My great thanks to TodaBruh, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
The Eldritch Kingdom, capital Birch World of Azat-Tah, 577th layer.
"Oh, I can't wait!" giddily said Azarath, the cheerful Mi-Go buzzing happily as she looked at the high-definition hologram showing off the center of the Void where the Court of Azathoth could be found. "Our King is going to take his throne in front of the entire cosmos! This is so exciting!"
"Agreed." firmly said Cthu-ctha, the Cthulian once stuck alongside his people in sunken R'lyeh staring at the holo with faithful devotion and religious delight. "King Aeon brought R'lyeh and Lord Cthulhu back without sacrificing Humanity, created an entire demi-plane for us all, and much more besides. He will make an excellent King for the entire Eldritch Kingdom."
"You won't find arguments from me, the only reason I'm alive is that he brought my entire species back from the brink of Extinction." Xadel-Hgle nodded, raising a crab-like claw in the air in approval, the Shan no less eager to see the King take his throne than most present in the bar.
The coronation of King Aeon to God-King of the Eldritch was an event that would have repercussions far and wide, and countless people were thus staring in anticipation across the cosmos for what promises to be one of the most important events in Omniversal history. Naturally, that was especially true in the Birch World of Azat-Tah, capital of the Eldritch Kingdom, where seemingly every single person aboard the literally galactic-scale megastructure had decided to watch the event, whether at home or in one of the countless bars across the Birch World.
"I'm curious to know if anyone is even against this event, beyond those within the Infernal Realm." Bariel declared, the angel from Heaven sending a pointed look at the two Infernal being nearby also watching the coronation.
"Hey, don't look at me. I'm entirely happy with this!" Zar'iriul remarked with a fierce grin, raising her drink in the air in mock salute. The Daemon of Abaddon sworn to the Harbinger of War looked just as eager as everyone else present, and was almost bouncing on her seat in impatience.
The other Infernal being present was far less impressed, however.
"Well, it's certainly an important event, and I'm certainly happy to see the rise of someone who is finally going to help wipe that loathsome Abyss out of existence, but I'd be much happier if he hadn't also thrown Hell into chaos!" grumbled Saggon, the devil crossing his arms and grumbling.
"You're just jealous that our King decided to claim Abaddon as his own while completely ignoring Hell." mocked Zar'iriul. "You Devils' pride must have taken quite the blow at being the only Infernal Realm that our King chose to completely ignore as not worth his time!"
The devil glared hatefully at her, disdain dripping from his ensuing sneer.
"Do not talk to me, whore of War. You weakling bent the knee after a single day of defiance, at least the Abyss and Hell haven't proven ourselves to be weak cowards!" he shot back.
"You want to see a weak coward?!" Zar'iriul roared back, her hand going to her sword and her daemonic blood roaring in rage at the insult.
"No fighting in my bar." came the firm, unyielding voice of the barman, and both Infernal beings shuddered and bowed their heads to the Shoggoth glaring at them. "Or I'll happily consume you both."
"That won't be necessary." the devil promised quickly.
"Yeah, no one is stupid enough to cross you, we were just arguing, no violence here!" promised Zar'iriul, her natural temper crushed by the sheer terror of having the Shoggoth pissed at her.
Daemon of War she may be, but she wasn't arrogant enough to believe that she had a snowball chance in Hell to survive a fight against an ancient Shoggoth like the barman!
"Good." he grumbled, before focusing on his other customers once more.
"Humility and temperance are virtues that would serve you both well, you know." remarked Bariel.
"Oh, shut it you damn pigeon, we don't need your damn sermons right now." grumbled Zar'iriul, with Saggon nodding in agreement.
Bariel let out a sigh. "Must you truly be antagonistic to everyone? Especially when they give out good advice that would help you in life?"
"I'm a daemon of War, what do you think?" sarcastically replied Zar'iriul.
"Well, personally I don't care much about who is the new king, but I'm just hopeful that doing commerce in the Eldritch kingdom will be easier." said one of the few humans in the bar, coming from the Grand Empire named Kasimir. "I swear, trying to sell anything within the kingdom's borders is a hell of paperwork and regulations that require the patience of a saint to deal with it all!" he growled.
"And yet, you are still here." curiously pointed out the angel.
The human shrugged. "I said that the paperwork was hell. I never said that it didn't bring the big buck when you can work through it."
The devil smiled. "Ah, greed. One of the greatest motivators in existence. Tell me, would you be interested in a deal?"
"Fuck no. I'd rather deal with Eldritch nonsense that one of you hellish fucks. At least the Eldritch won't try to fuck me over and claim my soul from the moment I say hello, they'll just accidentally risk breaking my sanity." deadpanned Kasimir.
"Not all Eldritch are like that." pointed out Azarath, making Kaimir nod at her. "Correct, which I can't say the same from those devil assholes." he replied, pointing at Saggon.
The devil scowled at him, while Zar'iriul and Bariel smiled.
"That's very wise of you-" began Bariel, before being interrupted.
"Shhh! Look, it's starting!" shouted Cthu-ctha with excitement, his tentacles going down his face waving in delight.
Everyone looked at the hologram, seeing the rows upon rows of people lining up the path towards the throne room of Queen Azathoth and, soon, of King Aeon.
Countless people from countless species waved and shouted in delight as the soon to be king walked forward, a long procession at his back composed of his other wives, children and more.
For many, it was the first time they properly saw the King, though there were recordings of him attending the duel that had taken place in the Void Empire as one of the honored guests.
"Dam, he's tall." remarked Kasimir, who stared in surprise at the greater than 2 meter tall human-looking deity clothed in cosmic robes smiling and waving as he walked forward.
"And incredibly strong on top of incredibly handsome!" approvingly said Zar'iriul. "Seriously, even amongst gods you'll be hard pressed to find anyone as good-looking as this guy."
"I didn't expect you to think like a succubus, Daemon. What would your Lady of War think?" mocked Saggon.
To his surprise, Zar'iriul only snorted in amusement. "That I, like so many other women in Abaddon, have good taste. Seriously, have you seen him?" she waved at the holo. "He blows any 10/10 person out of the water without even trying."
Saggon raised an eyebrow, still willing to push. "And here I thought you maidens of War were all about battles. Maybe I was more spot-on about my previous comment than I thought!"
"Oh, fuck off. Go die in a ditch somewhere, you jealous fuck. You won't ever look as good as him, and you know it." uncaringly replied Zar'iriul.
"While I am pleased by your restraint, I must admit that I am surprised by your lack of reaction." admitted Bariel, looking curiously at the Daemonic woman.
Zar'iriul rolled her eyes. "It's not that hard, you dumbfuck. Bluntly said, the vast majority of every single woman serving War, all the way to Szuriel herself, would love nothing more than to get fucked by him."
That earned her quite a few looks, and she laughed. "What, surprised? We're talking about the god who had such heavy fucking balls that he, alone and without a weapon, challenged all of Abaddon to a one versus all battle… and fucking won it! The glorious bastard that will start the greatest war ever seen in history by seeking the utter destruction of the Abyss! The guy who punched, kicked, and supplexed all four of the Harbingers themselves! Who apparently even the Crawling Chaos submitted to! Who is second in power only to fucking Azathoth. You better fucking believe that we would drop to our knees in a blink of an eye if he asked!"
Her gaze lost focus, and her voice softened, becoming heavy with awe and delight.
"I was there, you know. The day where he fought all of Abaddon. Through sheer luck, and it was luck I'm not stupid enough to believe otherwise, I survived several hours before being killed. The things I saw that day… The battle I witnessed… I can never forget it."
She fell silent, lost in memories. "The way that all of Abaddon shook at every one of his blows… The way he didn't flinch, didn't even blink as we unleashed everything we had at him… The sheer, impossible skill in battle he possessed, to make even the Harbingers themselves look like children in comparison… It is said that not one blow made him bleed that day. I personally believe that not one blow even touched his skin. All of Abaddon, going to war as one, against a single god… and we didn't even manage to touch him once."
She laughed. "We all heard of the power of the Eldritch Pantheon… But it was only that day that we truly understood."
Many in the bar looked at her, a myriad of emotions on their faces at her words, before Saggon scoffed. "You were just too weak to begin with. Everyone knows that Abaddon has always been the weakest of the Three Infernal Realms, no wonder he went to you first."
Zar'iriul glared at him, just mindful enough of the carefully watching Shoggoth to not start anything.
Bariel spoke up, eager to prevent violence.
"Come now, there is no need for such words. Today is a day of celebration, just look around you!" Bariel waved at the entire bar, and both Daemon and devil took a moment to look around.
Azarath was almost vibrating in place from the speed at which her wings moved, her gaze fixated on the God-King walking forward under thunderous applause and numerous prayers.
Cthu-ctha had his head bowed, his hands clasped in prayer, but his eyes were just as transfixed upon the hologram, seemingly taking in every detail of his new ruler.
Xadel-Hgle's expression was harder to discern as a crab-like species, but the way his eyes never left the hologram spoke a great deal.
Even the Shoggoth bartender had, for once, stopped his work to stare at the hologram, like everyone else in the bar.
Outside the bar, distant songs and prayers could be heard, as the people of the greatest Kingdom in existence came as one to witness their new god and ruler ascend to his rightful throne.
Bariel smiled, his bright blue eyes shining with delight as he felt the joy and awe of the countless souls surrounding him all united in their happiness and hope for the future.
"Can you hear them? The combined souls of the greatest Kingdom in existence, united like never before in history in the names of joy, hope, and faith." His voice softened, his smile turning brighter. "It's beautiful. One of the most beautiful things I ever had the pleasure to experience."
The devil scowled. "Bah. Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment." he grumbled.
"The way his clothes reflect the cosmos… it's wondrous." muttered Azarath, her voice full of awe.
"You should look into his eyes… I can catch glimpses of the stars and the Void within them… They call to me, the stars are so warm, the Void so peaceful…" said Cthu-ctha dazedly.
Xadel-Hgle nodded slowly, his own eyes transfixed on the hologram. "I know, I can feel it too… Those eyes see my soul, they see everything… The God-King sees us… He sees us all, we are all in his Sight, now and forevermore.. Praise be the Gods, for they watch over us!"
"""Praise be.""" muttered the eldritch across the bar.
"... What's going on with them?" muttered the devil, looking around in concern.
Zar'iriul was about to say something, but she looked into King Aeon's eyes as well and she lost her train of thought.
She could faintly feel… something… something warm and hot and-
The drums of War are calling, can you hear them? To live is to fight, to fight is to live. Let your passions drive you, Spark of Creation.
-peaceful, serene, tranquil, willing to embrace her, now and forevermore-
The Void awaits, always and forever, for her and for all, from nothing she came, to nothing she will return.
-she blinked, shaking her head, feeling a fog leave her thoughts.
She looked around, the Eldritch were still just as transfixed, but the angel and devil were looking normal.
She looked back at the King, seeing him still smiling and waving.
Hm, she must have zoned out for a second…
The Void, Court of Azathoth.
As the procession moved closer and closer to the throne room of Azathoth and, from now on, myself, I couldn't help but think that it was one thing to know that the Eldritch Pantheon was the biggest in existence… and another entirely to be faced with that fact in full.
For a couple hours now, I and the others within the royal procession have been moving forward while surrounded by Eldritch Gods on both sides cheering me on.
The vast majority of those gods could relatively easily wreck an entire planet, many entire systems, and quite a few easily reached galactic (and beyond) level of power.
Beings who, with a thought, could end entire galaxies were cheering by the millions… and those were only a fraction of their total numbers.
And still, we were far from the throne room where Azathoth awaited me. There were still hours left before we truly reached the inner sanctum of the Eldritch Pantheon's seat of power.
"Impressive, isn't it?" asked Yog-Sothoth with a smile.
"That's one way of putting it." I replied with amusement.
A quick look around was all it took to show me how eclectic the Eldritch Pantheon truly was. There was a Great Old One looking like a giant blue-gray mass of fluids currently waving at me: Abhoth, from whom countless strange eldritch beings were spawned, or consumed back in her body to use as raw material to create new lifeforms. For a second her body shifted to a human-looking form, still waving cheerfully at me.
There was Noth-Yidik, the Outer Gods resembling two giant worms in one body who also were the parents of the Hounds of Tindalos. Both of them were psychically shouting praises in my name, which wasn't surprising considering that they were servants of Yog-Sothoth.
There was Tulzscha, the Outer God looking like a living green flame that was swaying and bobbing happily as it psychically cheered in joy at my introduction to the Eldritch Pantheon.
Or what about Aiueb Gnshal, the Outer God worshiped by Ghouls looking like a formless black void with seven yellow orbs-like eyes. It looked utterly unmoving in the face of the general chaos around it, but I could feel its delight mixing with that of everyone else present.
The actual "Court of Azathoth" was hard to describe, as it was an ever changing landscape of chaos and eldritch sights, where eldritch forests mixed with volcanoes and seemingly normal plains, and the sky was an ever-shifting realm of countless colors that occasionally turned into black stones or eldritch skies.
It was a realm without borders or limits, unconstrained by logic and the laws of physics, where Eldritch Gods were free of the limiting rules of "Reality" and where their true forms could freely exist. To my eyes, the Court looked mostly like an ever-shifting impossible palace or pyramid of black stones glittering with distant stars, as if the entire edifice was an open window into Reality, but I also knew that my vision of it was no less or more true than that of any others who looked at it and saw something else entirely.
And of course one couldn't describe the Court of Azathoth without talking about the Amorphous Flute-players, the servitors of the Outer Gods who resembled squids, frogs, and octopi which are constantly changing their shapes and appearances. The music to which the Outer Gods danced to was made by these eldritch drummers and flutists. On occasion they will also play for cultists to summon deities or to provide background music. I had to admit, they were very, very good at their jobs, as the magical songs they made were incredibly beautiful and uplifting to any who held even a small measure of Eldritch Insight inside of them.
Though for non-Eldritch, it was unquestionable that the music they made would sound utterly horrific and downright maddening. Of course, considering everyone in the royal procession was either Eldritch or had Eldritch blood in them, there was no issue as everyone smiled at the music.
"I have to say, adding such wonderful artists to the Eldritch Court was an inspired idea." said Oedon, currently behind me as I could hardly have Oedon be seen as my equal when only Azathoth was meant to be. A bit annoying, but Oedon didn't mind it.
"I agree. As someone who enjoys listening to music, there really is something to be said about working and ruling while having an eternal orchestra playing in my name." I remarked with some amusement.
"Hm. I almost expected you to say something about how having so many people play music in your name 24/7 was an excellent way to gain an oversized ego." Oedon teased me.
"Oh, absolutely." I agreed. "But this isn't that bad because first, these people are praising every Eldritch god in general, not just me or Azathoth. Secondly, I like music. And thirdly, I can't deny the awesomeness of having a divine Court with awesome music all the time. It's like having your personal theme song, it's just too good to pass up!" I said cheerfully.
I looked up, seeing the thousands, if not millions of Amorphous Flute-players flying all over the place, their music spread out far and wide for all to hear. Their bodies danced along with the music, their limbs shaking and curling along with the beat of the songs.
The fact that their movements were synchronized into some sort of cosmic dance only made the sight all the more striking, because watching so many beings move and play with utterly perfect synchronicity was mesmerizing to behold… Which really was exactly what they were trying to achieve.
"You know, I don't think most people about to become king, much less god-king, would be thinking of how well the servants are performing, and how beautiful their work is." Yog laughed softly.
I shook my head with a grin. "That's their mistake. A king focused only on themselves is just a tyrant. Moreover, a king unable to appreciate both good work and genuine loyalty is a poor leader to begin with. And finally, someone who isn't satisfied with being great, but who puts down others too because they can't accept that others are just as deserving of being successful, is a horrible person in general."
Yog sent me an approving grin. "Well said. I suppose that you really will make a wonderful king. Azathoth really got lucky with you."
"Thank you." I smiled back. "But do not think I'm not happy to have you and the others to support me. You've all been working hard to watch over and make Reality a better place for eons, and I'd be a fool to dismiss all that hard work. A King I may soon be, but I genuinely look forward to working with you all."
Yog's grin softened, turning warmer. "You honor us, my king, but I can assure you that it will be our pleasure to help you and Azathoth rule over the coming eons. Azathoth hasn't been a bad queen, but as you know she never quite had a vision for Reality, so we're all looking forward to working for someone who knows exactly what he wants Reality to become. Even if it leads to war, like with the Abyss, the vast majority of the Eldritch Kingdom will have your back."
"Then I guess working to ensure the entire kingdom will support me will be one of my first priorities." I said with a grin.
"Even for you, getting a 100% approval rating might be a bit too impossible." Yog pointed out.
"Probably. But that doesn't mean it's not worth trying." I replied.
Yog's lips twitched. "Time will tell, I suppose."
I blinked, then laughed.
"I've said it before, but it's still a shock that this is happening." Claire Redield said, walking not too far behind her husband while wearing a supernaturally beautiful red dress that hugged her curves in all the right ways.
"From medic of S.T.A.R. to consort of the God-king of the omniverse… life truly can be incredibly weird at times." mused Rebecca, her green eyes looking in fascination at all the Eldritch beings surrounding them.
"I think I speak for all of us when I say that no one could have foreseen this, considering that not even Aeon had seen this coming until after he met Azathoth." Lucy Miller said, her ever-shifting, multi-coloured eyes looking thoughtfully at all the cheering Eldritch Gods.
"I have to admit, there's a lot of stress over the fact that we're about to become some of the more influential people in existence." agreed Jill Valentine. "Frankly, I struggle to even comprehend just how many people Aeon is about to become ruler of. It's just… the Eldritch Kingdom by itself is just so mind-bogglingly big. And now, Aeon is in charge of it all, which by default means that we're going to become some of the most well-known women in existence… It's still something I'm grappling with."
"Yeah, no kidding." muttered Summer Rose, the silver-eyed Huntress glancing at her blue-eyed "twin" with a wry look on her face. "I went from a simple huntress to… this. It's one hell of a step-up."
Her twin shrugged. "Personally I don't mind it. I swore myself to Aeon, I just have faith in him to lead us all right."
"A very simple answer… But one I do not disagree with." said Alexstrasza. "As consorts, our duty is to support king Aeon in whatever way we can, and act as one if his representative when needed. To trust in him while being willing to speak up and challenge him when we believe it necessary. We may be far lesser in power than our lover, but that doesn't mean we don't have things we bring to the table by being ourselves."
Clairee glanced at her, her eyebrows wiggling knowingly. "Well, I can certainly think of a few things you're bringing to our bed, beautiful."
Alexstrasza chuckled at her words. "Yes Claire, we all know how happy you are to get between my legs. Your libido is truly most impressive… Though even it cannot match that of Aeon." Her expression softened. "Honestly, if it wasn't for the circumstances surrounding Oedon and children, I'm certain that Aeon would have made you a mother many times over already."
Claire's expression twitched at that, her blue eyes showing a clear longing. "Yeah… Helping to raise Sherry was incredible, but… I'm looking forward to having my own kids too."
That sent a ripple amongst the others, as they all nodded in agreement, though Summer Rose, the one from Remnant, bit her lips and looked pained at the thought of her own children.
"Hmmph. Even Aeon will be pushed to exhaustion if we all become pregnant at the same time." mused Tatsumaki with a smirk. "I wouldn't mind having him run ragged a few times trying to keep up with so many pregnant women at once. It would serve him right for knocking us all up simultaneously."
"Though I have to wonder how long it'll take Oedon before she starts thinking about being the one to impregnate us, too." pointed out Claire with a grin.
"Probably just as long as it takes to confirm that she can have children safely." mused Lucy. "I think we all can tell that, the moment that's confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt, Oedon is going to give Shub-Niggurath a run for her money when it comes to children."
There were a few solemn nods at that, as Oedon's trauma with childbirth was well-known… before Claire grinned.
"I call dibs on Oedon knocking one of us up!"
There were a few exclamations, grumbles, and a very amused Alxstrasza giving her a thumb up at those words.
"You know, we're in the middle of a royal procession, right? Maybe we should talk about all of this later?" flatly remarked Tatsumaki.
Claire grinned at her.
"You're just jealous you haven't thought to call dibs first!"
"Jealous?! I'll show you jealous-"
"It's nice to see that father's wives aren't letting the weight of the situation get to them." cheerfully said Pyhgmi, the Pleroma of Life and Death looking onwards to where the consorts of her father were currently having an animated debate about children, whether those that would have Aeon as a parent or Lady Oedon.
"Dad isn't one for weak-willed women when it comes to those he takes as lovers." Sherry Starlight said with a slight shrug, the adopted daughter of their father having decided to join the Pleromas within the royal procession as they were all children of their father in their own ways.
"Of course. If Father is to take lovers, then they must be exceptional in some ways." agreed Rwandelux, the Pleroma of Light and Darkness nodding as if it was the most obvious fact in the world.
"Agreed. All of Father's wives have the potential to be goddesses in their own right… when they aren't already." mused Amnique, the Pleroma of Destiny looking thoughtfully at the various lovers of his father while considering their futures.
"Honestly, I feel like they should all become deities already. It'll be much better that way." muttered Uldatrex, the Pleroma of Good and Evil smoking a cigarette and grumbling to himself about how much safer they would all be as goddesses, and how much better they can help support their father that way.
"Not everyone is as eager to become a god as dad is, you know." pointed out Sherry. "So far, I'm happy being merely an immortal woman… Maybe that will change one day, but for now at least, I've got no desire to ascend as an eldritch goddess myself."
"That's a shame. You'd make a powerful goddess in your own right." said Sydnotra, sounding vaguely disappointed.
Sherry glanced at her. "And how much of your desire to see me ascend is out of simple curiosity to see the outcome of me becoming a deity?"
Sydnotra's smile twitched upwards at those words. "I plead the fifth."
"Honestly, I can't wait to return to my lab. As delightful as it is to see Father claim his throne properly, public events like these aren't my thing. I'd much rather be working instead." grumbled Altryxna, the Pleroma of Science and Magic, looking like she dearly wished this whole event was already done and over with so that she could get back to doing what she loved most.
Zaldroct, Pleroma of Time and Space, let out a sigh at those words. "Sister, there will be ample time to experiment as you love doing after this event is over with. Right now, this is our father's triumph, and it would be a shame to not enjoy it to the fullest."
"I know, I know." huffed Altryxna. "Make no mistake, I am as delighted as all of you are to see this day finally come where Father will take his rightful place as Ruler of Creation, but I am the Pleroma of Science and Magic, not politics and ceremonies. Give me a lab any day over a throne room or whatever place this whole thing will end up in."
"Sister, your anti-social tendencies are showing." joked Uldatrex, flicking off some ash from his smoke. "Trust me, I'd love nothing more than to go out and punch some evils in the face myself, but this is a one in an Omniverse lifetime event, and it would be shameful of us to miss our own father's coronation."
"He's right." said Sydnotra. "The eyes of countless souls are upon us, we cannot afford to be anything other than strong and calm right now."
"Well, to be fair…" Sherry eyed some Eldritch Gods currently doing the psychic equivalent of 'break dancing.' "Not all present are exactly acting with perfect decorum."
"... In all fairness, when you're as old as many of these gods are, things like shame and embarrassment probably barely even register anymore." replied Sydnotra.
"Better for them to be happy than the opposite, right?" cheerfully said Pyhgmi.
"That's very true. I knew that the Eldritch pantheon was delighted to learn that Azathoth found a husband, but even I had underestimated how genuinely happy the gods would be." mused Sherry, her red eyes looking around at the countless different Eldritch Gods cheering her father onwards.
"Then we should be just as happy, no? So come on! Smile and wave, everyone!" shouted Pyhgmi, before she did exactly that.
Cthulhu, lord and master of the newly-risen R'lyeh, cheered as the royal procession came into view. His children did the same, along with every other eldritch beings and gods present.
"I'm glad that everything is going well. King Aeon deserves a perfect coronation day." said Kassogtha, a warm smile on her lips.
Cthulhu held back from showing any pain at the presence of his once lover, as tens of millions of years had gone by since those days. At least he could take comfort in the fact that that she looked happier than he remembered her being in a long time, today.
And speaking of reasons for happiness…
Nctosa and Nctolhu, his twin daughters with Kassogtha, smiled brightly at the sight of their new king.
"Look Mother, our king is coming!" "Doesn't he look regal?" "Doesn't he look handsome?" "Even with him holding back, he is releasing so much power by just standing there…" "How impressive!"
Kassogtha smiled, her expression warm as she glanced at her daughters. "Yes, our king certainly looks incredible in his cosmic robes. And I'm not blind to the amount of power he casually holds, my daughters. But what matters most to me is that he has accepted the two of you in his service, and that you've been such good girls since."
The twins grinned, even as they kept waving towards the King in their new human form they apparently decided to change into after meeting King Aeon.
"Oh, we're more than happy to be of service, mother." "Truly delighted, even." "Though admittedly, we'd be even more delighted servicing him directly…" "Would you join us, mother? I'm sure the king would love that!" "Lady Oedon most certainly would…"
Kassogtha looked away, biting her lips in a very human expression of hesitation.
"Romance isn't something that has ever gone well for me, girls." she muttered, still loud enough for Cthulhu to hear and flinch slightly over.
Kass… he thought sadly, mourning the fact that in the end, their love only brought pain to her heart… though at least their daughters was something neither of them ever regretted having, despite all of their chaotic antics over the eons.
"That's no reason to give up, mother." "If anything, it's a reason to defy the odds!" "And besides, King Aeon has many lovers, and they are all happy, no?" "So go for it! You have the right to be happy, just like we do!" declared both girls with bright smiles.
"That's…" Kass trailed off, looking torn between hope, fear, and desire.
Cthulhu hesitated, then finally chose to speak up.
"You should go for it." he said. His daughters and Kass turned to look at him, and Cthulhu had to hold back a reaction at the weight of his old love's gaze settled upon him… but he still kept going. "You have the right to be happy, Kass. You always did. I merely regret that… That I wasn't able to grant you that happiness, in the end." he said softly.
"Cthulhu…" whispered Kass, a thousand emotions in her eyes, and he smiled, pushing away eons of regret, guilt and longing to speak what needed to be said.
"It is never wrong to wish to be happy, or to love someone. If you truly wish to strive for happiness again, then do so without hesitation. If your heart desires the presence of someone you cherish, if your soul longs for the warmth of another… Then go for it. We are eternal. And Eternity is a very long time to spend in solitude with only our regrets to keep us company." he told her.
Kass stared at him for a long moment, so many words and emotions exchanged during those precious seconds that, even without words, they held entire conversations in that moment, before she nodded and looked back at the approaching form of their king and the royal procession.
"I'll consider it. Our King is going to be very busy ruling, and I don't want to distract him." she said firmly.
"King Aeon definitely wouldn't mind you 'distracting' him, mother." ""Quite the opposite!" "Think about all that stress that you could help him release… He'd be most definitely grateful." "Hmm… Very grateful." "And it's not like you don't have a lot of stress to release too, mother." "And from what we've seen, our king is very good at… stress release." "Very, very good." said the twins.
Kass let out a sigh. "Must you, girls?"
Both white-haired women shrugged as one. "We haven't been able to tease you about having a lover in eons, mother." "In fact, we haven't been able to spend much time with you in general in eons." "Now that we finally can, we have a lot of things to make up for!" "And we're very much eager to do so!"
Cthulhu chuckled at that. If nothing else, seeing those two be happy was a balm to his tired old soul.
"Lord Cthulhu."
He turned at being called, nodding towards the approaching goddess. "Lady Yidhra. A pleasure as always. Can I help you with something?"
"I just wanted to give my congratulations for becoming the Eldritch representative of Earth, and for the way your realm has started to recover from the tragedy it suffered from." Her expression softened, turning warmer. "It is good to see you back amongst us all. Your presence was missed dearly by many."
Cthulhu smiled, remembering all the well-wishes he received after his return, whether in person or from across the psychics channels.
"Thank you. I must admit, the overwhelming support and joy that I and R'lyeh received after our return is something that I did not expect, though I am incredibly touched and happy by all of it. And as for the title of Eldritch representative for Earth, I am naturally incredibly proud of it, though it certainly comes with its fair share of responsibilities." he replied.
Yidhra sent him a piercing look. "In no small part because it is very clear our king is very fond of Earth and Humanity, as is only natural considering his origins, and it is now your responsibility to ensure that nothing happens to either Earth or Humanity itself that would… displease our king."
Cthulhu frowned at her. "Speak plainly, Lady Yidhra. What is it that troubles you?"
"... Lucifer Morningstar is on Earth, and so are a number of his followers. And we know that Lord Asmodeus, the King of Hell has already meddled with Earth to get at him before, and might very well do so again, only this time even worse. And he's not the only one who might decide to get involved. I worry, Lord Cthulhu, that Earth and its people might find themselves in the middle of a divine game of influence which might bring doom to them all. I will do what I can to keep an eye on any and all threats, but as you already know, Earth has its fair share of dangers, and those dangers could become unified behind a powerful enough force if given the time and opportunity…" Lady Yidhra trailed off, but Cthulhu nodded grimly.
"The King has already warned me of such potential dangers, Lady Yidhra." he reassured her. "As it is, a contingent of our King's Aeons shall stay on-world at all times to monitor the planet, and either give advance warning or act outright if necessary to safeguard it from harm. Combined with the various cults and Eldritch beings or gods present on Earth, it shall hopefully be enough to deal with any threats as they come."
Lady Yidhra nodded. "I hope that you are right, my Lord. Thankfully, our King's actions have considerably deepened our influence with the Heavenly Factions, so it should be possible to combine our resources with theirs to ensure the continued survival and prosperity of Earth and its inhabitants."
Cthulhu nodded. "True. A number of Heavenly beings from all three Great Heavenly Factions have come to R'lyeh since its rise to help in the rebuilding and provide their services to all in need. They would make for good liaisons with their home realms. Same with those who came from Axis."
Lady Yidhra hummed thoughtfully. "I must say, it's an interesting change to have such a good relationship with other factions, for once. Usually we eldritch are left alone, and we did the same to others in return, we now… If things continue like this, and considering the Abyssal war to come it definitely will, at least for some eons, then it would be wise of us to try and follow in our king's footsteps by making friends outside of the Eldritch pantheon."
Cthulhu looked at her curiously. "Pardon me my lady, but from what I know you aren't the best… people person, so to speak. You are rather private and with very few close friends. And yet, it seems like that might change in the future. What brought this on, if I may ask?"
The goddess hesitated, before shaking her head with a smile. "Our king introduced me to someone who deeply understood my peculiar nature. It has made me consider a great many things since then. Moreover, with our king's clear goal of opening up the Eldritch kingdom and pantheon outwards towards the rest of Creation, it would be best for us to follow his example, especially considering the personal importance of Earth to our new ruler."
Cthulhu looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, before nodding. It wasn't his place to pry into her affairs, but he was happy to see the usually secretive Yidhra begin to open up more.
"Though speaking of other factions, I have to wonder how they are reacting to all of this…" mused the Eldritch Goddess by his side, and Cthulhu silently agreed.
The Eldritch Kingdom and pantheon had gone all-out for this event, after all, which was going to have… repercussions.
Elysium, Chambers of the Gods.
"This isn't something any of us will forget anytime soon… or ever, honestly." said Iomedae.
"That's certainly one way of putting it…" muttered one of the many gods present.
For now, the royal procession was made of and surrounded by only eldritch-affiliated beings, with non-eldritch beings free to come meet and greet with the king later, after his rise to the throne.
Nonetheless, incredibly expensive means had been taken to ensure that as many beings from all across the Prime multiverse and beyond could see the royal procession come closer to the center of the seat of power of the Eldritch pantheon, allowing countless sentients to gather together to witness this historical event with perfectly clarity (and no loss in sanity for the viewers).
The end result was a perfect view of the tall, powerful and confident form of the new god-king striding forward towards the throne room under the thunderous screams and shouts of joy of the eldritch gods present along his path. And there were… a staggering amount of those gods.
As it is, the planned route had apparently been cut short, otherwise the whole event could have easily lasted millenia… without even coming close to the king even seeing his throne yet.
Even with that being said, there could be no hiding the thousands upon thousands of varied deities of all forms and shapes lining up to show off their joy at the new king's rise. It was a testament to the power of the Eldritch pantheon that they possessed not only quantity, but quality both on their side.
It was easy to forget, with how… uninterested in mortal affairs most eldritch gods were, and how recluse the eldritch kingdom tended to be, that they were the most powerful faction by far for a reason. They just… never really had reason to show off. Sure, individual gods, species or civilizations within the eldritch kingdom might occasionally act up or be more active in general, but since before the Heavenly Factions even were the Heavenly factions, the common truth was that it was incredibly, incredibly rare to see more than a bare fraction of the Eldritch kingdom act as an unified whole.
But there was very little of that disunity right now. Fleets of warships in numbers enough to darken the very stars were flying proudly in formations to show off their might before uncountable quintillions of souls. Armies were in parade groups across the length of the Eldritch Kingdom, mustering in legions so great that by their numbers alone they stood more numerous than most known mortal civilizations' populations. Cults of eldritch gods across countless worlds and planes were either visibly or secretly celebrating, depending on their nature and how openly they could afford to show their allegiances.
Even the very cosmos itself was showing signs of the event. The stars were shining brighter than they normally would, many constellations and cosmic events were more visible or outright happening when they shouldn't, countless signs from countless cultures and species were manifesting everywhere. The mortals were (thankfully not literally… most of the time) losing their minds over all these unexplained phenomena, and there were more than a few cases where hasty explanations had to be given to reassure people that no, the End Times weren't about to happen.
Iomedae glanced at Desna, the goddess from Elysium with some suspected ties to the Eldritch Patheon was looking at the royal procession with a smile, her expression soft. Whatever the envoys of the Eldritch King had shown her, or rather the Eldritch King himself had shown her through his envoy, it had apparently convinced her that King Aeon's ascension to the throne would be for the better for Reality. Iomadae didn't necessarily disagree, but there was some genuine curiosity over what exactly the Eldritch King could have shown her to so completely win her over like this.
"The eldritch kingdom is celebrating… but it's also preparing for war." rumbles Gorum approvingly.
Iomedae nodded. "They are. Trying to keep track of the entire Eldritch Kingdom is a hard task, but we've started allocating more resources into it after the revelation of Queen Azathoth having taken a husband. The entire kingdom is preparing more massive, sweeping changes, and one of them is that military conscription is going through the roof. Eldritch cultists have always shown a tendency to see their lives as insignificant when compared to the wills of their gods, and with the equivalent of a holy war on the horizon against the Abyss and its allies, they are going in droves to the nearest recruitment centers to take up arms."
Gorum grunted with a nod. "Say what you will about eldritch cultists, they are never ones afraid of getting their hands dirty. And neither is their new god-king, by the looks of things. What happened in Abaddon is still sending some of our military strategists into conniptions." he chuckled darkly at that, amused at the thought.
Iomedae snorted. "It takes a certain kind of madness to challenge an entire Infernal Realm with your bare fists."
"Madness? Yes. But also boldness, skill, and power, in levels beyond anything we can imagine being casually used. And that's what makes the new king such a frightening prospect for many. He doesn't just have power. He's also willing to use it." Gorum rumbled with almost delighted glee. "Heaven might have the White God in his Eden, but that one doesn't care to fight these days. He's all about peace." The sheer contempt in Gorum's voice made it clear what he thought of that. "But the new Eldritch King? He's got the willingness to use that power in a way most gods don't ever dream of, for fear of challenging the status quo too much. Well, this glorious bastard took a damn warhammer to the status quo, and if he stay like that, things are going to get very, very interesting." he chuckled darkly again, and Iomedae felt a shiver go down her spine at the thought of the horrors that would ensue if the new Eldritch King turned out to be even a fraction as full of battle-lust as Gorum.
It was hard to say, as for now his focus was on the Abyss, which everyone could only agree would make the Omniverse a better place if it was gone. But she knew well that things in Hell had suddenly taken a sharp turn towards a potential future civil war in the future, and if that led to yet another war, that would imply that two of the three Great Infernal Realms would potentially cease to exist.
Which left the most important question: What then? When both Hell and the Abyss are gone and with Abaddon pacified, what will happen then? Would the Eldritch King finally call his armies back home, satisfied with his work?
Or would he decide to turn those armies full of bloodlust… towards someone else?
The simple fact of the matter is that no one truly knew what the long-term plans of the Eldritch king were. Outer Gods, or even Eldritch Gods in general, tended to plan things out over periods of billions, trillions, if not quintillion of years as naturally as a mortal would plan for what they would eat for dinner tonight. Iomedae had immense doubts that the plans of someone like the King of the Eldritch Gods would end with the handling of the Infernal Realms, even if he was apparently a former mortal himself.
Of course, Iomedae, and the rest of the Great Factions, had no choice but to jump on the bandwagon that the king started. Quite simply, the Heavenly realms saw in the king and his plans as the perfect opportunity to ensure the ultimate triumph of Good over Evil, and that was worth taking a gamble on the far future of Creation. Iomedae couldn't even disagree, as siding with the Eldritch King was simply too advantageous not to do it.
But that was the problem. The King of the Eldritch knew precisely the value of what he had at his disposal, and was making ruthless good use of it to build a never before seen powerbase out of it.
And there was nothing anyone could do to stop it except to keep watching out for when the other shoe would drop.
Center of the Void, Throne Room of the Eldritch Pantheon.
As I walked forward, feeling the presence and power of Azathoth coming closer and closer, I had to truly appreciate the sheer size of the center of power of the Eldritch Pantheon.
In Star Wars, the Galactic senate was held in a round chamber with hundreds, even thousands of floating platforms for every senator and their aides. It led to the building itself being absolutely massive in a way that few other buildings on Coruscant could lay claim to, except perhaps for the Jedi Temple.
The chamber I was now entering took those buildings and made a laughing mockery of them.
It was bigger than a planet. Bigger even than any star. It made an entire solar system look small.
Amidst black stones as dark as the void, with amorphous flute players flying in perfection formations by the trillions in the air, upon buildings, temples and stranger-looking seats of power, countless eldritch gods could be seen, none one of the gods within the Eldritch pantheon wanting to miss this event. Whether out of genuine loyalty, interest, fear of the consequences or simply out of pride, not one deity was missing this day.
I was thus left with the surreal sight of looking and being surrounded by a living sea of divine power, pure embodiment of eldritch might surrounding me far, far beyond a mortal sight.
I could hear my mortal wives gasp in shock, feel their awe over what little they could perceive of this impossible realm full of impossible gods. Here stood the true rulers of Infinity, the masters of Eternity, amongst which Time and Space embodied sat in places of honor.
My True self had to shield their minds, protect their very souls from the raw power casually found in this place, as the very act of standing within this place would leave an eternal mark upon their very selves. They had traveled beyond the Outer Gates, witnessed sights that almost no mortals in history had seen… such feats held meaning. Power.
A part of me wanted to reach out, reassure them, share in their awe and wonder… but I could not. I was here to play a part on this very stage, and I couldn't afford to break out of character at such an important moment.
So instead, I embodied kingship with my every step, standing tall, regal, striding forward not as one being awed by their surroundings, but as one with the full confidence of knowing that all these wonders were mine to rule.
The psychic background of this place was abuzz with a trillion trillion divine voices, all speaking at the same time as they welcomed me, praised me, encouraged me, and much more besides.
Gods of every elements and concepts, from Elder Gods to Outer Gods in power, gathered in unified groups or standing like lone beacons of powers, all of them staring at me through eyes, psychic sights, and stranger things besides.
There were very few gods looking similar, despite their numbers. Jellyfish-looking deities stood next to living mountains, while floating voids stood nearby sentient fires of all colors.
It was a testament to the incredible diversity of life, especially eldritch in nature. It was a picture perfect embodiment of the Kingdom the gods ruled over, with countless species of different beliefs and dreams coexisting through a shared umbrella of being "Eldritch." It was simultaneously an incredibly disorganized mess and the greatest example of unity ever imagined.
And just this once, it had been completely unified… for me.
It was as humbling as it was awe-inspiring.
For all the wonders of this realm however, for all the powers of those within it, for all the numerous deities gathered under one place, there was no hiding the fact that the true power of it all lied at its center.
At the center of this impossibly large chamber, an imposing stairway stood, leading me onwards to my destiny. As black as the stones of the chamber, made of material that had nothing to do with something as base and insignificant as matter, it led upwards to a number of floating thrones surrounding the Black Throne of Azathoth. Those were the thrones of the Inner Court of the Queen of the Eldritch, where the oldest and mightiest of the Outer Gods sat around their ruler: Yog-Sothoth, Shub-Niggurath, Nyarlathotep, Tenebrae (Darkness) and Innomina (Mist).
A new addition to that previously unchanging number was Oedon, who calmly broke off the royal procession along with Yog-Sothoth, creating a throne of dark red flowing blood with white flowers, the same Lunar Tears of the Hunter's Dream, coming out of it in various spots, before she took her seat, a warm smile on her face and blood red eyes looking at me in anticipation, her power for once leaking out around her as she stood as one of the mightiest deity amongst the most powerful beings in existence.
I glanced at Yog-Sothoth, seated upon a throne of bubbles-like spheres who to my eyes were revealed to be nothing short of numerous Multiverses whose metaphysical make-up also served as her throne. She looked at me with smug anticipation, clearly eager to see me fully claim my own throne.
Shub-Niggurath had a brilliant smile on her face, her eyes almost glowing with delight as she beamed at me, her own throne looking like the lower half of one of her Youngs shaped into a comfortable seat for her to rest in, a multitude of limbs and dark, fur-covered tentacles anchoring it on the ground.
Mist and Darkness' thrones were just as expected of both goddesses: A throne of deep, ever-shifting mist and fog that no one could peer through, and one of solid darkness just as impenetrable. Both women smiled at me, though I had to hide my amusement at the hints of unease I could detect within them over the many, many lessons I already gave both, and the very… creative manners with which I punished them whenever they tried slacking off.
Last but certainly not least was the throne of the Crawling Chaos, currently empty as its mistress was by the side of Azathoth, holding a richly decorated pillow with my crown upon it. Even without the Crawling Chaos sitting upon it, the throne itself radiated an enormous aura of madness and chaos, screaming the nature of its deity for all to see, a warning and offer of temptation both, for chaos was a ladder that one can use to rise to heights inimaginable… or be crushed under its weight at any time for the slightest hint of weakness. The throne was just as chaotic as its mistress, changing form and even base matter at every second, going from black stone to red flesh to a physical wall of sounds made up of countless damned souls in a blink of an eye. And yet, it certainly seemed to recognize me, as when I looked upon it it froze into a throne reminiscent of a conquering roman emperor, with a chain and collar bound to the throne, as if to acknowledge my power over the Crawling Chaos.
I mentally snorted at the sight, before turning away, as I finally came into view of the two figures waiting for me. Nyarlathotep was smirking, red eyes gleaming in maddened delight as she got to hold the small red pillow holding my crown. As Azathoth's grand Vizier, Yog-sothoth should have been the one doing it, but Nyarlathotep asked to be granted that honor on the basis of the fact that she was currently the most devoted Outer Goddess of Azathoth's inner court towards me, which funnily enough was true. I had good relationships with the others, but they weren't as truly loyal as Nyarlathotep was.
For all of the Crawling Chaos' maddened glee however, there was no hiding the fact it barely held a candle to the true star of today, the only person more powerful that I was: Azathoth, looking utterly radiant in her full Queen outfit, and with a beaming smile so wide and bright it was a wonder that she hadn't spontaneously created a whole new omniverse from sheer joy. Her eyes shone brighter than any star, her whole body was aglow with power and happiness, and I couldn't help but falter ever so slightly over how incredibly beautiful she looked.
Here and now, it felt less like a coronation and more like a bride about to get married, and I smiled back at her just as brightly at the thought.
Her own smile seemed to glow even more at the sight, before I came to a stop before her, grinned… and knelt.
Azathoth turned towards Nyarlathotep, gently taking the crown she was holding up with both hands with infinite care, looking at it more like a ring than a crown, before she went back to facing me, her golden eyes shining with power and love in equal measure.
"Aeon… Beloved." Azathoth spoke, her words echoing with both the might of the God-Queen of Creation… and the gentleness of a woman deeply in love. "I name you my King, my Kungur, my Beloved, now and forevermore. Let all know and be aware: From this point forward, He speaks in my voice, acts in my will, rules in my name. This I, Queen Azathoth, so hereby declare."
With infinite care masking an equal amount of eagerness, she slowly brought the crown upon my head. It was a wondrous thing, creating more out of metaphysical concepts than any mere physical matter. It glittered the shining gold of starlight, yet held hues that did not exist in nature. The gemstones within it reflected the cosmos itself, countless glimmering stars peering through and dancing in pride and joy at my coronation. It was not the most outwardly elaborate crown to ever exist, but a single look at it told me that the true worth of it was found in the fact that it would empower me significantly. It acted like a seal binding me to the Omniverse, pushing my True Self far closer to true Perfection that he should be able to lay claim to right now. It was an act of tremendous love and trust for Azathoth to so greatly bind anyone to her Creation like this, as wearing it would metaphysically bring me closer to her own state of existence on top of making me far, far more powerful than I otherwise would be.
With a shuddering breath, I felt it come to rest upon my brow, and it took everything my True Self had to not have me let out my True Form on the spot as pure, raw POWER filled my very being. I could feel my True Self across the entire Prime Multiverse, his power swelling with every breath as he reached out and began overlooking quintillions upon quintillions of new multiverses instantly from the power-up. His soul spread ever onward, across the full breadth of the Void, across every Realms and planes, across so, so many multiverses than even I struggled to count them all, shining so brightly to my sight and yet being so very, very small-
"Gnnh." I groaned, eyes fluttering open.
Through sheer willpower, I brought myself back from the nearly all-encompassing awe of my own swelling power, letting my True Self worry about keeping things under control while I looked back up at Azathoth with awe in my eyes. So, so much power was now flowing through me… It was technically my third Ascension now, first in Bloodborne, then in Lucy's reality, and now here.
And yet, despite that, it didn't matter. Not here and now, not when Azathoth was looking at me with a mix of awe, wonder, love and concern at feeling my own swelling might and my strong reaction to it.
No, what mattered was reassuring Aza that I was still myself, so…
"If you stare any harder, I'll not take responsibility for sweeping you in my arms and kissing you silly in full view of everyone." I whispered, grinning widely as Azathoth suddenly flushed and looked deeply torn between accepting her fate or choosing to try and keep decorum intact.
"Don't tempt me, Beloved." she whispered back with a warning look that spoke of how much she was fighting off the desire to let me do exactly that. Then, with a much stronger voice, her next words were spoken as a command. "Arise, My beloved, My King, My Kungur."
I did as requested, trying not to fall flat on my face from the backlash of the staggering power-up I just got soul-punched with. The fact that Azathoth was still far more powerful than me really said something crazy about how nonsensical her entire existence was.
Then again, Azathoth. You couldn't be more on point if you tried.
I nodded at Nyarlathotep, who grinned and walked to my side, the top of the pillow blurring for a moment before revealing a new crown, the one I personally created for Azathoth. Each gemstones were in fact distilled Authorities, allowing her to control her truly staggering amount of cosmic might with far greater ease than ever before. I could not make her more powerful, but I didn't need to when I instead could grant her something she had struggled with her entire existence: control. It wasn't perfect, much like Azathoth couldn't make me a perfect god, but it would help her tremendously.
Azathoth gasped at the sight of it, easily able to see exactly what I did and what it would do for her, and how much of my love and trust I put into creating this crown when part of it was literally made of my own Divine powers. It wasn't quite giving away part of my soul or anything, but it came damn near close. Letting other deities, even one's wife, share one's authorities like this just… wasn't done. Needless to say, I took that so-called "Logic" and smashed it with a hammer when crafting this crown.
"Beloved…" Aza whispered, golden eyes wide at seeing what I just did, and I shrugged lightly and gave her an easy smile. "You shared your greatest Creation with me. It's only fair that I show you trust and love in equal amounts."
Azathoth blinked rapidly, before she knelt and looked up at me with pure anticipation and eagerness on her face.
"Azathoth… Beloved." I spoke, my words echoing her own with the slightest hint of teasing undertone. "I name you my Queen, my equal, my Beloved, now and forevermore. Let all know and be aware: From this point forward, She speaks in my voice, acts in my will, rules in my name. This I, King Aeon, so hereby declare."
With a smile, I carefully took the crown from the pillow that the Crawling Chaos held and brought it slowly upon Azathoth's head. The moment I let go, the very second its power worked their magic, and my True Self had to intervene to prevent a colossal release of energy as Azathoth gasped loudly, tears beginning to drip down her cheeks and a wide, awed smile spreading on her lips.
"I… I can see it… I can see my Creation… I can see so much of it without harming it, it's… It's so beautiful…" she breathed, and I struggled not to turn around to see the absolute pandemonium that was echoing in the background from every eldritch God feeling the way her power spread far and wide in a way that she had never been able to do before.
"Not so much of a blind idiot goddess anymore, huh Azathoth?" I muttered to her with a grin, making her giggle helplessly for a moment, still rather power-drunk from the side-effects of her new crown.
"Not, definitely not." she agreed with another brilliant, grateful smile, which also warmed me that only divine endurance would save my pelvis from total annihilation tonight.
"Oh, this is even better than anything I could have dreamt of." whispered Nyarlathotep, rather wide-eyed by the result of our exchange of crowns, before she began giggling madly to herself.
Ignoring the way that the Crawling Chaos looked ready to climax just at the thought of the repercussions of this moment alone, I held up my hand to Azathoth, and when she took it with a grateful smile-
"Mmmmph!"
-Swept her off her feet entirely and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
Her golden eyes bulged at my boldness while being watched over countless people and gods, before she melted into the kiss with a deeper, delighted moan, her soft lips hungrily kissing back against mine as she threw her arms around my shoulders.
I kept kissing her until she was left red-faced and squirming in my arms, panting hotly for air and with lidded golden eyes peering up at me with immense lust.
"Beloved…" she half-growled, half-whined at my actions.
I shamelessly grinned down at her, before looking up, creating a throne of pure cosmic matter at the side of Azathoth's black throne, looking like a throne-shaped window into the very cosmos I was now tasked to rule.
Boldly walking forward, still with the flushing queen-goddess in my arms, I stared at my throne for a second, before confidently sitting down upon it-
And I finally, finally stopped holding everything back.
E̷͚͚͇̳̦̯͎̻̥̘̜̠̲͚͛̏̎ͅT̴͈͇̳̯̜̀̂͐͂̽̀̈̇͗̊̑̑͝Ë̵̡̝̣̰̫̤̟͙̮̲͚̝̱̝́̒̎͌͋̑̔̋̓̈́́̈́͌̏͝͠͝R̴̢̛͙͈̉̊̍̿͋̄̈́͗̈͆̋N̴̯̯̗̲̗̆̃̀̇͐̀̎̇̀̓̐Į̸̲̱̺̭̱̰̮͍́ͅT̴̨̢̢̳̭̪͈͇̬̪̗͑̀̓̽̾̈͂Y̴͉̮͔̑̇̃͐ͅ
My still human form disappeared, as did my cosmic robes, as I took a far more eldritch, cosmic form, still with my new crown upon my head, and a bright halo of flowing light and darkness floating above the crown.
Waves of raw power washed over the combined gods gathered in their uncountable quintillions, silencing and freezing them all in place, before spreading outwards, across the Void, across the Cosmos, across the entire Prime Multiverse and beyond.
Not all could feel it, mortals could only do so if they truly were aware of and believed in the supernatural for example, but at least for an instant the Prime Multiverse in its almost entirety could feel my presence, my pure Authority as King of the Eldritch and Ruler of the omniverse settle upon all.
Then with one hand I raised a fist and looked at the assembled gods before and declared with a booming voice:
"GLORY ETERNAL… TO US ALL!"
And without another word, I went right back to kissing a blushing Azathoth silly, even as the entire Eldritch Pantheon, Kingdom, and beyond erupted in cheers strong enough to almost break the Space-Time Continuum.
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Love Azathoth!
So… To be honest I have no real idea how a coronation should go, especially one for a God-King, and especially for an Eldritch God-king. Still, I hope that this chapter was alright with you all, and from now on Aeon truly is God-King of the Eldritch!
Oh, and Oedon is now a new goddess amongst Azathoth's inner court, since she is that powerful that she really couldn't end up anywhere else (and after what she did to that mad eldritch god that made her local counterpart go mad, well, no one is about to disagree).
Lucy, while certainly very powerful, is technically not an eldritch goddess so that makes things a bit awkward. So if Oedon is now the equivalent of high end nobility, Lucy is somewhere around very, very high mid class. Still pretty damn high, just not full-blown "you're one of a handful of people" high.
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we start the divine meet and greet, with both Eldritch and non-eldritch deities coming to meet the new guy in the big, fancy chair!