Cedric inhaled sharply before shouting an order, "Legions of God! It is time to make Chrunus crumble. He had made an enemy of God, such an entity deserves no quarter. Everyone who serves Chrunus is to be sent to hell!"
Cedric stopped for a moment, his gaze met with worried Fortuna. She was an ally, despite being a false goddess, she was still on the side of Christianity. Her sin would be forgiven. He unsheathed Equilibrium before he raised it towards the sky.
"You are allowed to support and help any gods or goddesses that do not stand in your way! DEUS VULT!"
His gaze washed over those present. Sophia was in an embrace with a redeemed Angel, and Fortuna was fidgeting nervously. He then turned toward the gate, before they invaded, a duty must have been fulfilled.
"We shall pray for our success." Cedric once again turned to everyone.
He closed his eyes as his hands clasped together, "God, in your name, we have found a way to the Lair of Chrunus. It was by your grace that we may set things right. It was by your mercy that the Infidels were not abandoned. It was due to your infinite mercy that false goddess Fortuna saw the error in her ways. God, we pray that you guide us as we strike at the heart of that which tricks humanity. Amen!"
His gaze washed over the legions of silver once again before he turned to the Gate. "Guardians, Forward. Raguel, Octavia will come with the Greater Angels. Fortuna will enter with me. DEUS VULT!" Cedric took Equilibrium and pointed it towards the gate.
In the next moment, the flood of silver rushed forward into the gate. Tens of thousands of Guardians entered the divine realm, closely followed by Archangels. The rows formed inside the white wasteland of chalk.
Soon, the Greater Angels made their way through. "Lord Cedric... Thank you once again." Fortuna bowed deeply.
Cedric crossed his arms as he observed the Angels invade the Realm. "I have spent many nights trying to find a way inside the realm. It was surely God's Will that I am to help you."
"May I ask one thing?"
"Go on."
"When you spoke before. You mentioned God. Why show reverence to anyone when you are so powerful?" Fortuna tilted her head.
Cedric chuckled; his views had shifted after spending time in this world. Instead of being angered by someone not knowing God, he instead understood and appreciated their curiosity.
"Fortuna, God is the creator of all things. He is the one who guided me and who granted me this immense power. You may ask why. But the answer is simple, when I arrived in this world, it was corrupted, and humanity was on the verge of collapse. It was due to the oppressive Demonic Church and Demons themselves."
He brought his hand forward and clenched his fist. "God, in his infinite mercy, had tasked me to cleanse the world of the rot that are demons and Chrunus. Your aid in this mission will not be forgotten, you have my word."
Fortuna decided not to question further despite her curiosity. She would have a chance to ask more questions once the tyrant was defeated. Yet she couldn't get over the shock of learning that there was an entity that was even above Cedric and, by extension, Chrunus.
It made her feel insignificant. Suppose there was someone who was able to guide and grant power equal to the tyrant of the gods. It pushed the gods even further down the hierarchy. Despite that, she had already abandoned her title.
She had submitted to Ariel, and she had not regretted it. She was sure of one thing: Chrunus would fall soon, and her brothers and sisters would be safe. Even if Cedric took over the realm it did not matter. She saw how he treated his Angels.
Their relationship was that of love and respect. He was the opposite of Chrunus. 'I for one welcome our new Angel overlords!'
Soon, the legions passed the portal, which left only her and Cedric on the mortal side. She would join Ariel and provide any strategic information she could. The locations of the supreme Elementals and the places where Chrunus was blind.
The Guardians alone were far too weak, but they were numerous enough to dispatch even Greater Elementals if caught by surprise. And that was only if they were alone. The Greater Angels would support each Guardian swarm.
Principalities, New Powers, New Virtues. They were all summoned for this invasion. She observed the creation process. It was truly wonderful. The blinding light created entities on par with gods. Not that the title meant much now that so many were created before her very eyes.
She saw Cedric step towards the gate, and so she quietly followed. She couldn't help but crack a smile as Cedric inspected the portal. He shook his head before gesturing to Fortuna to follow.
The moment he had stepped inside the Lands of Chalk, she felt it. The infinite power of Pure Order. Complete opposite of Chaos, yet more pure than Order. The lands that saw no sun in ages changed and shifted.
The Chaos energy seemed to run away from Cedric. It skittered it retreated. Chaos reigned no more. Chrunus could not contend for control. This confirmed everything she needed to know. Cedric's influence was surely felt across the realm.
She could breathe easier; she could inhale lungs full of cleansed air. Cedric was to Order what Chrunus was to Chaos, she was sure of it. She stared at his distant form. Her Domain, with his mere presence, was already changed.
While still ruined, it was pure. It could be restored.
'If he can do this with presence alone... what can he do if he used his power...' She bit her lip as she crossed her arms. This was the hour of reckoning.
"What's bothering you, Fortuna?" Ariel's voice reached her from behind.