyu?" She asked as she waited for Ariana to finish, changing the topic.

"Woke up when the explosion happened; it completely shook her up!" She smiled, remembering how everyone was whispering about a tantrum some demon threw in the Midnight's Shadow Sect. "She should arrive in a few days!"

"Good! When she arrives, you go with her back home!"

"Master?!" trembled her hands, almost spilling the coffee from the cup she was bringing towards Ren.

"You are needed back home!" she said, taking it away and looking into her eyes. "I feel it! The demons are coming from the sea… Go back and prepare for battle! Our home MUST be defended! This is an ORDER, Ariana!"

"Yes!" She nodded heavily, bowing to her as a disciple would to her Master.

"Good girl…" Ren smiled, rubbing her head again. "Sect Head and Rumira should already be a demigod. Kai is going back with you, too, then there is Allfather, and some of the envoys from the Immortals will also be at that level. I hope it is going to be enough!" She sighed.

"It is our home, Master! It will be protected because it is where you were born! It is blessed!"

"Well, that is a first~" Ren laughed. "Nobody said the land where I am is blessed~ Like… ever~."

"Hehe~" Ariana giggled with her before looking into her Master's eyes. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll cooperate with the trio. I'll draw out Skoorn first! He is injured; before he has enough time to heal, I will go and finish him off. Then we can focus on the twins. One way or another, this is going to end! I'll wipe out all three and start a new era!"

"Mmmh!" Ariana nodded without a hint of doubt in her eyes. "Don't worry about our side, Master! Just focus on yours!"

"That is why I raised good disciples like you!" She hugged her. "You and the rest will have my back, I know!"

…
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…..

At the shore of the Calm Blue, where a little, simple fishing village lived in quiet and peacefulness, Wyland was watching his little kids sleeping in their mothers' arms. They were enjoying the clear day together in front of their small cottage as the two were leaning against their husband's shoulders. The peaceful, idyllic picture was suddenly shaken up, and Wyland immediately rose to his feet, startling his wives.

"What happened?" both of them asked at the same time.

"Go back in the house and keep the kids safe!" Wyland said hurriedly, without any stuttering, flying up to the sky and alerting everyone else in the village. They needed not to be told what to do, as everyone else started to rush back towards the village to safety, no matter where they were.

Wyland flew out towards the waters, quickly scooping up people from the boats who were out, far away, fishing. Even he couldn't describe his feelings, but it was gut-wrenching. Everybody could feel the earth shaking when he finished the last turn, bringing back the remaining villagers. Some fell, surprised by the sudden movement as if they were out on the ocean, not on land. In the distance, not long after the shaking stopped, giant, 80 or even 100-meter-high waves appeared, heading towards the shoreline. Even before landing, they washed the people with desperation, saying that they would die now… nothing can escape from something like that.

"Relax!" Wyland shouted, "Just stay in the village!" He looked at them and flew forward, standing not far from the beach itself.

"Dear!" his wives shouted at him, but he only smiled at them.

A multilayered formation appeared instantly from his palm, forming a golden bubble around the whole village while he dug his feet into the ground. When the waves crashed against the land, everyone could see and hear how they tore apart the earth. It got easily turned up, trees and rocks splintering like paper mache, while the whole village was submerged underwater in the blink of an eye. Looking up, the sky was gone, replaced by the rumbling, rolling waters, panicked fishes caught in it, tumbling forward without a chance to escape. They even saw sharks wildly flailing as they were carried along by the raging waves at the mercy of nature's power. They were slamming against their protective formation, some exploding into chunks by the force they were thrown at it. Only one thing resisted the power of the sea: the golden bubble around them, held up by Wyland at the front, standing there like a wavebreaker, protecting everything behind him. After the first wave passed, consecutive ones were coming, but they were weaker and weaker until half an hour later, everything finally seemed to calm down. As the water receded, Wyland finally could relax and disable the protective formation, wobbling in place and falling backward.

"What the hell happened…." He gasped for air, already picking out a transmission crystal and telling the Sect he experienced at the shore of the supposed Calm Blue. By the time the answer came, he was hugging his wives and children, calming them and everyone else around the village down, yet he could not help but worry the most… especially after hearing the message coming from Toobu.

"Come back… and bring everybody else with you. War is coming!"

…
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…..

It was the second time that the Immortal Wonders Sect prepared for battle. Yet this was now different. Those disciples who were classified as the most talented were put into groups of four, led by someone either in the Harmony realm or at least in the 9th stage of Body Refinement. It was not just they who mobilized; soon, an army of demons came, then the army of the Empire. They were quickly split up, Feynor leading the Imperial Army and a mix of disciples down to the shore of the Calm Blue, ready to withstand anything that may come out from the ocean. The demons quickly organized themselves with another group of disciples, heading towards the Storm Coast, joining up with the different armies of the various Kingdoms.

The latter were now especially happy to see demons arriving, not even believing they would feel this way a few years ago. Many of their armies were exhausted, the populace depleted, unfit to wage another war so soon. Everybody saw the green light traveling through the sky a few days ago, and everyone felt the earth-shaking. Since then, the Tear was always visible to everybody in the Sky. There were no humans on the land who did not know something was coming, and it was not friendly.

In both directions, the thousands of kilometers long shoreline was not something that a regular army could supervise, not if it were before the appearance of the Immortal Wonders Sect and the first demigods of the region. They tirelessly patrolled the long stretch of land and could scan for threats farther away than any 3rd stage Harmony expert ever could. In the end, Rumira and Aerthus both head towards the Storm Coast while Allfather, once again redrawing his roots, joins up with Kai and goes south.

"I don't know how to feel about this!" Allfather sighed, sending his thoughts towards Kai as they were far away from each other, guarding the coastline.

"Are you talking about the weapons?" Kai asked back calmly.

"Yes. It feels weird, even if they are not aimed at us. They were not so long ago!" He shook his head with a half-smile, watching the human army before him, wielding weapons from the dwarfs. Even if the humans' numbers were impressive, their strength would dwarf before actual cultivators… but now, outfitted with weapons from the dwarfs, spewing flames that not even water could extinguish, the demons had a surprise waiting for them.

"When in dire situations, you need to use everything you got." Kai replied, his voice calm and unperturbed, "When my home was invaded, it lasted for decades before its destruction. We used more and more desperate measures until we were completely out of options. This is nothing yet." He explained to him, taking a deep breath, "If you are bothered by it, make sure no similar ever happens next! So stop it here and now!"

"I see… I… heard what happened. Even though I am no fan of the so-called Gods, I heard you had a chance to talk with her before her death. Even after everything that has been done to you, you still forgave her! It made me think about many things, my species' history, and acts after our awakening."

"It all has to do with time." Kai replied after a brief pause, "My edges were ground down by it already. I am just happy I had a talk with her for one last time."

"Are you…" Allfather spoke before falling silent, thinking about how to formulate his question, but Kai quickly answered him.

"I am sad. Losing a daughter is still hurtful, no matter how old you are. Especially this way… But that is also the result of her choices. All of her choices, be it what she did now, what she did 2000 years ago or when they sealed me away."

"Sorry…"

"Get ready!" He interrupted him suddenly, and Allfather also could feel the change in the ocean close to the village where Wyland protected his people. The now empty, tiny little town shook once again as, in the distance, an enormous whale surfaced, opening up its giant mouth, and an army of mermaids swam out of it, rushing towards the shore. Their fins turned into legs as soon as they touched the ground.

"I already informed the army." Allfather replied, "I'll head close and oversee the first battle!"

"Mhm… don't act until stronger demons appear. We don't know how long this may last, so keep yourself fresh as long as possible!" Kai advised, his eyes turning severe for the first time, looking up at the Tear in the Sky. "Foolish, little kids… you should've killed me back then; now you will make me mourn all four of you! How cruel can you be?" he let out a long and hurtful sigh before turning his eyes away, focusing his senses on the arriving demonic invasion.