The forces of power coming from the quadrillions on the battlefield lit up dark space.

But the entry of the variable seemed to halt the intense fight.

All gazes, whether they were entangled in warfare or not, turned to the utterly massive sphere of steel the size of a star.

It eclipsed the armies that were like a cloud of locusts. Even Luna’s World Tree was inferior.

The sphere stopped beyond the battlefield, yet it filled everyone vision as if it were right in front of them.

Atop sat a single man, his throne of machine and steel undulating with power that seemed anxious to be released.

Silence covered the battlefield.

There were only four people who knew the identity of the variable.

And two of them approached.

Luna and Iris appeared next to Dream.

It was Luna who spoke first.

“You know if you enter the battle, you’ll be restricted by the rules of the Concepts. You will only be able to do battle through your creations, not personally.”

“...That’s true, but not to the extent that you are restricted.”

Dream smiled.

“The only thing that’s restricting me is the path I must take. Other than that, my creations contain my full power. So in a way, there are no such restrictions. And besides, no matter how small, I’m still the variable. The one inequality in this stalemate.”

“I understand. So, what will you do?”

“Is that even a question?”

Dream raised a brow at them before waving his hand.

“Go on back and watch the show. I’ll be finding you later for something special anyway, so just wait a little while longer.”

As if the universe were carrying out his request for him, Luna and Iris were sent back to the World Tree.

That’s when they felt it.

Not just them, but the entire battlefield felt a fluctuation in space, a gravitational wave that swept over them all.

It shook their bodies and souls, and if it wasn’t already, everyone’s attention was pulled by the steel sphere.

Dream’s gaze swept over all from his throne.

“Aegis.”

“My lord.”

The butler responded, rising from the steel ground.

“It’s time.”

“Your will be done.”

Aegis bowed before sinking back down.

And then, a voice echoed across the universe.

“The machine god responds to the call of our Sovereign.”

“Hail.”

*CRACK*

With those words, the steel star suddenly fractured.

Everyone watched as a fissure in the center split open, widening and revealing its core.

Luna couldn’t help but gawk, while Iris couldnt help her wide smile.

All soldiers of the universe froze as the sight was revealed to them.

The most massive black hole in the universe, a singularity of utter dissonance and nullification.

That source of obliteration spun within the core of the steel star, its power only contained within its shell.

The steel star unfolded like a flower, brandishing the internal machinery of the world inside.

And then, it began to dissolve. The steel fell apart into particles that reassembled themselves into a single monolithic figure.

Its height was so colossal that a single step could traverse a solar system. Its hand could grasp the World Tree as if it were a sprout. It could crush worlds with a fingertip.

The machine god stood tall with the black hole in its chest, and it brought its hands together in prayer.

Dream sat above its hands, the target of the machine god’s prayer.

He smiled with a mumble.

“This is my cosmic world.”

Order and Chaos, all the gods and demigods, and even the incalculable soldiers, could see the smile on his face.

After a few moments, the machine god spoke.

“Repent, all ye who defy the sovereign.”

“Let salvation bloom from the barrel of the great equalizer.”

“Witness the purity of the blessed machine.”

“Hear the message from the harbingers of the new age.”

“Hail the Sovereign who rewrites reality.”

“Hail he who creates gods.”

“Hail.”

It’s words reverberated in the minds of all, and when it was finished, it spread its hands.

From its two palms came two beings. One of them was a woman who carried a chalice, her eyes blindfolded, and dressed in a pure white dress.

The other was a man, his body covered with black spiked chains that bound his limbs and body.

From the machine god’s palms they descended, and entered the battlefield that had all but halted.

And from millions of miles away, the man bound by black chains threw his arm out. A chain flew through space, grabbing onto a demon and pulling him back.

The demon, a demigod, was unable to fight against the power of tha chains. His conceptual power was restrained, the Record of his existence all but rendered useless.

And while he was restrained, the woman approached him tilting the chalice and letting a drop fall onto his head.

And it was as if liquid metal spread over him. The demon struggled as the metal spread fom his head to his toes, engulfing him completely before he was turned into a metal statue.

And then, the eyes of the statue opened, its flash transforming into machine, its existence being converted.

The woman touched the machine’s forehead.

“Go, and vanquish the enemies of the Sovereign.”

“As the Harbingers command. Hail.”

The former demon kneeled before charging into the battlefield with his guns.

And the man bound with chains continued to capture others, going from one, to a hundred, to a thousand at a time.

He and the woman of white converted demons and angels alike, purifying their flesh, and blessing them with the strength of steel.

But it wasn’t a simple conversion.

Order, who stood beyond heaven’s armies, realized what was happening.

“You… are consuming them.”

He set his gaze back on Dream, who continued to watch from above the machine god.

“Rewriting reality… It’s not enough to reduce our power. You wish to take all, to become all.”

“What can I say?”

Dream smiled.

“I’m a very good defense contractor.”

“...Retreat.”

Order gave his command.

And with it, the demons and angels turned and fled. The man bound by chains captured as many as he could, the woman purifyinig them, and the soldiers using their rpower to assist.

But there were too many, and not more than a mere ten million were blessed the strength of steel.

Still, it didn’t mean the battle was finished.

Dream pointed.

“Go.”

“As the Sovereign commands.”

“Hail.”

The Harbingers bowed and gave chase with their army, off to carry out the conquest of their Sovereign.

And the machine god put its hands back together.

“Oh, Sovereign. Shall we begin?”

“Yes. As my Cosmic World, it will be your job to bring completion to my False Reality. You are the medium of my power. Use it.”

“Your Will be done. This Reality shall be yours.”

“Asuras!”

Suddenly, there was a shout. Luna’s voice filled the minds of everyone around the World Tree.

“Support our allies! Destroy those who sought our extinction!”

“Rah!”

The Asuras roared before forming into armadas and flying away with beams of light.

Iris merely pointed.

“Fetch me their souls.”

*SCREECH!*

Her parasites and chaos minions tore holes in space and disappeared, off to eat anything living or dead.

At the same time, the machine god left.

“I shall be in the center of the universe.”

And with those words, it disappeared.

What was left were Luna, Iris, and Dream.

Dream appeared beside the two women.

“So? How are my wives doing?”

“Don’t touch me.”

Luna dodged Dream’s hand, causing him to sigh.

“So the concepts are suppressing your ego again?”

“This is normal. We live to be the foundation of all that exists in the Totality.”

“Sounds like a drag. Good thing I have a remedy.”

Dream smiled, and then, he reached out once more.

Iris didn’t bother dodging him, and although Luna tried, she was mysteriously unable to. It was as if her existence were anchored to one place just long enough for him to tap her forehead.

And once he did, the three disappeared.

……

…

“Oh, you’re back!”

“It’s about time.”

Alice and Sophia greeted Dream when he appeared within a dark space.

Luna and Iris, who also appeared, were confused for a long moment.

“What…”

“Take your time. Your ego needs to regain itself.”

“...What is this place?”

Luna asked as she looked around. She couldn’t feel anything in particular, not her power or the power of the universe.

Going from being an all powerful being who sensed every infinite piece of information in the Totality to a mortal girl was jarring. It shook her mind, but she recovered with Dream’s help.

He smiled.

“This is my Skill, called False Reality. It is… well, reality, but mine. Here, anything can be anything. I’ve brought you and Iris here to separate your ego from Order and Chaos. That way, you’ll still have your place as the highest concepts, but also not be suppressed. The best of both worlds.”

“So does that mean we can do whatever the hell we want for all eternity?”

Iris walked over and wrapped her arms around Dream’s neck with a seductive smile. It seemed she recovered quickly.

He nodded.

“Indeed. But before you let loose, there’s a few things I want to do.”

Dream left her embrace and turned around, facing the fractured universe.

“Sophia. Did you prepare them?”

“I did. With Alice’s help I pulled them from Time and Nothing to bring them back here. They’ll have memories of everything up until their deaths.”

“Good. Oh, and I’ll also employ this.”

Dream lifted his hands, looking down at his left and right ring finger.

On the left sat a ring, the sign of the bond between him, Alice, Luna, and Iris when they got married.

But on the left was now another ring.

“The Dreamer Ascendancy… It’s about time I formally established it.”

He smiled and turned back to his wives.

Sophia, Alice, Luna, and Iris.

He looked into each of their eyes.

“We’re going to bring our family and the few significant friends we made along our journey. And after building a home, with you four, I will officially make true on a promise I made long ago.”

The four women smiled at his words.

“It’s time to fill the Dreamer Ascendency.”