CHAPTER 83: INVASION...

The loser, a higher-ranked Souler, could barely lift his head as he walked back to his position—shamed not just by defeat, but by the eyes now looking at him differently.

It didn’t take long for word to spread.

"The matches are fair!"

"Even a low-rank can win if they’re skilled enough!"

"The power is balanced by some divine force...!"

"Is this the work of the Empress or something else..."

"As expected of Empress Ivana, her methods are truly unfathomable"

Hope swelled. Soulers who would normally be dismissed as background now stepped forward, eyes burning with fresh determination. It was no longer about status or birth. It was about who you were as a fighter.

And so, the tournament continued.

Deus sat high in the private viewing box beside Ivana, his eyes half-lidded with faint disinterest. Watching mortals fight... wasn’t all that entertaining. Even with their fierce shouting and prideful expressions, their movements were flawed, their techniques riddled with openings. It was a sore sight in his eyes. Some couldn’t even string together a proper follow-up after a parry.

Still, he had to admit—some of them were interesting.

Every now and then, someone displayed a rare spark. A creative movement. A strange soul technique. A battle instinct honed by hardship. While 99 were average, the one that stood out... caught his attention.

By evening, the tournament had ended. The rules and power equalization ensured that matches were quick and decisive, favoring reaction and precision over long-winded duels. The last winners stood with trembling shoulders, some from fatigue, others from emotion.

Deus moved a finger—and in that moment, over a hundred beast souls descended from the heavens like comets of radiance. Each glowed with unique colors, forming a celestial arc over the sky of Valebastion. The light struck the chosen warriors one by one, and each Souler’s body shook as the mythical soul fused into them.

A new era had begun.

The overall strength of the Great Lumen Empire had risen by at least 20% instantly. But this was only the beginning. With time, training, and growth, that power would multiply. Deus knew this. Ivana knew it too. Their eyes met in silent agreement.

A single move by a god... and the destiny of an entire empire had been changed.

Later that night, Deus and Ivana were having fun.

Their silhouettes danced under the moonlight seeping faintly through the windows. The bed creaked gently beneath their movements, Ivana’s soft gasps filling the room, barely muffled by the pillows. Her body clung to his with trust and surrender, responding to every touch, every motion. For her, this was no longer a simple act—it was devotion.

Deus remained composed, his eyes gleaming with faint amusement and something deeper. There was no rush in his movement, no urgency. It was like he was savoring something new, something foreign yet curious. For all his power and dominion, it was mortal closeness he studied in that moment.

Soon, they were done.

Ivana lay curled against him, strands of silver-white hair sprawled over the sheets, her breathing soft and serene. Her body still trembled slightly in the afterglow. With a faint smile, Deus brushed a strand away from her cheek and carefully laid her back on the bed, pulling the covers over her bare body.

But just then, his expression shifted.

His golden gaze turned north, cutting through space and distance.

"Hmm..."

He narrowed his eyes.

’A world invasion, huh? How amusing. A god was actually unlucky enough to have his world connected to mine... Came at the perfect timing. Let me see how these mortals handle it first...’

He sighed lightly, his voice calm but laced with deep thought.

From where he stood, the gentle atmosphere of the bedroom slowly faded into the background.

Far north of the Great Lumen Empire— in the outlands beyond its formation, past the hills and steep ranges—a large portal twisted open in the place A massive, swirling red vortex, like a bleeding wound in the very fabric of the world, cracked open the atmosphere.

The skies dimmed.

Thunder rumbled.

Energy surged.

A strange, foreign force began to seep out. It wasn’t Soul Energy—no, this was different.

More ancient.

More primal.

It mixed, clashed, and distorted the natural flow of this world’s Soulstream.

Deus looked on, sensing it clearly from within Ivana’s chamber.

His eyes flickered with recognition.

"Zeus’ Qi energy..." he muttered under his breath, a frown forming. "This is going to be troublesome..."

Qi—the energy born of cultivation, or rather the energy that births cultivation. The essence of the multiple worlds Zeus ruled as Supreme king...

The energy of greedy expansion. It didn’t harmonize. It infected. The were multiple other energies in the multiverse, Aether, Mana, Nether, Qi and last but not the least Deus’ Soul Energy... Of then all, Qi and Aether are the oldest and more spread out... Deus’ soul energy being the youngest and only in Earth and the Milky way galaxy in his pocket space.

Qi and Aether were superior and could contaminate all energies...

And if allowed to spill freely, this world, with its delicate balance of Soul and Elemental energies, would be corrupted.

Ruined.

Deus’s gaze lingered a moment longer before shifting back to Ivana’s sleeping form.

This world had much left to experience... too much for it to end now. He had such trouble some characteristics in mind when he created Soul Energy, soul energy is created to reverse corrupt and be formed directly from other energies.

’I’ll deal with it. But first...’

His gaze returned to the swirling storm far in the horizon, eyes glowing with intent.

’The world on the other side of that portal... I’ll either eliminate it—or claim it.’.

****

Meanwhile, Minutes before the dungeon appearance in Earth.

In what looked like a dark, misty world, a world far from Earth, with two full moons could be seen glowing faintly in the sky. A mysterious forest stretched far into the distance.

This forest was dense and primeval, its tall, thick trees belonging to species that could never be found on Hearth. Each tree stood like a giant pillar, bark gnarled and knotted, with leaves so broad and dark they formed a canopy that blotted out the moonlight completely.

The forest floor was buried in shadows, damp and cool, the air heavy with a strange stillness. The entire world seemed to be vibrating with Qi. Every leaf, every inch of soil, every breath of wind carried a pulsating energy that hummed softly, like the heartbeat of something ancient.

And deep within the heart of the forest, a beast stood.

A mythical monster—massive, bipedal, and terrifying in its presence. It was humanoid in form but unmistakably beastly in essence.