Edward opened his eyes, exhaling deeply. Although he was always calm and composed, he also had his worries. After all, he was still Tier 8 and facing a Tier 10 God–especially one who has conquered countless planes full of worshippers–he was worried, even with connection with Netheril.
"I can't believe you are trying to fool her," said Morgana, who appeared wearing suit pants, looking like a successful lawyer. With her beautiful purple hair, her beauty and charms were no less than any Goddess.
Edward ignored her as she knew this was one of her hobbies–cosplaying.
"I didn't."
"Would you truly allow her to become a part of the Empire?"
"Yes. I'm very tolerant of talented individuals."
"But, she would be a Tier 10 Arcanist."
"After breaking the Soul Limit, reaching Tier 10 will be extremely easy for me and many talents of the Empire after we have sufficient control of the Dark Multiverse. By then, her strength will not be as threatening."
"I see," nodded the little elf. "So, do you think she will agree?"
"I don't know, but our chances are high," replied Edward. He discovered the Magic Goddess was easier to read and understand than he anticipated. Of course, one of the main reasons is that she belittled Edward after their first meeting, allowing him to learn and deduce many things about her based on his body language and basic information about her.
"A few things are restricting her from joining us. The first one is–strength. Despite the potential shown by the Empire so far, it's not enough in her eyes. However, after we take down Guzznad and show these Gods the Milky Way is still unapproachable, she will understand our strength, making her more willing to accept my offer."
"That's interesting. What's next?"
"Her status is also a problem. She has been ruling for too long, so it's hard for her to give up her power and even become a subordinate. There is nothing much I can do about such an issue besides allowing time to make a difference and to lure her with more benefits."
"Indeed, that's a good strategy. We can lure you into cooperating with us through benefits. Then, after a period of cooperation, her actions will be considered betrayal from the Gods, alienating her until she has no choice but to join us," said Morgana, who calculated Edward's next plan in an instant.
"The only issue is how to lure her. She has reached the pinnacle of this world's power, wealth, and resources, so only a few things will interest her," groaned Edward.
"We could use some basic information about the Multiverse. However, that's dangerous knowledge. If news were to leak, the consequences would be too severe."
"For now, knowledge about the Multiverse is out of the question. Even if she joined us, I would not easily reveal such information."
The Multiverse is the key to reaching Tier 11. So, any news about it would create a storm across the entire Cosmic Faith Plane; no, it could cause a storm throughout the endless planes in the Astral Realm.
"In that case, only knowledge about the Magus Race might interest her," added Morgana. "Or, she might also be interested in the information about the Mana Grid we got from the Akashic Records."
Edward nodded in agreement. Then, he took a white string from his temple.
"Sent this memory to the Think Tank and have them analyze this meeting to see if they can find any more information that I miss. I want a character profile on her.
"Furthermore, activate the spies we have in the Central Area and ask them to find more information about Delilah."
"Is it not a little too dangerous to contact these people?"
Edward has long sent spies into the Central Area of the universe where all the most powerful creatures, Gods, and civilizations gathered. However, due to the inherent danger of such a high-level place, they remained dormant.
"The danger is worth it. Plus, they only need to be extra careful and not dig too deep into her secrets. Once the war finishes, we should provide these people with more support."
"As you wish," said Morgana before sending the command to the relevant department.
"Alright, let's get back to work. Did you get the information?"
"I did. With all her mood fluctuation, I scan some of her soul fluctuations. With this information, we should be able to crack the imprint," replied Morgana as she displayed a screen with data.
"Excellent," nodded Edward. With this information, he can suppress Delilah's imprint on the Mana Grid and use his enchantment to absorb endless mana from the grid.
Edward returned to work. Two weeks passed, and his project was finally successful. Then, he left a clone to continue the second step of the project–completely remove her imprint so he could have full control of the Mana Grid that runs through the Milky Way Galaxy. However, such a project was long-term and could not be accomplished in a short period.
Upon completion, Morgana sent the enchantment to the relevant department, and Edward focused on the war.
Three months later:
Edward sat on a chair next to a beach, holding a margarita and a screen floating before him. No one recognized their Emperor on this beach, and he took this time to relax.
"Those guys did not disappoint me," said Edward, watching videos of the Black Clover Knights fighting against the Scholar Mages of the Empire.
The battles were not all victories. After all, there are too many geniuses in the Empire, and these guys are still young, even with the help of Time Acceleration.
So, even Asta, who wowed the world with his Anti-Magic Energy, suffered many defeats. However, his original goal was to raise them into symbols of how powerful Battle Mages were, and the plans have shown initial success.
Now, under his secret command, the status of Battle Mages is slowly being raised, thus dealing with the disparity issue between the two classes.
"It's not at the level I want things to be yet, but we are getting there," muttered Edward, who prepared to close the screens and enjoy his time sunbathing.
However, he received another notification of the highest alert and security grade. He quickly opened it, and his eyes immediately brightened:
"Done? Good, good."
The Second Tier Aether Core was successfully created, using only a fraction of the needed time because of his new enchantments. The fog was finished a few weeks ago, so now, the Empire no longer needs to worry about the safety of the Milky Way after this war.
"Guzznad, you dare to blackmail twice," muttered Edward with a sneer, thinking how he had to send another Tier 9 Energy Core a few days ago. "Now, it's payback time."
He immediately contacted Olivier, who should have received the news.
"Did you see it?"
"I did," she nodded succinctly.
"So, what's next?" asked Edward.
"Now that we no longer have to worry about safety, we can slowly take over Guzznad's territory and overwhelm him.'
The current galaxy was divided into two halves. Now, it was time to take Guzznad's half, uniting the Milky Way under one regime, one voice.
"Excellent. Do I need to do anything?"
"We will have a meeting tomorrow before beginning the last expedition. You will need to attain."
"I will be there."
Olivier nodded before ending the communication.
"How cold," said Edward, shaking his head. "I should probably talk to her."
He raised his head to look above him. He knew this war was coming to an end, meaning the Empire would enter a new age.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."