WIEDERGEBURT Act VII: Chapter 37

Immediately after the meeting, I ordered Sterk and his Dweorg craftsmen to work with Kari to create an isolation chamber that my wives and I could use to increase our power via the dual cultivation method. Fray joined them. She had a more innate understanding of the Shared Power Array because the one who created it—my father—was her brother. I didn’t know it until just recently, but she even had a schematic of the array, though it was an older version. It should still be enough for Kari to figure it out.

My wife was a master at runes.

While the isolation chamber was being built, I helped rebuild the barrier. A few of our earth Spiritualists used their powers to create a new building, and I had them also dig out a basement deep underground, and then drew the runes in the basement where it would hopefully survive an explosion unlike the last time.

The runes themselves were something Kari had created. I didn’t know how they worked, but one didn’t necessarily need to know how something worked to lay them out. Everything would work fine if I just followed the instructions. Fortunately, I had everything I needed to create the array, including the blood of a Demon Beast with an understanding of the Concept of Space and a monster core from a Demon Beast of at least SS-Rank. The monster core is what would feed power into the array, though it would require recharging every few days.

Lin was overseeing the reconstruction of the city itself, determining which buildings took priority, which needed to be destroyed and rebuild, and whether or not we had the supplies necessary to even bother rebuilding. Several of the buildings that had been destroyed were deemed not worth repairing. They would be torn down and used for spare parts to help rebuild the more important buildings.

On that note, Lin had determined civilian housing and aid centers were more important than anything else. I agreed with her.

While Lin was put in charge of reconstruction and Siv and Tora helped her, Fay worked with Lilac, Sana, and Raul to refine alchemy pills. There were a lot of injured people. Some people had even pushed their bodies so hard they crippled their cultivation. Fay had created a brand new pill called the Cultivation Recovery Pill, which did exactly what its namesake said it did.

I wondered if my wives were even aware of how amazing they were.

Probably not.

Sighing as I placed another sheet of parchment in the stack of completed paperwork, I stretched my arms above my head, listening as my back cracked several times. The door opened as I was bringing my hands back down. Chloe walked in carrying a tray with a teapot, a teacup, a pot with sugar cubes, and cup full of creamer.

“Master Eryk, I’ve brought you some tea. Come sit over on the couch and take a break.”

“I probably should take a break,” I muttered, eyeing the stack of parchment. Most of them were missives containing orders that would be sent out later today, but a few were reports on the reconstruction. It was good to have reports like that on record so we could go back and check our numbers if it turned out we were using more supplies than necessary—or if someone was embezzling supplies from us.

That said, it was also a pain in the ass.

I stood up and walked over to the couch as Chloe set the tray on a small table made of varnished wood and glass. The scent of tea calmed my overworked nerves. Chloe smiled as she expertly poured and prepared the day just as I liked it, then set the teacup in front of me.

“Thank you for making this,” I said.

“It was no trouble.” Chloe grinned at me as she sat down beside me, so close our shoulders and thighs were touching. “I’m always happy to serve you, Master.”

“I noticed you are still calling me ‘master,’” I mumbled.

“Of course I am. I’m on duty right now.” Chloe nodded as if to herself. “I’ll call you Eryk when I am not working. Of course…” Chloe placed her hand on my thigh and rubbed it. “… I will call you Master whenever we are in bed together.”

I breathed in through my nose as I took a sip of tea and tried not to react, but it was hard to deny the appeal of having a woman call me “master” while we made love. There wasn’t a guy alive who wouldn’t find that appealing. And if there was, they were very odd.

I nodded once. “Did you check on the others like I asked?”

“I did.” Chloe nodded once. “Kari is currently laying the groundwork for the Shared Power Array. She’s locked herself in the isolation chamber. Even Sterk isn’t allowed in.”

“Sounds like Kari,” I said.

“Indeed. Fray is currently handing out her new alchemy pills to the Spiritualists who damaged or crippled their cultivation during the fight. Last I saw of Lin and Tora, they were arguing with each other about how to properly manage resources. Siv broke them up.”

“Huh. That so…”

While I wasn’t surprised to hear that Lin and Tora were arguing—as they still did that a lot—I was a little shocked to hear that Siv had been the one to stop them. My littlest wife had come along way from the shy woman she used to be.

I finished off the tea and was about to get back to work. Chloe placed her hand on my shoulder before I could stand.

“Sorry, Master Eryk, but I believe you should rest a bit more,” she said. “You haven’t slept in ten days.”

I shrugged. “Spiritualists of my caliber can go months without sleep. I’m not tired.”

“You may not be tired, and you may not need sleep, but you do enjoy it, right?”

“Yes.”

“So rest a bit for now. The paperwork isn’t going anywhere.”

“It’s not just the paperwork that needs to be done. I also have to check in with Hilda, Medusa, Menes, and Quwain to see if they need anything and receive their reports. I’d also like to take a tour around the city to see how the reconstruction is going.”

“Which you can do after getting some rest.”

I would have argued further, but I honestly didn’t feel like it, and so I let the woman push me down until my head was resting against her thighs. The softness of her dress caressed my cheek. My eyes involuntarily closed against their will as Chloe began running her fingers through my hair. It felt so nice I ended up drifting off before I realized it.

***

My wives and I had gathered in our room later that evening.

Kari and Fay were lying on the bed—a large bed that could fit five people and one Lamia without problems. Kari was on her stomach, kicking her legs back and forth, feet swinging through the air. Fay was sitting with her legs crossed. A group of cards sat before them. Siv was not sitting on the bed, but she was kneeling before it and watching the card game with wide eyes, her wings flapping and tail thumping against the floor.

Tora was leaning against the wall by the window, arms crossed. The window was open. A cool breeze blew in and caressed her hair, causing it to shift and sway.

Meanwhile, I was combing Lin’s hair.

Lin sat on a comfy chair, eyes closed, a pleased smile on her lips. Her long tail trailed across the floor. I heard the rhythmic thumping as the tip of her tail slapped against the carpet, producing dull thudding sounds.

I placed my hand behind her hair and lifted it as I combed. Lin’s hair was so long it trailed down to her butt. Its glossy sheen caused it to shine in the illumination provided by monster core lamps overhead. It was still damp from our shower, and the floral scent of her shampoo drifted through my nose as I continued my self-appointed task.

“This princess loves it when you pamper her,” Lin murmured.

“I know you do. Fortunately for us both, I enjoy pampering you,” I said, amused as I continued my self-appointed task.

It only took maybe half an hour to finish combing her hair. I also bound it in a leather band so it wouldn’t get tangled with everyone else while we slept. Poor Siv had sometimes found her hair or someone else’s getting caught in her wings and horns as we slept.

When we were done, the two of us joined Kari, Siv, and Fay by the bed.

“How is the isolation chamber coming along?” I asked.

“It’s nearly done,” Kari said, looking up from her game. “The Shared Power Array has been laid out, and I’ve connected it to a Power Generating Array that will use one thousand monster cores to continue generating power to keep the array active. Fray and Sterk also helped me combine it all with a Time Compression Array. Like the previous isolation chamber, we’ll be able to compress time while inside.”

“How much time will be compressed?” asked Lin.

“One month will equal ten years,” Kari said, then smiled self-deprecatingly. “I wanted to make it so that one day equaled a year, but I couldn’t. The Shared Power Array and Time Compression Array aren’t really compatible, and they became even more unstable when I added the Power Generating Array.”

“Then maybe we should consider not using the Time Compression Array at all,” Fay suggested.

Kari shook her head. “Not possible. We don’t know when the Sekbeist Overlord will be revived. However, we know it will be soon. We need to get as much training done as we can in as little time as possible. That means using every method we can to maximize our training.”

“Kari is right,” Tora said with a grunt. “There’s no telling when those fucking fuckers will revive their boss. It could be one year from now, but it could also be tomorrow. The quicker we can train, the better off we’ll be.”

“I suppose you are right,” Fay admitted with a sigh.

“It will be okay.” Siv reached out and patted Fay’s hand. “We will get through this together.”

“I know.” Fay smiled at Siv.

Our conversation eventually dwindled and all of us were getting ready for bed. The girls were wearing nightgowns that suited their personalities. Yet just as we were about to crawl under the covers, a knock sounded at the door.

“Master Eryk, may I come in?” asked Chloe.

“Come on in,” I said.

The door opened and Chloe walked in, wearing something far different than what I was used to seeing her in. A short dress that barely covered her panty-clad crotch hung loosely from her shoulders by a set of spaghetti straps. It dipped in her front, revealing her cleavage, which appeared seconds away from spilling out of her clothes. She also wore black stockings that contrasted against the white dress.

She dipped her head and said, “I apologize for intruding, but I was wondering if I could borrow Master Eryk tonight.”

Chloe’s intention was obvious. Even an idiot would not be able to mistake what she wanted me for.

My wives all glanced at each other, shrugged, then turned back to Chloe.

“You can have him tonight. We were just going to sleep anyway,” Fay said.

“That said, once you’ve finished sleeping with him, I will be expecting you to sleep in our bed from now on,” Kari added.

“Have fun,” Lin said.

“Haaaaa. If everyone else is allowing it, I can’t very fucking well say ‘no,’ can I?” Tora said with a sigh.

Siv did not say anything, but that was the same as getting her approval.

“Thank you. I promise to join you all for bed tomorrow,” Chloe said before she grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.

We traveled down the hallway in silence, entered her room at the end of the hall, and closed the door behind us. Chloe’s room was a lot girlier than I would have expected. The walls were painted a light pink, there were stuffed animals sitting on the bed, dresser, and in the corners of the room. When I breathed in, the scent of jasmine filled my nose.

“Master.” Chloe suddenly turned to me and began wringing her hands together. “Actually, the reason I brought you here was because I have a… confession to make.”

That made me blink. “A confession?”

“Yes.” She worried her lower lip, bringing attention to the fact that her lush lips were covered in a dark red lipstick. “You see, Master, while I was cleaning the kitchen, I… accidentally broke your favorite tea set. I’m very sorry!”

A frown marred my face as the woman bowed low, her long hair shifting to cover her face. I did not have a favorite tea set. It was obvious this woman was lying, but I didn’t know why or for what reason. That being the case, I decided to play along for now.

“That is very… uh… bad,” I said at last.

“I know, Master. And I cannot apologize enough. That is why I am willing to accept any punishment you give me.” Chloe walked over to a table in the center of the room, bent over it, and lifted her dress, presenting her ass to me. “That said, I would personally recommend spanking me, Master.”

It was in this moment that I realized what Chloe was doing. She was role playing. She was a maid who had broken her master’s favorite tea set, and I was supposed to play the role of angry master.

“A spanking is the least you deserve,” I said at last, modulating my voice into a growl as I walked over to her. “But for the sake of expediency and because you are normally a good maid, I will let you off easy. After I spank you, you will service me, and I will consider your punishment complete.”

“Yes, Master.”

I stared at the black underwear covering Chloe’s ass. They were made of an elastic fabric that was far different from the traditional loinclothes I was used to. It was made from a type of Demon Beast, and it stretched across her delicious bubble-shaped butt cheeks, conforming so perfectly to them that I could see her butt crack.

I raised my hand and brought it down, smacking Chloe’s ass. Her butt cheeks jiggled. The woman gasped, her back arched, and then she fell back down.

“T-thank you, Master. May I please have another?”

Her words caused something to stir inside of me. I raised my hand again, brought it down, and smacked her ass hard enough that the sound echoed all around the room. Chloe groaned as she fell forward this time. The tips of her ears were dark red. Her shoulders heaved like she was struggling for breath.

“Haaa… thank you… master… another… please?”

I gave her ass another smack, and Chloe moaned as she asked me for another, and another, and another. Juices began trickling down her thigh as I smacked her butt. She was getting off on this. It shocked me a little, to be honest. I knew she was a submissive woman despite her power and position—why else would she be a maid?—but I hadn’t expected her to be a masochist.

Even so, I couldn’t deny that seeing this woman like this made me aroused.

Grabbing her underwear, I pulled them down until they were around her thighs. With her ass now visible, I could see the red welts my smacks had left on her cheeks. I could also see her pussy, puffy with arousal, dripping juices that created glistening trails down her thighs.

My mouth went dry.

Smack!

“Aaahn! Another! Master! Please! Give me another!”

Smack!

“Haaaaa! It stings… so good! Oh! Master! Keep going, please!”

Smack!

“Mmmm! Ahnnn! Oooh! Ah! Hrrrrrnn!”

Smack!

More red marks appeared on Chloe’s ass as I continued spanking her. Her moans became more wanton and filled with lust, the juices dribbling down her thighs became a steady flow, and droplets of sweat glistened down her back, shoulders, neck, thighs, and chest. A heady scent filled the air. It was the scent of a woman’s arousal, and it was driving me crazy.

“I think that’s quite enough punishment,” I said at last, rubbing her red butt cheeks. Chloe moaned as I kneaded her firm ass with my hands. “Now it is time you serviced me.”

I walked away from Chloe, dropped my pants and boxers, and sat down on the bed. My cock was standing straight and erect. It throbbed and pulsed as I spread my legs.

Chloe needed a moment to pull herself off the table, but then she stumbled over to me and knelt between my legs. She eyed my erection with fear. Then she looked at me.

“Master… what should I do?” she asked.

“Suck on it,” I commanded her.

Chloe shivered as her cheeks became warmer than before. Her blush spread from her face, down her neck, all the way to her chest. Yet even so, she still acted hesitant.

“Do you dare disobey your master?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“N-no. Of course not, Master,” Chloe said, still feigning fear as she gently touched my cock with her soft hands. “I will service you right now.”

She leaned forward and took a deep breath as though breathing in my scent, then rubbed her cheek against my cock. I think she forgot her role for a moment. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was doing, and then she got back into character, stuck out her tongue, and tentatively licked my cock from my balls to my head.

“You have… such a strong taste and scent, Master,” Chloe mumbled between licks. “It’s so… powerful. I think it’s making me dizzy.”

“That’s all well and good, but I didn’t tell you to lick it, did I? I ordered you to suck on it.”

Placing my hands behind Chloe’s head, I waited until she had taken my dick into her mouth, then pulled her forward. Chloe moaned as my cock filled her mouth. I was gritting my teeth as her throat relaxed and accepted all of me. Her nose pressed against my crotch, then her throat seemed to convulse around my cock as she licked the underside of my shaft with her tongue.

I was struggling not to cum in her mouth as I brought her head back, then pushed it forward again. It was hard. So hard. The feeling of her throat, tongue, and warm mouth caressing me was intense. It sent jolts of pure pleasure shooting through my body. I was only able to hold on for maybe a minute or two before I was shooting my load into her mouth.

I expected Chloe to deep throat me and swallow my sperm in a single go. That wasn’t what she did. Chloe pulled back and sucked on my head as I came, and when I finished shooting everything I had inside of her, she removed my cock from her mouth with a plop, opened her mouth, and revealed all of my cum pooling inside of her. Only then did she close her mouth and swallow. I swallowed as well when I saw her gulp my cum down.

My cock became hard again.

“I’m sorry, Master. It seems I was unable to completely satisfy you,” Chloe said as she sat on her butt, leaned back, and spread her legs apart. Her wet pussy with its puffy lips and larger than average clit were an enticing sight. It only became moreso when she reached between her thighs, spread her pussy open, and gave me an erotic look. “Please use this lowly maids sopping wet cunt to please yourself until you are satisfied.”

It took me a moment to get back in character. I would have said that was because I simply wasn’t used to role playing like this, but it was really just because Chloe’s eroticism left me that stunned.

Coughing into my hand, I said, “Hmph. I suppose your willingness to let yourself be used like this is enough to appease me. Very well. I’ll use you as I please, and then you shall be absolved of your guilt.”

“Thank you, Master.”

I got off the bed, crawled between the woman’s thighs, and lined myself up. I only had one arm right now, so I was unable to grab her thighs like I wanted. That being the case, I leaned over her and placed my hand on the floor for stability, then thrust my hips forward in a single go.

Chloe flinched in pain, and my eyes widened.

“Did I just break your hymen?” I asked.

Chloe’s strained smile was enough to tell me that I had, but she still answered me. “I have been very careful to save myself for the man I wanted to pledge myself to.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, completely breaking character. “I would have been more careful if I’d known.”

While I knew she was a virgin, that didn’t necessarily mean she had a hymen. I didn’t know much about female biology, but I’d once heard there were thousands of ways to lose a hymen, and not all of them were sexual. Several of the Spiritualists I knew had apparently lost theirs from training too hard. Kari had also once said that hymens were something that got naturally worn away during a woman’s adolescence. My take away from all that was this. No one really seemed to know much about this matter, so it wasn’t something I should concern myself over.

The fact that Chloe still had one after however many thousands of years she had been alive meant one thing.

“You’ve been using the Concept of Time to keep that area frozen in time,” I said.

“It seems you’ve caught me.” Chloe wore a sheepish smile. “I believe there is meaning in having the man I’ve pledged myself to break my hymen. It might not be a big deal to many, but it is a big deal to me, and so I’ve been protecting it for this moment.”

I leaned over and pressed my forehead against hers. I still wasn’t moving, though I think my actions caused a jolt because Chloe clenched her teeth a little.

“Chloe, thank you,” I said.

My words made her smile. “No. Thank you, Master Eryk. Because of you, I’ve been able to accomplish my goals and can move on now. I’m very grateful.”

“Hmmm.”

Realizing we were getting out of character, I quickly returned to my previous “angry master” persona and began rocking my hips back and forth. Chloe grunted at first, but as I continued to slide my dick in and out of her wet sex, those sounds turned into gasps.

“Your words have pleased me,” I said, once more sounding like a pompous master. “Instead of punishing you, I will reward you. Tell your master what you want, and he shall see it done.”

“I want… I want… oooh…” Chloe’s eyes became unfocused as I thrust my hips forward. She blinked several times, then wet her lips. “I want you… to make me yours… haaa… mmmm… Master… brand me with your cock, until I can’t… until I… um…. I can’t…. can’t remember what I was going to—ahn!”

Chloe threw her head back as I suddenly thrust quickly twice. They were shorter thrusts and my cock didn’t emerge as fully from her sex, but they were faster and intense.

“Do you mean to say you want me to brand you with my dick so no one else can please you like I can? Do you want me to make you a slave to my cock?”

“Yes!” Chloe gasped. “Yes, Master! Make me your slave!”

“If that is your desire, then so be it.”

The moment Chloe told me what she wanted, I stopped teasing her. I pulled my hips back, then thrust them forward, then back again, and then forward once more. Each thrust was more powerful than the next. Chloe gasped, groaned, and moaned as she fell back to her back. Her breasts shook, bounced, and jiggled within the confines of her dress. I tore it away, revealing each milky breast.

Her nipples were larger than I expected. They suited her, however, and I couldn’t complain. More nipple just meant more filling for my mouth.

I leaned down and began kissing her chest, listening to the sounds she made as I lathered her breasts with attention. It was hard because I only had one arm. I wished I could recreate an actual arm instead of relying on the elements to make a working on. My only hope was that would change once we finished our dual cultivation.

“Master! Master! Oh! I—Master’s dick… is branding me! It’s so hot! I—ooh! Ahn! Hmmmph!”

I sucked her nipple into my mouth and continued listening to verbal cues. The scent of her sweat filled my nose as I swirled my tongue around her nipple, flicked it back and forth, and then took it between my teeth and tugged. Chloe’s gasps became screams. At first I thought she was in pain and was about to stop, but then she begged me to do it again, and I realized she enjoyed this.

A masochist indeed.

A bright glow caught my attention, dragging me from my task. Runes were appearing in the center of her chest. It was the same runes the other women in my harem had. Of course, they would not become permanent until she drank some of my blood.

I wasn’t certain how much time passed before Chloe’s first orgasm, but I recognized the way she tightened around me. Her legs had wrapped around my hips, feet locked together, heels digging into my back. They went limp after her first orgasm, as did the arms she had wrapped around my chest.

I wasn’t done.

“I hope this isn’t all you have,” I said to her. “Your master isn’t done branding you yet.”

I looked down at Chloe as she stared at me with glazed eyes, like she couldn’t comprehend my words, but then I rolled her onto her side, lifted one of her legs into the air, and slid into her again.

“This—hrrg!—this feeling… it’s so… intense… so different… hmmm! Haaaa! Haaaa!”

Chloe’s words rang true, as the feeling from this angle was completely different from the position we’d just been in. The way her soft walls rubbed against me as I slid in and out of her wet sex tickled places they hadn’t before. As I worked my hips back and forth, I kept a firm grip around her leg so I could lick and kiss her calf, the sole of her foot, and anywhere else I could reach.

It only took a few minutes for Chloe to cum again.

If I had two arms, I could have lifted her up and fucked her while standing, but I didn’t, so I made do by carrying her to the table, setting her on it, and having sex with her that way. Chloe placed her hands on my shoulders as I kept a firm grip on the table and continued my relentless pace. As she threw her head back and moaned my name, I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Chloe,” I called for her.

Chloe lifted her head and gazed at me with half-lidded eyes, though they widened when I surged forward and pressed my mouth to hers. Surprised she might have been, but she didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around my neck, drawing me closer as we kissed, as my tongue filled her mouth. I was sure she tasted the blood on my lips. She didn’t seem to care as her tongue clashed with mine in what seemed more like a duel than a dance.

I’d been staving off my second orgasm for some time and had finally reached a limit as we kissed. With a muffled grunt, I filled Chloe’s pussy with my seed. Chloe s screamed into my mouth as she locked her legs around me and ground her mound against me. Her body shuddered and convulsed several times before she pulled back, breathing heavy as she gazed into my eyes.

“Master… Eryk… thank you,” she said. “I don’t think… I’ll ever be able to find pleasure… with anyone else’s dick. Ever.”

“That is good, though it’s not like it matters.” I nuzzled our cheeks together. “I’m not going to ever give you to someone else. You’re mine from now until the end of time.”

Chloe giggled giddily as she hugged me tightly. “That’s exactly what I want.”

“Mmm…”

As we held each other close, my cock soon grew hard again, and Chloe giggled some more as she rocked her hips. It seemed the night was still young.

***

Fray had called a meeting. It was unusual of her since she’d never done this before. According to Hilda, she had not called a meeting ever since she rescued them, which just told me that whatever she had to say now was important.

All the usual people were there, and we were mostly sitting in our usual positions, but this time it was Fray who sat at the head of the table instead of me. The group who helped me manage Vahn watched the woman as she gazed at us with an even look.

“I believe it is time I told you about the final seal,” Fray said.

“The final seal?” asked Hilda, furrowing her brow.

Fray nodded. “I mean the seal on the final Great Overlord—the seal that keeps the Great Overlord of the Ninth Realm, my father—locked away.”

Her words caused the rest of us to straighten in our seats—all except Quwain, who leaned forward instead. He looked the woman in the eyes, his own gaze steady.

“Are you saying you’ve known this whole time where he was sealed and haven’t said anything?”

“Correct. I did not believe it would matter since my plan was to prevent the Sekbeists from releasing the other seven Great Overlords. If we had prevented them from being released, then it wouldn’t be necessary to let you know about the final seal. That is no longer the case now.”

Quwain didn’t look like he approved of being kept in the dark, and I understood how he felt, but the man didn’t make a big fuss about it. He nodded once and leaned back.

Fray continued. “Of this group, only a few of you have traveled to another realm.” She looked at me, Kari, and Siv. “Tell me, Eryk, have you never wondered why Miðgarðr is the only realm with two moons?”

“It has crossed my mind on occasion,” I said before her words caught up with me. “Wait. Are you telling me that Wodan is sealed on one of the moons?”

Fray nodded and smiled. “I knew you were sharp. Yes. The red moon that always hangs in your sky is an artificial construct created by the Great Overlord of the Second Realm to seal away my father. The reason it glows red is because the entire moon is covered in hundreds of billions of runes. It is probably the single most complex rune array ever created.”

Several sharp intakes of breath were heard from around the room. I was pretty sure one of the people who did that was me.

“Why is the rune array used to seal the Great Overlord of the Ninth Realm so much more complex than the others?” asked Kari.

“Because Father is far stronger than the others,” Fray said. “Well, that is part of the reason. Another reason is simply because Wodan was sealed away with the Sekbeist Overlord’s Spiritual Core. I’m sure you know that the Spiritual Core is the heart of our cultivation. It is where all our power is stored. The other Great Overlords were only sealed away with a body part, which means they couldn’t use the Sekbeist Overlord’s immense Spiritual Power.”

“I get it,” Fay said, nodding her head. “All the Great Overlords we fought are immensely powerful, but they can only use their own reserves of Spiritual Power. On the other hand, the Great Overlord of the Ninth Realm has both his and the Sekbeist Overlord’s to draw upon, which would make him many times stronger than the others.”

“Yes,” Fray admitted. “Of course, Father was already stronger than the other Great Overlords even without that. I can only imagine how much more powerful he will be with both his and the Sekbeist Overlord’s power at his disposal.” She tilted her head, worried her lower lip, and tapped a gentle rhythm on the table for a moment. “Though if the seal is undone, I imagine it won’t be Father in control of that body, but the Sekbeist Overlord himself.”

I’d heard plenty of stories from Fray and Tor about how powerful the Sekbeist Overlord is, how overwhelming his might had been. He was so powerful the Nine Great Overlords had not been able to kill him. The most they could do was break his body and seal him away inside of themselves.

“It sounds to me like the Sekbeist Overlord is an invincible god,” Menes said with a stoic frown. “Can we really defeat something like that?”

“Even if we cannot, we have to at least try,” I said. “The Sekbeist Overlord does not care about us at all. If we lose, then he will sweep over our population, sacrifice our people to rebuild his army, and drain our planet dry of all its resources before moving on.”

“That reminds me, just how did the Sekbeist arrive in our world?” Lin asked. She crossed her arms and frowned. “This princess never understood that. They are not native to our world, right? So how did they get here?”

“They arrived here long ago on a vessel that could sail the stars,” Fray answered. “I do not know where that vessel is anymore, but it was said to be a ship unlike anything ever seen before.”

Fray’s words caused a jolt to race down my spine like a lightning bolt. A vessel that could sail through the stars, that looked unlike any vessel on our world… while I didn’t know anything about sailing through the stars, there was an object buried deep within the Morkdypt Ravine that was quite unlike anything I’d ever seen before. Could that be the ship they arrived in?

“This queen believes we are getting off topic,” Medusa said. “How are we going to deal with a foe like that? It sounds to me like there is nothing we can do.”

“So you’re just gonna fucking give up?” asked Tora.

Medusa frowned. “This queen did not say that.”

“We’ve got a basic plan,” I said before looking at Kari.

She nodded once, coughed into her hand to get everyone’s attention, and said, “The first and most obvious step is having Eryk, myself, and the rest of Eryk’s wives use the dual cultivation method. Fray said that by using this method in the isolation chamber built by myself and Sterk, we can complete the connection of the Shared Power Array, which will grant all of us enough power to defeat the Sekbeist Overlord—theoretically.”

“And how long will that take?” asked Hilda.

Kari shrugged. “About a decade, but we can compress that into a month by using a Time Compression Array to slow down time inside the isolation chamber.”

“And what if the Sekbeist Overlord is released before then?” asked Menes. “What will we do then?”

“Don’t worry.” Kari smiled, and once more her eyes began gleaming. “I’ve created another rune array that will allow you to increase the Spiritual Power of one person many dozens of times over. It can only be used once, and it does have a limit. However, if used on Fray, it should give her enough Spiritual Power to stand toe-to-toe with the Sekbeist Overlord long enough for us to finish cultivating.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Menes continued to ask.

“Then you had better pray your death comes swiftly and without pain,” Kari said with a candid smile that caused the man’s next words to die in his throat.