While the Alliance members were busy getting awed by Shin's abilities, their opponents didn't have the same luxury. Second by second, Mirror Portals opened up as Shiro transported all of the Allfather's remaining forces into the Tree of Darkness. The majority of those that were saved had high cultivation levels or at the very least, had a considerable effect on the Black Mask organisation as a whole. The Dalits, Shudras and even Vaishyas were coldly abandoned, as the Allfather scrambled to get everyone into one place.
So, the number of cultivators and Spirit Beasts gathered at that one point alone… was pitifully low.
"At our peak, we had over a hundred thousand… Now, we're down to just two hundred and ninety-four." Murasaki grimaced while she counted the survivors. Given that she brought about sixty of her own cherished arachnids along, the Arachne Queen's division was on the high-end of the survivors. The other factions on the other hand…
"We've even lost five of the Noble Beasts." Shiro supplemented the Spider Queen's assessment. "None of my subordinates, or Ao's, survived the final attack. Perhaps the Allfather was right in calling us back this quickly."
Akai looked to the left, where the Green Throne stood with emptiness. Like its former owner, it had been taken over by roots and leaves, turning it into a monument that had been returned to nature. "Rarara… We've lost too much."
"I think we've allowed the Alliance to grow too strong. If we've killed more Spirit Saints in the early days." Shiro slapped his palms together while gritting his teeth.
"No point crying over spilt milk," Kuro interjected with his booming voice. "When we ascend, all of this will be just an afterthought, a footnote in our story! If you really want vengeance against the fucking Alliance, do it in heaven! Laugh at them while we bask in the Allfather's power as we attain eternal life!"
"RARARA!!! Well said!!!" Akai chortled. "In the end, we're the ones that will get the last laugh! Not those assholes that are squirming about on the floor!"
"Hehe, I wonder how does an Immortal's brain matter tastes like? Would it be as tasty as a Spirit Saint's? NO!!! It should be even more heavenly! Arghhhh!!! My mouth is salivating just from imagining that taste!"
"Immortality… We're really going to achieve it!" Shiro followed the other's lead and threw away his despondent self. Just like the other Noble Beasts, he had been waiting for this day for far too long. Eternal life was a pipe dream for all Spirit Beasts and was a puzzle only solved by humanity. The Titans of Old couldn't do it, the twin Dragons of Origin couldn't do it… But humans… They had cracked the code. They had figured out how to ascend, unlike the many who came before them.
And now, it was their turn to be etched into the annals of history.
"No one will remember the names of the Alliance. They won't remember the Spirit Saints that fought against us! They won't remember the Himmel Empire, the Kori Federation or the Lantis Republic! All they will remember is the name of the new Spirit Immortal and all of us who supported him!" Kuro rallied the remnants of the Black Masks with his touching speech.
"They will remember us! The first beings to solve the puzzle and the ones who helped the twenty-second Spirit Immortal gain eternal life! We will live forever, not just in their memories but in the Immortal Realm!"
"YEAH!!!" The Black Masks all issued a war cry, glad that their worst times had passed them. Seated at the Tree of Darkness' apex, they had the best seats in the house as the branches attempted to rip apart Heaven's Gate. Now… all they had to do was wait patiently. The next time they spoke… They would be staring up the stairway to the serene paradise.
Or that was what they so believed...
❖❖❖
"Allfather, what's going on?" Saint Heigui, the only one who stayed in the Tree of Darkness all this time, ran up the stairway to the throne, only stopping when he was a few metres away from the almighty ruler.
All this time, the Allfather had been boasting an air of invincibility, and each move he made was seemingly thought out hundreds of years in advance. That was one of the main traits that won Saint Heigui over when the Allfather presented him with the opportunity to join the Black Masks. Through the Allfather's demeanour, Saint Heigui truly believed that the man was capable of achieving immortality and would be the elderly Spirit Saint's best shot at gaining eternal life. However, as he looked at the frantic hooded man, Saint Heigui's godly impression of the man had shattered away completely.
"Heigui, it's time to show your worth!" No one could see the Allfather's face, but they could hear the fear within his voice. "Cast your most powerful barrier on the Tree of Darkness! Buy me time! Don't let anyone come near!"
"Isn't the Tree of Darkness impregnable?" Saint Heigui asked with a frown. "Its a manifestation of your Spirit and has a quasi-physical form. From what I understand, the Alliance should have no penetrating power to infiltrate us? Do you really need my barrier?"
"SHUT UP AND DO AS YOU'RE TOLD!!!" Running out of patience, the Allfather screamed at the top of his lungs.
"O-Okay..." Though he had his doubts, Saint Heigui wasn't one to go completely against the Allfather, particularly since the man was his only lifeline. Escorted out by two Brahmins, Saint Heigui floated out to the peak of the Tree, far away from the final congregation of Black Masks.
"This is bad… really, really bad..." The Allfather muttered. In the past, anything that his mana touched, the Allfather was able to view. He was able to watch two flies mating a thousand kilometres away, as long as his mana was able to touch that location. However, as the Allfather stayed cramped up within his own Tree of Darkness, he found that all of his mana influences littered throughout the globe had been melted away.
Centuries of preparations, sending Black Masks and Black Spheres towards every corner of the globe. It didn't matter if they were in populated locations or desolate islands. The Allfather had spent many years spreading his influence. All for the sake of his Grand Scheme.
However, just a moment prior, the Allfather found that all of his influences had been cut loose, destroyed and never to exist ever again. And it all happened within the snap of a finger.
The only safe place the Allfather had left was his own Tree of Darkness, which was why he was so adamant that the Black Masks all gathered back immediately. Alas, even his own sanctuary wasn't free of the external influence which melted away all of his power on the outside. As he peeked into the Tree of Darkness, he could sense a foreign power spying from within. It was the closest thing to an omniscient ability, that was what the Allfather had deduced. And he had a rough idea who was behind that dastardly ability.
'I said to grow stronger to match me, not overrule me...' The Allfather cursed.
Shin had attained a power that no one had ever anticipated. An ability that was never recorded in history and more importantly, never analysed before. The Allfather didn't know its limitations, its strength, or how it even functioned. However, one thing was for sure…
Shin was coming for him, and it was only a matter of time before he broke through the final line of defence.
The Allfather looked up at the opened heavens. The whirlpool of energy had opened up a light portal, one that contained infinite amounts of energy, be it spiritual or elemental energy. What laid beyond the eye of the whirlpool… was a dimension that no human had ever returned from. That infinite power and the immense pressure that mounted upon the Tree of Darkness… It wasn't something that belonged in the material plane.
Initially, the Allfather wanted to be more prepared, more beefed up before he attempted to rip apart that gate and claim the power for himself. However, with Shin's sudden rise to power, there must be a change of plans.
"It's going to be a coin flip… But it has to be done." The Allfather spoke silently as he rose up to the heavens. The Black Masks watching the scene all clapped and cheered delightedly that their long war was finally coming to an end. Everything that they had been fighting for… it was all for this moment.
At the same time, Saint Heigui's barrier came into effect, protecting the Tree of Darkness from the oncoming onslaught of the Alliance plus their newly advanced Spirit Saint. For a brief moment, the Allfather and Shin's eyes met. It was but a split second, but their intentions were conveyed loud and clear.
"Dream, help me one last time!" The Allfather pointed his finger down, onto the gorgeous statue that accompanied him all these years. It had been slumbering deep within the Tree of Darkness, never meant to see the light of day. However, the Allfather couldn't afford to hold back all his trump cards anymore.
Hearing the silent command, the statue came to life like a robotic humanoid. Dyed black in the Allfather's flavour, the beautiful sculpture flew into the open, out of the Tree of Darkness and the protection that Saint Heigui gave it.
And once it came within a kilometre of the Alliance…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!
The treasured statue of the Allfather blew up into gravel, turning all of its condensed dark energy into floating shadows. They multiplied like bunnies, and in a mere twenty seconds, a billion Umbras stood between the Alliance and the Tree of Darkness.
It was the Allfather's final trump card, the one technology that he developed all on his own without Spirit Immortal Dream's help. And now… it was baring its fangs against Shin and the Alliance.