My great thanks to TodaBruh, who kindly chose to use some of his free time to be my beta reader!
Center of the Void, Throne Room of the Eldritch Pantheon.
It took some time for the wild cheering, delighted psychic screaming, and general displays of pure joy to calm down after I sat down on my throne.
I could feel the raw power coursing through it and into me, allowing me to watch over far more of Creation than I previously could. The Throne, much like my new crown, stood as a physical embodiment of my new status as God-King, though I made very sure that, if anything ever happened to either of them, I would not suffer from it.
Gehrman's words about never relying on tools could all too easily apply in this situation. Objects could be stolen or broken, after all, no matter how unlikely that might be in this case.
Still, I could feel the joy, awe and wonder of countless souls across Creation as they witnessed my Eldritch Divine form, the countless species, civilizations and cults bound to the Eldritch pantheon celebrating the fact that they had a new and powerful king who would rule over them.
The flip side of this was that I quite literally had the weight of an omniverse in expectations put on my shoulders, but… Well, I was not alone. I had my wives, friends, allies and subjects to share that incredible burden with.
I was certain that it would be enough. If the Eldritch pantheon did so well by itself, then together we would ensure that things only became better from now on.
That was my own promise to myself towards Reality: that I would make it a better place to live in, full of wonders and beauty, for both myself and all those I loved.
With me now being crowned, the next event of the day was interacting with my new subjects and accepting the well-wishes of everyone present for my coronation.
Considering the sheer number of Eldritch Gods, I couldn't physically meet with all of them, so a number of them had been chosen as the "lucky few" who got to meet me in person.
First on that list was Yog-Sothoth, who once again made her way towards me after the coronation part of the day was over.
"I've said it before, but my congratulations, my King. And to you too, Azathoth. I dare say that, if the consequences of you wearing your new crowns are anything to go by, this union is off to a wonderful start!" she smugly declared.
"Beloved's work is truly wondrous." beamed Azathoth. "The crown he made for me allows me a level of control over my power that is far greater than anything I ever felt before!" she cheerfully declared, before sobering slightly. "I can still tell that I'm very, very far from perfect mastery, much like Aeon is still far weaker than me." Her smile returned. "But I am delighted that we are so much closer to each other than before!"
"And speaking of control, don't think that I'm going to go any easier on either of you when it comes to training." I said with a smirk. "I won't be satisfied with your progress until the day where you have so perfectly mastered your powers that even I cannot find a single bit of wasted energy every time you use them."
Yog shuddered slightly. "You truly are a terrifying teacher, my king. Where countless other gods see our power and feel nothing but awe, your only thoughts are of disappointment over how much wasted energy we release every time we call upon it."
"Beloved's standards are incredibly high." agreed Azathoth with a nod… before her expression turned cutely determined. "But that just means we can be better! And if we can indeed be better, then I will do everything I can to reach that level!"
"And I'm very proud of you for it, Aza." I said warmly, making my new queen blush before she smiled brightly.
"You truly are good for each other." commented Shub-Niggurath, with Oedon walking by her side towards us nodding in agreement with an approving smile. The Mother of a Thousand Youngs looked at me and bowed deeply, a gentle smile on her face. "My congratulations on your coronation, my king. And I must say, your Eldritch Divine form was truly breath-taking. Though I can definitely see why you keep it hidden most of the time, it is… rather overwhelming." she said with some amusement, no doubt referencing the fact that many of the lesser Eldritch Gods present actually reacted to the sight of my Divine Form with outright overwhelmed awe, to the point that many of them were still doing their best to recover from the experience.
Deities like Ithaqua and even Yad, as the Lesser Deity of Time, were still struggling to even look my way without instantly being reminded of my Divine Form and freezing in place, blank expressions crossing their faces as their minds struggled to feel anything beyond pure awe and wonder.
There were quintillions of lesser eldritch gods currently doing their best to gather themselves back from the divine equivalent of a flashbang my unveiling resulted in… if said flashbang was one capable of bringing gods to their knees while feeling incredibly small.
Too many of them were used to the unique divine power of Azathoth, but they had no previous exposure to mine, and it resulted in the rather spectacular and overwhelmed reaction of so many deities.
Still, I wasn't too worried. There were no real negative consequences to seeing my divine form beyond the obvious risk of being overwhelmed, at least for Eldritch gods.
And hey, having a healthy level of awe for one's ruler wasn't a bad thing.
"You understand why I prefer to keep it concealed, now." I told Shub, who looked more amused.
"I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it again, however." she told me, her expression turning… wistful. "It was, without doubt, one of the most incredible things I had ever seen. Just… please make sure to give advance warning." Her lips twitched, the amusement in her eyes growing again, along with… something else. "I meant it when I said that it really can get overwhelming."
Yog blushed faintly, Azathoth looked amused, Oedon looked smug, and as for Shub herself, there was an intense look in her eyes as she looked at me that implied… interesting things.
… My True self, please tell me that my Divine Form isn't the equivalent of catnip for women?
[AMUSEMENT]
Well… Fuck.
[AMUSEMENT]
It's all your fault!
And no, I don't care that we're the same person, I'm still blaming you!
"Well Master, you most certainly put on quite the show." purred Nyarlathotep, red eyes glinting in mischievous glee. "I dare say you made a very deep impression on most of the goddesses of the pantheon!"
I groaned. "Not you too… My True Self is a smug jackass, and now I made the majority of the female side of the Eldritch pantheon horny for me!"
"They are definitely going to support you even more, now!" cheerfully said Oedon, reacting to my ensuing glare sent her way by only grinning harder.
"Seduction is a perfectly valid method of gathering political power, my king." smirked the Crawling Chaos. "And I know from experience how incredibly skilled at it you are!"
"Look on the bright side." smugly said Yog. "The male Eldritch gods reacted to your divine form by instinctually wanting to kneel and serve you loyally. No horny included!"
"Thank goodness for that!" I muttered with incredible relief.
The thought of having the entire Eldritch pantheon horny for me was pretty terrifying. Having the female half currently looking my way like I was an all-you-can-eat buffet was bad enough!
"Don't worry beloved, I'll protect you from overeager goddesses." Azathoth said with a straight face… for all of 3 seconds before she broke down giggling.
"I'm surrounded by traitors, and it hasn't even been a day since I claimed my throne!" I muttered in disbelief.
"I'm sure that you'll live, dear Aeon." Oedon said with clear amusement.
"Honestly though, that was actually pretty smart of your True Self." bluntly declared the Crawling Chaos. "The male gods found a ruler that they instinctively want to loyally serve and obey, the female ones got one they can pin after. Even if nothing comes out of it, don't underestimate the advantage that having so many gods and goddesses naturally inclined to gain your favor for at least the start of your reign will give you, especially for the female goddesses. If they believe they can get into your pants, they'll be all the more willing to politically back you up."
I stare dryly at her. "So you're suggesting that the best way to get political support right now… is to more or less literally charm every Eldritch goddess that I can?"
"I support this plan!" Instantly declared Oedon with a delighted smile.
"Denied." I mercilessly replied, making her pout in disappointment. "I can see taking a few more goddesses as lovers, but not the uncountable quintillions of them currently in the eldritch pantheon!"
"Aaaawwww…" Oedon's shoulders slumped. "That sounded great though… Think of all the babies!" she exclaimed.
I shuddered at the very thought. "I'd rather not!"
Truth be told, showing my Divine form didn't actually make the eldritch goddesses horny. What it did however was make me look incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring, which can lead to them wanting to get into my pants.
As for the Eldritch Gods, from what I can tell they reacted to seeing my divine form much like a space marine legion from warhammer 40k would react upon first meeting their primarch. A great deal of awe, an instinctual desire to submit and be loyal, the desire to gain my approval, that kind of thing.
It wasn't actually mind control or anything, just pure charisma and charm taken to an inhuman level.
That still left me in the awkward position that most lesser Eldritch deities were still trying to recover from the experience, though thankfully the more powerful the eldritch deity, the lesser the impact of my Divine form.
"That was quite the show." "Very impressive." "Rather intimidating, actually." "That too." spoke two familiar voices, and I turned to nod at Mist and Darkness, who were looking at me warily.
Case in point, those two were powerful enough to be barely affected, and since they already feared me as a result of my… enthusiastic lessons I was giving them into becoming proper goddesses worthy of the title, neither of them were horny.
Instead, they were more intimidated than anything.
I smiled at them, even as they twitched at the sight. "Hello, you two. Did you still manage to enjoy the event, despite everything?"
"We did." "Mother is happy. Happier than we've ever seen her." "That makes us happy too." declared both Outer Goddesses.
Aza smiled warmly at her daughters. "Thank you, girls. And of course I'm happy! I effectively married Beloved!" She cheerfully declared, quickly leaning against my left side and taking my arms in hers, holding it to her chest with clear joy. "Everything was perfect! Everyone was happy, countless people cheered us on, and Beloved looks incredibly handsome today as my king!" She blushed. "The kiss was pretty good, too…" she muttered to herself with gleaming golden eyes.
"Aaaawww…" muttered Shub with a soft expression. "You looked so happy when our new king embraced you… I was half wondering if you were going to turn into a supernova out of sheer joy!"
"Shub!" Aza exclaimed, flushing. "I wouldn't! I wouldn't have been able to feel my Beloved's lips against mine then- Err, I mean-" she flushed harder. "I'm not going to lose control so easily!"
"This is sickeningly sweet." deadpanned the Crawling Chaos.
"I think they are adorable together." Oedon declared with a firm, pleased nod. Then she grinned widely. "I can't wait to see the babies!"
"Please make sure that they don't eat the Space-Time Continuum." flatly asked Yog, even as Aza grinned widely at the idea of babies. "We kind of need that staying intact."
"Don't worry, we'll be careful." I told her with amusement.
"Babies, hmmm…" Shub muttered, glancing at me for a moment with an intense look on her face.
"Well, either way, our congratulations once again for claiming your throne, my king." said Yog with a smug grin returning. "The future is going to be bright and beautiful with you leading us!" She winked. "I'm sure of it!"
That earned her a few deadpan looks from the surrounding goddesses, while I snorted at her words.
Trust the Goddess of Time to say something like that.
"Is it our turn to offer congratulations, now? Because congratulations!" came the cheerful voice of Rebecca Chambers, along with my other wives coming to a stop near me.
"God-King of the Eldritch kingdom, pantheon, and de facto all of reality… It's still hard to imagine." muttered Summer Rose, the huntress of Remnant looking rather stunned.
"Hmph. Aeon has always been great, it's only right that he becomes god-king." arrogantly replied Tatsumaki, almost bursting with pride over my rise in status.
Claire merely smirked. "We're very far from the sewers of Raccoon City, aren't we? To think we'd end up like this…"
I laughed. "I know! From the hell that was Yharnam to…" I looked and waved at our surroundings. "This."
I shook my head. "Destiny can truly be a very strange thing."
Then I made a point of looking into the eyes of everyone present before smiling warmly. "And I wouldn't change a single damn thing, because I can never regret meeting any of you."
That brought smiles on the faces of everyone, pride and happiness clear to see as they all looked at me.
"You'll make a wonderful king, Aeon. I'm sure of it." declared Nusha, the Great Old One of Blood speaking the words with the certainty of steel, with Alexstrasza nodding just as firmly in agreement. "You are kind and benevolent, but also firm and unyielding when necessary. And if you are ever lost on what to do…" her smile softened into a loving expression. "Then all of us present here will do our absolute best to aid you."
"Yeah!"
"You can count on us!"
"We'll always be there for you!"
"They are right, Beloved." said Azathoth, her eyes shining with joy and love as she looked up at me. "We'll always be there for you, no matter what."
The Queen is correct, master, whispered Damelone in my mind, my sword's words carrying the unyielding might she possessed. I will always do my best to guarantee that your will comes to pass, no matter what foes stands against us.
It was my turn to smile softly, feeling warmth flood through me at their unwavering show of support.
"Thank you, everyone. I'll be counting on you all to work with me in order to make a brighter future for the omniverse, then."
After receiving the congratulations of the Inner Court of Azathoth and my wives, it was time to mingle amongst the many, many, Eldritch deities and beings present for the occasion.
Outer Gods of all kinds, colors and forms came to me, offering their congratulations and eager to talk to me about… Well, everything that was the concern of Eldritch gods.
The vast majority of it involved their cults, planets or species, whether to boast, request aid or simply to ask for advice.
The fact that I used to be a simple mortal was something that was by now well-known, and quite a few Eldritch deities were eager to get suggestions that would help either their current cultists, or help secure a greater number of them.
Which did lead to some awkward or darkly humorous moments where I had to call upon the supreme power known as "Common sense" to explain some important facts to various Eldritch deities.
"No, adding eyes all over the bodies of your cultists will not make them better." I explained patiently to the dumbfounded Great Old One looking like a giant floating eye… with tentacles.
Because of course the giant floating eyeball had tentacles too.
[CONFUSION] replied the Great Old One.
"Yes, being able to see all around you with perfect vision is certainly an advantage." I agreed. "But you have to keep in mind that mortal bodies, and their brains most of all, are not used to gaining new eyes all of a sudden. It can easily lead to those you bless going insane because of the additional organs. To say nothing of the issues that come from not being able to wear clothing or armor if eyes cover the entire body, or even move at all if you put eyes upon their limbs."
[QUERY] asked the Eldritch god a moment later.
I smiled. "Well, as a matter of fact I personally recommend adding any additional eyes within the very souls of individuals, more specifically-"
I began explaining how, after my Ascension, I modified the effects of gaining Eldritch Insight and the subsequent development of eyes lining the brain by simply putting them within the very souls of the affected mortals, allowing them to be physically free of mutations while still retaining the full benefits of them.
It took some conceptual speech of my own to fully explain the matter, but I walked away from the Eldritch god satisfied that we had come to an agreement that would ensure that his blessing would no longer turn mortals into agonized piles of mutated eyes growing out of control all over their bodies.
"Hard at work already, I see, my king."
I smiled at the next person to come see me. "Greetings to you too, Yad. I trust that the day has been good so far?"
The Elder Goddess of Time gave me a dry look. "At least until I got to see your Divine Form. I'm one of the first Elder Goddess to recover from that, and only because of my connection to Yog. I would have appreciated some advance warning that you were going to metaphorically hit my soul with… I'm not even sure how to describe it. The closest thing to conceptual perfection I ever saw? That sounds about right." she said flatly.
Despite her words, there was no hiding the lingering awe in her eyes as she looked at me, along with a storm of secondary emotions clashing in the background.
I smiled apologetically at her. "For what it's worth, I do apologize, but in my defense, even I wasn't entirely certain how badly seeing my divine form was going to impact you all. And I could hardly not show it off on the day of my coronation for… a large number of reasons."
Yad stared at me grumpily for a moment, before sighing. "The worst part is that I perfectly understand. No, more than that, I even approve. Your achievements since you met the Queen and now your revealed divine form will, by themselves, grant you enormous political power. Raw power by itself is already one of the greatest sources of political power in the Eldritch pantheon, but what you showed everyone was…" she trailed off, the lingering awe in her eyes pulsing greater for a second before abating again. "Well. Point is, It was logically the smart move. I suppose that is all that matters."
"As long as it won't cause issues for you?" I asked worriedly.
She shook her head. "Don't worry. It was shocking at the moment, but…" she hesitated for a split-second. "I'm fine now."
"... Very well then." I decided not to press further. "Anything from Earth that you think I should be made aware of?"
"Besides the obvious fact that the various pantheons of Earth, with the notable exception of the Abrahamic Faction, are quaking in their boots at the thought of what you might decide to do to Earth?" Yad said wryly. "Then no. Nothing that you haven't already been made aware of when you met Ithaqua for the first time, at least. Speaking of, I'd recommend waiting a bit before going to meet her and Anga. Their history made them more susceptible to your divine form, and they are struggling to properly recover."
I grimaced slightly. "I take it that because I already helped them, they were more emotionally vulnerable than they otherwise would have been?"
"If by that you mean that both of them see you as their savior and thus reacted to your divine form much like a cultist meeting their god for the first time in the flesh, then yes, they were indeed more 'emotionally vulnerable.'" Yad said bluntly.
I let out a sigh. "That's about what I expected. Very well then, I'll do my best to avoid meeting them until they've gathered their bearings."
"That would be for the best." Yad agreed. "Still, overall as far as I can tell this entire event is a smashing success, so don't worry too much, my king. You're doing fantastic, just keep it up and it'll all work out."
I smiled. "I appreciate the advice."
"You are most welcome, your majesty."
Meeting so many Eldritch deities was certainly fascinating, and their subjects of interests were as varied as the gods themselves.
At one point, I spent over half an hour debating Law and philosophy with a god looking like a giant balloon of flesh with the psychic equivalent of a posh accent, before spending another half an hour debating the best way to kill humanoids with blade weaponry over claws and teeth with the equivalent of a divine wolf covered in tentacles.
Most of the gods I met were rather friendly towards me, either because they actually liked what I got up to since meeting Azathoth, or simply because they wanted to not offend me, the newest terrifyingly powerful Outer God.
Then, there were those gods who were less happy to see me, and some had entirely legitimate reasons for it.
Eire'neas, the Great Old One speaking in the name of a number of like-minded individuals, was visibly concerned about the sheer destruction that an all-out war against the Abyss would bring.
"Countless worlds that existed before the Abyss came to be will be at risk of destruction." pointed out said deity. "Their population, their culture, their very civilizations will be potentially lost forever because of this war. A war that you have started."
"I am aware." I softly replied. "But the Abyss is a cancer upon Reality. It seeks only to grow and expand, corrupting or destroying everything on its path. What little use it serves can just as easily be duties given to Abaddon and its Daemons. As king of Reality, it is ultimately my duty to decide what is to be preserved and what is to be removed from it. The existence of the Abyss itself is a cosmic mistake that I have full intention of correcting."
"And the price to pay for that decision, in lives or otherwise? It will not be cheap, we all know that." Eire'neas shot back.
"Even amongst those of us who care little about the lives of mortals, we still struggle to see the purpose of this war. We eldritch gods are not those of the Heavenly Realms. Morality is not ours to shoulder the defense of." argued another god against me.
"It is not without benefits." I denied. "The Eldritch Pantheon has never had as much influence amongst the other divine realms as we currently enjoy, a state of affairs which can be entirely attributed to my actions and decisions. I know for a fact that overall, the economy of the Eldritch Kingdom had been boosted by the sudden surge of individuals and merchants affiliated with the Heavenly Realms who decided to make contact with the Kingdom where they otherwise would not have."
"There is truth to that." mused a goddess looking like an ever-shifting blob of gold. "While Infernal-affiliated merchants coming from Hell and the Abyss especially have fallen in numbers, those affiliated with the Heavenly realms of the mortal kingdoms worshiping the Heavenly gods have risen dramatically. We do not expect that fact to remain constant, sadly, but we do expect it to stabilize at a previously never before seen level thanks to the new friendly relations between our respective pantheons."
"Not everyone is happy about the elevated heavenly presence." noted one of the deities surrounding me. "Something about 'moral busy-bodies' and arrogant children claiming wisdom in the halls of deities far older and greater than them."
I smiled wryly. "I'm sure those same people will be more than happy to take the gold of said 'moral busy-bodies,' all the same."
The golden blob of a goddess made a sound very similar to a highly unrefined scoff full of amusement. "I most certainly know I will!"
Said goddess turned towards and her body… rippled.
"Speaking of money, I wanted to talk to you about the matter of tariff and taxations. The state of the laws in the Eldritch kingdom is just horrifying, and I am most hopeful that your Majesty will be able to do what none other wants or are able to do by making some actual progress in solving this unacceptable state of affairs!"
"Oh, by all the stars in the cosmos, here we go again…" muttered several of the nearby deities with long-suffering tones of voices that spoke of deep, deep familiarity with how often the subject was brought up.
The surface of the blob of gold spiked (literally) with irritation.
"You uncultured mass of higher-dimensional flesh might be willing to tolerate this chaotic mess we call a tariff system, but I will not! And I am certain our king recognizes the full importance of the subject matter!"
The blob of gold seemed to look at me with hidden, but still clearly desperate hope.
I smiled. "It warms my heart that I'm not the only one who noticed the… sadly inefficient system of taxes currently in place across the Eldritch Kingdom. By all means, Lady Aurumaesh, I would appreciate it if you could send me a detailed report of your thoughts on how to best improve the current situation for the entire Kingdom… or as much as you can confidently speak of, at least."
The blob of gold bounced up and down in clear delight. "It would be my utmost pleasure, my king! I shall send it as soon as possible!"
I ignored the clear feelings of pity I felt from the other surrounding gods. From what my True Self could tell me, the goddess in question actually knew her stuff quite well, but was held back by the fact that most Eldritch gods cared little about such mortal concerns as taxes.
Well, I wasn't so limited, and if she was truly so capable I might even end up giving her a job. Goodness knows that we could use more people working on tackling the eldritch, labyrinthine mess that was the Eldritch Kingdom's tax code.
How the damn thing didn't spontaneously create an insane eldritch deity out of its sheer madness-inducing ways was a question even my True Self couldn't give a proper answer for.
"Even with the current benefits, whether diplomatic or economics, I still can't help but question if the ultimate loss of life and sheer destruction would make the war worth it." Eire'neas spoke again. "We are talking about the potential loss of countless civilizations or even actual species in this coming war, and while I certainly hold no love for the Abyss and its cruel inhabitants, I do reserve the right to worry about the fates of the countless lives soon to be lost, the countless civilizations full of wonders soon to be lost forever, and how much the war will affect not only the people of the Eldritch Kingdom but those of every other realms as well."
I looked at him for a moment then smiled.
"Your concern does you credit, lord Eire'neas. I know that, even in those who cheer for me, many do not hold such empathic views towards the various life forms in reality. Which is why I have a… proposal for you."
"A proposal?" he questioned, sounding both wary and intrigued.
"I would like you to create a committee, or perhaps even an entire organization, dedicated solely to investigating how to best aid in the prevention of any crisis in which large amounts of civilian populations would be lost, along with their culture and history. You are correct after all, the war to come will be bloody and highly destructive, thus it would be wise to begin efforts in order to prevent the worst scenario from coming to pass as soon as possible. I will allocate large amounts of funding towards that goal, though of course you are free to search for other sources as well, for you can never have too many resources when it comes to saving lives. I would also like you to begin working on creating a list of individuals that you believe would be as passionately devoted as you are to work on that goal, so that all within the Kingdom and Pantheon who hold similar concern can work together for the good of all."
I bowed my head slightly. "Naturally, if you have any other ideas or suggestions to make that would alleviate the coming destruction during the war, I would be very eager to listen to them and see how best they can be implemented. Would you be willing to take on such a task, lord Eire'neas?"
The god stared at me, clearly taken aback by my words, but I could feel the way that the many other gods who came here to support him suddenly turned as one towards him with the clear hope that he would agree… and that they would become part of said new committee or organization.
The best part was that I was 100% truthful. I was going to dump a truly colossal amount of resources upon his head to work towards the stated goal of saving lives, since no matter what happens it will work to my benefit.
Either he steps up and proves competent, in which case I will be seen as proactive and merciful for quickly beginning the work on limiting the damage of the war, or he will fail and lose all credibility, while letting me appoint someone I can trust in charge instead.
As always, creativity was one of the deadliest weapons in a warrior's arsenal. Where others saw problems, I saw solutions.
"My King." Cthulhu bowed his head, his red eyes looking respectfully into the cosmic eyes of his new ruler.
The Outer God's True Form had been a sight that he doubted he would ever forget, the sheer majesty and power of it burnt upon his very soul for the rest of eternity, much as it was for everyone else present he was sure. It had been a glimpse upon the true, near incomprehensible might of his king, and Cthulhu was beyond honored to have been present to witness it along with the rest of the pantheon.
Of course, power alone does not make a good king, but thankfully Cthulhu was certain that king Aeon knew that fact already, especially considering how well he had talked around some of the more… uncertain members of the Eldritch Pantheon so far.
"Cthulhu. How is your realm?" his king inquired with a warm smile.
"It thrives, my king, and we all work hard to make sure it will stay that way." he proudly replied. "You have given us all the tools we could have dreamt of to succeed, it would shame us beyond words if we couldn't accomplish success after all that you gave us."
And Cthulhu was being entirely truthful. The sheer amount of resources alone his king had somehow gathered to help ensure the rebirth of his realm was utterly staggering, even by the standards of a Great Old One like himself.
He was spending those resources like water, and it still felt like the Vaults full of them were almost bursting at the seams with all they contained.
And that was saying nothing of the extensive list of individuals, organizations and more that he had been given through which he could acquire even more with relative ease…
As it stood, even the most pessimistics of long-term plans involved his realm growing stronger than it had ever been in mere decades, to say nothing of the heights it shall reach in centuries to millennia to come.
Cthulhu understood that, to his king, all that help was barely a drop of water in all his possessions… but it still meant everything to him and his people that they would be given so much in their times of need.
There was a debt of honor that would be almost impossible to repay for this, but Cthulhu was determined to at least try and repay it in whatever ways he could.
If nothing else… he had all eternity to try.
His king smiled, clearly happy at the news. "That is great to hear. I look forward to seeing what your realm will become by the end of it all, as it surely will be impressive to behold."
Cthulhu chuckled. "I cannot say if it will be able to impress even you, but I will certainly do my best."
"Good, good." mused his king. "And what of the Shoggoths? Any progress there too?"
Cthulhu nodded. "There is, though it will still take a bit of time for a proper meeting to be set up. Your coronation will help things along, but gathering an entire species, or as close to it as is possible since you made it clear that this was based entirely on voluntary attendance, is naturally a lot of logistical work."
"Understandable. Just keep at it and let me know when the time comes." His king replied thoughtfully, before tilting his head. "Have you had the chance to meet some of the Aeons I assigned to Earth yet?"
Cthulhu shook his great octopus-like head, his tentacles waving in the air. "I am afraid not, your majesty. From what I understand, they are currently hard at work getting a comprehensive look at the situation on Earth in general."
King Aeon hummed, then nodded. "We'll have to rectify that, but no need to rush it… Perhaps in the upcoming meeting with all the pantheons of Earth? It sounds like as good a time as any."
Cthulhu smiled. "I look forward to it, my liege."
"Alright. So, with all the work stuff out of the way…" a smirk appeared on his king's face. "Have you had any thought of taking a queen for yourself, Cthulhu?"
Cthulhu barely managed to hold himself back from sputtering at the sudden turn in the conversation.
"My king! We all just gained our freedom, it is hardly the time to think of such things!"
"Bah! On the contrary, I can't imagine that you aren't though quite a bit of stress, and it would do your people good to see their ruler live a little, beyond working all the time!" cheerfully declared King Aeon, a wide grin on his face. Then he turned thoughtful, though his grin remained. "Of course, there is the matter of deciding what kind of woman, or women, you would be interested in… Eldritch goddesses, regular eldritch, or perhaps something else entirely?"
Cthulhu tried not to gape at his king so bluntly-
Hold up.
The look on his face-
"... You're teasing me, aren't you?" he said flatly.
King Aeon laughed brightly. "I am! Well, mostly." his expression softened, sympathy clear on his face. "I know all too well how important love can be, and how valuable it is to have a trusted partner in life… or partners. You've suffered through millennia of imprisonment with your people because of a tragedy, it's about time you all remembered that there is more to life than pain and suffering. So why not remember to live a little? To try and be happy?"
"... Romance did not go well for me in the past, my king." softly replied Cthulhu, his gaze deliberately not turning towards where Kassogtha stood, though it was hard.
His king's expression softened even more with sympathy, but he also firmly shook his head. "Sometimes, success can be measured by the ability to rise and try again just one more time, my friend. Do not let the pain of the past control your future. You are a good, honorable soul that any woman would be proud to love and be loved by. I refuse to believe that, somewhere across the infinite cosmos, there is not a single woman who would love you and who you can love in return."
Cthulhu stayed silent at those words for a time, before bowing his head. "I will… consider your words, my liege." he said softly.
King Aeon nodded gently, his expression kind. "Take your time, Cthulhu, but I will still recommend that you do not let fear and doubts rule you. You deserve better than to wallow in past tragedies, not when a bright future awaits us all. Take heart, my friend. I am certain that you will find happiness, if only you have the courage to seek it."
"As you say, my king." Cthulhu bowed his head in acknowledgement, and King Aeon lingered, sending him a kind yet firm look, before smiling.
"Good. Now, if you would excuse me-" his eyes settled on another deity, one accompanied strangely enough by a human man. "I have a very intriguing couple to talk with."
Cthulhu blinked, peering closer at the deity in question and their companion-
He blinked again.
… Since when is Hastur female?
And was that mortal man by her side smoking a page of the Necronomicon without a care for his sanity?
Across the breadth and width of the infinite cosmos, there naturally were unique individuals capable of achieving feats far beyond anything anyone had expected them capable of.
Feats of strength, cunning or outright madness so great that even Eldritch Gods couldn't help but sit up and take notice, finding themselves as utterly bewildered as anybody else in the face of truly incomprehensible situations that simply defied all logic or reason.
Sometimes, those individuals achieved victory so great, so utterly beyond any realm of possibility, that even the Eldritch pantheon became wary of such individuals, reacting to them with the same manner as mortals looking at a bomb ready to go off at any time.
… It took a considerable amount of self-restraint on my part to not start cackling madly over the fact that here, in the center of Eldritch might, a not inconsiderable amount of Eldritch deities were visibly inching away from the pair now standing in front of me, clear caution radiating off them like sweat on a human being in the face of a terrifying predator staring at them like they were deciding whether or not they were worth hunting.
And it wasn't even because of the Eldritch deity of the two, as Lady Hastur was, for all of "her" considerable renown, by no means feared by the Eldritch pantheon.
Her new husband, on the other hand…
The man now standing before me wore combat boots, cargo shorts, and an open front Hawaiian shirt with a wife-beater underneath. He had a grizzly Adam's beard, and wore his hair in a mohawk while also wearing a pair of aviator's shades over his eyes. To finish the rather unique look, he had a stuffed parrot on his shoulder, an automatic combat shotgun slung underneath one arm, and a rolled up page of a copy of the Necronomicon between his lips being used as a bong he was casually smoking.
And he was also standing here, at the center of existence, surrounded by a seemingly endless sea of Eldritch deities, all of that without a single drop of eldritch blood inside of him… Without so much as a blink, or a care in the world.
Not even a mild fucking headache.
If it wasn't for the shotgun, I would have thought the guy had been ready to stroll up an Hawaiin beach instead.
But I knew perfectly well who that was.
Eli Burning, a.k.a Old Man Henderson reincarnated.
I actually had an original version of the "Tome of Madness" where his backstory was written in one of my Vault.
… That shit was fucking wild to read, is all I'm gonna say.
"King Aeon." respectfully declared Hastur, the goddess bowing her head towards me.
"Lady Hastur." I replied with a nod, noticing the way she twitched at being called "Lady." "Still not used to your new form?"
She hesitated. "It has its advantages, and I do not regret it." she replied, glancing rather meaningfully towards her husband. "But it will certainly take some time to get used to it."
She straightened, then bowed deeply. "But enough about me. What I wanted to do was thank you, King Aeon, for letting my daughter Ithaqua be free of her prison. I have heard that she has begun studies to join the armed forces of the Eldritch Kingdom. As her fa-… As one of her mothers, I am worried about her new path in life, but as long as it is her decision, then I will do my best to support her in her chosen path."
"A very mature outlook." I said with approval. "And the decision of joining the armed forces was done as a result of her passionate desire to repay me for both her freedom and bringing back R'lyeh. If she is to serve me as one of my chosen champions, it is better than that she is fully trained and educated in everything she will need to know."
Hastur nodded. "A logical choice. The thought of my daughter on the frontline of the upcoming war worries me, but if she wishes to join the war effort I can do little else than to support her in any way I can."
Eli Burning grunted, squinting somewhere above my right ear. "'Ah ung' ah 'he no' mee' ugl' poodles, he' e 'ine."
He grinned, patting his combat shotgun. "Not' a ew ho an't fi'!"
"... Quite." I replied, blinking in the face of the most incomprehensible Scottish accent I ever heard. "Though I'd prefer if you waited to open fire until after those… ugly poodles… proved themselves hostiles. Being ugly isn't a crime by itself, after all."
He grunted. "Ah' lo' ah they do' go aftah ma wee men!"
"I'm sure they have little interest in them." I reassured him.
He grunted again, sounding incredibly dubious of my claim.
"Well, either way, it was a pleasure meeting you both, Lady Hastur, Mr Burning. Feel free to mingle with the others, it is my understanding that those who know you have been worried about your total lack of public appearances as of late." I told Hastur.
"I'll make sure to go see them. My… current circumstances took some getting used to, but that doesn't mean I should neglect eons-old friendship. Still, It was an honor to be present for your coronation, King Aeon." Lady Hastur said respectfully, bowing her head towards me and using a tentacle to make her husband do the same.
With one last smile, I left the odd duo behind, trying not to think too deeply over how exactly Old Man Henderson acquired that nigh-incomprehensible Scottish accent.
The answer involved a trip to Scotland, a shit-ton of alcohol, deals made with Fey Courts that everybody regretted (and not just the mortal man for once), and a staggering amount of property damage… of Fey castles, specifically.
I had to wonder how horrified the Queens of the Summer and Winter Courts had to be when they both found that their curse of banishment over him for the next Sextillion years might actually not be enough to prevent him from coming back, now that he was married to an Elder Goddess.
… I had to wonder if those two can actually suffer from panic attacks…
Strangely pleasing thoughts of well-earned karmic retribution aside, I glanced at the many, many Eldritch gods around me thoughtfully.
The game of politics was one played by Eldritch gods just as much as everybody else with power, though admittedly Eldritch politics were of a very different sort by default.
The "Loyalist" faction, also known as "The guardians of the Cosmos" was the one entirely dedicated to supporting Queen Azathoth, and now myself as well, in whatever ways they could. My own rise to power naturally complicated things quite a bit, but at least for the time being that entire faction was basically cheering me on no matter what.
Cthulhu was, to no one's surprise, one of their number.
The rest of the Eldritch pantheon was divided heavily, as there were those eager to support whatever realms they were most associated with. Eldritch Gods aligned with the Void supported anything to do with the Void, those aligned with the elemental plane of Fire did the same for their own side, etc.
Then there were those rare few who supported either one of the Heavenly realm, or instead one of the Infernal one… with the exception of the Abyss. Mostly because those lunatics were rejected by Azathoth even before she first met me. That still left a number of them within the pantheon who supported Hell, and even more who supported Abaddon (in no small part because of the fact that the leaders of Abaddon were themselves children of the Crawling Chaos).
Nonetheless, that faction of gods supporting one of the planes of existence became known as the "Children of the Elements", and while they were by nature extremely divided they also made up one of the most numerous blocks of gods within the Eldritch Court.
Needless to say, those in support of the Heavenly Realms were absolutely delighted by my rise to power, while those supporting Hell were far less happy.
As for those in support of Abaddon, my swift subjugation of the realm meant that, for all intent and purposes, they were now firmly amongst the Loyalists. The fact that they could all see the writing on the wall that Abaddon was going to become far more important going forward just meant they were extremely motivated to remain in my good graces.
There were a variety of minor factions, from the pro-mortal one I met the leader of, Eire'neas, calling themselves the "Inheritors of the stars," to one who was the exact opposite and who were extremists who considered mortals as insects to be used at best, or outright exterminated at worst.
Needless to say, the second group had absolutely lost its shit over my rise to power, and effectively exiled themselves in protest, thus their lack of presence here today.
Those gods gathered under the banner of the "Ascended First" (seriously, that was the literal traduction) were absolutely going to be a problem, but as long as they were merely plotting and hiding away, I wasn't going to bring the hammer upon them.
The moment they twitched wrong, however, there was going to be blood.
There was also the extremist pro-Eldritch "Supremacy of the Firstborns" who were a problem in the sense that they were hardcore believers in the supremacy of the Eldritch as a whole, and who weren't exactly shy about their desire to wage a crusade if necessary to enforce the supremacy of the Eldritch Kingdom and pantheon across the stars.
Ironically, those people collectively adored me, since I decided to go to war against the Abyss while also tightening my grip around Abaddon and making moves towards doing so in Hell. Combined that with my extensive diplomatic work towards other major factions in creating an alliance with the Eldritch pantheon as the leaders, and they couldn't stop falling over themselves singing my praises.
So where the "Ascended First" were a problem to be eventually exterminated, the "Supremacy of the Firstborns" were a temporarily useful support base for my plans. Eventually they would have to be carefully curbed back to ensure peace-time politics remained stable, but having some fiery extremists baying for demonic blood was useful for now.
And considering how vast the omniverse was, it was hardly like I was going to stop having acceptable targets for those people to throw at anytime soon… or ever, really.
All in all, I was extremely lucky in that most of the political landscape was already in my favor to begin with. Quite simply, the Eldritch Kingdom's cultural inclination to support and revere the oldest and most powerful Eldritch deities of the Pantheon meant that very few gods actually stood in opposition to Azathoth, which by default meant very little opposition to me.
The fact that I was an Outer God as powerful as I was also helped significantly.
There was also the bonus that I actually supported change and a less isolationist and biased view against mortals, which allowed me to gain support from growing political movements from within the kingdom who wanted to see changes brought to it. True, those changes were especially visible in the Eldritch Senate equivalent, where "mortal" eldritch representatives gathered, more than the Eldritch court but that didn't mean that there was no pressure upon some of the gods to be more supportive of their mortal populations.
I still expected the upcoming war to lose me some political support, sadly. The Eldritch pantheon might be pretty apathetic and uncaring of destruction in general, but the sheer scale of the war will definitely impact them enough to turn some potential allies away from me.
Unfortunate, but I couldn't say I didn't consider the price well worth the results. And besides, I was confident that I could still convince people to my views by simple logical arguments and debate whenever necessary.
I made the claim of being the most knowledgeable deity in existence, I could damn well prove it if need be.
That, and I had a lot of resources at my disposal. If I needed to make some under the table deal by promising to invest in some personal worlds or projects of some deity or another to get what I wanted, well, that was fine by me. As long as the Eldritch Kingdom ultimately prospered from it, I didn't mind giving my support to other people's pet projects or personal realms.
Overall, the Eldritch Court wasn't much of a concern. The mortal Eldritch senate, on the other hand, was going to be more of an interesting case, especially when the concept of democracy was gaining ground as the ultimate form of government because of some genuinely skilled orators and earnest believers standing up for it…
I was honestly looking forward to meeting them! I would have ignored or destroyed them politically if they were just power-hungry assholes, but actual idealists in positions of power earnestly debating their preferred political beliefs to all willing to listen was something I genuinely respected immensely.
And it certainly put me in an interesting position. As an Absolute Monarch I was naturally in support of anything giving me more power. As an individual however, I was more than happy to delegate political power to those I considered worthy of it.
It was going to be an interesting balance to walk, though once again, I was looking forward to the challenge!
The endless stream of Eldritch gods meeting me kept going. From those eager to participate in the upcoming war, to those instead mourning the cost of it, from the loyalists delighted by my existence to the opportunistics simply trying to get my favor to even those who really did not like me and saw me as an upstart who should never have the power I now possessed, I met them all.
It was as humbling as it was awe-inspiring to see so many gods gathered here under the same flag of the Eldritch kingdom, and it was moments like these that really helped put into perspective the raw power now at my disposal. With but a word, I could begin or end wars, annihilate civilizations older than the sun shining its light on Earth, or instead elevate them to heights they could never imagine.
At a rare break into the endless meeting, Damelone appeared by my side, looking cautiously at all the deities surrounding us.
"A war against the Eldritch Pantheon would have been incredibly hard-fought." she mused. "It is truly a blessing that Azathoth and you came to love each other, rather than the opposite."
I nodded. "Agreed. You and the Aeons may have been originally intended for war against the Eldritch Pantheon, but I'm glad that I will rule them instead."
"Though there is still a war to win, my master. The Abyss will not kill itself, even if its inhabitants are currently gleefully doing so." Damelone declared, my sword sounding almost eager.
I glanced at her, and she smiled back at me. "I am your sword, creator. Does it surprise you that I am eager to fight in your name?"
"Not particularly. I'd be worried if you felt the opposite." I replied with some amusement, before turning serious. "Still, I hope that you will not become too eager-"
"Fear not, creator. A part of me still lingers from the original blade of Ludwig. I know all too well the consequences of unchecked bloodlust." she interrupted me, her voice soft yet firm.
I nodded, relaxing slightly. Instead, I looked at all the gathered Eldritch Gods, talking and mingling with one another. In the distance, I could see my Pleromas talking with some of them, Uldatrex talking with a serious-looking Cthulhu, Amnique and Zaldroct laughing with Yad and Yog, Sydnotra chatting with Nyarlathotep with a glint in her expression that made me think that someone, somewhere, was most likely going to die, Rwandelux was in-between Aiueb Gnshal and a goddess looking like a living ball of pure light, nodding in agreement at whatever was being said, Pyhgmi had apparently teamed up with Kassogtha's twins to mercilessly tease said goddess if the way she was blushing brightly was any indication, and Altryxna was talking to a group of Eldritch gods whose bodies were made up of liquid metals and waving around excitedly in a way that let me know that terrible, terrible things were going to be done to physics in the name of experimentations.
Damelone looked at my children, her brother and sisters effectively, and smiled softly. "I am glad that they got the chance to live without immediately being thrown into war."
"Yes." I agreed, my expression bittersweet but overall happy. "Though they will still know war, sooner or later, because of my decisions."
Damelone glanced at me. "You created us, the lives we have are only because of your kindness. It is only right we, your creations, give back to you in exchange for that most beautiful gift that is life."
My face twisted at those words. "You are my children. Sending you to war in my name is hardly what I would call peak parenthood, Damelone."
"Will you let us fight by ourselves? Or will you throw yourselves into the deadliest of battles, fearlessly charging against the greatest of evil without hesitation?" she questioned.
"... You know the answer to that question. When the time comes, I will personally challenge the Queen of the Abyss." I replied.
Damelone smiled. "And that is why we do not regret going into war in your name. How could we, when you, our beloved creator, shall take on the greatest of evil to shield us from them?"
"That still does not make it right." I muttered. "Especially when I know all too well that Aeons have less Free Will than most things in existence."
"Is a life of joy, purpose and certainty in the name of someone who we know loves and truly cherishes us so horrible a thing, my creator?" Damelone argued back.
"... It is not one I can see for myself. Maybe once… But not anymore." I answered.
Damelone nodded. "And that is your right… much like it is ours to be content by our own lives."
I let out a sigh, though there was a hint of warmth in my voice as I spoke. "I see that there is no winning this particular battle. Very well then, I know better than to keep pushing in a hopeless fight."
To her credit, Damelone's smile was only somewhat smug.
A moment later she shapeshifted, and I looked at her cane form, holding it in one hand with a fond look on my face, before going back to watching my other children mingle with the Eldritch pantheon.
"Beloved." came a voice nearby, and I turned with a smile towards Azathoth, who beamed brightly in the face of my own smile.
Literally, her golden eyes glowed for a few seconds.
"Today was utterly perfect." Aza told me, looking utterly delighted, much like a bride after a perfect day of marriage.
Which… was essentially what today was all about, ultimately.
"It was." I agreed warmly. I turned back towards the gathered gods, my smile turning softer. "I must say, I did not expect such a near-universal warm welcome. Perhaps it was my human perception that biased my views, but foreigners are always seen with a hint of distrust and suspicion. To receive such overwhelming approval and welcomes makes me feel… warm." I admitted, and I couldn't help but ponder the fact that perhaps… This event had been as important for me as it was for everyone else.
From the Outer Gods' warm praises and support, to even the lesser gods almost falling over themselves in joy at the honor of simply talking and spending time with the new King of the Eldritch…
The Eldritch Pantheon wasn't without flaws. The vast majority of the gods cared little about the fate of mortals, and those who mourned the damage of the upcoming war did not necessarily even cared about the cost in sentient lives, so much as how it would impact them, personally.
And yet, they were not evil. Even if they did not understand my concern for the lives of mortals, they were still willing to work with me to make things better. Even if my own concerns and views over the Omniverses were ones that they could scarcely comprehend themselves, they still trusted me to guide them right, to ensure that everyone would profit from my work.
As I stood before the greatest pantheon of gods in existence, what struck me above all was their cohesive willingness to work together, their acceptance of others, and their lack of judgment.
Ironically, their isolationism had turned the Eldritch pantheon into one characterized by acceptance of others, simply because they were so very used to follow a basic "live and let live" way of life.
It did come at a cost of a far too great level of apathy to the suffering of others for my liking, but overall… It was far easier to teach people to learn to care for others, than to teach them to stop judging others for their differences.
In short, the Eldritch pantheon had never learnt to hate.
All I needed to do now was to teach them to love others as well.
A.N: Alright! Here is the next chapter in which we continue the events of Love Azathoth!
A chapter dedicated to interacting with the Eldritch Pantheon, and some elaboration of Eldritch politics in the Court.
Quite simply, Aeon is going to be the glue fixing the cracks in the Eldritch pantheon and kingdom by simple fact that, as an Outer God pro-mortals, he's got both the raw power to gain the respect of the "Traditionalists" pro-Azathoth, and the "humanity" required to gain the approval of the growing movement of "Reformists" slowly gaining power.
Of course, that still means juggling both sides, but at least it means that he'll more easily have his opinions respected by both groups.
I'll get more into the slowly growing reformist movement when Aeon deals with the eldritch "mortal" senate/assembly. I have very clear ideas of who the leaders of the group will be, and I hope that you'll find them interesting. Essentially, they'll be actual idealists who truly believe in what they preach, which by defaults means that they'll be (*gasp!*) honest, earnest politicians!
I know, a shock, but if they had been power-hungry assholes or anything like that Aeon would have just broken them over his knee in a week, top. Actual idealists who believe in giving power to the people, though? Now that presents interesting potential interactions between everyone, so obviously that's a lot more interesting story-wise.
And hey, you know it's a fictional story when the politicians aren't all corrupt sell-out…
Also, for those wondering: Aeon's True Form was basically the equivalent of having a Primarch from Warhammer 40k meet his Space Marines for the first time… Times 100. Not quite outright mind-control, but the sheer inhuman charisma and spiritual connection means that everyone kind of freaked out just a bit.
And finally, Old Man Henderson! The Man, the Myth, the Legend himself! Needless to say, he'll show up again in the future, if only because it is inevitable that something will happen to his new collection of garden gnomes. Though I dare say that nobody is ready to see that guy go on a cosmic road trip…
QUICK QUESTION TO YOU ALL: As I talked about in the posts above, I'm considering adding some Hololive EN characters like Calli, Ina, etc as either Aeons or background characters to add some world-building. No romance or anything, and they'll only show up from time to time, but I thought it could add some interesting character interactions sometimes. What do you all think?
Still, with all that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this update! Next time, we move from the Eldritch Gods to the Heavenly gods, eager to pay their respects to the new King! And maybe a few familiar elves will show up…