"You’re fired," Arthur whispered and squeezed.

"CRACK!"

The sound of Patriarch Blackwood’s neck snapping echoed through the room like a gunshot. But Arthur wasn’t done yet.

The newly assimilated Primordial Flame surged from his core. The Wrath-Fire traveled down his arm and into his grip.

The ancient God didn’t even have the chance to scream. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The multi-colored fire washed over the Patriarch’s body. It instantly incinerated his flesh, his bones, and his very soul.

In less than a second, the former ruler of the Blackwood family was reduced to a pile of fine glowing ash that drifted through Arthur’s fingers.

[Ding!]

[Target ’Patriarch Blackwood’ eliminated.]

[Bloodline Pillar Erased. The Blackwood Faction has been crippled.]

[10,000x ROI Multiplier Activated on assimilated Primordial Flame.]

[Host has reached the ’Divine Lord’ Tier.]

Arthur closed his eyes and his head tilted back as a massive wave of power washed through his veins. Reaching the Divine Lord tier wasn’t just a physical upgrade. It was a complete change of his existence.

He could feel the laws of the Apex Realm bending around him. They recognized him as the absolute apex predator of this sector. His muscles grew denser, and his bones hummed with a violent frequency.

[Notice: Base attacks are now augmented by the Primordial Flame. Attacks bypass standard physical and conceptual defenses. Strikes are now classified as ’Unblockable’.]

Arthur flexed his right hand. A flicker of the chaotic reality-defying flame danced across his knuckles. It didn’t burn him. It obeyed him.

He felt like he could punch a hole straight through the universe and pull out whatever was hiding on the other side.

"Holy shit," a trembling voice whispered from the shadows.

Arthur turned his head. Lyra the rogue thief from the Stardusk Syndicate was standing near the shattered vault doors. Her violet eyes were wide with pure terror.

She had spent her entire life running from the Blackwood family. She was terrified of their guards, their elders, and their Patriarch. And she had just watched a man in a dark coat crush the most powerful being she knew like a stale cracker.

Arthur offered her a cold corporate smile. "Did you take notes Lyra? That’s how we handle redundancies in this company."

Lyra swallowed hard. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms to hide her shaking hands.

She knew he was already the boss but seeing this level of power completely changed her perspective of him.

"I’m paying attention," Lyra said. Her voice lacked her usual cocky bravado. "You make the calls. Just point me where you need me."

"Good," Arthur said as he turned his attention to the corridor behind her.

"Speaking of assets, it’s time to consolidate the capital."

Sylvia and Morwenna strode into the room. Their boots clicked in perfect unison against the floor. The two women looked absolutely radiant and their auras hummed with the residual adrenaline of looting an entire celestial city.

Behind them floated dozens of high-tier spatial rings. They were suspended in the air by Sylvia’s telekinetic grip.

"The outer wings have been completely stripped Commander," Sylvia reported. Her icy blue eyes dropped to the pile of ash at Arthur’s feet. A vindictive and deeply satisfied smirk touched her lips. "I see you handled the executive branch."

"He was completely overvalued," Arthur said dismissively. He reached out and plucked one of the spatial rings from the air, letting the system scan the contents.

[Ding!]

[Massive hoard detected: 4,000,000 Divine Crystals, 12,000 Apex-Tier Elixirs, 400 Ancient Weapon Blueprints.]

[Divine Looter Activated. Auto-converting unusable assets...]

↳ +8,500,000 System Points.

"A very profitable acquisition," Arthur murmured as his eyes gleamed.

He looked at Sylvia and Morwenna. The Arch-Mage and the Demon Empress had served their purpose flawlessly. But as he stared at them with his new Divine Lord senses, he could see the limitations of their current vessels.

They were powerful but they were still bound to the laws of their respective origins. If they were going to be the vice-presidents of his new empire, they needed an upgrade.

"Come here," Arthur commanded.

Sylvia and Morwenna didn’t hesitate. They stepped over the Patriarch’s ashes and stood directly in front of him.

"You both did excellent work today," Arthur said. His voice dropped to a low intimate rumble. "But the corporate ladder doesn’t stop here. I need my inner circle to be untouchable."

He raised both of his hands. In the center of his palms, two small diluted sparks of the Primordial Flame flickered to life. The heat in the room spiked so violently that the stone walls began to sweat.

"This is the Wrath-Fire," Arthur explained as he watched their eyes widen in awe. "It’s the foundational spark of the multiverse. I’m going to inject a fraction of it into your bloodlines. It’s going to hurt like hell, but it will burn away your mortal ceilings."

Morwenna licked her fangs. Her abyssal tattoos pulsed with eager anticipation.

"Burn me Emperor."

Sylvia simply nodded. Her gaze fixed on him with absolute trust. "I am yours to mold."

Arthur pressed his palms against the centers of their chests.

"BOOM!"

A shockwave of pure multicolored fire erupted through the chamber. Sylvia threw her head back and a sharp breathless gasp escaped her lips as the Primordial Flame flooded her icy meridians.

The fire didn’t melt her ice. It fused with it, creating a terrifying combination of burning frost. Her silver hair whipped wildly around her and took on a radiant starlight glow.

Beside her Morwenna let out a guttural demonic roar. The fire tore into her abyssal core and burned away the impurities of her dark matter. It refined it into a concentrated and lethal void energy. Her black tattoos shifted from dark violet to a blazing molten gold.

[Ding!]

[Bound Target ’Sylvia Thorne’ has assimilated diluted Primordial Flame.]

↳ Target elevated to Divine Rank.

[Bound Target ’Morwenna’ has assimilated diluted Primordial Flame.]

↳ Target elevated to Divine Rank.

When Arthur finally pulled his hands back, the two women collapsed to their knees. They panted heavily and their bodies were soaked in sweat. But the auras radiating off them were staggering. They were no longer just a powerful mage and a demon. They were Divine entities.

Before Arthur could offer his congratulations, the entire island violently lurched. The floating continent groaned. The sound of cracking crystal echoed from the bedrock beneath their feet.

"WEE-OOO! WEE-OOO!"

A deafening continental alarm began to blare. The sound vibrated in their very teeth. The air in the vault shifted and the atmospheric pressure suddenly skyrocketed.

Arthur looked up and his eyes narrowed. "System. What’s going on."

[Warning: The death of Patriarch Blackwood has severed the ’Apex Council Blood-Pact’.]

[Alert: The remaining ruling families of the Apex Realm have mobilized their fleets. Incoming hostile forces detected.]

Lyra scrambled to her feet and her face drained of color. "The Apex Council," she breathed, panic bleeding into her voice. "Arthur... the ruling families are tied together by a magical pact. If one falls, the others respond. They’re coming for us."

Arthur casually cracked his knuckles and the Primordial Flame danced across his skin. He looked down at his two newly forged Divine Queens. They were already pushing themselves up, and their eyes burned with lethal intent.

"Let them come," Arthur smiled. It was a cold ruthless expression that promised absolute slaughter. "I was just wondering how we were going to fund our next expansion."