The destination of Tartarus’s teleportation was the throne room of a pure white castle. As Tartarus sprawled arrogantly across the grand seat, over a dozen deities serving under his command knelt before him.
Without exception, every one of them kept their head bowed low, fixing their gaze firmly on the floor.
"So? Thanatos, what’s become of the Singularity in Lemuria?"
"Sir! Our investigation has confirmed that it resides within a city named Babel, a colony established by the native humans."
A hulking gentleman in a black suit with long sideburns answered Tartarus’s inquiry without missing a beat.
"Nice! That's great! So, what about my vessel in Lemuria, huh?"
Tartarus shifted only his eyes toward an officer in the rearmost row as he asked.
"A-About that... we are currently narrowing down the candidates, so—"
"Oh, is that so?!"
Tartarus crushed a small black sphere in his right hand. Instantly, the reporting officer's entire body violently burst apart in every direction.
Amidst the shower of flying flesh, Tartarus spoke again.
"Do you even get it? No matter how super-exceptional my abilities are, if I don't have a compatible vessel, I can't achieve manifestation at all, you know?"
A thick blue vein pulsed along his forehead, yet his grotesque smile never wavered.
Even Lethe—Thanatos’s closest aide, a man with glasses and neatly parted black hair—could not utter a single word, remaining frozen in place. As the entire assembly trembled in terror, Thanatos stepped forward.
"I am well aware. Just as you instructed, I have already dispatched subordinates embedded with Your Divinity's core to Lemuria. By utilizing them, even if a suitable vessel is not found, Your Divinity's manifestation will still be possible."
Thanatos delivered his answer without so much as twitching an eyebrow. Tartarus stared down at him in silence for a brief moment, then scoffed.
"Not good enough."
Tartarus made a cutting gesture with two raised fingers. In a split second, Thanatos’s right arm was sliced clean off at the shoulder, dropping heavily to the floor. As blood sprayed through the air, Tartarus rose from the throne, stepped up to the unyielding Thanatos—who still hadn't changed his expression in the slightest—and ground the back of the general's head beneath his heel.
"An artificial vessel can't hold even one-hundredth of my true power. With that pathetic durability, it'll collapse the second I try to absorb the Singularity. Right? Isn't that so?!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Then what’s your plan, huh?"
"We shall use this."
Resting upon Thanatos’s left palm was a blood-red jewel.
"And that is?"
"A supreme artifact bestowed upon us by Lord Hermes."
"Hermes? That guy, making something for me...? Which means this came from that Great One... Well, fine. So, with this, my complete manifestation in Lemuria is guaranteed, right?"
"Yes, sir! This is a sacred treasure designed to amplify the effects of techniques. It will elevate the potency of Your Divinity's Incarnation technique by several stages."
"Kuha! Very well. In that case, an artificial vessel will certainly do the job."
Just as Tartarus’s subordinates let out a collective sigh of relief—
"Buuut, then again!"
Tartarus's lips curled into a wicked sneer. He summoned several small black spheres in his right hand and crushed them all at once.
"Gwah!"
"Geh!"
"Gyeh?!"
The vast majority of the generals and officers filling the throne room were mangled into unrecognizable heaps of flesh.
The only ones permitted to live were Thanatos of the Four Heavenly Generals, along with his Three War Gods: Lethe, Mache, and Athena.
"Be grateful. I'll overlook the blunders of you useless fools in exchange for their lives. But there won't be a next time, got it?"
With that declaration, Tartarus vanished from the throne room without leaving a trace.
"Everyone...!"
As if breaking free from a trance, Lethe rushed over to the remains of his slaughtered subordinates, clutching the scattered pieces of flesh to his chest as he broke down in tears.
"Lord Thanatos..."
Mache spoke, tears welling in the corners of his eyes while his face contorted in sheer fury.
"I know. Say no more."
"However—"
Athena, the woman in the black dress with bandages wrapped over her eyes, placed a firm hand on Mache’s right shoulder and shook her head.
"Just a little longer. Just a little more..."
Thanatos muttered in a hollow, emotionless voice, as if trying to drill the words into his own soul.