"Wake up already!" Pef heard someone yelling in his ear.

He opened his eyes, then glanced at Reason who was standing too close and was glowing and glaring at him, at the same time.

Then he looked around, observing the frozen landscape, waves poised to splash, but yet not falling.

"Shut up... I was having a great dream." Pef mumbled with a lazy and sleepy voice.

The glowing woman sighed and patted his head. "You were on life support for one and a half million years. I told you the recoil might kill you!" she complained with a sad tone.

Pef nodded wisely. Of course, he had known. He tried to avoid firing such a powerful discharge, but that Tier 4 demon was much too durable. Even his voidsplitter bounced off.

"How are things outside?" he asked instead.

"A dozen demons made it to the surface and released their invasion armies, mostly slaves and war beasts. The elves and the Legion are fighting them off, while the Elf King is dealing with the higher ranks. About 20 percent loses so far, and we have a couple of new Emperor recruits." Reason explained, while sitting on the warm sand next to him.

"A flawless victory then, going by normal Legion standards." Pef mused, thinking of his earlier failures during worm crisis and the Perimeter last ditch defense. That victory was a classical and textbook Legion one, with over 99 percent total loses.

His senses spread out, taking in the new land mass, now expanded into a small continent. His wives were all Ascended now, having butchered most of the captured demons. A dozen Demon Lords were still kept in glowing amber, possibly as Ascension gifts for their sisters back on Lacrima.

Deep under the water geyser, a boundary layer had formed, with a few White Ice Lotus plants growing there. Pef smiled at the way his subconscious mind came up with things to help out. Copying the wonders of his homeworld, but this was at least useful, unlike the silly ice castle of solitude.

Then he looked up, and saw the new planet that had appeared around the nearest star. Another ocean planet, with a small island containing a small monastery and a few fields of mana fruits. Maybe Arden will like it, if they ever met again.

His inner core size had reached a size called Constellation, which was quite fitting. One could look at the sky now and imagine shapes made of stars. The Virgin, the Archer, the Smith.

Each could have their own story, and become myths. Then one day, if the belief was strong enough, they'll come back to life.

Time resumed its flow, as Pef's avatar stood up and flew next to his wives.

Vela glanced at him, still petting the puppy absently. "We won then?" she asked in a soft voice.

"There's still some mop up to do, but yes." Pef said with a nod.

Yuan came and hugged him gently, then drew back and scanned him with her new divine senses. "You look like you've been through hell, husband. Even your avatar is tired and depleted."

A lightning strike fell from the sky, crashing far into the ocean. Pef grimaced, and pointed with his chin. "Still am. My body is still getting fried by lightning." he answered with a pained voice, while caressing the bright red hair of his wife.

They all looked at Pef with pity in their eyes.

Another goddess stepped next to him, and poked his cheek. "The land is so big now. You killed the Archdemon?" Xie asked with a grin.

Pef grinned back at his purple-haired wife. "You know me, Xie. Plus, I had Reason talk some sense into him. The poor demon died screaming." he explained with a smirk.

Reason snorted loudly and bent to pet the puppy. "I know, comrade. We're forced to serve an idiot." she complained in fake whisper.

The puppy barked in approval.

The women laughed and Pef blinked away, entering his kitchen.

Cooking was food for the soul. Maybe one day, someone will have a Cook constellation named after him.

That would be much better than the Swordsman, splitter of worlds.

Lia entered the kitchen and started making tea, her movements precise and formal, while he flowed through the ritual of cooking without formalized steps, instead going by inspiration and smell.

The oracle glanced at him but remained silent, since she generally understood what was happening much better, via her skill. "We almost died, Lia. It was so close." he said in a whisper.

"Failure is scary, death is not. Even in death, we serve the Legion. But we didn't fail, and now we get to live. Once you update the Indoctrination Method with the new insights, we'll be able to open the door." Lia said while pouring tea with sure hands.

Pef stopped for a second then nodded. "I sure hope so, Lia. But if there's no one there, to open the door for us..."

Lia sat down and sipped her tea with a serene face. A minute later she sighed and tapped the table. "You're halfway to tier 4, beloved husband. You'll break down the door if you have to. The glove didn't choose you for your brains."

Pef snorted and sat beside her, and smelled deeply. The tea was a mix of ginseng and jasmine, and boiled to perfection. "You can start cooking for us now. I think you're as good as me."

Lia smiled into her cup. "Lin is even better. She has the skill of a Maker, you know?"

Pef pouted and stirred the porridge in silence. "Of course she does. I struggle to perfect my cooking skills, Lin just...makes whatever she wants."

A long silence answered him, so he turned around. The table had filled with every inhabitant of his world, including Lin. He smiled awkwardly and began serving the meal.

"What is this?" Vela asked in a doubtful tone, poking the fried mushrooms.

"Edible plants from the forest. Pigs love them." he said absently.

Vela chewed slowly, then decided it was good food and gulped everything at speed. "Tastes great!" she exclaimed with a satisfied voice.

"Glad you like it dear. Now, we'll need to prepare for when I exit the sun. There are still about 20 demon High Lords around, which will help you Ascend rapidly to Tier 2 after you each kill a couple..." Pef began, detailing his plans.

An hour later, everything was as prepared as he could.

He grit his teeth and returned his perception to his outer body.

Instantly, the glove stored all the nearby artifacts and demon cores, then Pef blinked himself outside the Sun.

With another blink, he began catching up with two demon High Lords, which he dismembered and froze in ice, leaving Lia and Yuan to finish them off.

Another jump, and Lin and Qin were gifted their frozen prizes.

Then the next jump placed him beside the elf Grand Duke, who was chasing after three demon High Lords.

He caught two, leaving them partly immobilized for Vela and Xie.

'Thanks, human. I'll get the last one...' the elf pulsed in his mind.

Pef nodded and jumped away, arriving above a treasure ship with a dozen demons preparing to flee.

He drew his gun. 'Ask them politely to stay awhile.' he whispered in his mind.

Reason chuckled in his mind, then spoke, her words forming a bear trap made of golden light, which crushed the ship and entrapped the High Lords in temporal amber.

Then he turned around and blinked away, as Zorkel slashed through the place he had just occupied.

'Your vows are broken then?' Pef asked as he parried another sword slash from the Greater Demon.

'With the Archdemon and his cursed scepter destroyed, I am the strongest demon in the galaxy!' Zorkel boasted, attacking with a flurry of swords, six of them, for each of his hand.

Pef summoned another sword blade, barely able to deflect the furious attacks. He kept flying backwards, drawing the treasonous demon away from his wives.

'Even so, my friend. I promised to give you the Archdemon core, for your faithful service.' Pef whispered into the demon's mind.

Zorkel stopped for a second. 'Really? You weren't joking?'

'Hold him for a minute, dear Reason.' Pef ordered instead, glad he managed to get Zorkel to stay still for a second.

The power word gun spoke again, a flash of light and a short sentence. "By her grace, hold a minute."

Pef chuckled inward and blinked away, grabbing Nellie from the Legion spacestation and bringing her back with him. 'Break his core, Nellie. He turned on us.' he pulsed in his elven wife's mind.

Zorkel screamed in his mind, pleading for a second chance and reminding him of his promise.

Pef rose his index finger. 'I said faithful service, Zorkel. You chose death instead.'

Seeing Nellie unable to break the demon core, only chipping off tiny bits, Pef grabbed her elbow and flared his sword qi, slashing through the Greater Demon's core.

Zorkel wailed and died, but this time his body didn't evaporate into violet flames. The corpse remained floating in the void, cut in half.

Nellie looked in wonder at him, before exploding with blue light, her aura expanding greatly as she Ascended to Tier 3.

'Blue aura, huh?' Pef mused inward.

'Magic and mind affinity. Just like Vela.' the glove said curtly.

'The curse on the demons is broken now?' Pef wondered as he stored the corpse in his glove.

The glove didn't answer, too busy scanning the Greater Demon for extra tidbits of information.

The body cultivation method in particular, as well as the magic circuits in his body. Almost like a formation array, designed to allow demons to emulate the elves natural abilities.

The cultivation allowed rapid regeneration and immunity to many toxins, as well as increased strength and endurance.

'The barrier around the galaxy is broken, and the soul vows lost their power. There will be lots of infighting now, plus huge slave revolts once they realize what's going on.' the glove said instead.

A flare of blue aura emerged from behind and Pef glanced at it with a smile. Vela Ascended again, then she passed the Legion knife to Xie, so she could core her own target easier.

Xie ignored her, and kept chipping at the High Lord with her maul, pounding on it for an hour until it cracked open. She bloomed with a halo of white aura, Ascending to her own Tier 2 rank, slower but more secure in her powers.

Soon, the other wives attained their own breakthroughs, by slaughtering demons and devouring their qi and souls.

Pef went to store the captured demons in his inner world, but placing them far off the farthest star in his constellation. They would keep, like meat in a freezer.

He planned to pack the pantry anyway, to keep the Legion supplied with easy Tiers for the new recruits.

And now he had a galaxy full of demons to raid, to liberate the slaves and boost up the Legion ranks.

He wasn't very hopeful he would civilize the demons entirely, but those who opposed him would end up as juicy rations, for the long road.