"Divine Spark? Isn't that the relic of the Elder Gods?" asked Edward, who soon showed a look of realization. "So, that's your objective."
"Your acting is universe-class," responded Guzznad with a sneer. "The Elder Gods is one of the few secrets of the universe. How would you know about such a thing?"
"You underestimate the Empire's capabilities," responded Edward calmly. "That's why you're in your current predicament."
Guzznad momentarily paused; he could not ascertain any information from the Emperor's reactions–including his body language or soul fluctuation. However, he believed his assumption was correct.
As such, he did not waste any more time.
His projections disappeared and reappeared, surrounding Edward. Teleportation is one of the few abilities all Gods have without possessing the corresponding authority.
The projections swung their scythes.
Swish!
Someone was bisected; however, it was not Edward, it was the old aga projection. At the last minute, he used a space spell to exchange place with the projection, making Guzznad destroy his own clone.
[Space Cut]
Edward's second spell was swift and did not leave any room for contemplation. A deep cut that severed the entire Milky Way into two sections appeared.
Luckily, these two fought in the Mirror Dimension.
Guzznad's clones dissipated after being bisected. As for the main body, his body calmly reattached itself to the lower part.
[Divine Spell: Soul Reaping]
Under Guzznad's guidance, a creepy bony hand appeared directly inside Edward's Soul Dimension, heading directly for his soul.
'Want to play the soul with me?' he thought with a sneer. A brilliant flame appeared in his Soul Dimension, burning the hand into nothingness.
'Damn it, why is this guy so versatile?'
Guzzand was used to fighting Gods with a specific [Authority], thus limiting their arsenals of attacks. As for mages? The situation is the same for them as their magic systems usually have one attribute and train it to the extreme.
Mages with versatile magic systems are usually weak because they do not have much time to train in multiple subjects. Furthermore, there is usually not enough knowledge for them to push any subjects to a high level.
However, the Arcanists in the Empire have a long lifespan, allowing them to study many things. Additionally, they do not have to worry about the lack of knowledge in most categories.
Sadly, Guzznad's frustration had just begun. Edward gathered a small aura or energy signature from his energy from the previous attack. He then used that aura as a medium to cast a curse that directly attacked Guzznad's soul.
A few drops of golden blood dripped from the Death God's noise, signifying his soul injury. However, this was just the beginning. A small space fluctuation flashed next to him, and a drop of blood appeared in Edward's hand.
[Arcane Spell: Curse of Life]
Guzznad is the God of Death. His Divine Body is made up entirely of death energy. So, what are the consequences of forcing positive life energy into his body in the form of a curse?"
He coughed off more blood as his aura drastically decreased. Luckily, he learned from his mistake and incinerated his blood. Subsequently, he placed a seal in the life energy, isolating it from the death energy.
[Arcane Spell: Wrath of The Thunder God]
Edward cast a powerful spell that covered the entire galaxy with lightning and thunder. Whenever the lightning descended, it destroyed everything in its path, and Guzznad had to bear the brunt of this attack.
He raised his hand to create a shield composed of death energy above him, blocking the thunder.
Plugh!
Guzznad vomited another mouthful of blood.
'Damn it, I've been tricked.'
He knew the Emperor did not use such a large area of effect spell to show how powerful the attack was; he had a purpose. Thunder is considered one of the positive elements, so Edward filled the entire galaxy with positive energy.
Finally, the positive energy resonated with the positive attribute of the life energy inside Guzznad's body, aggravating his injury.
"I can't believe he brought me to this point in such a short time,' thought Guzznad. 'I need to buy more time, so I have no choice but to use this now.'
The surroundings suddenly changed. Edward found himself in a large area. In the distance was a vast, noble, and majestic black palace. He could hear the sounds of countless people chanting Guzznad's name.
"Divine Kingdom Projection," he muttered.
"So, you know about this too? I guess I shouldn't be surprised," said Guzznad with a sneer.
"Do you think this is enough to stop me?"
Guzznad did not think it was enough. Normally, as long as he summoned the projection of his Divine Kingdom, the mana of mages would stop working, and their soul would be suppressed, making it extremely hard to even think properly, let alone cast spells.
However, he knew there was a way to offset this ability: he used large and frequent energy fluctuations to offset the power of the Divine Kingdom.
'Most mages will not be able to do so, but it should not be a problem for him with his Mana Pool and the Floating City's Energy Reserve,' thought Guzznad. 'However, my main objective is to buy time.'
Energy fluctuation can indeed offset the Divine Kingdom's ability. However, such a method is very draining. So, most people who use it would eventually run out of energy and overuse their stamina.
This is one of the tactics the Gods used against certain difficult mage civilizations.
'Trying to drain me?' thought Edward, who had to rely on Morgana for his mind to remain intact. He could also feel his mana was sealed, becoming useless.
[Magic Domain]
The surroundings changed again, and Edward found himself sitting on a throne with a gate behind him, books all over the floor.
'So, the magic domain is effective?' he thought as he felt his mana was working as usual. Even the mana he channeled from Netheril no longer has any problem.
"What is this?' asked Guzznad, as his experience could not help him in this situation. However, he could tell his opponent was no longer influenced by his Divine Kingdom.
'It seems to be a contained world, similar to my Divine Kingdom.'
As soon as this thought came to his mind, he felt scared. The Divine Kingdom was one of the main reasons the Gods ruled over every race and civilization.
If mages now had a world that functioned in a similar faction, their authority would be challenged.
Guzznad's eyes under the hood showed killing intent, followed by intense greed.
'After I become an Elder God, I might lose my Divine Kingdom. If I can get this method, I might not lose it or make up for the loss.'
His desire to get his hands on the Arcane Empire drastically increased.
"What an interesting reaction," said Edward, who felt the emotional fluctuations from his opponent.
[Arcane Spell: Supermassive Black Hole]
A black hole the size of a basketball appeared on Guzznad's side of this battlefield. However, its size drastically increased with every passing second.
The terrible gravitational pull it released seemed to destabilize this Divine Kingdom.
A cold and mighty snort emanated from Guzznad's mouth as he declared:
"In my kingdom, I am absolute."
He waved his hand, and the black hole stopped expanding; on the contrary, it was rapidly shrinking.
"If you like it so much, I will give it to you as a gift."
Boom!
The black hole exploded, generating unparalleled gravitational push. The destruction created by such an explosion was devastating. If not for the Mirror Dimension and the suppression of the Divine Kingdom, dozens of galaxies full of life would have suffered.
"Damn it," cursed Guzznad, who actually suppressed the explosion. However, he discovered some cracks in this projection.
'He forced me,' he thought with gritted teeth.