-------

”Sometimes Wrath can be a little too efficient.” Envy cursed.

She had managed to guide her little group out from the bowels of the Tomb World without raising an alarm, and they were in orbit ready to leave when very familiar portals began to open right in front of them, with very familiar forces starting to stream through. "No! Don't come here! Get back!" Hope shouted and waved at the incoming members of the crusade.

Their forces had almost perfected their tactics for quick assault, but they were also smart and flexible enough to react to sudden changes. They could also all recognize Hope, and perhaps more importantly Lust. Everyone that had already come through turned around and made a hasty exit. The turn wasn’t quite fast enough though, as a wave of green energy reached them in the blink of an eye. Wrath grit her teeth and took the hit in her Sacred Beast form, stopping the attack from affecting anyone else, but Envy could tell with a single glance that stopping the hit had taken a lot out of her. Even if the attack wasn’t one of those that truly worked against the weird protection Wrath used, an attack from a rank 14 was always dangerous.

An enormous halo suddenly surrounded them all and the next two attacks crashed against a field of psionic energy that was projected out from the halo. With a wave of her hand, Selendil sent some kind of a counterstrike back towards the Tomb World. Envy didn’t have time to look behind her to see what the effect of the attack had been, but by the sounds of it, the Tomb World wasn’t going to survive the attack. As soon as everyone was through the portal, back inside the empty space between the worlds, the portal closed behind them.

“Are we being followed?!” Envy asked with a fierce tone, while at the same time wondering if she could’ve somehow trapped Lust on the other side of the portal before it closed.

Wrath coughed and gagged in her beastly form, with a fair bit of blood coming out with each cough. At least Envy hoped it was blood. "Not that I can detect." She managed to groan.

"Are you going to be able to handle a hasty exit from the Netherworld? We need to go. Now." Envy wanted to ask how Wrath was feeling and help her recover but now was not the time.

"Barely. Even in this form, taking an attack from a rank 14 is…not great. Fortunately, it was just a hasty, almost reflexive attack, and Selendil here stopped the others. I need a minute though." Wrath was still hacking and wheezing, although less than moments before.

“She’s right.” Selendil nodded towards Karna. “That was not a rank 14 to be taken lightly. I suppose no being that has reached the rank is, but this one seemed especially dangerous. Each of the attacks I stopped had a heavy time and decay element. Which likely explains why you’re having trouble recovering. I might be able to take the enemy, but there would be collateral damage. I wouldn’t be able to protect everyone while going for the kill.”

"What happened?" Indra questioned. They'd always suspected the Netherworld of having at least one or two rank 14 beings, but this was the first time in eons since one was sighted. Even now they didn't actually see much, as the attack had come from inside the Tomb World.

"We found Tsumi." Envy pushed the ragged-looking woman forward. "I gave her my protective amulet by the way. Anyway, the world was very heavy in negative energy, likely because of the presence of the Rank 14, or the being was there because of the energy. Anyway, the being was slumbering inside the Tomb World. We had to take our time because we didn't want to accidentally alert the being to our presence. We were just about to sneak away, but then you stumbled in. Wrath, we need to go now. I think staying here would be a bad idea. This place is important to them. They won't take an attack on this place lightly."

“Alright. I should be able to handle it now. Prepare for a hasty exit!” Wrath called out, transforming into her draconic form, and opening the path with her dragon’s breath. As she’d assumed such an enormous form, not holding back in the slightest, most of the crusade could actually get on her back.

Everyone was slightly shocked when they appeared in front of the fortress world Wrath and her team had helped defend not too long ago. The actual fortress world and not the alternate route they’d personally defended. The fortress world itself was more like a floating island filled with defenses than an actual world. Below them, forces of the Netherworld were making a light assault on the fortifications, mostly just to keep the defenders busy.

The members of the crusade had several questions concerning the chosen place but decided to save them for later. Instead, they fell on the enemies below with the same fury they'd shown before, quickly dispersing the almost perfunctory attack. As soon as the battle stopped, many people in golden armor approached them from inside the fortress. "Halt! Identify yourself and explain your presence!" The leading general-looking immortal asked authoritatively.

Indra stepped forward along with the other gods to introduce themselves. “My apologies Your Divines. I must ask why you’re here. Last we heard, you were leading a strike force to attack the Netherworld. We’ve gotten word of worlds returning to us, heavily polluted by the negative energy of the Netherworld, but liberated nonetheless.” The general was now more polite, and the guards seemed less ready to attack them, but they hadn't relaxed completely either. They were still watching for any sign of betrayal. Something that Envy approved wholeheartedly.

The gods looked towards Wrath, who had turned into her normal form clad in the armor of the Host. “I chose this place because I knew it was well-defended. While I can open the path, I can’t be sure the gods of the Netherworld won’t force it to stay open behind us. I wasn’t going to offer their forces a direct path to the heart of the Divine Planes. I also wasn’t going to lead one of their rank 14 beings there either.”

“You ran into an enemy of that rank?” The general asked, suddenly alert again.

"Barely," Indra admitted. "We retreated as soon as we realized what we were dealing with. We might have been able to fight it with the forces we had, but the losses would’ve been unacceptable. Especially since we’ve had so few until now.”

“A wise choice.” The general nodded. “Still, it’s admirable that you survived at all. I’m quite sure the command would like a detailed report on the whole affair. If the Divines are willing of course.” The looks he was giving the rest of them made it clear that if the gods were not willing, then the Host would extract the information from the rest of them. Heck, they’d do it anyway just to be thorough.

Indra glanced at the other gods, who all gave small nods. This would be a good opportunity to make sure the news about the whole affair was spread the right way. “We’d be happy to assist the Host.” He stated confidently.

“She needs rest and a chance to recover.” Envy pointed at Wrath. “She tanked an attack from the enemy we mentioned, and had to open a path for us while wounded.”

“Of course.” The general nodded while giving Wrath an evaluating glance. “Any others in need of medical attention?”

“Mostly just superficial wounds. We mostly need rest and some time to recover, as we’ve fought multiple battles in a short period of time. As the defender of this fort, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.” Khaine answered diplomatically.

“Would you like us to provide lodgings and healers, or do you have something else in mind.” The general asked.

“It might be better if we pull to the nearest inhabited world to rest. You don’t have to worry about a large armed force in your midst, and we don’t have to deal with any attacks interrupting our rest. Your investigators can easily reach us there.” Khaine responded and with the general’s agreement started organizing their motley crusade’s retreat.

“How are you feeling, really?” Envy whispered Wrath. The armor was hiding most of it, but she could tell from the way Wrath was standing that everything was not alright.

“Not too hot to be frank. The damage inside me is still ongoing, and it's unfortunately self-sustaining. I'm having to spend my aura to recover and regenerate while using my mana to counter and chip away at the attack. The decay aspect of the attack is quite effective at countering any regeneration though. I could use a proficient healer of the clerical variety. Otherwise, I'll be indisposed for a while." As she spoke, Wrath's legs wobbled a bit, showing she was barely managing to stay standing.

“Anything I can do to help?” Selendil asked worriedly.

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think it’s that kind of problem. Power will not solve this, and while Keepers are mighty, healing magic isn’t your forte.” You could hear the slight smile in Wrath’s voice despite the helmet covering her head.

-------

It had taken three days of active healing from several clerics to finally get rid of the final effects of the attack. Part of that was because the clerics couldn’t understand how her defenses worked, which meant they didn’t really understand how she was being affected. Still, the miracle of holy magic was that understanding was not required. It only made things easier. Enough holy power combined with her own efforts had her back in a fairly normal state. And on the positive side, she didn’t need to deal with the Host’s investigations while convalescing.

She had no illusions about her chances when it came to taking more than one of such attacks at her current strength though. Which was why she’d only tanked the first shot, trusting in Selendil to handle the others. No matter how powerful she was for her rank, and no matter how sophisticated and powerful her techniques were, raw power was still something that could trump all her efforts. The existences known generally as ‘rank 14’ beings were a very varied bunch, and their powers and abilities could fluctuate wildly. One thing was certain though, which was that they were all extremely powerful. You couldn’t become rank 14 without having sublime power and skill. Yet, someone like Selendil might be able to deal with several others of the same rank depending on how their powers mixed together. More than anything, beings of that rank tended to be very specialized existences in that they were energy beings quite literally made of the power that had brought them to the rank. A rank 14 psion, made of psionic energy, carried all the strengths and disadvantages of that path of power, only magnified. And some things worked better against others.

Still, the whole thing had not been without its benefits. Some of that power rampaging inside her had been assimilated by her. The old adage about something that didn’t kill you making you stronger applied in this case. Aside from that, her spark of Divinity was about to bloom into a fully-fledged godhood. She just needed a bit of time to process and meditate. And she wasn’t the only one. She could already sense new divinities being born in the rather modest lodgings they were borrowing from a smallish sect of cultivators near the border. Her friends and allies weren’t the only ones either. Many of the people that had come along on the crusade had either earned a spark or had cultivated their earlier spark towards a full divinity. Combat truly was the best way to entice your divinity to manifest. Even if your divinity was of the more peaceful sort, like farming, just the sheer danger to your life was a great catalyst.

Divinities came in three rough levels. First you got the spark, which boosted your abilities somewhat. Then the spark developed into a full divinity, and you became a god. Godhood granted various benefits, though you also got some limitations from your divinity. The more you were in sync with your divinity, the more power you gained. Thirdly, you could become a True God, which made you a god of something. A God of Harvest, or God of Shenanigans, or any of the myriad of concepts. True Gods had worshippers and a religion dedicated to them, and they were the ones who could truly enact the real miracles.

She could sense that both Hope and Wisdom had already gotten their spark to bloom, while Envy and Valor were close. Valor had likely been too busy with the investigations and de-briefing as one of the leaders, although Wisdom had somehow managed, while Envy seemed embarrassed by her divinity for some reason. She'd likely wait until Karna was done with her process before finally revealing what she was so embarrassed about.

She climbed out from the enormous pile of pillows she’d been resting in, and waved at Gem, who had been keeping guard. “Anything I need to be aware of?”

"The investigation team wanted to talk to you about the methods you used to reach so deep inside the Netherworld, as well as the techniques used to keep the crusade safe. Envy shooed them away on the grounds of letting you recover, and Indra managed to convince them that those are your secret techniques anyway. Rather nice of him. To summarize the rest, your whole team is about to get promoted, while heaps of glory etcetera and the Grand Marshal wants to speak with you when you have time. This isn’t one of those ‘at your earliest convenience, meaning right now’ type of things. It truly seemed this matter could wait a bit.” Gem explained while yawning lazily. She’d assumed a form that looked almost just like Karna.

“Did they mention what this is about?” Karna asked with a small frown.

A third voice joined the discussion and Khaine entered the room. “Two things. First one is that the Host is considering using your ability to reach just about anywhere to strike at the heart of one of the Scourges. Likely the Netherworld as they’re already wounded, though they might pick another one since the Netherworld is somewhat expecting it now. Our little crusade also inspired a lot of people about striking real blows against our enemies. We’ve had the potential before, but not the will. Now the will is there to actually do something about the Scourges. Inspiration is a heck of a thing.” The Goddess of War shook her head ruefully. This was all to her benefit of course.

“And the second thing?” Karna reminded.

“Ah, right. It’s about your father. You’ll recall I mentioned that he withdrew from the public eye after sacrificing a portion of his essence to create this vessel for you. He has finally recovered enough to make a return without everyone pouncing on his weakness. As such, I informed the Grand Marshall and the House Titannica of his identity. They’ll likely want to discuss things pertaining to that with you.” The goddess looked unbearably smug, which caused Karna to frown.

“Why would they seek me out for that?” Karna asked a little confused. She could see them approaching Khaine and this mysterious father figure, but why her?

Khaine cackled. “Because it messes up the internal power balance of House Titannica. The House is being led in important matters by a council of the most powerful members, but there is an official leader. This is where things get complicated. The leadership of the House is hereditary, but the previous leader didn't have any children on account of him being too busy being one of the five most powerful True Gods keeping the universe running. In fact, most people have forgotten he's even part of the House since he's so rarely seen. The current leader, which is Shiva, by the way, is also childless as his only son passed away, so Kronus was slated to become the next leader, partially because he has several children who have shown enough promise to inherit the mantle. Now, what do you think would happen to that whole cycle of inheritance if the previous leader is suddenly shown to have a child capable of inheriting?"

Karna facepalmed in frustration. “You planned this, obviously.”

Khaine didn’t bother denying it. “Always take any advantage you can get. Wins most wars.”

“And who is this previous leader, that’s now supposed to be my father?”

“Surya, the God of the Sun.” Khaine finally revealed, though she hadn’t expected Karna to burst into laughter. “What? What am I missing?”

“It’s just…” Karna barely managed to get her laughter under control. “I really should’ve expected this, with my name being Karna.” It seemed they were in a twisted version of the old epic.