Chapter 27 – When Gods Fear the Flame
They had all felt it.
A ripple through the tapestry of the supernatural world. A pulse of unified power that shattered predictions and rattled prophecies. From the High Heavens to the deepest pits of Hell, the Scarlet Dragon King's trials had ended, and in his wake… twelve fires now burned in harmony.
The world would never be the same.
---
Mount Olympus – Throne of Zeus
The throne room rumbled with divine dissonance as Zeus slammed his lightning staff against marble.
"Twelve flames. Twelve goddesses. Primordial forces," he growled. "And they follow one man?"
Athena's calm voice cut through the air. "Not follow. Stand with. That is what makes him dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Ares barked. "He's already unstoppable. That dragon king walks with Death, Shiva, and the Sun at his side. What army could resist that?"
Hera narrowed her eyes. "Not even our own. And if he turns his gaze toward Olympus—"
"He won't," Athena interrupted. "But someone else will push him to."
Silence.
Because they all knew. In every pantheon, fear breeds foolish ambition.
---
Asgard – Yggdrasil's Pulse
Odin stared into the Well of Mimir, his lone eye watching fragments of prophecy swirl.
"He burns like the fire from before the first frost," the old god whispered. "He is no longer just dragon or man. He is a bonded flame—tempered by queens and chaos."
Thor paced, Mjolnir humming. "Should we prepare?"
Loki—smiling from the shadows—answered before Odin could. "You can't prepare for what loves you without chains. That man… they chose him. And that makes him more terrifying than any conqueror."
Odin's fingers curled around Gungnir.
"We won't strike. Not yet. But if the Nine Realms shift toward him…"
"…we'll be forced to choose."
---
Heaven – The Seraphic Citadel
The angels were in disarray.
Michael stood in the High Chamber, his wings dimmed with unease. Around him, Thrones and Virtues debated with sharp voices.
"He stands beside Death!"
"He consorts with demons, yokai, eldritch!"
"He is not evil," Gabriel said, her voice calm but fierce. "He has done more to unite than any of us."
"But he disrupts the balance," another protested. "Even the sacred flames bend to him."
Michael silenced them with a raised hand.
"The question is not what Eric Aivor will do," he said. "The question is—what will we become in his shadow?"
No one answered.
Because truth was heavier than any blade.
---
The Hindu Pantheon – Silent Reverence
They did not shout.
They did not argue.
The deities of the Trimurti sat in solemn stillness.
Vishnu, serene and endless. Brahma, lost in thought. And Shiva—the true Shiva, watching a mirror where her female incarnation now stood at Eric's side, laughing beside Death and Ophis.
"He has touched what none of us could tame," Brahma murmured. "Even the void smiles in his presence."
Vishnu's gaze was distant. "He is not one of us… and yet he is what we failed to become. A god by merit. A king by heart."
The true Shiva finally spoke.
"I do not fear him," he said. "I honor her choice. And if he stands beside her, then let the universe burn before I raise a hand against him."
And with that, the summit ended without conflict.
For now.
---
Hell – The Depths of the Infernal Council
Sirzechs sat at the head of the table, fingers interlaced. The Maou Lords, some ancient, some recently crowned, sat in a tense circle.
Ajuka Beelzebub broke the silence first. "Your brother no longer walks as a devil. He has become… something beyond our kind."
"He still cares," Sirzechs said. "But he will not bow."
"And he now has the hearts of beings who could shatter the Underworld with a breath," Serafall murmured. "What happens when someone tries to take one of them from him?"
"They won't live long enough to regret it," Grayfia's voice echoed from the doorway.
The Council froze.
She stepped forward, dressed in battle robes, no longer a servant—but a queen reborn.
"I have chosen," she said. "And I will not tolerate threats against our family."
Sirzechs closed his eyes.
Even he understood now.
Eric wasn't just a threat.
He was a center of gravity.
And the world was beginning to orbit him.
---
Elsewhere – The Gathering of Shadows
In the farthest reaches of unreality, where names no longer held meaning, a being stirred.
It was not god.
Not devil.
Not dragon.
But something older.
"Balance… breaks," it rasped.
It had watched the flames unite.
It had seen Ophis awaken to feeling.
It had seen the Primordial Sun choose.
The others would hesitate. They would fear.
But it?
It would act.
Because what Eric Aivor was building—flame by flame, heart by heart—was hope.
And in the old order's eyes…
Hope is the greatest threat of all.
---
Meanwhile… in the Crimson Sanctuary
Eric stood on the balcony overlooking the stars. Behind him, the soft laughter of his harem echoed from the inner halls.
His eyes burned with clarity.
He could feel it—the shifting currents of the world, the whispers in the pantheons, the trembling balance of fate.
They would come for him eventually.
But not today.
Today, he had them.
His fire.
His queens.
His family.
And when the world knocked on his door next…
He'd open it with a dragon's smile and a king's fury.