Book 9: Chapter 37: Chess Pieces (1)

Dyon glanced at the Universe Spirit as it threw a tantrum. Now that he had subdued, he could see its true form. If he had to describe it, it looked exactly how one might describe a cherub. A little chubby baby with wings far too small for its body.According to Amphorae, a Cherub was actually a mighty angel with five pairs of wings, but seeing this little foul-mouthed little guy, Dyon couldn’t help but chuckle. Maybe all of the legends that circulated his home world really did have some kernel of truth to them. After seeing the mystical races and creatures of the Ancient Battlefield, he had already become certain of this.Dyon wondered if all Universe Spirits looked like this or if it was just this little guy.“You may think of me however you’d like, but the fact of the matter is that the Five Beast Clans can never accumulate as much faith for you as I can. Be obedient, or I really will feed you to another universe.”The cherub grit its teeth, its small golden body bobbing in the air.The Five Beast Clans had treated it with the utmost respect, but that was only because they didn’t understand the secrets within Universe Spirits. Dyon knew that their only ability was to siphon and act as a medium for the control of Faith. They had no ability to act against their owner, lest the Heavens lose their power.Simply put, Dyon didn’t feel the need to be respectful to this little spirit, especially since it was so weak.Dyon ignored the universe spirit as it continued to rave, feeling the changes to his body. In truth, he knew very little about faith, mostly because he never asked. He had too many things on his mind to worry about something that was out of his grasp.However, in recent times, especially after his battle with Diasho Ken, he realized that it was foolish of himself to ignore something so important. Maybe it had been because of his arrogance that he even made such a mistake to begin with. He simply didn’t believe that anyone who had to rely on others could match him in battle.In reality, this was in part true. Though he had to pay a heavy price, Dyon defeated Diasho Ken thanks to his True Domain. But that was when Diasho Ken’s life saving jade activated.In the end, Dyon realized he needed to know more.Firstly, Faith had different degrees of strength. These degrees of strength didn’t only refer to the strength a Clan’s size and history could provide, but there were also differences within individual Clans and Sects as well.Essentially, the Faith an Emperor of an Emperor God Clan could wield was very different from the Faith his heir could. And the Faith an heir could wield was likewise different from the Faith someone further from the line of succession could.Facing Diasho Ken’s Faith and defeating it didn’t mean that Dyon would be able to do the same for other members of the Diasho Clan. Diasho Ken’s ability to wield Faith would be far weaker than his elder brother’s, his father, and especially his grandfather. His Faith would also be weaker than the various elders of their Clan as well.What did this mean for Dyon? It meant as the de facto Leader, his Faith would be greater than others.At this moment, those of the Sacharro Clan could feel this novel strength coursing through their veins.Ri, Clara, Madeleine, and Amphorae all could as Dyon’s official wives. As Dyon’s only heir, Little Alauna, was also receiving the benefits of this strength.As of now, others couldn’t feel it. There would need to be appropriate rituals that would need to take place in order for this to happen. But, as of now, the Heavens only recognized Dyon’s flesh and blood, as well as his official wives.Though Luna and Dyon had once shared a bed, Dyon hadn’t trusted Luna then. As a result, he never melded his soul with Luna’s, and as such, she wasn’t recognized by the Heavens as one of his wives.This experience made Dyon’s gaze turn serious. Reason being that after conquering just a single weak universe, he could feel that his Faith was already not very far from Diasho Ken’s.This matter sounds ridiculous, and for good reason.Diasho Ken’s Clan was part of the Five Blade Families, a group of five Clans who shared the Blade Quadrant. Though they were an Alliance, much like the Nephilim and the Transcendent Beast Clans, not to mention the Devil Quadrants and the Sprite Alliance, their Faiths were melded as one.From what Dyon was aware, they controlled at least 80 to 90% of their quadrant, with only a few left unconquered thanks to the intervention of the Beast Protection Association.So what did this all mean? It meant that Dyon, as an official King of the current King God Sacharro Clan, was already near the Faith output of Diasho Ken, the second in line Heir of the Diasho Clan who ruled over almost 20 universes.This meant that the Faith Dyon had faced was only the tip of the iceberg. The true Kings and Emperors of these massive Clans had a level of Faith he couldn’t even imagine currently.A new sense of urgency overwhelmed Dyon. He no longer bothered with the wailing cherub and immediately left at his fastest speed toward the remaining 12 universes. He had to conquer them all.The universe spirits of the five core universes were definitely far stronger. By extension, the Faith they could provide was also far stronger. Dyon had to ensure that all his planning didn’t come crumbling down simply due to Faith.However… It was impossible for Dyon’s action to go unnoticed.