Summoning Millions of Gods Daily, My Strength Equals Theirs Combined Chapter 552 -552-Make a Move—Shoot the Bird That Sticks Its Neck Out
Previously on Summoning Millions of Gods Daily, My Strength Equals Theirs Combined...
Within the royal court, at a tavern by the roadside.
Thoreau and Leon faced one another while seated, their gazes fixed firmly on the bustling street beyond.
A group of Sage Lord guards marched past.
Yet another group of Sage Lord guards appeared...
The following one remained Sage Lord as well...
...
The seventh. The eighth. The ninth...
Their thoughts grew dazed and overwhelmed.
"Guests, your coffee."
The server approached carrying a tray.
Leon jolted back to awareness and quickly halted the server.
"Friend, may I ask you a question? Do you know those guards on patrol?"
The server glanced in the direction he indicated and offered a smile.
"Sir, you must be kidding. Those are the Empire's fixed security troops posted at the royal court. They pass along this very street daily—how could I fail to know them?"
"Security force?"
Thoreau uttered the phrase with great strain. "Yet you appear completely unsurprised?"
The server blinked once, then chuckled. "Guests... you hail from outside these parts, right?"
"Why be surprised at all? We're citizens of the Empire these days, shielded by its might. Provided you avoid stirring up issues, they'll leave you alone entirely."
The assembled powerhouses: "..."
Is that even the point of our question?!
We want to know why every single guard in the patrol is a Sage Lord!!
"Are you aware they're all Sage Lord powerhouses?" A member of the Thunder clan furrowed his brow, unable to hold back.
"Yes, naturally." The server replied offhandedly.
In an instant, the powerhouses sensed a brutal grip tightening around their hearts.
You truly recognize it!
So why not display even a hint of astonishment!
What explains this utterly casual, 'all is normal' demeanor?
You're turning us into ignorant villagers who've never ventured beyond their fields!
A deep, bizarre feeling of distortion surged within them, driving them toward insanity.
Sage Lords at every turn. Sage Lords treated as commonplace.
No—this can't be the reality. What sort of realm exists here?
Have they wandered into the incorrect domain? How is this the Eastern Starfield by any measure?
The server eyed the group's puzzled expressions in confusion before departing with his tray.
After a short distance, he whispered to himself.
"It's routine every day. Every town features them. What's unusual? These visitors from afar always overreact..."
Silence enveloped the private room completely.
During their journey to this place, they viewed the Crossbridge Empire as merely a figurehead sustained by some forgotten force.
They had gone so far as to plan a direct assault on the imperial palace, compelling that figurehead sovereign to surrender the boy!
However, the sight of over ten teams of Sage Lord patrols now doused them like a torrent of freezing water cascading over their bodies.
Moreover, the server's nonchalant manner chilled them to the core more than any blatant threat ever could.
All their haughty notions were crushed to dust.
"For now... we ought to hold back. Observe and bide our time."
Leon declared, his tone somewhat parched.
"I believe..." a genuine Sage Master originating from Elysium Starrealm uttered with effort, "we must first gain a real grasp of this Empire."
"Had we not ventured into the city personally to witness it, we'd have remained ignorant of those troops..."
He halted, leaving the rest unsaid.
Thoreau paused briefly in quiet, then murmured softly.
"Numerous individuals must have arrived in the Star Sea already... yet until this point, none have uttered a word."
"They're likely all keeping a low profile as well, anticipating the ancient bloodlines to strike first. If not... nobody risks approaching that entrance."
Leon inclined his head in agreement.
Phrasing it as "grasping the Empire beforehand" carried a polished ring—familiarize yourself with the foe and yourself.
Yet in plain terms, fear gripped them tightly.
Not a soul wished to emerge as the initial target.
...
This hesitation wasn't exclusive to their group.
The Saintess of Truth alongside a councilor from Silent Extinction positioned themselves on a sacred summit within the Chaotic Realm, staring distantly toward the Gold Giant Gate's location.
Specialists from the Primeval Law Clan concealed themselves amid the wreckage of the Devers Divine Empire.
Elder deities and kin of the Godblood Scion loitered near the Starlight Colonnade, similarly fixating on the immense outline of that massive portal at the celestial horizon's edge.
Innumerable stares bored through the emptiness, converging on that portal—
but no individual ventured to proceed impulsively.
...
Inside a hidden chamber.
An elder bearing dragon horns positioned himself with arms folded behind, directing his sight skyward.
He understood that portal better than any other, owing to his heritage in the Primordial Dragon clan. He had beheld the Stellar Divine Court in its zenith firsthand—and had trodden within that fabled Twelvefold Aetherian Sanctuary.
"Grandfather... will truly anyone have the courage to force entry?"
A young man lingered beside him. Containing his internal astonishment, he couldn't resist inquiring softly.
The elder grinned, creases forming around his eye edges.
"Never belittle that Divine Sanctuary. Nor undervalue the worth of that boy."
He articulated deliberately. "On this occasion, the powers of the whole Star Sea are in play."
"It's not a matter of lacking daring—they simply refuse to serve as the vanguard bolt striking the fortress. Should those ancient bloodlines emerge at this juncture, true to their nature, they would have already barreled directly past that portal."
"So... all are holding out for the ancient bloodlines?"
The elder affirmed with a nod.
The young man remained quiet for an extended period.
"Grandfather," he at last expressed, "I feel... perhaps we should steer clear of involvement."
"We lack knowledge of that mystery's nature. Risking our existence isn't justified."
"Survival brings chances aplenty. Death renders all pursuits meaningless."
"Furthermore, the Crossbridge Empire feels excessively peculiar. To date, we've yet to plumb its actual extent. I simply... sense an unease."
The elder swiveled to regard the young man steadily.
After a beat, a grin surfaced on his features—his gaze brimming with overt approval.
"Well done. If you comprehend that much, it suffices."
...
BOOOOM—!
Precisely then, the firmament quaked abruptly!
The elder and the young man both lifted their eyes.
Simultaneously, the concealed powerhouses throughout the royal court—
Lindsey, Leon, Thoreau, the Saintess of Truth, the Slaughter Angel, Silent Extinction's councilor, the Primeval Law Clan, the Godblood Scion... myriad sights whipped skyward together, fastening on the heavens!
A silhouette enveloped in destructive infernal glow rocketed upward!
Oblivion Originkin had finally acted!
The presence of a authentic Sage Master radiated openly. Inky Oblivion Origin roiled about him akin to a swelling shadowy wave.
Hearts among the onlookers pounded with thrill—
yet nobody stirred.
This marked the pioneer they awaited.
...
Upon the Summit of the Heavenlight Divine Pillar
A misty form remained motionless, surveying the vast god domain below.
Mily positioned herself calmly nearby, likewise directing her view to the remote ebony gleam.
Beneath the celestial peak, atop a sprawling metropolis, Charlemagne peered distantly at the Gold Giant Gate.
He softly shook his head, offering no words.
Still, a enigmatic smirk clung to his lips' edge.
...
The authentic Sage Master of Oblivion Originkin loomed defiantly amid the clouds, confronting the Gold Giant Gate from a distance.
His ebony garment consisted of Oblivion Origin woven directly; every thread etched subtle fissures across the emptiness.
He peered downward at the sparse defenders positioned before the enormous entrance—merely a scant few.
"Do you lot truly believe you can block my path?"
His tone carried cool disdain, laced with scorn.
"You're scarcely sufficient to warm me up. If death holds no appeal, summon someone from within capable of real combat."
He hesitated, then intoned icily.
"I intend to discover what entitles the Crossbridge Empire to claim this Twelvefold Aetherian Sanctuary."
He refrained from the folly of rushing ahead to unleash carnage.
The inner workings of the Divine Sanctuary were unknown to him. Yet merely observing the Sage Lord presence permeating the god domain allowed him to deduce the Empire's utmost strength must be horrifying!
Should he force his way inside and encounter some indefinable horror, escape might prove impossible.
The optimal approach involved drawing them forth.
As if comprehending his taunt, the Gold Giant Gate responded.
Hmmm—!
The following moment saw the vast portal vibrate!
Across its facade, those primordial sacred runes—dormant across infinite eras—flared to life suddenly, resembling a slumbering titan awakening its sight.
Subsequently, one form emerged.
Two forms. Ten. A hundred. A thousand. Ten thousand...
A hundred thousand. A million. Ten million...
Time Warlocks, Void Warlocks, Titans... every one a Sage Lord!
Legion upon legion poured endlessly from the portal.
No shouts of battle—solely ranks precise as meshed gears.
They saturated the full expanse of the sky.
They dominated the Oblivion Originkin Sage Master's every vista.
Myriad impassive stares merely converged upon him wordlessly.
In this instant, he resembled an unwitting insect ensnared within the Divine Sanctuary.