The war between the Celestial Court and Asgard was impossible to hide.
Every pantheon in the universe beca aware of the conflict almost imdiately. Most chose not to interfere. Instead, they watched from afar, eager to see which side would erge victorious.
It was exactly the outco Drex Valen had hoped for.
As for the gods of the Celestial Court, they had already made their choice.
Compared to the previous Jade Emperor, this new Heavenly Emperor was everything they had ever wanted. A ruler whose will could move heaven and earth. A sovereign whose thoughts alone could erase laws and reshape reality.
Of course, Drex himself had little interest in being an emperor.
The throne was rely a disguise.
A useful mask.
He had seized the Celestial Court and recreated its gods solely to further his plans.
Once everything was over, he would likely leave them to exist within the Black Hole Dinsion.
Transforming the Black Hole Dinsion into a Celestial Court Dinsion was out of the question.
Doing so would drastically slow his growth.
Only by preserving its fundantal nature could the Black Hole Dinsion continue to devour all forms of energy and souls.
Good souls.
Evil souls.
It made no difference.
Everything could be consud and converted into power.
Unlike Heaven, which had always been selective about what it accepted.
The Black Hole Dinsion was not.
The celestial gods fought with astonishing enthusiasm.
Even the Asgardians found it strange.
Erlang Shen was not originally a god.
Not in the strict sense.
Though he had possessed countless divine titles throughout history and received worship from mortals through officially recognized temples, he had never truly held a major divine office.
At least, not before Drex arrived.
Drex had always liked Erlang Shen.
When he discovered this universe's Celestial Court lacked him entirely, he simply created his own version.
Then, using the authority of a dinsional ruler, he granted him a new position.
Judicial God of Heaven.
A divine office wasn't rely a title.
The greater the office, the greater the divine power and authority attached to it.
Certainly, history was filled with incompetent rulers who occupied powerful positions despite lacking talent.
The Jade Emperor had been one such example.
Erlang Shen was not.
His achievents had already proven his worth.
His strength alone was enough to make even high-ranking gods uneasy.
The old Celestial Court had always been governed by hierarchy.
Beneath the Heavenly Emperor stood countless exalted offices.
Imperial Sovereigns.
Celestial Emperors.
Sacred Lords.
The Queen Mother.
Many of these positions had been created during later reorganizations of Heaven, often divided among competing factions.
Others, however, traced their origins back to the oldest eras of creation.
Ancient beings who had wielded such authority since the dawn of myth itself.
But after Drex consud the Celestial Court Dinsion and rged it into the Black Hole Dinsion, those original divine offices lost their foundation.
The Black Hole Dinsion did not recognize them.
As a result, while the recreated gods were stronger than their predecessors, their old paths of advancent had vanished.
Which left only one option.
Earn the favor of the new Heavenly Emperor.
Every god understood it.
The first generation of divine offices in the New Celestial Court had yet to be established.
Whoever earned Drex's approval might beco the first holder of one of those positions.
Drex had briefly considered recreating the old hierarchy.
Then he looked through the endless collection of obscure titles and imdiately lost interest.
Many of them were difficult to understand.
Others sounded impressive but revealed nothing about their purpose.
Why bother?
Simple titles were better.
War God.
Sun God.
Moon God.
Everyone understood those.
There was no need to create an endless maze of bureaucratic ranks.
Besides, the old system had another flaw.
It allowed powerful figures to stand alongside the Heavenly Emperor as equals.
That was unacceptable.
Drex had no intention of sharing authority.
The position of Heavenly Emperor should be absolute.
No equals.
No rivals.
No competing thrones.
Had this been the genuine Celestial Court of myth, he might have shown greater respect to its ancient rulers.
This version?
Marvel's interpretation of the Celestial Court inspired no such reverence.
On the battlefield, Erlang Shen's patience finally ran out.
Despite their prolonged duel, Thor still stood.
Erlang Shen let out a cold snort.
Then he unleashed the true power of his divine office.
The difference was imdiate.
Golden divine radiance flowed across his body.
His presence transford.
Majestic.
Solemn.
Unyielding.
The light coursed through him like a living river.
Space itself began to stiffen around him.
The battlefield felt heavier.
As though so invisible force was imposing judgnt upon reality itself.
His divine power surged into his armor.
The brilliant golden-purple armor he wore dissolved into particles of light.
In its place appeared a suit of black divine armor forged entirely from condensed godly power.
Black armor.
Black crown.
An ocean of divine authority.
His very existence beca overwhelming.
Then his third eye opened.
A pillar of divine light erupted from his forehead.
The heavens shook.
Power roared through him like a raging sea.
His fighting spirit exploded.
So did his killing intent.
Combined with the authority of the Judicial God of Heaven, the result was terrifying.
Every god on the battlefield felt the pressure.
Even Thor's expression changed.
For a brief mont, the pressure reminded him of Odin.
Impossible.
Thor stared in disbelief.
How could a glorified judge possess such power?
What he didn't understand was that the office of Judicial God of Heaven was far more than a simple judge.
Its authority encompassed the enforcent of heavenly law.
The judgnt of gods.
The maintenance of order across Heaven, Earth, and countless realms.
The divine power attached to such authority was imnse.
Thor barely had ti to react.
Erlang Shen's spear struck him.
The force blasted the God of Thunder from the sky.
The divine power of judgnt tore through his body.
Pain unlike anything he had experienced in centuries exploded through his nerves.
Below, the celestial armies erupted into cheers.
Their morale soared.
Seeing one of Asgard's greatest champions overwheld inspired every soldier on the battlefield.
After all, wars created heroes.
The sa way mortal kingdoms produced legendary generals through conflict, divine wars could elevate ordinary gods into figures of myth.
Those who fought on the front lines stood to gain the most.
Certainly more than those who hid behind walls and whispered from safety.
The rewards of victory had always belonged to the bold.
Drex understood that.
It was one reason he had recreated these souls instead of simply erasing them.
They were useful.
Ambitious.
Motivated.
This war was also a test.
An opportunity.
Those who fought bravely would be rewarded.
Those who shrank from danger would prove they were unworthy of remaining in the New Celestial Court.
Seeing Thor fall back, Erlang Shen moved to finish the battle.
He raised his spear.
One final strike.
Thor's head would beco a trophy.
A symbol that would ignite the morale of Heaven's armies.
Then everything changed.
A beam of divine light descended from above.
It crossed the battlefield in an instant.
And pierced directly through Erlang Shen's divine body.
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