---Western Desert---
Delfaria was observing the construction of their new camp when Kavala gave her a humbling revelation.
It's gone.
"What?" the saintess exclaimed inadvertently. ~W-What do you mean?- she asked the deity in her head. However, she already had a foreboding of what she meant.
~The centipede. I was recently able to detect its holy presence, but now it is gone. It seems to have left the desert.- the goddess informed her emotionlessly. Delfaria's eye started twitching. Enduring the headache, she went to her tent and sat down at her desk.
"We JUST managed to convince the creatures of Lambda that the centipede is a threat to their city, and now you are telling me it fled?! Why? Did it somehow know of our plan?" the saintess let out her frustration.
She had gone to great lengths to put the gears into motion to get the weird mutants of Lambda to make a move against the flying centipede. It had taken a major part of her time over the past weeks, and now it was all for nothing...
~I don't think it left because it knew. Maybe it just...finished what it wanted to do.- the goddess mused.
"Sabotaging our operation?" the saintess asked sarcastically. A beast didn't accidentally assimilate belief of people to the point that they created cults. If it didn't intend to vie with them for the resources, why did it come in the first place?
~Probably not, but its goals do not matter. It is done and will no longer get in my way. - the goddes spke.
"The machine people will become suspicious if they can't find the centipede. We will have to move ahead faster and use the time to reincorporate those cultists," the Saintess ordered her thoughts. Although it meant her schemes were in vain, the outcome was the same.
The volatile element was gone, and they could focus on rebuilding Kavala's church again. The quicker they gained enough believers for the goddess to leave her head, the better.
~I didn't know my presence was such a burden to you,- the goddess commented on her thoughts
~You know it isn't like that… Well, it is a burden, but we will be able to move more quickly once you regain your strength, - Delfaria prayed to the voice in her head.
Although her saintess was preoccupied with their immediate, Kavala was already looking further ahead. She didn't intend to dutifully play along with the deal with the Dungeon God. She knew better than to trust that deity.
As an expert on the matter, she knew that the Dungeon God had a hidden agenda; however, she also had one. She would rebuild her empire in this place. And she did intend to keep her side of the bargain, once she gained sufficient strength.
But she wouldn't stop there. After the deal was done, all her fetters would be released, and then, with the people and technology of Urth, she would grow even stronger than ever before. Once she took control of Urth, she would direct this power to the dungeons.
She would have her revenge. She would be the goddess to wipe out the Dungeon God and all dungeons. Who were the Dungeon God or the System God? Just stepping stones for her ascent to the upper echelon of greater gods!
---North of the Gate Guardian--
Far above Urth, soaring through the skies, a volatile element had taken course for the north-east of the continent. The bright rays of light soaked his pearly white shell. It felt more gentle and caressing than the harsh light of the western desert.
After weeks of hunting and growing his power in the sands and sun of the west, Puffles had returned to this side of the border storm. However, he didn't intend to join the attack on the Voracious Cloud Continent. At least not yet.
There was one more thing he wished to accomplish before he returned home. The Ivicer knew that his action may have seemed childish to others, but he had to do it for himself. And he was technically a child, so people who blamed him for that (apart from himself) could go fuck off.
The Nightmare Centipede would have denied it vehemently if someone else ever accused him of it, but Puffles actually left because he felt jealous of Tatzel. The Imugi had experienced a tremendous growth in an incredibly short time, and maybe Puffles had felt a little... threatened.
He was the older brother. He had to be the one protecting Tatzel. He had to be the greatest and strongest to protect everyone. How could he be the great one if Tatzel so easily surpassed him? This was why Puffles went on a training journey. He had sworn to himself not to return before he ascended.
According to his ancestral memories, there was only one way to become a legend before reaching adulthood: Divine Power. Following his instincts, he had moved to the desert, created followers, and grew divinity to this point.
Yet, he left the desert behind without being a legend. Why? because now he fulfilled all the prerequisites. There was only one system condition left for Puffles to reach the status of a legend, or a lower god, like Python. How he solved this condition would decide what he became.
Had the Ivicer stayed in the desert, he would have become a lower god, maybe even with the potential to become a new Ivice, his creator deity. But Puffles didn't want to be a god. Gods were bound by certain restrictions.
Python was a good example. As a guardian deity, Python was the most powerful in the place she guarded. However, her power would take a dive outside of Little Gamma this was why she rarely got a chance to leave at this point. Gods also depended on believers, which Puffles had no interest in.
No, the Nightmare Centipede wanted to be a legend. Spread his name with his deed across the Pathworks. The Ivicer intended to solve two issues in one go. He would do Seth a favor and ascend to become a legend.
This was why he was currently traveling north of the world rift. At the horizon, he already saw the ruins of Epsilon. The ruins of a district completely decimated by its own inhabitants in their desperate fight against a demonic invasion.
Even the mighty fleet of Epsilon had no other choice but to bombard their home to kill Bragmomal's demon army. And yet, the legendary demon general was still alive and had enough forces to join Spatia's scheme in their attack on Delta. Puffles also knew that it was Bragmomal, who was responsible for Tano'Mol's hardships in procuring souls for the blacksmith.
Puffles needed to beat a legend to ascend. What better legend to choose than a demon who didn't know his place?